It’s finally starting to feel like summer in Austin, which means lots of outdoor parties with light and fresh food on the menu. I love setting big platters on the table and serving guests family-style, and nothing says “help yourself” like a backyard seafood boil. I’m a sucker for themed parties and when I couldn’t find the dishware and decor I had in mind, I decided to make my own! We partnered up with Shutterfly to create our own products using original artwork – and, you guys, it was so much fun.
I used watercolors to paint a bright red lobster motif that perfectly complemented the vivid colors of the food we dished up. Using Shutterfly to create dishware was way easier than I thought it would be! I literally just snapped a photo of my watercolor lobster and uploaded it to Shutterfly’s “upload your own design” plates.
I used a photo editing application to create mini copies of my lobster artwork for a coordinating plate design. And Shutterfly’s plates are made out of dishware-safe melamine, which was perfect for our messy outdoor seafood boil.
I wanted our table runner to resemble the traditional newspaper-covered dining tables typically associated with seafood boils, so I simply uploaded an image of newspaper to Shutterfly and they took care of the rest. It was the perfect black and white backdrop to our colorful spread.
With the warm weather starting to creep in, the girls and I cooled down with a bottle of rosé served up in these stemless word definition wine glasses from Shutterfly. I had so much fun coming up with different words to define that complemented our summer seafood boil theme.
We can all agree that durable outdoor dining chairs can be a little stiff, so I fluffed ours up with these comfy outdoor pillows. I used watercolors to create a variety of blue stripes and uploaded my design to Shutterfly. They turned out so amazing! All the girls started encouraging me to be a textile designer…
I was really impressed by the quality of the final products: the pillows looked like something straight out of a home decor store, and the thin wine glasses gave our dinner party an elevated feel. From someone who loves a good themed party, I cannot wait to see what my next Shutterfly project will be! Fourth of July party, anyone?
*photos by Katie Jameson Photography
This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. Awaken your space with your vision. Shop Shutterfly Home Décor for personalized home accents that are uniquely you.
