Red, White and Birthday

Happy Fourth of July!

 Ryan's family has a long-standing tradition of gathering at Nonny's every Sunday for a hearty dinner. Being that Ryan's birthday is a couple of days after July 4th, I offered to host a patriotic rendition of Sunday dinner and also celebrate Ry's special day.  

Drink Station

I made two drinks for the day, both red to fit the theme. One is a red wine sangria with watermelon and the other is strawberry iced tea (made with red tea)

Decorations:

Paper Medallions 

Table set with white and blue linens. The centerpieces were blue hydrangeas and American flags in cruets sitting on top of red checkered cloth coasters. 

A sweet ending to the meal was an assortment of desserts, including these festive cupcakes made by my aunt.

Ribbons, Bows and Pretty Packages

I've recently shifted from my uber-environmental newspaper-only stance concerning gift wrapping to a more creative approach in which the gift wrapping equals or sometimes surpasses the thought and time that was put into purchasing the present. 

Three of my students and two of my cousins graduated from high school in June. I made each of them a card sporting their school's colors. And for my students, I bought them an inspirational book of quotes that I tied to their cards. 

I went all out for wrapping on Valentine's Day. From oversized bows to homemade candy boxes, I gave both Ryan's eyes and mouth a treat :)