I delight in the huge trees that shade my yard in New Hampshire. It does make planting a bit tricky until you learn the right plants for a wooded area. Here are my recommendations after five years of shade gardening. Big trees give welcome, cooling shade o...

The plain styling of a rustic farmhouse bench is perfect for country or farmhouse primitive decorating, either inside or out. They evoke memories of handmade furnishings and useful simplicity. These vintage painted benches or plain ones are the perfect spo...

Many homes don't have the luxury of keeping a guest room that does nothing most of the time. Other rooms in the home can double up to serve as a guest room when needed. Just add a cushy chair that converts easily into a place for a guest to sleep. There ar...

I love the many effects that can be created with paint for a faux finish. Do you want a brick wall? Create it with paint. How about a stone wall? Create it with paint. There are also great commercial products out there for an instant mural. These look real...

I've been wanting a tile mural on the wall behind my stove. Today my husband said to get going with it. I'm excited that I won't be looking at the bland white wall anymore while I'm cooking. The challenge now is to choose from all the great tile murals tha...

If you love gardening and enjoy working with your hands, you're always on the lookout for crafty projects to beautify your garden. Here are some fun and not- too- hard crafts to make for your garden. You can make stepping stones, decorative garden pots, pe...

For ten years, we sold produce at farmers markets in eastern and central Kansas. In addition to fresh vegetables from our gardens, I made jams and jellies and my husband baked a variety of breads to sell. Over the years we learned some methods to sell more...

This easy craft using worn- out blue jeans will appeal to teens. I taught my granddaughter to make them for gifts for her friends in high school. The jean pockets with a magnet on the back make a handy storage pocket for a school locker. They stick right t...

Turning a dead lightbulb into a decorative ornament is the ultimate in recycling. I made a Santa Claus from an old lightbulb. It turned out great! In searching around, I found lots of creative ways to decorate a worn- out bulb. Would you like to turn a lig...