Picnics are among the most fun outdoor activities and they can be very inexpensive. But there are plenty of people who do not know how to plan a picnic. If you are looking to create a memorable day, plan a picnic and cherish the quality time together. Picnics are a relaxing way to spend a weekend afternoon and is a perfect way to enjoy your friends and family. I enjoy packing simple and delicious picnics full of flavor. Where you decide to have your picnic will depend on who you decide to invite. Be sure to pick an area that is large enough to comfortable accommodate all whom you invite. Another thing to consider, is the place safe for small children or the handicapped. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and try to plan your picnic on a day that is supposed to be sunny and warm. However, in case of rain, try to hold your picnic in an outdoor area that has some coverage or nearby shelter
You can ask as many or as few people as you would like to your picnic. Keep in mind, though, that as 
the host, you are implying that you will be bringing all the food and supplies for everyone you ask to join you. A good way to arrange a picnic for a large group of people is to have a pot-luck picnic, where everyone is responsible to bring a certain food item.
Making the food yourself is not hard when you come up with a workable plan. It takes just a little bit of thought and research. You don’t have to cook food for the picnic, you can plan cold food items like fruits, olives, sandwiches, cheese, crackers and sliced deli meat, and several different vegetable dips served with cut up vegetables such as carrots, celery, green, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and mushrooms. Or your can precook items, like hard boiled eggs, fried Chicken, potatoe salad, or anything else that you come up with.
Bring wine to drink if you enjoy that. There are even very nice plastic glasses that can be used as wine glasses if you are looking for a formal affect. Sparkling water is good as well. For other choices, bring iced herbal teas, juice or homemade lemonade.
Pack something sweet to eat for dessert. If you are carrying a cooler, pack in some cheesecake or fruit and chocolate to dip it in. Chocolate covered strawberries are wonderfully delicious as well as homemade cookies or bars.
Depending on your destination, you may hike to the picnic site or go hiking afterwards. You might take along the dogs and play some Frisbee with them or with each other. You might take along cards and play a few rounds of gin rummy or maybe you just curl up on the blanket and enjoy a wonderful conversation.
Here are a few ideas on where to go. You don’t need to go very far when packing a picnic, a shady area of your back yard can be just as fun. If not your back yard, maybe a friend or neighbor has a beautiful yard, field or forest to explore, but ask first. How about a stroll down to your local neighborhood park and find a secluded, quiet corner to spread a blanket. It may be a little busier and noisier but is still enjoyable. It may require a short drive to a state or national park, but you’ll find larger parks and beautiful sights. Some parks may charge an entrance fee and have rules on food and beverages so make sure to check before driving there. A beach is one of the most loved places for a picnic. Find the nearest beach, enjoy sun bathing, playing and walking in the sand, and swimming in the cool waters
Hiking in the woods, forests or mountains is my idea of the best place for a picnic lunch. It is adventurous as well as peaceful. Or you can relax the whole day in the beautiful greenery of a University Campuses or Municipal Buildings which make wonderful landscaped places for a picnic 
and often have free access. Local wildlife reserves make a lovely choice for a picnic. You can throw the wildlife your breadcrumbs. Ski Lodges in summer have no long lift lines which make ski hills a wonderful summer option. Many ski hills are open for hiking and biking, providing many ideal picnic opportunities and scenic views. Whether you need to rent a small boat or pay a ferry fare, getting out on the open water is a great way to spend an afternoon with a packed lunch and well worth the expense.
Don’t forget to wear bug spray and sunscreen wherever your destination is and bring along a camera so you can capture the memories for the future. Don’t forget the picnic basket, cooler, tablecloth, folding chairs, and an old blanket or two. Napkins, paper plates, cups, and utensils are a must and make sure to bring the appropriate accessories and condiments for the food you’ll be serving. Zip lock bags are helpful for cleanup and food storage. Wet wipes are helpful for hand washing and cleanup. Music is always important as well as candles, they go everywhere. Have a wonderful summer outdoors! Cheers.
hand painted and many colored tribute to the flora of the American west. It was produced for no more than three years.The entry of Gladding, McBean & Co into the dinnerware market was made possible in part by the arrival of Frederic and Mary Grant. Frederic was a ceramics engineer and previously had been president of the Weller pottery in Ohio. Mary was a successful stylist whose designs drove the first two decades of production at Franciscan. A number of other artists created designs and modeled shapes but the Grants worked together in their successful control of Franciscan products.In 1954 designer George James created an art ware line for Franciscan called Contours. It used fine china forms, two tone colors and fluid, graceful shapes to create bowls, covered dishes, trays, candlesticks and more. The contours line was very “new” for Franciscan in the 1950’s quest for modernism.
Some of the best of the Grants influences can be seen in their Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s Thirteenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Industrial Art in 1934. Two objects designed by the Grants appeared in this exhibition as Gladding, McBean products: a large satin gray bowl and a lemon yellow vase. In the same exhibition of 1940 “a bowl and platter designed by Mary K. Grant: made by Gladding, McBean & Co.” was again honored. This acclaim for Mary’s work continued in 1951 when an exhibition called Good Design by the Museum of Modern Art, New York selected the Encanto shape for exhibition. Encanto shapes went into production as fine china and sold with great success throughout the 1950’s. Extensive advertising and numerous new patterns on the shape kept the classic shapes alive and vital in the market place.
Masterpieces China to be used on Air Force One and the 1969 selection by the Richard Nixons of Franciscan Masterpieces China for service aboard the Presidential yacht. Other orders for special services for royalty from around the world were also filled.
In April, of 1935, the first catalog containing photographs of Franciscan Pottery was published. By the end of the year, the Glendale plant pottery department had 283 different shapes in regular production. By 1939, the prolific Glendale plant had produced at least fifteen patterns of dinnerware and nine lines of art ware. Marketing indications suggested a new dimension in dinnerware. The company moved quickly to design, produce and market a totally new line of embossed, hand painted, dinnerware. This concept was a complete departure from anything previously produced by GMcB Co. pottery department at the Glendale Plant. Complete lines of art pottery, colored tableware and kitchenware were to be produced. The trade name of Franciscan Pottery was chosen for the line in order to honor the padres who helped to settle California. 
printing and the perfected formula for bone china. During the 18th century many English potters were striving and competing to discover the industrial secret of the production of fine translucent porcelain. The Plymouth and Bristol factories, and (from 1782-1810) the New Hall (Staffordshire) factory under Champion’s patent, were producing hard paste or true porcelain similar to Oriental china. In the artificial or soft paste porcelain, imitating French production like Sevres, silica or ground up flint was used in the clay to give it strength and translucency. The technique was developed by adding calcined bone to this glassy frit, as examplifed in the production of Bone China. 
substituted for the Cornish stone in his standard bone china body, giving rise to what is in fact an extremely refined stoneware comparable to the rival “Mason’s ironstone”, produced by Josiah II’s nephew, Charles James Mason, and patented in 1813 as Spode’s “Felspar porcelain” and was continued into the Copeland & Garrett phase of the company (1833-1847). Some of the ware employed underglaze blue and iron red with touches of gilding in imitation of “Imari porcelain” that had been introduced on Spode’s bone china in the first decade of the century: the most familiar “Tobacco-leaf pattern” continued to be made by Spode’s successors, William Taylor Copeland, and then “W.T. Copeland & Sons, late Spode”.
In 1779, Josiah William Copeland became his partner and the combination was a good one. Spode was the potter and Copeland the salesman. After much experimentation, Josiah I and his son Josiah II also perfected the recipe for fine bone china – an invention that redefined the pottery industry. This fine bone china was brilliant white and translucent. It inspired new designs and finishes and required new skills. It was of superior quality and strong while also having the look of being delicate. It was this formula that made the Spode name famous across the globe. When Spode died, his son, Josiah Spode II, took over the business with Copeland, and began to make porcelain also. In the late 1700s, Chinese porcelain decorated in blue and white was increasingly difficult to obtain as the imports slowed due to an auction ring that was lowering the profits of the Chinese exporters. People began looking increasingly to domestic producers, creating a wonderful opportunity for Spode and his competitors. In response to this, The older Josiah used a transfer printing technique on copper plates to reproduce the Chinese blue and white pottery which contribued enormously to the success of the factory. In this period, Chinese porcelain, particularly blue and white willow pattern, had become popular and fashionable. However, by 1784 imports from China were reduced and it became harder for people to buy. Alongside the “
Stoke-on-Trent. Dedicated to the local community, Josiah II built cottage homes for his factory workers in Penkhull, a village next to Stoke where he also built his home which he named The Mount. He also donated money towards the rebuilding of a church in Stoke where he was senior churchwarden. During this time, ceramic slabs were laid at the cornerstones of the church which were inscribed “transmit to generations far remote invaluable memorials of the perfection to which the Potter’s Art in the neighbourhood had arrived in the early 19th century”.
most importantly, buy quality pieces. When you buy pieces to decorate your home, make sure they are made of good quality. Pieces that are not of will show, they will look cheap and lack detail. Quality pieces, however, will stand out as show pieces. They can be true works of art. Even though they may be more expensive, these quality pieces will appreciate more in time. The most important aspect of having antiques for me is their connection with history. It is fascinating to think about others who used it and what their lives were like.
Using a display cabinet such as curio or china cabinet is a safe and space saving way to enjoy your collectibles, be they antiques or treasures. You can also place the smaller items in shadow boxes or display cases which can be hung on the wall. One solution is to rotate collections so that some pieces are in storage while others are enjoyed. This is more relevant if the art and colors of the collection match seasonal themes.
iron grills, you can paint an accent wall with a dark color such as burgundy or midnight blue, which will make your collections look even more impressive, especially if it is spotlighted. Or you can use a light bright color on the walls and that will make your dark art pieces pop.
hang it as a work of art. Create simple curtains or cushions from vintage floral fabric for a romantic, shabby chic feel. Fasten antique jewelry to a lampshade, affix to a fabric covered board or frame in a shadow box. Install shelving over door frames, around the perimeter of a room at ceiling height or under stairs. Create an artistic stack and use as a side table. Consider arranging shelves according to the size or colour of books.
example, an old mill wheel used as a coffee table. Consider re-finishing or re-furbishing old pieces and putting them to new uses. An old washstand could house a new sink and make a character-filled addition to a bathroom.
If you have a lot of books, instead of storing the them inside closed cabinets, showcase them as an integral part of the interior design. Different types of built-in open shelves can be added throughout the unit to keep the books organized while making them a part of the interesting composition of the interiors.
of power or control over destiny. The view could be scenic nature with roaming hills and grand-esque mountains or perhaps it may be of an urban skyline, over looking the city. The point is that the view should be both powerful and inspiring, this often means that the view is more important in terms of luxury, than the actual location of the home.
A mulched edge of one to two feet around your pool will look very nice. You will need to buy enough mulch to cover the area thoroughly, as well as a weed block to keep grass and weeds from growing up through the mulch. This should make the area pretty much maintenance free, so you can spend all of your time outside enjoying your yard and pool. Little rocks or pebbles are another great way to spruce up your pool landscaping. There are an assortment of different rocks or pebbles to choose from and they are available at any home improvement store. These can be a bit more expensive than the mulch though, but you don’t have to replace them every year. However, if you’re not worried about cost, brick edging around the pool to enclose the rocks looks terrific. If you have children and want to make it look more kid friendly, you can buy five or six larger rocks for your kids to decorate with paint, and then place them around your pool in random spots. Not only will they look cute among all the smaller pebbles, but they will add a touch of color to your pool’s landscape.
that above ground pools can look hideously out of place sometimes. There is nothing worse then looking out into your backyard and seeing a big white or blue monster staring back at you. The big problem most people have with an above ground pool is privacy, since the pool is usually quite high. One way to combat this is with container gardening. Planting trees and shrubs in containers, and place them on the deck around the pool. Plant Japanese Maples or Arborvitae around the base of the pool as a screen. A tall fence will provide privacy and safety. If you don’t put up a fence you will at least need a gate at the steps to lock when not in use.
The popularity of outdoor landscape lighting continues to grow. Landscape lights provide numerous benefits for modern homeowners including safety, energy efficient and economical. When lighting a landscape path or walkway to and from a deck or patio safety is always required. Consider using outdoors low voltage light fixtures which direct light down and outward, to prevent glare the fixtures are shielded on top. This is called downlighting or moonlighting which is a design technique that illuminates general outdoor areas for safety, security and aesthetics. Bullet type fixtures and lamps are selected for the required brightness and amount of illumination and spotlighting effect. These lamps are usually placed above eye level. Backlighting and silhouette lighting gives that special effect by illuminating large outdoor surface areas like walls using a wash light fixture. This causes objects in front of the lighting to appear as silhouettes.
limited mainly by your creativity and the existing architectural and landscaping features.
Candle and torch-based lighting is a cost effective and energy efficient design. It is the best option if you want to create some of the most unique lighting, including homemade pieces.If you have outdoor dining tables, any candle or holder designed for indoor use can be used to contribute to the outdoor lighting. You can find that a collection of outdoor table candles is preferable to an electric porch light because this will create better atmosphere while still giving your guests the light they need.
features beautiful to look at but enjoying sounds of gently splashing water will surely help you release stress after a long day. Garden fountains are also one of the easiest and most affordable ways to transform your outdoor space into your own relaxation haven.
When it’s not spouting into the air, the water for your fountain will need to be stored in a reservoir, which is usually hidden from sight, or in a pool. A reservoir can be any vessel that will hold water: A small plastic trash bin, a large ceramic pot or even a poured concrete, water-proofed basin will work. A pool likewise needs to hold water, and usually a saucer-like, shallow vessel works best. Pre-formed pond liners work, but so can the top of a bird bath, an antique wash basin or even a new never used oil-change pan. The pool can sit on top of the ground or can be sunk into the ground. The pool basin can also be constructed of poured concrete or can be made using a pool liner fabric over a shallow depression dug in the yard. Conceal your reservoir by surrounding it or covering it with large rocks and stone, by burying it partially or entirely in the ground or by surrounding it with tall plants or shrubs. Just make sure there’s a way to cover the reservoir to keep animals and debris out of it. With a reservoir, you’ll also need a water collector that’s positioned to collect all the fountain spray and direct it immediately back into the reservoir.
Some sprays produce a globe-like, smooth bubble of water; others disperse the water into graceful arcing fans and still others produce sturdy, forceful jets of water that shoot 10 feet or more into the air before falling back on itself, resembling a tall, trembling pillar of water. Consider the options carefully; you’ll want to think about how each one works with your pond or reservoir, the kind of sounds it will produce, how much the water will splash when it hits bottom, and whether the water shape it produces is a good match for the rest of your fountain design.
Water pumps can be powered by batteries for only the smallest table-top fountains, electricity or solar panels. Solar panels can be helpful if you want to build your fountain some distance from an electrical outlet. Consider the placement of the solar panels as part of your planning: They’ll need to get lots of sun to be effective. You’ll want to build your fountain near an outlet if you’re going to power with electricity, as long lengths of extension cord strung across the yard can be unsightly and dangerous.
Municipalities often have concerns about ponds or pools and may require gates or fences surrounding even modest-sized water features, or they may limit the size or depth of a pool or a pond. Check also with your insurance company even if your fountain will be rather small. Consider the safety needs of children for whom even a 2-inch-deep pool can be a threat. If you know what the restrictions are before you begin your design, those considerations will be included in the creative process as you design your fountain.
lush. The lawn won’t be as lumpy either. It might not be a totally beautiful lawn, but, it’ll be a strong one that doesn’t require much watering. 
Seeding: A drop spreader works best, compared to a broadcast or rotary spreader. If using a rotary spreader, cut the recommended rate by half and go in two opposite directions. Lightly rake the soil with an upside down rake. Don’t over rake and try not to cover the seeds with more than ¼” of soil. Mulch with straw (not hay). A bale of straw will cover about 2,000 square feet. A simple rule of thumb is that about half the soil will be visible.
Another option is to strategically remove trees that are blocking the sunlight. 