Big Honkin' Summer at Target

For once, I'm actually enjoying summer.  Even this intense heat hasn't dampened my spirits too much, probably because we've been grilling and spending more time outside now that we have a little patio set to sit at and some fun stuff to keep the kids occupied in the yard and on the front porch.

Plus we have a special birthday party coming up--Jude's first--so we're hoping that the weather cooperates and we can host our guests outdoors.

Whenever I host picnics or parties, I love adding funky decorations and colorful things to the environment.  Streamers, homemade banners, balloons, all work fine, but it's also nice to add some color in via the serving ware and plates and cups.

Though my regular dishes tend to be white, I do enjoy making events more exciting in summertime, and also using melamine plates as to minimize accidents.  Target has some great dinnerware designs as part of their Big Honkin' Summer line.

I love the stylized strawberry designs on their dinner and salad plates and highball tumblers, and how it adds a punch of color to salads and picnic fare.  And you know that at Target, you can get really great prices on really stylish items, especially their summer products.  The plates and cups are all under 2 bucks!

I like the bright turquoise color of the melamine serving bowl with bamboo lid, which is great for standing out at picnics.

You can slide the bamboo cover over your salad so that the bugs don't get into it.

While it doesn't seal the bowl tightly (I had to add some large rubber bands to keep it from spilling in transit), it is handy even for covering items in the fridge.  Plus the coordinating bamboo serving spoons accent the set nicely; I love the trend of wooden spoons with their ends dipped in color.

Target has set up a Facebook app called The Summerizer where you can add summery icons to your photos and then can share them online or print them at a Target Photo Center.

Summer isn't over yet, so look for those giant photos of beach balls, sunglasses and sand buckets to direct you to Target's colorful summer products.
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom CentralConsulting on behalf of Target and received products to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate.