Home Decorating Articles

Summer is here, and with it come all of the housekeeping that has been neglected that can't be ignored anymore. My garden is in, the windows have been washed, and finally the pool is painted (again). I can't wait to take advantage of all of the outdoor areas here at The Home Idea Factory and continue my quest to have my home live up to it's potential. One of the things that attracted me to my home is that it needed so much work I knew I'd never run out of projects!

After living in Tucson for 10 years I was anxious to give my green thumb a try and see if I could replicate some of the gardens that my grandmother was known for. She was a huge influence on me, and some of my fondest memories are of Silva working on our vegetable gardens at the lake that we planted Memorial Day weekend or her cutting gardens that were as unconventional as she was. On some of my visits back to the family farm in Erie, Pennsylvania I dug up some roots of her plants and brought them back to Texas to see if they would grow, and some of them have done well. Unfortunately the raspberry bushes that we used to spend hours in the middle of eating to our hearts content didn't like the clay soil in this area and didn't make it. But the hostas are thriving and the seeds that I gathered from her hollyhocks have helped me establish the garden that I've always hoped for.

The front garden that used to be a weed patch now boasts a riot of colors and includes hollyhocks and sunflowers that reach to the sky. Our latest patch of feral kittens uses it as a safe haven and I love watching them play hide and seek in the hostas.

I hope that you all are enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day!