Walls between cupboards and countertops can be a canvas for creativity. Be creative and have fun when doing your kitchen remodeling by adding some pizzaz to your backsplash!

Brightly colored works of art can be a simple yet eyepopping solution. Think “room” and not “kitchen”. Smaller 5×7 posters of knives, spoons, and forks in a black and white can handsomely highlight your stainless steel appliances with little expense involved. Posters are an inexpensive way to add to your kitchen, leaving money in your pocket to change them at a whim or for the different holiday seasons. Two dollar frames in natural, black, and white can give you variety for changing your prints at will.

Peel and stick tiles ordered online can make for an easy fix as well. Not everyone feels comfortable with grout and glue, and the solution to this would be the peel and stick. These tiles are not yet readily available in most retail stores, but a nice varitey can be found by searching online. Wallpaper boarder, stencils, or a simple faux finish can make your backsplash design easy and as unique as you are.

Organization is key to all projects, especially in your
kitchen remodeling, where the space is sometimes limited.

Good planning leaves more money in your pocket!

(c) 2006 Terri Oh

I have a love for funky, fun and unique garden plants. Here’s one to try. It’s called Sea Holly, and it’s actually in the thistle family.

Sea Holly is a perennial garden plant, which means you plant it once and it comes up year after year, somewhat depending on your climate.

This plant never did fail to bring attention and comments from people seeing my garden. It grows about 3-4 feet high, very branchy and the branches are a brilliant electric blue color. It’s stunning!

The only drawback to this lovely plant, in the fall you must cut it to the ground and burn or compost the plant. Do not let it go longer than that, casting it seeds or you’ll soon discover it’s family trait of being in the thistle family, if you know what I mean. The following spring, it’ll come back again to it’s beauty.

It is an easy plant to grow and does best with full sun, or as much sun as is available to you. I live in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. so we get a lot of rain and fairly mild summers and yet it seems to be enough for this plant.

You can search for Sea Holly seeds in seed catalogs or sometimes you can find it in some nurserys. An internet search would surely find you a source for this lovely plant.

I thought I’d let you know about one of the coolest, funky plants for outdoors I’ve ever run across. It’s called Evening Scented Stock, it is NOT the common stock, however.

This is an annual plant, that needs to be sown early spring, directly into the soil where it is to bloom and grow. I recommend planting it nearby windows and doors, porches, etc. This plant really doesn’t look like much in and of itself, it’s not a pretty plant per se..but when about 5:00 PM rolls around watch it do its stuff! This plant has a VERY powerful fragrance similar to hyacynths or lilacs. At the gentlest breeze it sends a waft of fragrance to die for. This is why it’s so excellent to plant near a window, door or pathway. When you open up your screen in the evening, this will scent your entire house.

One place that I have found the seeds for this rare plant is at Fragrant Path, PO Box 328, Fort Calhoun, NE 68023 They were about $1. a packet but the price may have gone up. Please write and ask them. Enjoy!

Here’s another one to try. This one is called Autumn Crocus.

In this case you can tell a lot by it’s name. You generally purchase it as a bulb, which are usually quite large. It does return year after year without needing to re-plant it.

In the spring it shoots up a lot of foliage, this is preparing the plant for it’s autumn blooms, be sure to just leave this alone. Come about June or so, this foliage starts looking like it’s dying, again just leave it be.

In late August/early September, when most of the flowers are past their prime and the garden is starting to look sparse, out comes the Autumn Crocus, with their beautiful lilac colored blooms. They bloom for quite a long time when few things are blooming. A fun plant, give it a try!

This one is an annual (only lives 1 growing season) plant called Love Lies Bleeding. It’s as strange as it’s name.

It is very easy to grow. You just simply direct seed it in the soil (full sun preferably) where it is to grow in the spring. It’s height seems to vary greatly. I’ve seen it be as small as about 2 feet high, and reach up to 6 or 7 feet high. It’s “flowers” are long, burgandy colored ropes that hang. It is simply stunning. Always gets attention! It will usually re-seed itself so you’ll get new plants the following year without doing anything.

It’s best to try to find this seed in an unusual type seed catalog. It is in the amaranth family.

Here’s the last one. Ever tried the hellebore family? There are many varieties. They are perennial which means they come back year after year. These are best planted in shady areas, but where they will get sun in the winter, like under leafed trees or something of that nature.

What is so unusual about hellebores is that they bloom somewhere between Dec. and March. There are very few plants that do that! One variety is called a Christmas Rose. It’s quite striking to see flowers in the midst sometimes of snow.

These plants usually must be puchased at a nursery. Check out your local nursery for this wonderful family of plants.

About The Author

Valerie Garner - Get a series of no cost traffic builders that work to get traffic to your website, plus a few ideas for earning income too. Many unique resources you’ll love! Mailto:Moredetails@quicktell.com

Materials Needed
1 decorative clay or metal planter
1 package of clay pellets (approx. 30 pellets)
3 packets of organic tea leaves seeds (YOUR CHOICE)
Grow-rich or nutrient-rich potting soil (ASK YOUR NURSERY FOR THE BEST RECOMMENDATION FOR YOUR AREA)

Directions
1. Spread the clay pellets evenly along bottom of planter. These will absorb water and promote healthy root development of the tea plants.

2. Moisten potting soil in a large plastic bag and then spread mix over clay pellets in planter, leaving 1/2 inch at top of planter.

3. Sprinkle seeds on soil, leaving about 2 or so inches between different varieties.

4. Lightly cover the seeds with dry soil, and then moisten slightly with a spray bottle or a few drops of water.

5. Label the varieties of tea on the bottom or side of planter, or create popsicle-stick signs to place in the soil.

6. Move planter to a warm place in indirect sunlight until germination takes place. After germination, relocate planter to a warm area with natural sunlight.

7. When tea leaves reach a height of about two inches, thin out seedlings across the total planter surface to provide adequate space for future growth.

8. Water periodically, only when the soil is moderately dry. DO NOT OVERWATER!!)

9. Pick tea leaves sparingly and brew in a hot pot of water. Sit back, sip and enjoy!

Courtesy: Cedar Creek Woodshop;
http://www.cedarcreekwoodshop.com

1fd3

An integral part of every modern kitchen, stylish and sleek kitchen faucets are available in a wide range of designs these days, and come at really affordable prices. With the wide choice of faucets available you can buy the perfect products to fit in with the look and theme of your kitchen, and this is ideal for those that want to enjoy consistency, style, and practicality. The right kitchen fixtures can make a real difference to the overall look of this room, and you can get everything from wall mount faucets to free standing ones, from pullout ones to filter ones, and from single handle ones to doubles. You can select from faucets made from brass, copper, chrome, and more, so finding the right one for your kitchen should prove no problem.

Find faucets to really complement your kitchen

In addition to enjoying a wide range of styles and designs, you can find the perfect color and material for your kitchen, and you can get faucets that complement all of your fixtures, such as sinks, kitchen cabinets, countertops, and décor. Plumbing these faucets in is easy these days, so you won’t even have to pay any extra in this respect. There are now many high quality manufacturers that provide high quality faucets in beautiful, sleek, and modern designs, and you can even enjoy antique appearance faucets that offer all the benefits of modern technology but the beauty and class of a bygone era. Whatever your taste or the style of your kitchen, you can find the ideal faucets for your needs from the impressive range on offer today.

Getting a great deal on your faucets

No matter what your budget you should have no problem finding the right faucets for your home, and these days you can benefit from a combination of great quality and fine workmanship as well as great value for money. The best place to find a fabulous choice of kitchen accessories as well as great deals on the cost of these faucets is online, as many reputable manufacturers and retailers offer excellent deals via the Internet. When you go online, you can compare the different faucets and features to ensure that you find the perfect ones for your needs. You can also enjoy far lower prices online, which means that you can get more for your money without having to compromise on the quality of your kitchen accessories.

Whatever style, color, or design of faucet you are looking for, and whatever features you want these faucets to display, the Internet is the ideal place to find the right ones for your kitchen with speed and ease. You can select from a range of top manufacturers, so you can rest assured that your faucets will be of excellent quality and will boast style and class. You will be surprised at just what a big difference the right sink faucet can make to the overall look of your kitchen, and you can improve the functionality and look of this room simply by replacing the faucets for ones that really complement your décor and fixtures.

1f78

Many people long to give a whole new look to their kitchens - after all, this is one room in the home where you tend to spend a god deal of time, whether it is to prepare and cook food, to sit and eat meals, or to relax and entertain. However, giving your kitchen a facelift isn’t always cheap, particularly if you are looking at replacing all of the furnishings and cabinets. However, if you want to enjoy a whole new look with minimal hassle and a far lower cost then the solution lies in kitchen cabinet refacing. This is a fast and effective procedure that costs far less than replacing everything in the kitchen and enables you to enjoy a real makeover at a great value cost. You will be amazed at just what a difference this procedure can make, enabling you to change the style of this room even if you are on a budget.

Enjoy a great choice of styles when you opt for refacing

Remodelling your kitchen though refacing provides you with plenty in terms of choice as well, and you can select from a range of great cabinetry styles to find the perfect look for your kitchen. You can replace your cabinet doors and drawer fronts with stylish, modern, new ones, cutting the time it takes to complete your project and cutting the cost of getting a super new look and feel for the room. You can also add decorative accessories such as hinges, handles, and door knobs, which are all small touches that can make a big difference to the overall look. Home improvements such as this enable you to add to the look and value of your home without having to break the bank, and you can enjoy the fabulous new look of your kitchen for as long as you live in the house.

A speedy resolution from start to finish

One of the benefits of opting for refacing or refinishing over replacing items in the kitchen is that you can really cut the time it takes to get your kitchen looking perfect. If you already have cabinets and cupboards that are of a decent quality and serve their purpose well, then ripping them out and replacing them just to get a new look for the kitchen can be time consuming as well as costly. If all you want is a facelift and new look for the room, then refacing is by far the faster, easier, and more affordable option. With the wide choice of finishes available these days, you won’t have to compromise on choice, so you can achieve the perfect look for your kitchen. So, if you are considering a new look and improved ambiance for your kitchen but you are worried about time constraints or budget constraints, refacing could be the perfect solution, offering great choice, great value, and a great new look.