Lowe's Creative Ideas Blog

Grandma 1.0

Pam Hayes — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 GMT

I recently received big news. Life changing news. I'm going to be a grandmother. When my son called me to tell me, I was silent for about 30 seconds. But my head was spinning, so it could have been more like 30 minutes because I came to with him saying in a concerned voice, "Mom? MOM? MOOOOM?!? Are you okay?" I regained my composure, responded in soothing tones and told him that babies are never bad news. Of course they're not. Unless his/her grandmother lives in a house with almost 250 pounds worth of dogs and two very spoiled cats. Then each visit is a veritable obstacle course of peril and imminent illness. How could a tiny human visit my home amongst all the dander, dirt, and OMG, the LITTER BOX? All these thoughts passed through my convulsing brain in a matter of seconds. I hung up the phone and put my head between my knees to gather my wits and keep from passing out. As I studied the tuft of dog hair stuck to my boot heel, the significance of the information hit me - I'm going to have to baby-proof my home.

I actually like kids a lot; my own son was a never-ending mixture of delight and angst, which constitutes joy in parenthood. And kids seem to be drawn to me like moths to flame. But flames kill moths. To gauge the pitfalls in my house, I got down on my belly to view the world from the perspective of a 6-month old. Immediately, I had three wet noses in my face and ears (being "snorfed" as we call it) and a cat sitting on my back. Piper, a border collie mix and a "gift" from my son, actually weaseled her way underneath my chin trying to hoist me back on my feet. Note to self: I will be carrying the child around the house on my hip until he/she is 10. Plus, I was covered in hair - refer to my last blog regarding that.

I rolled over on my back and tried to erase the notion that I live in a zoo. Hard to do with three worried dogs hovering over you - my lab mix with anxiety issues was literally foaming at the mouth in distress. Sully, an Akita, loomed over me and dripped slobber on me from his great height. Piper tucked her body next to mine, laid her head on my shoulder and looked at me sideways as is her habit. I was oddly comforted by them, these hairy children that, like my son, provide me with equal measures of delight and angst. That's when I decided there's room for everyone in my small house. My child survived my mothering and my grandchild will survive my grandmothering. I'm a total justifier. I could have a PhD in justification, so here's the rationalization: my pets don't have opposable thumbs and therefore can't grip a bludgeoning weapon like a big brother or sister could. Satisfied, I got up, wiped off the dog drool and opened the door to the extra bedroom that, with a little ingenuity, might have just enough room for a tiny nursery!

Pam Hayes
Trend Communications Specialist
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

Dawg Gone It

Jule Schreffler Eller — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Back-to-school is in full-swing at the Eller household, which puts Mom a little on edge. Some may make a comparison to a former dictator, but I wouldn't go that far. In fact, I've been making a concerted effort this year to keep all the anxieties that correlate with working full time and having two kids in school at bay.

I even left work with a new attitude one random day. No driving home in my typical clenched-fisted manner; mentally assigning a task to each and every one of those precious minutes between 5:30 (mom gets home) and 8:30 (kids' bedtime). Homework hadn't yet kicked in like I knew it soon would so I opted for a family walk. Dad got the dog leash, one kid jumped on a bike, the other a scooter and off we went - the quintessential, suburban family on a care-free stroll down to the lake.

A half-mile or so later, we arrived at the docks when my husband looked down at his boat. Now, this isn't any boat. This boat is the boat where my husband first learned to wakeboard with his best friend Tracy. This boat has seen great times (catching "big air") and great defeats (face-plants. several face-plants) as well as great sorrow. It belonged to my husband's best friend Tracy, who passed away in July. And there we were, this beautiful September day, on our nice, calm family walk, when I hear these words, "The boat is sinking!"

My husband flew through the gate and I (yes, my mistake) let the dog in right behind him. To set the stage here, the dog is not very visually acute. ok, she's pretty much blind and not all that fit. ok, she's fat.

The husband started to freak out. He's a very laid-back person so when this sort of thing happens, it kind of throws the whole family balance out of whack. He's panicked about the boat and mad about the dog - I'll spare that detail. As poor, half-blind Bailey was just following orders to "GO BACK!!!" she overstepped the narrow dock path and landed in the lake.

She doesn't swim very well, because you know. the weight issue, not to mention she literally couldn't see an escape route. I stood there, as I often do during emergency situations, speechless and motionless while the kids cried and screamed "Bailey's gonna die!" After several attempts of trying to lift the dog by her collar, about three feet onto the dock surface, my former Myrtle Beach lifeguard husband (fully clothed) jumped in the water and swam the dog to shore.

Immediately following the rescue, he sprinted the half-mile or so back to the house, in flip-flops mind you, to retrieve a battery to bilge the boat. After several episodes of sparks flying from putting wrong battery wire to wrong battery wire (in knee-deep boat water btw) he finally got the boat to bilge.

"How does this all relate to a home improvement blog" you might ask?

"Directly", I'd answer. We recently made over our bedroom, coating the walls with a calming Cottage Timber from Valspar's Seaside Retreats collection, which serves as the perfect backdrop for our new contemporary bedroom suite in a rich espresso finish; the bed donning a pale, coastal blue comforter. This is my retreat. A sanctuary I call my own. Later that evening, after feeding, bathing and putting the kids to bed, I went to my bedroom; closed the door; lit some candles; and escaped.

Jule Schreffler Eller
Trend Communications Manager
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

Garden Scents

Julie Martens — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Curing garlic is one of the season's more pungent chores. I usually place mine outside a window, and every time I pass by, I crave Italian food as the aroma of curing garlic bulbs wafts inside. Curing garlic enhances the bulbs' storage capabilities, ensuring that some will store long enough to spice up February chili.

To cure garlic, I place bulbs in full sun on plastic nursery trays with perforated bottoms. In warmest parts of the country, you should give the bulbs light shade. The whole process takes up to two weeks. Bulbs are cured when necks are tight and the wrappers around the cloves are dry and papery. Once garlic is cured, I use hand pruners to trim roots and stems, then peel off the outermost, dirty papery skin, and place the bulbs into a cool, dry, dark place for storage. Properly cured garlic stores from five to eight months.

Many vegetables harvested in autumn require curing for long storage. Potatoes, pumpkins, and winter squash all benefit from curing to harden skins for storage. At the Lowe's Giant Garden, we're sharing the produce with local soup kitchens, but if we were planning to save our harvest for winter meals, we would cure these vegetables. Learn all about curing vegetables here.

While my garlic is curing, the Oriental lilies usually open, sweetly scenting balmy summer nights. Summer bulbs add reliable, easy-growing color to planting beds. I grow sturdy-stemmed Asiatic lilies, which ignite my June borders with fiery red flowers.

White Casa Blanca Oriental lilies give midsummer nights a faraway feel with their heavy, exotic perfume. Oriental lilies often need staking. I use homemade hoop stakes to keep those heavy-headed bloomers from bowing low. Late summer sparkles with spotted turk's cap lilies that grow 4-5 feet tall. When growing conditions are right, lilies multiply easily, creating larger clumps through the years. You can plant summer lilies in fall or spring, so plan now to stage next summer's show.

Other late summer perennials cover planting beds with blankets of color: bright yellow goldenrod, towering joe-pye weed, starry-flowered boltonia, and sweetly scented butterfly bush. Annuals that paint my summer scenery include cleome, sunflower, zinnia, and summer snapdragon. All of these flowers create a buzz among insects, luring butterflies, several species of bees, hoverflies, and beetles with their nectar-laden blossoms. The insects beckon hungry birds that flit among the flowers, chasing a wiggly snack.

The summer garden is alive with activity and beauty. What's happening in your garden? I'd love to hear about it. Share your stories and photos at https://community.lowescreativeideas.com/photo_galleries.aspx

Julie Martens
writer, editor, & horticulturist
An avid gardener since she was a child, Julie has parlayed her greenthumb into a professional career, having served as a garden editor for Better Homes and Gardens, home garden, Southern Living, and Garden Escape magazines. Currently, her writing frequently appears in various garden magazines-Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living, Country Gardens, and others. She has also authored two books filled with projects and ideas for sprucing up the Great Outdoors: Garden Decorating and Garden Rooms.

What is Shop Class?

Matt Mitchell — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:13:16 GMT

Some of you have asked, "What is Lowe's Shop Class?"

Shop Class�is a fun, FREE, four-week course where you will learn how to build a great woodworking project. This time, due to popular demand, we will be building a storage chest.

Each week, for four weeks, we will post a new video. Your instructor, Keith Flippen, will walk you through each step of the process. Plus, we will have printable instructions to make sure your project is a success!

This is a great way to learn a new skill! The folks who participated in the first Shop Class had a great time and built some incredible Adirondack Chairs.

If you sign up before class class begins, you will get an exclusive offer that will get your project off to a great start!

PS - Click here to take a look at the last Shop Class series.

Matt Mitchell
Digital Editorial Manager
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

Water, Watch and Wait

Ann McCormick — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Summer is a glorious gardening season, full of days drenched in life-giving sunshine. Alas, sometimes our garden gets a little too much of a good thing and the plants we love become stressed. That's when I remind myself of the three W's.

Water Wisely

When watering, long and slow is the best policy. Water tends to spread out faster than it sinks down into most soils. If you flood your garden beds, you'll see runoff but the roots more than a few inches below the surface will still be parched. Long and slow watering allows time for water to sink down. It also encourages roots to grow deeply (rather than stay near the surface), which makes them stronger.

Watch Out

Hot weather tends to keep us near the air conditioning or by the pool. That's when problems can crop up in the garden. Weeds can grow at an amazing rate during the summer. Warm weather combined with humidity makes for ideal conditions for fungus. Even insects can gain a foothold. Take a moment in the cool of the morning to wander through the garden and check for problems. A few moments of correction can save hours later in the hot sun.

Wait

When plants are stressed, it's best not to make things worse. Delay transplanting, heavy pruning, and even fertilizing. Each of these activities spurs plants into a growth cycle when it's better for them to be resting.

If you enjoy herbs and organic gardening, you'll want to meet Ann McCormick, the Herb 'n Cowgirl. A life-long gardener, she has spent the last ten years devoted to writing and speaking about her favorite subject. Ann contributes to regional and national home and garden and life-style magazines, including Organic Gardening, Country Woman, Gardening How-To, and Neil Sperry�s Gardens. The Herb 'n Cowgirl also shares her love of herbs and her gardening techniques as a speaker and media guest. To find out more about the Herb 'n Cowgirl visit her website at www.ann-mccormick.com.

Clippers and Compost

Julie Martens — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:00:00 GMT

I've become addicted to those 5-pound, 99-cent bags of overripe bananas at the grocery store. I've been pureeing bananas in smoothies, baking them in brownies, and slicing them onto cereal. Why am I so infatuated with bananas? Partly, it's the price. But the real reason I'm sold on these discounted fruits is what they do for my garden. After I munch the fruit, I bury the peels around the base of flowering perennials. Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, banana peels deliver a nutrient-laden punch to plant roots.

I bury the whole peel in a shallow hole (maybe an inch deep) near the base of roses and clematis. Other gardeners chop the peels before bury the pieces; some swear by burying the peel flat, skin side up.

Others puree the peels with water and pour the mixture on soil as a liquid feed. Digging kitchen scraps into soil is a way to compost when you don't have room for a compost pile. I do this in the vegetable garden until plants are established and digging would disturb roots. When I build a new planting bed, I dedicate the previous season to burying compostable kitchen waste in that spot to draw worms and enrich the soil for next season's plantings.

I also bury kitchen waste in my compost pile. I have a three-bin system and work my way from bin to bin through summer, burying compostable goodies. The kitchen scraps break down by fall, when I add compost to various perennials or vegetable beds. The only items that don't fully decompose are corn cobs; I toss those back into the bins as I refill them each fall. Watch this How-To video explaining composting basics, and download plans to build your own compost bin.

Composting in place develops great soil. You can bury whole newspapers or phone books, or shredded paper, along with kitchen scraps. For tight spaces, use a post-hole digger to excavate a deep, narrow hole. I know a Vietnamese gardener who uses this method. Her soil is so fluffy you can reach your arm in up to your elbow. She grows fantastic vegetables.

My vegetable garden is keeping my table full of goodies-beans, tomatoes, and basil. I don't have enough room to raise regular pumpkins, let alone the giant-size beauties they're tending in the Lowe's Giant Garden.

Giant pumpkins can grow to be true monsters. Last year, the official largest pumpkin weighed in at 1536.5 pounds. That kind of produce requires a crane to move it! Check out the latest progress on the Lowe's Giant Garden, and let me know what's growing in your garden. Post a comment below-I'd love to hear about it.

Perennial Pick-Me-Up

Julie Martens — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Every year about mid-June, I scout garden centers for delphiniums. At that point, I can usually find them on discount, and snap up a few to add to the garden. Delphiniums are one of those short-lived bloomers that take a year to come into their own. The old delphinium saying goes like this: "First year grow, second year show, third year throw." Last year my garden showcased a second-year delphinium that made every visitor gasp. Several compostings the previous year coupled with abundant June rains last year to yield a 5-foot-plus show.

When perennials shoot skyward like the delphinium or bow precariously under a heavy bloom load, I whip out my collection of stakes. I use a combination of decorative metal fencing, metal hoop supports, and spreading windthrow branches to lend leaning perennials a helping hand. Over time, I've learned to insert stakes early in the season, before strong winds and heavy rains pummel plants into odd positions.

I used to look longingly at high-priced, plastic-coated stakes designed to hoist perennials-then invented my own solution for a fraction of the price. I bought variously sized metal tomato cages and a pair of bolt cutters (about $15). With bolt cutters, I snip the cages into long-legged hoop supports of differing heights. The smallest hoops (the bottom section of tomato cages) slip into pots of amaryllis at holiday time. During the garden season, I shove them into soil to surround a clump of Allium caeruleum, a young Baptisia, or a potted heliotrope. I leave the top two circles of a tomato cage intact, cutting the same side of each level and opening the hoop to create half-circle supports, ideal for propping clumps of large, flop-prone perennials, such as Summer Sun Heliopsis, Peter Pan goldenrod, or Siberian iris.

For plants like dinnerplate dahlias or sunflowers that launch out of soil and rocket toward the sun, I grab a classic plant support combination: bamboo stakes and string. In the Lowe's Giant Garden, the gardeners are supporting Mammoth sunflowers and tomatoes with 8-foot wooden stakes and baling twine. You can check on the Giant Garden's progress at LowesCreativeIdeas.com/GiantGarden.

Do you have great staking ideas? I'm always on the lookout for ways to garden smarter, easier, and cheaper. Please share your best ideas-staking or otherwise-below.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Pam Hayes — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:44:10 GMT

I used to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning house. I was certain I would receive a visitor at any moment that would pass judgment over the general filth and disarray in my home. I'm over that. I'm older and somewhat wiser with three large dogs and two cats living with me. The mysterious disapproving visitor never showed up.

These days, when I read magazines that tell me how often I should vacuum in order to keep my allergies at bay and not serve pet hair with my meals, I feel a brief pang of guilt and then I turn the page. It doesn't help that I daydream excessively and have poor eyesight without corrective lenses. That's a volatile combo when it comes to housekeeping and exactly why I ditch my contacts as soon as I get home. I just don't notice the hair until there's a considerable accumulation. It could be that I don't even have a third dog, just a mass of beast hair that follows me and obeys commands.

But lest you think I'm gross and unsophisticated, I've been lulled into this sense of security by owning a very good vacuum cleaner. By very good, I don't mean the most expensive, but it has all the pet hair attachments, HEPA filter, and best of all, it has unrivaled sucking power. This thing could mow my lawn. While my old vacuum was limping along, wheezing through its final days, I was researching every model on the market trying to make my decision. When I went to Lowe's to buy my new best friend, I was star struck by the floor care aisle. My yearning to own one of the sparkling beauties made my mouth water. Obviously all that research had compromised my sanity, stoking my desire with promises of simplifying my life. I brought my Hoover Wind Tunnel home, and it was love at first swipe.

Now, I do maintain a reasonably healthy home; I'm a bit obsessive about clean countertops and water filters, but when I (finally) notice the thick layer of hair, I'm secure in the knowledge that my trusty vacuum will subdue and eradicate. So I leave it for a couple more days. If the mysterious stranger does happen to ring my doorbell, I'll park the vacuum in plain sight and explain the hair with a vague "science experiment" story.

Pam Hayes
Trend Communications Specialist
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

Making the Most of Basil

Ann McCormick — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Harvesting basil is the sweet summertime payoff after growing it. I love to gather armfuls of this spicy herb for use indoors. If you've got basil growing in your plot, here are four quick tips to maximize your harvest.

Wait until the plant has reached at least ten inches high before making your first cut. For the first harvest, clip stems just above the second set of leaves (counting from the bottom). New stems will form at this juncture, giving you a bushier plant.

Basil will benefit from regular clipping about every two weeks. New leaves have the best flavor. Don't 'save' the basil for one big harvest at the end of the season. By then most of the leaves will be past their prime and bitter tasting.

During the growing season, keep the water coming. Basil is a tropical annual that needs lots of water to produce those succulent leaves. Water it as you would your tomato vines.

When daytime temperatures rise above 80 degrees, basil begins to flower. Resist the impulse to just pinch off the tip. Pinching off the flower spike (known as deadheading) doesn't halt the flowering - it simply makes way for the next flower stalk. Instead, cut the budding stalks at least four leaf nodes down the stem. This will shock your basil out of flower production and back into leaf production, which is exactly what you want.

Rising Temperatures and Cilantro

Ann McCormick — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:00:00 GMT

This month I'll be preparing my Fort Worth garden for the onslaught of a Texas summer. Time to settle things in with a little extra mulch and make sure the water systems are working.

With temperatures rising my herbs are also preparing for hot weather. As the thermometer goes up, so does the central flower stalk on my cilantro. Leaf production stops as it bolts and sets seed. It's one of several cool climate plants in the herb garden that won't survive the coming 100 degree plus weather. Caraway, chervil, and even catnip can show similar behavior.

This bolting is a source of frustration for southern gardeners. Why can't they keep their cilantro alive? In hot climates, cilantro needs to be treated like a two-season annual. The first season is late February through June. Cilantro produces flavorful leaves during the cooler spring days and then sets seed and dies. By the Fourth of July the remains of the cilantro plant should be pulled up and discarded.

But that's not the end of the story. Around Labor Day, gardeners in warm areas will plant a second crop of this spicy herb. As temperatures cool, these new cilantro plants will grow happily until winter frost ends production.

With Spring Comes Change

Jule Schreffler Eller — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:00:00 GMT

While my college friends were surfing the beach and boys over Spring Break way back when, I was stuck in rural, land-locked Pennsylvania doing things like, oh, having my wisdom teeth extracted or painting my bedroom mauve (showing my age, huh?). Obviously priming and rolling wasn't as much fun as sinking my toes in Ocean City, MD sand, but that experience did set a precedent for me. To this day, when spring rolls around, I get an uncontrollable urge for change.

This year is no different. So far, I've bleached out my hair, changed the paint color in my bedroom, bought a new contemporary bedroom suite, and. the biggie. totally changed the look of my kitchen for less than $500. I can't say I actually did that part myself. I'm fortunate to have an incredibly talented father-in-law who happens to be a contractor. All I had to do was envision a look and pick out the product.

I'm a nature lover and enjoy bringing natural elements into my home. I chose Canyon Slate ceramic tile to cover the dark gray laminate countertop and tin-look tiles in pewter to add contrast and texture as a backsplash. When I first saw the transformation I was blown away. As you know, Creative Ideas is all about makeovers, but you just don't realize the impact until it's in your own home. I sat in my kitchen, literally staring at the walls (with a glass of wine, of course) completely content. (Well, I really want to change out the knobs and pulls now. and the lighting fixture over the island just has to go. and.well, I was content for a while!)

Jule Schreffler Eller
Trend Communications Manager
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

Spring Cleaning

Julie Martens — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Wildflowers are now making an appearance: bloodroot, wild ginger, woodland phlox, dutchman's breeches, and trout lilies. Spring has sprung! Last weekend forecasts predicted a day of rain, so I dedicated a few days to clearing perennial beds. After I clean beds each spring, I scratch organic fertilizer into soil and mulch. I like to do this right before a rain, so the rain waters in the fertilizer. I finished the task just as the clouds opened.

As I cleared planting beds, I removed the heavy layers of autumn leaves lodged among perennials, along with the stems I allowed to remain for winter interest. Early this spring, I spotted a cardinal breaking dried meadow rue (Thalictrum) stems into smaller sections and ferrying them into the honeysuckle hedge. Dried stems make great nesting material. To remove old perennial stems, I use clippers, having learned the hard way that a gentle tug can unearth an entire plant, especially in moist soil.

I mulch soil between most perennials with chopped leaves, which are lightweight and allow water to penetrate the soil. Around hostas, I prefer a 2-inch-thick pine straw mulch. A few years ago I became inspired with the idea that slugs wouldn't likely slither across pine needles. While I have no scientific support for this theory, I also don't have slug damage on my hostas.

As I cleared beds, I was thrilled to see that a golden creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') planted late last summer has returned with strong growth. I use golden creeping jenny as an edging plant. Some folks despise its rambling ways, but deep trench edging prevents trailing stems from invading nearby lawn. I plant yellow-flowered perennials behind the creeping jenny-daffodils for spring, goldenrod for summer. The color-coordinated result is eye-pleasing. Other edging perennials that grace my garden are creeping phlox, catmint, alpine strawberries, creeping sedum selections and lambs' ears.

I'll be transplanting broccoli seedlings into the vegetable garden later this week. At the Lowe's Giant Garden, the broccoli is already finished. It's amazing what a difference a few degrees of latitude can make. Don't forget to check out the Lowe's Giant Garden progress. We'll soon be planting warm-season vegetables, herbs, and annuals.

Getting Tan and Batty

Matt Mitchell — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

My mind has been wandering lately. Spring fever? Yeah. Concern over the plants in the Giant Garden? Yeah. Wanting to hang out on my new deck? Oh yeah! Spending time on the deck has become this new event at my house. We've never had one and we are enjoying the heck out of it. My wife and I are vampires according to our friends:� we mostly go out at night.� I even garden at night; I guess we are just night owls.

Ever since we started construction on the deck, I've been doing things in the sun, though: mulching, edging, installing rope lights in the covered area on the deck, adding landscape lighting, planting trees! I do slather on the SPF 50 sweat-proof sunscreen, but according to my wife I'm getting a "farmer's tan".

Farmer's.

Tan.

I haven't had a tan since I was 10! Some may be thrilled with this "gardening bonus". Me? Not so much. I like my pasty glow!

Once all the deck-orating and landscaping is done, we can go back to our nocturnal lifestyle. I only have one more project left and that is installing the bat house. Since bats feast upon mosquitoes, I'm hoping this will be a welcome addition to the yard. It's natural and a bit more exciting than a bug zapper! I just need to figure out a spot that gets seven hours of sun. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Oh - one other thing! I have new insect nemesis - the carpenter bee! If you have any suggestions for preventions let me know!

Matt Mitchell
Digital Editorial Manager
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

The Language of Color

Pam Hayes — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:00 GMT

I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas. I left excited to finally see the west and returned an exhausted husk of a woman. Sin City rises from the dust like some sort of decadent Oz, a mecca for the self-indulgent. To a slightly introverted Southern country girl, Las Vegas is overwhelming - everything is ostentatious, crowded, vivid, and noisy. However, upon emerging from my catatonia, I'm remembering it fondly.

Five days into the trip, my boyfriend said, "Let's go to Red Rock Canyon." I gave him a glassy-eyed stare and said, wanly, "'kay." He pulled me out of the chair, threw a coat around my shoulders and dumped me into the car where I fell asleep in the sun like a cat. A few miles off the strip, I was wide awake and awe-inspired.

The canyons are beautiful, so alien from my natural habitat. I'm used to acres of rolling green, and I was seeing every shade of earth imaginable, a beautifully severe landscape. The eye is immediately drawn to any speck of color - a small spray of red flowers, a blue bird, bright green lichens. We have an emotional connection to color. We crave it, seek it out, even rely on it to make us happy.

The Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas has a collection of hundreds of hand blown glass flowers by Dale Chihuly suspended in the lobby. When I saw it, I stood glued to the floor, mouth open, speechless, not caring that I looked like a complete bumpkin, which I am. The language of color is universal and speaks to our gut, our heart, our soul.

The color that whispers in my boyfriend's ear is Ford Azure Blue which he uses liberally on everything from autos to walls. What Ford Azure Blue says to me is, "I will burn the corneas off your eyeballs if you stare at me long enough." I like earth tones, things you can find in the dirt, I suppose - I painted my bedroom chocolate brown and the inside of my closet mint green. I smiled every time I opened the closet door. While I can't encourage you to cover every surface in your home with your fav color, let color speak to you and take you by surprise. Use it wherever you feel it will make you smile, even if it's a spot of color in an unexpected place!

Pam Hayes
Trend Communications Specialist
LowesCreativeIdeas.com

Lessons

Sandy Culver — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Time had come to dig up my now dead grass rectangle. My efforts must have looked pathetic from the third floor of my townhome where my son spotted my struggles and felt sorry for me, coming outside to take over. Not that I couldn't have done it all myself mind you (I am woman hear me roar) but admittedly I was so grateful when he came down to help I almost cried!

I was also able to once again coerce my fianc� to come over with power tools and help cut and set the timbers. I need to go ahead and confess my stupidity upfront. I did not take my own advice and when he told me we needed a bit more depth in our rectangle I jammed my shovel into the ground and jumped on it for more power . oops. I cut a cable! DOG GONE IT!! So I bolted inside to see if I still had cable, power and internet. It all worked!

The Patron Saint of stupid mistakes must have been watching me. The only thing we can figure out, is that it was a non live cable line running to the garage in case I ever turned it into a man cave or something. Not likely. So please, please CALL BEFORE YOU DIG!

At the end of the day (Sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas") I had: 6 bags of soil, 5 landscape timbers, 4 cold beers, 3 cuss words, 2 BandAid fingers and a cut cable to the garage.

But, I have a raised plant bed! I am feeling so darn accomplished! Rain is expected from Wednesday through the weekend so my sprouting seedlings will have to wait a bit longer before freedom from peat comes and they can sit in nice rich topsoil.

Sandy Culver
Director of Affinity & Education
Lowe's Companies