Effective Ambiance

When having friends over, consider lining the entrance of your home with a path of tiki torches or luminary bags interspersed with plants, as shown.

Not only does this path give your guests an idea of where to go once they arrive, but it also sets an atmospheric mood for barbeque.

For even more interesting ways to decorate and illuminate your backyard, be sure to read Backyard Décor.

Rather than set up a run-of-the-mill bar table (or, worse, just leave bottles out next to a tub of ice), fill a galvanized tub with ice and assorted bottles.

It's practical (...

Setting the Mood with Music

Be sure to back up your Décor with the right music to really spice up the barbeque.

The easiest way to do this is to visit iTunes where you can download music and customize your own summer playlist that you can save and even use for your next barbeque.

Tip: Select a variety of music representative of your guests' generation for a nostalgic trip of summer memories

Great Summer Music

Jimmy Buffet

Bob Marley

The Beach Boys

Create A Unique Ice Chest

A red Flyer wagon evokes a true Americana sensibility, just like summer barbeques. So what could be cuter than to create an eye-catching red wagon ice chest? Here's what you'll need to do:

Purchase a red wagon, clear plastic trash bags, large roll of clear tape and a 5 large bags of ice

Line the inside of the wagon with clear plastic trash bags and tape them securely to the sides

Add your bags of ice as well as your beverages - voila! Easy as pie, and so cute.

Or rather, entryway. Line the entryway to your home with tiki torches for a cool tropical look that really sets the mood. You can find them as cheap as $1.50 at a local hardware stores like Osh, or go upscale with a stainless steel gel-burning version from Unica Home.

Décor

The Décorfor this party should be subtle and sophisticated.