DécoR Pebble is holding its first Garden Beauty Contest to encourage the community to take pride in its sustainable garden presentation.

The competition was open to Melbourne residents, who have purchased from DécoR Pebble’s Nature’ Stone range and used the Australian local pebbles to create a landscaped garden that is sustainable and can survive in current weather conditions.

The aim of the contest is to show that we can still enjoy striking gardens despite water restrictions and that we can look to our natural surrounding and be inspired by its beauty.

Numerous entries have been received from avid gardeners, who have created truly impressive drought-tolerant landscape designs. These entries have shown that economical water usage does not restrict from creating charming landscapes.

“The entries have proven that most gardeners are not ready let current weather conditions stand in the way of having their own beautiful gardens. Our gardens are very important and bring beauty and pleasure. One could say that this garden contest has proven to be very successful, not despite of, but as a result of water restrictions” said Geoff Iles, the company director. Read more…

Michelle Jacobo fell to her knees and wept as her children hugged her.

Her husband, Jesus Jacobo, shook his head in disbelief and sobbed harder each time he looked at the house volunteers had built for the family and ABC television’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Minutes before on Sunday, a long black limousine brought the extended family of 12 back to 4132 N. Spruce Ave. in Kansas City, North. They stepped out and could see a wildly cheering crowd estimated by one program official at 4,000 or more. But the show’s tour bus blocked the view of the nearly 5,000-square-foot house that replaced the approximately 900-square-foot one in a week’s time. Read more…

Hanging art and photographs made easier with the right fasteners and a few simple tips

Lisa Arntz thinks of room accessories as jewelry — the finishing touches that pull together the fabrics, furnishings, flooring and paint colours on your walls.

They complete the mood and inject a shot of your own personality, so they should be things you love, says the Guelph interior decorator.

And while Arntz said most people hang pictures too high on the wall, “if people are happy with it, then it’s right.” Read more…

Home decorating on a budget doesn’t always mean having to settle for second rate. Think don’t spend. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get busy, you can have a house to drool over by using these budget decorating ideas. ! You don’t have to be that handy, but a few power tools will help!

1. Shelving- buy a couple of sheets of smooth particle board. Measure the desired width and length of your shelves and mark. Chalk a line down each and then saw. You’ll want to have 5 shelves when you’re done. Paint the shelves your desired color. A glossy paint is easiest to clean. Buy 8 inexpensive terra cotta pots 8” in diameter or so. Big enough so they will support the weight of each shelf, but not so large they will fall off. Decorate the pots with paint as you like or leave plain. Place one shelf on the floor for the base then 2 pots then 2 shelves, etc. TaDa! Inexpensive home decorating ideas are at your fingertips. Read more…

After a long, cold winter, spring has a lot going for it. We help you, and your home, celebrate it.
So you’re a bit bored with your interior décor and think it might be time for a change? Take some tips in this issue’s spring Home & Garden supplement from some fellow homeowners who do this stuff for a living, as we visit the domains of four architects and interior designers who have strong ideas about how their personal havens should look. For some of them, their special sensitivity to aesthetics and design is almost a torment: One of our interior designers just can’t stop changing the color schemes in her house. Read more…

From the promoter: The Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez Street, will become a homeowner’s dream Friday, January 19 through Sunday, January 21 as Show Technology Productions and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin team up to present the 2007 Austin Spring Home & Garden Show.

Hundreds of exhibitors and vendors will fill more than 100,000 sq. ft. as they showcase the latest products, services and accessories for the home and garden. Read more…

When it comes to their homes — and many other pursuits domestic — women seem to be throwing out the old “sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G” approach to settling down.

No longer is “first comes love, then comes marriage” the standard order of business. More and more, single women are taking the route of first comes a house, then comes a designer. And if Mr. Right comes along, that’s OK, too.

“If you’re waiting to get married to decorate your place, you may be waiting a long time,” says Sara Ruffin Costello, creative director at Domino, a style magazine catering to 25- to 45-year-olds. Read more…

Lori Hanks taught preschool for 11 years, but all the while she was working toward a totally different career. Most recently, the Memphis native taught pre-kindergarten classes at Christ Methodist Day School in East Memphis.

But when she wasn’t teaching, she was decorating. In between teaching and decorating she also had some children - three to be exact - ages 8, 14 and 17. She decorated the homes of her friends and family, and finally her husband made a suggestion.

“I had been staying at home with my kids for the past few years,” she said. “My husband and I had been looking for something to invest, and my husband said, ‘Why don’t you do this, you’re doing it anyway.’” Read more…

Tis the season to be jolly, and for the Ireland family, jolly means spreading Christmas cheer throughout their home and sharing it with friends.

Barb Ireland incorporates numerous ornaments and decorations collected over the years, calls upon creative professionals and lets the traditional décor of her home guide the family’s celebration of the holiday season.

The exterior of this East Side home is simple yet festive with its lit swags and centered wreath highlighting the door, as well as a small tree at the entry stoop. Read more…

More trees may soon be planted in the Maple City.

On Tuesday, the Goshen City Council passed a citywide landscape ordinance.

Beginning in the spring, developers will be required to include landscaping in all new developments — commercial, industrial and residential. The type and number of plantings required will depend on where the development is located. Buffering will be required in several cases, such as where industrial areas abut residential areas. Read more…