Summertime is the the time for outdoor entertaining and the outdoor bar. And whether you have a patio, porch, deck,or balcony, these bar signs will set the proper tone.

Love to entertain in the great outdoors? Who doesn’t, am I right? There’s nothing much better after a long week of work than having friends over for an impromptu get together on the back deck. And if you are a regular entertainer, you probably have a bar setup outdoors so you and your guests don’t have to keep going indoors to grab a cold Italian soda, lime seltzer, homemade kombucha, pomegranate martini, craft brew, or what-have-you.

Setting the tone for your outdoor entertaining space is key. For many of us, this is our home in the summertime, because who wants to be cooped inside when the living is easy outside! So, if the outdoor bar is the ice cream sundae, then bar signs are the cherry on top. Decorating with the perfect bar signs creates that chill vibe that you want to create for yourself and your guests.

And of course, you could DIY your own or search the Interwebs for just what you are looking for to decorate your outdoor entertaining space, or you can let us do the work for you.

We’ve pulled together some fun, poignant, and chill bar signs that just might set the perfect tone for your outdoor space this summer. Hurry up and chill!

Bar Signs Perfect for Your Outdoor Bar

1. Welcome to Our Porch

It is all about the friendships, after all.

2. Whatever Your Bring

Your provide the space, your friends provide the vino, right?

3. No Workin’

Exactly. The weekend is time for friends and the great outdoors.

4. Toasted

A fire pit is an awesome addition to any outdoor party. S’mores, anyone?

5. Bar Rules

Every bar needs a list of must follow rules.

6. Paradise

Outdoor living anywhere is almost paradise for certain.

7. Light Up Cork

Keep it simple and lit up!

8. Phobia

Did someone say wine?

9. What Happens at the Bar

True that!

10. Best Friends

Every Friday and Saturday, naturally.

Related on EcoSalon

7 Sexy and Sustainable Bar Stools (Because Counters are the New Tables)
10 Wonderful Ways to Master the Art of Outdoor Living
6 Super Outdoor Living Spaces Ideas for Creating the Most Awesome Connection with Nature

The post 10 Bar Signs That Your Back Porch Needs this Summer appeared first on EcoSalon.

Without a doubt, one of the easiest ways to spruce up your space is to add colorful and interesting prints to your walls. And what better way to do that than by choosing inspirational word art prints? This is by far one of our favorite home trends of the moment. Not only can you add some visual interest to your walls, but you can add some inspiration, verve and moxie to your day—every day! 

Whether your particular design aesthetic leans towards screenprints, letterpress, giclee or lithographic prints, inspirational word art prints work in your bedroom, office, kitchen, bathroom— or any nook and corner that needs a little love, lightness and inspiration. They’re also an uplifting addition to your cube at work.

Here’s 17 of our favorite inspirational word art prints to bring some creativity, inspiration and joy into your home or workspace.

1. “The Happiest People Are Not the Ones Who Have Everything. They Are the Ones Who Make the Best of Everything”

Image: Cheyenne Lyons Design

2. “Do Not Go Where the Path May Lead, Go Instead Where There Is No Path and Leave a Trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Image: Jane And Company Design

3. ”Touch the Sky”

Image: semi sweet studios

4.  “When Nothing Is Sure, Everything Is Possible” – Margaret Drabble

Image: All The Best Quotes on Etsy

5. “Speak the Truth Even If Your Voice Shakes”

Image: onered

6. “Be Here Now”

Image: William Lee Holt

7. ”Life Isn’t About Waiting for the Storm to Pass. It’s About Learning to Dance in the Rain”

Image: Mossy Jojo

8. “Not All Who Wander are Lost”

Image: Party Inked

9. “You Are Never Too Old to Set Another Goal Or Dream a New Dream” – C.S. Lewis.

Image: The Motivated Type

10. ”Live Simply”

Image: Disdain The Mundane

11. ”Life is Like Riding a Bicylce, To Keep Your Balance You Must Keep Moving”- Albert Einstein

Image: print design studio on Etsy

12. ”Home Is Wherever I’m With You”

Image: handz

13. “Though She Be But Little, She is Fierce.”‘ – William Shakespeare

Image: Bookishly UK

14. ”Always Remember, You Are Braver Than You Believe, Stronger Than You Seem, Smarter Than You Think, And Twice As Beautiful As You Ever Imagined”

Image: handz

15. “Believe You Can And You Will”

Image: handz

16. ”Go Forth and Set the World on Fire.” – St. Ignatius of Loyola

Top Image: print design studio

17. “The Best Thing to Hold Onto in Life Is Each Other” – Audrey Hepburn

Top Image: print design studio

Related on EcoSalon:

7 Graphic Patterns For Home Decor You Don’t Know the Names Of—But Will Now!

How to Use 5 Bold Design Patterns to Make Your Home Pop, Gorgeously

The post 17 Inspirational Word Art Prints for Your Home appeared first on EcoSalon.

Many people like the idea of wallpaper, but when it comes to decorating a home with floor-to-ceiling pattern, reservations abound. Of course, there’s the work involved with papering the walls (more complicated than paint for sure), and then there’s the commitment to a graphic wall covering for at least several years, maybe more. Intimidating!

The solution is not to forgo wallpaper altogether, but rather to use it as an accent in your home–and not just on the walls, but in other, unexpected places.

For example, wallpaper the backs of your bookcases for a taste of paper without a huge commitment! It can add visual interest, pattern and appeal to an otherwise boring room. What other ways are there to use wallpaper in your home? There are literally hundreds of great wallpaper decorating ideas; here are a few of my favorites.

Image: LaVantteHome

8 Wallpaper Decorating Ideas

1. Framed Art

Some wallpaper is gorgeous enough to framed, so why not? And if you are artistic at all, wallpaper can be a great tool for use in collages, sculpture and more. See a tutorial from Vintage key West.

2. Graphic Tabletops

Use scraps of vintage wallpaper to paper the top of your coffee table, kitchen table or an end table. Top with a piece of custom cut glass to protect the surface. Mother Earth Living shares a tutorial.

3. Colorful, Cool Coasters

An easy way to incorporate wallpaper is to back glass coasters or top a tile coaster with wallpaper scraps. It’s a fun way to add pattern and color without having to do much work. See a tutorial from The Thinking Closet for the how-to.

4. Lovely Lampshades

Take a boring lampshade, add wallpaper and you’ve added instant visual dynamism to your decor. Here’s an easy tutorial from Redbook on how to liven up your lights.

5. Wallpaper Storage Tins

Repurpose soup cans, coffee cans, tea tins or paint cans by covering them with pretty wallpaper and using them to solve your storage problems. See Indie Fixx for an inspirational tutorial.

6. Bunting

Use leftover wallpaper to make a bunting for your next holiday/celebration. A wallpaper bunting can also be for everyday decoration too, like in a baby’s room, in the bedroom or in the office. Buntings are a fun, temporary way to decorate. See a tutorial from By Wilma.

7. Mobile/Lantern

Again for arty types, use wallpaper scraps and samples to make a hanging mobile or paper lantern. Here’s a tutorial from Ruffled for the how-to.

8. Dreamcatcher

Use wallpaper and an old embroidery hoop to make decorative “dreamcatchers” for over all the beds in your home. Heres’ a tutorial for inspiration.

Top Image: Wickerfurniture

Related on Ecosalon:

7 Wall Painting Trends for Your Home Décor

7 Graphic Patterns For Home Decor You Don’t Know the Names Of—But Will Now!

The post DIY Creative Wallpaper Decorating Ideas: Wallpaper Everywhere But Walls appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s back-to-school time again and that means millions of students are headed to college for the very first time. That also means many are faced with dorm room living—and decorating! Unfortunately, the move-every-year nature of college means that there is plenty of waste. But there are solutions (and they are all budget-friendly to boot!). 

I live in a college town (yes, I’m a townie). This time of year us townies know better than to even think about heading to any of the those large retailers like Kmart, Target, or Walmart. They are all madhouses right about now with all the college kids and their parents looking for extra long twin fitted sheets, bulletin boards and shower shoes. It’s actually quite scary to go into one of these stores just after move-in weekend, because it looks like a disaster hit–the shelves are bare and there’s the detritus no one wanted all over the floors!

It’s also kind of scary because of the sheer mass-consumerism of it all. The stress and worry of a new undertaking (for both parents and students) is enough to drive some to make poor consumer choices. Remember the mantra “reduce, reuse and recycle” applies to dorm room shopping as well.

One area that is particularly fraught is dorm room decor. In an effort to create a home away from home many are tempted into over purchasing by large retailers looking to cash in on the college crowd.  So, in the rush to personalize the dorm room, don’t throw your commitment to sustainable living out the window. Here are some low-impact ideas.

1. Thrift Shop and Yard Sales

Image: VintageSmiths

In my town, there are several thrift shops and many folks plan yard sales during move-in weekend, so there are lots of opportunities to find secondhand dorm room needs. Check Craigslist, college message boards, and bulletin boards around campus for flyers.

2. Leave Them Bare

Image: POTAPOTA

While there’s a need to hit the ground running when it comes to things like bedding, there’s no need to feel obligated to cover the walls by the end of orientation. Consider that whatever tastes students may have a brand new freshman might change by the end of the semester. It’s actually pretty common! Leave the walls bare and leave room for those inspirational sayings and bands students are going to discover.

3. Scale it Back

Truly think about what’s a necessity and what’s not. Every year at the end of the semester the university in my town places dumpsters around the area for all the waste that will be thrown out when the students vacate their dorm rooms. Think about that when deciding what you cannot live without.  Not every room needs a microwave–especially if the community room has one!

4. Make Sustainable Choices

Image: Hand Made Organic

When you have to purchase new goods, choose eco-conscious products where possible. By planning ahead and purchasing online, it is possible to purchase  organic cotton bedding, curtains and more. Plus, more retailers are including sustainable products in retail locations as well. Do a little research.

5. DIY

Image: OSD

Allow for a little creativity to shine through and consider adding some diy touches to the dorm room like an old wooden frame remade into a jewelry organizer (like the one pictured above). There are literally millions of DIY instructions online for almost any project, so try Googling “DIY” and whatever you need (garbage can, towel rack, etc.).

Top Image:  Michigan State University Archives

Related on Ecosalon:

Master Bohemian Style for Your Home with DIY Projects

Color Trend in Home Decorating: Yellow is the New Black

The post Sustainable Back-to-School Dorm Room Style: 5 Ways to Save Money and Waste Less appeared first on EcoSalon.