We love having our morning and evening meals on the patio. Breakfast because it’s the coolest part of a summer day and dinner because BBQ is always on the menu. It’s way too hot in Texas right now and I won’t go anywhere near my oven “on” button until this heatwave subsides. We still need love to eat lots of easy meals like salads, sandwiches and a lot of grilling on our patio in the summertime.
I’ve set a casual patio tablescape using items I already own.

I wanted the table to be dressed but not overdone so I opted for patriotic colors and the casual feel of gingham.  The tablecloth is plastic and cleans up easily for outdoor use.

I needed some placemats to ground my layering of plates but I didn’t have any that would coordinate with my tablescape plans and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. All this added up to my excuse for heading to Goodwill to see what I could find. I struck out on chargers and placemats and as I was leaving the store, I past by the men’s clothing rack and a light bulb went off.

I found this extra large blue and white gingham shirt for $4.49 and thought Hmmmm…I’ll make no sew placemats and napkins instead. I ran the 100% cotton shirt through the washer/dryer and after looking for my pinking shears I gave up and used my regular fabric scissors to cut out four placemats and napkins.

I wanted the napkins to look whimsy by using all parts of the shirt including the collar and button holes. I layered the place setting starting with the placemat, white dinner plate, blue and white salad plate and finished with a red and white transferware bowl of honeydew melon and a cherry.

I added milk glass tumblers and a pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade which I sipped on while I put this tablescape together.


Instead of flowers, I headed to my front lawn, snipped some branches from my boxwoods, arranged them in one of my ironstone pitchers then set my “free” plant arrangement in the center of the table.

Tips for creating budget friendly tablescapes. 1. Shop thrift stores for home decor. 2. Buy quality items and used them in multiple ways. 3. Mix and match items you already own. 4. Shop your yard for plants and flowers to create a fresh centerpiece.

I am so excited about tomorrows post and I’m sure you will be too. It’s all about a summer backyard bash!

Until next time,

Enjoy!