Janet of All Trades

Have you entered to win the HGTV Green Home. I love the whole house but if I could just win two of the rooms in it I would be happy. The first room is the Laundry room. I know, what is wrong with me? This would be my first choice? Why. Well I think it is because my laundry room is a vast black hole where un-needed furniture goes to wait for a home. This room is so clean and bright and I love the use of the Red appliances. I see these everywhere on sale and think..who would want red? Now I see why! The second room is the cute little office in the Tower of the house. You could sit and read or work and enjoy the view. The choice of colors is also a nice calming mix in brown and blue. So go to www.ghtv.com  and see the rest of the house and enter to win. I will be entering and if I win I guess I will take the whole house,not just a few rooms!

After painting part of my living room orange last year, I am starting to see the color everywhere. Take these two ads for paint. My favorite paint Benjamin Moore, shown in this photo, I swear is the same color I selected. I wonder if it is the same color but there is no footnote on the ad, But these where my selections: Pretty close to Pumpkin Cream which is top center. I might have to email them and ask just for my own curiosity. Then in a different magazine I saw this color from Sherwin Williams. In their add they show the color name in the corner. I think I like this color too it is a little more subtle but would have considered it as well. Colors are Acorn 9-25 and Glacier Sand 11-21. I love the dark brown with the orange and this would have be a great combination as well for my living room. But it was completed over 6 months ago and I can honestly say I really do love the color. I am glad that other people are now seeing Orange.

Over the Weekend I completed a few projects that have been hanging around for awhile waiting for me to pay them some attention. Remember these two lovelies.. I had picked them up at TJMax/Home Goods for $2.99 Each. They are DKYN and are very soft. I wanted to use something from my scrap pile to make them just a little more exciting. I had a very large piece of a nice Michael Miller Fleur de Le in Olive that would look great in my bathroom. So I cut to pieces about 4" wide and then used some leftover fusible quilt batting to secure it to the towel. Then top stitching the fabric on to the towel and here is the end result.. They came out wonderful and they were super easy. I was going to use ribbon or hem tape on the edge of the fabric for more detail, but after sewing them I think they look just right. Nice and simple. A very easy project and nice inexpensive gift . One more project off the list!

Last year in May I planted a new garden to accent our patio. I was given some lovely Irises (my favorite flower) that had already bloomed. So I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when this beautiful flower opened up. I believe it is a Beard Iris and it is the most stunning color against the fresh green of spring. I have four more plants and hope to at least cut one and possibly enjoy it at my desk. They are just really amazing and the colors are so vibrant. Every year it's just so exciting to see all the plants come back up again. Spring has definitely arrived!

Just a few garden updates took place over the weekend. Little projects that will make a big impact. First on the list was the wooded tiles that my large new pots sit on. They needed a little help since they have faded since last year. But after two coats of Dark Espresso Stain they look almost new. Then lastly put in their spot for the the summer. Of course it is still too early for flowers so the pot will be empty for another few weeks. But the rest of my garden is coming along nicely in the warm spring weather. Now all we need is a little rain and it is raining today! Ah mother nature!

 I am in love with this issue of Southern Living. Every page has something drool over. If its not the recipes, then it's cities they visit or these Hydrangeas that grace the cover and in this lovely garden. The flowers are like little pillows of color that memorize you with their color. I can't stop looking at this image.  Then in this same issue,my favorite flower! This Iris bed make me want to plant one now. I do have a few that I planted last year and I am patiently waiting for them to bloom, but it will not be as spectacular as this. Oh Southern Living thank you for letting me dream and swoon for an hour. I will certainly be looking at this issue several more times!

I was recommend to read The Omnivore's Dilemma , a Natural History of Four Meals, By Michael Pollan by a friend who thought I would enjoy it. It started out much like reading a text book but just for a few pages.The first part of that I have read has been about corn and how it is practically the base of everything we eat. I had heard this before but had not actually read it. The author visits a farm in Iowa that he had traced back to be one of the farms that is the base of all food. He only grows corn and soybeans and is barley making a living. When his Grandfather started the farm it fed his family and 6 others. Today what he grows he does not eat. You see Iowa imports 80% off all food. The corn grown in Iowa is destine to become soft drinks or fed to cattle. It's as if they are growing a food additive and not a food at all. I think this will be an interesting book and will write further on it as I progress. Interesting reading for Earth Day!