Summer Entertaining

The lovely weather is set to return this weekend, yippee!  The garden furniture is coming back out of the garage and I’m ready to enjoy some quality time in the garden.  With this in mind I thought I would share some of my favourite pins from Pinterest that have given me lots of inspiration for this Summer.

Outdoor Lighting
I love festoon lights, they’re incredibly affordable and I’ve built up quite a collection from the events I’ve held over the years.  They look great and as the daylight fades they provide great atmosphere to a garden.  Hurricane lights with candles, fairy lights and jars with tea lights all provide great lighting and don’t require access to electric.  I use battery powered fairy lights for ease and battery powered tea lights are perfect if you have little ones around.
Photo credits from Pinterest:  top left image  /  top right image  /  bottom left image  /  bottom right image

The Table
I love the little details, just a little creative time and some inspiration can transform an ordinary table to a table your guests will wow over.  I’m lucky to have some very talented friends who go above and beyond when it comes to entertaining, it’s infectious and the idea of a plain table becomes impossible.

Photo credits from Pinterest:  top left image  /  top right image  /  bottom left image  /  bottom right image

I like to gather greenery from the garden or out on a dog walk.  If you don’t have access to this,  a florist will have all kinds of greenery and the good things is this will probably be the most economical thing on their display!  I have a huge amount of rosemary in the garden and it’s only been over the last year that I’ve started to use it all over the home, not just in cooking!  All types of greenery are great for wreaths, place settings, garlands and table arrangements.  Other great foliage includes ivy, herbs, lavender and eucalyptus.

What I love about creating a table in Summer is that it’s super easy to create something stunning by spending very little… a few candles, some greenery and name cards can make a wonderful welcome for your guests.

The Details
Little touches can make a big difference… name place cards, table runner and flowers can transform a table.  Below are some great ideas including a potted rosemary, detail on a table runner, napkin details, botanical ice cubes and pretty posies.

Photo credits from Pinterest:  top left image  /  right image  /  bottom left image

Photo credits from Pinterest:  left image  /  top right image  /  bottom right image

Nibbles
Entertaining doesn’t mean you have to put on a full meal, my favourite way to eat is a big platter of cheeses and antipasti.  All that’s needed is a big wooden board and lots of goodies to graze on.

Drinks
Whether it be a bottle of wine, flavoured water or cocktails, Pinterest has an array of inspiration for gorgeous drinks.  I love that they all can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic and still look and taste amazing.  Here are some of my favourites.

Photo credits from Pinterest:  top left image  /  top right image  /  bottom left image  /  bottom right image

I hope you have found my post inspiring and have a fabulous Summer!  :o)