Are you planning a celebration in your backyard this summer? How about throwing a western barbecue?
Decorating for a western barbecue can be down right economical. Most everything you need is something you probably already have and what you don’t can be borrowed or purchased very inexpensively.
Let’s start with tablecloths. Whether you have one table or ten, you need an alternative to store bought tablecloths that will match your theme and your pocket book. Most people have a closet full of worn out blue jeans. If you don’t have enough for this project, you probably know several people who are willing to donate more. Cut the jeans apart leaving big areas of fabric. Lay out and arrange the fabric anyway you want to. Don’t worry about how straight the edges are at this time. Overlap the seams so as not to create bulk on the backside of the tablecloth and sew a top stitch to attach.
Trim your excess away from the seam about 1/2″ on the top and backside of the tablecloth. It’s okay if the pieces aren’t the same size or shape. You are striving for a crazy quilt look. After you have achieved a size large enough for a tablecloth, you can then trim the edges straight. Lastly sew a top stitch around the straight outer edges of the tablecloth to finish.
There are many ideas for centerpieces that will enhance your western barbecue. You could choose one design to work throughout your backyard party or several to blend the decorations together,
Cowboy Boot Vases–A great feature of this idea is that you get two centerpieces from one pair of cowboy boots. Place a recycled fast food drink cup into the boot to hold water and arrange fresh cut flowers from your yard or insert floral foam and create a beautiful creation using inexpensive silk sunflowers or dried flowers. Finish off the look with a bandanna tied around the leg of the boot.
Cowboy Hat Centerpieces–Glue an lavish amount of Spanish moss around the brim for the base of your centerpiece and arrange an abundance of silk and dried flowers. If you have attractive pots of flowers on your porch, turn the cowboy hat over and set the pot inside. Add moss or flowers to fill the empty spaces if desired.
Other Containers for Centerpieces–Galvanized or rusty buckets, feed pan, terra cotta flower pots, horse collars (place the arrangement in the center), egg baskets, canning kettles, enamel wash basins or simple pork and bean cans (leave the labels on).
Napkins–Cut a bandanna into four equal pieces and fold into a triangle. Roll the triangle around a set of plastic silverware and tie with a bit of raffia. Attach small wooden stars (available at craft stores) painted silver to the raffia.
Candles–Canning jars or recycled jars make excellent candle holders for an outdoor barbecue. Wrap baling wire around the jar multiple times and for hanging candles, end with a length of wire at the top to bend around a tree branch. A simple tea candle lit with long matches complete the project.
Additional Lighting–I love white Christmas lights hung for an outdoor event. Because they do not generate a lot of heat, you can embellish them with just about anything to match the theme of your party. For a western barbecue, take apart silk sunflowers. The layers of petals are an intact circle with a hole in the center. Slip these individually over each small light bulb. If they seem too loose, put a dab of glue at the base of the light socket. Tie more wood stars painted silver to the cord between each light bulb.
Use pint size canning jars with raffia tied around the rim for drink glasses, a wheel barrel filled with ice to hold cold drinks and sawhorses with an old wooden door laying across them for use as a serving table.
Planning a party like this is so rewarding because of the materials used. For just a little money, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
