With Fourth of July this week and lots of fun family BBQs planned it has gotten me seriously thinking about my outdoor space. I will be the first to admit that I do not have a green thumb. I am not particularly patient when it comes to plants and lack any serious desire to garden. But I do so enjoy a lovely landscaped yard with designated lounge space to enjoy the best of summer in.

Keeping in mind my lack of landscape skills I have been trying to find easy outdoor solutions that still look great. I compiled some of my favorite finds so far-and who knows, hopefully in the near future I’ll tackle my jungle of weeds and get serious about designing my backyard.

I have recently discovered the blog PMQ for Two and love all the bright colors she uses. Her backyard blog came out recently and I am loving the mid-century modern vibe going on here, especially the trellis she used to create an intimate space. You can read more about her design HERE.

What would a backyard be without a fire pit. Maybe it is the midwestern in me, but when the air starts to turn crisp all I can think about is a good fire pit in the evenings. I love the idea of a standing fire pit, like these used on the blog Kaleidoscope Living . There are lots of options for making your own, but these are already done for you! You can read more about them HERE.

We have virtually nothing in our backyard-no porch, no overhang, no deck-nothing. So when I first saw this dome from amazon on Apartment Therapy I loved the idea and ease of it. It would create some kind of shelter and add a separate space to the backyard. Although maybe not a lot of shade. You can read more about it HERE.

I love, love, love the idea of a backyard that requires little to no mowing so this small backyard makeover I read about on Remodelista definitely caught my eye. The use of crushed stones is something I feel confident I could handle and gives designated garden spaces an intentional look and feel.

There are few things I love more than twinkle lights, especially when sitting outside with friends or family enjoying the night air. I love this idea from Bless’er House and how she cemented poles to the bottom of planters to create a structure for hanging lights on. You can read more about it HERE.

While I don’t have a lovely Palm Spring’s inspired pool in my backyard-or any pool for that matter. I do love the idea of these retro fringed umbrellas and lounge chairs. I don’t see why I couldn’t have something similar with a summery bar cart stocked with fresh lemonade sitting next to me.

With lots of inspiration out there, it is hard to find something I don’t love! I have been spending so much time on the inside of our house I have forgotten about the poor neglected outside. Unfortunately it is already July and the heat is brutal. I may have to wait for cooler days to make any major changes…in the meantime I’ll keep scheming!