Outdoor Living Ideas

Looking for some fun decorations for your yard? Wind chimes can be nice, since they add an audible element as well as a bit of eye candy. Don’t feel you have to settle for your typical chimes made from wood and metal though. If you do a little searching, you can find some that suit your tastes perfectly.

These fused glass wind chimes are perfect for the frog lover (more people love frogs than you’d think).

The hand-crafted piece is available through Etsy for $45:

“I made this windchime by handcutting stained glass in greens,yellows, red, black, and white and then fusing them together in my kiln to create an cute little frog! There are 7 separate fused glass strips that form the chimes. They were drilled by me, wire was attached and strung from a wooden dowell to hang the piece. ”

Etsy

Are you tired of checking the pool chemicals constantly to make sure the chlorine and pH are at the right levels? Sure, you enjoy lying out by the swimming pool and entertaining in the backyard, but isn’t there some way to make the maintenance less tedious? Well, maybe so.

This wireless pool chemical monitoring system watches the levels in your swimming pool 24 hours a day and only alerts you when you need to add more chemicals. There’s no need for you to go out and check the levels yourself any more.

Here’s what the product description adds: ”It uses a remote floating pod that contains sensors for water temperature, pH, and chlorine level, which transmits its data wirelessly to the display. The sensor pod floats freely in your pool and takes measurements at the same 18″ depth recommended by the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. Your pools pH level is measured based upon the total pool volume that you enter on the display, so the system tells you when to add chemicals to bring your pH near a balanced 7.2 reading (a chlorine generator is r required for total alkalinity test). The sensor pod and display can communicate up to 150′ away from each other, so you don’t have to step outside each time you want to check on your pool.”

Sounds like a good way to cut down on the maintenance aspects of bring a pool owner to me. The device is $400, but it should last for many pool-using seasons to come:

The Wireless Pool Chemical Monitoring System

If your current method of hose storage (probably a hook dealie on the side of the house) is a little too mundane, check out the hose roll.

Peter D’Alessandro’s funky hose storage gadget offers an alternative to your standard reel. As the creator writes, “The Hoseroll offers a practical storage solution for the garden hose, as well as being an ever-changing garden sculpture.” I bet the dogs will have fun punting it around the yard too.

It looks like it’s just a design concept on his site now, though, so you probably won’t be able to pick it up at Kmart this summer.

Hose Reel