It doesn’t take a lot to have a beautiful backyard. Here are some great affordable ways to make your backyard fabulous!
Lighting
-Setting the mood in your backyard is the first step to making it more appealing, and more importantly, visible in the late afternoon and evening. Festive light strands and low-voltage lights spread throughout your garden can light up the landscaping and patio areas for a colorful atmosphere. String a strand of lights by a big step or breaks between the patio and yard for safety’s sake. For an even easier and low-maintenance option, try solar-powered lights.
– Mason Jar Luminaries – you can paint them, glue shell or pieces of glass to them. They add a beautiful touch to outdoor decorating.
– Make Your Own Chandelier with grapevine balls, white lights, twine, and a branch turn into an easy-to-make, rustic chandelier you can hang from a porch or patio.
Furniture Accessories
– Adding fun seating and furnishings to your yard will beckon you to sit and enjoy your outdoor space.
– Take an old table /picnic table then repainted it – you can always add cushions
-Chaise lounges, Adirondack chairs, simple bistro sets, patio sets and other table and chair sets are the perfect way to spruce up the backyard and make it more inviting. Sites such as costplus.com, westelm.com, crateandbarrel.com often offer great deals in late summer/early fall. This is also true for patio sets that include chairs, umbrellas, tables and sometimes side tables at large stores such as Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, Walmart, Kmart and Target.
Accessories
-Choose the inspiration piece- Decorate around that.
-Try painting a fun mural on the side of a garage that faces the backyard or a fence line. Let the kids partake in the fun and have them leave their mark on a sidewalk or concrete area in the space. Go 3D and purchase or make your own sculpture for the garden or lawn. You can make these out of recycled materials to help your backyard truly go “green.” Some art dealers sell paintings and drawings that withstand the elements with special framing and protective materials. A beautiful chiminea adds to the ambiance, and its smoke helps drive pesky bugs away.
-Hang an Outdoor Chalkboard- rather than covering every inch of your sidewalk and driveway and chalk, let kids flex their creative muscles with this outdoor chalkboard. No need to worry about erasers—rain will provide a natural cleaner.
Nature
-Let nature be the focus of your backyard. Some ideas:
-Decorate with plants
-Add a water feature. This can be as simple as a horse trough that you transform into a mini waterfall. Simply visit any of the numerous websites that walk you through the process.
-Make a home for the birds and build a birdhouse or purchase a gorgeous cardinal castle, bluebird bed and breakfast or robin’s retreat. Let the delicate sounds of chirping tweeties set the cheerful mood of your yard.