Those of us who work in the home construction and design industry tend to forget how many little things there are that go into the creation of a new home or a redesign. There are design elements that have to be decided upon, from the big picture such as the overall architectural style of the home, down to the simplest things such as the type of kitchen hardware or the balusters for the staircase or deck. Recently in helping some new friends with their home project I was reminded how much there is to take into consideration in even just one area as basic as staircase design.

“Who would have known when we began designing our dream house just how many little details we would have to decide on? Did you know we spent an entire week just looking at balusters, banisters, treads and newels? I had no idea what any of these even were before we started all of this - except that my grandmother used to let us slide down the banister at her home when we were very small. But growing up in a California ranch style house all on one level, stairs were somewhat novel to me. I really had no idea of everything that goes into putting together a staircase - there is practically a new language to be learned! What exactly did we want? What kind of treads? Iron balusters? Wooden newels? It was all overwhelming.” And after listening to them for a bit longer, I understood what they meant, even I felt exhausted just from their recounting all that they’d been going through before coming to see me.

So after reminding them that this process was something they had dreamed about for years and it was something they were supposed to be enjoying as much as possible and having fun with it, they relaxed a bit and listened to my suggestions of how to proceed encouraging them to consider three easy tips that anyone taking on a home project, big or small can use.

Concentrate on one area at a time - Whether you’re starting from the very beginning with having to determine what style of architecture you want for your home or deciding on a particular element, such as my area of focus, staircase design, concentrate on that one area and work through the possibilities. With staircase design, this might mean first learning about all the different things you’ll even need to decide about. What exactly is a newel or a balustrade? Then you can get a bit more specific - what types of treads are characteristic for the architectural style we’ve chosen? Would iron balusters compliment the area of the home the staircase will lead to and from? Although you will be thinking about and focusing on one area in particular, thinking contextually about how this one area fits in with the rest of the home will not only help you to make good decisions, but will also help you uncover other questions to be addressed. The key though is to note those down and come back to them. Remember, one area at a time to keep from going into overwhelm.

Search out pictures of what you like and even what you don’t - This is a great way to help your through your decision making process. Head to the library or a bookstore and spend some time going through magazines and books until you find something that you really like. It’s again important to keep your focus narrow - look only at staircases and their elements in one sitting - don’t let yourself get distracted by chandeliers you like. If you see something you want to come back to, make a note of it so you won’t forget. Looking at particular elements in use is another option. Grab your digital camera and go look at buildings that might have iron balusters if you’re considering them or the particular type of handrails you loved the sample of but would like to see in an actual home setting. Oftentimes, vendors or builders can help you with referrals of where their work or products can be seen. Gather up all of your pictures to not only help you to solidify your vision, but to help to explain what you really want to your architects and home designers - as well as examples of what you absolutely do not want so that they really can get a visual sense of your style.

Remember your budget, but make decisions that you can live with for the years to come - Sometimes your budget as well as home size will decide from the get go for you if certain elements are not to be considered. For example, that grand balcony and sweeping staircase you saw in that Mediterranean estate on your honeymoon simply won’t work or be cost effective if you’re building a 1600 square foot 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. You’ll not only use up too much of your floor space if you go that direction, but lots of your budget as well. But that’s not to say that with a little creativity and inspiration that you can’t capture the same feel of what you loved about it and bring it to your home. The large antique hand-carved iron scroll work you admired can be emulated with today’s iron or aluminum balusters and accent pieces scaled to fit your particular staircase and home. And with the ability to shop online now for virtually any product for your home, you will also be able to find options to fit within your budget. The important thing is to capture the essence of the design style you like, even if initially it seems out of reach, so that you will enjoy living with your choices for years to come - and ideally stay within your budget.

Although these three tips may seem to oversimplify the process you are sitting in the middle of or are about to embark upon, by applying them over and over to all of your different home design decisions, particularly those you aren’t sure of, you’ll be able to focus your energy one step at a time and break down what might at times seem a daunting task. Your home is important and should reflect your style and desires. The project at hand may take time and energy, but the end result should and will be one you love and treasure for years to come, from the kitchen hardware to the iron balusters, if you just relax and take it step by step and enjoy the process as much as possible.

You may already have a garage or shed in your garden or backyard and its possible that you haven’t even considered the prospect of adding a garden shed at all. Any garden implements could easily be stored in the garage or utility area. However, a garden shed is so much more than just an every day storage area, as it can have a character all of its own. It can serve many purposes other than practical ones.

A garden shed can be used as a place to plan and plot your garden’s development or just as a place of sanctuary and contemplation. A garden shed can also be used to add depth and character to a garden or even as the focal point with the garden designed to complement the shed. For the uninitiated a garden shed is just another shed. However, there are many different styles, which can add their own individual charm and character to your garden.

The first thing you have to do before adding a shed is to obviously decide its location. The location of the shed will help determine the size and style of the shed. You need to consider many different things such as ease of access, how the shed will look in the chosen area, security, practicality and so on. When the location has been decided and the size of the shed determined then the next thing to so is lay the base. You can use a layer of gravel or build a concrete base. Whatever the base though, it should be level. Do not contemplate adding a shed straight onto the grass. While this may seem obvious people will do it ! It is important that the wooden shed should not be contact with the ground to avoid the wood rotting. Another alternative is to lay the shed on timbers.

The type of shed is the important decision. The choices are simple metal, plastic or timber. Whatever the structure in your garden these are the three basic materials used and the characteristics remain the same for each. Wood provides the classical look, plastic is cheaper and metal is stronger. At the end of day, if the shed is in general view then wood is the preferred solution. An ugly looking plastic or metal shed can ruin he look of a garden.

Another important decision is whether to build the shed yourself or get a professional to do it. Although shed kits usually give you a substantial discount, they require much more time and energy. Some kits even require you to cut the timber to size before you can start building. Having said that the decision is relatively easy if your honest with yourself about your DIY capabilities.

Once, the shed is in place you need to give the wood some protection. While the materials will come with a gaurantee, you should still regularly add a protective coating. If you are putting together a kit, a good tip is to paint as much of the shed as possible before assembly, since it is much easier to paint some parts of the shed before assembly, rather than standing on a ladder to do it.

Unless you are getting a particularly large or unusual shed, it is unlikely you will need planning permission, but always check. You don’t want to be moving a full sized shed several feet, so you want to be sure you have it in the right place to begin with.

The typical garden sheds are either apex sheds or pent sheds. These come in many sizes starting from 2 x 1 metres or 5 x 3 feet upwards. A good idea also is to use the sloping roofs to capture water, which is essential through long hot dry periods.

Matthew Anthony has contributed articles sheds and garden furniture.

The garden should be near the house and away from trees. If it’s some distance away from the house, it will not be as well looked after, nor will most use be made of vegetables grown. Vegetables near trees cannot get full sunshine; even more important, tree roots will rob them of water and fertilizer they need to do their best.

If you can, move the garden spot every 10 years or so to help keep down diseases. Proper rotation and use of disease-resistant varieties will help, but sooner or later the old garden spot becomes so full of various disease spores and nematodes that you cannot grow a good crop of many vegetables without use of special soil fumigants.

Soil should, of course, be well drained. Few vegetables can stand “wet feet.” A sandy loam with a clay subsoil is best. Heavy clay soils may be made quite suitable by adding heavy quantities of stable manure or compost, or by turning under cover crops, preferably legumes such as vetch, clover soybeans.

Since the best quality quantity of vegetables cannot be duced on anything but a fertile soil, do whatever is needed to make it fertile.

Requirements for growth.

1. Proper degree of heat.

2. Moisture.

3. Oxygen in the air is essential for seed germination and good growth.

English peas, for example, will sprout when soil termperature is only a few degrees above freezing, while seed such as tomatoes will not germinate at all.

To start these tender vegetables for early crops, artificial heat, as in hotbeds, is needed. Otherwise, for early crops, buy plants from commercial growers, or from local growers who produce them with artificial heat. Tender vegetables that do not transplant such as melons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and squash, should not be planted outdoors until soil has warmed up. These may, however, be started earlier in small pots in a hotbead.

To make the most out of your gardening efforts, take time to do some planning. Also keep a record of wheather you had too much or too little of certain vegatables at any time during the season for a continuous supply. Don’t trust it all to memory.

Things to consider when planting.

1. How much of each vegetable to grow to supply your family needs.

2. Which vegetables are most need for good health.

3. How much extra to plant for storage

4. Which varities are best to plant.

5. When to plant for continuous growth and supply.

6. Which pesticides are best for control of insects and diseases.

7. Supplies needed such as, sprayers, dusters, tools, fertilizer, or mulching material.

Jotting this down on paper, plus any notes made during the season about special pest problems or how a new variety or practice turned out, will be valuable the next season when planning and planting time roll around.

Author: Charles French
Use of article requires an active link to http://www.decorating-country-home.com/homegarden.com

Charles French, freelance writer and webmaster for Decorating Country Home

There is no place in the house that is used more often than the kitchen. The kitchen is the nerve center of any family’s operations; meals are created there, snacks prepared, often it is the area where the family will get together. It is also one of the most important rooms in the home in terms of determining the value, and is a vital area when company comes to visit on their impression of your lifestyle. It is very important, then, that kitchens be modeled not only for convenience and function but also for great visual appeal.

A good kitchen design will mean that everything, from the kitchen cabinets to the furniture, will complement the look of the kitchen as well as function in such a way that the flow of operations within the area is ensured. Any piece of equipment that sticks out too far or doors that do not close properly will prove highly annoying at the least, and at the worst may also prove to be dangerous.

When you are designing a kitchen, space is by far the key area to focus on. There needs to be adequate space for the storage of food and equipment, easy access to those spots, a good and functional sink, plenty of countertop workspace, and the whole thing should be easy to clean. One method that people use to determine the right amount of space within their kitchen area is known as the triangle of the kitchen, or the work triangle. This is the area in your kitchen where the most of work will take place; imagine a line that starts at the sink and extends to the stove top, then down to the refrigerator, and back to the sink. The sides of this triangle should be about 26 feet long when added together, and no one side should be less than four feet or more than nine feet.

Remember as you design your storage space that you will accumulate more tools in the kitchen as time goes by. Everyone inevitably realizes that there is something important in their kitchen that they do not possess, and when you get that new food processor or blender you will want to have somewhere to store it. So, don’t just plan for what you have at the moment; plan for the future as well.

The measurements and the placing of the various crafted parts of the kitchen are also very important. Make sure that all the doors and drawers of your cabinets both open and shut without banging into each other or into pieces of equipment in the kitchen.

Open kitchens are the style these days, and with good reason. The less walls that are in the kitchen, the less potential there is for food stains. Also, easy access to the kitchen is good for any cook who also is responsible for monitoring the activities of children in the house. Any walls that you do put in, as well as the roof, need to be coated with a durable, stain-resistant paint. You should also make sure that the kitchen is well ventilated; windows are a must, and many will have a door nearby. Even the best cooks sometimes leave a pot on too long!

Paying careful attention when designing your kitchen is a big step in making sure that you love your work space for years to come.

Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybirds, can be a gardener’s best friend. The ladybug’s bright coloring brings welcomed cheer to the garden, as well as helping with pest control. Since medieval times, ladybugs have been valued by farmers all over the world. Many believe that the ladybug was divinely sent to free crops of insect pests. In fact, that is how the ladybug got its name. People dedicated the bug to the Virgin Mary and therefore called it “The Bug of our Lady”, which was eventually shortened to the present name “ladybug”.

Adult ladybugs are usually oval or domed shaped and have red wings, yellow wings or shades and variations of these colors. The number of black spots can range from no spots to 15 spots and they are typically about one quarter inch in size or smaller.

The length of the life cycle of a ladybug varies depending upon temperature, humidity, and food supply. Usually the life cycle from egg to adult is about three to four weeks, and up to six weeks during the cooler spring months. During the spring the adult female ladybug can lay up to three hundred eggs in an aphid colony. The eggs normally hatch in two to five days. The newly hatched larvae feed on aphids for up to three weeks and then enter the pupae stage. About one week later, the adult ladybug emerges. There can be as many as six generations of ladybugs hatched in a year.

The ladybug enjoys popularity around the world. These pretty insects have long been considered a symbol of good luck and fortune because of their ability to eat an enormous amount of aphids. One ladybug can eat as many as 50 to 60 aphids per day. Aphids (also called plant lice) are herbivores and are one of the worst groups of pests on plants. They feed in colonies and damage plants by sucking the juice out of the leaves, stems, or roots. While aphids feed, they damage plant tissue creating a loss of plant fluids and the photosynthetic tissue needed to produce energy for plant growth. Some plants will show no adverse response to aphids, while others react with twisted, curled or swollen leaves or stems. Aphids also transmit many plant diseases from one plant to another.

Apart from aphids, ladybugs eat a variety of other insects and larvae including white flies, mealy bugs, spider mites, and other types of soft-bodied insects. They also require a source of pollen for food and for that reason are attracted to certain types of plants. Their preferred plants have umbrella shaped flowers such as dill, fennel, angelica, tansy, caraway, cilantro, yarrow, and wild carrot. Other plants that attract ladybugs include cosmos (especially the white ones), dandelions, coreopsis, and scented geraniums.

If your garden does not have adequate space to plant ladybug attracting plants, you can purchase ladybugs from numerous websites on the internet and most nurseries. Before releasing them into your garden, here are a few tips to help ensure that the ladybugs stay where you want them:

1. Release ladybugs near infested plants after sun down or before sun up. They navigate by the sun and are most likely to stay put in the evenings and early mornings.

2. Water the area where you are going to release the ladybugs. They will appreciate the drink and the moisture on the leaves will help the ladybugs to “stick” on the plants. If released in a dry garden, the ladybugs will most likely fly off in search of a drink instead of sticking around to eat.

3. In the warmer months, chill the ladybugs in the refrigerator before releasing them. This will not harm the ladybugs and they tend to crawl more in colder temperatures rather than fly away.

Another way to attract ladybugs to your garden is to place several ladybug habitation boxes around your garden. Fill the boxes with organic material such as peat or compost to encourage ladybugs to roost and lay eggs inside the box. In addition, the habitation box also provides protection for the ladybugs in the winter months.

To further promote ladybug populations, consider cutting back on spraying insecticides in your garden. Ladybugs are sensitive to most synthetic insecticides and if the majority of their food source is gone, they will not lay their eggs and therefore will not continue to populate.

Here are some interesting ladybug facts:

- There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America.

- A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime.

- A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.

- A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.

- Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won’t eat them.

- The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.

- Ladybugs won’t fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

- The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

As you can see, the ladybug is one of the most effective and economically important insects to have in your garden. In some cultures, seeing ladybugs in gardens indicates a bountiful harvest, an indication of good weather or a good luck omen. Create an alluring environment for ladybugs and they are sure to provide charm and pest control in your garden for years to come.

Lesley Dietschy is a freelance writer and the creator/editor of The Home Decor Exchange and the Home & Garden Exchange. The Home Decor Exchange is a popular home and garden website featuring resources, articles, decorating pictures, free projects, and a shopping marketplace. The Home & Garden Exchange website is a link exchange program and directory dedicated to the home and garden industry, as well as offering free website content and promotional ideas. Please visit both websites for all of your home, garden, and website needs.

http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com

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