The days are getting warmer and sparklier, and it's time to head outside. What better way to enjoy your yard than by playing shiny, pretty games while ice cubes tinkle merrily in your drink? And for those of us without yards, someone really needs to invent Fire Escape Horseshoes...
- I've never played boules (or pétanque), but as it seems to involve copious amounts of cheating and drinking (at least according to A Year In Provence), I'm in. This gorgeous chrome set from Jaques London will surely distract my opponents from my lack of skills.
- I don't get to play horseshoes often, but I love the clank of metal, the arching flight of the shoes, and the satisfying old-timiness of it all. The option of being silver or gold (depending on my outfit) makes the game irresistible, thanks to the Franklin Classic Horseshoe Set from Dick's Sporting Goods
- Garden dominoes: whoever heard of such a thing? It sounds delightfully Alice In Wonderlandesque. Jaques London also makes a Giant Garden Domino set, with a lovely wood veneer and and hand gold-blocked "pips" (dots). Would you really put these on your grass?
- If you don't have £70 to spend on dominoes, why not make your own? A Beautiful Mess' excellent DIY Domino tutorial could easily be scaled up to make garden-size dominoes. And you could use gold paint for the pips!
- Do you have any idea what quoits is? I don't, but I like the look of it — kind of like birthday candles. Sadly, this hardwood Original Royal Quoits Set from Jaques London is sold out, but they have other very nice ones.
- Chanel makes a bocce set? Of course they do. The set was featured on AnOther Loves, and Chanel says only "For additional information, please contact your CHANEL boutique". You know what that means: $$$.
- The last game I have to show you is the one that inspired this post...and I'm not sure if it's still available. This handmade bocce set from Fredericks & Mae is simply gorgeous, and I sincerely hope they continue to make it, even if I can't afford it in a million years. It's just so pretty.
Weekend DIYs: 10 Wood Molding Projects for the Home
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
Why I Became a 1-Gallon Homebrewer
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
I really want a croquet set but our whole lot is on a steep slope, so it sadly won't work. Must investigate the others.
We have a croquet set and no grass in our yards (garden beds with mossy ground cover instead), so we just go to a park to play. Works a treat!
No fancy lawn darts?? Poo. But I may spray paint horse shoes and make my own glam game.
There is something so relaxing about playing a game on a lawn. There is no rushing, no stress.
Badminton is another fun game to play on a lawn.
Waiting to see the fancy Corn Hole game... <crickets>
I like lawn games like Bolo Ball (a.k.a Ladder ball) and Bones. You also can't go wrong with beerzbe :) Not super classy, but good times all the same!
Love this game, but prefer bocce a bit more - Think the clay looks a bit smarter, and it is more fun to play on the lawn without shoes on - these are meant for the gravel courts.