TIME TO CREATE YOUR OWN LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Daily News Staff Writer

Too many barbecues, too many pool parties. When the beauty of youth starts to fade and everything starts to sag, what's an aging patio to do?

Get a make-over, say decorating experts who see a boom in backyard barbecues.

To help you get started, we scouted around for some of the freshest looks and best buys. Here's what we found:

Big tickets Dining tete-a-tete: Forget those big bashes. What you prefer is a cozy dinner for two, and you'll be summer-chic with a European bistro set. You know, that little round table with a pair of ice cream parlor-style chairs?

Two to try are the antiqued metal lattice design at Cost Plus (table $149; chairs, $99, each) and the rattan and black metal set at IKEA ($39 per piece).

The secret garden: Create an English garden setting with a little stone bench embedded with shiny green tile for $129.99 at Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park, or go for a glider made from cedar slats for $119.88 at Target. Elegant gardens also need statuary, whether it's a tiny bunny or a life-size angel. For the latter, check out the faux stone style featured in the Toscano catalog for $1,565.00. And don't forget mood lighting. Instead of those tacky bamboo torches, pick large rectangular galvanized metal lanterns with citronella candles to ward off evil spirits and insects.

Victorian romance: You can't go wrong with a romantic white wicker love seat with table and two chairs, $199, Kmart. Similar styles are available at Pier 1 Imports, where you also can find cushions and pillows to give color and comfort to the seating arrangement.

The life of Riley: Hammocks are back in fashion favor, but they're sooo saggy. If you're always slipping and sliding out of the traditional variety, consider the adjustable frame model at Hammacher Schlemmer stores. It's designed like a swinging chaise with a matching hunter green-and-white striped canopy, all for $379.85.

Purists will find the Roman Arc hammock a work of art. It's a hand-woven natural cotton rope hammock on a silvery gray piece of cypress carved into a single arc. The price of this lounger is $740 at Neiman Marcus.

Metal magic: Wrought iron that looks like it belongs on a Southern plantation is a classic, but updated styles have a verdigris finish like the rose pattern love seat for $165.99 and matching glass-topped tea cart for $380 at Green Thumb Patio Shop in Canoga Park. That antiqued green finish is freshening up cast aluminum lattice on a wooden bench by Parkland Heritage for $199.99 at Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park.

Cheap chic So there's no way you can run out and buy new patio furniture. Just hose the old stuff off and wait until dark. Then dazzle guests with some spiffy patio lights or torches and serve drinks with fruit slices and tiny umbrellas so they'll be too busy oohing and aahing over your special effects to notice rusty lawn chairs. Some other tips:

1. Strings of novelty lights add a lot more ambience than a big yellow porch light. Two new styles to try are a celestial combo of sun, moon and stars for $4.98 at Cost Plus, and tiny straw pandan shades in hot primaries for $28 at Neiman Marcus.

2. Kid-size chaise lounges to match Mom and Dad's Euro-styled resin models. It's by Syroco, for $25.99 at Kmart.

3. Add an arbor and bench with planters on each end. It's an all-in-one item made of plastic for $149.88; Target.

4. Plastic straws with decorative fruits and umbrellas attached, 69 cents for a package of six at Cost Plus.

5. Sassy green gingham place mats with a '50s fruit print and matching napkins will cover that old, rusty patio table and show your fashion savvy. They're $2.99 each at Target.

6. Show your style consciousness with tiny accessories like a tiny galvanized metal watering can just big enough for a handful of daisies. It's $9.99 at Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park.

7. Rooster-topped brass skewers will make your barbecued chicken kebabs look ever so elegant. They're $2.99 each at Cost Plus.

8. Hide a boring wall with flowers by using wire pot holders, $3.97 each, or a verdigris-finished plant bracket, $5.97, both at Kmart.

9. Frogs are hot this year, and you can get a realistic resin croaker for $9.99 at Green Thumb Patio Shop, Canoga Park.

10. Natural canvas slipcovers will dress up your ratty old director's chairs, $25.99 each, at Cost Plus.

Small pleasures The big tickets are in place, and all you need are a few accents. Plastic flamingos are out, ditto the ceramic ducks - but there are plenty of options. Take a gander at these fresh garden accessories:

1. Provincial charm is as easy as a dozen red tulips carved out of wood and planted on a metal stake, $6.99 each; or a life-size black cat cut from metal on a stake with marble eyes, $3.99; Cost Plus.

2. Attract birds and create a picturesque setting with a tiny ceramic birdbath with a Victorian-inspired angel perched on the side. It's only $43.99 at Green Thumb Nursery, Canoga Park.

3. For a bubbling brook ambience, plug in a cozy table-top fountain, $39.99 at Michael's craft stores.

4. Make a major gardening statement with your own ``Babe'' topiary. The life-size pig shrub is $600 at Green Thumb Nursery, Canoga Park. Smaller, less expensive pig statuary can be found at Sperling Nursery in Calabasas.

5. Whether you use it to water the flowers or as a garden decoration, the verdigris-finish frog by Rain Critters is a cool accessory, $24.99; Target. Similar styles were spotted at Green Thumb and Sperling nurseries.

6. A snazzy water can in hunter green with brass trim, $19.99 at Target water plants by day; hold cut flowers by night.

7. Watch the hours go by with a European-looking terra cotta clock and thermometer designed by Opus to hang on the patio wall. It's $54.99 at Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park.

8. Feeling squeezed in on all sides with a teeny condo patio? A window with a mirror on the wall will give the illusion of space, and with the hand-painted window box style we spotted at Three D Bed, Bath and More store, there's room for a mini-flower garden. It's $99.99.

9. Add a little color and light with a trio of colorful glass flower pot votives on a metal stake. It's $25 at Neiman Marcus.

10. No room for an honest-to-goodness birdbath? You can still charm a sparrow or two with the mini-birdbath on a metal stake to stick in a planter. They're shell-shaped and accented with tiny birds, bunnies and angels, priced at $22.99 at Green Thumb Nursery, Canoga Park. Similar versions are only $3.99 at Michael's craft stores.