Outdoor Entertaining Archives

Summer Entertaining: Ideas to Inspire

July 27, 2016

SUMMER ENTERTAINING IDEAS

Outdoor entertaining takes on new meaning this time of year. Finding new ways to use pieces you already own & incorporating the bounty of the season will help make entertaining outdoors even more fun and exciting.

♦ Put on twist on a caprese salad by replacing the tomatoes with sweet Georgia peaches.

♦ Use oversized glass jars as serving bowls for salads and fresh fruits. Jars allow food to be visible while adding impact to your buffet setting.

♦ Instead of expensive flowers for the centerpiece, let the food be the focal point. A long wood board piled high with a variety of cheeses, fruits, meats and nuts will be the center of attention.

♦ Get creative with the things you own. A recycled canoe makes a charming outdoor serving station of finger foods.

♦ Place those delicate china plates with small rustic wood cutting boards which function just a good as traditional serve ware.

♦ Keep thing simple but elegant and create personalized place setting with oversized dollies. Use a Sharpie to pen the name of guests or pull out that collection of letter stickers and give each dollie its unique spin.

♦ Use elements from mother nature as decor for your party. A handful of pretty leaves and a metallic pen is all it takes to make these stylish name cards.

♦ Make a single bouquet of flowers go the extra mile by mixing in greenery pieces you cut from the yard to create a dynamic centerpiece.

♦ And when impact is called for, drape the center with an assortment of summer lanterns surrounded by lush greenery and foliage.

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Summer entertaining is about letting loose, having fun and enjoying the season!

Image source: 1) Say Yes 2) Crate and Barrel 3) Plum Pretty Sugar 4) Simple Bites 5) Style Me Pretty 6) Paper Mart 7)La Crema 8) Wedding Colors 9) Elle Decor (photo by Jenna Elliott–One Eleven Photography)

Outdoor Oasis Design Plan

June 24, 2015

Remember yesterday when I showed you the patio space at my brother’s place. Well, I’ve been thinking about the space and all of its design possibilities. So, I created a design plan for the space so that my brother and Mary could use it as a guide as they continue to decorate.

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Outdoor Entertaining (plus some tips)

June 23, 2015

My nephew was in town over the weekend which meant I spent a lot time with him and my brother. Since I knew I was going to be hanging out at my brother’s new place I decided to decorated his balcony for a little impromptu entertaining.

My brother lives in the city and has an extremely large balcony. When you’re out on the balcony you have a great view of high-rise buildings and lush landscape.

The decorating has just begun for this space and so far they (hey Mary) have added plants and purchased a small table and chair set, and an umbrella.

I carried a few items with me and set up this simple table setting which played off the colors in seat cushions and umbrella.

Dynamic table settings are all about the layers and as you can see I used several.

I started with the linen placement and then layered on top of that with a wood charger, square white plate and decorative salad plate.

The colors in the salad plate, place mat and napkin all pick up on the colors in the cushion.

Pattern mixing can really energize your table setting do don’ be afraid to combined different pattern styles. As long as there are common colors that run through all of the elements you use the combo will work.

It’s always fun to through in a pop color which is what that flowers provided.

Since the table was small, I placed the flowers in a decorative wood box and displayed them along side the table.

If surface space doesn’t allow, don’t be afraid to decorate around the space inside of on top of it.

Setting up an entertaining environment doesn’t have to be lots of work. Combine elements you already own, in a fresh new way and in a flash you’ll have created a beautiful setting.