DIY Saturday #62 – Easy DIY Outdoor Summer Party Decor – (Video)

Entry #610, August 6, 2011

Happy DIY Saturday! For most of you preparing for back to school time, there are still a few weeks left of August to throw an outdoor summer party. Whether you are holding a small intimate gathering or a large pool or beach party – getting your outdoor area ready is key.

Bring on outdoor entertaining this summer

Today, I’ll give you tips on how to take some simple DIY projects and make your outdoors shine. From tiki torch anchors, customize a picnic table, and custom outdoor furniture cushions. These Martha Stewart outdoor ideas will help your home be the life of the party.

Better Homes and Gardens’ contributor – Danny Seo gives great outdoor entertaining ideas for your next party. Watch this You Tube video to inspire and give you ideas. From grilling ideas and bug repellent ideas to solar lighting tips.

Enjoy your party!

You Tube Video – Better Homes & Gardens – Outdoor Entertaining Ideas

Tiki torch anchors

Anchor your tiki torches with this easy DIY project

Tiki torch anchors – from Martha Stewart

Decking your yard with tiki torches is an inexpensive, festive way to bring island style home — and to light up the night without electricity. Use them to line a path or surround a patio. If the ground is paved or rocky, you may not be able to find places to poke the torches into the soil. Instead, anchor them in gravel-filled, galvanized-steel flower buckets, and have yourself a tropical night.

Gravel in a pail can keep your tiki torches secure

To anchor the torches, position flower buckets on level ground for stability. Hold one torch upright in each bucket, and fill the bucket with garden gravel to about 3 inches from the rim. The containers are then heavy enough to support the lit torches safely as they burn. Both the buckets and gravel are available at garden-supply centers; torches can be purchased at home-supply stores.

Custom painted picnic table

Customize your picnic table with painted stripes

Striped picnic table – by Martha Stewart

Set the table for a whole season of festive cookouts by giving it a new summer coat. The wooden slats of a classic picnic table provide a ready-made outline for stripes. Red and white are very versatile — with blue napkins and flag “bouquets,” the table’s ready for patriotic gatherings; adorned with bright red, orange, or yellow tableware, it would have “casual barbecue” painted all over it.

Semigloss latex exterior paint and primer will give a picnic table a shiny new look. Prime table; allow to dry. Cover the edges of alternating slats with blue painters’ tape. Apply two coats of red paint to the untaped slats, and allow to dry. Remove tape, then apply new tape to edges of painted slats; paint two coats of white on remaining slats, and let dry.

Stenciled Hawaiian flower cushions

Turn cushions into a Hawaiian inspired delight

Hawaiian cushions – by Martha Stewart

1. Download the naupaka-flower template, and print it, resizing it as needed.

2. Make a stencil: Lay the printout on waterproof or stencil paper (you may need to tape a few sheets together to make a stencil large enough for the cushions), and tape them to a cutting mat.

3. Cut out the motif with a craft knife; discard printout and motif cutout. Place stencil on a cushion or mat, and dab fabric paint (for cushion) or acrylic paint (for mat) inside stencil with a natural sponge. Let dry before shifting stencil to repeat. (The stenciled Hawaiian-print bed linens also use this technique.)

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.