'Merry Christmas'

"My  X'mas Cards"

x'mas village & santa claus

x'mas village & santa claus

Art Of Nature

'A Journey Through My Garden'

7 Tips for a wonderful & useful Bedroom

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/18311359/list/7-Tips-for-Designing-Your-Bedroom

The bedrooms shown here manage that feat with panache. Even if you don't have a great view, access to the outdoors or plenty of space to work with, the principles they embody and the simplicity they show can inspire your own bedroom design project.

Blackband Design

Because the bedroom is one of the simplest rooms in the house, it's often overlooked. One of the first steps to a great bedroom design is having an efficient and well-designed floor plan that gives you everything you want — no matter how much space you start with.

Here are seven tips to help you get the most out of your bedroom.

Jeanne Finnerty Interior Design

1. Simple circulation. Try to keep your circulation on one side of the room. Hotels do a great job of this. There's a reason 90 percent of hotels have the same floor plan: because it's simple and it works.

Circulation plans become a little more challenging with en suite rooms (bedrooms with bathrooms attached) or bedrooms that have doors to the outside.

‘The Hobbit House’-a low-impact woodland home in Wales

 http://simondale.net/

 http://smallhousebliss.com/2012/07/11/low-impact-home-by-simon-dale/ 

To minimize their own environmental impact, they designed their own  ‘LOW-IMPACT WOODLAND HOME’ in Wales. Simon and his father-in-law built it with the help of friends. In Simon’s words:

“The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land. Main tools used: chainsaw, hammer and 1-inch chisel, little else really. Oh and by the way, I am not a builder or carpenter, my experience is only having a go at one similar house 2 years before and a bit of mucking around in between. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self-belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.”

20 Ideas 4 a Creative Kids' Room

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19396642/list/20-Ideas-for-a-Hip-and-Creative-Kids--Room

The days when ducky wallpaper borders and cartoon character sheets were the only decor possibilities for children's rooms are (thankfully) long gone. From unique floor and wall coverings to stylish storage and organizing ideas, cool beds and DIY projects, there are more options today than ever for pint-size spaces. Whether you are shifting from crib to big-kid bed or just want to shake things up in your kid's bedroom, you'll find 20 supercreative ideas to spark your imagination here.

MintSix Boutique Homewares & Styling

Try a bold black and white palette. Go chic and mod with a mostly black and white palette: A black and white striped wall, graphic bedding, a leather pouf and numeric wall art bring plenty of visual interest here, so the room feels creative, not stark. A small splash of color is still welcome — try breaking up all of the black and white with a bunting or colorful curtains, as the designer did here.

CM Glover

Or overdose on color. Kids nearly always love color, so why not give in and create a supercolorful haven? In the space shown here, pink walls, a-lime green chair and colorful artwork are tempered by the black and white rug and white furniture with simple lines.

How to design like an architect | A modern home

Quote of the week

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

My Dreaming Art

a broken heart start with a broken love

jack sparrow

8 ways 4 a beautiful garden

"Hi frnds this is my 1st post in my 1st blog....if u feel it useful comment on it and also dnt frget 2 lik it...."

8 ways 4 a beautiful garden

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19844650/list/8-Ways-a-Garden-Can-Draw-You-In

some of the features that make for an unforgettable garden experience

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1. A defined entry. The entrance to a garden is an important feature that should be considered. It is a great opportunity to create a dramatic effect that sets the tone for the rest of the garden experience.

Think contrast with your garden entrance, the more the better. The entrance doesn’t need to be grand; a simple transition between a shaded environment and a well-lit, open space is enough to signal to visitors that they have entered into the garden.

Matt Kilburn

2. Cutout windows in hedging and walls. In the same way that an entrance focuses the view to a single vignette, cutouts in hedging and walls are an effective way to frame features and create interest in your garden. Whether it’s a peek through to another area of your garden or a “borrowed” view of a landscape element beyond the boundary of your site, windows cut into hedging and walls are a great way to engage the garden visitor.

Matt Kilburn

3. Paths that hint at a destination. A garden path should always lead somewhere; this is seemingly obvious but sometimes overlooked.

Whether it is another area of the garden or a landscape feature tucked into the framework of the space, a destination at the end of a path is crucial. Hinting at an area of interest at the end of a path is a great way to get garden visitors to explore the far reaches of your garden, and it’s a perfect opportunity to showcase garden art or a favorite piece of garden furniture.

Lankford Associates Landscape Architects

4. Changes in path materials. Consideration should be given to the size and materials of garden paths, as this can greatly enhance the experience in your garden. Larger, more defined paths allow for quicker movement and provide the opportunity to look up from the path to the surrounding environment. This works well to direct focus to features in the distance.

Smaller, more irregular paths (such as those made of flagstone or uneven brickwork) require visitors to slow their pace and direct their eyes downward. This is a great way to draw attention to the small details in the immediate surrounding area. Changing the material and/or scale of a path is also an effective way to signal the transition into a new garden room.

Studio William Hefner

5. Hidden water features. The sound of water is always a welcome addition to the garden. It has the ability to cover unwanted background noise and impart a sense of calm, regardless of whether it is a rushing stream or a gurgling, overflowing pot. What makes a water feature even more intriguing is when it is heard before it is seen. The sound of water acts like a beacon, compelling the garden visitor to find the source. Water features should be in a location where they can be heard in both the front and back garden, as the sound will help connect the two areas.

Matt Kilburn

6. Foliage color that draws attention. Color is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal when you’re designing your garden. Choosing plants with foliage that contrasts the surrounding plantings is a surefire way to draw the eye to a desired area. Situating garden art in a sea of color (like this statue positioned in front of a mass of bright chartreuse ferns) makes it come alive, and different effects can be accomplished as the seasons shift and the foliage changes color.

Landscape Design Associates of Westchester, Inc.

7. Green boundaries. A successful garden fits seamlessly into the landscape, an effect often aided by softening the boundaries to draw the eye back into the space. A great way to do this is to screen the hard edges of fencing and walls with masses of green foliage. Berming soil near the property boundary (as shown here) allows for perennials and trees to rise above the main grade of the garden and obscure the view of any fencing. In smaller spaces green boundaries can be obtained with vines and green walls; they create the same effect in a smaller footprint.

Grant and Power Landscaping

8. Alluring landscape lighting. An amazing shift happens in the garden when the sun sets. The landscape features that stood center stage during the day recede into darkness, and a whole new atmosphere can be created with creative placement of landscape lighting. Trees can be uplit, and paths can be defined by lights, leading garden visitors through the space and providing interest that can be enjoyed both outdoors and from indoors. Lighting can also be effectively incorporated into water features to add movement (and to keep people from stepping into the pond!).

link:http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19844650/list/8-Ways-a-Garden-Can-Draw-You-In