Spring is the best time of year for eating outside. The weather is not too hot, the fresh air is so refreshing, and the mosquitoes are not quite mobilized. And if you have kids, cleanup is convenient, too: just hose them, the deck, and the patio down and call it good.

The inconvenience often comes in the middle of the meal — usually just as I’m ready to take my first bite — the waitress requests come in.

“Mom, may I have some juice?”

“Honey, do we have a beer in the fridge?”

“I’ll take a Diet Coke, if you’ve got one.”

In and out the patio door I go, temporarily blinded by the shift from light to shade. Once I open the fridge, it becomes a balancing act of fresh food and leftovers as I try to excavate the various drinks we’ve stuffed in there to chill. Some are even in the freezer, for that quick-cool attempt. (And sometimes a can of Coke explodes in that process, just to make sure I have something to clean up inside.) I balance half a dozen drinks on the way back outside, just in time to serve seconds.

So when I started seeing attractive deck and patio coolers, I knew I needed to put one on my wish list. Not only will an outside cooler save a few trips inside during dinner, it will free up precious space in our little fridge. Stocked with a variety of drinks, it will effortlessly serve our guests while freeing up precious space inside the kitchen. Stocked with water, it will keep the kids hydrated outside, while freeing up precious silence inside. (No selfish motives here, of course.)

This party fridge cooler is a low-maintenance way to both store and chill drinks. Easy to stock with both cans and bottles, it just plugs in when you’re ready to chill the drinks — no last-minute trip to the gas station for ice. The extra tray space would work well for lemon slices, mixers, and snacks — and it is a party solution that you could roll inside to use in the winter months.

This Bar on Wheels portable entertainment cooler works in the same way, but also has a 4-hour backup battery system to keep drinks cool on the go.

For a stylish deck box that doesn’t look like a cooler, this wood deck cooler box would serve as extra seating and storage, too.

For a vintage look, this Coca-Cola can cooler can either cool or heat foods, and would work for a backyard baseball barbeque, or a major league tailgate party. Best of all, it would keep the exploding cans of Coke out of my freezer.

The secret to refreshing patio style?

Just chill out.

More on this topic:

• Outdoor Design Ideas
  
• Fab Friday Finds
• Kitchen Decorating Ideas
• Dining Room Decorating Ideas
• Shopping Made Easy

Today is my little girl’s birthday, and it’s pouring rain. Obviously, the planned picnic at the playground is out. I have a hunch that the rain won’t dampen my daughter’s day, however — because rainy days are perfect for tea parties. And my little girly-girl loves tea parties! In fact, on a recent trip to the thrift store, I turned around to see this scene:

In the two minutes it had taken to walk in the store and put the baby in a cart, this little girl had pulled a tea cup, saucer, and swizzle stick from the shelves — and pulled up a table and chair to create her own little party. (She even took off her shoes! Apparently, my children feel way too much “at home” in the thrift store.)

So for today’s birthday tea, we’re pulling out all the details that little (and big) girls giggle for: sweet little tables, dainty cups, pretty tablecloths, and of course, tasty treats.

And as a birthday gift to you, dear readers, we’ve steeped a selection of some sweet tea-themed details for your own little girls. Because it’s always tea time somewhere!

First, if you are going to make a “proper” cup of tea, you need a proper teapot. This stainless steel whistling tea kettle would be a stylish accent in either a traditional country kitchen or on a sleek modern stove.

Personally, I appreciate the auto-shut-off function of an electric tea kettle. (And we’ll spare the embarrassing stories of unwatched pots that boiled just fine. Trust me, auto-shut-off is an excellent feature to have.)

Next, the tea party is really about the presentation. (Well, that and the sugar, but that goes without saying.) Little people like sitting in little seats, and here are a few of our favorites.

My daughter would absolutely squeal for this princess table and chairs. Pink and purple, with princess crowns and upholstered heart cushions? Tell me she wouldn’t be the envy of all the little girls in the neighborhood. It’s absolutely a sugar-sweet overload for me, but if I were not such a tomboy-mom I would get it for sure.

This Poodles in Paris set would be the perfect set to share a party with stuffed animals, especially if your little girl is a puppies fan, or has a popular Paris-themed bedroom.

Because I also have two boys, I like the classic design of this Nantucket table and chairs set.

Now that the table is in place, it’s time to set it with sweet treats. Even cookies from a box would look better on these covered candy stands.

And the party doesn’t have to stop when the teacup is empty. This “tea party” themed bedding will certainly bring sweet dreams of unlimited sugar cubes. It comes in toddler-size bedding, too.

Enough shopping, it’s time for tea!

Before I put on the kettle, let me say a big “Happy Birthday” to my favorite tea fan. We love you, Bellie!

More on this topic:

• More Ideas for Bedrooms with a Paris Theme
• Bedroom Wall Ideas: French Poodle
• Ideas for Pink and Black Rooms
• Black and White Rooms
• Decorating Ideas for Teen Rooms
• Decorating Ideas for Girls Rooms

Every year I say the same thing.

“Next year is going to be different.”

“Next year I will have my taxes done early.”

“Next year I will finally get my paperwork organized.”

The problem usually comes in the all-nighters I pull the few days before taxes are due. After digging out from the avalanche of financial papers that takes over my kitchen table during that time, the only “Schedule” I want to see is the one for my masseuse.

But this year (I can see my husband rolling his eyes across the room now) — it really is going to be different. One shovel at a time, I’m digging out from the foot-high paperwork drifts. The first step is to store the important papers in something that is more attractive than the mail truck that picked up my return at 11:52 Monday night.

Thankfully, finding a stylish filing cabinet is not as hard as completing a Schedule A. Check our deductions for filing cabinets that are sure to bring a return on your investment.

• Diversified. From bold colors to rich wood, file cabinets come in a variety of styles to fit every décor. You can even find a style to fit popular decorating schemes, such as Traditional, Modern, or Country Cottage.
• Offshore Accounts. With so many styles available, you no longer need to keep a file cabinet hidden under the desk. Place a new file cabinet “off-shore” from a traditional office, and see great returns as an end table, nightstand, or entryway table. This is a great option for those without an extra room for a home office – and you’ll be able to file your bills during TV commercials.
• Lateral Move. Though most file cabinets are the vertical, two-drawer style, you may want to opt for a lateral file cabinet. Depending on your storage needs, a lateral file cabinet can double as a sofa table, dresser, or buffet.
• Itemized Storage. Many file cabinets have an extra drawer for office supplies or electronic equipment. When used as an end table or nightstand, these drawers are perfect for remote controls or bedside reading.

With your taxes neatly filed in a stylish new cabinet, you can put your feet up while you shop for ways to spend your tax return. And what about those of us who haven’t filed our taxes yet this year? With such attractive options for tax organization, we’re running out of excuses.

Right in the middle of our DesignTalk series on collections, what should arrive in

the mail? The newest issue of O at Home magazine, with this eye-catching headline: “The Collecting Issue: Unleash Your Decorating Passion.”

Here are a few of the lovely rooms you’ll find in this issue — and a few ideas for decorating with collectibles we know you’ll want to use in your own home.

First, a collector whose passion for toy houses is easy to see in his own home. These simple, low bookshelves show how a collection can be intermingled with books to create both storage and showcase:

In the family room, mid-century Heywood-Wakefield furniture and bentwood chairs mingle with a Lari Pittman modern painting, showing that furniture itself can be a smart, clutter-free collectible.

On a more dramatic note, we see another deep-dark dining room with an eclectic mix of traditional, Hollywood Regency, and contemporary furniture. The amazing room belongs to L.A. event planner Mindy Weiss, and the black walls are a stunning backdrop to two of Weiss’s many collections: blue-and-white pottery (inherited from her mother), and black-and-white transferware (inspired by the Viceroy Santa Monica hotel).

But the dining room is only the first course when it comes to savoring the decorating taste of Weiss and her abundant collections. Who can resist stopping to savor the display of these female portraits, framed by two hot pink velvet chairs?

But the icing on the cake is, by far, Weiss’s cotton-candy pink dressing room, complete with tufted ceilings and shelves for her collection of lady-head vases. Weiss ices the cake with this quote, “I don’t smoke. I don’t do drugs. But I have to admit, I have a terrible shopping addiction.”

And here’s a close-up of those lovely ladies. Happy collecting!

Stay tuned this week — we’ll be collecting more design and organization tips for your own treasures.

• Quick and easy collections
• Put your collections to work
• Displaying collections: Jewelry
• Displaying collections: Pottery
• Displaying collections: Wall Art and Plates
• Displaying collections: Kids’ Collections
• Displaying collections: Books

After pottery, some of the most collected items are decorative plates. As a girl, I remember sitting bored at my grandma’s dinner table, counting the number of her blue-and-white Danish plates on the wall. Today, with three young children of my own, our family seems to be more in a season of breaking plates than collecting them. (Have you seen how far a plate can fly off a highchair?) But I still enjoy looking at the ways plate collectors showcase their assorted finds. From transferware to souvenir travel plates, here are ideas for displaying your own plate collection.

First, this “unmistakably southern” home in Atlanta featured on House Beautiful plays with tradition by mixing patterns in a lively way, from the plates to the pillows. It’s an excellent example of how mis-matched decorating matches the energy and vitality of family life.

In similar fashion, I would love to see a mismatched display of plates above this floral two-door chest. The interplay of patterns would be gorgeous.

But sometimes plates can simply add to the layered look of a room, rather than take center stage. Here is an example from the inspiring book Collector’s Style. In this room, the plates are not the focal point — but they do add visual depth and detail. This is a helpful design tip for smaller plate collections.

For the practical tips of how to hang plates, Martha Stewart has some tips, and a classic example: a grouping of plates above a demilune table. The mirror completes the arrangement beautifully.

And one other wall art collection got our attention — this wall of mirrors.

Though that’s an interesting effect, somehow the design just makes me a little nervous with all those mirrors resting on the ledges. (Three kids running through the house might have something to do with that.) A slightly more lighthearted approach appeals to me instead, like these “all-telling” mirrors.

And if you’re new to collecting, why not jump-start a plate collection with an affordable addition? Here are a few of our favorite plate collections made easy.

Lotus Plates

Chocolate and Cream Transferware Plate Display (These plates are food safe, so you could actually put this collection to work for dinner or tea.)

And this beautiful acanthus wall hanger to display the plates you already have.

Personally, I like the painted effect of this branch plate holder (and the ease of hanging four plates at once).

Stay tuned this week — we’ll be collecting more design and organization tips for your own treasures.

• Quick and easy collections
• Put your collections to work
• Displaying collections: Jewelry
• Displaying collections: Pottery
• Displaying collections: Wall Art and Plates
• Displaying collections: Kids’ Collections
• Displaying collections: Books

More on this topic:

• Decorating Help: How Do I Arrange Pictures on the Wall?
• Creative Wall Art: Your Name in Pictures
• How to Arrange Family Photos on the Wall
• Delightful Dish Displays - Hanging Plates and Decorative Items on the Wall
• How to Hang a Heavy Picture
• Help for Drab Dining Room Walls
• Tips for Hanging Pictures
• Arranging Pictures Behind the Couch

Of all the collections that we’re featuring in our series, pottery and plates are probably the most frequently collected. From all-white ironstone, to bold and bright Fiesta ware, to blue-and-white ginger jars, the forms and colors of pottery give many lovely reasons to collect and display these treasures.

We’ve found some beautifully traditional, some particularly stylish, and some rather surprising ways to display a pottery collection. And even a few ways to put your collection to work, too.

First, a favorite book. Country Living has published a helpful book titled Country Living Collection Style: Arranging & Displaying Your Treasures.

They have creative ideas for all kinds of collections, but their ideas for pottery are particularly creative. For example, they designed this entire kitchen dining area to complement a collection of black-and-white pottery.

What an excellent idea for today’s popular black-and-white rooms. But don’t despair if you don’t have a carpenter available to custom-build your own own black-and-white dining nook. Here is one already built, and upholstered in beautiful red, blue, or black toile.

If you don’t want to remodel the entire dining room to coordinate with your collection, even a small corner cupboard can be transformed to create a focal point for a pottery collection.

And here is one unique display that makes me want to completely redo a room in a white-on-white theme. This room turns conventional collection display on its head by displaying a white pottery collection on top of the cupboard, rather than inside it. Notice also, how they used a few other white collectibles, to vary the height of the pottery for visual interest. Displayed in this way, the pottery collection both complements the other collections in the room, and stands out on its own.

Since I’m moving my own home office to a computer armoire, I’m thinking of using a similar white pottery collection to store craft supplies that I want to keep away from the kids.

But my tastes run a bit more modern, and for eclectic, contemporary decorating ideas I love Domino magazine. Their February issue featured the apartment of decorator Ames Ingham, who painted her dining room black. (Yes, black.) The dark, dramatic walls create a stunning backdrop for her “unprecious” collectible display. Family heirlooms mingle with finger paint artwork (and don’t miss the plastic dinosaurs on the table).

Often, we see white bookshelves set against the contrast of black walls, but in Ingham’s dining room the black shelves put all the attention on the collection itself. The modern style of these bookshelves complements the lantern (one of Ingham’s most popular designs), though I would love to see more gothic style black bookshelves with a dramatic, painted chandelier.

Finally, a discussion of collecting — and especially pottery — would not be complete without a visit to Martha, the queen of collectibles herself. She has a brief article on “Living with Collections” that starts off with a simple, yet brilliant display. With several hues of the same buttery yellow, this simple shelf displays several summer’s worth of treasures in a single slice of the color wheel. This style of bookshelf is popular in so many decorator’s homes — and for good reasons. Not only are they affordable, but they showcase so many forms of collectibles — from pottery, to plates, to books and more — in a fashionably simple way.

Stay tuned this week — we’ll be collecting more design and organization tips for your own treasures.

• Quick and easy collections
• Put your collections to work
• Displaying collections: Jewelry
• Displaying collections: Pottery
• Displaying collections: Wall Art and Plates
• Displaying collections: Kids’ Collections
• Displaying collections: Books