The Yellow Cape Cod: May 2015

DIY Portable Fresh Herb Container Garden

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As an Interior Designer, one of the tricks we use to make our design project photos come alive, is to incorporate fresh flowers or live greenery into the home for the photo shoot. This is because we know nothing brings life to a space like real, live plants. Even the most impeccable decor is further enhanced with the addition of a simple, green, living plant.

Through years of staging and photographing my design projects, I've developed a huge crush on container herb gardens. They are great for breathing life into a kitchen during the winter months when fresh floral arrangements can be scarce. I use them often for client projects. Making one for myself has been on my bucket list for a while and I finally get to cross it off.

This little garden was so simple to put together. I love the way looks and I'm excited to cook with fresh herbs that I grew myself. It came together easily using things I already had around the house (clay pots, a serving tray and Modge Podge) and Burpee Home Garden plants that I purchased at my local garden center.

Before selecting my herb plant varieties, I did a little research at the Burpee Home Gardens website. I chose three plants that require the same amount of light in order to keep all of these little plants happy together in one spot. I then narrowed them down by selecting two herbs that I often cook with (Sage and Oregano) and one that I was sold on after the mention of a delicious summer cocktail (Spearmint).

Here are some things I learned about these plants from Burpee Home Gardens...

Spearmint is best harvested as soon as you see it bloom. Use it's flavorful leaves with vegetables and in any summer drink, especially Mojitos. Sage is one of the best garden herbs because when protected, it will grow into a sturdy perennial shrub in most climates. The leaves are best when harvested before or just after blooming. Sage can be used fresh or dried with poultry, sausages, meats and vegetables. Oregano is a versatile culinary herb widely used, most often dried, in Italian dishes, tomato sauce, pizza, fish and salad dressings. Oregano requires little maintenance and makes an excellent edging plant or ground covering, even in dry garden spots.

Once I had my plants selected, I planted them in cute little clay pots and labeled them. A quick internet search for "free printable plant labels" led me to these black and white printable herb labels at andersruff.com. If you would like to print these and use them yourself, please click here for the high resolution printable version by Anders Ruff Designs. I printed them out on regular paper, cut them out and used Modge Podge to apply them to the pots.

Placing all three pots in a large white serving tray not only looks pretty, but makes it easy to move my little garden around. The plants I chose all require full sun. This means during the day they will most likely adorn our patio table. When it's time for dinner or while entertaining, I'll bring them into the kitchen where the cooking and cocktail mixing will take place.

If you are like me, I need all the help I can get to keep my plants alive. Burpee Home Gardens makes it easy and fun to garden with amazing results. You can click here to learn more about home gardening and to find a store near you.

Another fantastic resource Burpee Home Gardens offers is an official Burpee Garden Coach. You simply visit Burpeecoach.com and send an email there to get access to gardening tips. Now for a chance to win a $100 American Express gift card, tell me, what plants will you use to start your own garden?

Thanks for stopping by. I'm off to find the perfect summer Mojito recipe...

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a $100 American Express gift card!

***This post sponsored by Burpee Home Gardens. I received compensation to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

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Learn How To Make a DIY Outdoor Serving Station

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Recently, I made the exciting announcement regarding my year-long partnership with the Home Depot Do-It-Herself (DIH) program. In case you missed it, The Home Depot DIH Workshops. are FREE, live, in-store workshops held throughout the country for Do-it-Herselfers of ALL ages and skill levels. These workshops offer step-by-step instructions on how to make simple home improvement projects with easy to operate power tools. Whether you are an experienced DIY-er or have never touched a power tool in your life, these interactive, demonstration-style workshops are a great opportunity to pick up tips and advice from the pros! These workshops are held on the third Thursday of each month at all Home Depot locations. Throughout the year I will be co-hosting live DIH workshops at various Home Depot stores.

The June workshop will be held on Thursday, June 18th from 6:30pm-8:00pm. This workshop will feature a demonstration on how to make an adorable and super handy outdoor serving station!

Check it out...

Isn't it cool? I can't wait to finish mine!

In addition to co-hosting a live in-store workshop, I will be sharing this project here on the blog. I'm also working on my very own customized version of the outdoor serving station. Once it's ready I'll be sure to share it with you! Once again, the workshop featuring the outdoor serving station will be held on Thursday, June 18th from 6:30pm-8:00pm at your local The Home Depot Store. For more information and to PRE-REGISTER for the outdoor serving station workshop near you, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

If you are Michigan, you will be able to find me at the Grand Rapids Store #2720 located at 2727 Alpine Ave NW Grand Rapids, Mi on Thursday, June 18th! Click here to register.

Hope to see you there!

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Kathi's Perfect Greige Dining Room

Today's featured design project is one of two rooms we designed for Kathi through our affordable online design service (psst...we are now open for new projects, click here for more info). We had the privilege of working in Kathi's Dining Room and Living Room. Today, I'd like to share the plan we created for the Dining Room.

Our goal in this project was to give her a custom design that was high in style, but most importantly we wanted to create a design that would make the most of the gorgeous architectural details featured throughout her home.

Above is the true to scale floor plan illustration we provided to show Kathi where all the elements in the space should be placed. We started her design by selecting a new area rug. This luxurious tone-on-tone rug features shades of gray and greige. The variation in color within this rugs makes it a great choice for a dining room as it will mask any possible spills or stains.

Kathy's dining room has been freshly painted in a beautiful neutral color that compliments this design plan well. Therefore, we recommended that she leave the current paint color. For a little interest and depth, we suggested that she paint just the back wall (that happens to feature beautiful custom built in shelves) a medium greige like "Perfect Greige" by Sherwin Williams.

For a touch of bling, we added these amazing, large-scale, metal art pieces to the long wall adjacent to the dining table. By stacking these two pieces, it will draw the eye up and fill the large wall nicely. The antiqued gold leaf finish featured on these pieces is absolutely beautiful and adds a touch of formality to the space.

On the opposite wall, we chose to feature another luxurious element, a gallery of stunning gray linen and silver picture frames. Inside the frames, Kathi's favorite family photos or art prints can be displayed to personalize the space and make this room unique to Kathi and her family.

I mentioned earlier that this room features gorgeous, custom, built-in shelves. Our recommendation for styling was to fill them with beautiful ivory porcelain and antique silver serving pieces. The darker "Perfect Greige" accent paint that we added to this feature wall will really highlight a collection like this. Not to mention, these pieces will come in handy for entertaining.

In addition to looking great in the shelves, light colored porcelain and silver serving pieces will look amazing on Kathi's existing dark brown dining table. The rich finish of her dining table provides contrast to the soft colors used throughout this design and grounds the room perfectly. To highlight the table, we suggested that she update her existing dining chairs by having them reupholstered in this gorgeous ikat fabric...

The design elements shared in this post are just part of the complete design plan we delivered to help Kathi create a beautiful dining room. Product sources for the items featured in this post are provided below. Stay tuned, later this week I'll be sharing the custom design plan we created for Kathi's Living Room.

I'm now open for new projects through my affordable online design service. If you have a room in your home that needs a little love, please click here to learn more about this affordable design service and how it can help you create the space you've been longing for.

Product Source List

Metal Wall Art

Gray Linen & Silver Picture Frames

Dining Chair Fabric

7’9 x 10’10 Rug

Accessories

Jane's "Updated-Cottage" Style Family Room

We have been very busy in the design studio and I can't wait to share all the projects we've been working on. Today's featured design is an online design plan we recently created for Jane's Living Room. Our goal in this project was to give her an updated family room that is high in style yet comfortable. This design has an updated-cottage flavor that is both casual and streamlined creating a comfortable, clean, timeless space Jane and her guests will enjoy.

Here is the true to scale floor plan illustration we provided to show Jane where to place each item in her design plan...

This large painted bookcase was selected to ground the large wall in the back of the space. We recommended that she style this piece by mixing everyday items with decorative accessories in an organized fashion. Books, frames, greens and decorative objects were chosen to fill the shelves and provide an eye-catching focal point in the space. We also suggested adding baskets to provide storage for not so attractive items.

We selected neutral upholstery. By keeping the fabrics neutral, she can add pops of color, changing it up with the seasons. The rounded arms and sleek base of the sofa we chose have an "updated-cottage" flavor, which is perfect for Jane's home. The striped upholstery fabric we chose for the accent chairs provides pattern and interest.

The tables we selected for the space are amazing. Both the cocktail table and end table are from Ballard Designs.

The combination of wood and iron give them a chic rustic feel and adds to the cottage charm of the room.

We added fun pops of green and blue with beautiful pillows and accessories.

The artwork we selected also brings color to the space as well as a touch of nature. This bright and cheerful collage of four framed prints is perfect for the area over the chair in the reading corner. Another art selection we made was this large scale, sculptural tree art. Wood planking on the back of this piece provides gorgeous texture and interest.

The items shown in this post are just some of the elements we selected for Jane's custom design plan.

In addition to these suggestions, we also provided her with recommendations for paint color, window treatments, lighting, additional furnishings and accessories.