This post is created in partnership with Christmas Tree Shops andThat! — all opinions, images and content are my own.
We are slowly getting our yard and outdoor space ready for the warm weather. My husband put together some raised beds for our first-ever vegetable garden, Jane has started to pull out all of her summer toys (chalk and bubbles have been refilled!), and the most exciting thing is having the grill is uncovered and back on our patio! Barbeque season is upon us, and it makes me so darn happy. We grill several times a week for easy dinners once the weather is warm, and barbequing is one of my all-time favorite ways to entertain. My friends at Christmas Tree Shops andThat! invited me into their store recently to check out all of the new items they have for the season and I found some really great stuff to pull together an easy, affordable and stylish barbecue party!
One of the reasons I love popping into Christmas Tree Shops andThat! is that there’s always something new – they have an ever-changing seasonal assortment and I loved checking out what was fresh in stores for the warmer weather. I got caught up in the giant barbeque and outdoor entertaining section of my store and start filling my cart up as inspiration hit for my summer table. I found some neon baskets for serving hot dogs and hamburgers in, and blue patterned melamine plates and used them as the jumping point for my color scheme. And while I was in there I picked up some new grilling tools. I brought in more colorful linens to tie those pieces together – a really cool textured table runner and bright coral napkins.
While I love the durability of the melamine plates for outdoor entertaining, I also mixed in a few blue and white serving pieces that I found – patterned ceramic bowls and a glass cake stand. The pieces are so affordable that I don’t feel they’re too precious to use outside. And while I was at Christmas Tree Shops andThat! I was able to stock up on some other BBQ-season essentials like paper goods and condiments, and of course a few more containers of sidewalk chalk and bubbles for Jane (we go through a lot of chalk and bubbles!). All that was left to do was to add a few fresh spring flowers (that I arranged in the most gorgeous marbled coral pots from Christmas Tree Shops andThat!) and get those hot dogs on the grill – our first patio barbecue is officially under our belt!
