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How To Create Artful Outdoor Living That Pops

The dog days of summer are here, and you still have a lot of outdoor celebrating to do!

Here are some artful ideas for freshening up your garden space. Take a good look at the area. Could it use some plant trimming and rearranging of outdoor furniture?

I hired a crew to remove a dead tree last month, and when they moved my patio table and chairs out of their way, my outdoor living area came alive. I had grown so used to the table in its normal spot, I barely noticed it. But, when they moved it closer to the house, it invited me to slip outside for a few minutes and watch the birds (after the chain saws were put away for the day, of course).

As with indoor furniture, occasionally move your outdoor pieces. Feng shui, the Chinese art of placement, tells us energy grows stale in areas that don’t get moved or cleaned regularly. So get out there and trim that ivy, clip back that tree branch (or two), and pop up an umbrella. You’ll be much more likely to use that space when you do.

On a budget?

No problem! August is the perfect month to visit clearance sections of your favorite store for outdoor furniture and accessories. What’s left in stores will probably be on sale, and that expensive iron chair or teak patio set may be priced half off or more.

You can easily coordinate mismatched furniture by adding textiles. Bright pillows, throw blankets (great for evening chills or mosquito chasing), even outdoor rugs can unify a space and make it more appealing.

I love my bright fish pillow. The colors make me smile, and almost any color looks good with it.

Nothing makes a weekday evening festive like a glowing string of lights! I buy mine at Target where they have a wide variety of styles and this time of year. And, lights may be on sale now.

Solar-powered uplights should be on sale now, too, and they make a great addition to your landscape. Flood the base and undercarriage of a tree with light to bring more character to your space, or shine the light onto wall art. It makes a great focal point, and the shadow is often as beautiful as the art itself. (Tuck the light inside a planter to hide it.)

Wall art may also be on sale. Check your local garden stores and art centers for giant insects (I love my prehistoric-sized metal dragonfly). Other common wall art includes suns, lizards, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Wind chimes make a great space even better and help mask outdoor noise like traffic or people talking. I love the deep tones; test them before you buy! And as I’ve mentioned before, make sure you don’t annoy the neighbors with noisy or tinny chimes. You can always tuck wind chimes inside the house in front of a window, fan, or air conditioner if they get too much wind outdoors.

READ MORE ON WOMEN’S VOICES MAGAZINE

Monica Hagen
Monica Hagenhttp://www.fitfueledand50.com/
MONICA Hagen loves her life as a writer, artist, teacher, and registered stock broker. She loves to share thoughts and images that inspire, guide and heal. Find her book, “Fit, Fueled and 50,” on Amazon.com

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