As sweet as honey

Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.

Winnie the Pooh

Most event decorating or styling ideas, big or small, usually start with some sort of inspiration.

The inspiration for this little, at home get together, struck when I spotted these adorable bee containers at our local Home Goods store.

Adorable, sweet, a beautiful color palette and at just 6.99 each,

who could resist right?

From there the design plan was simple:

Add elements of nature in the same neutral color palette.

These beautiful botanical table runners were a great find ( and also a great price) at H&M.

They do seem to run out of seasonal inventory rather quickly, so if you are inspired while shopping online at H&M just keep that in mind.

My original plan was to use full sized tablecloths in the same pattern, but they were out of stock when I went back to purchase them.

I do however, love the table runner aesthetics just as much.

Exposing the wood tones in the tables actually warmed up the slightly colder tones in the design.

Small, hand crafted bee charger plates and tiny black lanterns from Hobby Lobby complimented the containers instead of over shadowing or competing with them.

The smaller scale items also seemed to work well on the intimate tables for four.

Cocktails were not only kept simple, but were also a part of each place setting.

Inexpensive cardboard boxes from Michaels were filled with a personal small cocktail, along with a recipe card to make your own similar version at home.

Honey spoons...how sweet.

I often get asked about bar styling.

It is actually is one of my favorite things to set up, because anything can be used as a cocktail bar!

After a good cleaning and several coats of black paint, this once gray, scratched and tired looking vintage file cabinet, became the perfect place for bottles, extra glasses and other bar accessories.

Although small and narrow, the drawers on this little gem were perfect for storing and displaying.

Of course Patron was invited to the party...just look at that adorable bee label!

Now, if you happen to be dining with bees, it might be best to have a first aid box handy.

And that we did.

Yes, anything can be transformed into the perfect cocktail bar for your next get together. Just look around at what you have on hand, use your imagination and have fun!

Make your own ice cream cones and individually wrapped cupcakes are always a hit at our events!

The pumpkin spiced cupcakes were simply divine!

YUM!

This vintage Pepsi crate, lined with paper botanical napkins, became the perfect ice cream cone display/ holder.

insulated enamel containers from Pottery Barn kept every flavor from Rocky Road to extreme cookie dough chilled for hours.

Providing extra seating, away from the table, is also a great way to have your guests feel connected and relaxed after dessert.

An outdoor bench seat with pillows in the same pattern as the table runners

( as well as other casual, comfortable chairs) and a "bee" covered coffee table, along with large candle lanterns checked all the boxes for this event.

And when the party has ended, it really doesn't matter if your'e dining at a restaurant or in your own backyard, doggie or take-out goodie bags are always a good thing.

But when the take-out bags are covered in bees to match the charger plates and can actually be planted to grow flowers.....well, that's a great thing!

That's right, planted!

Just place these adorable bags in good soil, add a little sunshine and water, then watch a beautiful array of wild flowers grow!

You can find gorgeous seed paper, gift tags, cards and gift bags on Etsy.

And that is as sweet as honey.

Happy outdoor dining.

XO

Colleen