OutdoorMama's Cardinal Theme Suggestion for Your Backyard!

A popular theme in a lot of backyards is a very popular red bird, the cardinal.  This avian friend of ours has inherited popularity, especially in the winter as northern cardinals do not migrate.  These birds are surely a site to see with a beautiful back-drop of a fresh blanket of snow.

Male Cardinal

Female Cardinal

There are cardinal themed wind spinners and bird feeders to help you accomplish the cardinal theme you want in your backyard.  The best decoration for a cardinal themed backyard is the great northern cardinal itself.  

NO/NO Red Cardinal Feeder
Was $33.95
Now Only $28.95

12" Solar Light Cardinals
Was $42.00
Now Only $36.00

Country Cardinal Bird Feeder
Only $9.95!

Winter Bird House Project



Just because it's winter and you feel like there's nothing to do, try building your own bird house out of old scraps like the picture above.  The wood used in this bird house is nearly 100 years old.  Vintage chair legs make up the chimney and the columns in the front.  The top perch is a handle off of an old Victorian style cabinet.  The bottom perch is made up of a latch and chain attached to a skeleton key.  The possibilities are endless when building your own bird house; you can make it whatever you want by whatever you find! Have fun!

What is thatch and how it affects your lawn...

"Thatch is not understood well for most homeowners. Some lawns have serious thatch problems while others do not. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the leaf surface of the lawn and the soil. Excessive thatch creates a favorable environment for pests and disease, an unfavorable growing environment for grass roots, and can interfere with some lawn care practices."
Read more here...

If you want your lawn ornaments to look their best in your lawn you might want to take care of this issue if it is a concern for you.  For lawn ornaments such as garden statues and stepping stones, that are directly on the grass and flower beds, this is important to address as they direct attention to the grass.   





Wind Spinners That Really Spin

All of OutdoorMama's wind spinners spin easily in the wind.  However, there are some that spin more than others.  Here is a list of wind spinners from our store that are great spinners in the slightest of breezes:

12" Tulips
Comes in Red or Purple
$32
$30

12" Guitar
$32
$30

12" Lighthouse
$32
$30

12" Dolphin
$32
$30

12" Tiger head
$32
only $28

12" Liberty
$32
$30

12" Flag
$32
$30

12" Shamrock
$32
$30

12" Sun-Moon-Stars
Comes in purple, blue & copper
$32
$30

Wind spinners can be hung in a lot of places.  Try hanging them in your porch or right outside your door in a porch bracket designed especially for wind spinners.  Some other display accessories include hook stands, deck brackets and twirling motors for indoors.

Garden Statues & Their History: Part TWO

Mythological figures have definitely played a huge role in the history of garden statues.  Some gardens are places of eternal metamorphoses, where replicas of gods endure the changing seasons.  The modern use of a garden statue can be traced back to the Italian Renaissance about 500 years ago.  It was then that the great artistic and philosophical works of Greek and Roman antiquity were being discovered anew.  There were many classical sculptures that were also greatly admired as many were even excavated and transformed into garden statues.  The Laocoon, for example, was a famous group of sculptures unearthed in 1506 that was displayed in the Belvedere Garden of the Vatican.  

Garden Statues and Their History: Part ONE

Garden statues can add a certain look to any outdoor space and ornament any garden.  These types of lawn ornaments are perfect for flower gardens, any porch area, and both front and back yards.  It is important, however, not to overcrowd your place with garden statues, which is why placement of your statues is important.  Let’s take a brief look at the history of garden statues and why they have withstood the test of time.

 

The temples and temple gardens of Ancient Egypt were beautifully ornamented with statues of the gods.  In Greece, garden statues were placed in sacred groves.  The Romans copied many of these for use as garden ornaments.  As an example, the Venus de’Medici is believed to be a first century BC marble copy of a fourth century BC bronze.  Through the Renaissance and into the twentieth century, this approach dominated western gardens.

Definition of Wind Spinners

Dragonfly 3D Color Fusion
Was $32.00 Now $30.00

Wikipedia's definition of Spinners: "Usually shaped like flowers with petals that spin in the wind. Variations include birds or insects with spinning wings."   OutdoorMama's definition of Spinners: "Long-lasting, beautifully colorful stainless steel wind spinners that are the perfect yard art and spin in the slightest of breezes. Comes in all shapes, sizes, colors and fancies!"  Wind spinners are a beautiful way to decorate any lawn and garden and make the perfect gifts for anybody. Shop today to find the perfect wind spinner for yourself or a friend!

Garden Stakes Are Just the Right Thing to Add to Any Garden of Lawn Ornaments

Hummingbird Garden Stake
$34.95

Garden stakes are so much fun to add to any lawn decor theme.  You can add them to garden planters, pots, flower gardens, next to decks, sidewalks, steps, front doors, even below your mailbox.  There are tons of places you can find to decorate with garden stakes.  Garden stakes are great lawn ornaments and make perfect garden gifts to those who appreciate outdoor decorating.  This hummingbird garden stake would look great under a hummingbird feeder or in your garden or in the midst of your lawn ornaments.

Lawn Ornaments That Beautify Your Porch: PART THREE

Jewel Tone Flower Pots - Trio
Large: 12" diameter x 8 1/2" high.
Medium: 9" diameter x 6 1/2" high.
Small: 6 1/2" diameter x 5 1/4" high.
Only $49.95

Cherub Statue w/Lantern
10" x 10 1/2" x 25" high.
Was $104.95 Now $89.95

Other lawn ornaments that accompany a porch atmosphere well are large garden planter pots for the ground.  These are usually used for a small tree or large plants and make great corner décor.  Lawn ornaments such as garden statues are also fun items to bring into the porch floor area.  Usually these garden statue lawn ornaments should range in size from at least 12” to no more than 3’ in height.  Having too little of a garden statue on the floor level may go unseen and forgotten whereas having too big of a garden statue in the porch may feel a little overcrowded and in some cases a little overwhelming.  So make your best judgment according to your porch size and layout. 

Lawn Ornaments That Beautify Your Porch: PART TWO

Metal Staircase Plant Stand
Was $59.95 Now $49.95

Safari Flower Pots - set of 3
Only $16.95

For eye to floor level décor, planter stands are great for displaying all sorts of lawn ornaments, garden planters and even your favorite books.  Your porch is a great place to display planter stands and garden planters full of flowers or green plants.  They are protected from harsh weather such as rain, wind and snow, so it’s much easier to maintain.  Other lawn ornaments you can display on your planter stands include garden gnomes, fairy statues, and even wind chimes and wind spinners can be hung from some planter stands.  Use planter stands to display collection items such as decorative bird houses or themed lawn ornaments such as frogs or butterflies.