Decorating for late summer alfresco dining!

If the weather is still warm and sunny at your patch of the world, why not organizing dining alfresco with friends and family , to celebrate the end of summer season and the beginning of Autumn.

You don’t need to have a big garden or a large space  . A small yard or even a balcony  is perfectly OK , as long as you are with the people you love and feel like enjoying yourselves.

I will here give you some ideas for decorating your space and making it look at its best, colourful and inviting.

As colour is always important, it’s a good idea to use a colourful tablecloth. I like stripes and flowers . I usually buy the cloths I  make my tablecloths with , from the big ‘blue and yellow shop’. They are at reasonable prices and I very easily sew the hem to turn them into proper tablecloths. If you don’t have a sewing machine, it is easy to sew them by hand.

Napkins also give a special touch to the table. Use paper napkins in one colour . Make a napkin ring using cardboard in vivid colours. Stick  little cutouts of birds , butterflies, flowers , boats (whatever you like) on the pieces of cardboard. You can also  find pictures in magazines and cut them out, instead of making your own. Then, use some  string to create the 'ring' for the napkin. 

 They are very easy to make and attract everybody's attention to your table. Also, the children are usually willing to help with a simple craft like this and they can also provide you with the material !

The following idea  came from one of my favourite magazines 'Country Homes & Interiors'. This is  a lovely, very impressive way to decorate your space . Use cardboard  in different colours and make small cylinders with it. They have the same size , more or less, with a can of refreshment or beer. 

You also need  some tissue paper in various colours. You cut out  lengths of paper to create fringes . You need about seven to eight such fringes for each cylinder. You either staple them or stick them to place . Then, you must use some string to hang your cylinders from branches of trees ,bushes, railings or whatever is available for decorating!

Another very easy to do and eye-catching idea is the following. Use paper bags in white or cream . You can find them in your baker's or at the supermarket or somewhere in your house. If you are close to the beach or  you are having  a picnic on the beach , the only thing you need to do is to fill in the bags with sand or pebbles (one third of the paper bag) and add tea lights. 

The bigger your tea lights the longer they will keep you company with their sweet glow. Place the bags along a pathway , in a row, on the beach or at a corner of your yard or balcony. Make sure the paper of the bag is not close to the flame of the tea light. 

Now you and your friends can enjoy their dinner and drink in style. Have fun........ 

Till next time , 

My love to all of you  xxxxxxxxxxxx, 

Tina