oooh...toasty!

I hate to think about this already...but it's time.

Fall (gulp) is really just around the corner. It was a shock to me to be out and about this weekend and realize that all the summer "seasonal" stuff is being rearranged, marked down and moved aside for Fall merchandise.

Back-to-school merchandise is offically taken over. That means if you are looking for the very best deals in outdoor furniture and accessories, now is the time. Actually, you may be a bit too late already.

To that end, let's talk about extending your time on your patio and outdoor spaces.

A patio heater (also called a mushroom or umbrella heater) is an appliance for generating radiant heat for outdoor use. You knew that, right?
Well, here's how it works: a burner on top of a post, burns LPG or propane, and directs the flames against a perforated metal screen. Heat is radiated from the surface of the screen in a circular pattern around the appliance. A reflector atop the burner reflects heat that would be otherwise lost upwards.

A newer type of patio heaters are the InfraRed Patio Heaters, which although claim to be environmentally friendly, use grid electricity. Grid electricity is 2.9 times more carbon intensive than gas.

Patio heaters became more popular with bars and restaurants first, since they extended the day and the season for their customers to sit outdoors. Now, they are becoming popular with the average homeowner and are much more readily available.
So, if you are in the market for one...there are lots of choices: table top, stand alone, hanging, ones that look like lamps, ones that look like art, and ones that even connect under your umberella. You can get propane ones, ethanal ones, and electric ones. Remember to consider where you want to put it, the radius of the heat it will throw, and of course, how it fits into your decor style!

Since I've just begun to enjoy my new, awesome deck, I'm not even close to being ready to give it up for the season. So this baby (Canadian Tire, $299.99) will be warming up my deck for weeks to come and late into the Fall. And then again in early Spring.
Until next week, enjoy the warm of the summer, but plan ahead to stay toasty even longer.




For more, visit www.littlered.ca, or read past blogs at www.justalittlerouge.blogspot.ca.