Wicked Sundays

Florists need to know how to maintain their soil for the maximum benefit for their plant and flower growth all year round, but this is particularly important in the run up to Valentines Day. With February 14th being one of the busiest days in the florists’ calendar, it is absolutely imperative they have enough Valentines gifts of a good enough calibre to sell to all those romantics out there.

All florists know that the route to a good bloom is excellent soil and excellent soil takes time and preparation. Although Valentines Day may be over and done with in a single day, the preparation a florist may go through to get those flowers just right can take up to a year or even longer. If you start with healthy soil, it will be far easier to maintain later. So, strip your garden right back and dig it over. This is hard work and you don’t see an awful lot for it, certainly no beautiful roses or striking tulips just yet, but putting in the hard work now will pay off down the line. Once the soil is well turned over, examine it closely to see what type of soil you have. Is it crumbly or full of clay? Is it holding water or does it need more? Different plants need different soil solutions and this will require further research. However, all flowers need soil rich in nutrients, so the florists’ secret weapon is to turn in some organic material. If you have been well organised, you may have been composting for some time but if not, you will have to buy it locally. Make sure this rich source of food for your Valentines flowers is mixed well with the soil and watered well.

Once you have got this good groundwork in place, the best and easiest way to maintain a good and healthy soil is to follow what all good gardeners and florists do and that is to rotate your beds. This can be done easily by planting a few different flowers in patches in your garden in season. Once they are collected and the ground is turned again and fresh compost has been added and left to settle, plant something different in the bed. Different flowers take different nutrients from the soil and they also leave behind different things. So, by rotating the beds like this, the soil does not become completely devoid of one mineral or another. Also, by regularly spreading fresh manure over the beds and turning it in each time, you can pick and re-plant your beds. The soil is re-stocked with the vital minerals and nutrients that your beautiful Valentines flowers need in order to grow into huge, bright blooms, just like the ones you see in those florists’

bouquets right on time for Valentines Day!

Most of my friends visit our house regularly. They enjoy the different amenities that we have in there like the swimming pool and the gym. Now these parts of the house became public since more and more of my close pals go here. To safeguard their belongings I am thinking of placing a locker. It is like having my own gym lockers for my guests’ use. Now all I have to do is to canvass lockers for sale so I can start with this new addition to the gym space. Through having one, the stuffs of my visitors won’t be in a mess and they will be kept in a private and safe place.

They are very much welcome to use the different areas. I find it better that they go to our house rather than them paying a fee if they workout outdoors. At the same time we get to see each other and have some chatting moments together.

This year I am reinventing my garden to give it a fresher look. I was inspired by the different pieces which I saw from the store and I thought of incorporating them to my current garden. I wanted the fountain to be the emphasis that is why I bought this copper rain chain to give my old water feature a twist. Chain rains tend to give an additional splashing effect of the water or it may also give a trickling outcome while the water pours down through the rain chains.

After setting the focal point, I have also planned of moving the plants away from the shaded portion. The plants need sunlight in order to grow well. By keeping them healthy they will exude a more vibrant color thus increasing the appeal of my garden. The growth of the trees and shrub should also be monitored. Regular trimming is important to remove unwanted parts and to keep the right proportion. Reconstructing a garden may be a tough job, it requires careful planning and analyzation.

I love to watch home improvement shows like my favourite, the Extreme Makeover: Home edition, Flipping out, Take Home Handyman and Trading Spaces. I find them very helpful in improving my own home. I am always in awe on how they turn a simple and uncoordinated room into a luxurious and homey area.  Because of this ordinary people are encouraged to re-do their homes by themselves or as what it is popularly called DIY or do it yourself. You can get ideas on how to repair your home and you can learn techniques on how to beautify it in an instant. Simple things like de-cluttering, fixing broken equipments, painting your walls, adding trim molding, placing solid panel doors can greatly improve your house. Buying materials like paint, molding, nails, wood and putting your effort into it is way cheaper compared to hiring professionals. In this way you can learn more skills and pour your creative zest.

If your home is located in an area where there are four seasons, one of your must have equipment is the home heating & cooling systems. You should invest on this since this is very functional. You don’t want your family and love ones to freeze during the winter season so it is better to have good heating by having a fireplace, furnaces, boilers, hear pumps, heaters etc, and same as you don’t want to sweat and fry yourself so better have an air conditioner for the summer months. Our body temperature depends on this system during the extreme weather.

Given that it uses a great amount of energy this would probably affect the cost that is why you should take time to follow some steps in order to cut the expense. These are easy activities you can do like cleaning your filter at least every three months, checking the ducts for any leakage, monitoring the efficiency of your equipment and pre-setting your thermostat. By doing this simple things you can save a lot of money on your utility bill.

We have a growing family. I am currently living with my parents and recently my brother with his wife and three kids just moved back in our house again. It is nice to be with them again. Though our house looks full and noisy there is an air of happiness that you can feel whenever you walk in because of the new crowd. The children may sometimes be deafening and too playful but they keep our home alive.

We wanted to make the place more conducive for doing activities together that is why we thought of restructuring the living room. We went around the furniture stores Toronto to look for ottomans and sectional sofas Toronto to find the best one that will fit our family. By having a sectional sofa and additional seats, everyone can be accommodated. We can hang around together while watching television or just relax and sit comfortably while chatting. Our house will be warmer by having our love ones around.

If ever I will have a second home, I want to have a Zen inspired house. In this type of design natural elements are incorporated. I imagined having earthy colored walls, maybe a beige or plain white to give a clean look. I love having natural items at home; having plants and stones indoors and outdoors is a must.  Aside from having bonsai on top of the desks and tables, window boxes made from wood are ideal to decorate the large windows. By having window garden boxes or simple window boxes planters, you can already get nice scenery whenever you take a peek outside.

A clutter free environment is the main idea when having a Zen design. This type of home is low maintenance and it depicts a peaceful environment. It will be perfect for a vacation home because it will really make you have a calm atmosphere so you can have a relax body and calm mind.

It really feels so refreshing whenever I get into a place and see plants all over. For me it exudes an aura of serenity and it can be very calming to be in touch with the nature even if you are inside your home if you have indoor planter. Whether they are indoor planters or outdoor planters you can get a lot of benefits from them.

First and foremost no one can deny the beauty that the greeneries bring. It gives a room a touch of elegance and also it makes the space look clean. From our lessons in our science classes we learned that plants do absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen which is significant for our breathing and our health. Aside from that, there are certain house plants that can prevent molds, control humidity, promote a good sleep and more, decrease stress and anxiety. So take into consideration what type of plant which can help you in your lifestyle.

The holiday season  is fast approaching. We usually celebrate Christmas by inviting our close friends and relatives to celebrate this happy time together. Aside from hanging mistle toes, putting up the Christmas tree, installing Christmas lights all over the place, we are also placing additional things for the comfort of our guest like address signs. Last year many of our friends kept wandering in the road for hours that is why we decided to put up an address sign in front of our home. Address plaques and numbers can probably help to make it more visible at the same time it adds elegance.

Hopefully this coming yuletide season more guests can come to make the celebration  merrier. In this we way we can truly feel the warmth of the season with our love ones. My family and I are truly excited as we do the preparation and welcome the yuletide spirit.

Simple, sleek and modern looking, that is how contemporary furniture is often describe. The use of modern furniture in a home gives it a fururistic feel. Usually the materials used are glass, metal, chromes and composites. It usually features odd shapes, angles and curves yet it has a smooth surface which makes it neat looking. Nowadays this design is widely used on different homes like having a modern living room or even offices and other areas. This design is very ideal in small spaces. Some people may not like it because it may look to stiff or very musculine for them but you just have to play with a few key pieces to make it chic. You can use exciting and artsy main pieces or have a neutral colored backgrounds like tan,black or white then have a splash of red or vibrant accessories so that it will stand out. Contemporary design is simple and elegant at the same time.