Outdoor Living for all Seasons – Harvest/Halloween Parties for kids

Hi again! We’ve talked about extending our living space into our backyard and the basic elements it takes to make it enjoyable and fun over the past few weeks. Today I’m thinking of some of the fun ways to use this space to the fullest – parties – and not just for adults – for kids!
Autumn, Harvest time, Halloween all are rich with outdoor fun. Nature provides the backdrop with colored leaves and many harvested items. Cornstalks, Hay Bales, Scare crows, candy apples and pumpkins are some inexpensive, all time favorites. After their trip through the neighborhood your little trick-or-treaters and those of your friends’ can join in your yard for a wonderfully scary trek of Halloween fun. With simple décor such as ghosts made from sheets, spider webs found in dollar stores, dim lighting (if using candles keep them up high and out of children’s reach), spooky jack o’lanterns are great to line walkways, silhouettes of bats, witches or black cats to hide in corners (with some back lighting), add some spooky music and your stage is fully set for some great fun. Since the candy will have revved up the kids you’ll want some fun games to have them spend your energy. Depending on the weather (this is a good time for your outdoor heater to shed warmth) you may be able to combine outdoor and indoor activities. Pin the nose on the pumpkin (tack a large cardboard pumpkin to the wall. In turn blindfold each child and give them a black nose with double sided tape on the back. Have them walk to the wall and pin the nose on the pumpkin), pumpkin penny toss (carve out a large pumpkin, give each child a handful of pennies. Have them stand an appropriate distance from the pumpkin and try to toss the penny in, one at a time. For each penny into the pumpkin the child gets a Halloween candy. Wrap the mummy (divide the children into groups of three to five kids. Select one child in each group to be a mummy. The other children receive a roll of toilet paper and are instructed to wrap the mummy with it, leaving eyes, nose and mouth uncovered. The first group done with their roll of paper wins). Search the internet if you want more games at your fingertips. Wrap up the evening with yummy treats such as hot dogs, apple cider, root beer, caramel apples and other kid friendly snacks. All this should add up to a memorable and safe evening.
I’m sure you can see how in all this planning appropriate lighting, heating and sturdy but attractive furniture will be foundational to making the party a success. Find some great outdoor furniture at either of our sites "Outdoor Cedars" or Teaks n More" (the links are on the right) and create cozy outdoor spaces for all seasons and parties.

Outdoor heating do we need it?

For years we have sat in Our Back Yards on cool evenings with a fire going to take the chill off.
Most of us would have a fire pit of some kind and enjoy the fire and gain a little heat while cooking some hot dogs and marshmallows.
Today most of us can no longer do this because of city regulations. Today we may have a fire container with wire covers or one of those ceramic gene lamp looking things that will keep the fire contained. Some may have an outside fireplace and they can be quite attractive but expensive to build. Today these are not always allowed in our cities as well. There are other problems with this type of heat. The smoke, I don’t know about you but every time I sit by an outdoor fire the smoke heads in my direction and gets in my eyes. I love the smell I love the heat but I don’t like the sore eyes. Another problem is the wood, where do I get it? It is easy for some but for others finding and buying it is a chore.
So what are some of the other choices today?
For our fireplaces in our homes we have moved away from wood as well. Today we are often making a choice for either electric or gas. These options are available for our back yards as well. There are many attractive designs that can add to your back yard. Often they look like old street lamps which get the heat above us and reflect it down. They are clean so the neighbors can’t complain about the smoke. They are not cheap but can be found in a price range that most can afford. The fuel, propane or electricity is easy to obtain. These seem to be the wave of the future when it comes to our back yards and can be bought at department stores and big box stores as well as specialty shops.
The real thing to keep in mind is the whole concept of extending the seasons of usage of our yards. You can be out earlier in the spring, later in the fall and even in the middle of the summer we can get a cool evening when a little heat takes the chill off and makes it pleasant to sit out and enjoy our company or just enjoy some solitude. If you have had any experience with some of these new heaters let us know.
The other thing that makes our yards comfortable is the furniture we are sitting on. Check out our outdoor and patio furniture stores at OutdoorCedars.com or TeaksnMore.com .

The importance of Lighting!

Hello fellow backyard enthusiasts,

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but in this part of the country temperatures have dropped considerably and for sure we will have to talk about heaters of various kinds next week.

This week, as promised, I want to talk about the second essential elements to outdoor living in all season and that’s the many facets of attractive and purposeful lighting. Any landscape architect would assure you that well chosen and placed outdoor lighting can transform your property at night, it is also essential for safety along paths and around decks, patios and stairs. I was reminded of this recently when I attended a backyard party where the lighting was sparsely placed and dim and all of us groped carefully around not seeing obstacles or stairs very well. It was a bit unsettling.

I’m sure you would agree that there are two considerations for our comfort, individual style and budget. Yikes – if it wasn’t for budget, the sky would be the limit with all that’s offered out there!

However – it doesn’t take too big of a budget to light your yard with candles. They come in all shapes and sizes. It’s a great idea to collect tall glass containers of various shapes, sizes and colors at garage sales or Art Fairs and place the candles in them to keep them candles burning in the breeze and safely out of reach for children. Arrange them in groups and experience the magic. Lots of attractive lamps that only require tea lights in them are also available.

A number of lantern sets, such as Noma Moonrays can be attractively placed in the yard to backlight plants, highlight ponds, or light the path to the refreshment tables so no one stumbles. An added attraction to these sets of lights is that they require very low voltage one set only uses an equal amount to a 15 watt bulb. Similar lamps are offered in a solar light which eliminates the need for electrical outlets altogether. This kind of lighting makes the backyard look like a fairyland in the wintertime with piles of snow reflecting a soft shimmer throughout.

Magic can also be created with strings of tiny Christmas lights woven through bushes, tree branches, arbors and entryways. These can be picked up quite inexpensively just after Christmas, so keep an eye out if you’re interested.

If budget allows, there are gorgeous tall lanterns on the market, one of the ones I saw is called a Firefly solar light (check it out on the web). It’s a stainless steel stake topped with a delicate hand-blown glass globe. During the day the solar panels charge up re-chargeable batteries which turn the lamp on automatically at dusk providing a wonderful amber glow. They are easy to relocate, help the environment by using a renewable source of energy and are easy on your electric bill.

Many similar sources of lighting are found at art or antique stores. It may take a bit of electrical know-how to bring fresh use to antique lanterns, or it may just take a candle or tea light. The important thing here is personal taste to bring that extra cozy comfort or that flair of elegance you’re looking for.

Mixed in with this continues to be the right choice of furniture. Last week I shared about red cedar outdoor furniture. Another long lasting outdoor choice is teak wood, it is imported from Indonesia. Having been used for boat building over the centuries, it has proven durability and strength. The outdoor teak furniture I’ve seen displays a quiet elegance, even in the most casual pieces. If this is part of your personal taste, teak is a good choice. Go ahead, check out one of my favorite sites on Teak Garden Furniture at, TeaksnMore.com.
Feeding the words "teak wood" into Google will also get you more info about the wood and "outdoor lighting" will get all the endless possibilities for lighting "OurBackYards". Have fun!

We’ll talk about the third essential element, outdoor heating, next time and try to make things comfortable with Halloween just around the corner!

Welcome

Welcome to “ourbackyards”. I say “our” here because of a couple of things. One I will be sharing the writing with my wife and two I hope you will also contribute to our conversations and therefore share with us some great information as well.
We will be talking about Design aspects, to help make our backyards look GREAT.
We will be talking about functionality, like what it takes to be able to entertain, or maybe it is solitude you are after and how we might achieve that in our back yards.
Maybe a little about gardening and how it can contribute to the overall design and functionality. I am not sure what all we will be talking about but those are some ideas.
We will be sharing hopefully a lot of helpful practical stuff and I am looking forward to your contributions.

Outdoor Living for all Seasons…

Slowly the muggy days of summer are giving way to autumn. In come cooler, sunny days and we can enjoy the outdoors without those pesky natural pests. Are you thinking that all those fun picnics and barbeques are over for another year? Think again! Our backyard can continue to be a focus of entertainment and fun, all we need to do is build the right atmosphere and we can entertain outside any time of day or year.

What we need is basically 3 key elements:
Sturdy, attractive and comfortable seating, well placed lighting, and a source of heat (for the colder times).

Our first element, sturdy and attractive seating, is available in a variety of materials, such as wrought iron, stone and several types of wood. Canada has huge forests in the north and one of the trees that makes wonderful outdoor furniture is the Red Cedar. Red cedar is affordable and makes long lasting and comfortable outdoor furniture, it also emits a delightful scent. Much of the Adirondack style outdoor furniture has been made from western red cedar. (you might enjoy browsing one of my favorite sites when you have a minute www.outdoorcedars.com) Cedar is a healthier choice for outdoor furniture than wood materials that have been treated with preservatives. It doesn’t warp and its fibers contain oils that help the wood resist rot and decay. This makes it excellent for moist or humid climates and needs very little maintenance. Add a few colorful cushions on the chairs, some brightly colored dishes, the smell of a barbeque on the go and the cheerful glow of candles as evening sets in and your guests may wish to purr with contentment.

And speaking of candles, they provide atmosphere, but there are many other attractive ways to light your backyard space as well to add comfort and enjoyment.

Join me as we talk about this second essential element next week…
T