When you’re setting your picnic table, bedecking it with autumn’s awesome bounty will be a boon, because it will bestow a bedazzling, bewitching beauty that’s beyond belief; and, to be sure, it all begins with the basics.

For starters, you can dress up the chairs for your outdoor dining set, with outdoor furniture cushions that feature fantastic fall colors, such as gold, bronze, russet, red, orange, burgundy, and yellow.  When it comes to the tablecloth, as we’ve established, you have a million choices in colors, patterns, and materials.

Whatever selections you make for your table décor, you’ll surely want to conjure some magic.  Luckily, this is easy to accomplish, because, as is the case with many of the astonishing illusions performed by professionals, it’s done largely with lighting.

There’s no doubt that the proper radiance can make the mood merrier, the meal more memorable, and the milieu monumentally mesmerizing.  Just as the twinkling strands on porches, gazebos, arbors, trellises, and pergolas, invoke an air of enchantment throughout your landscape, the lighting on your table can work wonders as well.  In fact, the same kinds of decorative bulbs that you’re using on your garden structures can lend a lavish look to your table setting.  For example, you can tape a string of them underneath a glass-topped outdoor dining table, then use a thin tablecloth, through which the colors can softly glow.

Certainly, candlelight never fails to captivate; and you can use pillar candles, votives, and tea lights everywhere.  Although you’ll have no trouble finding attractive candleholders, if you want a striking, seasonal touch, hollow out some miniature pumpkins, and let them do the job.  Of course, if you carve designs into them, the flickering flames will create a fanciful effect that will further add to the fabulously festive fall feeling.  Just go to a craft or department store and get a kit that contains the tools and patterns for cutting Halloween figures into larger pumpkins, but use the implements to make simple, autumn shapes, such as leaves and acorns.

If you plan to have a centerpiece, it should be spectacular, but not overwhelming; and, once again, the most ordinary ingredients can make something magnificent.  For instance, you can fill a basket with apples, grapes, gourds, nuts, acorns, and berries, then carefully tilt it onto its side, and arrange the contents to appear as if the abundant harvest is spilling out onto the table.  Then, add some mums or sunflowers, and accent the display with a few candles.

If you’re using small pumpkins as candleholders, you may want to craft a complementary, pumpkin-themed centerpiece.  You can even make a vase out of a pumpkin, by hollowing it out, filling it with florists’ foam, which you can get at any craft store, and inserting fall flowers into it.  While you’re at it, pick up some artificial leaves; you can use them in arrangements, or place a few, randomly, around the table, to give the impression that they’ve fallen from the trees.

For a bit of sparkle, sprinkle shiny, multi-colored, leaf-shaped confetti over your main tablecloth, then cover it with a clear, plastic one.  Use your imagination, and you’ll come up with many other ways in which you can be-leave your outdoor dining table.

Truly, when you use fall’s harvest to embellish your décor, you can be sure that your table will be set with a bounty that’s befitting of royalty; and you’d better believe that the guests that will be coming will be saying that it’s a beauty to behold.

But right now, I’d better be going.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Wouldn’t you love to travel to Tuscany this season?  You may not have considered that you could be transported to an elegant and sophisticated Tuscan Garden without the travel time, airline tickets, jet lag, and packing decisions.  One of this year’s hottest trends for outdoor living is recreating Mediterranean gardens and landscapes right in your own backyard.  Combining the graceful elements of the Italian Renaissance with the rustic charm of enchanting Tuscany farms creates spaces that are serene and peaceful; your space will boast refined style, while remaining incredibly accessible.

Define Your Dining Room with a Pergola: Renaissance Italy loved using pergolas to support grape vines, and modern pergolas still invite those same feelings of a glass of fantastic wine in a tranquil Tuscany vineyard.  Whether you plan to vine your pergola with flowers, grapes, or nothing at all; the structure will not only help to set the boarders of your room, it will define its taste immediately.  Red Cedar and Treated Pine pergolas give more of a rustic look for country retreats; while white vinyl pergolas recall ancient Greek or Roman sophistication.  Either will look lovely around your dining set; it just depends on what direction you’re taking!

Use a Natural Teak or Red Cedar Dining Set: Reflect the rustic and simple appearance of Tuscany with a natural wood outdoor dining set.  As the focal point of your outdoor dining room, you will want to use a material that reflects the rich tones of the earth.  A long rectangular  picnic table is best, as it truly gives a sense of large-family gatherings that the Italians are famous for.  Gorgeous teak is the finest choice, as its dense and smooth finish coupled with its wealth of color will echo the natural elegance of the Tuscan landscape.  However, outdoor dining rooms on a budget need not fear; you can reflect the pastoral grace of the country side with simple red cedar tables or treated pine dining sets as well.

Place-set with  Colorful Old World Pottery: Ditch the paper plates, and go for something a little bit more refined.  Using real dishes will not only help the environment by reducing waste, it will truly finish your Tuscan dining room.  Using pottery in rich earth tones, like forest greens, clay reds, and browns might even make the food seem more sophisticated.  Don’t worry about creating the perfect set, mix and match colors, sets, and dishes for a homey experience that will make you feel like several families are always coming together.  Create a dynamic collection by going to second hand stores to splurge on an unmatched variety of imperfectly hand painted pieces; don’t be afraid if it has a bit of a chip (as long as it’s still safe for eating).  Many discount home stores now sell pottery inspired sets that are fairly inexpensive.  With no pressure for perfection, your mix-and-match set will be an instantly interesting topic of conversation… and you won’t have to worry a bit if a plate gets broken—just add another one whether it matches or not!

Accent with Wrought Iron:  Wrought Iron accessories will compliment your natural teak dining set or red cedar picnic table for a more holistic setting.  Using wrought iron trellises and arbors will do the trick, while also providing a place to add wild Italian flora listed in the next step. Or, if your space is expansive, try using a small aluminum patio set (painted black so it looks like wrought iron).  You can use it to set desserts or drinks out on, or even just as another side table for when guests are mingling before the meal starts.

Add Tuscan Shade and Flora: Make your outdoor dining room complete with expert garden design.  An Italian Cypress tree will create privacy while Olive Trees will complete the Italian feel.  Tuscan bushes not only make brilliant shrubs, they will truly bring your whole outdoor living space together.  If you decided not to vine any plants around your pergola, adding wrought iron trellises for berry plants, grape vines, wisteria, and pastel roses will add the softening touch of nature essential for completing your Tuscan façade.  Don’t worry about needing to keep these plants perfectly in line, a bit of wild nature couples perfectly with your rustic façade.

Tuscan Outdoor Dining Rooms are popping up all over the place, and it’s easy to see why.  The pairing of sophistication with rustic simplicity allows an accessible elegance perfect for this season’s retreats. Whether you’re using yours for hot dogs and hamburgers, or home made bruschetta, your family and friends will absolutely flock to your outdoor living space!

See Your in Your Tuscan Outdoor Dining Room!

Hazel

There truly is a lot to planning a garden, and each step is crucial, as one thing directly affects another.  For example, you can buy the healthiest plants at the nursery, but if you put them into poor soil, obviously, they’re not going to thrive; and that’s just one of hundreds of important details.

Remember, your garden is an integral part of your outdoor living space, and picking the right flowers and plants is just as important as selecting the perfect patio furniture.  Of course, the latter is much easier; you just have to figure out whether to get wood, metal, or synthetic outdoor furniture.  Well, maybe there are a few more decisions to make, such as whether you want, say, an outdoor dining table, as opposed to a picnic table, a bistro set, or even a bar set.  Then, there are definitely many more color choices than there used to be; but, all in all, porch furniture is a lot simpler to choose, and to care for, than plants.

For instance, one common mistake that people make, when shopping for plants, is buying ones that are unhealthy.  When trying to gauge the condition of any particular plant, the leaves can be a dead – or a near-death – giveaway.  If they are wilted, brown, or yellow, there’s a good chance that the plant is diseased, or, at least, has been neglected.

You should also check the foliage for insects, such as aphids, which are tiny, green bugs, or any signs of damage that they may have caused.  Other undesirables include spider mites, which might make their presence known through the existence of tiny webs, and scale insects, some of which can appear as translucent bumps or blisters on the leaves.  Leave plants with any such indications alone; the thousands of pests that are already in your garden don’t need any outside help.  Take home only those plants with vibrant, thriving foliage.

Avoid anything that’s root-bound as well.  A plant in this condition will have a mass of roots coming out of the bottom of its container.  Tangled roots can suffocate a plant, and keep it from getting all of its nutrients, so root these poor specimens out of your collection.  On the other hand, you don’t want any that have underdeveloped roots, either; but, because these can be harder to recognize, you may have to ask an employee at the nursery for help.

Another thing that many people do, which I find surprising, is to ignore the labels on plants.

These contain vital information about light, water, and nutrient requirements, when they will bloom, how large they will get, and everything else you need to know.  So, unless you’re already familiar with a certain plant, pay attention to those little plastic tags sticking out of the soil.

This applies to everything that you will grow in your garden, including vegetables.  In fact, I believe there’s a famous motto that reminds us all just how important it is: “Always Look for the Onion Label.”

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Integrate your outdoor living spaces with your well-planned gardens to create serene and beautiful areas for relaxing and socializing!

]]> http://www.alloutdoorpatiofurniture.com/you-won%e2%80%99t-have-to-water-your-patio-furniture-either/feed/ 2 http://www.alloutdoorpatiofurniture.com/try-the-blue-plate-special/ http://www.alloutdoorpatiofurniture.com/try-the-blue-plate-special/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:41:39 +0000 Shari http://www.alloutdoorpatiofurniture.com/?p=230

While browsing a magazine about outdoor living, I came upon a picture of a beautifully prepared outdoor dining set.  Although it seemed strange that this outside table was set with real china, instead of paper plates, the thing that really struck me was that they were using the good old blue-and-white plates of yesteryear. 

So, I did some research and found that the popularity of blue-and-white ceramic pottery goes back more than three centuries, to the time when Chinese porcelain first arrived in Europe.  Among its earliest admirers was Queen Mary II, in the late 1600’s.  She must have started some kind of trend, because the demand for it became so great that, by the 18th century, blue-and-white china pieces were being shipped to England by the millions.

Even though the craze began with Chinese pieces, it was English potters who were able to mass produce similar items, using a printing technique that was developed around the middle of the 18th century, wherein designs could be transferred, instead of hand-painted, onto the pottery.  This method was so much faster that factories could quickly churn out thousands of blue-and-white “transferware” plates, mugs, tea services, and dinnerware.  

Of course, the blue-and-white tableware became a huge favorite in the United States as well; and, because it’s still popular today, it’s hard to believe that it was actually in its prime between 1815 and 1835. 

Although there were tons of different designs, the Blue Willow pattern, which was introduced in the early 1900’s and sold at stores such as Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and Woolworth’s, was a best-seller.  In fact, the use of this inexpensive tableware became so widespread in restaurants during the Depression, that it led to the term, “blue plate special.”

So, that’s how those familiar blue-and-white plates came to be.  These days, however, there are a lot more color choices available – not just for the plates, but for tables as well.  In fact, if you go to AllPicnicTables.com, you’ll find one of the largest selections of outdoor dining sets and picnic tables available anywhere, in a full spectrum of spectacular colors.              

And what of those transferware plates that were so affordable way back when?  They can now be found in antique stores, running anywhere from $50 for a teacup or saucer of a lighter blue, to $2,000 and above, for larger items, such as pitchers and platters, that have nicer patterns and more intense blues.  That’s one special blue plate!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy