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Thursday, July 20, 2000; Page H07

Don't give up on the outdoor season just yet. Get out there and entertain with easy style. Need some fresh ideas? Take your marching orders from pros who know how to set the stage for a Mid-Summer Night's Dream of a Party.

CHILL OUT

The nicest party accessories, like the nicest guests, stick around to help out after everyone else has gone home. So when you're looking for a way to keep drinks cold, consider containers that can do double duty.

One playful possibility is a little red wagon filled with ice: Load 'em up, move 'em out. When the party's over, you can give the wagon back to the child you borrowed it from. Or use it to haul tools and mulch around the garden. Our model, from StrosnidersHardware in Bethesda, has pneumatic tires, making it all the easier to keep the good times rolling ($119.99). The same model with regular rubber wheels is $69.99 (301-654-5688).

And as long as you're out in the garden, how about making a beverage bar out of a giant flower pot? Party tonight, plant tomorrow. This one, from American Plant Food in Bethesda, looks like terra cotta, but it's made of lightweight, easy-to-move, weather-resistant resin ($101.99; 301-656-3311).

Or just look around your house for other containers that can turn into temporary cold storage. Like this translucent blue plastic tub by Authentics from the Container Store in Rockville, that can go back the day after to holding magazines or rolled bath towels. ($12.99; 301-770-4800).

At that price, get two and use one--lined with a plastic bag--for the garbage pail guests are always looking for.

-- Belle Elving

LIGHTEN UP

Nothing sets the stage for a party quite like lighting. "It's a summer party at night. It should be an event," says McLean designer Carol Lascaris.

One way to illuminate the scene, she says, is to to put spotlights in the trees. "You get a ladder and lots of outdoor extension cords and hang small spots--available at most lighting stores--from the branches. It's really very effective, and it's not that hard." (Dominion Electric in Arlington sells a low-voltage downlight for $75; 703-536-4400.)

An even easier trick is to bring inside lamps outside. A torchiere or two pressed into outdoor service can add just the party glow you're after, she says. (But make sure you get them under cover quickly should it start to rain.)

And don't forget candles. "You can take any low bowl, perhaps terra cotta, fill it with water and put in floating candles. It's a great look," says Lascaris.

In fact, candles can float just about anywhere: How about in the birdbath? Ours are from Pier 1: floating citronella candles, $3 for a box of four; floating flower candles, $2.50 each.

When it comes to little votive candles, the more the merrier. They're cheap enough to buy by the dozen (a box of 12 votives is $10 at Pier 1 stores; a bag of 30 lilac tea lights is $3). Scatter them around the patio or along a walkway in clear glasses or bowls (keeping clear of fire hazards, of course.)

Another light touch, says Lascaris, are torches that burn citronella oil. "I like the bamboo torches you get at Pier 1. They are wonderful fun." (Torches, $5, and citronella oil, $4 at Pier 1 in Alexandria, 703-548-7478.)

Other sources have more expensive variations on the theme, like the handsome five-foot-tall, copper torches from www.garden.com for $50 each.

And don't forget those strings of clear or multicolored pinlights you might have packed away with the Christmas decorations. Bring a few strings of lights out from storage and drape them around trees and potted plants for the festivities. Or pick up new ones: A box of 105 clear mini-lights is $4.49 at Frank's Nursery and Crafts in Laurel--50 percent off the $9.99 winter price (301-725-3200).

-- Annie Groer

BUZZ OFF

Mosquitoes, tiny as they are, have a way of taking the fun out of summer evenings in the garden. Thoughtful party givers hoping to prevent guests from becoming hosts often keep some repellent such as Deet nearby. But for those who find these products smelly and oily--hardly an enhancement to the festive atmosphere--there are other remedies, some remarkably high-tech, others delightfully primitive.

Herb expert Holly Shimizu, of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, notes that early American Indians gathered the leaves of an annual herb, American pennyroyal, before hunting trips to rub over their skin to ward off insects. The plant is still effective, either applied the same way or infused in rubbing alcohol. Plants for the garden are available at Well-Sweep Herb Farm, Port Murray, N.J. (908-852-5390; $3 each plus shipping). Or try a bottle of herbal repellents that includes eucalyptus, pennyroyal, rosemary, bay oil and olive oil. Bug Off is available through Smith & Hawken stores, catalogues and Web site (www.SmithandHawken.com; 2-oz. bottle, $10).

Bug-zapping lamps promise a more decisive approach, but unfortunately they destroy almost every bug except mosquitoes--not to mention neighborhood tranquillity. Some new electronic devices developed with scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture come with praise from respected quarters. The first, by BioSensory Inc., is called Mosquito 'Cognito and it uses a chemical-emitter designed to jam the mosquito's human-seeking radar. The battery-run unit can be used alone or with a device called the Dragonfly, which lures mosquitoes by replicating gases found in human breath, and then quietly electrocutes them, the company says. Mosquito 'Cognito, available online at www.nomorebites.com, costs $29.95 (860-423-3009). The Dragonfly, about the size of a computer monitor, is sold with two Mosquito 'Cognitos for $349 and uses a carbon dioxide tank that must be refilled monthly. It will be ready for shipping later this summer, said company president James Nolen.

A rival product, also developed with USDA's help, uses similar guile to fool the mosquito and then vacuums the insects into a bag, where they die of thirst. The Mosquito Magnet, made by American Biophysics Corp., uses regular propane gas that is converted into carbon dioxide to lure the pests. About the size of a barbecue grill, the model developed for home use retails for $695. There is a waiting list for orders. Call 877-699-8727 or order on the Web at www.mosquitomagnet.com.

While you're waiting for the high-tech stuff, consider old-fashioned citronella lamps, which have repellent qualities and subtle illumination. Citronella in a Can has a lid to keep out rain between uses and is available from Crate & Barrel for $2.95 each, $17.95 for a set of six. The smaller citronella candles sell for $6.95 for a bag of 12 (800-323-5461 or www.crateandbarrel.com).

-- Adrian Higgins

BLOCK THAT SPILL

Do outdoor table manners trigger more spills? Maybe not, but just in case, it's nice to have a stylish alternative to nasty vinyl tablecloths.

One possibility is a specially treated cotton tablecloth made in France that feels like fabric but can be wiped down when the crowd gets rowdy. The cloths, in vivid sun-drenched colors and lively Provencal-inspired prints, can even be popped into the washing machine.

The 70-inch squares (other sizes, shapes and patterns are also available) are $75 at French Country Living, 10205 Colvin Run Rd., Great Falls; 703-759-2245.

If French country isn't your outdoor style, G Street Fabrics has a proposal: Choose any of their cottons--a funky lobster print, a traditional red check or maybe a vibrantly colored solid from the quilting department--and have it laminated by the G Street Custom Labor Office.

There's the cost of the fabric (summer calicos are $7 to $9 a yard, but of course the sky's the limit), plus a minimum lamination fee of $115 for up to six yards (each additional yard costs $15). A 90-inch round tablecloth made with 45-inch-wide fabric requires about 7 1/2 yards. After lamination, you're just a few seams and a hem away from a custom outdoor look.

If you don't want to drag out the sewing machine, G Street will stitch a cloth up to 120 inches long for $70 to $100. G Street Fabrics stores are in Rockville (301-231-8998), Falls Church (703-241-1700) and Centreville (703-818-8090).

-- Nancy McKeon

GIMME SHELTER

A white tent flapping gaily in the back yard is enough, all by itself, to create a party mood. And although it can cost several thousand dollars to rent a pavilion big enough to shelter a multitude, it costs only $200 or so to buy a smaller canopy or tent of your own. The bar or buffet can go beneath a 10-by-10-foot or 10-by-20-foot canopy for big parties, and it can shelter tables and chairs for a seated supper.

Shoppers may find one of these portable gazebos at mass merchandisers and outdoor stores even this late in the season. Costco warehouse stores also offer all-white canopies from $150 to $190--including a 14-foot octagon with optional mosquito net siding for $149.99.

On their own, tents can be rather stark. For a big, festive event, Washington designer Aniko Gaal Schott suggests softening the corners with giant clay pots filled with rocks and dirt and topped with boxwoods straight from the nursery--or, she says, just haul the ficus tree out of the living room. "And an inexpensive sisal carpet, right on the grass or on the veranda, creates an entity," she adds.

Designer Barry Darr Dixon says to hang an old chandelier from the peak of the tent frame, using candles instead of light bulbs, and you'll "have something you didn't have before."

Dixon cautions that the candles should be several feet below the canopy or anything that could catch on fire. You can even spray-paint the light fixture. "Or you can use one of those hanging hurricane lamps they sell at Anthropologie and Pottery Barn," he adds.

On a tent with simple pole corners, Dixon might hang canvas panels--"a white and blue stripe, or white with beige"--fabric that could also slipcover the folding chairs around the table.

-- Nancy McKeon

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