With the warm weather upon us, it's prime time to get our patio in shape for entertaining. We've recently been looking into ways to add light underneath our patio umbrella. We love the look of fairy lights, but don't have an outlet close enough and the thought of a long extension cord wasn't appealing. We also love the look of hanging lanterns and came across this fun idea in the Summer 2008 issue O at Home. They suggested putting up wooden birdcages and inserting battery powered candles. (We've used battery powered tealights indoors, but for some reason never thought to put them outside! duh!) Do you guys have any other mood lighting ideas for outdoor entertaining?
They listed the birdcages from rose and radish, and the battery powered candles from Bed Bath and Beyond
[ image via O at Home Summer 2008 ]
Here are a few other additional links for outdoor lighting ideas:
8 best outdoor lighting options
Skina Outdoor lights from IKEA
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
there are string lights (fairy lights) available that are either battery or solar operated. the solars are dimmer, can look real good in a garden for dreamy atmosphere--not so good for task lighting. best bet for either---E Bay