Cafe String Lights We’re major fans of any outdoor lighting that makes our skinny townhouse backyard feel like an Italian sidewalk cafe. Hang these over your outdoor seating area for a truly al fresco dining experience. Each strand is nine feet long and comes with eight bulbs. $39 at potterybarn.com
Badminton Set We love the retro-preppy look of this portable, all-pieces-included game set. Why not invite friends over for mint juleps and a match or two? Adult or not, you know you still get a kick out of batting around the ol’ shuttlecock. $79 at restorationhardware.com
Notebook Foldable Charcoal Grill This take-it-anywhere cooking surface comes equipped with built-in handles and enough grilling space to fit six burgers at a time. If the closest thing you’ve got to a backyard is the neighborhood park, this is the perfect picnic accompaniment. $29.95 at cobbq.com
Picnic Table Condiment Set Borderline tacky, we know, but nieces, nephews, and never-left-childhood college friends will love dousing their hot dogs and corncobs with condiments from this quirky set. $18 at uncommongoods.com
Platta Decking Need a flat place to put your furniture? Build your own outdoor flooring with affordable acacia-wood pieces. These almost-one-square-foot tiles come in packs of nine and link together to stay in place. $34 per nine-pack at Ikea (in store only); check to see if your store has them in stock by using the search box on the right here.
Twig Skewers Remember playing caveman when you were a kid? Yeah, we don’t either. But if we had, there’s a good chance our imaginary meals would have been roasted on something pretty similar. Set of four for $9.99 at amazon.com
