Light Up Your Summer Nights!

My favorite part of summer has always been pool parties that live on into the night. What I love most about these parties is the magical twinkle of the party lights in the night, as they dance in the warm summer breeze.

These sparkling lights add a festive, tropical and even romantic atmosphere to any backyard party. They sprinkle just the right amount of subtle, sparkling glow necessary for your outside entertainment decor. An added effect is the shimmer of the lights' reflections bouncing off of the ripples of the pool water. Your guests are sure to have a wonderful evening and they will be impressed. I had friends who fell in love with my backyard paradise from the first time they stepped into it. Within a month, they were having an inground pool put in their backyard and were building a tiki bar.

Even after all of my guests have packed up and left for the night, I love to sit under the little lights by the pool and listen to the tree frogs sing me a lullaby. It's definitely dreamy!

It's been about eight months since I've moved from my backyard paradise. I really do miss it now that summer is here, but I intend to create a new one at my new home.

Hanging Solar Garden Lights by Britta

I love these lights because they are great for hanging in the trees as an alternative to lighting a pathway. If you are like me, I need to see what might be lurking in front of my face. Personally, I want to see if there are spider webs in my way - so I can stay clear of them.

They provide just the right amount of clean, crisp, white light to brighten an area. There are no wires or strings attaching them together. This makes it easy to scatter them about your yard wherever a little light is needed. If you have no trees, just hang them from a shepherds hook. You can also use different hook heights to put light where it's needed.

These lights are well worth the cost. Each light requires a AA battery. They come as a set of 3 individual solar-powered hanging lights. The cone covering is made of a frosted plastic material. These lights give an elegant look to your backyard entertaining decor.

String Lights

Small twinkling string lights give a magical feel to any outdoor evening party. I prefer the solar lights because you can wrap them around trees, hang them from branches and weave them inside bushes without worrying about electrical outlets and wires. Or if you prefer, just hang them from a gazebo, string them from the deck, or anywhere you want.

The white lights are my favorites. They remind me of twinkling little stars dancing in the night air. The slight blue hue of this set adds a cool crispness to the atmosphere and the long-lasting magical glow also adds a hint of romance.

This particular string set only has 30 lights and is about 20 feet in length, so depending on how magical you want to make your backyard paradise, you may need a few sets. However, they are bright and last well into the night. With longer string lights, you sometimes have too much left over, causing you to cram the rest of the set into a small area. This can create more light than you want. Also, what I like about them, is that the wiring is dark, so it blends in with the trees and landscaping.

You can also find longer string lights sets on Amazon.

Westinghouse Set of 12 Premium LED Solar Lights w/ 3 Settings, Stainless Steel

The subtle glow of solar path lights is another great way to illuminate paths and give an enchanting and elegant ambiance to gardens and pool areas. You can scatter these about where ever you want a little extra light. These Westinghouse solar lights are sturdy, and made of metal - not plastic, and they hold up great in all elemets. They are available in bronze or steel. There are twelve in a set. These are lights I have and I highly recommend them.

What I love about these lights is that you can switch to different colors. When entertaining my guests, I prefer the white lights. They are brighter and more festive. However, when sitting out by myself, I prefer the soothing golden glow. If you prefer colors, you have that option also. Although, I don't really care too much for the changing colors - except at Christmas time.

With Tiki Torches

Add a real tropical feel to your outdoor entertaining space with tiki torches. I love the classic bamboo style torch. You don't have to spend a lot of money to create the feel of an island luau! Put on a little Bob Marley music - and you're in paradise!

These torches are 48 inches tall and are refillable. Real fiery flames flickering in the air is not only beautiful, but can also be mesmerizing. I loved putting them between my tall ornamental grasses around the pool. The reflection in the pool was sensational. (Hint - I always had the filter on with the water nozzles turned slightly upward to create ripples. The light is magical when it shimmies off the gentle movement of the water) However, I didn't use my torches when it was too breezy.

The metal and ornamental torches also look beautiful, and produce a more elegant impression. I've seen them in other people's yards, but I have never bought any.

Doesn't attract the bugs!

I also really like these Chinese paper lanterns. They give off a subtle glow which is perfect for a quiet evening with friends or that special someone, without attracting the bugs.

I had these hanging from my lower deck. We had a little "outside room" under the deck - complete with a little bar and TV. These lights give off a comfy glow. This type is string lighting that plugs into an outlet. I prefer the electrical kind when using these types of lights in an area that is shaded for most of the day. What I like about this product is that you can connect several sets together, just like Christmas lights. You can also find solar powered sets.

You can find them in larger sizes and different colors if you prefer.

Solar powered lights require batteries to work. Since I seem to have bad luck with batteries dying too fast, I like to use rechargeable batteries. If you choose rechargeable batteries, don't forget to purchase a charger also. Make sure the charger is compatible with the battery type you use.