Serves: 5

Brightly colored stepping stones add cheer to still-sleeping flower beds...they'll blend right in when the flowers come up!

When spring days warm up, plan a picnic with friends & family. Ask everyone to bring a dish and a blanket too!

Start cool weather veggies like lettuce and spinach indoors in old wooden drawers and get a jump start on the garden! Just line with plastic, add gravel for drainage and plant away. They can go directly outside once the days warm up.

Welcome feathered friends to the garden with a flowerpot birdbath! Stack terra cotta pots in graduated sizes to create the base and use a terra cotta saucer for the bath. Secure everything with hot glue and let dry before setting outside. Paint, rubber stamp or stencil before gluing to add a personal touch.

Host a bridal shower in the garden this spring...use seed packets or tiny starter plants in their own pots as favors!

A new twist on placecards! Pick a mini spring bouquet and place in a jelly jar...attach a leaf-shaped tag with the guest's name on it. Just right for garden parties and showers.

Hold an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt right in the backyard! Hide plastic eggs with small gifts or candy along with decorated hard-boiled eggs too. Send the kids out to look for them...what fun!

Decorate the garden with weatherproof collectibles...flea market finds can include vintage-style watering cans, old-fashioned spinning sprinklers or even a weathered wooden bench.

Red, white and true blue! Use mini flags as plant pokes or along a backyard walkway...hang patriotic bunting from a porch or fence to show patriotic pride year 'round.

Look for old wooden boxes with partitions...they were often used to hold beverage bottles separately. They make great containers for herb gardens or for a sampling of annuals.

Setting out summer annuals? Try planting them in an old red wagon for a touch of childhood charm! Be sure to drill holes in the bottom and add some gravel for even drainage.

Set a glass tabletop on a birdbath for a whimsical side table...fill the inside with vintage seed packets, flowery garden gloves and a found birds' nest. Perfect for a patio or porch!

Jelly jars make lovely lanterns for backyard gatherings! Nestle a tea light inside and hang with wire from tree branches or fenceposts. Look for citronella candles to keep mosquitoes away.

After the festivities are over, hang the popcorn garland outside for the birds...a holiday treat for our feathered friends.

Wired ribbon in festive holiday patterns and prints dress up terra cotta pots on the patio and porch.

Place a bundle of bare branches in a sand-filled galvanized bucket and set it out on the front porch. Weave little white fairy lights throughout the branches for a magical sparkle.

From "5 Ingredients or Less!" Copyright Gooseberry Patch. Used with permission of the publisher, Gooseberry Patch. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Gooseberry Patch: 5 Ingredients or Less! Cookbook:
_Decorating Tips
_Entertaining Tips
_Family & Fun Tips
_Food on the Go Tips
_Gift & Craft Tips
_Outdoor Tips
_Quotes