Loving outdoor lighting.....

As you all know, I LOVE LOVE outdoor entertaining and everything that goes with it...(furniture, cocktails, fabric, cocktails, lighting...) so I have to share this line I carry at the shop that is AMAZING in the garden. The Not Neutral Lantern is an amazing addition to my garden because of the amazing light it gives off. This is not just another garden lantern, what makes it special is the candle stem that lifts out of the lanterns and allows you to light all 5 candles at once without having to reach inside and burn yourself. Also, since there are multiple candles on multiple levels, the light comes out the entire piece instead of just having one candle at the bottom.

Anyhoo....the pictures are below.......LOVELY! Should you happen to want on (or three) they come in black, white, yellow, lime green and black as well as 4 sizes. Look at that glow!!!! So cool!!!! Check them out below......


I have the largest size in orange siting on the edge of my deck and can be viewed from everywhere in the garden...DIVINE!

Making Your Home Noticeable with Outdoor Lighting

HELLO ALL! We have a guest blogger today; John Corso from CSN Lighting.com talking about a subject near and dear to my heart.........OUTDOOR LIGHTING! This article focuses on making your house a little more appealing in the current real estate market - you know - giving yourself the edge over the other sellers! Here you go.......

Making Your Home Noticeable with Outdoor Lighting:

As the old saying goes, first impressions are everything; in real estate, that statement holds even greater truth to it. Because of this, the marketing, listing and showing of your home is extremely important in the home selling process, which includes featuring both the interior and exterior of your home. Without a doubt, every cent that you put into your home yields a far greater return when it is finally sold. Here are a few projects that you can do to highlight your home to prospective buyers. Many homeowners do not seem to know that using lights to highlight the exterior of your home can significantly contribute to the favorable outcome of selling your house.

Focus on the Walkway - As prospective buyers approach your home, they will most likely be using some sort of a walkway to get to the entryway. Walkway lights are a great way to add some extra attention to the landscape of your yard. The addition of a few appealing, knee high solar walkway lights are a great way to create a welcoming feel, as well as to throw a guiding light on the pathway. Solar walkway lights serve both a function and aesthetic purpose, and are a great way to boast some of the eco-friendly additions to your home. From an aesthetic standpoint, these walkway lights work really well to highlight a flower or plant-lined walkway, and they are eco-friendly which is always a plus.

Outdoor Wall Sconces - Outdoor wall sconces are fixtures that constructively add to the outdoor ambiance of your home. These wall sconces give off a subtle, yet appealing light that is great for featuring some of the beautiful intricacies of your home’s exterior façade. Be sure to purchase exterior wall sconces that are both ADA and Dark Sky compliant to maintain the theme of eco-friendly in your renovations. Exterior Wall Sconces go great over an outdoor patio or a lovely window that commands attention during the day, but may be missed in the dark of the night.

Spotlighting - Probably the most attention-grabbing outdoor lighting renovation is to “spotlight” your home. As prospective buyers are driving up to the home, the first thing they will notice is the frontal façade. Because of this, it may be a great idea to purchase a flood light to make the exterior a focal point of your overall presentation. Flood lights are impressive additions that will create a beautiful glow to your house, while also making sure that it will not be missed in the dark. Who knows, you may also make your neighbors jealous, which is always a plus.

All in all, there are many ways to highlight your home for selling by using outdoor lights. Still, as is the case with most real estate renovations, the most important thing is that you are showing the prospective buyers that you care about your home’s appearance and that it was very well maintained. Outdoor lighting is not going to be the deciding factor for sure, but it can significantly and maybe subconsciously factor into the final decision of the potential buyer.

Thanks John!

HAPPY MARCH! The weather report said it was supposed to be rainy here in Portland today, but I see no sign of it yet. I am sitting by my dining room window in a perfect little sunspot with my new puppy, Stella, snoring away at my feet. It is lovely outside! All of my daffodils and mini iris are working their way to a sunny bloom and I can't wait to get out in the garden this afternoon. But business first!

We did a few lectures at the Portland Yard Garden & Patio show yesterday with the subject of Outdoor Entertaining and we brought along a few new products from our store to share - look at these super cool outdoor solar lights by Allsop. Lit by LED light, they glow beautifully in the evening in your outdoor spaces. I also saw them in Sunset magazine this month (as well as a few other blogs).......they are very crisp and modern and I love them! They retail for $40 each. I think lighting is a completely underused element in outdoor spaces. It can make such a difference in the garden and this is a really easy way to bring a little light in. No cords or plugs necessary. Just charge in the bright sun for 6 hours and get 8 hours of subtle,glowing and ambient light. Perfect for a cocktail party! Did I mention that I love cocktails? Especially in the garden.....

We also brought in these ridiculously comfy "zero gravity" deck recliners by LaFuma from France. I love France. My husband is from France and I try to buy as many French products as I can (like to gnome dinner ware from a previous post). It used to be that LaFuma made only camping gear furniture, but they have moved more towards the fashion furniture thing recently and I am so glad. The orange is my favorite (of course) but we also have turquoise, fuchsia and lime. They retail at $165 each.

So there you have it...off I go into the garden for a bit! Here's to dirt under your nails!