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    6 Great Summer Buys for Your Backyard

    Jonathon Kambourisby Bon Appétit

    At BA we think beyond the kitchen, because where you cook and eat is also where you entertain, relax, and live. All this week we're sharing simple ways to refresh and recharge your home for Spring

    So far we've talked rugs and walls and made a few suggestions for the living room, now it's time to take it outside. Yes, your backyard is as important as any room in your house, so put some thought into it. Here are six new ways to get excited about hanging in the great outdoors.

    1. Rough-hewn vases (pictured above) give blooms even more organic appeal. $13-$15; target.com for locations

    2. Just twist this birchwood-and-metal device--invented in 1952--to produce chirpy, birdlike sounds. "Audubon" bird call, $9; hickorees.com

    See also: How to Arrange Flowers like a Pro

    3. Want to get your kid to drop the Nintendo DS? Throw one of these up in the backyard. The Original Tree Swing, $45; hickorees.com

    4. These handcrafted Japanese scissors are ideal for gentle trimming. Tajika flower shears, $60; analoguelife.com

    Jonathon Kambouris
    5. Looks like it was plucked from Grandma's shed, without the decades of garden grime. Privet House for Target 6-qt. watering can, $30; target.com


    6. Design nerd-approved: midcentury-modern house numbers by Richard Neutra. $48 each; dwr.com




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