Outdoor Entertaining

With summer quickly approaching, I am definitely in the mood to spruce up our backyard! And when I say backyard, I mean patio. And, it just so happens that we are hosting a BBQ this weekend for my husband's NOT 40th birthday. In true Joel form, he told me he didn't want a party for this birthday, but how in the world can I let 40 slid by unnoticed. So, I suggested a BBQ for Saturday night and he said sure, just don't tell anyone it's my birthday. Yeah right!

I'm feverishly planning, making lists of all that needs to be done, and cataloging all my plates/silverware/serving pieces for the Royals themed party. Not actually Royal themed, but in the spirit of the Royals, the decor will be powder and royal blue. And not to give too much away, just know that this 40th celebration will hopefully be a grand slam!

Our patio, like our house, is small in size so there isn't a lot of room for rearranging. I'm dying to extend the area, but that to-do is at the bottom of a very long list of other things that need to be done first. So, I'm revamping the color scheme and adding some fixtures to try and add a little more pizzazz! Here are some of my ideas!

Since I can't have this...

Or this....

I'll go with this.....

 Red Accents!!! Red is my favorite color so why not take it to the extreme! I've tried several color combinations over the years but haven't found the color I like. With a hunter green table/chair set, I've done orange and brown, brown and green, brown/orange/green. But finally, I think I've found the color combo I like most! And, we do plan to power wash the furniture and give it a facelift with a black paint job later in the year.  I love red and black together!

And though I haven't made the purchase yet, I love this amazing cooler from Kmart! I've been looking for a piece for the "rock garden" that butts up to the back of our house. Currently, we have a wooden box that has not withstood the weather and it will be making its way to the curb this week! With our furniture being wrought-iron, I don't want the whole look to be too matchy-matchy. And I love the retro feel to this piece! I think it might make its way home to my backyard!

Other things I would like to do around the place is to add strings of lights. I'm not sure how others do it, without cords running all over the place, but I'm sure we can figure something out! I just love the idea of entertaining outdoors with a little mood lighting. We have wrought-iron torches that we set up along the perimeter of the patio but a little tinkle wouldn't be bad! 

I'm so excited to get started and will post photos soon! I just love party planning. Don't you? Anything fun coming up that you would like to share? How do you plan to entertain?

First Two Patio Sets courtesy of Crate and Barrel.

Umbrella and Cushions courtesy of Target.

Red Cooler courtesy of Kmart

Third Patio Set courtesy of Pottery Barn.