Good morning!
Today I am delighted to be joining the summer tablescape blog hop hosted by the fabulous Rita from Panoply. She has gathered 20 very talented bloggers to share their summer table inspiration with you. Thank you Rita for all your organizing efforts – you are much appreciated! Please see all the other bloggers’ links at the end of the end of the post. If you are coming here from Marsha at the Little Yellow Corner Store or if you have landed here on your own – either way – a very warm welcome!
The theme for this blog hop was summer and however people chose to interpret it. It could be patriotic, tropical, alfresco, or anything else. I wasn’t quite sure in which direction I wanted to go for this table. I had tropical on my mind, but I was also thinking about celebrating the red and white with a patriotic table. Looking through my stash and finding some red and white that I could work with, the patriotic theme won out.
When I was a kid, my family always celebrated July 1st, Canada Day, and often with a picnic, usually at the beach. It was always such fun. But as an adult, I must admit that I prefer comfy chairs for dining. So here is my interpretation of a July 1st picnic, adult style, in the dining room. The table started with some dessert plates that I’ve had for awhile. And of course everyone knows that ants love a picnic too!
For the plate stack, I used my white beaded dinner and salad plates and layered them on red and white checked metal charger plates.
I added some red and white gingham napkins and some fun ant napkin rings.
The ant napkin rings were a vintage find on eBay that I “won” in my first-ever auction. Have you ever been in an eBay auction? It was a bit of a nail-biter for me – the bidding went right to the last few seconds! Here is a closer look. They are made from bells that jingle.
There were only four ant napkin rings in the set and I wasn’t able to find any more like them. The two end place settings have watermelon slice napkin rings, vintage as well. There’s just something about watermelon and ants…
I had a picnic basket for the centerpiece but wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with it. I saw some beautiful vintage coolers and picnic baskets on pinterest filled with gorgeous geraniums and pot stuffers that I wanted to try my hand at. But after going to three different garden centers and not really finding any nice geraniums, I ended up with a mix of faux flowers from my stash.
I did find some ant wine from our local wine store that was a perfect addition to the table.
The ant is carrying a cherry on its back; the label says the wine has “fruity aromas with hints of black cherries” and is best as an accompaniment to Mediterranean dishes, pasta, and cheese. I guess that will be our menu then. Plus watermelon for dessert 🍉🍉🍉🍉.
In the summer months, we get about 1/2 hour of sunlight in the dining room early in the morning. I’m always happy to have a few sunshine shots, even if fleeting.
And here is my favorite tortoiseshell table-setting helper, Fox.
I didn’t find much in my travels that was specifically for a Canada day table except for this maple leaf flag pinwheel that I included in the last few pictures. It makes the centerpiece even taller but the picnic basket is easily removeable for dining.
Thanks for visiting and happy summer and upcoming Canada Day and the Fourth of July everyone!
Resources:
White plates, table runner (used here): HomeSense several years ago
Ant plates and napkins: Old Pier 1 many years ago but I’ve seen the ant plates on eBay.
Vintage ant and watermelon napkin rings: eBay
Picnic basket: Amazon
Stemware: Mikasa, a gift many years ago
Charger plates: efavormart last year
Please visit all the other wonderful stylists’ tables at the links below for loads more summer fun and inspiration.
My Thrift Store Addiction – Summer Picnic Brunch under the Texas Mountain Laurel
Please feel free to leave a comment – they are most welcome and much appreciated. I read and respond to each and every one. You can also subscribe by scrolling down and checking the “notify me of new posts” box and supplying your email. Your email will never be shared.
Hi, Kim. Welcome to the tablescape blog hop. I don’t know where you are in Canada, but we will be there next month. Looking forward to cooler weather. Love your red and white theme. The patterns you used are such fun.
Hi Carol. Thanks so much for your comments and stopping by. I am in Calgary and the weather has been lovely this past week with temps in the low 20’s (low seventies). I find that I just can’t take the heat like I used to. I hope you have a fabulous time wherever you are going. Take care.
As a fellow Canadian, I so appreciate your Canada Day theme! I love those dessert plates, and am particular partial to the white beaded edge plates as I have them myself!! The aunt napkin holders are so fun! I have never seen anything like them before, and they couldn’t be anymore perfect for your table! LOVE your picnic basket centrepiece too. What a great idea that I will no doubt be borrowing!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment Maureen – so glad that you liked the Canada Day theme! Yes, I love those white beaded plates too, they are just so versatile. The ant napkin rings were a find on eBay and I’ve never seen anything like them before (or since) either. I tried several things in the picnic basket but the flowers looked the best. Borrow away! I hope you get a chance to relax after your busy week and take care over there!
Hi Kim, Absolutely darling! What would be a picnic without ants and watermelon. I love your use of red and white checkered pieces. It definitely says “summer” and your Ant wine and ant napkin rings are so charming. It adds to so much playfulness. Your floral picnic basket centerpiece is the perfect piece for your whimsical table. What a fun way to celebrate your holiday. Happy Summer.
Thanks so much for your comments Marsha, and for stopping by. Bring on summer, I say! I loved your table as well – so pretty. I am so glad that the comment issue on your site appears to be fixed – yes! I hope you have a wonderful summer too, and it was fun hopping with you. Take care!
Thank you Kim. I am still have trouble in the commenting of other’s blogs, especially with not getting notification that anyone replied back to my comment I left on their post. I need to go back into each person’s blog in order to see if someone did. No email notifies me. Anyway, I am writing because I revisit each blog which I enjoy. Not everyone replies but I want to acknowledge those who do take the time to write again to my comment. Yes, I am definitely a red and white gingham kind of girl. I just love your arrangement. Have a happy summer……..Marsha
Oh Marsha, I’m so sorry to hear that you are still having problems – it’s so frustrating and time-consuming. I was hoping that the problems had all magically disappeared, but sadly not from the sounds of it. What a lot of extra work it seems to be causing you. But thank you for letting me know. I know that you were sick on top of everything and I hope you are on the mend. Thanks for popping by again and your table was just lovely. Take care down there!!
Kim, Happy Canada Day! Your table is so creative, cheerful, and fun.
I love the small and larger red checks in your plate stack. Your white plates are perfect with the red checked napkins. Those black ant napkin rings are adorable and steal the show. The black and white table runner accents your festive basket centerpiece perfectly. I know what you mean about making a plan for geraniums and being unable to find them. What a clever way to acknowledge Canada Day by adding the cute Canada pinwheel to your centerpiece.
How fun to find “Ant Wine”!!!! I bet you smiled big when you found it.
I’m sorry to be late commenting. This week has been exceptionally full of commitments.
Wishing you a fabulous summer. Fun table hopping again with you.
Bonnie, thank you for stopping by and for your warm Canada day wishes! I certainly did smile when I saw that wine – especially in our local store. Yes, the geraniums were tough to find – I did find some but they were a bit bedraggled. They would have recovered with time and TLC but I was wanting to finish the table. I hope you can relax a bit from your busy week and it was fun hopping with you as well. Happy summer to you!
I love your adult throwback to fun summer picnics! Reds and whites are such cheerful combos to use in the summer, especially when paired with black — the ants of course but also the striking table runner. The wine bottle made me chuckle, and now I’m curious to know if the wine was good. I love your picnic basket centerpiece overflowing with flowers. Such fun hopping with you!
Hi Sandra. We haven’t opened the wine yet so I’m curious too. I guess I’d better get busy and organize a dinner for all to taste lol. Thanks so much for your comments and for stopping by. It was great hopping with you too. Happy summer!
Hey Kim, we need to get our tables together and let our ants have some more fun!!!I think we were on the same wavelength !! I love the ant napkin rings and the ant wine!!! Happy Canada day to you! I hope the rain will help your wild fires – we have been getting the smoke all the way across the lake (I am in Ohio) so I have to believe it is much worse there. Have a wonderful summer☀️🩴
Ha Ann! Thanks for your comments and happy Canada day wishes. I had a good chuckle imagining ants from far and wide gathering to party! I’m not entirely sure if that is a party I’d want to be at. You must be getting the smoke from the Ontario fires – I’ve seen the pictures and its pretty bad. Fingers crossed for lots of rain. Thanks for stopping by and it was great hopping with you. Have a wonderful summer!
Adorable table Kim. Love the red and white theme. The gingham is so perfect for summer dining. How sweet you found the ant wine and those cute napkin holders.
The picnic basket makes for a lovely floral centerpiece with the red and white flowers.
every detail is perfect for this fun summer tablescape. A pleasure hopping along with you.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment Linda. It was a fun table to set, especially since I’d never set a patriotic table before. I loved loved your Boho table in your beautiful garden. It was great hopping with you too and happy summer to you!
I really like how you interpreted the picnic theme, especially with your centerpiece. I love your gorgeous arrangement in the cute picnic basket. The maple leaf pinwheel is the perfect addition to the arrangement. I can remember playing with pinwheels when I was a little girl. I like the simplicity of your plate stack because the ant napkin rings are the stars! (I like the watermelon ones, too.) Such a cute tablescape, and I hope you have a Happy Summer!
Thank you so much Ricki Jill for your comments. I remember pinwheels when I was little too. I do like a simple plate stack too – you can do so much with white plates. Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful summer too!
This is such a fun table, Kim, and I love that it had you reminiscing about Canada Day growing up. I do know that feeling of an eBay last few seconds (and the knowledge that there used to be an app called Snipe that allowed less than honest bidders win when you thought it was a fair auction). The jingle bell ants are too cute to be ugly, lol, and the bottle of wine is super cute. So are the watermelon rings. It all says happy summer and being red & white, happy Canada Day too. Thanks for bringing the Canadian vibe to the table!
Rita, I’m so glad someone else knows that feeling of the last few second in an auction. Its even worse when you don’t really know what you’re doing lol! Thanks for the tip about the Snipe app – I had no idea. Glad you liked the ugly little cute ant napkin rings – they really are fun. Thanks for hosting another great blog hop with all these wonderful ladies and happy summer and happy July 4th to you!
What an adorable table Kim! Ants and picnics inevitably go hand-in-hand and I’ve gotten so I prefer a picnic at a table too. 😊 Love your picnic basket centerpiece, quintessential red gingham checks and ant napkin rings! I’m no good at bidding on eBay and usually look for ‘buy it now’ items. Cute find with your ant label wine and love your tablescaping assistant too!! As always, it’s a treat to join you at the table and hop with you, Happy Summer and Canada Day! ♥
Mary, I agree that ants and picnics just seem to go hand-in-hand! I am also not very good at bidding on eBay and I’m not exactly sure how I found myself in an auction situation. To be honest, I don’t even know how I won other than eBay does some automatic bidding for you apparently. It was definitely a new experience for me. But the ant napkin rings came home with me. I love your pictures of the sweet pups, and I was happy to capture of our sweet Fox. It is always a privilege and a pleasure to hop with you – you share so much inspiration. Happy summer to you too and happy July 4th!
This is adorable Kim! The red and white is so festive and happy and the ant plates are too cute! Love the red and white checks! The ant napkin rings are hilarious, since you pointed out they were made with bells they became a lot less creepy 😂 Your picnic basket of flowers is such a creative centerpiece for your picnic, great no fuss faux flowers! The wine with the ant on the label is an incredible find and such a fun addition to your picnic. You’re lucky to have such a pretty tablescape helper 🐈 Have a wonderful Canada Day!
Jenna, thank you so much for your comments. It was a really fun table to put together. The ant plates set the theme and everything else fell into place after that (with a little bit of work, of course). I never even thought of the ant napkin rings as creepy and so glad that the jingle bells were able to alleviate that. I tried many things with the picnic basket but the flowers seemed to work best. Thanks for the warm Canada day wishes and I wish the same for you on your National Flag day and July 4th. It was such a pleasure to hop with you. Happy summer to you!
P.S. Fox is pretty shy and not usually in pictures but she was in this tablescape. We love her to pieces!
Hi Kim, Your ants and watermelon accents are perfect for summer and I love the whimsical setting you created.
Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction
Thanks so much Cecelia – I am really glad that you liked the table. I love love your vintage Jadeite table and how you are able to change your jadeite dishes up and create new tablescapes -such a talent! Thanks for stopping by and blessings to you as well!
Happy Canada Day Kim! What a darling, summer tablescape! I love, love the ant plates and napkin rings! And what a clever, wonderful idea to turn a picnic basket into an adorable centerpiece. I pride myself for being the “queen of theme,” but you take the cake for finding an ant label wine to pair with your tablescape lol! Who knew?
Debbee, thanks for stopping by and your sweet comments. Rest assured, you are still the reigning queen of theme! On a whim, I goggled ant wine and that came up. I never expected to find it at our local wine store. Thanks for your Canada day wishes and I’m sending you the same for the summer and July 4th. Enjoy all your upcoming celebrations and that cruise (I don’t even know how you found the time to set a table lol)!
Kim your inside picnic looks fun. Red and white checked linens are always associated in summer and picnic fare and you tie it all together. I have never seen the wine but then I am not a wine connoisseur so I agree with others please let us know the taste….ie dry, sweet, etc. The red maple leaf pinwheel is perfect for your lovely picnic basket filled with pretty flowers. Have a great Summer and Happy Canada Day.
Hi Kari. Unfortunately, I am not a red wine connoisseur either so I’ll have to wait until until we gather with friends and family and see what they have to say. I’ll post an update when I know. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. It it always lovely to hop with you and wishing you a great summer, happy Flag day, and happy July 4th!
I love this table Kim! You’ve outdone yourself with the breezy red and white – summer, picnic, and Canada Day all rolled into one! Your ants are adorable, and I love that ant wine. Let me know what you think of it – I’ve never seen it before, and I don’t know anything about Hungarian wines. I’d love to sit at this table and enjoy the menu and your lovely tablescape. But as much as I love the ants, I wouldn’t share with them! 🤣 Hope you have a wonderful week my friend!
Barbara, thanks so much for your comments – I must admit that I am not a red wine drinker although friends and family are so it definitely will not go to waste. Alternatively, you could just pop up here and join us for dinner and try the wine out and see what you think. You are always welcome at my table, and wishing you a wonderful week as well my friend!
Kim, the cute ant dessert plates were great inspiration for a red and white table. White beaded dinner and salad plates are ideal paired with the red and white chargers. I love the use of a picnic basket for your pretty red and white flowers. The maple leaf pinwheel is the perfect addition to your basket of flowers. Ant wine is certainly an unusual name and serendipitous that you found it. I do love the ant napkin rings and the watermelon ones are perfect. What is a summer picnic without watermelon?! It is always a pleasure to hop with you and join you at table. Happy summer and Canada Day!
Hi Pam, yes the ant wine was certainly an unusual and unexpected find. Thank you for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments. Happy summer and upcoming July 4th (and Flag day) to you as well!! Pam, I just wanted to add that you have been such an amazing source of inspiration and encouragement for me and I thank you for that. It is a pleasure to be in your company!
Love your red gingham theme with the ants. Those napkin rings are so cute, the only ants invited, LOL! How fun to find wine with an ant on the label!
Thanks for your comments Carole and I agree – those napkin rings are the only ants that are invited! It was a fun table to put together with mostly everything from my stash except for the wine – which won’t go to waste lol. Thanks for visiting and take care down there!
This has to be one of my favourite table scapes you have done! Wow…wow…wow!! First, I love everything ant…the plates, the napkin rings….right down to the bottle of wine!! And the basket centre piece….stunning! Your faux flower choices are perfect!! They last forever and are a beautiful as the real thing! While at Michaels the other day….I noticed all their Canada Day decorations….were 50% off! Your pinwheel is the crowning jewel!!
Here’s wishing you an early, blessed Happy Canada Day!! I hope you are getting a bit of reprieve from the heat….we’re having two whole days of it…then back to showers!! Blah! Great for the forest fire index though..take great care, my friend.
Charlotte, thank you so much for your visit and your sweet comments. I’m glad that you liked the table. I don’t know if your Michaels down there had some table items for Canada day, but ours here did not. Neither was there much in the dollar store, so most of the stuff came from my stash. I’m sorry you have showers again but also happy at the same time for the lowered forest fire index, especially given what’s happened in Nova Scotia. We are still very hot, windy, and dry here but are hoping for rain tomorrow. Take good care yourself, my friend!