Celebrating the Fourth of July

I love celebrating the Fourth of July! What could be better than a barbecue surrounded by family and friends, great food and conversation followed by a spectacular fireworks show! What better way to bring this all together than by creating a beautiful table setting to gather round. 

I love entertaining and filling our home with our loved ones. For this Fourth of July BBQ I used the traditional theme of red, white and blue in a new unexpected way by incorporating Polka Dots and Stripes. I wanted to create an all American tablescape. The inspiration for my 4th of July table setting came as I was wandering aimlessly through the aisles of the dollar bin at Target. I was walking through the store when I came across a simple but beautiful red and white ceramic vase and my vision started to build! I anchored the table with a soft blue runner and built around it. 

TABLE SETTING - POLKA DOTS & STRIPES
I love the look and feel of using different textures and patterns. This makes it look original and unexpected. For the place settings I used a rattan charger with white polka dot plates. I purposely used two different polka dot patterns to add visual interest, it matches but it's different! As napkins I used red bandanas tied with twine & topped with burlap American flags as favors.  

TABLE CENTERPIECES
For the centerpieces I shopped at my local flower shop Mr. B's Flowers. Trader Joe's and Gelson's is also a great place to purchase fresh flowers. They have a large selection of flowers to choose from and they are always fresh. I chose Hydrangeas, Alstroemeria, and Spray Mums all in the same  color scheme: white. Hydrangeas are my favorite because they are easy to work with and always look elegant. To highlight the red accents I chose red roses in the small vases. When working with hydrangeas I recommend cutting the stems under water & having a spray bottle near by. They love water and are delicate in heat. If you spray them while working they will last longer.