Are you looking for some simple ideas to create an outdoor space perfect for entertaining? We don’t entertain a lot, but a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting a few little girls for a unicorn themed birthday party. I like to keep things simple when we entertain, because who needs that kind of stress. That means easy food, simple decorations, fast clean-up, and focus on spending quality time with the company. For our daughter’s birthday party I created a cohesive outdoor space by combining colorful tableware with an outdoor rug, and finishing it all off with some string lights to add some ambiance.  I’m going to show you how I pulled our outdoor entertaining space together with some simple food and decor.

*This post is sponsored by Brightech lighting and contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

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1. Lay down a patio rug

I finished working on the deck at the end of 2016, and haven’t really done anything to the space since then. I found a great outdoor carpet for under the patio table that really made the space feel more like outdoor living, rather than just a deck. You could also add some outdoor pillows to add a pop of color.

2. Dress up the table

I started creating the outdoor tablescape with a simple tablecloth, something neutral and not very expensive. I spend a lot more time in hardware stores than home decor stores, so I ended up picking up a 4′ by 12′ painting drop cloth to use as a tablecloth. If you cut it in half you can have an extra tablecloth as a backup when the first gets dirty.

3. Party Dinnerware

What’s better for a low maintenance party than disposable plates? I try and find paper plates so I can recycle them rather than throwing them in the garbage (that makes me feel a little better about buying disposable dinnerware). I found a cute unicorn party-in-a-box at Homesense that had everything I needed to set the table. And yes, I make cupcakes from a box, but don’t they look delicious with colored sprinkles sitting on a pretty plate?

4. Add a Floral Centrepiece

An easy way to add color to a tablescape is with colorful flowers in a simple vase or mason jar. I picked some flowers from my wildflower meadow to keep it easy. You could also fill up a vase with leaves and weed flowers, that can look beautiful too.

5. Mood Lighting

We have a covered deck with some soffit lighting, but I also wanted to add some string lighting to add a little extra mood lighting. I used solar powered string lights. I think these are perfect because I don’t ever have to remember to turn them on. They charge all day from a small solar panel that I clipped to the roof. At dusk they turn on automatically. And if I want to turn them on during the day to add some ambiance, I can just cover up the solar panel and they will turn on.

How I created an simple outdoor entertaining space

And there you have it! With a few simple ideas of lighting, dinner ware, and a few decor items, you can pull together an outdoor space that will be perfect for your next outdoor party. Have you hopped on the string light bandwagon? Have you tried the solar powered ones?