60 Days of Summer 2010

Celebrate summer with our 60 ideas, guaranteed to brighten up every day of the season!

Using cardboard, collected shells, and our house and roof templates, you can create a charming seaside bungalow.

How to Make the Shell House

See More Shell Crafts

With so many styles of shades on the rack, how can you tell which pair will flatter your face? Take our quick quiz to find out which shape suits you best.

Take the Sunglasses Quiz

How to Make a Soothing Summer Eye Treatment

Sew different patterns of bright fabric ribbon around rolled napkins for a one-of-a-kind table setting.

How to Make the Napkin Rings

Make Pasta Salad for Your Picnic

Set up this beautifully simple centerpiece in minutes. All you need is a cheese board, votives, and some floating flowers.

How to Make the Floating Centerpiece

See More Summer Centerpieces

Wow your Independence Day guests with a star-spangled cake covered in berries.

How to Make the American Flag Cheesecake

More Patriotic Desserts

Want to illuminate your table? Group spider mums of different colors together in vases for a dazzling display.

How to Make the Fiery Flowers Display

See More Summer Centerpieces

Covered in chocolate and sprinkles, these sparklers will light up your Fourth of July celebration, in- or outdoors.

How to Make the Pretzel Sparklers

Try One of Our Fourth of July Crafts

Leave it to Martha to show you how the perfect spot for summer games is right outside your door.

Learn Martha's Favorite Backyard Games

60 More Ways to Relax

Summer is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby or skill. But which one's right for you? Take our quiz to find out.

Which Hobby Is Right for You?

Show Us What You Do for Fun in the Summer

Every state boasts something special, whether it's wild Maine blueberries, gorgeous Hawaiian waterfalls, or a special state fair. Showcase your regional favorites by uploading a photo of something that's uniquely American to you.

Upload a Photo of Your Local Favorites

See What Others Have Submitted

Transform a plain baseball or sailor hat into a festive beach accessory for young ones using our island, shark, or lobster templates.

How to Make Kids' Summer Hats

Get More Beach Ideas

Unsightly sticks and flags look like trespassers in your herbs. Instead, make tags using flat stones that look as though they belong in your landscape.

How to Make the Stone Plant Markers

60 Great Ideas for the Garden

Start the day off right with a cool vanilla, plum, and buttermilk breakfast treat.

How to Make the Smoothie

More Refreshing Summer Drinks

A refreshing spritz of fragrant water is a great way to keep cool in summer. To create sprays, simply fill mist bottles with water and a few strips of julienned cucumber or sprigs of lavender and mint. Label bottles, and set them on a tray at your next backyard barbecue.

Bonus: Cucumber is known for its hydrating properties, and lavender and mint are reputed insect repellents.

See More Summer Good Things

Put fresh basil to use by blending it with olive oil and drizzling over your favorite summer appetizers.

How to Make the Basil-Infused Oil

Get Our Best Summer Appetizers

Enjoy an outdoor meal on a warm evening with summer's freshest food and your best friends.

See the Menu

20 More Summer Menus

Give kids a fresh, new bag for the summer -- you can even coordinate it with their bathing suit. Ours is washable and lined with water-resistant nylon, and it takes only an hour to complete.

How to Make the Beach Bag

Get Summer Organizing Tips

Prepare to picnic in style with our 20 ideas for blankets, utensil holders, bottle wraps, and more!

See Our Picnic Craft Ideas

Delicious Picnic Sandwich Recipes

Whether you're trekking across the country or staying close to home, stop by one of the 360 private gardens taking part in this year's Garden Conservancy Open Days program.

Find a Private Garden Near You

See 60 Great Ideas for Your Garden

From water-gun fights to beach-inspired art, you keep proving that there's no end to the number of ways you can have summer fun.

21 Fun Activities to Try This Summer

What Do You Do for Summer Fun?

Add some color to your family's summer wardrobe with fun and easy fabric dye.

How to Make the Dyed Sneakers

60 Summer Crafts

Want to know more about the treasures you find this summer -- including what they're worth? Upload a photo of your flea market or yard sale find with a detailed description of the item; we'll pick three readers at random to receive a 15-minute consultation with a Martha Stewart Living Collecting editor, plus a one-year subscription to the magazine!

Upload a Photo for a Chance to Win

Bargaining Tips and Renovation Projects

Add a cool splash of color and taste to your favorite summer drinks with fruity ice cubes. Just drop combinations of fresh berries, mint leaves, ginger bits, and strips of citrus zest into empty ice cube trays. Add water to trays and freeze.

Get Our Favorite Summer Drink Recipes

Everyone knows a party doesn't really begin until the music starts! Listen to an iMix of our favorite outdoor party songs, then add them to your summer playlist.

Get Our Party Playlist

60 Outdoor Party Ideas

The summer sun casts its light on many things -- including artwork. Use everyday objects as stencils to make shining images to hang in your home.

How to Make Sun Print Art

More Summer Activities for Kids

Are you ready to test your seasonal smarts? Take our quiz to find out your summer trivia IQ.

Start the Quiz

See Our 60 Favorite Summer Good Things

Gather your closest friends for an intimate lakeside dinner. Create a charming table setting with a faded tablecloth and a beautiful centerpiece.

Get Our Lakeside Dinner Menu 

How to Make a Faded Tablecloth

Few animals are as theatrical as birds. Why not grab your binoculars and enjoy the show? Whether you're traveling to a nearby park or simply exploring the backyard with your kids, here's how to begin identifying your winged neighbors.

Take Your Family on a Birdwatching Adventure

Enjoy the Outdoors on a Walking Tour

Put summer's best fruit to use with these deliciously cool treats.

How to Make the Tie-Dye Ice Pops

60 More Ice Cream Treats

From rope swings to balance beams, a backyard full of exciting challenges will keep kids active and entertained on a summer afternoon.

How to Make an Obstacle Course

More Summer Activities for Kids

Who needs a tote bag? Make a simple leash for your yoga or exercise mat, and it'll be easy to throw over your shoulder.

How to Make a Leash for Your Yoga Mat

Take Your Yoga Routine Outdoors

These botanical motifs, cut like paper snowflakes, pay tribute to Hawaiian quilts and instantly brighten up any room.

How to Make Rice Paper Wall Art

Get 60 Summer Decorating Ideas

Pretty and practical, these surface protectors were made by weaving together strips of dyed ticking fabric.

How to Make Braided Trivets

60 More Summer Crafts

There's no better way to cool off than with a refreshing, easy-to-make strawberry-basil iced tea.

How to Make Strawberry Iced Tea

See More Summer Drink Recipes

Add whimsy, color, and a hint of summer's bounty to plain white kids' clothing and sneakers -- or to a tote bag or note cards for yourself -- with stamped blueberry patterns made with wine corks.

How to Make Easy Blueberry Stamps

See Our 60 Favorite Summer Good Things

Bring the beach into the house by decorating pillows with printed shells and sea stars.

How to Make the Seashell Pillows

See More Shell Crafts

If you're feeling adventurous, why not grab your outdoor-inclined friends for a mini bike tour? With a little preparation, just about anyone can appreciate the rewards of two-wheel travel.

Plan a Bike Tour

How to Fix a Flat Bike Tire

Summer's in full swing, but are you enjoying it to the max? Find out whether you're still holding on to stress or if you've mastered the art of relaxation.

Take the Quiz

60 Ways to Relax

A store-bought linen robe promises a relaxing weekend morning in island style. You can add a Hawaiian-inspired design with this easy applique project.

How to Applique a Flower onto Your Robe

Enjoy a Spa Getaway -- At Home

Take advantage of a sunny day by planning, preparing, and packing a portable meal with your children.

How to Make an Easy Kids' Picnic Lunch

See Our Picnic Sandwich Recipes

Paint terra-cotta pots in bright colors that complement their contents.

How to Make the Painted Pots

60 Great Ideas for the Garden

There's no need to pack your bags. You can bring the Mediterranean right into your backyard with a cocktail party inspired by the small dishes of France, Italy, Spain, and Greece.

Get Our Mediterranean-Inspired Menu

See Our Favorite Summer Appetizers

How creative can your kids get with a box of popsicle sticks? Make a tree house, a candy shop, or a sailboat -- the possibilities are endless!

How to Make Popsicle Stick Crafts

60 More Ways to Keep the Kids Entertained

On a hot day, enjoy our chilled corn and shrimp soup, which only takes 20 minutes to prepare.

How to Make the Cold Corn Soup

More No-Cook Summer Recipes

An avid hiker, Martha's trekked around the world and right at home in Maine. Before you plan an outdoor trip or day hike, see Martha's tips for successful outings.

See Martha's Top 10 Hiking Tips

Martha's Maine Travel Guide

Would you say you're more of an ice cream sandwich? Or perhaps a berry tart? Find out which delicious sweet best fits your personality.

Take the Quiz

See Our Favorite Blueberry Dessert Recipes

This postage stamp art project is a perfect summer activity to do with the kids. All you need to get started are postage stamps, paper, and glue!

How to Make Stamp Art

See 60 More Summer Activities for Kids

Turn your backyard into a fun-filled fair with old-fashioned games, prizes, and tasty carnival staples.

How to Throw a Carnival Party

More Summer Activities for Kids

No matter what your age, building a castle at the beach can be buckets of fun. Here's how to help your child make the sand castle of his dreams.

Build a Perfect Sand Castle

See 60 More Beach Ideas

Even if you haven't had a chance to hit the road yet, you can still test your smarts in our road-trip-themed trivia challenge.

Take the Quiz

Share Local Favorites from Your State

Carve out an hour (or two!) for a relaxing soak in the bath. For added luxury, make your own fragrant tea balls infused with your favorite scents.

How to Make Fragrant Tea Balls

More Ways to Create an At-Home Spa

Get refreshed on a hot summer day with a homemade wine punch full of berries.

How to Make Rose Sangria

Get 60 More Summer Drinks

Display your beachcombing finds by filling a picture frame or scrapbox with seashells and other interesting discoveries.

How to Frame Your Collections

25 More Ideas for Shells

You don't need to go to a campground to enjoy a night under the stars! Gather the kids, a tent, and some warm sleeping bags and enjoy a magical night around the campfire.

Throw a Kids' Campfire Party in Your Backyard

How to Make S'mores and Star-Topped Sticks

Don't miss out on summer's greatest treats. Celebrate the season with a quick and easy dessert.

How to Make Vanilla-Roasted Peaches

Get 40 More Stone Fruit Recipes

Bring your kids' favorites to life with crispy cake creatures decorated in candy.

How to Make Crunchy Critter Treats

Get 60 Berry Dessert Recipes

Whether you've traveled near or far this summer, put your vacation adventures on prominent display by creating a map memory board that traces where you've been.

How to Make a Map Memory Board

More Summer Memory-Keeping Ideas

Take advantage of late summer's tomato varieties by bringing together a group of family or friends for a day of tasting. Using easy-to-make rating cards, guests can jot down their thoughts on flavor and texture.

Get Our Tomato Party Ideas

See Our Favorite Summer Side Dishes