Fire Pits and Fire Bowls are a great conversation piece for the patio or deck that provide a brilliant glow and heat up any outdoor gathering – gather your friends and family around the fire this summer!
New for this summer we’ve added Fire Bowls from Good Directions to our selection of Outdoor Heating products. Check out our favorites below!
Looking for the perfect tunes to play at your next backyard get-together? Not only is the perfect sauce essential to a successful BBQ, but the right music is also key to a good time! One of our suppliers for our outdoor heating products, Blue Rhino, created the perfect grilling playlist based on a nationwide survey, titled Music to Grill By. Check out these top 12 grilling tunes, and download the playlist on iTunes.
1. “Bad to the Bone” – George Thorogood & Delaware Destroyers
2. “Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash, June Carter, and Merle Kilgore
3. “Light my Fire” – The Doors
4. “Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple
5. “Fire” – Jimi Hendrix
6. “Let’s Get it Started” – Black Eyed Peas
7. “Disco Inferno” – Tina Turner
8. “Love Me Tender” – Elvis Presley
9. “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen
10. “Burning Down the House” – Talking Heads
11. “Born to be Wile” – Steppenwolf
12. “Burning Love” – Elvis Presley
We also came up with some extra songs that you could add to your playlist that would be perfect for grilling, bbq-ing, and sitting around a fire during a summer evening.
“Set Fire to the Rain” – Adele
“Up in Flames” – Coldplay
“Sparks Fly” – Taylor Swift
“Iko Iko” – Belle Stars
“I’m on Fire” – Bruce Springsteen
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” – Billy Joel
Do you and your friends have a favorite outdoor grilling song? Share it below in the comments section!
PS need a few new grilling tools? Check out this grill set on sale.
With the winter that some of us have had, it’s hard to believe Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner! As long as the weather continues to cooperate and you have off work, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to kick off the season of outdoor entertaining.
What’s better than a warm sunny day filled with outdoor games, grilling and relaxing? A fizzy drink to sip all day long! We’ve rounded up some of our favorite refreshing spritzer recipes and thought we’d share… just in case you wanted to try something new at your next get together this summer.
(Source Tasty Kitchen)
Watermelon Spritzer from Tasty Kitchen
This one is great for when you have that watermelon, fruity craving!
Green Tea & Ginger Spritzer from Newport Natural Health
Green tea and ginger are always a great duo, plus they are both so healthy for you!
Star Spangled Spritzer from Apron Strings Blog
Why not carry the patriotic spirit into the drinks with this red, white and blue deliciousness.
Let us know which one is your favorite, or if you have a great spritzer recipe of your own to share! PS – Need a few outdoor living accessories to spruce up your outdoor space before you invite people over? Check out our firepits, grilling accessories, lighting decor and more on Willard and May!
Happy Memorial Day!
With Thanksgiving over and whether you did your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping or not you need to start wrapping all those gifts you bought for all the special people in your life. Whether you are an early bird and already finished your holiday shopping or just getting started and are cutting it close to the big day, use these great tips for wrapping the perfect present!
(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)
Haven’t found that gift yet for that hard to buy person, well you’re just in luck as we have gift cards that are sure be the perfect gift they’ll love! With an added bonus that it’s easy and wrap free!
We’d love to hear what you think, let us know your creative gift wrapping ideas this season!
With football season in full swing we want to make sure you are all geared up for a great football party (even if your team doesn’t end up winning)! Of course if you’re serving cupcakes (which who wouldn’t?), it’s great to have something fun to finish them off! So we designed some football themed cupcake toppers & if you aren’t into cupcakes as much as we are, there are also labels and bunting flags to create the perfect football party!
If you would like to download these FREE killer print outs, please sign up for our email list and the print outs will be made available to you!
Check out more great items at Willard & May! We would love to see how you use our football print outs! Let us know and comment in the section below!
With summer in full swing and fall coming in, that means backyard BBQ’s, late night bonfires, and just relaxing out on the deck with friends and family. With all of that comes outdoor dining! We can help make sure you can easily serve your guests, keep them warm outside, brighten up your deck and much more with our stylish items! If you are thinking about decking out your backyard, check out these tips we have for your perfect deck or patio get together!
1. Use serving trays to make things easier for you when serving your guests delicious treats!
(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)
2. Serve up some yummy drinks with the ease of your serving tray!
(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)
3. Your party is going to be such a hit that it will last into the night, so make sure to have the proper lighting for when the sun goes down!
(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)
4. When the sun goes down, it gets cooler, so make sure to use your chimenea to keep your guests warm and comfy!
(Source:Willard & May)
5. Keep away the bees and wasps from your guests using these great traps!
(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)
Check out more of our great items at WillardandMay.com! Have you done anything new to your deck or patio? We would love to hear what you have been up to!
Are you planning a wedding? Throwing a fun summer party? Need some centerpiece ideas without breaking the bank? Why not try using lanterns? There is nothing like a flickering candle in the night. They create the perfect ambiance to a wedding or party. These lanterns can be used not only as centerpieces but also to decorate the head table or guest book table or even to be hung in trees. It is such an elegant look and adds accent lighting! One of the many great things about using lanterns is that they can be used in any type of wedding or party — the possibilities are endless! Plus, they are cheaper than flower centerpieces and can be reused or sold after the wedding or party is over!
Check out what some brides have done with their lantern centerpieces.
(Source: The Red Dirt Bride)
(Source: Style Me Pretty)
(Source: Tumblr)
(Source: Weddings Illustrated)
Check out our variety of lanterns we carry at Willard & May!
You can find these styles of lanterns and more lighting options to get you going on your new centerpieces at WillardandMay.com (1. Colorful Sleek Lanterns 2. Round Cast Iron Garden Lantern 3. Sleek Metal Lantern 4. Vintage Hanging Lantern).
Have a lantern centerpiece idea you’d like to share? Let us know and comment in the section below!
Everyone dreams of having that amazingly decorated,-cozy outdoor room often seen in magazines or design blogs. But you easily brush if off because how in the world would you make it look like that yourself? Well, we recently came across a photo of a lovely outdoor dining set up, immediately thought “oh so pretty” and next, how awesome are those stools?! Then, we thought where do you find those! Finally we thought, let’s look at pinterest for a DIY. Here’s the image we’re referring to:
(Source: Pinterest)
So, stumped on what to do this weekend? (no pun intended, haha) Not anymore! We’ve got the perfect DIY project for you to start and it would make a great addition to your outdoor living room,a porch or even your favorite rustic indoor space! This DIY comes from the blog, The Art of Doing Stuff. The author believes in not spending lots of money on the things that fill your home, as she’d rather find it at a garage sale or on the side of the road as opposed to a fancy store. So when she also saw a tree stump side table in a magazine, she thought, “I can make this”. And so can you.
This DIY stump project is something you’ll want to start this weekend, and finish up in about a month – as you have to allow the stump to dry out. But don’t worry; it’ll be ready just in time for the arrival of spring! The bonus is this project doesn’t cost much, especially if you can easily track down an old tree stump outdoors. Next, you’ll need some polyurethane, sand paper and a paint brush. If you want to make it into a side table, you could even add legs like she did. She shares the whole DIY instructions on her blog, so head on over and check out how to make this amazing stool or side table.
(Source: The Art of Doing Stuff)
We also found another great example of how to use a stump sidetable on the blog Design Megillah. Check it out to see how she made her stump!
Happy Weekend!
Christmas is just around the corner and the season of giving is here! Whether you have all of your Christmas shopping done or you haven’t even started, you can begin checking one thing off your list today: holiday gift tags! We’ve seen so many amazing ideas on pinterest for gift tags, everything from scrabble letters, ornaments, crossword puzzles and more. We figured we’d share with you an easy gift tag idea that brings the outdoors inside this holiday season. These unique gift tags come from the Frolic! blog. After finishing the project, head on over to their blog for more inspiring floral arrangements, decoration ideas and style tips!
If there are any Santa believers in your home, you may have to do this weekend DIY in a closet, but otherwise you can start off your wrapping with these outdoors inspired wreath gift tags!
Here are the supplies you’ll need: spool of wire, greens (Frolic! used boxwood, oregonia, rosemary, myrtle, seeded eucalyptus), clippers, floral tape, twine, card stock, and a scissors.
How to make the wreaths:
No. 1 // Make a small, round shape by twisting a couple pieces of wire together. Our wreaths are about 1″ in diameter.
No. 2 // Clip pieces of greens, removing leaves from the bottom inch of the stem.
No. 3 // Twist the greens around the wire until it is covered.
No. 4 // Keep twisting small pieces of greens around the form, securing them under the other stems as you go. Secure with wire or floral tape if they need extra reinforcement.
No. 5 // Clip any stray stems that disfigure the shape of the wreath.
How to make the cards:
No. 1 // Cut a square of card stock (around 2″ x 3″ or whatever fits your wreath best) and punch a small hole in the center, top of the card.
No. 2 // Stamp the card with a custom stamp or buy one ready-made. Or if you are into unique handwriting try finding some inspiration for pinterest.
No. 3 // Attach a mini wreath by tying a piece of twine through the hole.
We love the simplicity of these and how just a little touch of greenery is such a classy way to adorn your gifts this season.
Happy Weekend!
Many people don’t want to face reality that it might be time to hang up your grilling tools for the winter. But your grill will appreciate the extra time you spend to prepare it for winter before it’s covered in snow. And come that first semi-warm day your grill will greet you all shiny and new-looking in spring!
(Image Source: Lowes)
Here is what you’ll need to winterize your grill: cooking oil spray, tape, plastic bags and household cleaning supplies.
1. Cook your final grilling meal (we’re doing shish-ka-bobs this weekend) to mentally prepare yourself!
2. Give your grill a good cleaning using general household cleaners. Make sure you get in all the nooks and tight areas and scrape away food and grease. If you have stubborn stains, try a foaming oven cleaner spray.
3. Shut off the gas (if you use a gas grill). Unscrew the burners and remove the gas tubes from the gas line. Refer to your manual if you are unsure how to do this step. Keep the shut-off propane tank outside (not inside!), you should also cover it. Also, cover the gas opening with a plastic bag.
4. Coat the burners and other metal parts with cooking oil spray to repel moisture, build-up and to help prevent rusting. Cover the burner with a plastic bag to prevent insects from creeping in. That problem can cause uneven flames in the spring.
What if you have a Charcoal Grill? Well, you do almost the same. Follow steps 1 and 2 while also dumping the used charcoal. Grease from food can build-up in the charcoal creating a cement like layer at the bottom of the grill. Overtime it will build up and be less efficient so it is important to clean that out each fall. You also can store your grill in your garage since there is not flammable gas to worry about.
For detailed photo steps of this process, head over to The Family Handyman.
Happy weekend! What are you going to grill?