Archive for the ‘Garden Decor’ Category

Give Your Home A New Look With Old World Style Using Tuscan Dcor

Thursday, June 17th, 2010


Do you find the chilling emptiness of modern designs boring? Do you crave an area where you don’t have to worry about messing up the shiny furniture? Do you long for an elegant, but casual style? If so then the old world style of Tuscan decor is for you!

The Tuscan style represents the ease and grace of the Italian countryside sprinkled with European elegance. Think of warmed weathered walls and floors of beautiful stone or marble, romantic lighting, and furniture of rich wood. This is a style that welcomes you to come in, put your feet up, and relax for hours on end. Thanks to its aged beauty, this style is easy to replicate in any room.

Wall Paint: Tuscan wall colors are perfect if you have children and pets! Tuscan homes feature walls in warm tones of beige, brown, or yellow. They are usually textured, a look that can be obtained through faux painting techniques or special paints that give the look of Venetian plaster. The idea is to give your walls a subtle weathered look with warm colors, this is perfect for hiding dirt, smudges, and wall blemishes!

Tuscan Flooring: Natural stone, marble, and wood are common elements of Tuscan design. The flooring gives the splash of luxury that is a hallmark of Tuscan style. This makes it an easy choice for kitchen and baths that may already have floors meeting this style or in a living room that already has wood flooring.

Tuscan Furniture: The furniture used is Tuscan decorating is normally solid wood in rich tones. This is the perfect opportunity to use those traditional pieces throughout your home that have been gathering dust. It doesn’t matter if the pieces don’t match. One of the great things about Tuscan style is that it is a relaxed style where you can bend the rules of traditional decorating. If you are using Tuscan design in a kitchen or bathroom, you might want to replace a few of your cabinet doors with doors made of glass. Tuscan kitchens and baths often have open cupboards revealing colorful dishes or towels.

Lighting: A warm romantic glow is the lighting choice for Tuscan interiors. This is where another common element of Tuscan style is used, wrought iron. To copy this look, select chandeliers of iron, use table lamps with iron accents, or a ceiling light with touches of iron or aged bronze. To add to the effect, the globes and shades should be in beige or tan color to soften the light.

Tuscan Accents: The casual elegance of Tuscan style is shown in the style’s accents. Vases in vibrant blues and yellows are used for splashes of colors. Bright stripes and floral patterns are seen in throws and accent pillows. Wall accents such as iron candle scones and prints of the Italian countryside are good choices. With just a few carefully selected accessories, you can give your home Tuscan style and old world luxury.

The relaxed luxury of Tuscan style makes this an easy design choice for any home. Follow these simple ideas to bring a touch of old world elegance to your home with Tuscan home decor. Best of luck to you on your Tuscan decorating project.

Looking to find the best information on home decor and home decorating, then visit www.NanasAtticStore.com to find the best advice on home decorating.

All Kinds Of Garden Plaques

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010


Ornamental garden wall plaques in the modern era were also regularly made from marble or other costly stone. For a while the style was to not use bright colours. The stone slabs, though complex in design, would be often plain in color.

This was to repeat what was perceived as the Greek classical style because most pieces had long since lost their color to the results of aging. In the garden, the wall plaque often was used as an identifying marker that denoted the garden’s owner.

There are lots of gardeners who only select a single garden plaque, while others find that a mixture of different styles and models make for a much better over all outside classy. A combination of garden plaques can frequently make a fantastic effect.

A few great stone carvings with small sayings every couple of meters in the garden with a larger brass plaque on each side, and the full effect is complete. A combination of metal, rock, and plaster-like materials can also add the right variety of appearance.

Decorative garden plaques increase the ambiance of any outdoor garden set up, and with the wide variety available, everyone should be ready to find a design or style that suits them. Look for a high quality design that’s weather and wear resistant, and your garden will prosper from the additional beauty that’s added from good quality garden plaques.

Garden plaques can be made in a selection of sizes and shapes, depending on the length of the message and the degree of ornamentation included on them. The aforementioned headstone would have the decease’s name, dates, possible quote, and even the addition of angelic iconography.

These stones would naturally be larger that a headstone inserted in the ground and bearing only a name and dates. Some headstones are round while others are oblong, square, or cross-shaped. Family markers are the same way.

Whether you like class, inventive or modern, there are an abundance selection of styles to match your own. The themes range between animals, nature, floral, sun, moon, to inspiring words. They are available in materials such as : wood, stone, pewter, crystal, glass, and ceramic, marble, iron and resin. Resin seems to be the hottest for today’s garden style.

It is most affordable, light weight and is highly immune to wear for the extremities of weather conditions. You can locate wall plaques that are hand made, hand painted, sculptured or custom made to your specifications.

If you’re interested in additional outdoor or indoor plaque options, check out my two sites: this site and bronzeplaque.org.

What Flowers Can Grow Well In A Rock Filled Flower Bed?

Friday, March 5th, 2010


Rock filled flower beds, or rock flower gardens, have become quite popular in recent years. They make for a lovely decorative feature to the property and they make for a fun hobby. Most plants that do well in a flower rock garden are easy to grow and require very little maintenance. The plants that thrive do so because they tolerate the reflected heat from the rock.

Herbs grow well in rock filled Mississauga flowers beds. Some popular herbs grown in these gardens include: Thyme, Rosemary, and Lavender. They require the soil to be well drained or they can wilt and die. Below is a list of a number of popular flowers that grow well in a rock filled flower bed.

Rock Rose: The Red Rose is one shrub that grows well in rock bed gardens. This plant is a small shrub and the flowers have a saucer shape and are a deep red color. These flowers bloom in the late spring and summer. The leaves are grayish/green and are fairly narrow.

Aster: The Asters, particularly the Alpine Aster are popular rock bed flowers. They bloom in the late summer and fall. The brampton flowers are produced in large clusters and come in a variety of colors that include: pink, red, white, lavender, and purple. They grow as bushy clumps so it is important to create enough space when planting. They can grow in a wide variety of climates. Depending on the temperature, germination can take from 15 to 30 days.

Japanese Barberry: This flower grows well in a rock garden. Small and spiny, it blooms in the spring and has reddish/purple leaves which change to red and orange in the fall. The flowers are a light yellow and then produce small red fruits. These flowers do not do well in really cold climates.

Alpine Columbine: The colors of the flowers of the Alpine Columbine are violet and white and the leaves are bluish-green. As well, these flowers come in a wide variety of hybrid colors and strains. These hardy plants grow well in a variety of climates. They bloom from early May through to June. It is a popular choice for a rock bed garden as they attract hummingbirds.

Primrose: The Primrose blooms early in the spring and comes in a wide variety of colors. They prefer cooler temperatures and do not like the direct sun for long periods of time in the hot summer months. There are a broad variety of Primroses.

Carpet Bugle: The most common color of the Carpet Bugle bloom is bluish-purple, but there also mississauga florists that can be white or rose. It serves as helpful ground cover in a garden. The color of the foliage can range from green to bronze to purple. They bloom from early spring to mid July. It is a great plant to help reduce soil erosion. They survive well during droughts.

Rock filled flower beds are a lovely addition to any home. The key to maintaining a flourishing flower garden is to know what flowers will thrive in the environment and what care is required to keep them healthy and in bloom.

Wide selection of the freshest Brampton florists, roses, orchids and more are available for flower design arrangements. Make your occasion memorable with this Georgetown florists flowers firm.

Night time Landscaping

Thursday, March 4th, 2010


When the sunlight disappears, no more will ones backyard need to fade into the night not to become witnessed until the dawning sunlight soars again. Landscaping design along with lights may bring your night-time back garden alive once again with impressive shade and brightness.

Landscape lighting isn’t only functional, but can make a dramatic distinction inside the visual appeal of your respective home. Landscapers

Utilizing outdoor illumination will generate a sense of life and drama in a front or backyard all year-round.

When Springs brings new growth and blooms or when the ice shivers on tree limbs – imagine the interplay of light and shadow in them.

Dusk and Early Evening Gardens

One of the most pleasant and relaxing issues to try and do right after a tough days work is to sit within the garden on the warm Spring or Summers evening, sipping a crisp white wine from California or an ice cold beer. Landscaping with lights makes this achievable

This can be enhanced with subtle landscape lighting that permits you to both see what you are carrying out and also appreciate the factors of your garden and yard from a diverse perspective as shadow and light interplay with foliage, flowers, functions and also the structure on the trees and shrubs.

The Beauty of the Nighttime

Staying indoors means we as well often we miss out on what evening brings – quiet (or quieter!), a sense of ease at days end, a closure to work which is organic and peaceful.

Garden lights also turn the outdoors into a excellent entertainment region.

Applying landscape lighting permits us more freedom to utilize our yards and gardens much more – allowing the existence growing there to enhance our sense of wellbeing. Inside case of a lot of who function lengthy hours, from time to time it could be the only time to enjoy the garden and landscape lighting can literally shine the spotlight on your landscape style.

Some aspects of your respective landscaping will take with a specific beauty at nighttime, if properly illuminated.

Lighting up walkways and ‘hidden from view’ areas in the home is a great safety and security measure plus a deterrent to burglars.

Landscape Palo Alto

Vinyl Lettering – A New Trend In Home Decorating

Friday, March 20th, 2009


Have you heard of a new trend in interior design technique that consists of sticking custom quotes onto your walls with matte finish vinyl lettering, often referred to as wall words, or wall lettering? Or maybe you saw Candice Olsen use it in her television show Divine Design. If you havent heard of this, Im certain you will in the near future, because there is a definite upswing in this trend over the last couple of years.

This new design technique of using vinyl to create custom sayings stemmed from the practice of hand stenciling words onto walls, which has been used in interior design for decades. However, many would argue that it was only for the lavish and well to do among us because of the expensive nature of hiring an artist to paint sayings on your walls.

Most that are hooked on vinyl wall lettering argue that regardless of the fact that vinyl lettering makes wall lettering affordable, there are many other reasons that it trumps hand painted stencils..

Not only can vinyl lettering serve the same purpose as a hand-painted stenciled look, but vinyl lettering is actually better than stenciling for a couple of reasons. First, vinyl lettering is easy to apply, there is no messy cleanup, and costs less than paint. Secondly, vinyl lettering, or Wall Words, are removable without damaging the walls, so there is no need to repaint. This provides those living in apartments, or other temporary living spaces to decorate with a hand-stenciled look, because you can simply remove the wall words at any time ” no need to repaint!

If youre asking yourself Why add lettering to the walls our home or apartment? then you probably havent seen this new medium when done by a professional design company. The effect it can create in a room is astounding, and really adds warmth to almost any room in your home. These lettering kits also give your home a touch of personality, and can bring your own personal charm into your decorating.

Once youve seen some examples of how wall words can enhance the look and atmosphere of your home, youll be hooked! You can see examples of Wall Words at vinylwalllettering.com, or vinylcraftlettering.com. The practicality, cost, and beauty of wall words have inspired me to utilize them in many of the homes and apartments I decorate ” You could say Im Stuck on wall words!

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How to Build Your Own Birdhouse

Monday, February 23rd, 2009


Bird house making is really easy as long as you love what you are doing. It is also an effective way to make your house – as well as you – feel chirpy and bright in the morning. Believe it or not, nothing beats having birds outside your homes. The following are tips and advice to make the dream bird house that you always imagined you would have. Also included are the ways and methods of appropriately setting up the bird houses.

First things first, the point of bird houses is to bring in birds. Attracting them however is just half of the story, it is making them return as much as they possibly could, that is the challenge. Hopefully, the following guidelines will work.

Have a roof that is hinged

Providing a roof that is hinged on the sides is an effective way for you to make house cleaning a lot easier especially during the spring. Spring cleaning during the early weeks of March is a good idea. As much as possible, use hinges that are rust proof. Remember that animals such as raccoons are able to open an eye and a hook.

Place appropriate ventilation

Drill four drain holes that measure about one fourth inch in every bird house’s bottom. Also, add two five eighth hole ventilations on the top of each house’s side.

Place a roof

Provide a bird house roof that has at least an overhang of two inches in the bird house’s front in order to protect the hole’s entrance from rain that is driven by wind as well as to prevent animals like cats from reaching inside. Also, the sides of the bird house should be enclosed towards the floor in order to keep the rain from having to seep inside the bird house nest.

Try to recess the bird house floor about one fourth of an inch from the bird house’s bottom in order to prevent it from rotting as caused by the moisture.

Bird house perches

Believe it or not, putting perches on the bird house is a no-no. The birds that do appreciate and do perch are the starlings and the sparrows. For bird houses of song birds, keep the holes of the entrance about an inch and three eights inch small in order to keep the house sparrows and starlings out. Of course, the exception are the purple martins.

How should the bird houses be spaced?

If there are other bird houses or boxes near, they should therefore be spaced appropriately about twenty five feet far from each other. Houses for bluebirds meanwhile require about three hundred feet. The space is important in order to reduce any conflicts. Another reason for this is because a lot of birds are actually territorial and so protecting the area around the bird’s nest is important. The exception to this are mergansers, wood ducks and goldeneye. Putting their bird houses close to each other is okay.

Purple martins meanwhile prefer to live in bird colonies and so apartment bird houses is their specific preference and not single family bird houses.

What kind of material is best for bird houses?

The best to use is wood. As much as possible, avoid lumber that is treated with pressure because once wet, it excretes vapors that poisons birds. Using preservatives like stain or paint could be used on the box’s outside, especially the back. Using the chemical preservative creosote should also be avoided.

Try not to use cartons of milk, can tins, metal. These materials could overheat and destroy the bird eggs as well as the bird younglings. An exception however are the commercial martin aluminum bird houses.

Be careful with uninvited guests such as mice, wasps, bees or squirrels. Once found, remove them as soon as possible. Be careful though as such animals could sting and hurt you.

All in all, making a bird houses is not simply hammering and pasting one material to another. It requires as delicate a care as creating an actual house or room for a human being.

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