It seems, there is a trend going on that people are making their yards even more beautiful and functional. It probably started last year during the pandemic. There was time to make the inside and outside of our houses more comfortable. I hope for everyone there will be time to relax and enjoy life more. Time NOT to think about the daily problems. Below you’ll find a list with backyard must-haves for this summer. Are you ready to DIY some of these fun projects???

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Teepee tent

I came across this idea on Pinterest and I love using old trees to make this Teepee Tent for our youngest to play in. The only unfortunate thing is…. we have deer and bunnies!

I planted Morning Glories and sunflowers around the Teepee tent. They’re all gone!

Last week I talked to a lady at our local farmers market about deer and bunny proof climbing plants and flowers.

Here is a list with deer proof climbing plants for your Teepee tent:

• American or Japanese Wisteria
• Carolina Jessamine
• Crossvine
• Climbing Hydrangea
• Clematis
• Trumpet Creeper
• Honeysuckle
• Ivy
• Winter Jasmin
• Butterfly Bush
• American Bittersweet

Now we have to wait patiently for beautiful vines to grow. I could also throw an old sheet over the teepee in case it doesn’t work.

Chicken Coop

Mieke, who lives north of Vancouver in Canada, ensured me that it IS possible to have a chicken coop in your backyard, even though she gets regular visits from bears, raccoons and foxes. They just put barbed wire and electrical wire around the outdoor area and they build the coop itself about 2 feet above the ground. Locking the doors at night.

I also love the way she and her husband repurposed materials like the metal frame from the trampoline for their outdoor walk area for the chickens, so they have some nice shade.

I think it is nice to have chickens. It teaches the kids about taking care of animals. Mieke even got eggs from a local farm, hatched them in an hatching machine and raised the little chicks under a lamp.

AND chickens eat ticks AND they lay eggs. So yes! That is why a chicken coop is part of this years backyard must-haves. Now, I only have to convince my husband! And my son to design and build the chicken coop with me.

DIY Deck Bench

I have to give credit to my husband for this project. Of course I have to make it, but he had the idea. I tried to finish it for Father’s Day last weekend, but I’m not done yet.

He is a visual person, so I pinned some pictures on Pinterest, to see what he had in mind. And of course, the one he chooses, is the one which doesn’t have a plan how to make it. So I tried to figure it out myself. You can find the measurements here.

He spent some time there already to look at the Iowa sky!

Adirondack Chairs

I’m eyeing these chairs for so long! Of course you can get them at your local garden center in plastic, but I’d love to make them myself too, in wood. Maybe when I finish the deck bench and getting better with the miter saw, I’ll get some wood for these chairs. Wood or plastic, they are one of the backyard must-haves this summer!

Last year I made this wooden chair for my reading nook in our bedroom, but I got the pieces at our local wood store, measured and sawn. I could make this chair again, but maybe the garden needs a more lazy one.

Update on this projects soon! You can also buy them here.

Herb Garden

Last year, a friend in town, had a wooden pallet outside of her house. I asked her if she was using it. She said I could have it.

I made this vertical herb garden for our deck. It was so much fun to make and this year it’ll be the second year to have fresh herbs every day. You can buy a variety of herbs here.

And I like the look of it! Here you can read how I build it and the trick to make the letters on the wood.

Hammock or Hang Chair

Our deck is a few feet above the ground and underneath is the perfect space for a hammock. M and I are having our reading time in it. It is so relaxing.

In another part of the garden we have some lower branches and it is close to a creek. My husband cleaned out a small piece of the area there, put black plastic over the emptied space, made a border with tree trunks and spread pea gravel over the black plastic. It’ll be a nice place to hang out, talk and read a book in a hammock chair.

Fire Pit

Another project which will be ready in the near future. Our fire pit looks like this:

The problem is now, that the ground is very irregular and all of us have twisted our ankles more than once. The picnic table, tiles around the fire pit and the wooden blocks will be removed. We’re going to make it level, which means there will be a part of a wall made out of bricks on one side. The fire pit will be moved to the center and black plastic and pea gravel will cover the ground. Maybe I’ll use the wooden Adirondack Chairs here. Maybe there will be enough room for the picnic table as well. Something like this:

I’m excited to have more outdoor time with a fire, s’mores and wine! Update on our fire pit you’ll find out soon!

Outdoor “secret” Fridge

This fun project comes from Mieke. She showed me this little video about a “Secret” fridge. Just hidden in your firewood stack! Genius!

Vintage Lights

Don’t forget lights. For now we have outdoor rope lights, but these are really fun too.

Use a ladder to hang your outdoor lights on.

Talking about creative vintage lamp shade lights for your deck or above the picnic table. These are so cute!

Mieke gives her chickens extra light with this vintage lamp and a chandelier.

More cute and cool outdoor lighting ideas for the summer of 2021 you can find here.

Triangle Deck Cover

Our deck is on the east side of our house, but will get the full sun in the middle of the day. We needed something to make the deck an extra living space of our house. The triangle deck cover was the solution for us. Now we can sit on our bench in the shade and enjoy a cold beer from our hidden fridge in the fire wood stack:)

Mandala Blanket

This blanket my mom brought over from the Netherlands several years ago and I got a lot of compliments about it. Maybe because it is not the usual rectangle bath towel shape. Maybe because of the colors or the tassels….I don’t know. All I know is that we use it a lot! You can find them here.

We all wish you a wonderful Summer!!! And please let me know if you have found any new ideas for your backyard!

Danielle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.