With my FIRST blogiversary quickly approaching (Tuesday, June 2nd), I can’t think of anything more appropriate to share, than my very first post which was Memorial Day 2009. Man, have a learned a lot in this past year! I’m joining Sunday Favorites by Chari over at Happy to Design.
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Welcome to my blog! This is my first adventure in blogging and I couldn't have done it without the help of my eldest daughter. She's only in elementary school and she's my Technical Adviser! That ought to give you some idea of how difficult this is for me!!!
I have to thank Susan from Between Naps on the Porch, who doesn't even know me, for her incredible inspiration. I'm not even sure how I found her blog, but I have been hooked on her blog since I found it months ago. I'm so eager to see the Tablescape Thursdays that I log in on Wednesday nights to see the earliest ones. My family thinks I'm nuts, but it's great to know there are others out there with the same passion.
Any thoughts on improving my blog are greatly welcomed. As I said, this is all new to me!
Please enjoy my first post, Memorial Day.
We had a busy Memorial Day morning. Everyone participated in the Memorial Day Parade: one marched as a Daisy Girl Scout, one marched in the Elementary School Band, one marched in the Middle School Band, I marched as a Daisy and Junior Girl Scout Leader, and Mr. Scaper and the Fluffy Ones were the viewers. Then there was the Memorial Day Fair where my Boy Scout ran a booth and my other two children just had fun. Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Around 5 pm our Memorial Day barbecue on our back patio began, with three other families, each with several children, and my Mom. We were 20 in total. 
Since we had a buffet, I'm going to show you each of the plates individually first. Getting the photographs in the correct order is definitely one of our technological challenges. The above plate was one of the dessert plates, purchased several years ago at Christmas Tree. This is one of the 12. Each set of four comes in an adorable box also decorated in stars and stripes. 
The plate above with the sail boat and the following two, with fire crackers and kites, were also dessert plates. They too were purchased at Christmas Tree years ago. 
Years ago I started collecting blue splatter wear metal plates to be my outdoor set. They were a little different than your standard plastic but still durable for outdoor wear. We used these for the dinner plates.
Above is a casserole dish bought long ago at Home Goods. It was piled high
with London Broil.
One of my many star serving plates. 
A star serving bowl. 
Two long folding tables were set in an "L" for the buffet. My little patriotic folks were bought this year from Christmas Tree. The jug of flowers was a gift from dear friend and fellow dish-a-holic, Barbara. Can't remember where the salt and pepper shaker are from but love how they form a flag. 
This is one of my all time favorite tablescaping objects. I have a set of these huge hurricanes from Christmas Tree from several years ago. I love to change them out with different candles and different surrounds. Williams-Sonoma has these super glass candle sleeves that surround your candle so that the items you have around it don't go on fire. I speak from experience on this one. Years ago I had a smaller set of hurricanes lit in the kitchen. I had stepped into another room for a moment and all of a sudden I heard my daughter screaming, "The tornadoes are on fire!". LOL!My children helped select the red and white mint puffs to surround the candle. The bows at the base were made from good friend and dish-a-holic in training, Nancy. She also made the one on the top of the beverage server shown later. The basket of napkins with stars and stripes napkin rings are at the ready. 
The dinner plates were set on my new tiered server purchased from Century 21 on a recent shopping trip with fellow dish-a-holic Barbara. Awesome store in the New York area. I love how you can change its shape and that it has 4 different places for plates, unlike the more common 3 tiered servers. Years ago I started collecting blue splatter wear metal plates to be my outdoor set. They were a little different than your standard plastic but still durable for outdoor wear. We used these for the dinner plates.
A table was set up for the grilling station. Mr. Scaper and Uncle Fred were the grill masters.The candelabra was a treasure from a garage sale. Man, those candles dripped! A few pottery stars in the bottom to complete the patriotic touch. 
Hors d'oveuvres were served on a coffee table outside. 
Salsa and chips in the flag bowl from Home Goods. Crackers in a red white and blue basket with a navy blue napkin. Potato chips in the flag dip dish, pretzels in the star bowl, brie and a champagne cheese on a blue and white platter. Don't now if you can make out the red white and blue spreader stuck in the brie! Love how the outdoor bowl for the Fluffy Ones made it into the photo! Not very adventurous fare, but we did have 11 children there! 
The French doors from the patio open into the living room. I set the round table, that is usually right up against the French doors, back a bit and made it into my beverage station. Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge it. 
Cobalt and white beverage from Bombay. Man, I miss that store. I put on of those little apron things that they sell for a dish soap bottle, over the red wine bottle.
Red, white and blue pitcher from Home Goods for water. I can't remember where the Cobalt wine and beer glasses are from, probably Home Goods.
You had to duck a bit under the banner to get in the doors to the beverages, but it worked.
One of my favorite items - the etched beverage dispenser. It was a great buy from Christmas Tree, about 2 years ago, at a fraction of the price that they were being featured in Horchow. I had been drooling over the ones in Horchow!
I did go for plastic cups for iced tea for the children. Don't know how well you can see it, but the scalloped white wooden tray was a fabulous find at a nearby Historical Society Antique Shop, obviously not everything there is antique.
To view the invitation that my eldest daughter made to the barbecue, please visit her blog at: http://www.fromlittlethings-cate.blogspot.com/
Hope you enjoyed the post. Looking forward to your comments.
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Hope you’ll join my party entitled “Where do you keep it all?” that I’m hosting in honor of my blogiversary on June 2, 2o1o.
“inlinkz” will be up by 7 pm on Tuesday, June 1, 2010.
My link is: http://thetablescaper.com/
- The Tablescaper
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