How To Create A Cozy Backyard Fall Fire Pit

 *This post is sponsored by Duraflame. 


During the fall, our weekends revolve around our kids and their "Friday Night Lights". This time of year we miss our weekend trips up to the Blog Cabin. However, we also enjoy every last minute of our football schedules that keep us anchored at home. Last weekend, I decided it was time to bring a little bit of the up north, deep woods, cabin feeling to our neighborhood back yard. With a little help from my friends at Duraflame, I'm going to show you how I threw together a cozy backyard fall fire pit setting with deep woods feels.

Before I get into the details, click on the video below to watch it come together...

My goal was to create a romantic, fall inspired gathering area where my family could meet up at night after the football games and late night practices commenced. I set the scene with comfortable chairs and some indoor elements to bring a sense of comfort and coziness. A couple light throw blankets and soft toss pillows from the living room did the trick.

A stack of large hay bails from my local farmer not only looked "fallish" but made really nice outdoor "end tables". Keeping safety in mind, I kept them far enough away from the fire pit that we wouldn't have to worry. 

I brought out a couple lanterns and filled them with coffee beans, battery operated LED Candles and bright red and orange leaves. A stack of pumpkins, a few small mums and a couple of large kale plants I picked up at the local nursery look so pretty and festive against fallen leaves and the woods in the background. To illuminate the area, I hung a few strands outdoor lights in the trees. 

To keep the fire starting and ending processes nice and simple, I opted for Duraflame's Crackleflame logs as opposed to real wood. After a long week I wanted the fire to start quick and painlessly. The Crackleflame logs gave out plenty of light and heat as you will see in just a moment. They are so easy to work with and the fire usually lasts about three hours. 

After using the Crackleflame logs, I decided I'm a huge fan. The packaging and the logs themselves are small and compact, but the fire is not! It's just right! And, when lit, the logs produce soothing crackling sound that is so authentic.

Take a look at some of the night time shots I snapped...

You can see that the fire was just the right size. It was big enough to keep us toasty warm, but not so big that we couldn't sit close. 

I think the best part about a Duraflame Crackleflame fire is the lack of bellowing smoke that usually accompanies a real wood fire. 

For the next few weeks, until we are able to make it back up to the Blog Cabin, you'll be able to find us in the back yard around the fire pit.

Stop by for a S'more and a glass of wine!

Back to the Design Studio, until the weekend that is! Then, you'll find me in the backyard. 

I currently have openings for new Online Design Projects (E-Design). If you're interested in getting started on a room makeover in your home, please click here to make your reservation.

*I acknowledge that Duraflame is partnering with me to participate in this campaign. As a part of the campaign, I'm receiving compensation and products. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Our First Camp Fire At The Blog Cabin With Duraflame Logs

This post is sponsored by Duraflame. 

It's been a busy summer and I've really been missing The Blog Cabin. This week, I decided to pack up the Design Studio and my youngest son and take them with me to the Northern Woods. During the day, I've been working away on some really exciting online design projects, and in the evening, Max and I have been crossing projects off the Cabin Makeover To-Do List. Last night, we decided to take a break and have my sister and my nephews up for a campfire.  

It was the first campfire since the Fire Pit Makeover my boys and I completed a few weeks ago. If you missed that post, we created a beautiful brand new fire pit in one day for less than $100. You can read about it HERE. I decided that Christening the new fire pit was a pretty exciting moment and should be celebrated. I ran into town and grabbed everything we needed for a perfect summer evening around the fire...

S'mores, Sparklers, Citronella Candles, Mason Jar Cocktails, and Sorry!

When my sister and the boys arrived, I quickly snapped a picture of them before they inevitably became covered in dirt, marshmallows and chocolate. I wanted to have a picture to commemorate this special day. This is the start of many years of campfires around the new fire pit and I wanted to remember the moment. 

(My son Max and Nephews Jax and Jet).

After the photo shoot, we headed to the back yard to get the fire started. But first, the boys had to extract the frogs that recently made our fire pit their digs. 

Once the frogs were set free, I started the fire using Duraflame Roasting Logs. This was my first experience with Duraflame logs and I couldn't believe how simple they were to use. Sometimes having a big fire with real wood can be a daunting task, but these logs seriously made it so easy. All I had to do was place them in the fire pit and light the packaging on fire with a lighter. Within a few minutes we had a roaring fire. The logs were lightweight and compact which made them very easy to travel with. 

When I first saw how light and compact they were, I was skeptical that they would produce a fire large and hot enough to cook over. However, after the fire was lit, I could see that using a stack of four logs gave out plenty of heat and enough intensity to roast marshmallows and s'mores over a warm, crackling, glowing fire. One thing I really appreciated about the Duraflame log fire was the lack of a bellowing smoke cloud that can make a traditional wood log fire less enjoyable.

My Mom suggested we try a new S'more recipe using Reese Peanut Butter Cups instead of Hershey Bars...

Five sticky thumbs up, Mom!

According to My Sister, Max and Jax, the first fire at The Blog Cabin Fire Pit was a huge success. According to Jet, a third S'more would have made it perfect...

Thanks for letting me share our first campfire adventure with you. Thank you to Duraflame for sponsoring our Fire Pit Makeover and for providing a supply of Duraflame supplies to last through our first summer at The Blog Cabin. 

To see more projects featured in The Blog Cabin Makeover Series, Please Click on the links below:

Introducing The Blog Cabin Series

The First Project at The Blog Cabin-The Bed

The Blog Cabin Living Room Makeover

The Blog Cabin Dining Room

Installing New Laminate Floors at The Blog Cabin 

DIY Firepit In One Day For Less Than $100

Our First Campfire at The Blog Cabin 

We currently have openings for new Online Design Projects (E-Design). If you're interested in getting started on a room makeover in your home, please click here to make your reservation.

*This post is sponsored by Duraflame. I received compensation and product to facilitate this post. All opinions are completely honest and 100% my own. 

DIY Fire Pit Makeover in One Day For Less Than $100

This post is sponsored by Duraflame.

On my most recent visit to The Blog Cabin, I took the kids along to help me with some yard work. When we got there, they asked if we could have a camp fire at night like we used to when they were little and we spent our summers at the cabin. I checked out the old fire pit and decided it needed some work before we could safely have a fire. (Click here if you're wondering what The Blog Cabin Project is all about). 

It hadn't been used in years and wasn't in good condition...

(Before)

(Before)

The sad look on their faces prompted me to move the "Fireplace Makeover" to the top of the "Cabin Makeover Project To-Do List". If we're going to be there working on the weekends, we may as well have a little fun at night around the fire. My goal for the fire pit makeover was to keep it simple and budget friendly. I wanted to use what was already there and just improve upon it. The new fire pit had to be easy to put together. Time is of the essence with every project at the cabin due to the travel time back and forth and my busy day job. I allowed myself one day to get the job done. And, it was just me and my boys (ages thirteen and ten) there to do the work. 

Are you ready to see what we came up with?

Here is what me and the boys created in one day with less than $100...

(After)

Here's a look behind the scenes look at how this simple fire pit makeover came together ...

My little guy Max started us out by cleaning out the ashes and debris from the old fire ring. After it was clean, we decided to continue digging to make the hole for the logs a little deeper. At this point in the process, we decided the best part of working on projects at The Blog Cabin, is that we can do them in our PJ's! The squirrels up there don't seem to mind.  

Once the hole was prepped, I grabbed a can of high heat grill spray paint and applied two coats to the old metal ring for a fresh new look.  

 I ordered one ton of rocks to be delivered by the local landscape supply company. They were waiting for us when we arrived, however they, were waiting for us at the end of the driveway. Luckily, we had an old wheel barrow up there and we used it to move the rocks, three at time down the driveway and into the back yard. This was the most time consuming part of the process, but it gave myself and my boys (both wrestlers) a good workout. We placed the largest rocks around the ring first. Once we had a pleasing shape we layered on the small rocks. 

After all the rocks were in place, I filled in the ring with pea rock to create a nice, new base for firewood. I also surrounded the base of the new fire pit with a ring of pea rock to create a safe transition between the fire pit and the grass. 

It was tempting to run into town and buy new chairs for our new fire pit. Instead, I decided to stay true to my goal of keeping this project budget friendly using what we had. The old rusty chairs that were there had definitely seen better days, but they weren't completely gone. We gave them a second lease on life by scrubbing away the rust with a wire brush and spray painting them in a pretty green color with rust protection paint. 

The new green chairs blend into the scenery nicely, letting the new fire pit be the star of the show. We decided our first fire at The Blog Cabin will be a special event. We'll be heading back to the cabin in July and will celebrate the resurrection of the old fire pit with friends and family!

Here's the breakdown on the project cost...

One Ton of Rocks $65
Spray Paint $10
Pea Rock $20

My friends at Duraflame offered to sponsor this project and also sent me a box of goodies for our
very first fire pit party! Stay tuned, I'll be sharing the event right here on the blog!

 To see more posts in The Blog Cabin Series, please click here:

Introducing The Blog Cabin Series

The First Project at The Blog Cabin-The Bed

The Blog Cabin Living Room Makeover

The Blog Cabin Dining Room

Installing New Laminate Floors at The Blog Cabin 

DIY Firepit In One Day For Less Than $100

Our First Campfire at The Blog Cabin 

We currently have openings for new Online Design Projects (E-Design). If you're interested in getting started on a room makeover in your home, please click here to make your reservation.

*Duraflame provided me with compensation to facilitate this post.