Warm summer days into summer evenings spent on the patio rejuvenate mind and body, serving as the optimum sit, sip, dine and dance in the moonlight opportunity to recharge your battery.
I ordered (love curbside pickup!) two of these white flower citronella candles from Walmart at the beginning of pretty in pink on the patio season, and between the two working together our patio days into evening sitting sessions remain mosquito free.
Summer has arrived, and with it comes ample opportunities to kick your sandals off and enjoy a sunny afternoon into moonlit evening sitting pretty in pink on the patio.
Summer wastes no time revealing its intended purpose, one of which is to go forth and enjoy the season of warm temps, cool waters and fun in the sun times practicing stylish and safe picnic tips.
Packing a picnic meal and heading out to a fun in the sun destination is a time-honored tradition; a simple activity most of us have engaged in and enjoyed during the good old summertime.
Working with a basic get the job done picnic of white paper plates- hamburgers-hot dogs-plastic throw away cups-pass me the bug spray- aluminum webbed lawn chairs passed down from grandma’s summer to yours picnic theme has worked for years because it works.
Stylish and delicious alternatives to the traditional, reinterpreted vintage or in the style of vintage wares, and simple yet elegant accents perfect for creating a posh picnic.
Play with your food and see what edible centerpiece magic you can create.
Fresh wildflowers from the field or the famers market flower truck pretty up a picnic table or blanket.
Fun in the day and stylishly useful to light the night, picnic lighting options such as gingham paper lanterns, solar powered LED landscape path lights, and solar powered LED flameless candle lanterns set a comfy scene.
For $5.00+tax you can light your picnic space up with a 6-pack (not that kind of lit) solar powered LED landscape path lights from Walmart.
Have backyard, will picnic is the summer picnic spot of choice offering entertaining options for a casual affair for two or a take it up a notch nosh set for friends and family.
Summer activities should be relaxing, carefree, easy, and safe.
Hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes, a roll or two of paper towels, and a mild mix of dish soap and warm water in a spray bottle will get you where you need to be in the fight against summer picnic cooties.
For a chilled picnic me up during and after your outdoor soiree, include a chilled package of cucumber and mint facial wipes zipped up in a zippered storage bag in your cold drinks cooler.
Refrigerate a package of cucumber and mint facial wipes the night before and bring along for a deliciously fragrant and instantly cooling refresher course.
Speaking of fresh mint, fresh mint ice cubes add a minty fresh kick to picnic beverages.
Place gently rinsed fresh mint leaves into each individual square of the ice cube tray.
Fill each square with water.
Pop ice cube tray into freezer until cubes are frozen solid.
Place cooler in a shaded area, and use a refrigerator thermometer to check and verify the temperature inside the cooler remains at or below 40°F.
After each picnic use be sure to wash out your coolers with hot, soapy water.
Throw away food left out for more than two (2) hours.
On a day where the outdoor temperature is 90°F or above, I would exercise extreme caution by throwing away any food that has been out for more than one (1) hour.
‘Tis better picnic safe than picnic sorry.
My Recipes
Refrigerator Garden Pickles
Ingredients
6 cups sugar
6 cups white vinegar
¼ cup celery seed
¼ cup mustard seed
2 tablespoons canning salt
10 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium cucumbers, sliced
3 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, halved and sliced
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
Directions
In a Dutch oven, combine the first 5 ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour hot liquid over vegetables; cool.
Transfer to jars, if desired; cover tightly. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Grilled summer vegetables in foil packets make an easy and tasty best of the season side dish.
Include a fruit and snack board or tray with items that place the emphasis on summer fresh and filling without fear of spoilage or the dreaded sugar high.
Hey kids, who can name the cities on the cutting board?
Avoid cross contamination by never using the same knife used for cutting raw meat, poultry, or seafood to chop or slice fruits and vegetables.
Aluminum foil makes a great grill or pot scrubber.
An onion makes a super easy grill cleaner, too!
Get the grill really hot (be careful!) in order to burn off any food leftover on the grills from previous use.
Stick an onion half on the end of a grilling fork. A heavy-handed spray of lemon juice or vinegar will assist with its acidity in super cleaning off the grills.
Onions have natural antibacterial properties, and that’s a good thing especially in these times.
Pour vegetable or olive oil onto a couple of paper towels or clean cloth, place between tongs and wipe down the grill to prevent sticking.
Vegetable or olive oil works best. Cooking spray burns too easy and will compromise the flavor of the meat.
Craft or butcher paper makes a great disposable table cover.
Roll it out.
Roll it up.
Toss it in the trash.
Knowing what we now know about overexposure to the sun proves we’ve all come a long way, sun babies.
Sunscreen now prevents sun scream later.
If you find yourself overly sun kissed keep calm and moisturize on!
First, refrigerate a bottle of vinegar, preferably apple cider vinegar.
Cold vinegar applied to the burn will ease the pain of the burn.
A 20 minute soak in a cool bath with 1 cup of baking soda added to the water will calm and sooth skin.
Allow your skin to air dry and apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp.
Burn a bundle of fresh sage or rosemary over charcoal to help keep mosquitos and other bugs away.
Citronella candles- the if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it mosquito defeater.
Pack a picnic basket full of summer picnic tips and celebrate summer down by the lazy river, on the beach, at a local recreation area, or in your own backyard with family and friends.
Today’s A Most Fetching Friday serves as a friendly reminder of the importance of keeping cool in the intense summer heat. Our internet service failed to connect us to the world wide web this past Wednesday morning and as of this posting remains spotty. Ugh!
Work crews from AT&T have graced the Places In The Home compound with their skilled and professional presence over the last two days. Knowing the importance of staying hydrated and keeping cool in the fight against heat exhaustion, I keep a steady supply and variety of bottle waters on hand for the postman, landscape crews, and utility workers.
The heat is on in these intense summer days making it necessary for those who work and play outdoors to do what it takes to reduce the risks of associated with the unforgiving combination of heat and humidity.
One does want a hint of style.
Keeping cool is key when working or playing outdoors in the summer. Stay cool, hydrated, sun protected and heat exhaustion educated in these fun in the summer sun months.
It the let’s take the all things house that make a home party outside shall we time of year!
Go ahead, take a moment to bask in the sunlight of your summer’s almost here happy dance.
Numbers show the benefits of outdoor living and entertaining ranks high in the areas of energy and well-being.
I love this time of year when the hot summer days and nights meet hot styles and cool looks of the outdoor living entertaining decorative accessories season.
Our Canadian snowbird son will be moving to a new house in a couple of months which means dialing and styling consultations, suggestions, tips and what do you think of this for our outdoor living space is in high demand.
Curb and yard appeal primps and preps the outdoor living entertaining area for the season.
The outdoor living loyal take outdoor living seriously. The how we utilize our outdoor living spaces is an interesting fact.
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to outdoor living decorative accessories, I want comfortable, durable, lasting, and affordable style that stands up to the season.
Patio, porch, terrace, balcony, rooftop and deck accessories must pass the past one season test.
Resort Stripe Aruba Outdoor Fabric
Style is important, but if the big ticket items such as outdoor furniture and performance fabrics can’t withstand the elements or normal outdoor living wear and tear, what do you have?
A repeatable, avoidable and unnecessary expense.
Outdoor furniture and accessories made from treated wood, weather-resistant plastic, aluminum and wrought iron products are the preferred material choice in the get the most bang for your buck game.
SunGuard UV Protectant for garden decor comes with four star customer reviews.
I have not purchased or used this product, but if it delivers on its promise to protect all types of outdoor decor, furniture and garden accents against fading, peeling and cracking caused by the sun and harsh weather conditions it makes the gotta have it list.
Outdoor living spaces share a design commonality with their interior living spaces counterpart- essential pops of robust color.
From mosquito repelling lavender, geranium and rosemary plants and garden fragrant blooms, seasonal keep it summer simple sensation eats and outdoor lovin’ decorative accessories, the spring and summer outdoor living entertaining season presents us with a brilliant and bold opportunity to color our world.
A fire pit tops the millennial homeowner’s gotta have it list for outdoor living function, comfort and style.
According to a Casual Living Millennial Outdoor survey, Millennials, singles and couples consider the most integral outdoor living entertaining products to be the five-piece dining set, grill and chat set.
Our son, a millennial homeowner, explains to us, his Southern fried and humidity steamed parents, why a fire pit will be in his outdoor living space future.
“Guys, it’s not Louisiana. It’s Canada. We use a fire pit year round.”
Well that explains that.
S’mores anyone?
How about an artisan wood-fired pizza baked in a blue fish terracotta pizza oven?
Place a bundle of these butterfly adorned paper parasols from Save-on-Crafts in a super cute decorative container or basket for sun and heat sensitive guests to use.
Other options include summer soiree parting favors or focal point decorations.
One of the best pieces of outdoor living entertaining advice I can give is to keep the theme, design, food and drink menu super summer simple!
I’m convinced more and more the move toward the trend of taking purchased prepared foods to the next level via the presentation factor is a gift from the outdoor living entertaining powers that be and your local grocery store and farmers market.
The eyes set the “seen” when it comes to food, and easy always makes the perfect party guest.
Add a splash of nostalgia to your outdoor living decor with vintage or vintage inspired accessories.
I still have mine to this day, and wouldn’t take a million dollars for this priceless memento.
Like a scene straight out of The Andy Griffith Show, we loved sitting out on the front steps sipping ice-cold original formula Coke (cold cola as my Tennessee family members say) watching the fireflies light up the summer night.
Our latest eBay search for project materials brought forth open tabs and mounds, let me look at this one thing patience, and a DIY recipe for Citrus Sugar Hand Scrub.
More on that point later in the post. Dave the Builder is not used to with unorthodox way of treasure hunting.
Assuring Dave I am able to walk andchewgum at thesametime, I jumped around the pages of eBay with expert keyboard precision.
As Dave measured and mulled his decisions, I searched and made a decision of my “own” to click Buy It Now on this darling vintage pottery creamer.
Pattern, texture and color guide the selection process of interior design, decorating and home decor accents and accessories.
Take as an example the PTC value of this creamer.
The pattern is unique as far as corn pottery patterns go, the texture is raised in matte perfection, and the color trio of pink, green and worn over time white blend together to create subtle soft tones.
Add to the mix the vivid childhood memory of a similar creamer my Mother once owned and a curiosity piece match made in collectibles heaven.
Presentation and placement is key when selling an item.
Stores know it, sites know it, and decoristas know it.
Home decor accessories and accents placed in unexpected spaces and used in unusual ways make for the most interesting conversation pieces.
I am constantly arranging and rearranging smalls to create vignettes and focal point displays.
The quickest way to combat decorative complacency is to design and decorate outside the lines.
A vintage creamer is repurposed as a cosmetic caddy, a porcelain bone dish finds new life as a jewelry holder, and an antique silver powder jar becomes a Mother’s Day gift filled with the latest recipe from the Places In The Home test kitchen.
Citrus Sugar Hand Scrub is a pampered treat perfectly timed for the summer mani and sandal pedi season.
It is also a wonderful foot scrub! Coconut oil is all the beauty rage, and is well represented in this homemade scrub for its softening ability.
For the hands:
Dampen hands with tepid water. Apply the citrus sugar hand scrub and gently massage in a circular movement to exfoliate and renew skin. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat dry. Complete the at home spa experience by applying your favorite hand cream to seal in the moisture and protect.
For the feet:
Soak feet in warm water for approximately five (5) minutes in order to soften the skin. Apply citrus sugar hand scrub to each foot and work in circular motions to properly exfoliate. Rinse feet with tepid water and gently dry with a towel.
Feet will be soft and moisturized so watch your step!
Now is the time to try out those new summer flip-flops or spa socks to prevent doing the twist and d#*! that hurts shout.
Citrus Sugar Hand Scrub
Ingredients
½ cup raw sugar
½ cup coarse salt
½ cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 medium-size lemon = approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest)
1 tablespoon orange zest
several drops favorite essential oil
Directions
Mix all ingredients together until combined.
Spoon citrus sugar hand scrub into container of choice and seal tightly.
This scrub is best suited for use on the hands and feet, and is good for use for up to one month.
Everything is right on Target for graduation and Mother’s Day gifts fresh in Lilly Pulitzer colors bright and pattern right. The limited edition Lilly Pulitzer collection for Target will be available April 19th. Can you tell I’m excited about this collection? I read this fabulous remark the other day and found it to hit the bullseye. The cure for spring fever is spring shopping.
I have several selections from the Lilly look book in mind for our son’s girlfriend who is graduating from university next month and a special Mother’s Day gift recipient on my the gift is in the giving list. Allow me to share with you my favorites from the collection.
For chic summer evenings ~
Embroidered Clutch ~ Gold
For a touch of Pulitzer Pattern on the Patio ~
Drinking Glasses ~ set of 4
Nosie Posey Glass Hurricane Candle Holder
For the after graduation getaway or summer beach vacation~
Giraffing Me Crazy Beach Towel
For the home~
Set of 4 Napkins with Pom Pom Trim
Ceramic Mugs with Gold Caddy
Nosie Posey Floor Cushion
Mark you calendars for the arrival of the Lilly Pulitzer Collection for Target gift ideas.
These patriotic party ideas range from color rich decorations to delicious food and beverage recipes to beat the summer heat party essentials and a few home decor items for year round indoor and outdoor use thrown in for good measure.
“Just another American Saturday night.”
— Brad Paisley
Not only is the The 4th of July the quintessential summer celebration of freedom, this year it is the summer holiday that keeps on giving, complete with a three day weekend.
Talk about a host/hostess gift of the very best kind!
Are you ready to take the party outdoors with this summer outdoor fun with patriotic party ideas?
Southern Living Photo by Hector Manuel Sanchez – Styling by Frances Bailey
I’ve gathered pretty, delicious, summer essential, and red, white and blue themed decorating, entertaining and tablescape goodies for your summer holiday and summer for the fun of it party ideas gotta have it list.
This patriotic party ideas picnic basket is packed with color rich decorations to delicious food and beverage recipes to beat the summer heat party essentials to a few home decor items for year round use thrown in for good measure.
A blue box fan and a red extension cord will do just that, and the color combination is patriotic party ideas smashing.
Call me old-fashion, but it isn’t summer without a summer sittin’ session on the porch, deck, patio, balcony, or just out in the yard.
No pool?
No problem.
Connect a water hose to a fun summer themed sprinkler, and let the cool summer times roll, you crazy kids.
I like to celebrate in patriotic colors, but tablewares and serveware in classic summer colors and themes will stand up for use at other holiday and entertaining events.
Baseball is a beloved summer sport, and even though there’s no live games this particular summer, you can still celebrate the game.
My dad, top row in the middle – Denver, Colorado 1952
“Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet,
they go together in the good ol’ USA.”
Fill a baseball theme container with blooming flowers or greenery fresh from nature’s arts and crafts store (your yard).
Ears of fresh corn with the husks slightly peeled back in order to expose the corn kernels grouped in threes and tied with woven ribbon of your color, pattern and texture choice or metallic twisted rope is another fresh centerpiece idea.
Mini watermelons on a natural table runner of Pittosporum paired with Lemon Lime Nandina is yet another summer simple and summer chic centerpiece option.
Summer chic.
Affordable.
Eye catching.
Hit a charcuterie or cheese board home run with this Baseball Wood Wall Decor piece from Hobby Lobby.
Pop off the sawtooth hanger on the back so the piece will be lay even when flat.
The piece measures 13″ in diameter making it a good fit for a serving board.
Using small bowls and platters to house your cheeses, nuts, fruits, and meats will keep the board base clean and eliminate any cross contamination to the food from the finish.
Ready to go summer favorites highlight the summer chillin’ & grillin’ menu.
I don’t have any proof of this other than the pounds gained over the season from eating these things, but I do believe it’s safe to say that S’mores are the official dessert of summer.
This recipe from Country Living Magazine for S’mores is stacked with variety, and that only add more yum to a classic.
Ignore the calorie count, add an extra couple of miles to your walk or run, and dive in.
Inexpensive fabric(s) with a good old summertime theme is a party go-to solution for tablecloths, napkins, basket and serving dish liners.
Individual picnic baskets lined with a fabric or bandannas (take home face mask) make a great utensils holder.
Adventures in Making shows us how to make super simple summer (say that 3 times fast) DIY Citronella candles.
Click HERE for DIY details.
This simple project results in casually elegant and much needed accessory to help combat mosquitoes- the party guest pest of summer outdoor living times.
Putting a pretty spin on a summer celebration decoration treats the eye to a visual party favor.
Seasonal flowers from the floral department at your local grocery store or nature’s arts and crafts store ( your yard), moss filler, a large galvanized bucket filled with water and topped off with a floating candle and prepare to light the night in an impressive and pretty way.
It’s gets hotter than, well, you know on these summer days into evening.
Pack a beat the heat survival kit with cooling essentials.
Fill plastic beach pails with his and hers flip-flops, battery operated plastic hand-held fans, individual aluminum spray bottles filled with chilled homemade rose water (the guys love this stuff almost as much as the gals), and a pack of facial cleansing towelettes.
These always make a big splash.
The whole idea of a summer soiree and these patriotic party ideas is KISS- Keep It Summer Simple.
Happy 4th of July!
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Craft or butcher paper makes a great disposable table cover.
Resort Stripe Aruba Outdoor Fabric
Embroidered Clutch ~ Gold
Drinking Glasses ~ set of 4
Nosie Posey Glass Hurricane Candle Holder 
Giraffing Me Crazy Beach Towel
Set of 4 Napkins with Pom Pom Trim
Hit a charcuterie or cheese board home run with this Baseball Wood Wall Decor piece from Hobby Lobby.
