tailgate party

Yes, I know not everyone is as excited about (American) football as I am.🏈 And many of those who are wild about it do not root for my hometown KANSAS CITY CHIEFS. But this was a setup for the 2021 home opener that is universal with a change of colors and logos, so please check out the fun pics!

Gridiron placemats, “penalty flag” napkins with wristband napkin rings, football place cards, and miniature pendants get together with team colors of red and gold to create a fun place setting. All of these elements were first used in 2012 for “In the Red Zone“. Cambridge “Esben” flatware with faux wood handles makes a nice accompaniment.

Hungry, anyone? I found these cute referee shirt bottle cozies with working whistles at Party City a couple of years ago. They are the life of the party for wine bottles or, as first debuted in my post “Are You Ready for Some Football?” back in January of 2018.

My good friend Liz from Home & Gardening With Liz blog sent me this towel. She knows me all too well!

A good time was had by all…all except the opposing team with a little good-natured ribbing!😉 (And then we lost the next week’s game by one lousy point!😢)

I enjoy both football and baseball. If you’d like to see other sports-related posts on this blog:

INSPIRATION: My camera-shy long distance buddy and fellow Chiefs football enthusiast, Miss Mona, half-jokingly suggested that the chair covers used in my post “Blurred Lines With Shades of Pink” looked much like a referee uniform.

Yes, I realize we just got our butts handed to us in our home opener, but it makes no difference. I’m still a Kansas City Chiefs fan through and through. (#Chiefs/Arrowhead/Kansas City Pride!) Always have been, always will be. Next Sunday we will face our arch-rivals, the Denver Broncos. Despite what recent history has shown, I am a believer that we will emerge victorious. I am so much a believer that I have created a football tablescape with that triumph in mind!
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

The back deck is all ready for a Chiefs at-home tailgate party!

Each place setting has a black dinner plate topped with a salad plate in red with a black and white rim.

I found these Kansas City Chiefs reusable tumblers at our local grocery store. Dishwasher safe and a perfect for all kinds of get-togethers, I picked up a bunch of them at just $1.49 each. The deep yellow-gold napkin from LinenTablecloth.com is folded in a traditional design and mimics the flag used by referees to call a foul. The design on the stainless steel flatware reminds me of the laces on a football.

The centerpiece started with an oversized “ticket” sign I found on the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby. It is flanked by long rows of potted grass, some bearing miniature Kansas City Chiefs pendants. A miniature football (Dollar Tree) adds to the look.

As my buddy Mona suggested, the chairs dressed in black and white striped chair covers from LinenTablecloth.com look very much like the referees’ uniforms! (If you’ve not seen it, you may want to check out “Blurred Lines With Shades of Pink” to see how these chair covers take on a completely different vibe when used in a more formal setting.) The table is layered in black and red linens from LinenTablecloth.com.

I created a comfortable sitting area on the other side of the deck for guests to enjoy the game on a television set up in the concealed corner.

The side table in the living room area of the deck is set up with a 90″ round white tablecloth from LinenTablecloth.com. It is topped with an autographed picture of wide receiver Eddie Kennison who notoriously “retired” from the game after only a few months with the Denver Broncos only to resurface and bring his powerhouse moves to the Kansas City Chiefs for five years. Tee hee hee! 🙂 I won this picture at a charity auction, and it is a prized possession. Uh oh….is that a 10-yard penalty for taunting? 😉

I couldn’t believe my incredible good fortune to find this cushy Chiefs body pillow at Wal-Mart for less than $20!!! It’s so comfy, and it gives me something to hit when we’re losing! 😉

The coffee table is set up with game favorites beer and popcorn. I found the resin football sign in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby at 90% off because it’s missing something that used to be on top of it. I like it “as is”, so it’s all good!

My flowers and herbs love the addition of our Kansas City Chiefs garden banner!

Red and gold Chiefs pendants dangle over a mock buffet table topped with gridiron placemats from Old Time Pottery.

Bronco meat, anyone? 😉 I’m just having a little fun here, so don’t go calling the PETA people on me! I’ve used the whole horse that goes with this head for several posts including “Carousel Colors”, “Kentucky Derby Buffet”, “Run For the Roses”, “American Royal Tablescape”, and “Celebrating Longview Farm“. I’ve also used it to prank my husband with the old Godfather-horse’s head-in-the-director’s-bed thing. So the horse is obviously very versatile! 🙂 I came up with the menu based on our (now broken…curse you, Seattle!) record-breaking 137.57 decibel Twelfth Man ruckus. Just tell me how you like your Bronco meat served up, and…

…I’m on it! 🙂 🙂 🙂

I know I’ve been M.I.A. for a while, but it’s with good reason. I’m preparing for a couple of upcoming fundraisers for which I’m doing a LOT of decor AND a tablescaping workshop in November. The prep work is exhausting both mentally and physically, and 90% of my day is consumed with it. I promise, however, to post as often as possible in the coming weeks. I have several fun posts already photographed and ready to rock. It’s just a matter of actually posting them!!!

If you’re looking for more sports-themed tablescapes, I have the following for your enjoyment:
“The 19th Hole – Golf & Forever Love”
“Boys of Summer”
“Football Tablescape – Kansas City Chiefs In the Red Zone“

Happy Fall, y’all, and I hope you’ll join me over at Christine’s Rustic & Refined for Table It! tonight and at Susan’s place for Tablescape Thursday later this week!