Outdoor decor from the Dollar Store

Gotta love the seasonal aisle at the dollar store. It literally changes with the weather and spring and summer is a great time to find great stuff. From metal garden stakes to glass lanterns, you can add colorful accents to your backyard and garden without adding extra stress to your wallet. These metal flower stakes are only a dollar apiece. Group them together in odd numbers and vary the height of the "stems" for maximum impact.

We also found garden lights that mimic the solar ones but these run on three AAA batteries. They're basically flashlights on a stick, so to use them every night would cost a lot in batteries. However, a few of these placed around your garden would shed quite a bit of light on your party. We also saw some soft plastic ones shaped like tulips and in different colors.

Speaking of batteries, our local dollar store graduated from selling no-name cheapies to brands like Sunbeam and Panasonic that inspire a lot more confidence in quality. For more on outdoor decorating, visit Outdoor Living at www.dollarstorestyle.com.