4th of July Party Tips and Products #OrientalTrading

This review is based strictly on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience with the product listed above. I was provided the sample free of charge by the company or PR agency and I provided my honest opinion. No other type of compensation was received for this review.

4th of July Party with Oriental Trading

 With 4th of July just around the corner,  you’re probably thinking fireworks and barbecues!  Today I’m sharing some products and ideas to help you decorate for party and give your backyard barbecue a real patriotic feel.  I received a great assortment of products from Oriental Trading.  Although you may think of the company as the place to buy favors, banners, games, and paper plates for your party, as you browse their selections, you will actually find a great assortment of high quality home decor such as wreaths, table center pieces, and even wall signs and glass platters.

 Here’s a quick list of the items I got:

I just love this stuff!  I’m especially impressed with the high quality of the items I received, as well as the colors and overall look.  Everything is such a great value, and there are a number of things to fit various personal styles and needs.  Even if you are not having a party and just want a few patriotic pieces to put out in your house to decorate for the summer months, Oriental Trading has some great finds.

Take a closer look at some of the items I received, and you will see just how easy it is to turn your back yard into a festive place for the upcoming holiday.

4th of July Table

Table Decor Made Easy! You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a festive table. If you set your table ahead of time with your plates, napkins, and cups, then your table will look festive already without adding anything else.  Oriental Trading has a great party pack that includes invites, plates, napkins, and cups for 4th of July, and they look great!

For a little extra decor, you can buy inexpensive party favors.  I got a few fans on this table, which are perfect for the adult table, and Oriental Trading has tons of great kid’s party favors that would be suitable to place on tables.  (Hint: For summer parties, consider adding party favors to the children’s table, such as sunglasses, visors, bubbles, frisbees, or other outdoor toys.  These can often be bought in packages of 10-12.)

4th of July Party Table

As for additional decor, a great centerpiece can go a long way.  This utensil basket made a very festive centerpiece.  And I’ve surrounded it here with out patriotic looking dishes.  These are of a super great quality!  For the perfect pre-party decor, you can place your dishes on the table ahead of time. Then just before the party, place the food in your bowls and trays for the ultimate party table!

Kool-Aid Drink Cart 2

Easy Drink Bar!  If you don’t have a bar, you can still have a festive drink area.  Just use a small table or cart.  A festive table-cloth, fabric piece, or banner, will really dress up your table.  Then just add you a bowl of ice, drinks, cups, other essentials, and perhaps one or two pieces of table decor.

4th of July Basket

Home Decor Made Easy! To make your home a little more patriotic, Oriental Trading has some really cute items.  As you can see, the basket makes another appearance here.  I’ve placed this on top of a cabinet in my kitchen,  along with these super cute metal stars, and some star/berry garland that I already had on hand.  Again, here you only need a few items to add a little color to a shelf or cabinet area.

IMG_0719

And I, of course, LOVE wreaths!  This wreath is a smaller size than a lot of others that I have, but I looks great, and I love the festive color, as well as the texture of it.

We Love America

Last but not least, you can adorn your front porch and garden area with a cute sign such as the one above.  The metal stick is included, and the flag is super cute! And to add more color to your porch, Oriental Trading has a great selection of banners and window decor.

Do you decorate in the summer? Please leave me a comment telling us your favorite summer decor trend!

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Friday Favorites – Week 221 – Featuring Berry Desserts

friday favorites

Hello. Welcome to Friday Favorites. We had a lot of great summer recipes linked up last week, but I decided to focus this week on one of the foods of he season: Berries! Hope you enjoy the picks!

Also, while you’re here today, please take a look at some of the posts in my ongoing Summer Health & Beauty Series.  And check out my sidebar for a link to my new Beautiful skin care giveaway!

[Read more…]

Summer Health & Beauty Series: Tula Review

Tula Skin Care

 

Today I have a round of beauty supplies to share with you from Tula.  This is a brand new product line soon to launch on QVC, and they are all about New Probiotic Technology for a more youthful, beautiful you. Prior to the official product line, bloggers like me were sent some “preview samples of the products. [Read more…]

Turn Your Clutter Into Cash

This summer I have a lot of home improvement and home makeover projects. One of these projects is to clean out our outbuilding, and one way we are doing that is by having a big yard sale next. Do you declutter? The infographic below tells a little bit of info on just how much unnecessary clutter people have in their homes. Very interesting!

De-clutter your home infographic
De-clutter your home infographic is an infographic that was produced by Gumtree

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Easy Apple Pie Ice Cream

Nothing says summer quite like ice cream. As a kid we used to make homemade ice cream every couple weeks from Memorial Day and Labor Day, but the process of filling and cranking the ice cream maker was arduous. While I would love to continue the homemade ice cream tradition with my own kids, cranking the machine for 4 hours is just not practical. Instead, we’ve found a much simpler way to create delicious flavored ice cream while still going about our summer activities. I’ll usually whip up the concoction just before we head out to the park or the pool, so that by the time we get home we can relax on the porch and indulge.

This recipe is super easy and leaves much room for variation. My favorite ice cream flavor we’ve tried is by far the all-American apple pie. We’ve tried other flavorings and all have been great (including some adventures with chocolate and peanut butter) but apple pie stands out as the crowd favorite in my home.

 

Apple Pie Ice Cream [Read more…]

Summer Health & Beauty Series: Beautiful Review and Giveaway

Beautiful Review and Giveaway

 

Today we continue our Summer Health & Beauty Series with a review and giveaway for Beautiful AM Moisturizer and PM Revitalizer.  I was very happy to try this product for the following reasons:

  • The products are made of 100% pure ingredients (No chemicals, preservatives, etc.)
  • The products are good for all skin types.
  • It is an “All in One” product that can replace all other items in your skin care routine.
  • The products have multiple uses: They cleanse your pores, smooth your skin, and reduce appearance of age, wrinkles, and blemishes.

[Read more…]

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Caramel Apple TWIX® Parfaits and Salted Caramel TWIX® Shakes

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. #EatMoreBites
TWIX
If you’ve ever uttered the phrase, “Two for me, none for you,”  then today’s post is definitely for you.    TWIX® Bites are a delicious, bite-sized version of the TWIX candy bar.  They come in a nice little pouch, making them a convenient snack for you to take along with you on car trips and outings.  TWIX Bites also happen to make a fabulous ingredient for your desserts..  I recently purchased TWIX Bites, along with a bag of Milky Way Bites,  and I used them to make a couple of cool treats, perfect for any hot summer day!
[Read more…]

Friday Favorites: Week 220 – With 5 Frozen Treats

Frozen Treats

Hello Friends.  Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Favorites.  Even though summer hasn’t “officially” started on the calendar, I am loving this hot weather, and judging by all the great summer blog posts I’ve been seeing, I expect everyone else is too.

If you’re looking for more summer recipe inspiration, please come back a little later, as I will be sharing a couple of super yummy treats this weekend. And be on the look out over the next couple of months, as I will have several guest bloggers sharing some of their summer recipes!  Till then, today I have 5 Frozen Treats to sharing with you. Hope you enjoy! [Read more…]