Palm Perfection

Palm Perfection This unique, greenhouse-esque home was inspired by the homeowners' love for plants. High-pitched ceilings couple with wall-to-wall windows to welcome sun, which makes it the an environment to get a statement-making palm tree.



When Life Hands You Lemon Trees... Stick Celtics at a posh set of chinoiserie pots, and watch them grow. The duo pictured this frame an ultra-elegant sofa to create a fresh, inviting sitting area with this upstairs landing. Do the same, and use the fruit to infuse water and add zest to a signature chicken piccata.



Sunken Sofa, Boosted Disposition Sinking to the couch at the end of a long day feels excellent. Sinking into a couch surrounded by a built-in backyard? Now that feels exceptional. The lush, indoor landscaping produces a high-end look with an abundance of leafy greens, sure to brighten any disposition.



Breathe Easy Fiddle leaf figs are inside layout mainstays. Hop on the bandwagon without feeling like a cop-out since these new, stylish plants are said to improve air quality in homes, too.



Curing Aloe Vera Just one aloe vera plant packs a fashionable punch in this contemporary, minimalist bath. Better yet? Aloe vera is known for its magical healing powers for the skin, and it's low-maintenance, to boot.



Saturate the Space This gorgeous design gives new meaning to going green. Use houseplants to saturate your space with this cool, refreshing color to promote power and clarity. The two leafy houseplants seen here are put at either end of the velvet sofa and pull the pure colour out to the edges of the space.



Green Grouping This sunny space functions as part-time dining area and part-time interior garden with a trio of succulents dangling from over the window. Really like the look? For all those of you still looking for your green thumbs (you know who you are!) , jade is one succulent that is easy to maintain and easy on the eyes.



Bathing Beauties Garden windows aren't just for the kitchen. They can bring life to your bedroom also. Wake up well rested, and feel energized by creating a backyard window just steps from your bed. Trouble drifting to sleep? Some swear by the flower power of lavender. Add one to your bedside table, and experience total relaxation.



Throw (or Grow) Color A tall houseplant offers some color from the morning light, allowing for simple reading of the morning paper. Bonus? Employing tall trees indoors will draw the eye upwards and accentuate the height of your ceilings.



Skip the Soil Bring on mood-boosting organic elements and interesting texture without worrying about a watering schedule or spilling soil in your new carpet! Air plants are the no-fail option that any space may gain from.



Vibrant Living Houseplants and blossoms are a fool-proof way to make an airy space feel more lively and dwelt in. From the 8-foot-tall number (hello, fiddle-leaf fig!)) To smaller house plants with lush foliage, you can not go wrong with greenery. Several placed round the room will go a very long way to bringing the outdoors indoors.



Restore Refresh A small houseplant to the ideal spruces the space up with new greenery and works to purify the atmosphere of impurities. Beautiful coral accents the plant, while stunning blonde wood adds stunning, natural feel to this clean, white bathroom.



Jungalow Chic Become one with nature without venturing out of the couch. This jungle canopy curtain is a prime layout for pro-plant parents to test. Contemplate gerbera daisies and potted peace lilies for pleasant, air-cleansing additions for your curtain collection.



Garden Fresh Ah, home-cooked meals. What can be better? Response: home-cooked foods that feature fresh herbs from the indoor herb garden. Use this particular ayurvedic herb garden as inspiration to maintain your fresh flavors within reach on your kitchen.



Rustic Basket Rosemary Bush This entryway feels equivalent parts rustic and elegant with a manicured rosemary bush inviting guests from a woven, basket planter. This head-turning plant provides more than what meets the eye, however. Its earthy odor is thought to soothe and clear the brain.



Grow With the Flow We are keen on how this potted plant cleans the atmosphere around this bright white bar. Another thought? Create a hanging herb garden, and treat friends to stunning cocktail garnishes, courtesy of your green thumb.



Fancy Ferns Overflowing ferns frame the doorway in this bright, bohemian living room. Little did you realize these natural beauties are working around the clock to keep their space free from undesirable chemicals in the air.



Shady Snake Plant A houseplant that's low light, very low maintenance and high style? Yes, please. Snag a snake plant, and style it along with a fern, as pictured here, to get a natural and diverse design. More into modern layouts? Snake plants possess sleek-yet-spiky leaves that make them trendy complements for mod spaces, too.



Concrete Jungle Soft sun soaks this city loft to create the best environment for tropical houseplants. Indoor trees, including a palm or a fiddle leaf figs, gift apartment dwellers a much-needed dose of nature in between all of the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle.



Mirror the Exterior It is common practice to frame front door with a pair of pretty, potted posies ... on the exterior of the home. Why don't you copy the look for the inside, also? Not only will the duo potted plants maintain your foyer fresh and free of undesirable odors, but they provide up a super-chic, symmetrical layout for the foyer, too.

Garden Puppets

Garden Puppets Grab the kids and a few craft supplies this summer and make some garden puppets. These sweet paper creatures are easy to create and just right to get a garden puppet show. Children can design them color them and assemble them. All you need is a tree or bush to get a stage, and the possibilities are endless.



Provides To create your backyard puppets you may need card stock or other stiff paper, scissors and adhesive, a pen or pencil, and paintmark or your favorite coloring materials. You'll also require a collection of different sized round things to trace. Drinking glasses, lids, bottles, thimbles and several other household items work great! Additionally, you'll require a few sticks or skewers to finish your puppets.



Tracing A Snail The first step to creating your puppets is hauling or drawing a circle. Lay right down your round item and trace around it. For a snail you may need one big circle to the shell, along with a smaller circle for the head. Draw the rest of the snail's body. Erase the areas of the circle you don't need, suggested here using a dotted line.



Coloring Your Shapes Once you have traced out the fundamental shapes, colour them in with your choice of materials. You can use paint, markers, colored pencils, crayons or anything else you can think of. Do not worry too much about acquiring all the color perfectly inside the lines, so you can trim it down in the next step.



Cut Out Your Shapes Once you've the basic colours down, then cut out the shapes across the lines your originally drew. Reduce any spots where the color went outside the borders.



Glue Your Shapes Together Arrange them once your pieces are cut and paste them together. For your snail place a tiny bit of adhesive along his spine, and set the shell on top.



Adding Details Once your pieces are glued together it is possible to choose where to include particulars. This is a superb time to include eyes, textures, patterns and whatever else you enjoy. Dots are fun and easy additions to give your critters a little extra character.



Finishing Touches Once your critter is pieced together and of the paint and glue is dry, you'll need to put in a rod to the back to turn it into a puppet! Twigs from the backyard are perfect for this, but skewers or popsicle sticks will work too. Use glue or a piece of tape to attach the stick to the back of your own sanity.



Ladybug Shapes As soon as you've mastered the snail, it's easy to create a ladybug with just a couple more circles. Trace two large circles for the entire body of your own ladybug. Put a moderate circle overlapping the first large circle to make a head. Split the second circle in half to your ladybug's wings. Trace a series of circles to make your ladybug's spots.



Completed Ladybug Color and cut out your ladybug shapes. Twist the polka dots on the massive wing circle and cut the ring in half. Attach the wings to the ladybug's body by gluing them near the bottom of the head. If you want to make your ladybug a little more interactive you can use brads instead of adhesive to attach your wings. That way they will be able to move.



Bumble Bee Shapes To get a bit more of a challenge, consider producing a bumble bee! Trace a large circle for the body, using a smaller ring inside to your mind. Trace two circles to the wings, making them about precisely the same size as the head. Then follow a smaller circle right next to each of them to form the wings. Draw 6 zigzags for thighs, you may use a ruler if you would like the lines to be perfectly straight.



Finished Bumble Bee Color and cut your bumble bee shapes. Do not forget to include the stripes when you're painting your system. Glue the wings close to the top of the human body, and then attach the legs in the bottom, behind your system. Such as the ladybug, you may use brads instead of glue if you need all the parts to move.



Hummingbird Shapes The basic hummingbird shapes begin quite much like the shapes you use to your bee's wings. Start out with 3 moderate circles each touching a smaller circle. Create wings with just two of these shapes by drawing a long triangle from the larger circle. Create a body together with the next shape by adding another circle in which the tail will be. Draw a long, narrow triangle for the beak.



Putting a Hummingbird Color and cut out your pieces and then glue the beak into the bird's head. Attach a brad or adhesive and add any specifics. Insert the rod the trunk and your bird is ready to fly.



Robin Shapes Want to add a different garden bird? How about a red-breasted robin? Overlap a large circle and a medium circle to produce the body and head. Insert a triangular shape for the tail toward the base of the human body. Draw a diamond shape to your beak and 2 toes shapes.



Finished Robin Color and cut out your robin contours. Don't forget to add breast. Glue the beak and feet, and include feel eyes and other particulars.



Duck Shapes You may produce a cute duck as easily as a robin. Start out with the very same circles to the body and head, but add a tail up in the top. Flatten the back between the tail and head a bit. Draw an oval for the beak and 2 feet. The feet are simple to draw if you begin with a diamond shape and curve a few lines to produce webbed duck feet.



Finished Duck Color and cut out all your budding contours. Glue the beak and feet on. Add eyes and some other specifics. If you want to add a wing, then see the chicken at another step to understand how.



Chicken Shapes A chicken is quite similar to a robin or duck, and just requires a few more steps. Begin the body in the same way, with overlapping large and mild circles, and then include a pointed tail. Flatten the back a little and draw a bead for the beak, along with 2 toes shapes. Produce the wing by drawing a ring. Overlap another circle on top to make a crescent form. Erase the rest of the ring so that you are left with a half moon shape for your wing.



Finished Chicken Color and cut out all the pieces for your chicken. Glue on the beak and feet. You can paste the wing on, or attach it with a brad so it moves. Insert a watch and any additional details or texture you like.



Sheep Shapes Wish to make a larger farm animal? Try out a sheep. To make the sheep you will need one big circle for the body and two little circles for the ears. Create the head by placing a medium circle and small circle directly next to each other and connecting them with lines. Add points to the little ear circles to make ear shapes. Draw 4 little rectangles for thighs.



Finished Sheep Color and cut your sheep out bits. Glue the legs and head. If you would like to get creative you can attach your ears together with brads in order that they wiggle, or simply paste them on. Now you've got a whole backyard gang for an ideal puppet show.



Finished Puppets Once all of your puppets are constructed and attached to their own sticks, you are prepared for a puppet show. Send the kids outside to find the perfect point and allow their imaginations run rampant.

Not Your Typical Backyard Pool

Not Your Typical Backyard Pool Designers Brad Renken and Chris Carter of Hearthstone Environments take you on a tour of a garden swimming pool project that evolved into something much more creative and whimsical with unexpected amenities such as waterfalls and a personal grotto with dinosaur wall art.



The Art of Excavation The challenge facing the designers for this particular project was creating a pool which combined in naturally with the uneven terrain and sloping backyard. They also built a pool house/family room that joined two homes, creating one special residence with a pool that spanned two tons.  



The Big Stakeout The special shape of the pool is summarized in stakes showing the curves and borders which will highlight specific amenities like a fire pit or terrace space for entertaining and sunbathing.



Steel Cage Skeleton Most swimming pools desire a strong, durable support system which is provided by means of a steel cage arrangement (pictured above) and covered with a concrete mortar mix that functions as the hard outer shell. Think of it as the skeleton of the main pool body.  



Fleshing Out the Information The wooden supports in the centre are the beginnings of a construction that will be dealt with in a concrete mixture and form a faux stone grotto complete with waterfall.



Much like Sculptor's Clay The whole shape of this pool is created by applying concrete with the power of air to the interior and walls, finally forming the structure. In the last stages the pool interior will be coated with a watertight finish (available in a variety of colours) that also aids in the durability of these materials.



Waterfall Basics Plumbing details and water pipes are concealed but available during the building of the pool grotto which can host a running creek of water across the roof which will cascade to the pool as a waterfall.



Round and Round A worker concentrates on completing a surface area adjoining the pool that is utilized for entertaining. In this case, a circular fire pit is going to be the primary attraction of this pool patio area that is bordered by a round wall.  



Beauty Stains Making faux rocks look like the actual issue is actually a painstakingly thorough process of hand staining the surface of each one.



Aqua Accents The perfect finishing touch to the upper exterior edge of the pool sides are mosaic glass tiles that give a special texture and colour to the overall design.



Coming Soon This shot of the pool at the final phases of completion gives you a good idea of the various levels, intricate layout and entertaining, quirky details before the water is turned on.  



Hurry Station Blending in naturally with the organic flow of this rock-themed pool landscape is a ledge/sitting area where swimmers can sunbathe, rest and revel in an open view of their environment. The purple mosaic glass tile introduces a distinctive color accent into the mix.  



Just a Little Something Extra A piled stone column with subtle insert light adds a touch of whimsy along with an architectural anchor to the corner of a raised shallow burial shelf and spillway. The miniature lighthouse also adds night ambiance and helps light up the surrounding pool area.



The View from Here From a different angle, you can glance the miniature lighthouse in the previous photograph, now decorated with a potted plant, and view the entrance to the personal grotto. The running stream and waterfall that cascade down the front of the grotto can be switched on or off on a whim.  



Inner Beauty The interior of the grotto is even more colorful than the exterior as a result of the use of a kind of glass bead (BeadeCrete) which is inserted to the PebbleTec walls for a custom finish that captures light and reflects it back in glistening patterns.



Private Hideaway Here is the point of view from someone inside the pool grotto, looking out through the waterfall. The grotto place can hold as many as five people sitting down with the next two to three swimmers standing up inside.



Evidence of Dinosaurs Adding a touch of mystery and playfulness into the pool layout is a beautiful detail which can just be glimpsed on the ceiling of the pool grotto.  



Liquid Playground A view from the top of the grotto shows a raised flea shelf on the side, an entry point with measures to the main pool and the backdrop pool house/family room which incorporates two former homes into one large residence.  



Cool Corner In this detail of one corner of the finished pool you may see the fire pit area, another entry point to the pool along with a variety of exotic vegetation around the borders which provides privacy and some nature.  



Blue Fire Gas lines and a stainless steel gas burner are hidden beneath a circle of blue chips known as "fire glass," pebble-like fragments that are utilized to retain and direct heat in fire pits.



Grotto Glory Why settle for an ordinary backyard swimming pool as soon as you can have one that is not just created for swim parties but also an architectural miracle that unites a grotto, waterfall and other all-natural attributes into one beautiful design?