It’s here! The Fourth of July is the top day for backyard barbecues and gatherings in the park. It’s easy to add a patriotic punch to your gatherings without ever showing a star or a stripe.

Here are some fun red, white, and blue accessories that will look great in any outdoor setting. What’s even better? It’s considered the end of the summer retail season, so many stores are offering great sales!

Pier 1 Imports

Indigo Stamp Pillow, $15

Hand-Painted Umbrella, $50

Target

Set of 2 Plastic Bamboo Baskets in red, white, or blue, $14.99

Smith & Hawken

Painted Hardwood Adirondack Chairs, $99 (sale price!)

Luna Bazaar

Paper Lanterns in a variety of colors and sizes, starting around $2

Pottery Barn

Napa Colored Metal Lanterns, $26.99 (sale price!)

Mahogany Marine Flag Wall Art, $129.00/set of 8

Plum Party

Red, White, and Blue Sparkler Chandelier, $38

Have fun!

—Jennifer Kopf

Technorati Tags: Fourth of July, Backyard Barbecue, Outdoor Decorating, Patriotic Decorating, July 4th, Red, White, and Blue, Entertaining

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Don’t you just love these little glasses? Just the right size for tea lights, these glass holders are covered with pretty rice papers and highlighted with a gold rim. I like them best when all of the colors are grouped together. Try them on a platter or tray as a scene-setting centerpiece for your outdoor table.

They’re a bargain at $2.75/each, so treat yourself and buy a slew of the them. You’ll be glad you did.

Also check out Luna Bazaar’s large selection of colorful paper lanterns and string lights. Whether you’re decorating for a party or you just want to give your backyard a bit of fiesta flair, this is your source for all kinds of inspiration. Items are organized by type, by theme, or, my favorite, by color.

Available through Luna Bazaar.

—Jennifer Kopf

Technorati Tags: outdoor entertaining, votive holders, candles, color, Luna Bazaar, centerpiece, parties

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Inspiration for interior design can come from high fashion, art, music, landscapes, and other cultures. This shot from Domino magazine nearly sent me into a frenzy, lusting after bright pops of color to update my rooms.

The warm weather must have something to do with it as well–all of the colorful, vibrant flowers peeking up out of the ground, the cerulean blue skies, and playful summer fashions in haven’t-seen-since-the-80s hues. Did you see the Chris Benz S/S 08 collection? Crazy neons! I love them…it’s like Prozac for the mind and soul.

Instead of painting an entire room, such as above, it is less time consuming (and less permanent) to add a few colorful accessories that will provide ample visual punch to any room. Here are a few of my favorites.

Denyse Schmidt Pillows
$50-$60
ThreePotatoFourShop.com

Little Caymen Plates
$0.95 each
CB2.com

Artecnica: KnoWhere Clock - You & Me
$81.00
VelocityArtandDesign.com

Componibili 12.5 in. Stacking
$105.00-$167.00
Design Within Reach

Supernatural Chair by Ross Lovegrove
$208.00
MossOnline.com

Sitting Buddha by YO CO
$450.00 each
Vivre.com

Two Tone Voile Curtain
$19.99-$36.00
Urban Outfitters

–By Kate Bailey

Technorati Tags: bright home design, vibrant accessories, bright pink, bright blue, bright green, bright colors, new colors for home design, neon furnishings

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I’ve never been a huge fan of doilies; they’re very ladies-who-lunch, if you know what I mean. But with these 11-inch melamine plates, designer Thomas Paul has given the lacy standbys a fresh feel. Serve up just about anything on them, from brunch to a steak supper, and you’ll add a shot of elegance-sans-stuffiness to your next dinner party or get-together.

Paul’s line of melamine plates range from the striking to the irreverent to the just plain pretty, such as his bright Coral collection, pictured below.

The best part? Most of Paul’s sets run about $36 for four dinner plates. They won’t break the bank—and since melamine is just a fancy word for “plastic,” chances are the dishes themselves won’t break either.

Purchase Thomas Paul melamine plates at Velocity.

By Karen Palmer, guest food blogger

Technorati Tags: Thomas Paul, plates, melamine, doilies, entertaining

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Following up on yesterday’s post on the simply stunning holiday centerpiece made from basic holiday ornaments, candles, and a serving tray, is another fun entertaining trick I shared with SavvyEntertainer.com: Caesar Salad Crudités.

I regularly serve this at my parties because it’s fresh, light, extremely easy to make, and very pretty on the table.

While I do include a great Caesar Salad Dressing from NYC’s Gotham Bar & Grill in my book The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless and Foolishly Simple Entertaining (yes, a plug, but at least it’s contextual), for this presentation I like to go muc creamier.

When I’m pressed for time and don’t want to make the dressing myself, I call a local deli that makes a mean Caesar and beg them to sell me a pint of readymade dressing. The extra step makes all of the difference, since I haven’t found a bottled option that I love.

But no matter! Regardless of how you make this, people are bound to be impressed that you went beyond a ho-hum platter of carrot sticks and broccoli florets.

Enjoy!

Caesar Salad Crudités
Get guests excited about this year’s veggie platter with a deconstructed version of a popular salad.

4 large hearts of Romaine lettuce
1 bottle of creaming Caesar dressing
1 large shallow bowl or glass plate
1 small bowl for dressing
1 box breadsticks or cheese sticks
1 tall glass

Separate lettuce leaves and layer them like the petals of a dahlia in a large, shallow bowl, with the largest leaves on the outside and the smallest on the inside. Fill a small bowl with dressing and place it in the center of the “flower.” Arrange breadsticks or cheese sticks in a glass next to the salad. Encourage guests to enjoy the ultimate crudités.

Erika Lenkert

Technorati Tags: caesar salad, holiday, appetizer, easy, elegant, fast, romaine, crudites, chic, entertaining

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