With summer in full swing there seems to be no better time to get outside and enjoy gathering together and relaxing with family and friends. As you know, I grew up in Louisiana on a full acre of land with lots of trees, grass, and room to run and play; so moving to Southern California where they measure lot size in square feet and not acres was a bit of a shock to my system. At our house, our “backyard” is simply a small patio, totally paved and totally small. I always felt that it wasn’t super functional, but after spending time with one of my Italian friends who eats dinner “al fresco” almost every night, I was inspired to make our backyard space a bit more livable.
Thankfully, we already had some awesome patio furniture that I received almost SEVEN years ago from the Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart. You guys, this furniture has been outside for seven years AND made the cross-country move from Louisiana to California and it still looks amazing. There really can’t be a better endorsement than that!
I swept and rinsed off the back patio and moved the furniture into a more cohesive circle around the firepit. Then I went to Walmart to figure out what I could do to spice things up on our back patio. Honestly, I thought I was going to buy some plants and some pretty pots to add around the yard, but as I was browsing the garden section I came across these awesome Better Homes and Gardens Edison String Lights for $12. TWELVE DOLLARS. I seriously think people around me were alarmed because I was totally talking to myself – “NO. WAY. These things are like FIFTY BUCKS a string everywhere else!” Because y’all, they are. I have been drooling over these old-fashioned bulb outdoor string lights for years now but I’ve never pulled the trigger because let’s face it – these are a “nice to have” and not so much a “need to have”. But for twelve dollars? They instantly became a NEED to have.
I raced home drove home while obeying all speed limits and immediately unboxed and tested each strand to make sure all of the bulbs worked. I won’t lie – I was skeptical. It’s like Christmas lights – there has to be one or two strands that don’t work right out of the box, right? Lucky for me all 40 lights worked perfectly – I was so impressed!
I hung our gorgeous new lights in the backyard then invited my 10 year old son and husband outside to hang out in our cozy new space. It was instantly a hit– since I installed the new lights we have been sitting outside every night – it has been wonderful!
If you are looking for a quick way to spice up your back patio, back yard, side yard – whatever – you should definitely check out the extensive selection of outdoor lighting at Walmart. I also saw colored bulbs, mirror glass bulbs, and many other options — I was really impressed with the selection.
What do you think of our little backyard makeover?