Happy Independence Day 2014!!

Hello, friends!  Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! 

I hope everyone out in bloggerland enjoyed a wonderful Independence Day!  Things are simmering down here at the Parsimonious house, the fireworks have just ended.  I had a very busy and productive day.....it's relax time.  Although festivities for the day have ended, I wanted to share three quick tips I used today to help make our celebration go off without a hitch. I hope you enjoy the post.  

Dress Up Your Silverware Service 

 

Today, when I served my family, I thought it would be a fun idea to dress up a simple silverware caddy in festive colors. 

You will need:

A simple perforated silverware caddy

Grosgrain ribbon in red, white, and blue

First, size up

and cut enough strips of ribbon, one for each row of holes. 

Like so. 

Thread the ribbon through the holes.  

Once all your ribbon is threaded,

Tie.  

Here, I tied one red, one white, and one blue ribbon together in a bow.

Side View. 

Another variation is to tie each ribbon individually. Shown here.  

Side View.

Great Burgers Your Family Will Devour

While my meat marinates prior to barbecuing, I also prepare my hamburger meat. 

This trick I learned from my uncle makes burgers not only have a wonderful flavor, but they practically melt in your mouth.   Prior to cooking, add a bit of barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, and A-1 and/or Worcestershire Sauce along with your seasonings to the meat and mix thoroughly.  Use approximately one-half tablespoon of each per one pound of ground beef. Yum!

To view my simple BBQ marinade, you may visit the post in the archives here. 

Festive Citronella Mini Pots

The final tidbit I completed in preparation for today were these little patriotic citronella candle pots.  

We live in California, and the weather is beautiful and sunny most of the time.  The downside to that is unfortunately, it is against the law to have personal fireworks in certain counties.  We reside in one such county.  Boooo.  I have such good memories of setting off fireworks as a child, I sometimes wish my children would have the same.  :(

To make tonight special, I made each of my smaller children "mock" fireworks with these festive little candles.  

You will need:

Mini citronella candle clay pots

Mini stars stickers

Mini rolls of tape

Red, white, and blue paint

Paintbrush 

Begin by painting the clay pots completely white. Allow to dry. 

Once dry, place star stickers onto the white pot. On some of the pots, I placed stickers on the top rim,

and on others, I did so on the bottom portion. 

On the alternate side (top rim or bottom half), place spaced strips of mini tape. 

After the stickers are fastened, paint blue right over the area where there are star stickers, and red right over the strips of tape. 

Allow dry time.

Once dry, carefully peel the stickers and tape off.  Voilà!!

I painted to clean up the lines a little....but these were for my kiddos after all, so I wasn't too worried that they weren't perfect. 

They were excited to hold them during the firework display!  These could also dub as gifts for guests (although then I'd likely be a bit more OCD, lol) or even down the middle of a table in a tablescape.  What's great about these is that the citronella keeps the bugs away.  To read other ways to ward off summertime pests, visit the post in the archives here. 

Where to buy:

Silverware caddy:  Ikea

Grosgrain ribbon, The 99¢ Store

Mini Citronella Candle Pots, HomeGoods

Mini Tape rolls, The 99¢ Store

Stars stickers, The 99¢ Store

Have a blessed and safe holiday from our family to yours!  

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

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Thank you for stopping by! ❤

Quick and Easy Patriotic Potted

Hello, friends!  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!  

Typically for each holiday, I decorate for the entire month beginning on the first of that month. For example, if it is December, I try to have the Christmas décor up by December first (try being the operative word, lol).  I've found blogging to be a challenge, really you need to be a month ahead, oh dear.  We are almost into July, so today I wanted to share a potted plant idea that is very simple, and can bring patriotic charm to any décor.  

You will need:

A large pot for planting

Garden soil (I used and prefer the MiracleGrow Flowers and Vegetables mix)

Assorted blooms in red, white, and blue

For my red, white, and blue, I chose specific plants.  

For red, you cannot go wrong with vibrant-colored geraniums. 

For my white, I thought Vinca Cora Whites would do nicely. 

Finally, the most tricky is finding blue.  Finding blue flowers without ordering them special can be a challenge.....luckily for me, Armstrong Garden Center was flush with lovely Lobelia.  Lobelia are really pretty dainty blooms, and can vary in color, really contingent upon lighting. They can appear as dark blue or near purple,

or as a soft periwinkle. 

After I chose my pretty petals, it was time to pot them. I began by creating a foundation of vitamin-rich soil in my pot. 

I added the flowers.....breaking apart the roots a bit before placing them into the pot, and then filled the rest of the pot with more soil. I used a pot from another plant, and because it will be hidden, it didn't need to be pretty. 

Once I arranged all of my little guys in their pot, I watered them.  Finally, I placed the pot right on my front porch in a darling little rustic cart.  I adorned the cart with a patriotic bow, and voilà!  So simple. 

Here's a closer look.  Sweet, no?  

How are you preparing for the festivities next month?

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤

 

Set Your Table With Flair--Patriotic Summer Setting

Hello, dear friends!  Thank you so much for stopping in to visit!  I greatly appreciate it!

Wow, it seems the year has practically flown by!  I cannot believe it is officially Summer again!  Summertime is the consummate time for backyard barbecues, family gatherings, and picnics!  Such fun!  We are a few short days away from celebrating our beautiful country's independence, so for today's tablescape, I hope to incorporate some of the fun elements of the summertime season.  I hope you enjoy the post.   

I began in the middle of my backyard with my little bistro table and chairs, free of linen. 

I wanted this tablescape to be indicative of a picnic, so for the centerpiece, I added a red soft woven basket next,

and filled it with red, white, and blue blooms. 

My navy blue chargers came next, 

followed by clean white plates. 

Closer look. 

Nothing says backyard barbecue, Summer, or picnic quite like red and white gingham!  I adore these plates......they look like paper plates, but they are actually a very thick, sturdy melamine. 

A closer view.  So fun!

Next, I placed navy napkins folded in fourths,

and crisp white napkins adorned with whimsical bicycle napkin holders. 

Aren't these cute?  I love bike riding whenever I get the chance!  Such a great activity during the summer for the whole family!   

Finally, I placed simple blue flutes at each setting,

and for a bit of patriotic flair, bows with the Stars and Stripes on the backs of each chair!

Here is the completed tablescape. No flatware needed!  :)

Summer is all about wonderful comfort food you eat with your hands if you are like me! 

A few more......

Here are a couple of up-close shots of the setting.  

From my collection:

Bistro table and chairs, Target

Navy chargers, Horchow/Neiman Marcus

White plates, Ralph Lauren Club Collection

Gingham melamine plates, Horchow/Neiman Marcus

Navy napkins, Hotel Collection, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods 

White napkins, generic, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods 

Bicycle napkin rings, Steinmart 

Blue flutes, Libbey Blue Vina

Red basket and florals, Hobby Lobby

Stars and Stripes bows, Big Lots 

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤