How To Throw An Outdoor Party

By Towne Home Furnishings

We are entering the perfect season to spend the most of our time outdoors! Going for walks, relaxing in parks, enjoying time with friends and family while picnicking or simply barbecuing in your backyard- so many tremendous outdoor activities to keep us busy this coming summer! Let’s focus on today’s theme- How to throw your outdoor party? What are the much needed things to consider when throwing out an outdoor party?  

Place, decorations, and food are definitely the main elements to have in mind.

First, spot the perfect place. Then, get the furniture right!

Feel like making your bash in a park? Bring out your throw or blanket with you. Any colors will do, but we suggest you match it with your color theme if you have one!

Feel like staying close to home? Throw a party in your backyard without worrying about moving and shifting your furniture too far. If you don’t have any outdoor furniture: bring your dinette out!  This is a great alternative from 3 pieces to 7 pieces; our Ashley Furniture dinettes can accommodate most of your guests when eating on a table.Benches are also a good option for gathering lots of people around your table.

Smart decorating with simplicity

If you are a foodie, we have no doubt that your table will be full of unthinkable dishes, so forget about using any decorations on your table. Plenty is no plague! What about lighting?  You can set up a lively atmosphere with candles!  Lemongrass candles are so efficient - it will repulse mosquitos and give a great lemony fresh scent! The Kadeem candle holder is one of our “coup de Coeur”. This stylish holder can help set the mood with your party theme as you can incorporate stones, sand, pebbles or topiary touches thanks to its removable tray.

        

Food, food always!

The best part of outdoor parties is that you don’t need to make a complicated menu to please your guests. A BBQ is more than enough to satisfy meat or vegan lovers! Give yourself some time for preparation the night before or a few hours prior to ensure that you marinate your elements, so that you can relax and spend time with your guests. BBQ has always been a great woman’s cooking “runaway” as man loves being in control of the grill!

Let’s make the month of June the most outdoorsy partying time ever!

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Ideas for Memorial Day Weekend

By Towne Home Furnishings

Watching city parades, visiting military cemeteries and memorials, commemorating the fallen with the US flag … there are so many ways to pay tribute and honor to the soldiers who fought in the war. How about you make some slight changes to your Memorial weekend routine and spend it differently for once?

Memorial Day weekend is a great time to remember our US soldiers, but also to spend time with family and friends. As Memorial Day also marks the beginning of summer and all outdoor events:

- many people go away for a short vacation or visit family and friends,

- others plan outdoor sport events

- visit a national museum of American history

All these outdoor activities can be so inspirational and influence your home style too!  The cottage style is the latest trend. Here are a few creative ideas on how to change your home and adopt the cottage style at least for this coming season:

Start by picking the right pastel colors- green, yellow, pink, cream or white! Now, you can play with your available home square footage. In doing so, you will make your home more inviting and optimize your home living space, while creating comfort at the same time!

Then get the right materials- wood, stone and all natural materials that will bring texture and emphasize your home coziness!

  

From the dining room to the bedroom ….it looks easy to set the perfect cottage tone and enjoy all the unique lived-in comfort a home can offer.

If the weather permits, then you should definitely set foot outside. Picnicking can be great during this season: all you need is a throw and to decide where to place it - in a park or in your backyard. You could also take your dinette furniture outside on your patio for a unique friends and family gathering!

Ensure that you make the most of your long weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

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Mother’s Day Gifts Ideas

By Towne Home Furnishings

Are you wracking your brain for mother’s day gift ideas? Don’t fret, you’ll have it under control in no time! Rather than spending money on cliché gifts, year after year, why not do a nice gesture that will leave an impression on your mother. Here are some great ideas to help you get started!

Bring your mother to Paris for breakfast:

Paris? “How am I supposed to pay that with my allowance?” – you ask. Kidding aside, the idea is to bring this romantic city to your home. Paris is truly conducive to romance because of its charming little-knowns. Your eyes simply won’t know where to gaze, everywhere you go. In order to recreate that beautiful scenic setting, think of an endearing French bistro with a view of the Eiffel Tower. First, begin by setting up a bistro-style table with a parasol on your balcony/deck. Ashley`s Nola dinette or a similar style is representative of a typical outdoor bistro set in Paris, but can be equally used indoor. Next, decide on a menu to serve your mother and write it out on chalkboard.

In order to recreate the Eiffel Tower, if you have access to a projector, get your hands on a caricature of the Eiffel tower and project it on a large mural. Then, trace the outline of the tower on the mural. Go over the outline again to darken it and add some color to the mural if you wish. And voilà! You have your Parisian background! As a final touch, despite being a little stereotypical, it might be fun to wear a beret while you serve your mother her meal.  

Pack your mother a delicious picnic:

With the same train of thought, if you have a little less time to prepare, here is another worthy suggestion. Consider putting together a beautiful picnic for your mother, right in your backyard. Ideally, a picnic table would be more comfortable, rather than sitting on a blanket. Ashley`s Freimore dinette set looks just like a picnic table that you would be able to use for this occasion and reuse indoor as well.

Next, pack your delicious menu of choice in a basket and make sure to prepare disposable utensils, napkins and plates, as one would use for a picnic. Finally, to create the setting, use a red plaid tablecloth and add a vase of fresh flowers on the table. Then all there is left to do is enjoy the fun in the sun!

Happy Mother`s Day!

                                                Content provided by: @tailbase

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Labor Day Weekend Activities

by Simcoe Home Furnishings

We all like long weekends, but sometimes we don’t know what to do. Labor Day is a perfect day to take a break from any work, including housework and laundry! Take time to rest a little and spend some quality time with friends and family. Here are some ideas for a successful long weekend:

Play outside!
Is the sun shining and is the weather good? Take advantage of this perfect combination to organize a game of soccer or baseball with people you like to be with. If you are not sport buffs, just take time to sit in the backyard and talk about your favorite movie or anything that pleases you and your guests!

Make a brunch!
We all love to spend a little more time in bed on weekend mornings. Of course, the best thing after that is a good brunch with pancakes and chocolate milk!

Do nothing!
Sometimes, the only thing that we want to do during a long weekend is nothing! Just hanging there with a cup of coffee; observe nature in your backyard; or sitting by the window and leaf through a book or a magazine. Take a deep breath and relax…

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Add Candles Around The Pool For A Midnight Swim!

by Towne Home Furnishings

When summer is around the corner, hot weather is not far behind! And who says hot weather, says… pool time! There is nothing like swimming in fresh water when the sun honors us with its presence, but there is another moment when it’s nice to swim quietly; at midnight!

When the kids are asleep and the neighborhood is quiet, go to the backyard and take time for yourself or as a couple. A good way to create a silent and soft ambiance is to put some candles all around the pool to accompany the moonlight.

White wood and rattan cords are good materials for a soothing mood. You can also add some lanterns on the patio to light the way to the pool.

For more security, to avoid all the little fires around the backyard, you can use tea lights that are battery operated instead of real fire.

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

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Backyard Camping Activities

by Towne Home Furnishings

Put on some sunscreen, fill up that bottle of water and prepare to stay outside for a while, because we’re going camping. Don’t worry about putting gas in the car or reserving a campsite… simply step outside and pitch the tent right there in the backyard. Best of all, the comforts of home (air conditioning and a clean bathroom, anyone?) are just a few feet away when you need them. So what should you do on your backyard camping excursion? We’ve listed some of our favorite family fun activities below.

Go for a “hike.”

Pay special attention to nature while you walk around the block. Make a game out of finding leaves from different types of trees, and count the number of birds you see. The same old scenery will suddenly seem new and exciting. ​

Get crafty.

Collect small rocks from around the yard and paint them like ladybugs, or make friendship bracelets while you sit around the fire. Create something that will serve as a memento of your special time together.

Make s’mores.

You can’t go wrong with the traditional recipe—two graham cracker squares, a jumbo marshmallow and a piece of milk chocolate. For extra fun, concoct your own recipe! How about chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers? Or maybe a Kit Kat instead of plain milk chocolate?

Explore the sky.

There are dozens of cool astronomy apps you can download on your smartphone or tablet. One of our favorites is Star Walk™, an inexpensive app that helps you identify stars and planets in the sky.

Play a game.

How about a round of “Go Fish?" Or, kick things up a notch and play glow-in-the-dark ring toss with glow stick necklaces!

Content provided by: +Tailbase & +Ashley Furniture HomeStore 

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4 Perfect Gift Ideas For Father's Day!

by Towne Home Furnishings

Dad’s big day is coming up. No time like the present to start brainstorming Father's Day gift ideas. There is nothing wrong with a tie or a gift card. But, you can also make Father’s Day special with a little time and thought.

Father's Day Gift Idea #1: Let Dad Sleep In! 

This gift idea is absolutely free. Let your dad sleep in a little later.

Father's Day Gift Idea #2: Photo Albums

Whether you’ve got photo albums full of prints or loads of shots saved to your iPhone, turn what you have into an artful gift for Dad. Have you seen the latest canvas prints? Pull some great pictures of you with Dad through the years and turn them into gallery-quality canvas-wrapped art.

Father's Day Gift Idea #3: Go Outdoors

Take Dad outdoors to a favorite fishing spot, or explore somewhere new to test the waters. Other Father’s Day Gift ideas could be an overnight camping trip, a walk on the beach or a hike at a scenic park. There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors together.

Father's Day Gift Idea #4: Snack Attack! 

If you’re crafty you’ll love this Father’s Day gift idea. Make your own gift basket! Make your basket themed, such as a beer-lover’s basket with an assorted of microbrews, popcorn, pretzels and nuts. If Dad has a sweet tooth, perhaps gather an assortment of his favorite candies and homemade cookies. 

Content provided by: +Tailbase & +Ashley Furniture HomeStore 

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