http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden Read the Smarter Home & Garden Blog for great ideas on home decorating, gardening, entertaining, home improvement and much more. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:07:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en NYTimes.com article on the Home & Garden section today talked about revolutionary architect Roald Gundersen, who builds structures, furniture, and whole houses with entire branches and trunks of trees. He bends and manipulates the trees to make beautiful organic structures that liven up any home and give it an earthy ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/11/06/celebrity-spotlight-building-with-trees/ We all want to save a little money, but not thin down our quality of life. Electronics eat up a lot of power and money, so wherever you see an opportunity to save a little money and do things the "old-fashioned" way, I recommend doing it. Wash the dishes instead ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/11/05/save-money-energy-by-using-drying-racks/ Nothing's better than waking up in the morning and wrapping yourself in something fleece to start the day. May it be your luxurious bathrobe or your comforter, mornings need a little extra padding to get you from the bed to the shower, at least for me. I think there should ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/11/04/snuggle-up-with-fleece-throws-this-winter/ It's time to start stocking up for the annual Turkey Feast! To do that, you're going to need all of the fixings, turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Delicious! It's time to prepare for the feast of the year, and that includes prepping the furniture, table, and dinnerware ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/11/03/turkey-tabletops/ Just because you don’t have much space in your outdoor garden, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy beautiful garden design. It simply means that you have to rethink your garden decorating scheme to accommodate a smaller scale. No matter what size outdoor space you have, you can create a ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/11/03/decorating-tips-for-small-gardens/ Hopefully you really decked out the house for Halloween. Jack-o'-lanterns, spooky cobwebs, maybe even a few lanterns hanging from the porch to light the ghosts and ghouls way in Old Hallow's Eve. Children must have loved it, but now it's time to switch gears and think about more mature, warm, ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/11/02/breaking-news-outdoor-holiday-lights/ Jason Miller, the interior designer featured on the NYTimes.com this week, talks about the beauty and simplicity of throwback 70's style. He recommends three things: Polyester, Pop Art, and Plastic. Think Andy Warhol's factory meets Hippie global world views. What do you do with all this throwback? A classic part ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/10/30/recommendations-from-that-70s-show-interior-designer/ If you live in New England, you don't need a pressure washer or anything to get in those tough-to-reach places on your home's roof and shingling--the blistering cold and the constant downpour of rain will keep everything from sticking to the roof and hanging around outside. But if you're from ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/10/29/fall-cleaning-affordable-pressure-washers/ Dishwashers can eat up your water supply if you aren't careful. Even some of the "economy" styled dishwashers are so monstrous that they take on more water than you'd like! While hand washing and air drying dishes is always the most thrifty and water-economical way to do the dishes, people ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/10/28/eco-friendly-dishwashers/ I remember my mom loving the Yankee Candle collection when I was little, and now that I think of it she still does to this day. For every holiday I come home, there is a different festive smell that wafts through the air, and it's not always her cooking. Sometimes ... http://blogs.smarter.com/homegarden/2009/10/27/seasonal-highlight-the-yankee-candle-craze/