Summer Fun Outdoor Party – Sunday Morning Coffee

I am so excited to share this Summer Fun Outdoor Party. We had so much fun and I love the outdoor room I created with my wood porch columns!

Thanks for joining me for Sunday morning coffee. Today I am sharing my weekly thoughts about entertaining, decor, crafts, and recipes, and the most amazing outdoor party I created last night in our backyard!

Volume 28

A Little Bit About Me

What an amazing setting for a summer outdoor party.

I think one of my most favorite things to do is to create a setting for a dinner party that is so magical my guests are mesmerized! I spent the last few days creating this outside dining room and I am so happy how it turned out!

You are likely aware of the other “outside dining rooms I have created”. I love using these porch posts but I didn’t like the way I used to attach the top. Formerly, I attached pieces of wood with screws across the top. It just never looked finished as you can see in my blog post How to Plan a Backyard Dinner Party.

I came up with a new way to add brackets to the porch posts and then I painted 2″ x 4″ boards that fit in the brackets. The complete DIY is below and this new option is so much easier and I love how my summer fun outdoor party with wood porch posts turned out.

How to Build an Outdoor Dining Room

One of my goals is to build what I call an “outdoor dining room” to create intimacy at my dinner parties. I have used metal poles and porch posts in the past and this time added some brackets to hold the wood at the top of the porch posts. There must be a frame at the top of the posts to keep them straight and secure.

I bought these posts at a vintage sale hosted by my friend Lorzel at Barnhouse Chicks Market and I see them at flea markets and on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. My posts are 8′ tall which is great since we are such a tall family!

How to Build the Porch Post “Room”

I get asked all of the time how I build this outdoor room. I also get asked how I am able to get my porch posts to stay straight in the grass! The secret is that I pound tall metal stakes into the grass and then lift the porch posts on top of the metal stakes. Porch posts have about a 2″ wide hole through the post so they fit perfectly on the stakes.

Here is how I created this room:

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• one – Clean off the porch posts to get them ready
• two – I measured where to put the metal stakes, based on the 8′ long 2″ x 4″ boads and the center of the post hole. Next, I marked the spot with screwdrivers.
• three – I used four 30″ metal stakes and pounded them in the ground until they are secure and straight.
• four – Lift the post over the stake and feed through the hole. The posts will stand up straight.

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• five – It wasn’t hard to decide where to place the boards across the top of the porch posts and marked them accordingly.
• six – I bought these metal brackets and dipped them in a gallon of white paint.
• seven – I screwed on the brackets on two adjoining sides of each post.
• eight – Place the 2′ x 4′ boards into the brackets.

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• nine – Secure the 2″ x 4″ wood boards by adding one tiny screw into the side of each board.
• ten – Place the boards all the way around and secure.
• eleven – If the posts won’t stay straight, use anotjer metal stake and pound it in to the ground next to the post and attach with a screw.
• twleve – Hang the liights however you want, using the the upper wood boards. Use wire to secure the lights. You can use solar lights or thread an extension chord up the back of one porch post.

Furnishing the Summer Outdoor Party

Creating an Outdoor Dining Room begins from the ground up. Tables, chairs, and lighting create the foundation to design a beautiful tablescape.

Here are my favorite items to use when entertaining outdoors.

Setting the Table

I wanted to create a beautiful and romantic table for this intimate summer fun dinner party so I went straight to our butler’s pantry. It took a bit of time, but I selected my favorite placemats, white plates, gold-accented water and wine glasses, lace-edged napkins, and a mixture of sterling and silverplate flatware. You can find all of the links to these items below.

Setting the table was easy. I picked up the flowers at Trader Joe’s and selected eucalyptus, roses, and a few hydrangeas. I arranged them in a tall galvanized pot and absolutely love how the flowers came out.

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• one – Select the tiems for your table and start with the placemats and napkins.
• two – Continue setting the table with all of your tableware.
• three – I added copper candlesticks from Amazon and the rose gold candlesticks I made with metal leaf.
• four – I added peaches, cherries, and rose petal “scatter” to the table. It’s the finishing touch!

The end result is quite amazing!

I carried the theme throughout the entire downstairs of our home. Including our kitchen!

Items to Set the Table in the Outdoor Dining Room

Here are the links to the items I used on this table. I included some other favorites that I love as well.

The final setting for this Outdoor Party was magical and even better than I had imagined.

As it got darker, the lights started to shine.

The reflections were incredible!

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Reflections on the Week

Last week was so much fun! I love everything I shared last week, and I hope you did too!

Which was your favorite?

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Outdoor Entertaining Inspirations

Throughout the Home

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Good Things From Martha – Five Creative Ways to Keep Guests Cool at a Summer Party

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What’s Ahead for The Week

Things never seem to slow down around here but we are working on it. Hmmm.

Next week I have lots of fun things planned on the blog. First, I am sharing all about the Rose Bowl Flea Market and everything you ever wanted to know about slipcovers. At some point this week I will be making a new summer pillow (and yes, I actually haven’t made it yet ). I am sharing how to make a fresh succulent wreath and wonderful decorated summer cookies. Finally, I a sharing my favorite summer dishes, including some I just bought that are absolutely amazing!

I am excited for next week at My 100 Year Old Home. I hope you are too!

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Catch up on Sunday Morning Coffee

• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 27 – How to Use a Soft Summer Color Palette
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 26 – Endelss Summer Nights
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 25 – Summer Decor Finds
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 24 – Summer Decor Tips
• Sunday morning Coffee Volume 23 – Beach House Renovations
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 22 – Happy Sunday Morning Coffee
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 21 – Easy Home Ideas
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 20 – Thirty Summer Days
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 19 – Summer is Almost Here
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 18 – The Carriage House is Done
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 17 – Sharing Joy and Thankfulness
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 16 – Summer Entertaining
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 15 – Projects at Home
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 14 – How to Get Ready for Summer Days
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 13 – The Best DIY Projects
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 12 – Just Do It Yourself
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 11 – Creative Inspiration
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 10 – Inside the Life of a Blogger
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 9 – Live Your Best Life
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 8 – Living Green
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 7 – Why I Love to Entertain
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 6 – February is All About Living Beautifully
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 5 – Our Beach House in Ventura, CA
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 4 – The Story of My 100 Year Old Home
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 3 – I Think I Might Be Martha’s Biggest Fan
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 2 – A Tribute to My Mom
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 1 – How Chip and Joanna Influenced My Life

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