Give some character to your outdoor area this summer, in an affordable and eco-friendly way. Here are some tips:

* An old, scratched up bundt pan makes a fun planter that fits around the center of your picnic table umbrella. With a hammer and nail, punch a couple of drainage holes on the bottom. Decorate the outside of the pan with metal paints, markers, or old scraps of wallpaper. Plant a few colorful blooming annuals and drop your umbrella down the center of the planter (and the table), and you’ve got an inexpensive centerpiece that doesn’t take up any room on the table.

* Old, bent, mismatched silverware and some fishing line comes together to make a unique wind chime. If you have a drill, you can drill holes in the handles of each piece of silverware and hang them at different lengths (but close enough to knock together) from a branch or awning rail. If you don’t have a drill, use pliers to bend the spoons and forks so that you can tie them up with the fishing line. Try adding an old silver ladle, twisted pickle fork, and a holloware butter knife for a variety of chimes!

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The mats are washable (just run them under a hose), reversible, and really comfy underfoot. The flat weave and soft tubular threads won’t mildew or stain. I’ve had one on my sun-soaked deck in Los Angeles for nearly five years, and it hasn’t faded one bit (ah, the upside of plastic’s longevity!).

Available in a variety of colors and patterns. Small (4′x6′) is $45; Medium (5′x8′) is $89, Large (6′x9′) is $110, and Runners (30 in. wide, and 7′ to 8′ long, depending on pattern) are $45. All available at www.pot-ted.com (323.665.3801).

(Photo courtesy of Mary Gray)