Grand living Room Designs Ideas from Mobilfresno

Beautiful Interior design and decoration as well as lovely furniture are reflected in these home interior design pictures. You can use these home interior design pictures as the design model references in designing your new house.

 

Performing an elegant and grand living room is not difficult job to do. The samples grand living room from Mobilfresno is one of the reflection of the style and models you really want. The combination of living room furniture looks so great and compact creating a warm, comfortable and harmonious atmosphere. The placement of sofa combined with the wool rugs decorated with modern wall unit, the TV stand and a well ornamented hanging lamps can make the room more and more grand.

Milk-Jug Army

As of mid-February the milk-jug army is up to 18 jugs. They contain seeds of:

rosa rugosa
mixed columbine
New England aster?
staghorn sumac
?? Mystery seeds!
marsh violets (collected from a sunny, moist location)
violets (from the ones in Gabe's Garden)
catalpa
blue toadflax
black-eyed Susan
obedient plant
prairie blazing star
scarlet sage
false blue indigo AND anise hyssop
blanket flower
salsify
leopard's balm
lemon horsemint

I have to admit, I'm starting quite a lot of these not because I want the plant, but because I want to be a better gardener. Many of the seeds are two years old anyway, and I really have waited absurdly late to get these going, so I doubt I'll have great results. But then again, last year I didn't think I would have great results, either, and I ended up with thousands of seedlings.

This technique is called winter sowing. It's a way of starting seeds the way nature intended: exposed to sun and rain, and frozen and thawed repeatedly. But protected in the containers, the seeds and seedlings run less of a risk of drying out and perishing at a delicate stage, or being eaten by birds, etc. It's a particularly effective technique for native plants, many of which need a full winter's exposure in order to germinate. Some seeds require two full winters (such as Indian cucumber root), but I lack the patience for those.



I use plastic milk jugs, which I have cut around the middle and punched drain holes in the bottom. Last year, I used regular garden dirt, which worked quite well, except that it also contained weed seeds. That was messy, so this year, I tried straight seed-starting mix in some, and potting soil topped with seed-starting mix in others. If I were properly scientific, I would have done comparisons, starting the same type of seed in two jugs with different mixtures, but I had a toddler to chase, so that didn't happen.

Anyway, I just fill the jugs with the soil, give the dirt a good soak, and then sprinkle the seeds on top like poppy seeds on a bagel. Then the top gets taped back on, and the jugs are neglected until I need seedlings. Which might be in September.

In the Veggie Garden. . .

Ooh, how embarrassing. . .



When there was a good snow cover on the ground, it made sense just to chuck the compost waste over the fence. Out of laziness, and a dislike of mud, I continued doing that after the repeated snow-melts. Now it looks like a garbage dump out there. And my neighbors can see this from their back windows! I am mortified.

Like an airplane restroom, the compost ball is occupied most of the time, and is a pain to roll. But more than that, when using a compost pile as a way to reduce what you send to a landfill, then you need two piles: one accumulating, and one cooking. So we need a container to house the pile that is accumulating.

On the bright side, I came across the idea of cutting boards like Lincoln-logs to make an easy-assemble easy-disassemble container. Now I just need to get it built.

But enough about garbage. Take a look at what has been waiting in the veggie garden under the snow!



Carrot. 'Nuff said.



If this chard survives the winter I MUST collect the seeds!



Garlic! Hooray for garlic!

Catching up. . .

Some quick photos from the little snowfall on the 17th:






This last snow melted away in a hurry. A couple of snow sprinkles and glop days struck since then, but it's been melt, melt, melt each time. Today we got lots of snow, but it was a Virginia snowfall: nothing stuck.

It really has been a mild winter this year. We haven't had a nor-easter this year. Usually the snowplow pile out front is taller than Chris. This year, it has stayed at about knee-height.

These melts are such a tease. I need a blanket of snow to keep my gardening addiction dormant.

Blue Tropical House

Blue tropical house
Originally uploaded by DigitalParadox

Here is one of the styles of house exterior architecture of tropical house.

Tropical House, Toronto Zoo

Tropical House, Toronto Zoo
Originally uploaded by Ivan

This is the picture of the roof design of the tropical house, Toronto Zoo

The Tropical House (La Maison Tropicale), Tate Modern, South Bank, London.

The Tropical House (La Maison Tropicale), Tate Modern, South Bank, London.
Originally uploaded by Jim Linwood

The prototype house, designed by the French architect Jean Prouvé (1901–84), for 1950s colonial West Africa, is erected outside Tate Modern.

Visitors are able to walk around this ‘flat pack’ house which was originally erected in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, in 1951. In 2000 the house was found in Brazzaville, in a dilapidated state and riddled with bullet holes. The house was dismantled, returned to France and restored.

Florida Tropical House with Snow

Florida Tropical House with Snow
Originally uploaded by mb.kinsman

With a frozen lake in the background and snow drifts on the sand, this Florida Tropical House sits on the shore of Lake Michican, part of the Century of Progress exhibit from the 1933 Worlds Fair , held that year in Chicago. On the eastern edge of the Indiana Dunes National Shoreline is Beverly Shores.
Robert Bartlett, purchased the properties in 1933, He named the entire development after his daughter Beverly,and continued to develop its infrastructure with roads, a school, a golf course, and a hotel. He purchased and relocated sixteen structures from Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress World's Fair, four of which were transported by barges on Lake Michigan.
The community was incorporated in 1947. After World War II, a number of industrial developments, including Burns Harbor, were built to the east, and by the 1950s environmental organizations had begun to push for preservation of the area. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established in 1966. During the 1970s, there was a movement to purchase all the homes in Beverly Shores and incorporate the entire town into the National Lakeshore. This initiative did not succeed, but many local properties were acquired, especially those in the wetlands that constitute the southern portion. The acquisition process is ongoing. The owners of lots fronting on the beach were granted lifetime leasebacks with the proviso that the property would revert to the National Lakeshore; many of these houses have since been demolished.
The 1970s saw a period of record high lake levels and beach erosion; the owners of lakefront properties often responded by dumping large quantities of concrete blocks (riprap) onto the sand in front of their houses, which continue to mar the beach. The beach is now conspicuously public, although nearby parking is limited.

Century of Progress - Florida Tropical House

Century of Progress - Florida Tropical House
Originally uploaded by David Tribby Photography

Built for 1933 Chicago World's Fair to demonstrate modern architectural design the Century of Progress Houses were brought to the dunes by barge in 1935 by Robert Bartlett to entice buyers to his new resort community of Beverly Shores. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the houses are being restored through a partnership of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and private parties.

Florida Tropical House

Architect: Robert Law Weed

Fair Sponsor/Purpose: State of Florida to showcase Florida and entice tourism.

Framed in wood and finished with lightweight concrete Stucco. Design seeks to blend the interior and outdoor environments, bringing together a spacious two-story living room, with overhanging balcony, and large open terraces on the roof. Color is original.

Ancient Architecture

Ancient Architecture
Originally uploaded by se9_london

Here is the prototype of an ancient architecture. This is The frontage of a building from Ancient Greece at the British Museum.

Plant shopping, done.

I decided that this season's projects will be a mulched path to the veggetable garden, an extension of the "island" flower bed that is out in the middle of the yard, and work on the bed on the right front of the house. Excavated topsoil from the path will go to the other two locations. The island area will be desert-themed. The front bed will be regraded a bit to prevent water from seeping into the garage, the foundation for the rain barrel will be redone properly, foundation shrubs will be added, and the front of the bed will be prettied up and made to match Gabe's Garden on one end.

From Tripple Brook Farm, I have purchased the following:
1 Apios americana (groundnut)
1 Opuntia compressa (common prickly pear)
1 Empetrum nigrum 'Compass harbor' (black crowberry)
1 Armeria maritima (sea pink)
1 Gaultheria procumbens (wintergreen, a.k.a. teaberry, a.k.a checkerberry)
1 Epigaea repens (Mayflower, a.k.a. trailing arbutus).
This is my first time purchasing from this nursery. The plants are pricey, but they have some native plants that I have never seen before. The crowberry, for instance, is a near-native (arctic, actually) ground cover that produces edible berries. I saw it, and was instantly afflicted with plant lust. And groundnut I have lusted after for a couple of years now. A friend gave me some tubers last summer, but they had been soaking in her sink in preperation for dinner, and I think that treatment did them in.

From Musser Forrests:
5 Myrica pensylvanica 'Bayview' (northern bayberry)
2 Picea abies nidiformis (bird's nest spruce)
2 Pinus mugo pumilio (mugho pine)
1 Sempervivum (hens and chicks)
Musser Forrests is the source of the bare-root serviceberry bushes I bought last Spring, among other things. I was quite impressed with their quality and prices.

Twice now I have purchased seeds from EasyWildflowers.com. It must be a tiny operation, because there is no online ordering, and because when I e-mail for clarification, it's just "John" who answers. I think his is a one-man operation, and for no logical reason I find this deeply appealing. This is the first time I am ordering potted plants from him.
2 Sedum ternatum (woodland stonecrop)
2 Amorpha Canescens (lead plants)
1 Talinum calycinum (flame flower, a.k.a. rock pink)
1 Opuntia humifusa (prickly pear cactus)

Then of course there were the plants I bought from Kelly Nurseries, a rather mainstream catalogue company that I haven't bought from before. I was sucked in by their amazing deals on blazing star and phlox.
40 Liatris spicata (dense blazing star)
24 Phlox subulata (creeping phlox)
2 Diospyros virginiana (American persimmon)
2 Asimina Triloba (paw paw)


The grand total was about $180. Not too shabby, considering I've spent more on hobbies I've cared less about.

Sorry, this is such a boring post. It's more for my records than anything else.

Asexual Reproduction is Nifty

After learning a bit about plants that have successfully survived for long periods of time with little or no sexual reproduction among the species, this caught my attention: an all-female species of lizard.

"Although asexual reproduction might seem like a bore—and one that can have questionable genetic outcomes unless done right—it has its benefits, too, Baumann notes. 'You're greatly increasing the chances of populating a new habitat if it only takes one individual,' he says. . ."

I say this in my best Spock voice: fascinating!

Orchids in my window

House plants have never been my strength. Strange as it might seem, I have problems forgetting to water them or take care of them. So 6 years ago when Eve gave me an Orchid I thought "oh no, another plant I'm going to slowly torture to death". Imagine my surprise when this plant not only thrived but continue to bloom for me year after year!


The type of Orchids I've been growing are Phalaenopsis. As house plants I find them ideal, they don't require high concentrations of light, and if you forget to water them every now and then they don't seem to mind. In fact, if I understand it correctly, too much water is how most people kill their Orchids.
About a month ago my daughter Emily and I were at the local supermarket where they had a table full of Orchids. Emily liked the hot pink varieties but I just had to have this darling little chartreuse one. The sale price of $14.99 put it right in the same category as a nice cut flower arrangement. How many cut flower arrangements would still be going strong a month later?

Last spring when my Mom drove up from Florida she brought a few of her Orchids with her. They've been in my den window since then, blooming more often than not. My only complaint is that they are all white (hear that Mom :-) Guess I need to shop for some other colors...

While I'm far from an expert on Orchids I'll share what's worked for me. In the summer I water them every 10 days or so, once the heat is on in the house I step that up to once a week watering. That might not be needed in your home but the heat here rises right up the wall under the windowsill so I find they dry out faster in winter.

Once the blooms are finished (thankfully they are extremely long lasting) I don't cut back the stem unless it turns a dried brown and appears dead. Even then I often only trim the stem back a few inches. So far I've always had a new node push out from lower on the stem and before I know it, there's more blooms for me to enjoy.

I've never fertilized these plants, it's the one thing I think they would like that I haven't provided. If you grow orchids and have some tips on fertilizers, please leave me a comment.


Still not sure you want to try them? Get a copy of Judy White's "Bloom-Again Orchids" published by Timberpress. I've found it to be a wonderfull book filled with luscious photos. In fact, it has inspired me to try to add a few new varieties and now I also have two miniature Oncidium Twinkle orchids that are just delightful!

As soon as we have another day with temperatures well above freezing I think I'll bring home one of those pink ones for Emily. Shush, don't tell her, it's a secret!

What’s survived the worst winter in 30 years in the veg garden

-10C, 300m up, snow off and on for 3 months



Kale – Ragged Jack/Red Russian
rubbish, totally dead

Kale – Darkibor
poor, but will recover for spring greens

Cabbage - red Huzaro
poor, several rotted off

Cabbage - savoy Tarvoy
very good

Leeks - Sultan, Flextan
very good

Pak Choi – Joy Choi
very good (surprisingly)

Mizuna
mush

Swiss chard
mush

Painting Red Roses

Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. Are you having more crazy weather where you live? We seem to go from one extreme to another in Southern California and have gone from having beautiful sunny days to heavy rain , flash flood watches in the burn areas to being notified that we are on a "Mild Tsunami" watch today in our coastal areas where I live. Would you like to take a little break from the weather and join me for a cup of nice hot tea? I bought some beautiful red roses that were marked down because they were supposed to be past their prime - even though they looked perfect for me to paint.

Looks like Bentley, my helpful studio assistant, has stopped to smell the roses.

The red roses inspired me to start thinking about Spring, Spring cleaning and re purposing one of my bedrooms. I love using "what I do have and not what I do not have" and decided to create a painting that would harmonize with my favorite Ralph Lauren floral fabric - white with red roses and little blue flowers. I am looking for an old iron head board - in the meantime until I find one I hung up a ribbon with seashells for a temporary head board.

The fabric that inspired the rose painting.

Close up of one of the rose that was "past its prime".

When setting up to paint outside ( in between the rains) I used silk hydrangeas since mine are not in bloom and added a little rusty garden bird.

I love roses when they are fully open and the petals are falling off.

Garden bird.

Blue hydrangeas, roses and Bird.

The completed rose painting.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visits, comments, and those of you who follow my blog. Please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail if you have any questions or want to see my paint something special.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin