Sears Delivers Insider Tips on Affordable Outdoor Entertaining

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is prime time for many people to use their outdoor spaces-deck, patio or balcony-to provide extended living spaces for their home. Just as millions of Americans plan to head outdoors to celebrate the Fourth of July, Sears launches two new blogs: Grilling is Happiness and Sears Outdoor Style to offer tips, trends and advice on getting the most out of their outdoor entertaining areas. Experts from the blogs share ways to entertain and create a dream deck, patio or balcony on any budget.

"Enjoying nature in a relaxed atmosphere without worrying about spills and expensive meals makes entertaining outdoors so easy and affordable," said Seth Stevens, Sears Outdoor Living designer. "With so much of our day spent indoors, we wanted to create communities where people convene, share and celebrate their experiences around outdoor entertaining. Both Sears blogs do exactly that."

The new Sears Outdoor Style blog showcases tips and trends from those who live and breathe outdoor living on a daily basis. With posts from the Sears Outdoor Living design team and celebrity guest bloggers like Ty Pennington and George Hirsch, this blog provides readers with insider information such as the latest buzz-worthy items, tips on buying outdoor furniture, and videos showing off exclusive designs, plus how-to vignettes. 

In addition to the Outdoor Style blog, Sears also launches the Grilling is Happiness blog– an online community aimed at uniting novice and expert grillers with inspiring recipes and advice. The blog collects the best outdoor entertaining tips and information to make every cookout a great one. From grilling unique items such as French toast and desserts to finding the right grill to fit your needs, this blog delivers good food, good feelings and good times associated with grilling.

Affordable Alfresco Spaces

Big impact can come with a small price tag. Bloggers from Sears Outdoor Style and Grilling Is Happiness provide the following tips to live it up in the great outdoors without breaking the bank:

• Bring the outdoors in: All-weather wicker is great for both outdoor and indoor entertaining. It's not only durable, but is more cost effective than indoor pieces and has the added benefit of greater functionality. Many consumers use all-weather wicker as accent pieces in bedrooms, hallways and more.
• Give a little cushion: To stretch your dollar, simply update current outdoor furniture with replacement cushions versus buying a whole new set. 
• Made in the shade:Gazebos, pergolas and umbrellas not only look beautiful, but offer a great respite from the sun's rays. Think they cost a fortune? Think again. Sears sells a simple gazebo at $179 and pergolas starting at $270.
• Found beauty:  Accent your areas by grouping found objects from outings. Fill multiple jars with sand and shells from beach days to create instant chic and great conversation pieces.
• Light the way: Great lighting sets the mood for any space. Inexpensive votive candles can really make an impact when grouped together. White string lights create a cafe feel and are now available as solar-powered versions in fun shapes like butterflies and ladybugs.  
• Chip away at the ordinary: Get beyond chips and salsa.Popcorn is a fun, healthy snack that creates great aroma when cooked on the grill. Mixed with spicy grilled jalapeno, it gives an outdoor gathering a festive kick that is budget friendly.
• Deliver a world of flavor: Think tapas or kebabs for your next backyard bash. Tapas are small plates that focus on quality rather than quantity to offer a variety of unique dishes. Kebabs allow for a colorful mix of veggies with steak, chicken, pork or seafood served. Consider serving the kebabs with seasoned couscous for an impressive all-in-one dish. 

"Because outdoor entertaining is innately casual, you can get really creative and do a lot with relatively minimal cost," said lifestyle TV host, author and Grilling is Happiness & Sears Outdoor Style contributor George Hirsch. "Presentation is king. All you need is a good grill, freshly prepared ingredients, comfortable furniture, simple stylish touches and most importantly, great company to truly enjoy your outdoor living space." 

Sears Patio Advantage
Sears is the one-stop shop to create the stylish and functional patio of one's dreams. The breadth and depth of Sears outdoor living products include a selection of exclusive brands like Kenmore, Ty Pennington Style, Simply Outdoors and more. Sears outdoor living products are developed by professional design teams to offer the latest styles and highest quality. For a complete line of the Sears outdoor offering, visit www.sears.com/outdoorcatalog.

• Free in-store assembly and free online shipping for grills and patio furniture enable customers to enjoy spending more time outdoors. Earn points for every purchase to use toward future purchases with Shop Your Way Rewards.
• Free Delivery* on any patio set over $249 or grill over $399

Enter the Sears Grilling is Happiness Sweepstakes
Celebrate summer with Sears and win great prizes. Enter the Sears Grilling is Happiness sweepstakes** on Facebook for the chance to win a Kenmore or Hamilton Beach grill, grill accessories, and the Grand Prize, a trip for four to a professional baseball game and a grill. Learn more at www.sears.com/grillingishappiness or enter on the Sears Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sears.

(*) Free standard delivery (a $69.99 value) on purchases in-store and featured online. Purchases on any patio set over $249 or grill over $399 over after discounts and coupons through 7/7/12. Standard delivery includes delivery within the local delivery area Monday through Friday and delivery not requiring addition services or time.  Customer pays a charge for non-standard delivery.  Excludes Outlet Stores. See store associate for details.

(**) "No purchase necessary. A purchase does not increase your chances of winning. Sweepstakes ends 7/7/12. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of the forty-eight (48) contiguous United States and the District of Columbia who are aged 18 or older at the time of entry. Void in Alaska, Hawaii, outside the United States and where prohibited. Sweepstakes subject to complete official rules available at www.facebook.com/sears or www.ShopYourWay.com."  

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services and  is part of ShopYourWay, a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com.  Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,000 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes over 810 Full-line and more than 1,270 specialty stores in the U.S.   Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S.  The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

Contact Information:
Larry Costello
Sears Holdings Corp.
(847) 286-9036
Larry.Costello@searshc.com

Eileen Earley
Zeno Group for Sears
(312) 396-9796
Eileen.Earley@zenogroup.com

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.