PATRIOTIC TABLE ON A BUDGET: SIX TIPS FOR STYLING TABLES

It’s fun decorating your tables for the different seasons, holidays and events don’t you think? And, it’s fun to be creative and come up with a new unique look each year, too, am I right? But, it’s not so fun spending money on each and every occasion to get it to look “just right”. It can get costly to say the least to be creative and do something totally new with each season or holiday. If you’re a home decor addict like I am…..and I think most – or at least a LOT – of women are….it’s a good idea to do a follow a few simple tricks to be sure you have what you need on hand…..at a budget friendly cost. Below I have listed what I do to make it simple and cost effective.

1. Once thing I do when I update a particular space in my home is consider what other uses the discarded items could have elsewhere. If I’ve grown tired of a particular look somewhere in my home or just feel it’s time for a change I take a good hard look at the items before hauling them away to a donation center. Don’t get me wrong I’ve sent truckload after truckload of discarded accessories to various donation centers, but when I think of multiple uses for something – especially for a table setting – I store it away in my storage shed or in a storage cabinet in my garage for future use. If enough time has gone by without using it….then I’ll donate it and free up storage space.
2. The other thing I try to do is always keep my eyes out for clearance sales with accessories at ridiculously discounted prices at places like Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, At Home, Michaels or Tuesday Morning to name a few. This way I am collecting items at a fraction of the original cost to store away and use later for multiple occasions.
3. I generally keep all sorts of craft paint, chalk paint and spray paint on hand in various colors so that if an item needs a quick face lift or makeover I can do it fairly quickly. Have a lantern that’s black…but you need blue? Paint it! It’s the cheapest DIY tool at our fingertips.
4. Keep leftover fabrics or purchase clearance fabrics in basic colors that can be used for various occasions. These can be cut to fit a particular need, ripped for streamers, wrapped around a pillow for a seasonal change, etc.
5. Utilize the Dollar Tree for their seasonal items (and regular items as well). They can be used just as they are, painted a different color or reworked for other purposes. And, well, you just can’t beat their prices.
6. Don’t hesitate to collect discarded items from family and friends that you think you can work your magic on. I’ve got many a beautiful piece here in my house that my mom had in her donation pile. I’ve also got discards from other family members and friends. Once I put my spin on them with paint, etc, they don’t even look like the same pieces.

Take a look at this picture for example. I definitely practice what I preach. All of these items were some I had on hand here. No need to run out and spend money for a quick holiday table like this. Here’s what you see:

1. Red and white tablecloth is left over Sunbrella fabric from a previous project
2. The blue bowl, blue plate and stemware are from the Dollar Tree
3. The white plates are from At Home (I also got some similar ones from Dollar Tree)
4. The red lanterns are some that I had displayed in other locations in my house
5. The wooden heart and stars, and the patriotic wooden frame were clearance items from Hobby Lobby
6. The star fabric was from Walmart (I believe…..or maybe from Hobby Lobby???)
7. The flags were from the Dollar Tree last year. I saved them.

Oh…..and one more little hack is this napkin. It’s actually a dishtowel. I got it on clearance from Hobby Lobby for practically nothing. Dishtowels make great napkins, because they are large and showy and easy to toss into the laundry and re-use.

For my kitchen nook I layered the place settings with a red plaid charger on clearance from Hobby Lobby. Next are the white hobnail plates from Dollar Tree. I topped those with my blue and white English transferware that I collect randomly. And then that is topped with these cute watering cans I got on clearance from Hobby Lobby with these patriotic paper napkins from Dollar Tree. Again, with the exception of the paper napkins these were all items I had on hand.

The patriotic runner you see here was one I got last year on clearance…..again for practically nothing. Keep your eyes peeled for clearances! I topped this with my soup tureen that I keep on display in my kitchen filled with blue flowers I had in storage and some flag picks from Dollar Tree. The picks and napkins were the only thing I purchased new here. And since they were from the Dollar Tree – clearly they didn’t cost much money.

And, last but not least, here’s a little patriotic vignette using two metal flags I purchased on sale last year. Sometimes all you need is a little sumpn-sumpn as I always say and this did the trick here. To create this vignette I used the pedestal that is normally on my nook centerpiece and moved the green wreath and bowl here from another location. Again…..shopping my home and spending no money. Love that!

Have fun shopping your home for fun accessories that can be recycled and be sure to remember to check out those local clearance sales! And, don’t be afraid to confiscate items your friends and family have put in the discard pile. Remember “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.

Happy Life By Design!