Archive for October, 2009

The idea of no-dig gardening was developed by an Australian named Esther Deans. It was originally both developed both as a labor saving idea, and a method to rejuvenate badly depleted soil in a vegetable garden.

The process involves starting with layers of newspaper, and by adding lucerne hay, straw and compost in succeeding layers, you can create a growing medium without resorting to heavy digging, and one that is rich in nutrients and which will simplify weeding and encourage your much desired plants to grow. The layers compost together, and greatly encourage earthworms. The gardens are maintained by adding manure, compost, etc., and should not be dug up, as this will undo the good work. I have used this approach to creating vegetable gardens, and it certainly does work.

The principle of not digging has sound foundations. Excessive cultivation of the soil, especially when very wet or very dry, will damage the structure of the soil, and lead to compaction. Such excessive cultivation can also discourage the earthworms, and they are the best free labor a gardener has.
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India is a place of different kinds of handicraft and handcrafted statues and sculptures from the ancient age. Centuries old temples and civilizations are founded in India with a unique sample of handicraft reflecting artistic beauty. Specially the temples in South India bears this great old history of Indian handicraft, as you can see different types of hand curving statues and sculptures in the wall of these temples. All these old temples especially in chennai, kerala, hariyana attracts the people through the beauty of statues and figures made on the wall. For example dancing lady which is normally known as “Nartaki”, “Nataraj”,”Laxmi”,”Ganesh or ganesha”,”Shiva and parbati”, Shri Krishna and Radha Ji”, “Goutam Buddha” are as religious god statues. Different animal figures are also made, like running horse, lion, tiger etc. The centuries old temples and other historic items prove the capacity of the artisans about making statues and sculptures for home decoration and expressing the social life story of that time. In the old ages the King’s made those temples and different handicraft in their kingdom. They inspire the artists to make such stone curving items on the body of temple. They mainly make the statues based on the holy story from Hindu community. A great example is Nataraj. Nataraj is a style of God Shiva. Shiva as destructor as well as creator of the civilization. We inspired from this old culture to make the statues and sculptures as home decoration items. We also just follow the styles of those kings life style. They make statues for home and garden decor; even on those days the people make decoration on the wall of there home. Mainly stone is used on that time to make home, temple everything. So what they do is, they make different statue, sculpture of different god and goddess of Hindu religion on the wall by curving the stone. So we also make this handcrafted statues and sculptures in brass, bronze and stone. Actually “Art” refers to a huge range of human activity. It is a way or medium to express the emotion, nature and lifestyle. We can say that art exist from the first day of human civilization starts. The concept of home decoration through statue and sculptures is also a long days story. We can see the samples of different hand crafted statues, wall decoration in centuries old civilization like Nalanda, Mahenzodaro and Harappa. On that time people use the stonewall of their home and temples to make different decorative statues. The use of Brass and bronze is also a long history. The historians find a lot useful story and proof from this wall decoration. This artistic works is also represents the culture of those peoples. So, finally what we can say that, the history of handicraft in India is very long. Even one greater sample of handicraft is Taj mahal itself. Today it is considered as the best wonders all over the world. So we can easily say that Indian handicraft has a long golden story from the centuries.
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Spring is a sign of renewal in many areas of our lives, and our homes are no different! There is something energizing and refreshing about bringing that bright, airy feeling of Spring into your home. Here are the 10 best ways to spruce up and revitalize your rooms, on a dime!

1.Add white! White with your present color scheme will both cool and brighten, adding the freshness that only white can! If your room colors tend toward the warm side, such as yellows, browns, or reds…then choose creamier white such as ecru or ivory. If you have cooler colors in your room, such as greens and blues, go with the brighter, cleaner whites.

2.Try painting your focal wall, (that is, the one most seen) in a sunnier, brighter, or lighter shade of your current wall color. It will add lightness to the room without drastically changing the whole scheme. Don’t worry, you can always go back to that rich red in the fall, but how about a little petal pink, or sky blue? Remember, its only paint, its cheap!
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Garden Planter is a small pot or container used for growing small plants or trees. Garden Planters are stunning outdoor accessories that takes care of your actual garden or outdoor space. Garden Planters provide solution to plant lovers who do not have enough garden space. Garden Planters allow plantation anywhere in different styles shapes and sizes. Square, Rectangular or circular garden planters are there to suit different space area and different plant types viz., small trees to medium plants. Even hang-off garden planters are also available. With garden planters an artificial garden can be created even at the roof top.

Selection of Garden planters is most important. Quality material with nicely crafted garden planters must be selected as it did not require replacement at later point of time. Garden Planters with good wooden material like teak, cedar, Redwood, synthetic material like polymer and granite or marble is durable and elegant. Wooden and Granite Garden planers are natural and beautiful. They withstand tuff weather conditions and monsoon seasons. Garden Planters can be selected taking into account whether the container will survive mid-day sun, breezes and can hold moisture and should not dry out immediately. Terracotta Planters dry out very fast while wood and metal garden planters retain water unless there is provision for water drain. Fiberglass Planters are very light weight, mobile but not durable.
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The style, shape and function of a home’s windows can underscore a home’s elegance, coziness or cutting-edge style. The following are some of today’s most exciting formats and treatments:

Adding Elegance

Palladian or arched windows are graceful and elegant, but hard to cover. Fortunately, Hunter Douglas offers a variety of styles to cover unusually shaped windows. For instance, Duette® honeycomb shades come in an arch shape, designed to lift and lower smoothly from top to bottom on “perfect” and “imperfect” arches, allowing for privacy, light control and easy window cleaning.
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Power tools are indispensable for professionals and those who tackle DIY home improvement jobs. They are favored as they help users to save time and they also make the job easier. However, they need to be handled carefully otherwise they can lead to injury. Mishaps usually occur due to negligence, boredom, and overconfidence. By keeping the following 10 safety issues in mind, it is possible to work satisfactorily and safely with power tools.

1. Safety glasses: These prevent dust, debris, wood shavings, shards from fiberglass, etc from getting into the eyes. Safety glasses are one of the most basic pieces of safety equipment that must be used when working with power tools.

2. Protection for the ears: Power tools can generate a lot of noise, which may sound louder in the cloistered environment of a workshop; in order to minimize damage to the ears, it is advisable to wear earplugs.
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Past honorees have been pioneers in print, radio and television. Their names have graced campus buildings and public gardens. For a dairy farmer’s grandson from Maine, the news that he was to receive the Ameri-can Horticultural Society’s 2006 Horticultural Communication Award was the most humbling of his career.

“To be included among the past recipients of AHS awards is the highest honor of my professional life, and nothing I could ever have dreamed of receiving,” said Paul Tukey, who founded People, Places & Plants magazine in 1995, along with a television show of the same name in 2002. “It is something I share with an incredibly dedicated staff at People, Places & Plants and my friends and family, who have supported me through all the trials and tribulations of an running an independently-owned publishing company in this day and age. Honestly, to win this was stunning.”
Founded in 1922, the American Horticultural Society is one of the oldest gardening organizations in the nation. Its awards program, started in 1952, is considered to be the most prestigious in the field of horticulture.

“The American Horticultural Society recognizes American horticultural heroes in a wide variety of professions through the annual Great American Gardeners Awards,” said AHS President Katy Moss Warner. “These awards celebrate the best and brightest in our nation, from scientists who develop tough plants for our gardens, to public garden professionals who promote earth-friendly gardening practices, to journalists who popularize gardening throughout America. This year, Paul Tukey is receiving the AHS Horticultural Communication Award in recognition of the extraordinary work he has done to encourage gardening through his dynamic talks, his presence on HGTV, and his People, Places & Plants magazine.”
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There are so many options available to today’s homeowner when it comes to choosing alternatives to traditional flat paint. There’s absolutely no reason to hang onto that boring tried-and-true white (or taupe, taupe, taupe) painted in every room throughout your home.

Explore the alternatives. Look in magazines for rooms that appeal to you. Architectural Digest, Southern Accents, Veranda and others all regularly feature homes that have faux finishes on everything from walls to furniture. Designers love to change the feel of a space with color and textures, painted faux finishes are an easy first step in that direction. You can do the same thing, too.

Faux finishes can be applied to almost any surface. From walls, ceilings, cabinetry in the kitchen and bath, floors, to all types of solid furniture as well. Styles of finishes can be extremely simple and subtle, to way, way over-the-top fantasy finishes, depending on your personal taste and pocketbook.
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