As the weather has warmed, Steph and I both have had ideas for backyard entertaining on our minds. Clearly after a year of isolation and quarantine, it feels so good to start to get back to normal and that means entertaining!
This is a sponsored post, but the opinions are all my own.
A few weeks ago the Cotier Brand reached out to us and asked us if we would style a beverage cart with their Convokins napkins and tell our readers a little bit about them.
Once we saw the concept of the Convokins, we were very excited to share this with you. They are a high quality napkin with a conversation starter inside. It’s such a innovative idea.
You’ll also find ideas for summer backyard entertaining, including ideas for the 4th of July.
And if you are hosting a baby shower this summer, you need to see these fun ideas for a Woodland themed baby shower.
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Backyard Entertaining Ideas - Furniture
When entertaining in the backyard, I find it more convenient to incorporate different serving stations. With this in mind, I like to set up a beverage and appetizer table and then a separate buffet table.
If you find you don’t have enough outdoor furniture to accommodate this, try bringing out a piece of indoor furniture.
That’s exactly what we did for our beverage cart. Not only is this console table the perfect size, but it also has a lower shelf. In fact, the lower shelf is perfect for placing a tub for bottled water, or specialty drinks and also some added decor.
Decor Ideas for Backyard Entertaining
When planning an outdoor get together or party, I like to first have a theme, like we did for this woodland themed baby shower for my niece.
Clearly, once we have a theme, the ideas start flooding into our minds.
The beverage table is first decked out with a more relaxed tropical theme.
Fresh Flowers
I feel, adding fresh flowers to any table makes it feel special.
For this table instead of purchasing flowers, I decided to bring out a few house plants and an orchid. The orchid adds that tropical feel and it saves me from buying flowers.
So, get creative, take a look around your house and see what you can incorporate into your table styling.
Artfully Display Food - Ideas for Backyard Entertaining
Of course, beautifully displayed food is so appealing and appetizing.
If you’ve been scrolling on Instagram or Pinterest at all, I’m sure you’ve seen Charcuterie boards. They are all the rage right now.
Surely, we had to give it a try and style this enticing fruit tray.
Display Travel Treasures
With backyard summer entertaining, I love the idea of adding vacation treasures. In fact, adding a few shells from a recent beach trip not only bring fond memories, but is also a great conversation starter.
Embellish with Party Theme Color
Actually it’s easy to make a good-looking tablescape by keeping the colors cohesive. In keeping with the pinks and yellows from the fruit tray, we added strips of pink and yellow patterned paper to camouflage the water bottle label.
In addition, we wanted the beverage to not only go with the color scheme, but also be something special.
Therefore, we combined, passion fruit, mango and pineapple juice with a little sparkling water for an amazing specialty drink.
Ideas for 4th of July Backyard Entertaining
Undoubtedly when we think of a patriotic, 4th of July celebration we think of red, white and blue.
Red, White & Blue Decor
We’ve now styled the console table for a patriotic, 4th of July celebration.
For instance, we created a simple red, white & blue bunting with bandanas by simply folding them on the diagonal and knotting them together. They are secured to the table on each side with a thumbtack.
Super easy to do and the perfect idea for adding a little patriotic decor for entertaining in your backyard.
Personally, I think using items around your house that are sentimental and will work with your theme is so much more meaningful.
For a little added decor on the lower shelf we added an old vintage Coca Cola crate and topped it with a few daisies.
Also, the drink tub is filled with red, white & blue lemonades and water bottles embellished with flag duct tape.
Ideas for Red, White & Blue Appetizers - Backyard Entertaining
Of course, we needed red, white and blue appetizers!
We made a colorful platter of red and white veggies, creating a stripe of red bell peppers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and jicama stars.
To create the jicama stars, we peeled and sliced the jicama about 1/4″ thick and then used a small star cookie cutter to cut our shapes.
And to continue with our red, white and blue theme we have white and blue corn chips and a fresh pico de Gallo.
Conversation Starter ...
Equally as important as the decor when entertaining in our backyard is good conversation. Personally, I feel that is one of the most important elements of entertaining.
Often, we will put conversation ideas on strips of paper at each place setting. In particular, my grandkids love to have these on the table.
Definitely, the Convokins napkins make conversation starters so easy. These prompts are thought provoking and can really be enlightening.
To sum it up, we really enjoyed the conversations that developed from the prompts on the Convokins. I think they would be a great addition to any party, especially if your guests don’t know each other very well.
4th of July Tablescape Ideas
Of course we also wanted to share ideas for tablescapes for your backyard entertaining..
Centerpiece
First look around your house and see what you can incorporate into your centerpiece.
For our centerpiece we used a vintage Coca Cola crate, milk glass bud vases, flags and a few daisies.
We placed them on an old burlap table runner.
Then to add a little more life to the centerpiece, we added small bud vases with a few daisies and then sprinkled a few artificial flowers on the table runner.
The daisies remind me of fireworks exploding in the sky, perfect for 4th of July backyard entertaining.
Place Setting
Finally, for each place setting we placed a galvanized charger, blue banded plate, topped with a red salad plate.
Then, on top of each plate we placed a Convokins napkin and a small flag.
For a special touch I included a few heirloom pieces from my grandma, the milk glass, and silver-plated utensils.
Simple and festive!
If you’re looking for more patriotic decorating ideas on a budget, don’t forget about our FREE patriotic printables.
You’ll also find more ideas for decorating your home for the 4th of July here.
Are there some ideas you are planning to incorporate into your next backyard party?
We certainly hope you’ve found a little inspiration here today. We so appreciate you stopping by!
Also, we recently built a mobile planter box with an umbrella stand. It has totally changed the look of our outdoor living space.
Be sure to check back next week to see the progress on Steph’s bathroom and the One Room Challenge. We are getting very excited about the progress.
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WE HOPE TO BRING YOUR HOME TO THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET!
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