Tag: nature

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When Garden Containers, Design and Parties Go Bad

Whether is it for a garden project, home or event design, we all have good intentions, but then sometimes….things don’t turn out as expected. Believe me, I see it all the time around my neighborhood and on my travels.

CASE #1:

You carefully put together a beautiful garden containers to place near your home or business entranceway or pool patio area for the season to bring life and color to the environment. They look fabulous for a week or so, you get lots of compliments and then; you go out-of-town for a week, the combination of plants is wrong for the location or you simply forget about them completely. Next thing you know your guests are being greeted at your doorway by a container full of dried up, dead or past season plants {think Poinsettia in April}.

CASE #2:

Your High School BFF is pregnant and you have offered to host the Baby Shower at your home. With excitement you buy everything you can in pink and blue from the internet for the garden party of 25 guests. The box of items arrives with plenty of time but you suddenly realize you have no idea how to put it all together to make it all work together. You end up throwing them all on the table together and then buying pre-bunched flowers from the local shop, plop them in a vase smack in the middle of the table. Your intentions are great but your execution is not what you had wanted, not like your inspiration picture at all. Not for lack of trying but due to: creativity, design knowledge or simply time constraints.

Do these sound familiar? Well they do to me because I see them ALL the time. Intentions are high but execution or follow through does not match up to your vision.

Well I CAN’T take it anymore. Starting this week, I will be doing a weekly post on these situations. Heading out and taking pictures of “When Garden Containers, Design and Parties Go Bad”. Think store fronts who have let their curb appeal fail to match their brand image, homeowners who allow dead plants to remain in entranceway containers for weeks, people buying those dyed flowers in the supermarket, etc… I will then post them with solutions and suggestions to the design “situation”.

If your business, home, party, design, etc.. is featured not to fear. I will not leave you on your own, I will offer you my services to work with your dilemma such as: 1 free month of container maintenance,  25% off event coordination services or design consultation. {I will not be mean or mention your name or business, unless you have approved this}

If I am able, I will post a follow-up before and after with a picture of your happy smile.

Feel free to send suggestions and you will also get a certificate for my services if the item/location is featured.

So say CHEESE if you see me with my camera peaking from your bushes! x0 ~ krayl

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Garden Inspired Reading

GROW COOK EAT

Grow Cook Eat will inspire people who already buy fresh, seasonal, local, organic food to grow the food they love to eat. For those who already have experience getting their hands dirty in the garden, this handbook will help them refine their gardening skills and cultivate gourmet quality food. The book also gives readers easy-to-follow planting and growing information, specific instructions for harvesting all the edible parts of the plant, advice on storing food in a way that maximizes flavor, basic preparation techniques, and recipes. The recipes at the end of each guide help readers explore the foods they grow and demonstrate how to use unusual foods, like radish greens, garlic scapes, and green coriander seeds.

Available from Random House

Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways to Turn Your Outdoor Space into a Peaceful Retreat

Landscaping for Privacy brims with creative ideas for minimizing or even eliminating the nuisances that intrude on your personal outdoor space. Real-world examples show you how to keep the outside world at bay by strategically placing buffers, barriers, and screens around your property. And the helpful plant lists tell you precisely which varieties to choose in order to enhance your sense of seclusion.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the lack of privacy whenever you step outside your home, this inspiring book will steer you toward an achievable solution.

Available from Timber Press

Edible Cocktails

A unique cocktail guide encourages readers to use fresh, local, seasonal ingredients in their beverage recipes, in a book that offers advice on creating one’s own “cocktail garden;” infusing spirits and making homemade liqueurs; creating homemade syrups, purees and jams; and even using eggs, dairy and meat in their cocktails. Original.

Available from Strand NYC

Happy Gardening and Entertaining ~ krayl

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High Style Planters As Clothing??

“Searching for clothing with room to grow? Look no further than Egle Cekanaviciute’s six-piece “Seed” collection, which doubles as a series of wearable planters. Using potato sacks and tailor’s muslin, the LIthuanian designer deftly manipulated familiar silhouettes to accommodate a sprawling assortment of living flora. Beneath the superficial whimsy, however, is a profound sentiment about human creation—specifically, our fundamental helplessness against “the power of nature.””

If you follow my posts you know I am a huge gardener, anything Eco lover, recycling, design, etc… everything that this collection stands for, BUT, even I’m not sure I could wear these and be serious. I mean as it is, at almost 6′ tall I am a pretty tall girl, and having a tree growing out behind me would just put me over the top!

That all being said, I love the concept and am pretty much jealous I didn’t come up with it…Would have loved to be at the runway show and see it in its glory.

As they stated, Fashion you can Grow with. Would you buy them?? Have an appealing day. ~ kf.

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SPRING Entranceways!! We love you!!

krayl_funch_springcontainers_entranceway

Spring. For a small word it brings an enormous amount of memories and positive energy to the air and to the humans for that matter.  It means we can head outside, play in the grass, hear the birds chirping, see the sun again, switch out our closets, cook with local fresh herbs and vegetables, make fresh salads from our gardens.

This is also the time to update the containers greeting visitors at your front door. YES, you need to pull out the poinsettia and browning mini-pine tree. Spring containers are fun! They look great. Smell great and welcome the season as much as your guests.

{Use groupings of planters in various sizes for an appealing display}

Now get out there and smell the roses. KRAYL

{P.S. If you are looking to refresh your containers or give your entranceway an entirely new look but don’t have the time? Let me help you. Contact us today to schedule your appointment. INFO@ANAPPEALINGPLAN.COM}