Since 2012 is both an election year and an Olympic year, this calls for an all-out, all-inclusive 4th of July celebration! There’s no better time to get your family and friends under the same roof (or sky), to celebrate America. Setting a formal table (grown-ups) and an informal table (wee ones) is the perfect scenario for an afternoon-turned-evening celebration.
Traditional red, white and blue is not your only option. Update the standards by incorporating light blue and turquoise as well as a splash of yellow here and there. Flowers are an opportunity to bring variety to the color scheme. For more sophisticated floral arrangements, place maroon mixed with traditional red, white and green in a footed egg-shaped antique blue and white piece.
More casual and industrial containers hold loose arrangements for the kids’ table. Galvanized buckets are filled with white and yellow mums and fresh cherry branches straight from the yard. A big red bucket of bottled soda is stationed at the end of the table. Sweet fresh cherries and ripe watermelon arrayed in the center of the table make for edible centerpieces. Big red apples serve as stands for place cards on red, turquoise and yellow bandana card stock. Fresh raspberries on small antique blue and white plates are placed on the grown-up table for garnishing drinks and a pop of color (the red, white and blue kind).
You can’t go wrong with a few polka dots! White linen napkins adorned with red polka dots are on the adults’ table, and the pattern is echoed with red flatware with white polka dots on the kids’ table. Turquoise plastic plates on the kids’ table serve their purpose, and beautiful stacked baby blue salad plates with white dinner plates sit atop the grown-up table.
So, here’s a toast to you, America. Happy 4th of July, from our table to yours!