fun in the shade

the heat wave here in the pacific northwest has me thinking about shade{s}. in celebration of summertime sun and the ever-evolving lamp-shade, here are some bright ideas to contemplate {preferrably while sipping iced-tea}:
my uber-talented friend, jordan ferney, just posted about this adorable & lovely way to create some extra shade at an outdoor party....clip-on umbrellas! as you know well by now, i adore all kinds of umbrellas, with a passion. so i'm extremely excited to learn about this new clipable kind. insta-addition to my wish list! you can buy them here, and you can see the rest of jordan's post here.



storage, display & lighting all in one ~ brilliant shades by pottery barn. even though you could buy them for about $99, it would be a fairly simple d.i.y. project too: just take almost any lampshade and hand-sew the cloths pins to it with an extra large needle using tight criss-cross stitches. what a bright idea!


if you've got a need for more shade for your patio or yard, for a construction project, then these awesome shade sails are for you! they can be stretched between trees, posts and buildings from the d-ring at each corner. the seamless extra wide fabric these are made from comes in seven colors. the same site also provides photos of residential installations, sample layouts and sells the installation hardware.


ok, these are kinda kitschy. but i think they could be a great smile-inducing addition to the right space....maybe in a pool-house bathroom, at a beach cafe or in a kids bedroom at a beach house? designed by toby sanders and found at his website: tobyhouse.

these beautiful copper shades are created in colorado by artist uriah beuller. found at parasoleil , they are made of pattern-cut copper in a 36”x 96” size, though custom panels can be made, too. and even better, the panels are green-certified with 90% recycled content... parasoleil has a choice of several patterns that can be cut into the panels, creating shadows and light in outdoor spaces. the copper material is low-maintenance for outdoors, as it will patina and last a lifetime without corroding.