“If you can organize your kitchen, you can organize your life.” ~Louis Parrish

If that’s true, what better place to start highlighting renovations than in the kitchen?  Below are some snapshots of a few kitchen renovations we had the privilege of working on.

We love how the bright green inside of these open cabinets brings a pop of color and brings a fun element of design to this kitchen.  Check out the before picture to see how repainting your cabinets can completely change the look of your kitchen!

 Cabinets: Benjamin Moore Semi-Gloss Elephant Gray

Sanding and repainting these cabinets give this kitchen a clean, polished feel.

The wood cabinets, muted green walls and tile backsplash all come together to make this kitchen feel warm and welcoming.

Check us out on Facebook for more kitchen designs that we’ve found and love!  We’ll be posting throughout the day as we highlight “the heart of everyone’s home” – the kitchen!

• Be careful to avoid spreading salt near shrubs or other plants.  Sand or sawdust are more environmentally-friendly options for curing those slick walkways, providing friction without the addition of chemicals into the ground.

• If it does snow a lot, try to brush the snow off of any evergreen branches in your yard as the weight of the snow or ice may cause serious damage to your tree.

• Make sure to brush the snow off of evergreen trees as soon as possible after a big snowstorm as the accumulating snow can cause serious damage to the branches. This can be done easily with a broom.

We hope that these little suggestions will help make taking care of your outdoors a little easier this winter.  Let us know if you have any questions and we’d be happy to help!

Look at my growing wisteria!  Not even two weeks ago today, I posted this about sprouting a wisteria from a seed and look at how quickly it’s growing already.  Sprouting seeds in the winter months is a great way to fend off winter woes and since Mr. Punxsutawney saw his shadow this year, we may have to stay indoors a little longer this year.  (Though today is beautifully sunny, I must say!)

If you’re looking for a way to brighten up your home and your day during the cold winter months, I really recommend getting some seeds and trying this out!  Then when the warm spring months do come (I promise, they will!), you’ll be ready with some beautiful sprouted flowers to put in your backyard.  Look at this wisteria – just over two weeks old!

If you’re wondering what types of flowers/plants are best for you, leave a comment and I’d be happy to give you a few ideas!

Move your garden decorations, such as urns or other containers, into the garage or basement to protect them from damage from the cold.  If they’re too large/heavy, turn them upside down to prevent water collection or cover them with a bag.

To preserve the wood on the handles of your garden tools, paint them a variety of colors.  Using bright colors like red or orange and avoiding greens and browns will also make it easier to locate them when you’re gardening and set them down in the grass.

Start a record of which plants do and do not do well in your garden.  If you’re just getting into gardening, save it for the spring and summer months and jot down your observations.  If you can remember your garden from last year, take some time to jot down your notes.  This will help as you plan your garden for the coming spring and summer.

Finally, don’t wait too late to order your seeds!  Many of the more common varieties can sell out quickly.

Happy gardening!

We had the privilege of turning this family’s mudroom into a clean and sophisticated bathroom remodel, using beadboard, dark stone tile, overhead lighting, sconces and warm tones.

Dry, cracking knuckles, itchy skin, chapped lips – sound familiar? If you’re like me, the winter has wreaked havoc on your skin and it may be doing the same to your plants. If you’ve noticed that your house plants are starting to look a little dry as well, you can try lining trays with small stones and filling them with water to a level just below the base of the pot. Keep your house plant on top of the tray and this will help increase the humidity level.

If you were lucky enough to get a bunch of house plants as gifts over the holidays, you might want to check them over to make sure they’re not the home for any unwanted visitors. Just look over the leaves and blooms closely to make sure there aren’t any insects before putting them with your other plants. That way, if they do have little pests, you can prevent them from spreading to the rest of your plants.

If you’re running out of places to put them, try making room for them on a shelf or window sill instead of putting them on top of the TV. It’s too warm and does not provide a healthy environment for your growing plants.

Poinsettias are a common Christmas plant, but can be hard to maintain. To try to keep them blooming, maintain moderate moisture levels and keep them away from drafts.

We hope these tips were helpful and will keep your plants healthy and growing through these long winter months! If you’d like any advice or have questions about your garden, plants or otherwise, please post a comment and we’d be happy to help.

Here, I have pictures of a Wisteria plant I started sprouting from a seed.

I planted the seed with roots and after only 4 days, already have a little sprout!

I’m looking forward to enjoying the beautiful flower it will grow to be.

photo courtesy of Sperling Nursery

I first took the seeds and cut off the tips with a chipper.

Then I laid the seeds out on a wet paper towel and placed them inside a plastic bag. After putting them on my sunniest window ledge, I checked them every week and sure enough …

They started to sprout, and as you can see I was able to plant them. They have since grown into a lovely vine that will hopefully have the beautiful flowers pictured below, courtesy of www.growinganything.com.

I’ll try to update as it continues to grow!

Photography by Susanna Fong