A Few Random Thoughts and Good Advice

* It is that time of year again when our thoughts and projects are beginning to include outdoors. If you are planning on using wood mulch this year, take notice: Please do not use red-dyed wood chips in your yard! You are trying to make your garden look beautiful and your landscape natural. The wood chips that are dyed red are not natural looking. A better color choice to use outdoors with your plantings is brown- like the color of Earth. Mother Nature will thank you, (and so will your neighbors)!

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* I am so disappointed that my whole design plan I made for my new home office had to be thrown out and started from scratch again. The wall where I planned to have my bookshelves and window seat built; something on this idea:

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That is a radiator wall and you can not build closed cabinets on a radiator wall:Radiators can be moved but would be a very expensive project. So, the new plans are moving the wall of shelving and cabinets over to this wall:What a mess! It will be a good focal wall. A navy office! I can’t wait.* A painting lesson I experienced this weekend- If you are painting over a darker color, either walls or trim, I suggest strongly using a primer, no matter what the paint company declares. I painted over window trim this weekend that was a taupe brown and I painted over it with White Dove. Three coats later, it is still not covered well. Always use a primer when painting a lighter color over a darker color to save yourself a lot of work and headache!* Remember my new home design project? If you were wondering about the progress, there isn’t much to tell. My client is an accountant and in January put everything on hold until after tax season. The inside walls are still going up so I will be ready to start again soon:* Another good tip if you were not aware- if you are currently using a plastic shower curtain liner, try a fabric shower liner instead. I recently stayed somewhere with plastic liners and believe me when I say the cost of $10.00 more is well worth the price. Fabric does not try to stick to you when you are in the shower, it is nice to not see through the curtain, they do not have to be cleaned as often, etc. A huge upgrade to your shower.* I am heading to Nashville, TN this week! It is the first time I have visited. I always hear such great things about the city. Has anyone been? One thing we are definitely going to is the American Pickers Nashville location. Anything else special we should definitely see? I will share my adventure with you when I get back next week!