An inspirational blog post for a patriotic party, including Memorial Day table decorations, ideas for a fabulous meal, plus fun and games.

It is Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of Summer, hard to believe!

I’m not sure I am quite ready, I am not a lover of the heat, are you?

Since I am home recovering from some surgery this past week, I am sharing a bit about last year’s Memorial Day table. If you have already seen this, just scroll to the bottom, LOL, you don’t want to miss all of the amazing shares I have this week.

It was a week full of sadness for our country, so many lives lost. Let us take some time this week to give thanks for all of

the men and women who have given their lives for our country.

Memorial Day is one of my favorite times of the year to have a picnic. Having a son in the navy really inspires me to celebrate those in the service and those that have given their lives for our country.

It is also the perfect time of the year to get your family and friends together to celebrate outdoors and have some fun. With summer just around the corner, I wanted to share some party planning tips along with my patriotic Memorial Day table decorations to add to your parties.

Planning your Memorial Day table decorations ahead of time will make it an easy and relaxing day for you.

• Make a list of what you want to accomplish for the party, such as food, decorations, games, etc.
• Create a shopping list for the different stores you may need to shop.
• Make a timeline to work out the process of when you need to accomplish each task.
• Try to do as much as you can ahead, so you can enjoy the day with your family and friends.

Creating Easy Memorial Day Table Decorations

Using my patriotic red, white and blue theme, I started setting my table using a blue and white checkered tablecloth with red and white check napkins.

I have to admit that most of this table was put together from estate sale finds; I am a genuine estate sale junky! Estate sales are a great way to find items you don’t often use at a reasonable price. This way, hubby can’t get upset 🙂

For place settings, I started with a wicker charger, then used a solid red plate topped off with some American Fitzhugh enamelware plates. You can find wicker chargers here and red plates here, just in case you are not an estate sale shopper.

I used a mix of two vintage glasses I had, but you could use these adorable blue glasses if you don’t have any. In addition, I added some fun patriotic straws.

The centerpiece is always a highlight for your Memorial Day table decorations

Lay a flat basket on the table if you have one and then layer with a picnic basket.

Fill the picnic basket with three 1-gallon red geraniums (I left them in the container from the store).

Plant a few smaller plants such as white bacopa and a smaller red geranium, and some red and white striped petunias in some small red clay pots.

Make a bow and drape it over the geraniums.

You can also pick up some checked stars at the dollar store and put a skewer in them to poke them into the flowerpots for more whimsy on the table.

Lastly, I embellished my decor with a cute red stool (estate sale find) some American flags, and a cute red and white check throw.

Then, I tied up the napkins with the silverware and placed a personalized white clay star at each place setting. Adding a personal touch makes your guests feel extra special.

And if you are in need of some special garden lighting, check out my post on how to create garden basket lights.

They look amazing hanging over the table at night.

How to Make Personalized White Clay Stars for your Memorial Day Place Settings

To make these white clay stars, you will need to purchase Crayola Model Magic in white and a set of imprint letters.

Roll out a piece of clay with a rolling pin on a piece of waxed paper. Use a star cookie cutter to create the tag shape. Using a pencil, make a hole at the top of one of the points of the star.

I then used this stamp set to create names that I imprinted onto the tags to add a special touch to my Memorial Day table decorations.

These do take about three days to dry thoroughly, so give yourself enough time to dry them well.

Patriotic Food for your Memorial Day Table

My gang is all about the food, so we are stepping up our game and serving an amazing meal cooked by my hubby.

Food is not only a treat for the stomach but can also be a treat for the eyes. Here I will share some patriotic food ideas that add to your decor.

Charcuterie Board

We will start with a beautiful charcuterie board that everyone can graze on.

Charcuterie is the art of preparing cured or smoked meats. Charcuterie boards are an assortment of meats, cheese, fruits, pickles, jams, and just about anything you want to add.

I enjoy the creativity you can add to these boards to make them look so beautiful.

The remarkable thing about charcuterie boards is that there is no end to the possibilities. Switching up a few ingredients gives you something new and unique every time. Everyone loves at least a few things that are piled high on your board!

Use in-season fruits and veggies to make it easy on yourself and add a few special touches for holidays. For example, I cut stars out of watermelon for Memorial Day and made skewers that look like sparklers out of blueberries and watermelon. For Christmas, you may want to add some rosemary and cranberries.

The main course

For our main course, we will be serving smoked chicken, which is my husband’s specialty. Garlic/parmesan creamed potatoes served in small ramekin dishes, asparagus wrapped in bacon, and carrot pudding will be served on the side.

My husband brined the chicken using a mixture of citrus slices, garlic, rosemary, brown sugar, and chicken stock. The chicken sits in this mixture in the fridge for 36-48 hours, and then he smokes it for approximately 1 hour. Be sure to dry the brine off of the chicken before smoking.

The asparagus was parboiled, wrapped with pre-cooked bacon, and roasted in the oven for about 10 minutes.

I added a simple orange slice and some rosemary for garnish; this always adds to the presentation.

Here is the recipe for the Carrot Pudding. It is so delicious and adds a perfect touch of sweetness to the plate.

Here is the recipe for Garlic and Parmesan Potatoes; they are sinfully delicious.

Dessert

Dessert is always my favorite, and I never seem to be able to say NO!

Using a special bundt pan makes it look extra pretty, along with some fresh roses from the garden.

We love this easy sherry bundt cake, and it seriously takes about 5 minutes to make it.

Serve it with vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream.

Fun and Games

Of course, a party at our house would not be complete without some fun and games.
We love to play corn hole or ladder golf. We always have an excellent competition going on within our family.

And who doesn’t love a giant lawn dice game?

And now, I am thrilled to share some of my very talented blogger friends with you! be sure to heck out their blogs for more Memorial Day inspiration.

And here’s to the Red, White and Blue

Do you adore this sweet bench and those amazing pillows like I do, if only this was sitting on my front porch, Check out this post from Kristy Mastrandonas she has so much front porch and kitchen inspiration for you and the cutest story about her husband and Truman, one of her great danes.

Meet my two adorable friends Ann and Ann Marie from Simply two moms, today they share some simple ideas of how to decorate with red, white, and blue.

And check out this yummy recipe from my friend Susan at HenandHorsedesign. Susan is amazing in the kitchen and makes everything look so yummy.

Next up is my friend Lora from Lorabloomquistcreateandponder, I love Lora’s vintage style and how she repurposes almost everything, check out her great inspiration for her Patriotic Americana table setting ideas.

And look how you can make your own tablecloth, so fun and easy thanks to Rachel at thepondsfarmhouse. Just imagine what we can do with this one. And by the way, just in case you need inspiration for a low country boil, Rachel has you covered right here.

And thank you Missy for your gorgeous Memorial Day table inspiration, I love how you have mixed such fun patterns. You never disappoint.

Love these Patriotic She-Shed Shares?

Check out some of these other She Shed Sharing posts for more inspiration!

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• 10 Easy DIY Fourth of July Decorations
• 21 of the best recipes using store bought Angel Food Cake
• Sharing From the She Shed: Easy Fourth of July Decorations
• Breakfast Charcuterie board/How to Make for Christmas Morning
• Nine of the Best Christmas Tree Decorations 2022