Try These Ideas for Free (and Almost-Free) Summer Fun
Celebrate summer flowers in jam jars, sip a garden-fresh cocktail, watch a meteor from your backyard and more
Summer offers more opportunities for easy, free fun than just about any other season. Whether you’re looking to stay cool, travel or get outdoors, see if something on this list strikes your fancy. DIY art, house swaps, garden-to-table cocktails and ideas for backyard scientists are up ahead.
2. Invite Friends Over for a Swap Party
There are so many ways to go with a swap party — you could trade clothing, children’s toys, garden plants, decor, books or even homemade items like jams and baked goods. No matter what you choose as your theme, the basic idea is the same: Everyone invited comes with something to trade, and no money changes hands. You get rid of excess stuff and come away with something new-to-you that you can really use. It’s a win-win.
How to Declutter and Create a Capsule Wardrobe | Find clothes racks
There are so many ways to go with a swap party — you could trade clothing, children’s toys, garden plants, decor, books or even homemade items like jams and baked goods. No matter what you choose as your theme, the basic idea is the same: Everyone invited comes with something to trade, and no money changes hands. You get rid of excess stuff and come away with something new-to-you that you can really use. It’s a win-win.
How to Declutter and Create a Capsule Wardrobe | Find clothes racks
3. Take a Frame-Worthy Abstract Photo
On a summer day when all you want to do is stay indoors with the air conditioning, why not use your time to whip up a cool new art print for your wall? The project shown here uses colorful cocktail umbrellas (spray-painted gold) that have been stuck to a piece of glass with putty and photographed from above. As several Houzz readers mentioned in the Comments on the original post, you could take this project in a different direction by skipping the spray paint and creating a faux-beach scene or other design.
Make Your Own Abstract Photo With Cocktail Umbrellas
On a summer day when all you want to do is stay indoors with the air conditioning, why not use your time to whip up a cool new art print for your wall? The project shown here uses colorful cocktail umbrellas (spray-painted gold) that have been stuck to a piece of glass with putty and photographed from above. As several Houzz readers mentioned in the Comments on the original post, you could take this project in a different direction by skipping the spray paint and creating a faux-beach scene or other design.
Make Your Own Abstract Photo With Cocktail Umbrellas
4. Celebrate Stunning Summer Flowers
Start by snipping flowers from your cutting garden or pick up a store-bought arrangement. Keep an eye out for interesting foliage such as ferns and geranium leaves too. Once you have your flowers and foliage, divide the blooms among an eclectic assortment of recycled bottles, jam jars and kitchen containers. When the container is small, you need only one or two blooms to make it feel full, so you can create a lush-looking centerpiece with less.
To create a look similar to the one shown here, place a few taller flowers (like delphinium) in vases toward the back and cluster short jars and glasses of blooms at the front — and consider saving a few blooms to press for a DIY art project. (See No. 5.)
How to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer | Find white and clear vases
Start by snipping flowers from your cutting garden or pick up a store-bought arrangement. Keep an eye out for interesting foliage such as ferns and geranium leaves too. Once you have your flowers and foliage, divide the blooms among an eclectic assortment of recycled bottles, jam jars and kitchen containers. When the container is small, you need only one or two blooms to make it feel full, so you can create a lush-looking centerpiece with less.
To create a look similar to the one shown here, place a few taller flowers (like delphinium) in vases toward the back and cluster short jars and glasses of blooms at the front — and consider saving a few blooms to press for a DIY art project. (See No. 5.)
How to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer | Find white and clear vases
5. Make DIY Wall Art With Sun-Powered Prints
Take your pressed flowers and leaves (or seashells and stones) to the next level by creating sun-powered prints with your specimens. Sunprints use light-sensitive paper to create silhouette images in a dramatic cobalt-blue hue. This special paper was developed at the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and is still available there, but you can also search for photo-sensitive paper online to find other sources.
Making the prints is as simple as arranging your chosen items on the special paper and exposing it to bright sunlight; once the print has taken (in about five minutes), you rinse the paper in water and watch as the print changes color and takes on its finished form.
Find 8 more quick summer projects
Take your pressed flowers and leaves (or seashells and stones) to the next level by creating sun-powered prints with your specimens. Sunprints use light-sensitive paper to create silhouette images in a dramatic cobalt-blue hue. This special paper was developed at the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and is still available there, but you can also search for photo-sensitive paper online to find other sources.
Making the prints is as simple as arranging your chosen items on the special paper and exposing it to bright sunlight; once the print has taken (in about five minutes), you rinse the paper in water and watch as the print changes color and takes on its finished form.
Find 8 more quick summer projects
6. Mix Up a Garden-to-Table Cocktail or Mocktail
Summer is the perfect time to experiment with fancy drinks — such as the Art Basil, a refreshing mix of limoncello, fresh basil and elderflower mixed by event planner Cory Martin. (Snip some fresh basil leaves from your own garden if you can.) Here’s how Martin makes it:
Art Basil Cocktail
1. Muddle some basil and a squeeze of lemon with fresh simple syrup.
2. Shake the mixture with limoncello and ice.
3. Strain it into a coupe glass.
4. Add a splash of elderflower water on top and garnish with a basil leaf and a slice of lemon.
Basil Mocktail
For a fun, summery mocktail inspired by this drink, top muddled basil with fresh lemonade and a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of basil and a lemon slice.
How to Throw an End-of-Summer Moroccan Mixology Party | Find coupe glasses
Summer is the perfect time to experiment with fancy drinks — such as the Art Basil, a refreshing mix of limoncello, fresh basil and elderflower mixed by event planner Cory Martin. (Snip some fresh basil leaves from your own garden if you can.) Here’s how Martin makes it:
Art Basil Cocktail
1. Muddle some basil and a squeeze of lemon with fresh simple syrup.
2. Shake the mixture with limoncello and ice.
3. Strain it into a coupe glass.
4. Add a splash of elderflower water on top and garnish with a basil leaf and a slice of lemon.
Basil Mocktail
For a fun, summery mocktail inspired by this drink, top muddled basil with fresh lemonade and a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of basil and a lemon slice.
How to Throw an End-of-Summer Moroccan Mixology Party | Find coupe glasses
7. Visit a Little Free Library
With more than 50,000 of these book-sharing boxes worldwide, chances are there’s at least one near you. If you’re not sure, search for Little Free Libraries on this map, then make a point of visiting one in your neighborhood.
Houzz user Lore Patterson has three Little Free Libraries within walking distance of her home on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound off Seattle — including the one shown here, which is conveniently located in a plant nursery with a cafe and bakery.
Houzzers Share Their Little Free Libraries
With more than 50,000 of these book-sharing boxes worldwide, chances are there’s at least one near you. If you’re not sure, search for Little Free Libraries on this map, then make a point of visiting one in your neighborhood.
Houzz user Lore Patterson has three Little Free Libraries within walking distance of her home on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound off Seattle — including the one shown here, which is conveniently located in a plant nursery with a cafe and bakery.
Houzzers Share Their Little Free Libraries
8. Be a Backyard Scientist
Many wildlife-monitoring programs rely on citizen scientists to help collect much-needed data on all sorts of creatures, including nesting and migrating birds, native bees and monarch butterflies. Participating in a project can be a great way to learn more about the wildlife in your backyard, and it’s a wonderful way to experience nature with kids. Here are a few projects to consider taking part in:
Many wildlife-monitoring programs rely on citizen scientists to help collect much-needed data on all sorts of creatures, including nesting and migrating birds, native bees and monarch butterflies. Participating in a project can be a great way to learn more about the wildlife in your backyard, and it’s a wonderful way to experience nature with kids. Here are a few projects to consider taking part in:
- NestWatch and Project FeederWatch help you monitor activity in (you guessed it) backyard bird nests and feeders.
- Learn to ID bumblebee species with Bumble Bee Watch.
- Help monitor dragonflies, ladybugs and fireflies with The Xerces Society.
- Work with Monarch Watch and Monarch Joint Venture to tag monarch butterflies in late summer as they migrate south to central Mexico for winter.
9. Research Your Home or Neighborhood History
If you live in an older home, chances are you’ve wondered about who might have lived in it before you. Why not beat the heat and head to a cool local library to research your home’s history? You may be able to find historical information — or even photographs — of your neighborhood, street or house. Compile what you find into a binder or document to save for future owners (or future generations).
10. Take a Portrait of Your House
In the busyness of everyday life, it’s easy to overlook how unique and meaningful your home is to you. Years from now, whether you still live in your home or have moved on to another place (and no matter if you own or rent), it may be rewarding to have a record of your home life today. Take a few shots of the exterior from across the street, plus any special interior details such as your children’s height marks on a door frame. If you or someone in your home has artistic inclinations, a drawing or watercolor would be an especially meaningful keepsake.
See how to take better photos of your house
If you live in an older home, chances are you’ve wondered about who might have lived in it before you. Why not beat the heat and head to a cool local library to research your home’s history? You may be able to find historical information — or even photographs — of your neighborhood, street or house. Compile what you find into a binder or document to save for future owners (or future generations).
10. Take a Portrait of Your House
In the busyness of everyday life, it’s easy to overlook how unique and meaningful your home is to you. Years from now, whether you still live in your home or have moved on to another place (and no matter if you own or rent), it may be rewarding to have a record of your home life today. Take a few shots of the exterior from across the street, plus any special interior details such as your children’s height marks on a door frame. If you or someone in your home has artistic inclinations, a drawing or watercolor would be an especially meaningful keepsake.
See how to take better photos of your house
11. Participate in a House Swap
Unlike renting out your home, house swapping is a simple trade: You stay in someone else’s house while they stay in yours. If you’d love to squeeze in a trip before the summer is over but would also love to save money, house swapping could be a good fit. And if you live in a small, off-the-beaten-track town, don’t assume no one wants to swap houses with you — people with family or business in the area might be looking for a place to stay.
How to Prepare Your House for a Home Swap
Unlike renting out your home, house swapping is a simple trade: You stay in someone else’s house while they stay in yours. If you’d love to squeeze in a trip before the summer is over but would also love to save money, house swapping could be a good fit. And if you live in a small, off-the-beaten-track town, don’t assume no one wants to swap houses with you — people with family or business in the area might be looking for a place to stay.
How to Prepare Your House for a Home Swap
12. Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseid meteor shower will be visible each night from July 23 to August 20, but its peak (with the most meteors per hour) will probably be the night between August 12 and 13. To get the best view, head for a less-populated area after dark and spread out blankets so you can gaze at the sky. And if you miss the Perseids, any night in summer is a great time to go stargazing.
Tell us: What are you doing for fun this summer?
More
Simple Pleasures: Savor a Starry Evening
How to Grow Your Own Cocktail Garden
A Quick-Start Guide to Bird-Watching for Fun and Learning
Browse fire pits
The Perseid meteor shower will be visible each night from July 23 to August 20, but its peak (with the most meteors per hour) will probably be the night between August 12 and 13. To get the best view, head for a less-populated area after dark and spread out blankets so you can gaze at the sky. And if you miss the Perseids, any night in summer is a great time to go stargazing.
Tell us: What are you doing for fun this summer?
More
Simple Pleasures: Savor a Starry Evening
How to Grow Your Own Cocktail Garden
A Quick-Start Guide to Bird-Watching for Fun and Learning
Browse fire pits
Aside from purchasing the staghorn fern and a bit of sphagnum moss (both available at most nurseries), you may already have most of the supplies needed for this project. Make one or more for yourself this summer, and if it goes well, you’ll have a road-tested DIY gift ready to repeat when the holidays roll around.
How to Put the New ‘It’ Plant on Display