July Birthdays Birthday Party

My husband and I have five children (he, 2 boys and a girl, and I, 2 boys).  Three of the 4 boys have birthdays in July (one of his sons and my July son were born a week apart—same year—and my July son and his other son have birthdays 2 days apart—(did you follow all that?).  PLUS, two of our DILs have birthdays in July, and my husband’s birthday is in July!  Whew!!  It would be impossible to celebrate each one individually, so this is the party for the 4 who will be able to join the July Birthday Party!

First let me warn you, though.  The heat wave that’s hitting much of the country has not missed us in Ohio…so this was the fastest table and picture-taking session on record.  My husband wondered why I wouldn’t be doing it inside—well, we can’t have a BEACH birthday party inside!  To the screen porch I went!  I actually set most of the table the night before, and got up early the next morning to “beat the heat”… but the heat beat me!  I finished the table and took pictures so fast that if I didn’t use Picasa you’d think you were suffering from vertigo—quite a few were NOT straight.  It was truly a point-and-shoot day!  And you’ll notice not evening shots…Let’s just say the heat won.

But here we are—the table got done, the pictures were taken.   

Happy birthday to all my July sweeties!

Let’s start with dessert first, shall we?

With this heat we can’t have real ice cream, so how ‘bout ice cream cone candles?!

  I know, I know…we’re in Ohio.  But that won’t keep us from pretending we’re at the beach!  We’re BEACH people!  We have SAND from our favorite beach in Siesta Key, Florida, shells galore from there too, and . . . FLIP FLOPS!

I’ve had the flip flop plates for years and had planned to use them for this table, then I saw Mary’s Home is Where the Boat Is post with flip flops she made from Nutter Butter cookies….HAD.TO.HAVE.THEM on MY table!  No worries, I let her know I would be “stealing” her darling idea and giving full credit. 

Are these not the cutest things ever?! Mary made hers with icing, but I take shortcuts—it was 10:30 at night when my husband and I hit Kroger.  So I bought two tubes of gel icing, and I, too, had flip flop cookies!  I sprinkled them with nonpareils and added the little stars.

Served on my vintage Tiara tiered server.

  And how about a high-heel server?!  My husband bought that for me at an arts festival several years ago.

Pottery Barn shell pewter hors d’oeuvres picks, also from a number of years ago,

and Pottery Barn crabs—can’t be at the beach without them!  (They’re really place card holders.)

We also have our table-size sandbox—a darling gift from our son and DIL…perfect for Mom the beach lover!  At the top corner you see the “trunk” of the palm tree, and the starfish could go there instead.  It’s a Nora Fleming dish with interchangeable embellishments/add-ons.

Water!!  Lots of water!!

And now I have to tell you about my dishes…the serving tray--$26.86 originally—is a Zak Designs, and so are the teal plates and the glasses.  Got them all—and the pitcher—for $3.00 at a auction!  I didn’t even know what was in the box lot, but I saw teal, and that was good enough for me!  I couldn’t be more excited about them!  I’ve never had Melamine dishes before, but to settle my heart’s desire for teal dishes for this table, they are perfect!  Take a look at the “glasses”—they look like glass!  Boy, do I wish I could find glass ones just.like.these!!

Thank you for stopping by our July birthday party.  I hope your imagination got a good workout and that you enjoyed our beach in the screened porch!   What do you do when you have multiple birthdays in one month?  Are you able to celebrate them individually like I’d love to do?  And do you do beach themes even though you’re nowhere near the beach—just to bring it a little closer?

I’d love to hear from you to know you stopped by…and please tell me what you thought.  Love your visits/love your comments. 

I invite you to follow me.  If you do, please let me know and I’ll be sure to follow right back! 

I wish you happy beach days,if only in your dreams.  Here’s where I’ll be this week; I hope you’ll stop by and visit me and the great selection of posts you’ll find at these great parties!

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni