While hunting for some patriotic ideas for our main dining table (ie the workhouse we use three times a day) I had been both inspired at Pier 1 and then quickly discouraged by the sticker shock.  My friend Rebecca suggested I hit up The Dollar Tree where I often find a few useful items but this time scored a whole tabletop for the summer patriotic holidays. 

We already had the blue plates from there which have held up pretty well for daily banging around. ($1 each)  I picked up the placemats, a pack of red napkins and flatware. My assistant used them to fill the IKEA glasses.

Pinterest had me drooling over these beautiful arrangements.  This is a particularly thrifty month however.  While at the dollar store my oldest daughter and I pulled up the picture on my phone and gathered a collection of reasonably similar silk flowers. (there are several flowers on each $1 bunch)  We had found the chunky square vase at the thrift store some months back.  It wasn't quite as cobalt as the inpiration picture so I also grabbed some glass filler beads to toss in.  (Athlete son's PT has him doing foot strengthening exercises manipulating marbles so it's all going to be used lol) 

The flags came in a bundle of 3 for a dollar.  They are too large for my taste but we will keep an eye out for smaller ones before the 4th. 

Happy Memorial Day to you and yours.  May we never forget. 

(story of the above poem here)