Archive for February, 2009
Guest Blogger: Hamburger Petersik
Some of you might not know that Burger’s full first name is actually Hamburger. And you also might not know that we named him two years before we ever got him when we first started dating and agreed that it was the best dog name ever (other favorites: Meatball and Tyra Banks). You also might notice the occasional typo from time to time. I blame Hamburger. Look at how unaware he is of his errant appendages when he sleeps:
Sherry snapped this shot of him randomly poking his arm out across her keyboard as she worked. And after she took the picture, he looked up at her as if she was the one in the way:
Look at those cold, accusing eyes.
Do any of you have pets who like to interfere with your daily routine? My parents’ cat likes to sit right on the newspaper as they try to read, and he’s been known to walk across the computer keyboard mid email. But at least he’s not on Facebook superpoking us or anything…
Reader Redesign: Calendar Girl
Lindsay’s fabulous dining room project is proof that art doesn’t have to cost a mint. Here’s her letter:
I found your site a few months ago and have been reading everyday since. I love your ideas. In December I finally bought the new dining room table I’d been eying. And at the end of December you blogged about using calendars as artwork. You even showcased a black and white New York calendar. I was so excited about this. I ran it by my husband and he agreed that that is what we need to do in our new dining room. Thanks for the idea! – Lindsay
Thanks for the fabulous pics Lindsay! Your calendar art looks lovely, and we like that you punched things up with thin slices of those fab red mats to complement the red accents on the other side of the room. Suddenly I’m craving a big juicy tomato.
Seeds Of Change
This year we thought we’d try our hand at starting a few herbs, vegetables and flowers from seeds. After seeing this seed-starting post, we felt encouraged (if a child can do it…) and after seeing this baby at Home Depot, we decided to take the plunge:
The entire greenhouse contraption was only $6.99, and all the seeds that you see laid out below (sage, lavender, rosemary, salvia, cilantro, tomato and basil) were just $1.59 each. Total spent for 72 potential plants (plus a reusable greenhouse)= $18.12. That breaks down to just 25 cents a plant!
The entire contraption is pretty idiot-proof. Just fill the bottom of the tray with two quarts of warm water and wait for the dirt pellets to fully expand. They go from little quarter-sized circles to two inch deep cylinders so you gently pull back the netting around the top of the pellet, create a little hole and drop in a seed or three. Then just fluff a little bit of dirt back over the top of your babies and place the clear dome on top of the tray.
The greenhouse then just needs to sit in a warm location away from direct sunlight (we slipped it on top of the dresser in the guest bedroom and didn’t even look at it again for four days- at which point we sprinkled a bit more warm water over the tops of all the pellets). And that’s when the magic happened. I don’t know if it was just the passage of a few days (4-5) or the sprinkling of warm water over the pellets after a few days in the dome, but slowly & surely, little seedlings started to emerge.
Look at that happy little cilantro! Next to it we have our tomatoes poking up, and some pretty lush looking basil out of frame to the right. We were sure to sketch out our rows on a piece of paper and label the seeds in each one so we can keep it all straight (ex: row 1: cilantro, row 2: tomatoes, etc).
Now we just keep them happy and growing til the time comes to pop them in the ground. And the Jiffy packaging (which we were sure to keep) even offers up a few tips for acclimating them to the outside environment (put them out during the day but take them in at night until they get used to it, etc). So far, so good…
If we can do it, anyone can! So grab a greenhouse of your own (or check out Katie’s egg carton method here) and get down to business. And if more seasoned seed-starters have any tips or tricks for growing your own herbs, veggies, and flowers, please fill us in! We’d love to learn anything and everything to help our little garden grow.
Burning Question: Standing Outlet?
Faithful reader Cheryl recently suggested this burning question for all of you to weigh in on: how do you deal with your outlet covers? Do you paint them to match your walls? Attempt to obscure them with furniture and accessories? Or live with them as they are?
Many designers refer to them as “wall warts” or “wall acne,” but just how far are you willing to go to minimize an obvious outlet in your home?
Image courtesy of MyHomeIdeas.com
Cool Shades Freebie Winner!
Once again, thanks to the many, many, many of you who entered this week’s giveaway from Shades of Light. Sherry and I were especially entertained by reading all of the things that light you up, whether you were talking sweets, sweethearts or some other sweet surprise (like Colleen‘s UPS man). And speaking of surprises, we’ve got nice one for everyone right now…
Shades of Light is giving all Young House Love readers a special discount: 10% off of any purchase now through next Thursday, March 5th*. Just enter code 09YHL at checkout to get the discount. And since they have a national presence, you can shop Shades of Light online and by catalog, so you don’t need to be a local to snag lighting, furniture or accessories from their diverse collection. That should help light you guys up a little bit more.
But there’s only one person who was randomly selected to get the 100% off discount for one of these great bamboo lamps shown above. And that lucky lamp winner is… Kalee! Looks like she’ll have a nice treat waiting for her at her parents’ house once she moves back stateside and begins house hunting. Congrats Kalee!
And as usual, don’t fret if your number didn’t come up this time. We’ve got another “illuminating” freebie headed your way next week.
*No other discounts apply. Cannot be combined with any other discounts. Offer does not apply to retail locations. Offer good through Thursday March 5, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. All images courtesy of Shades of Light.
