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    Lydia Menzies Celebrates
    Lydia Menzies Celebrates
    • Supper Club
    • Order The Supper Club Book
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    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
    Just add sprinkles and a drink umbrella straw for Just add sprinkles and a drink umbrella straw for the easiest way to dress up ice cream sandwiches. I cut the straw the make it shorter to fit on the ice cream 🍨 Enjoy 💝 #summerdesserts #icecreamsandwiches #easysummerdessert
    Lemonade served like the masterpiece that it is at Lemonade served like the masterpiece that it is at our art gallery party! Presentation is half the fun of hosting to me. What about you? Do you love a creative presentation? Cheers! #tabletoptuesday #artgalleryparty #arttheme #lemonadestand #shescrafty
    Book party at @jessicahagenfineart - it was fun to Book party at @jessicahagenfineart - it was fun to hop back onto the book party tour after taking a break to help my dad after his bad fall. I always wish afterwards that I had taken more photos of people but I did get a few! Swipe through and see the details of the day- I am always grateful for the hosts and the lovely friends who show up! Thank you forever for the support! Cheers to Newport! Let me know which town you recommend putting on my book party tour! I would love to come see you!!
    Cheers to @newportartmuseum for such a brilliant s Cheers to @newportartmuseum for such a brilliant summer party to celebrate the work of Howard Cushing. From the @graciestudio wallpaper installation that you see the minute you walk in - to the stunning artwork by Cushing that takes you back in time - to the gorgeous tablesettings for the dinner- and the fun fashion for the *belle epoch* theme of the night. Swipe through for photos of an exceptional evening in Newport. Thank you @jessicahagenfineart for inviting me to be part of such a special event!
    The secret to serving the perfect cakes when you d The secret to serving the perfect cakes when you don’t have time to bake is @carolinescakes  The caramel cake is my favorite 🤩 Here I am prepping the cake before a book party in Newport with @jessicahagenfineart. With less than 48 hours to be there, Caroline’s Cakes showed up for me in a big way. I topped the cake with edible flowers and it was ready to serve!
    Here are a couple of my favorite ways to use water Here are a couple of my favorite ways to use watermelons! Take off the top— scoop out melon balls and use to decorate a watermelon slice cake — and use the small watermelon for a vase. Just fill with flowers! Which one will you try? #watermeloncake #watermelonvase #tablecenterpiece #watermelonparty
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    Lydia Menzies Celebrates

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    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

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