High Five: 5 Colorful (and Easy) Outdoor Entertaining Ideas for Summer

Summer is in full swing and I’m all about that outdoor life at the moment – even with the insanely hot temperatures in Atlanta this week.

And to kickstart outdoor summer entertaining, I put together 5 easy DIY entertaining ideas in partnership with Duraflame. There’s flower power s’mores, my trick for turning literally anything into an ice chest, a colorful cocktail recipe, and more. Click through for all 5 summer entertaining ideas.

How to Turn Anything into a DIY Ice Chest

I turned my favorite woven basket into an ice chest and you can literally do this with ANYTHING. All you need is a waterproof liner of some kind that will fit inside the container. Fill it with ice, add anything you want to keep cold – bottles, cans, etc – and you’re good to go. When the party is over, remove the liner, pour out the ice, and your basket (or whatever else you might have used) can go back to where it came from. So easy!

A Quick and Easy Fire

No summer party is complete without a fire pit. I used Duraflame Roasting Logs to start a fire super quick and easy. Love these!

The logs are individually wrapped, to make it easy to build a fire any size you’d like. And they’re safe for roasting marshmallows, hotdogs, and other campfire foods. Considering there are a whole lot of s’mores on my summer agenda, these guys are going to be getting a lot of use. 

Fabric Covered DIY Skewers

Add some color to plain wood handle skewers with a few fabric scraps and a little bit of Mod Podge. Just cut a piece of scrap fabric the same length as your handle and slightly wider than what you would need to go all the way around. Cover the handle in Mod Podge, using a paint brush and roll the handle over the fabric, using your fingers to secure than fabric to the handle as you go. Add a little more Mod Podge to the end of the fabric that will overlap, tap it down, and let it dry.

Easy Summer Cocktail Recipe

This spiked pink lemonade cocktail is super simple to whip up and can be made in batches too. To make your own, combine 4-5 oz of pink lemonade (store bought or homemade) with 2 oz of vodka or rum. Shake or stir. Pour over ice and add a splash of grenadine for an ombre look. Finish with fresh squeezed lime juice and a lime slice for garnish.

Flower Power S’mores

I made some flower power s’mores with flower shaped sugar cookies, (toasted) pink marshmallows, and white chocolate. They’re just as easy to make as regular s’mores, but the flower shape makes them feel a little more special.

Those are my DIY summer entertaining ideas for now. Have your own tips and tricks to share?! Let me know in the comments below.

Modeling // Kathyrn Kelly and Michael Milligan
Photography + Styling // Brittni Mehlhoff

What are your summer plans? Any backyard BBQs or outdoor parties you’re planning?

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This post is in partnership with Duraflame. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.