How to get this look….on a budget! Part 1

 4th of July is Monday. This is a great opportunity to be creative! I know when you think entertaining your mind automatically drifts to Martha Stewart grandeur. I like Martha just’ as much as the next guy but lets face it I don’t have the time or the money to pull off half of what Martha suggests! You can do a fun and festive tablescape on a budget that's quick and easy! 

The 4th of July is easy because the color palette is already chosen for you…Red, White and Blue of course.  You don’t have to search online and visit specialty stores to find unique items to decorate with. I took a trip to my local “Wolly World” (Wal-mart) and found lots of things I could use. I hit the dollar section and found a pack of blue and red bendy straws. 150 straws for $1.00. In that same section I found these cute little 4th of July buckets. Some had fireworks on them and some had stars…perfect! My favorite find that day in Wal-mart were the cute red burger baskets. You can get a 4 pack of them with the red and white checkered liner paper for around $2.00 a set. These are perfect to use as plates for your guest or to use to place snacks out on tables. These were in the seasonal isle.

So now you have a few basic items to start off with. Take a look around your kitchen. What kind of trays or plates do you have that would match. If you don’t have anything already look at Target, Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store for cute trays. The Dollar Store is one of my favorite spots for finding plastic or glass trays.

Now you could just place these cute little items out on your table but that wouldn’t make Martha proud…now would it? Using a party printable set you can take the ordinary and add a personalized touch. For instance, in my printable set you get drink flags. Just print them off, cut them out and attach them with a glue stick around your straws. Simple as that! You can use the same flags and wrap them around toothpicks and place them in food items that you may be serving as well.

Standard in most printable set are cupcake toppers. You can use them for a lot more than just cupcakes. Print them out and use them as confetti laying around your table.

You can also punch holes in them and use them as favor tags. You’re really only limited to your imagination!

Most packages also come with water bottle labels. Get creative with these! You’re not tied into the water bottle with these. Sometimes just picking up some root beer bottles or even some old fashioned coke in the glass bottles can add a fun and unique element to your party and table!

 

When it comes to table clothes you can pick up a red or blue plastic tablecloth at Wal-Mart for around $2.00. If you would like to go with something a little classier than plastic check out the sheet section! You can usually find a flat sheet for under $10 and they come in lots of color choices. I love using sheets as tablecloths because you can get most of the wrinkles out by just tossing them into the dryer for awhile. Doesn’t get much easier than that! I have even been known to use a shower curtain as a tablecloth. Learn to look at things with a different purpose and you may surprised what ideas you can come up with!

Ok so lets add this up. Let’s say we buy the straws, a plastic tablecloth, my 4th of July printable set, 3 of the little buckets and 3 packs of red baskets. That’s only $27.00 so far…not bad!

Tomorrow we’ll talk about easy and fun food that you can make to impress your guest!

Until then…Celebrate Life!

Candy