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Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Hot on the scent. . .For the October/November issue of Design NJ magazine, I wrote about scented narcissuses, which are among my favorite-est flowers. They're particularly outstanding in New Jersey because deer, voles, and other #@$!% citters pass them by...usually on the way...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Spring-blooming bulbs light up a gardenBy late spring and on through summer, catalogs for fall bulbs arrive. One of my guilty — and inexpensive — pleasures is gazing at the beautiful blossoms, reading the cultural requirements for each particular bulb (generally, full sun, average...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Fast and Fabulous: 7 No-Sew Window TreatmentsWhen visiting my sister-in-law at her coastal California home recently, I admired her living-room window treatment: a spray that turned the windows translucent. That inspired me to blog about no-sew window treatments I’ve seen and used...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Go With the Faux: Trompe L’oeil RugsArea rugs with wonderful designs can be works of art as much as paintings. But in some situations, a real area rug doesn’t work as well as a trompe l’oeil (fool-the-eye) rug that actually is a painting … on the floor.
True, these pretend...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Bedroom Therapy: It’s All in a Day’s WorkIf you have a bedroom that needs a floor-up, ceiling-down makeover, you can do plenty on a shoestring and in a hurry. The givens are that you have a mattress and chest of drawers … and not much else. Beyond that, you can essentially redo that...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Japanese MaplesIf I had to pick my favorite tree for foliage color, the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) would win hands down. The colors of its multi-lobed foliage range from chartreuse (A. palmatum ‘Aureum’ is one example) to deep burgundy (A. palmatum...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Cut It Out: Anybody Can DécoupageDécoupage may be the easiest home-decorating craft, period. The typical project entails pasting a paper cutout on a surface (wood, glass and metal are common) and building up layers of a clear finish over it. It’s a great way to rehab a table or...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Home Priorities: What You Can’t Live WithoutI was daydreaming on my drive home from work today and my mind wandered to how much I enjoy my home. Then I reflected on what I like best about it. That’s not an entirely useless exercise for anyone, because you’re forced to examine your...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Picture This: Wall Art Perfectly Deployed in Your HomeI’m no designer, but I notice when wall art isn’t shown off to its best advantage. Design and decorating books offer many do’s and don’ts for display strategies. Here are some I have pilfered, adapted, and found useful over the...
Posted by: Mary Vinnedge
Picture This: Wall Art Perfectly Deployed in Your HomeI’m no designer, but I notice when wall art isn’t shown off to its best advantage. Design and decorating books offer many do’s and don’ts for display strategies. Here are some I have pilfered, adapted, and found useful over the...