Ship Ahoy! The Nautical Touch in Your Outdoor Living Space
Would you rather be sailing or are you strictly a shore bird? Whether you're land-locked or seaside, you can create a nautical look in your outdoor living space by following a few easy principles. You'll find that even landlubbers can answer the siren song of the sea. Although any outside space can be adapted to this motif, wooden decks are particularly suitable. And if you can manage to install a water feature so that the deck overhangs it, you'll increase the "on-board" feel. Be sure to include the following elements.
ColorFor a real yacht-club feel, think navy, as in uniforms. Not only does navy recall the color of the ocean at night, paired with cream accents and brass "buttons", it looks as classy as a ship's captain. You can also add red accents for additional color. FabricMake cushions of canvas or canvas-like fabric. For a trim nautical look, edge thick square cushions in contrasting rope piping.
Blue and white striped mattress ticking also makes great throw cushions. Use sailcloth or awning fabric for drapes. Trim them with navy stripes and hang with grommets on brass curtain rods. Rope's nautical texture can be incorporated in a number of ways. Lay a jute mat on the floor, wrap rope around a plant pot, use rope tie-backs on outdoor draperies, display rope-handled baskets or simply pile a coil of rope in a corner.
FurnitureShip-board fixtures are often made of sleek, highly varnished wood and always make the most of available space. Replicate the look on your deck with built-in benches. As a bonus, build storage units under the seats. For additional portable seating, use wooden and canvas deck chairs or captain's stools. LightingBrass ship lanterns, of course! Although originals are collectibles, there are many attractive reproductions available.
Use a traditional oil-burning unit or opt for a candle-lit look. MotifThe easiest way to carry a nautical theme is with the use of ship-board motifs such as anchors, barometers, weather vanes, sandglasses and seaman's chests. Other useful motifs for an outdoor space include boat pennants, oars and models or images of sailboats. Choose one or two and collect them in various materials. Or re-create a ship's deck by acquiring one of each kind and displaying them in realistic positions throughout your space.
Put your deck in ship-shape this summer, listen to snap of the canvas in the wind and dream on of the high seas..
Debbie Rodgers, the haven maven, owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Her latest how-to guide ?Attracting Butterflies to Your Home and Garden? is now available on her web site. Visit her at www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on ?Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor space?. Mail to debbie@paradiseporch.com.Boudoir Baskets, LLC Named as Finalist in 2004 (TM) Awards for Women Entrepreneurs
Santa Clara, CA (ContentDesk) September 28, 2004 --
Boudoir Baskets, LLC, specialists in romantic gifts and educational in-home pleasure parties, was named a Finalist today for the Best New Product category in The 2004 Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs.The Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs, www.stevieawards/women, is a new national awards competition recognizing the accomplishments of women small business owners in the United States.
The awards are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards, hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" by the New York Post (September 22, 2002). Winners will be announced on Friday, October 22 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City's Times Square.
The master of ceremonies will be Bill Rancic, spokesperson for Advanta which is sponsoring the awards and winner of the hit television show "The Apprentice."
More than 600 nominations from small companies in virtually every industry were submitted...
Baskets > Boudoir Baskets, LLC Named as Finalist in 2004 (TM) Awards for Women Entrepreneurs
A Brief History of Rugs and Carpets
Rugs and carpets have a rich history, only part of which is known. Ancient rugs are very rare because the earliest rugs were made of organic fibers. Organic fibers disintegrate speedily over time, thus preservation over thousands of years is extremely rare. What we do know is that the art of weaving is very old and dates back thousands of years.
Weaving began with rough, simple mats and baskets made of grasses, reeds, leaves, and other natural materials.
The first true ?rugs' were probably rough cured skins used as floor coverings in the homes of early hunters. With tough, flexible backing and generally soft material (called ?pile'), these rugs served to keep the home more warm and insulated.
There is evidence for weaving and the existence of rugs in ancient Mesopotamia and Turkey as far back as 7000 and 8000 B.C.E., and in Egypt (wool and cotton) as early as the third millennium B.C.E. Mongolia and China were also main players in the textile industry,...
Baskets > A Brief History of Rugs and Carpets
Local Garden Designer Discovers The Garden Link To Britain
In early February, the BBC headline read "Town Bans Hanging Baskets: A group of flower enthusiasts has been hit with a ban on some hanging baskets after fears they posed a public risk"-for the townspeople of Bury St Edmunds, it looked as though the town's annual summer floral display, "Bury in Bloom," would be compromised when the Suffolk City Council issued a warning that the town's lampposts could not withstand the weighty, hanging baskets of geraniums and fuchsias that summer, and posed a safety risk despite Bury in Bloom's enjoying a seventeen-year history without incident. Leeann Lavin, garden specialist, landscape designer, and garden historian of Duchess Designs, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, acted quickly upon hearing news of the ban. Lavin promptly located the town, contacted Michael Ames, committee chairman of Bury in Bloom, and donated a selection from The Garden Pendant Collection??, her innovative and artfully designed lightweight hanging planters from Duchess Designs...
Local Garden Designer Discovers The Garden Link To Britain
Baskets > Local Garden Designer Discovers The Garden Link To Britain
Ideas For Creating a Tuscan Kitchen Design
Tuscan kitchen design immediately conjures images of Italy and sunlight and warmth.
In fact these kinds of images are just what you need to think of when coming up with the perfect Tuscan kitchen design.
Tuscany a region in north central Italy is known as a warm place almost year round an Tuscan kitchen design should reflect this.
Tuscan kitchen designs are defined by colors such as siena, terra, and sepia.
Tuscan Kitchen design uses a lot of soft warm colors and textures.
Windows in the kitchen should provide as much natural sunlight as possible.
The Tuscan style has evolved through the centuries, influenced by Etruscan metal craft and pottery as well as the Italian Renaissance.
The Tuscan style can be seen in mosiac tiles, wrought iron gates, bridges and architecture.
Tuscan kitchen design and d?cor can enhance the look and feel of any kitchen.
You can add a big wooden table...
Baskets > Ideas For Creating a Tuscan Kitchen Design