Author: Holly Yielding

Grills and Accessories

Cooking Up Gift Ideas That Appeal to Your Grill Master

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Grill Master Gift Basket

The Perfect Grill Gift Is a Matter of Preference

Does your loved one insist upon cooking out on the grill at all times of the year, even on the coldest winter day? Is that person in your life obsessed with grilling everything from appetizers to desserts? Does your loved one’s kitchen oven need to be dusted of cobwebs? If you answered yes to at least one of these three questions, you are probably in the midst of a die-hard Grill Master.

When holidays and special occasions roll around, it’s natural to want to find that “just right” gift for your Grill Master. Grill-related gifts abound, though, so knowing a little about your own Grill Master’s preferences will make choosing a gift much easier.

Light Up the Night

Grill Masters who love to cook out all year long have to contend with darkness at the dinner hour in winter. A solar grill light is a useful gift that allows outdoor chefs to see clearly what’s happening on the grill. Equipped with a mounting clamp and flexible neck, a solar grill light can be attached to just about any convenient place on or near the grill and adjusted to meet the chef’s ideal lighting requirements. A solar grill light is also an environmentally friendly gift that is popular with energy-conscious homeowners because it requires no electricity to operate. The grill light’s solar cells must be exposed to at least a few hours of direct sunlight during the day so that it can effectively illuminate the grill surface after dark. The solar grill light is a versatile gift that can also be used on tables, fences, umbrellas, or under the hood of a car.

Support the Team

Every Grill Master knows that covering a grill when it isn’t in use is a vital part of protecting the grill from harsh weather conditions and prolonging its life. If it’s time to replace the existing grill cover, then an ideal gift would be a cover that also helps your outdoor chef show support for a favorite team. Grill Masters who are avid sports lovers, too, will appreciate grill covers with team logos displayed prominently on the front. Grill covers can display logos for favorite college teams, Major League Baseball teams, or National Football League teams. Combining two passions in one — grilling and sports — gives team logo grill covers double appeal.

Mix It Up

Grill Masters who enjoy working with a variety of tools and experimenting with flavors would most likely appreciate a gift basket filled with grilling tools, marinades, spice rubs, and other grill accessories. It is hard to go wrong with gift baskets because they can be customized to match the tastes and preferences of the recipient. Many gift baskets already made exclusively for grilling enthusiasts contain a fun combination of practical and exotic items that would appeal to most outdoor chefs, so taking the time to put a gift basket together on your own would not be necessary.

Overall, the key to choosing the best grill-related gifts for holidays and special occasions is to appeal to your Grill Master’s personality and preferences. No matter what time of year it is, true Grill Masters will appreciate a carefully selected gift that allows them to expand their grilling capabilities and venture into new and delicious territory.

Backyard Fun, Holidays & Gift Ideas, Outdoor Entertaining

Unique Gift Ideas for the Backyard Enthusiast

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Dragon Fly Glass Lantern

Reduce the Environmental Impact of Gift Giving

If you or someone you love is conscious about environmental issues, then gift giving times can be less than joyful occasions. Wrapping paper, ribbons, packaging materials, and even the gift idea itself often demonstrate our wasteful tendencies when it comes to giving gifts. Being more environmentally considerate about what we give as gifts and how we present those gifts can go a long way to show our loved ones that we care about them as well as about the environment. Here are a few unique gift ideas that are, in themselves environmentally friendly, but that would also appeal to anyone who loves spending time outdoors.

Decorative Solar Lanterns

Affordable and practical, decorative solar lanterns make a beautiful addition to an outdoor dining table or sitting area. Powered by the sun’s rays during the day, most high quality solar lanterns can illuminate their surroundings with an energy-saving LED bulb for up to 8 hours after the sun goes down. No operating costs means no impact on the environment, and that is beautiful, indeed.

For small gifts such as solar lanterns, consider replacing traditional wrapping papers with cloth wrapping. Secure the cloth wrapping to the gift with a color-coordinated fabric ribbon. Whether you purchase a cloth bag, or use fabric you already have in your home, cloth wrapping is durable and can be re-used multiple times. Your friend will appreciate this additional gift.

Solar Fountains

Solar fountains for the patio or garden are other unique gift ideas for your environment-loving outdoor enthusiast. The gentle sound of running water is soothing to the mind and spirit, and it can help your friend unwind and relax at the end of hectic days. In addition, a solar fountain adds an attractive focal point to a garden or patio without requiring a nearby electrical outlet to power the water pump.

Depending on the size of the solar fountain you plan to give as a gift, you may wish to consider no wrapping whatsoever. Instead, add value to the gift by assembling it beforehand, choosing a location outdoors, and presenting it to your loved one so that it can be enjoyed right away. Because there are no electrical cords to worry about, the solar fountain can be relocated easily if desired.

Recycled Rope Hammock Swing

A hammock swing is a gift idea that is rarely considered, but it’s one that many people would love to receive. Unlike a traditional hammock, a hammock swing allows you to sit up comfortably and enjoy reading a book, having a conversation, or just taking in the surroundings. Hammock swings can be constructed from weather-resistant outdoor fabrics or woven with rope materials, but the most environmentally-friendly hammock swing is one whose ropes are made from 100% recycled polyester fibers. These ropes are extremely durable and resistant to harsh weather, but they are also soft to the touch like cotton.

While you may not want to install a hammock swing gift before presenting it to your loved one, you can add value to the gift by installing it yourself once a location is chosen, or you can hire an installer to do the work. No wrapping is necessary for a hammock swing, but tying a decorative fabric bow around the gift before you present it can provide a festive touch.

Gift giving doesn’t have to continue to be as wasteful as it has always been. Creative and re-usable wrappings, or no wrappings, and gift choices that are sustainable as well as attractive and useful are some of the simple ways we can reduce our impact on the environment. By paying a little more attention to what we give and how we give it, we can make a big difference. Environmentally considerate gifts add value and joy to the giving, and to the receiving.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Garden Tools & Tips

Compost Bins: Composting Basics

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Compost Bin

A Brief Look At How and What To Compost Using Compost Bins

Did you know that upwards of 60 percent of the waste generated by the average U.S. household could be recycled or composted? Unfortunately, only 8 percent of American waste is composted, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Did you also know that yard waste, such as grass trimmings, makes up nearly 20% of all garbage created every year? When put into landfills, organic matter like food and grass trimmings take up a significant amount of space and play a large role in the creation of methane gas, a greenhouse gas that “remains in the atmosphere for approximately 9-15 years…and is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide” (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

Composting food and yard wastes is easy, especially when using compost bins. Building a compost pile on your own is certainly an option, but compost bins on the market come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and often make the process of composting much simpler. No matter how you choose to compost your organic wastes, the advantages of composting are undeniable. Composting helps the environment by reducing greenhouse gases and other air pollutants that would be generated as a result of simply throwing organic wastes into the local landfill or incinerator. Composting also saves money by providing you with free fertilizer for your garden. Finally, compost puts nutrients back into the soil, making your garden soil richer and plants healthier.

The first step in making your own compost is to select a compost bin. Compost bins are available in all shapes and sizes, so the size of your garden or yard is not an issue. Large compost bins allow avid gardeners with plenty of yard space the ability to make enough compost to last throughout the growing season. On the other hand, small compost bins can fit in the kitchen or on the balcony of a city dweller’s apartment and provide enough compost for house plants and a small herb garden. Knowing how much time you wish to spend tending to your compost pile and how much space you have to devote to a compost bin will assist you as you search for just the right compost bin.

Once you have selected your compost bin, it’s time to begin filling it with organic matter. But can you put any kind of organic matter into a compost bin? Unfortunately, no. The general recommendation is to fill your compost bin with a mixture of 50 percent “browns,” and 50 percent “greens.” The “browns” add carbon to the compost bin mix and include some of the following items:

  • Dried leaves
  • Straw
  • Chopped Cornstalks – must be shredded or chopped into very small pieces first
  • Shredded Paper
  • Shredded Cardboard
  • Paper Towels

“Greens” add nitrogen to the compost bin mix and include some of the following items:

  • Grass Clippings
  • Garden Trimmings
  • Most Kitchen Wastes
  • Fresh Hay
  • Manure from non-meat eating animals

It is not advisable to put the following types of organic matter into your compost bin unless properly prepared first:

  • Diseased plants
  • Grass clippings with chemicals
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Nut shells
  • Peat moss
  • Pine Cones
  • Pine needles
  • Sawdust
  • Sod
  • Soil
  • Weeds
  • Wood ashes
  • Wood chips

For information about how to prepare these types of organic matter for composting, visit the website of your local agricultural extension office.

Some organic matter should never find its way into compost bins. Here are the main offenders:

  • Bones
  • Cat litter
  • Charcoal and briquettes
  • Cooked food waste
  • Dairy products — (butter, cheese, mayonnaise, salad dressing, milk, yogurt, sour cream)
  • Dishwater
  • Fatty, oily, greasy foods
  • Fish scraps
  • Meat
  • Glossy, colored paper
  • Peanut butter
  • Pet wastes, human excrement
  • Sludge (biosolids)

Maintaining your compost pile depends on the type of compost bin you have selected. Some compost bins require that the pile be mixed periodically, but some compost bins require no mixing. Refer to the compost bin manufacturer’s instructions for details.

By purchasing or building your own compost bin that meets your specific needs, and by following a few simple guidelines, you can create your own money saving, earth friendly, plant loving compost.

Source: University of Illinois Extension: Composting for the Homeowner

Backyard Fun, Garden Tools & Tips

Small Scale Gardening Offers Big Benefits

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Corsica Flower Pots

Small Scale Gardening Offers Big Benefits

Container Gardens and Small Spaces Work Together

Backyard gardening is on the rise. Many homeowners who never before considered a garden are now taking up spades, shovels, and watering cans in order to reap the benefits that come with creating and tending a garden. Gardening is not only a way to create something beautiful for people and animals to enjoy, it is a means of providing the family with fresh and nutritionally superior produce. Gardening also offers many health benefits that include improved flexibility, increased strength and stamina, and decreased stress.

Gardening without a Backyard

If you live in an apartment, condo, or other small space, though, you may feel that gardening is not a possibility. How can gardening be accomplished when there is no backyard in which to plant? Apartment dwellers can still reap the benefits of gardening because it can be done on a smaller scale. Container gardening or garden boxes allows you to create beautiful landscapes in miniature that can be easily tended on a balcony, next to a sunny window, or in a window box.

How to Choose Your Garden Planters

Choosing the right garden planters for your container garden depends on the space available. First, consider the size of the area where the garden planters will be located. Then, decide which shape would work best — square, rectangle, or circle. What material is preferred — natural wood, sturdy resin, metal, or clay? Be sure that the garden planters you choose are safe for growing edible plants, if that is your goal.

Planning Your Miniature Garden

Once you have selected your garden planters, decide what you would like to grow in your new garden. Containers can support a wide variety of plants, including herbs, vegetables, flowers, small shrubs, grasses, and vines. Not all plants like to live in containers, though, so be sure to select varieties that are known to be suitable container plants. Combining different plants in a container provides visual interest: choose plants of varying colors, sizes, and textures to give your container the feel of a “bouquet.” Be sure to choose plants with the same or similar lighting and watering requirements to ensure proper care for all of the plants.

Living in a small space does not mean that you can’t enjoy the benefits of growing and tending a garden. In fact, container gardening provides some added benefits that traditional gardening cannot offer. Small scale gardening using garden planters costs less and requires less maintenance than larger outdoor gardens, so not only can you enjoy the health benefits of gardening, you can also enjoy the money and time saved in the process.

Indoor Living Spaces, Outdoor Entertaining

Finding Patio Furniture Inspirations in Your Indoor Spaces

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Lexington Set from Tortuga

When choosing patio furniture to fill your outdoor spaces, it’s important to select a style and material that best suit your personality and preferences. Living with your choice is easier when you love what you have. Choose furniture that you will want to spend time using, not just when guests come over, but every day and for no special reason at all.

When faced with the wide variety of furniture options available for patios and decks, choosing the right style can be as easy as looking to your indoor spaces for inspiration. Do you love your indoor furniture? Does it capture your sense of style? Do you enjoy coming home to relax on your sofa or lounge chair? You can easily duplicate that indoor success in your outdoor living spaces by choosing patio furniture with similar qualities as the indoor furniture you love. Ask yourself what you enjoy most about your indoor furnishings. Is it the comfort, the elegant design, the natural materials? When you determine what features you love most about your indoor furnishings, you can begin to narrow the field of outdoor furniture possibilities and zero in on the most suitable choices for your home.

For example, if you love the elegant and romantic feel of your indoor furnishings, you should consider metal furniture for your patio or deck. Wrought iron and aluminum furnishings are available with intricate designs and curvaceously flowing lines that bring a touch of elegance. If, on the other hand, you love that your indoor furnishings are deliciously comfortable, then resin wicker patio furniture may be the best choice. Resin wicker furniture not only comes with sumptuous cushions, it is incredibly easy furniture to care for, and it is beautiful enough to use inside. Other outdoor furniture choices are available, too, including traditional wood and environmentally friendly recycled plastic furniture. Each has its own set of unique qualities that can help you determine whether it is the right choice for you.

Too often, homeowners choose a style of furniture for their patios and decks that is in direct contrast to what they might choose for their indoor spaces because they feel that outdoor spaces should look like outdoor spaces, quite different from what they’ve accomplished inside. Unfortunately, outdoor furniture that doesn’t coordinate with your personality and sense of style quickly loses its appeal. Homeowners who have this experience usually find themselves searching for new furniture before long.

Whatever your personal style, you can create an outdoor living area that is just as inviting and satisfying as your indoor spaces. Paying attention to what works for you indoors will allow you to choose the right patio furniture and bring the same qualities outside to your patio or deck.