Outdoor Living Ideas for a Dallas Backyard Oasis

Posted on May 19, 2014 by dolphinpool

We love the idea of spending time outdoors with your family this summer. We have come up with a few outdoor living ideas for you to enjoy in your Dallas backyard!

Fireplace

If you don’t already have a fireplace, these are great additions to your outdoor patio or porch! Even in the summer months, they make a beautiful backdrop to entertaining. Children can enjoy making s’mores and, in the winter they are perfect for cozying up in front of!

Color

If you are looking for a simple way to really spice up your outdoor living area, simply adding pops of color can have a dramatic effect. An easy way to make a big difference is to add a large, vibrant outdoor rug. These come in many different styles. Complement the rug with fun, colorful outdoor pillows. These help to pull your look together.

Hammock

Who doesn’t love lounging outside? Add a hammock to your backyard. This is guaranteed to bring hours of relaxation! There are several different styles of hammocks, so chose the one that best fits your backyard style. We think this a great way to get that backyard oasis.

Movie Screen

Outdoor movie nights are a great family fun activity in the summer. Grab your loved ones and some popcorn and enjoy the night out… in your own back yard. You can purchase actual movie screens to project on, but if that is not in the budget, a white sheet or canvas dropcloth on the fence works well!

6 Backyard Design Ideas for Dallas Outdoor Living Spaces

Posted on February 20, 2014 by dolphinpool

Spring is coming and you know what that means: blooming flowers, sunshine and warmth. Spring also brings the opportunity to do some rethinking on the design of your backyard and the areas that surround your house. Many homeowners want to spruce up their outdoor living spaces and come with lists of subtle improvements to accomplish here and there. Yet for the really big decisions, most prefer to rely on a little expert advice. Here is a roundup of 6 different backyard design ideas for outdoor living spaces.

Backyard Design Idea #1: Outdoor Dining Area
When the sun comes out, everyone wants to spend as much time as possible outside. At night or on the weekends, an iconic summer activity is hosting an outdoor party. Imagine: you fire up the grill, roast some hot dogs and burgers, drink a few beers and chat with friends around the pool. In fact, according to HGTV, one of the most popular trends in outdoor living spaces is an elevated deck or patio. By creating a raised structure, you set yourself and the party apart from the rest of the yard. At the same time, it remains a few short steps away.

Backyard Design Idea #2: Pool Landscaping
After you fill yourself up on the grill, it is time to cool yourself off in the pool. Implementing creative pool landscaping ideas is a useful way to freshen up a refreshing experience. A lot of pool landscaping depends on the surrounding environment: options will differ from Florida to Nevada. By installing green plants and trees, you invite your guests to imagine being part of nature from the comfort of your home.

Backyard Design Idea #3: Outdoor Relaxing Area
After a dip in the pool, you might want to move over to a more relaxing, peaceful environment. Pergolas, verandas and gazebos offer exactly that opportunity. Pergolas, a shaded passageway or sitting area, provide the structure and shadow from the hot sun while at the same time giving a light and airy feel, open to the outside. A veranda, which is more like a roofed porch, allows visitors to relax in most kinds of weather conditions with the added safety from the elements. Finally, a gazebo, a covered separate pavilion, offers the chance to get away from the main house to relax with some calm and quiet.

Backyard Design Idea #4: Innovative Landscaping
One of the best ways to revamp your backyard is by implementing innovating landscape ideas. Thee are several new designs that are popular among consumers. One such idea is subtle tiers or terracing. This allows you to mix up the textures of backyard, with brick or pebble covered walkways or steps leading from one level to another.

Backyard Design Idea #5: Clever Lighting
Lighting can really enhance an outdoor living space. Install some lights in the gazebo so you can read during comfortable summer nights or put in a wall of fire next your pool to enjoy it whenever you want.

Backyard Design Idea #6: Fire Pit
Speaking of fire, nothing says summer like roasting marshmallows or singing camp songs around an open fire. Fire pits can give your outdoor living space a homey yet classy touch.

For professional pool leak detection, repair, pool cleaning, pool maintenance and service or water chemistry assistance in the Dallas area, contact Dolphin Pool Supply and Service. To find more helpful tips on caring for your pool, subscribe to our blog or find us on Facebook.

Dolphin Pool Supply & Service is a full service pool retailer serving Dallas and Flower Mound with two locations. We offer a full range of pool and spa equipment, pool and spa chemicals, pool toys and games, and Jacuzzi hot tubs. We also provide expert pool cleaning, pool maintenance and pool remodeling throughout Dallas and Fort Worth.

Get Your Pool Looking its Best for Holiday Entertaining

Posted on November 29, 2013 by dolphinpool

As you get the home ready for the holidays, don’t forget your pool! While it’s almost a certainty that no one will be jumping into your pool this December, it’s still a beautiful focal point of your home. Your pool says a lot about your property, and your friends and family will no doubt want the full tour. You can avoid the embarrassment of a dirty or murky pool by preparing in advance.

Annual Servicing and Maintenance

Annual servicing is the perfect time to identify any problems with your pool and get them corrected. Maintenance is extremely important to ensure that there isn’t anything wrong with your pool that you may not have noticed, such as cracked or chipped tiles or issues with the filtration system. By maintaining your pool, you help protect its structural integrity.

Changing Filters and Balancing Chemicals

Without the proper chemicals within your pool, your pool may get taken over by bacterial growth and other unsettling intruders. Changing the filters is also an ideal way to prepare your pool and make sure that it’s perfect when the spring and summer roll around.

Pool Cleaning Services

If your pool hasn’t been cleaned in a while, it can be very difficult to clean it yourself. Leaves, dirt and other items can easily get caught in a pool, especially if it hasn’t been in use. Our professional pool technicians can clean your pool quickly and leave it in a condition that will be far easier for you to maintain on your own.

Not only is a clean and maintained pool more attractive, but it’s also better for the pool itself. Pools need to be maintained throughout the year as preventative maintenance. An improperly balanced pool or a pool that is not properly winterized may become damaged and require expensive repairs or resurfacing come the summer months.

Holiday Pool Lighting

Are you decorating your home for Christmas? Why not include your pool? Ask our service department about custom lighting options that can make your pool festive for the season. With green and red pool lights, Santa is sure to stop by!

Dolphin Pool Supply and Service Pool Maintenance

For professional pool leak detection, repair, pool cleaning, pool maintenance and service or water chemistry assistance in the Dallas area, contact Dolphin Pool Supply and Service. To find more helpful tips on caring for your pool, subscribe to our blog or find us on Facebook.

How to Use Your Dallas Swimming Pool This Fall

Posted on October 30, 2013 by dolphinpool

The temperature outside may begin to drop as fall approaches, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to shut down your Dallas swimming pool for the year. Your pool can be used year ‘round for a number of different activities.

Get Active

Why not extend the life of your pool and go for a swim this fall? Get the heater going for those chillier October days and continue to use your pool before the temperatures dip closer to the freezing point.

Not a fan of swimming? Then those looking to get a bit of exercise can easily do their very own “aqua-size” or aquatic exercises in the privacy of their backyard. You can use a number of things that you likely already have on hand to enhance your water workout (such as a pool noodle or a milk carton filled with water), or you can purchase floating dumbbells and other pieces to add resistance and increase your strength.

Get Decorative

Pools don’t only need to be used for swimming; they can also be used to enhance the appearance of your backyard at any time throughout the year. One of the simplest and most elegant ways to get decorative with your pool this fall is to create floating paper lanterns. If you plan on having guests over for a backyard barbeque, this will be sure to please. All you need are some lunch bags, sand, Styrofoam and battery-operated votive candles to piece together these easy lanterns. You can even purchase or make lunch bags that match the theme of your special event.

Another great idea to help make your pool the focal point of your backyard is to float flowers in the water. Wider-based flowers tend to work best (such as orchids and gerbera daisies), though you can also purchase silk flowers (these tend to stay afloat better than real flowers).

Lastly, visit your local pool store and see if they have any portable pool fountains that you can use to spruce up your yard. If you’re purchasing it close to the end of summer or in the fall, you may be in for some great discounts.

For professional pool leak detection, repair, pool cleaning, pool maintenance and service or water chemistry assistance in the Dallas area, contact Dolphin Pool Supply and Service. To find more helpful tips on caring for your pool, subscribe to our blog or find us on Facebook.

Introducing Kids to Your Dallas Swimming Pool

Posted on September 12, 2013 by dolphinpool

Bring the whole family into your Dallas swimming pool with these tips for teaching kids basic swimming lessons at home.

There are a number of reasons why teaching your child how to swim in your own pool and under your watchful eye is more beneficial than enrolling him or her in group swimming lessons. Not only is your child potentially safer than if he or she were in a group setting, but they’re able to receive personalized lessons that help them develop their skills at their own pace. Regardless of what level of skill you possess when it comes to swimming, here are some tips to help teach your child to swim:

Play Games

Before you hit the pool, make sure that your child is wearing appropriate water safety gear (such as a lifejacket or arm floaties). The first and most important step to learning how to swim is to become comfortable in the pool. The best way to do this is to introduce your youngster to the pool through play. Games that involve splashing, jumping, and blowing bubbles are all great ways to help your child adjust to the pool.

Introduce Swimming Motions

Next is to slowly begin introducing swimming motions. Start introducing swimming on his or her tummy by keeping one arm wrapped securely under his or her armpits and the other hand holding up his or her abdomen. Encourage kicking, paddling, and bubble blowing. Then hold your child on his or her back, keeping their head resting on your shoulder, and take them for a trip around the pool.

Keep A Distance

Keep your child at arms reach while still holding their hands. Once they’re comfortable being held at a bit of a distance from you, begin to encourage them to kick, splash, and blow bubbles on their own.

Once your child feels safe, let go. He or she may be a bit nervous trusting their lifejacket or flotation devices at first, but they’ll quickly realize that when you let them go, they won’t sink to the bottom of the pool.

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Dallas Swimming Pool Exercises: Water Yoga

Posted on September 5, 2013 by dolphinpool

Next time you’re outside in your Dallas backyard living environment, give some of these swimming pool yoga exercises a try!

One of the hottest fitness crazes to hit gyms across the nation is swimming pool yoga. The reason: you burn more calories and get more resistance while taking the pressure off of your bones, muscles and joints. The best part is, if you have a pool in your backyard, then you can start enjoying these benefits today.

The Water Cobra

What’s great about performing this yoga move in the water is that you can stretch further than you would be able to with traditional yoga since there’s no floor in front of you. To do this move:

Stand 2 feet or so away from the wall of the pool.
Place both your forearms and your hands against the wall, wrapping your fingers around the rim of the pool.
Without moving your feet, look up, lean back and increase the natural curve in your back so that your abs are stretched out.
Rise up so that you are on your toes, and hold for five breaths.

The Water Stork

Performing the stork in the water allows yogis to balance better, so you’ll get a better, deeper stretch than if you were to perform traditional yoga. To perform this move:

While standing, lift up your right leg so that it is straight yet with the knee bent. Your toes should stay pointed.
With your left heel pressed into the pool’s floor, reach forward towards the big toe on your right foot with your right hand. Slowly straighten out your right leg so that your entire leg is parallel to the bottom of the pool, and push your foot against your fingers for a deeper stretch. Hold this for a few breaths.
Switch to your left leg, repeating the procedure above.

The Water Backbend

The natural buoyancy of the water makes performing the backbend in the pool easier than on land. The result: you’ll get a better stretch through your chest and your abs. Here’s how you can perform this move:

Position yourself 2 to 3 feet away from the wall of the pool, facing away from the wall.
Look up and slowly arch your back backwards. Raise your arms and reach out behind you.
Grab the wall and breath, making sure to hold the stretch.
Shuffle your feet backwards a few inches and then hold for a few breaths.

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Dallas Backyard Living Ideas: Mommy and Me Pool Playtime

Posted on August 22, 2013 by dolphinpool

Next month is baby safety month, and what better way is there to celebrate than to enjoy those last warm autumn days with your baby in the pool? If you’re looking to do something new with your baby, try incorporating some of these fun “mommy and me” activities during your next pool playtime:

Nursery Rhyme Time

Every parent loves to sing and recite nursery rhymes to their inquisitive little ones, so why not bring them to the pool? Chances are that you and your baby have already come up with some of your very own fabulous dance moves for different rhymes and songs, so rather than perform them on land, perform them in the pool (for example, when Humpty Dumpty goes tumbling off that wall or when London Bridgefalls down, have your baby make a little splash in the water).

Babies Blowing Bubbles

Not only are blowing bubbles in the pool fun, but it also prepares baby for a lifetime of safe and comfortable swimming! The best way to encourage your baby to blow bubbles is to do it first and show them how it’s done. Blowing bubbles while making silly sounds or humming those nursery rhymes will further encourage baby to get in on the fun.

Alphabet Noodles

What better way is there to help baby learn his or her ABC’s than making it fun at the same time? Purchase a few different coloured pool noodles and, using a permanent marker, write the ABCs on alternating pool noodle colours (for example, write the letter “A” on a red noodle, “B” on a blue noodle, “C” on a yellow noodle, etc.). Use a box cutter to make cuts between the letters, and you’ll then have your very own floating alphabet for baby to chase, retrieve, and stack in the pool.

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Dallas Backyard Living Ideas: Fun with Pool Noodles

Posted on August 8, 2013 by dolphinpool

Pool noodles are a wonderful and inexpensive way to have fun in the pool. But if you’re looking for ways to get more out of them than simply using them as a floatation device, here are some fresh innovative ideas on how you can re-invent them in your own Dallas backyard living environment:

The Backyard Obstacle Course

This is perfect for those hot days when people are eager to dive into the cool pool water! Using chairs, ladders, tables, and anything else you can think of, pool noodles can be set across items so that kids (and adults!) need to jump over, crawl under, or even climb through pool noodles. You can also lay them on the water so that contestants have swim under, dive over, or even use them to float or swim to the other end of the pool to complete the course.

Noodle Card Games

Noodles are a great way to create your very own floating card holders. Simply take a box cutter and slice the noodle into sections that will be large enough to hold a full hand of cards. Then, carefully cut a slit into the top of the noodle so that the cards can be slid and securely held

Pool B-Ball Hoops

Forget investing a ton of cash into buying your own backyard basketball hoop. Pool noodles are a great way to create inexpensive basketball hoops that you can either set up beside the pool, or – if the tape holds up – within the pool. All you need is a noodle and some duct tape. Simply bring both ends of the noodle together so that a circle is formed, tape it all the way around with duct tape, and voila! You now have your very own aquatic basketball court.

TIP: These floating hoops are also great for diving games and games that require aiming skills.

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Backyard Living Tips from your Dallas Swimming Pool Experts!

Posted on July 25, 2013 by dolphinpool

Are you always looking for ways to spruce up your Dallas backyard living environment?

Save some money this month with this homemade citronella candle “recipe”. It’s an easy and affordable way to keep the mosquitoes at bay this pool season, and most materials come from what’s already inside the home.

MATERIALS

Coffee can or other suitable, non-flammable container.
Wax – any type, scraps work well.
Wick – #6 square braid.
Square wick tab – The wick is too large to fit in round tabs.
Citronella Scent Oil.
Wax – The wax can be anything you have laying around. Drippings, half burned candles, floor scrapings, and other scraps are ideal.

You can use scraps of scented wax, as this helps offset the offensive odor of the citronella.

DIRECTIONS

1. Paint a coffee can – optional, but this improves the appearance.

2. Crimp a length of wick into a square tab. This is just done to weight the bottom of the wick.

3. Collect together some scrap wax and melt down enough to fill the can.

4. Suspend the wick in center of the can.

5. Stir in a minimum of one ounce of citronella oil for each pound of wax, then fill the can to about 1/2 inch from top. Allow to  cool fully. Set aside leftover wax.

6. Reheat the wax left from step 5 and make a second pour to fill the shrink void and level the top of candle.

7. Once fully cooled, trim the wick to about 1/2 inch long. This is longer than for most candles as a clean burn is not desirable in  a citronella candle.

8. Keeping the plastic lid will help keep water and dirt out of the candle when not in use.

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Happy 4th of July from Dolphin Pool Supply and Service!

Posted on July 4, 2013 by dolphinpool

Are you celebrating the Fourth of July with the whole family? Enjoy the national holiday with some help from your favorite Dallas pool service company!

Keep your backyard environment festive by getting the kids together to create these fun, pool noodle firecracker decorations. Then, snack on some patriotic cookies while you enjoy the fireworks by your Dallas swimming pool! Happy 4th of July from Dolphin Pool Supply and Service!

Pool Noodle Firecrackers

They’re easy to make and are sure to add a little flare to the pool area

Supplies:

pool noodle

scrapbook paper of your choice (the large size)

4th of July spray picks (Hobby Lobby .99 each )

Mod Podge

foam brush

serrated knife

polyacrylic spray

Directions:

1. Cut your pool noodle to the desire sizes with a serrated knife. I wanted three. Two are the same and one is slightly larger.

2. Measure your scrap paper to fit around the firecrackers. Roll the paper until it wraps back around itself and draw a straight line leaving a little to slightly overlap.

3. Spread Mod Podge on noodle and carefully roll paper onto noodle applying additional Mod Podge if needed to get a good adhesion. Tuck cut edge of paper under factory cute edge to have a nice clean seam. Allow to dry.

4. Cut a circle out of the paper to fit the top of the noodle. Lay circle on top of noodle and poke hole through top with pencil before gluing down. Make sure to match seams up so none of the noodle shows though Allow to dry.

5. Trim with decorative ribbon if desired.

6. Spray with two coats of polyacrylic spray for a water resistant finish.

7. Insert spray into top and through hole in noodle. Trim off any of the end that is below bottom of noodle.

8. Run skewer through bottom of the noodle and into the foam to attach securely.

9. Insert into pot or arrangement of choice. Or you can set them on a table without the skewers.

Firecracker Cookies

With their red and blue sprinkles, these cookies are as pretty as they are delicious!

Makes 30-32 cookies

1 box french vanilla cake mix, 18.25 oz*

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 C red sprinkles

1/2 C blue sprinkles

*Make sure to use the right size of cake mix.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet or silpat.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack. The cookies will be very soft at first. Cool and enjoy!

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