Dwell
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Educational & Kid-Friendly Landscaping Ideas
Landscaping can not only enhance the beauty of your home, it can help your family learn and grow. A beautiful landscape provides all types of opportunities for physical and mental development in children. According to an Academy of Art landscape architecture program, landscapes “restore the earth’s processes and systems” — landscapes that can teach children “to see the world in a new way.” You don’t have to have unlimited time and funds to create a kid-friendly lawn. The following landscaping ideas can create an educational outdoor environment that still looks luxurious: Flowered Tree House The classic tree house is always a sure-fire winner with the kids. But with today’s…
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DIY :: How to Make a Lemonade Stand
What’s summer without selling lemonade in front of your house or on the street corner? In my last post I mentioned that my daughter and I worked on a summer bucket list of things we want to do this summer. We have about 42 days of summer to finish our checklist as she goes to a year-round school, so we are starting this weekend by building a lemonade stand. Since it will most likely be my husband doing the actual building of the stand, I went in search of some simple ones to attempt as this will be his (and my) first one! I came across some adorable ideas…
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Garden :: The Beauty of the Sunflower
The sunflower has special meaning in my life and my relationship with my husband. When I give flowers to my husband for Father’s Day or for his birthday, I always give sunflowers. Back when we were dating, we were walking along a beach path in Laguna Beach, and I saw a gorgeous sunflower growing in front of a restaurant. He saw that I was admiring it and literally jumped over the fence, plucked it, and handed it to me. I remember thinking to myself “this is a guy who will do just about anything for me.” Fast forward 15 years later and we are still together! I do love how…
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In the Garden :: Beneficial Garden Helpers
Many factors contribute to a healthy and successful garden. Beyond soil amendments, water retention and adequate sunlight exposure, the garden also needs pest control. Historically, through the use of pesticides, many gardens were kept from the destruction pests unleashed; however, today’s modern gardener may prefer a more natural approach. Beneficial Garden Helpers: The use of beneficial garden helpers to control and eradicate pestilence such as aphids, beetles and hornworms has become extremely popular in the past decade. Nematodes, praying mantis and ladybugs are great additions (and hard workers) to the organic garden or gardens where pests have become resistant to pesticides. Beneficial nematodes are microscopic non-segmented roundworms which…
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Tips to Get Your Home (and Life) Organized
My wish list includes having my house organized from top to bottom. One of my best girlfriends is super organized and I swear you could open up any drawer, cabinet, door in her house and it would be organized! I think there are people who are like that – super organized – but I am not one of them. However, I do appreciate it when the house is cleaned up and semi-organized with things in their places. This summer I have a goal to clear out all the things we don’t need, use or want. Now, if you saw my garage you would realize what a huge undertaking this really…
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Dwell :: 4 Curb Appeal Facelifts That Add Value to Your Home
Curb appeal is the aesthetic goal of homeowners interested in making a good impression. Real estate agents and sellers strive to achieve curb appeal for a quick sale or to simply impress neighbors and guests. While there are many options for homeowners interested in giving the outside of their home a facelift, certain makeovers are certain to add value and pizzazz to your home’s appearance. Breathe a little life into your yard Adding visually appealing elements to your yard can be money well spent. Putting plants and flowers in just the right spots so they will thrive and also enhance the aesthetic impact is the difference between picking…
