Southwestern Fiesta

A Taos, New Mexico, homeowner throws a midsummer party overflowing with local flavor.

Southwst Fiesta

Summer is all about food and friends. Vanessa, a New Mexico homeowner, planned a fiesta filled with both. She spruced up her patio with container plants and made several fun projects to engage adults and kids alike. The landscape inspired the color palette: sunny yellow, sky blue, sunset red, and earth brown. “In the Southwest, the smallest pops of color make the biggest difference,” says Vanessa. “The patio is totally transformed.”

Patio Party

Guests swap stories at the bar-height table-and-chairs set, which fits perfectly into a corner of the adobe patio. The chicken and peppers are cooking on the gas grill, which Vanessa chose for its large capacity and espresso finish, exclusive to Lowe’s. The grill master organizes her grilling tongs and sauces in a paint bucket lined with a tool organizer.

Southwst Fiesta

Southwst Fiesta

Southwst Fiesta


Spicy Table Setting

Taking inspiration from native art, Vanessa planned a creative dinner table. She serves authentic Southwestern dishes on handmade trivets. The place settings include graphic Southwestern place mats and handy tile coasters.

Southwst Fiesta

Hot Plants

Containers planted with brightly colored, drought-tolerant selections liven up the space. Simple materials jazz up a few terra-cotta rope planters. The smaller containers can be moved to a protected area during bouts of harsh sunlight and drying winds. Zinnia, verbena, sunflowers, flax, gazania, and miscanthus fit the colorful criteria and require little water. “The gazania is my favorite,” says Vanessa. “It opens with the sun and closes up at night.”

Southwst Fiesta

Southwst Fiesta


Chilly Nights

Even in the middle of summer, when the temperature can reach the 100s during the day, Southwestern nights can be cool. A chiminea warms the patio and an iron-look chair and side table provide extra seating.

Southwst Fiesta

Get Cookin’

Follow Vanessa’s lead and host a Southwestern fiesta of your own. Fill your menu with authentic kitchen-tested recipes from MyRecipes.com.

Comments

Submit Comments & Photos

Submit Comments & Photos

Please feel free to post a comment and someone from LowesCreativeIdeas.com will review your submission. You can check back after 24 hours to see if your comment has been posted.

Fields in BOLD are required to preview and submit your comment.

  • Instructions

    Your email will only be used in the event that one of our moderators needs to clarify your comment. It will be used strictly in the context of or relating to your comment.

    Your email will NOT be used for marketing purposes or shared with any 3rd parties.

  • Your Photo

    Have a photo? Attach it to your comment here.

    Make sure your photo meets the following requirements:
    Max File Size: 2 MB
    File Types: jpeg/jpg, gif

    Photos will be scaled to fit this space.

    Upload Photo
    Character count: 0
    (500 character limit)
  • If you do not see the security words image:

    • Make sure the version of your browser is current. For example, you need to have at least Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 6.0 or higher.

    • Make sure your graphics (pictures and images) are turned on or enabled in your browser.

    • Refresh your browser and try again. You may want to copy your comment though as it will not be saved.

    Instructions

    Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

    If you are not sure what the words are, either enter your best guess or refresh the browser for a new set image.

  • Terms & Conditions




Total Votes: 2
Be the first to comment

These "social bookmarking" services make it easier to share and manage your favorite online content.

StumbleUpon, digg, and del.icio.us help you gather content from around the web, describe it how you see fit, and tag it for easy sorting. These sites also allow you to see what other people are gathering and tagging (if they've made it public), and find new content that may interest you.

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace also allow you to share content that you find interesting, with people who visit or subscribe to your personal profile.

Post to StumbleUpon! Post to digg! Post to del.icio.us! Post to Facebook! Post to MySpace!


Project Details
Lowe’s List
Skill level: Beginner
Rough cost estimate: $2,540*
Furniture: $1,080
Outdoor accessories: $1,010
Planters: $350
Paint: $100
Rough time estimate: 5 days
Furniture
  • bar table and chairs (Lakeview collection; #102766; #102851)
  • bench, end tables, and chairs (Waterbridge collection; #275487; #275488; #275486)
  • seat cushions (Papaya)
Outdoor Accessories
  • outdoor rug (5- x 7-foot, #26077)
  • cast-iron chiminea (#291623)
  • gas grill (Weber, Genesis, Espresso, #296463)
  • grilling tongs (#141767)
  • grilling tool set (#40049)
  • grill mitt (Weber, Espresso, #297966)
  • bucket (5-gallon, #43770)
  • 36-pocket bucket tool organizer (#264096)
  • outdoor pillows (Cambay, #135314; Linen Texture, #143230)
  • basket for firewood (#201836)
Planters
  • ceramic planters (Oxblood Spain red, #281205**; Tokyo blue, #7767**; Wasabi Sunrise, #254681**, #254122**; Honey Twilight, #281210**)
  • saucer (16-inch, Brushed Chocolate, #232042)
Paint
  • project colors (Valspar Ultra Premium; Rare Sienna 2010-7; Cowboy Boots 2010-10; Dandelion Wish 3001-1B; Sea Song 5003-8A; satin)
*Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market, or the cost of plants.
**Availability varies by market.
Tags:

Tags are keywords or terms that have been assigned to a piece of content.

A tag list is simply a list of all the tags used on all content and a count of their frequency.

A tag cloud is a visual representation of a tag's popularity based on how often it is used throughout the site.

Click on a category below to view other projects and articles. (What are these?)

Display as: cloud | list