Red, White, and Blue in the Foyer and More

If you’ve been around here a while, then you know I like to change the vignette on the marble-topped dresser in our foyer.  Sometimes it changes according to the season, and sometimes it changes monthly.  With Independence Day right around the corner, I definitely had to go for the red, white, and blue.  Again, it is just a simple arrangement, but it is a festive greeting to anyone who comes through the front door.  Not only am I showing you red, white, and blue in the foyer, but there’s more.  I have already planned out which dishes I’ll be using for which meals this coming week-end, and I thought you might want to see my fave.  With the entire family coming,  it might make meal time less chaotic if I plan out things like menus and table settings ahead of time.

I shopped the house once again and was able to easily find just enough items in red, white, and blue to get the job done.

 

 

I did buy this lamp at the Restore in Charlotte one morning when Jordan and I stopped in there to see what they had.  The two lamps that were on this dresser before were green. I’ve been thinking about buying a used lamp and upgrading it.  This baby was originally a rusty color and had no shade or harp.  I bought it for just $10.00, but before I did a thing to it, I took it to my local hardware store.  They checked it out to make sure it was in good working order.  That’s one of the joys of having a neighborhood hardware store.

 

 

 I sprayed two coats of red, glossy paint on it, added a new harp, and a new barrel lamp shade.  It turned out just the way I hoped it would.  Now, when there’s a holiday that involves red (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and the summer holidays), I have a lamp that will work perfectly with practically any items I put in the vignettes.

 

 The red flower vase is a tea kaddy that was a gift from Josie’s mother, and the blue and white antique plate was a gift from my mother. (I don’t know why it looks weird on the right side.) The books came from our shelves.

 

Here’s a better shot of the plate.

 

 I think this little vignette is just patriotic enough without being overbearing, and it will be there for the whole month.  Now, let’s move on to the kitchen.

 

 One of the meals that I will be serving this week-end is gazpacho along with chicken salad.  (Come back Friday for those recipes).  This is probably the setting that will be put out for that meal.  I’m questioning if I should put red soup in a red bowl, so that might change, but you can see that this all so very cute together.  I have lots of reds, blues, and whites, and will have fun with our table settings.  I’ll be able to assemble several table settings without putting too much thought into it since the pre-planning is already finished.

 

How about you?  Have you planned out your menus and table settings yet for the holiday week-end?  If you do it now, you won’t regret it later.  Be sure to stop by on Friday because we have checked our archives and have pulled out some recipes that will be perfect for the week-end.  And tomorrow you’ll get to see how our exterior looks when it’s dressed in red, white, and blue.

Take care.