Lydia Menzies Celebrates
  • Supper Club
  • Order The Supper Club Book
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

    Shopping Cart

    No products in the cart.

    Sign in
    Lydia Menzies Celebrates
    Lydia Menzies Celebrates
    • Supper Club
    • Order The Supper Club Book
    • Blog
    • About
    • Contact

    Tag: party planning

    lydia menzies cover shot for podcast

    My Podcast Interview by Heather Adams

    January 10, 2021
    • Party Planning
    • The Southern C
    Supper Club Exclusive
    potted plant in blue and white vase on gift tag

    Meet Giddy Paperie by Leslie Chalfont (Guest Spotlight)

    December 15, 2020
    • Guest Spotlight
    • Supper Club Membership
    lydia menzies welcoming guests on her front porch with bar cart

    Welcome to Lydia Menzies Celebrates

    November 2, 2020
    • Holiday
    • Supper Club
    orange soda cocktail with stir stick on top of glass

    Mother’s Day Cocktail ~ Clementine Ginny

    May 10, 2020
    • Holiday
    • Party Planning
    • Recipes
    outdoor table set with plates and decorated with turquoise foo dogs

    April Foo Day! Beautiful Ways to Use Foo Dogs in Your Home

    April 1, 2020
    • Home Decor
    • Party Themes
    • Portfolio
    Getting ready for an all-American birthday celebra Getting ready for an all-American birthday celebration this week- how about you? If you live in America, tell me in the comments which state you’re from and let’s see how many we have represented from the 50 states! #happybirthdayamerica🇺🇸 #tablesettingideas #tablesettings #setthetable #julyfourth
    Come with me for a personal tour of the brightest Come with me for a personal tour of the brightest and happiest summer art soiree @jessicahagenfineart The show is a solo show of the work of world-renowned artist @huntslonem  It’s a treat to see it and I tried to capture the colors and textures that Hunt Slonem creates that make his art exquisite and unique- and wildly collectible! I hope you can see the details! Which one pops out at you most? Tell me below in the comments- I would love to know what catches your eye! #graciouslivingstyle #artsoiree #colormehappy
    When you get to spend the weekend and share your b When you get to spend the weekend and share your book with your biggest art crush 🩵🌼🩵 @huntslonem  Never getting over it @jessicahagenfineart Swipe for lots of photos and tell me yes if you would like to see more! #huntslonem #artforyourwalls #artcrush
    Dreams so real when you take The Supper Club frien Dreams so real when you take The Supper Club friends around Nantucket 🌸💚💙🌸 And- when your book is now available at @mitchellsbookcorner right on Main Street! Scroll through for more highlights of a week well spent with lovely ladies! Tell me one of your favorite things about Nantucket 💝 #nantucketsummer #newenglandsummer #ack #nantucketmoment
    Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for saying my Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for saying my thoughts and prayers are with you. It’s not too cliche or overused- sometimes it’s the most perfect way to make someone feel cared about. To everyone who has had my dad and my family in their thoughts and prayers, I say thank you. I am certain they have helped us and I am forever grateful to each of you. Thank you for caring and for every good thing sent our way. He’s improving each day- slower than he wants but he’s amazing. Thank you 🙏 Love y’all 💝💝 #thoughtsandprayers #kindnessiseverything
    Kindness is sharing a beautiful table set for a fr Kindness is sharing a beautiful table set for a friend- who would you share a table with? Send this to a friend who loves hydrangeas! 🌸💙🌸💙 #hydrangeas #hydrangealove #hydrangeaseason #hydrangeaflower #nantucketstyle
    Follow on Instagram

    Navigate

    • The Supper Club
    • About
    • Blog
    • Contact

    Help

    • Member Login
    • Member Sign Up
    Lydia Menzies Celebrates

    Join the party! Let’s celebrate life together ❤️

    © 2025 - Lydia Menzies Celebrates Website by Allison Skinner Web Design & Development

    Forum Description

    Happy April FOO Day, Friends! April 1 was just begging to be re-named with these fun ideas for your home using foo (or fu) dogs!

    white outdoor fireplace with blue and white vases and concrete foo dogs

    I have to confess that it took awhile for foo dogs to grow on me. As a child, I always thought they looked too scary. Which, is really the point of them after all. They didn't look like any dog I had ever wanted to pet. With the confusion of a dog that looked like a scary lion, I just didn't take to them well.

    concrete foo dog statue at fireplace with blue chinoiserie jar

    Interestingly enough, my reaction as a child was exactly the emotion that foo dogs were meant to evoke. What is also interesting to me is that they originated in China, and the Chinese refer to them as lions. We Westerners came up with the name "Foo/Fu Dog".

    fu dogs on fireplace with blue and white vases

    The purpose of a foo dog was to be a symbolic guardian. With each pair representing a male (typically holding a ball/globe) and a female (typically holding a pup), the pair guarded a home and the occupants inside of it. Originally, foo dogs were large, imposing figures for the outside of the home. As time passed, smaller versions were created for inside the home. And, the smaller versions are what won me over- especially the ones in beautiful colors.

    outdoor table set with plates and decorated with turquoise foo dogs

    For April FOO Day, I set the table for Foo, Party of Two. I really wanted to just have some fun with this table~ to make it pretty and different. On April 1, it feels like anything goes! I layered seagrass placemats (from Appointments at Five), white and gold dinner plates, and beautiful pink floral salad plates (from Parker Kennedy Living)

    pink and white floral salad plate on top of white plate with gold rim

    For table linens, I used my great-grandmother's hand-embroidered table scarves. I layered one as a tablecloth and then added one between each plate and seagrass placemat.

    outdoor table set with china and a turquoise foo dog on top of plates

    I didn't intend for the table scarves to be used as napkins but instead to be a layer to soften the look between the seagrass and the china. I wanted to add in the soft colors and hand-embroidery to complement the pattern on the china. For napkins, I wanted to have something that was sturdy and stronger, just like the premise behind the symbolism of the foo dog. And so, I chose a classic blue and white stripe~ with a blue and white chinoiserie napkin ring...

    table set with two dishes and blue and white stripe napkin on top

    Don't you just love the chinoiserie beaded napkin rings?? I think having the blue and white beads on blue and white napkins offers a really subtle detail. It isn't as noticeable at first, and so it is a nice surprise to see~ and it's a way of tying in the origin of the foo dog. The beautiful napkin rings are from Designs by Laurel Lee

    place setting with china and blue and white napkins with chinoiserie bead napkin rings

    To top off the place setting, I placed a turquoise foo dog in the center of the plate. What a fun and unexpected table guest! This particular foo dog is an antique piece from Parker Kennedy Living, but they have similar ones available.

    table set with china turquoise foo dog and turquoise vintage glass

    For the center of the table, I added in the floral arrangement that I made from boxwoods and azaleas from our yard. I put the clippings in a glass and then placed the glass inside my square blue and white cache pot.

    table setting with foo dogs in turquoise and pink

    I really like the bright look of the gold flatware on the table- it plays off the gold in the plates and the cache pot.

    place setting with seagrass place mat china and blue and white napkin

    The vintage turquoise glasses were the finishing touch and the perfect way to tie it all together. Wouldn't this be a fun table to set for your friends and family?

    full view of foo table set for two

    No foolin', I am wishing you a wonderful April Foo Day. I hope that you come back often for fun ideas to make your everyday life at home a bright and cheerful experience! To see more ideas for adding foo dogs to your home decor, stop by join the Foo Party on Instagram too!

    turquoise foo dog laying down on top of two china plates on a table

    Much love,

    Lydia xo

    GET SUPPER CLUB EMAILS!

    Your secret ingredient for staying informed! Be the first to know about exclusive events, fresh party ideas, and insider tips 

    Name(Required)
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.