Lowe's Creative Ideas is Creative Marketing

Wooden Floor Mat

I gotta hand it to Lowe's.  Their marketing / advertising team made a smart call by appealing to woman-centered DIY projects in this pinterest-dominated era.  And in my opinion, this puts them at a different level than the other big box store.

It's springtime, and I'm dreaming about having some time to work on my garden & patio.  But since that's just a dream for now, I thought I'd at least post some of the fun garden & patio themed projects featured on Lowe's Creative Ideas site.

Herb Crate

Vertical Garden Planters & Rack

Freestanding Trellis

Tall Birdhouse Trio

Hanging Globe Lanterns

Dog Bone Window

All of these projects, and more, can be found at Lowe's Creative Ideas website.  And no, I'm not sponsored by Lowe's in any way.  I just think it's a really really smart marketing concept, and I'm impressed.

The Best Online Magazines (In My Opinion)

There's been an increase in online magazines in the last year or so, and I worry that people who aren't in the design industry, or those who don't read blogs regularly, might be missing out on these wonderful, inspirational, (and free) publications!

Lonny

I think many might agree with me when I say my favorite is Lonny.  Lonny is a lifestyle & home decor magazine that I can always count on Lonny for bold and lively color spreads, like these screenshots from their latest issue:

Leaf

Leaf is a new magazine focusing on outdoor gardening, landscaping, and entertaining.  Even if you don't have a yard, the pictures are worth looking at.  Beautiful landscapes and patios such those shown in these screenshots from their current issue:

Nesting Newbies

Nesting Newbies is a "cooking, entertaining, and decorating how-to" magazine.  In this mag, you'll find recipes, entertaining tips, table setting inspiration, and featured entertainment spaces (kitchen, dining, etc.).  Here are some eye-catching screenshots from their latest issue:

 I know there are other great online magazines out there as well, and I would love to hear what your favorites are!

Deck Update

This weekend we scored a few chairs from a local consignment shop.  The shop, Now & Again, was reselling all the old patio chairs from the local favorite, Blue Plate Diner.  Unfortunately there were only 3 left when we discovered them.  I'd love to have a few more, but for now we're thrilled to have the 3 we did get.

You can see our blue chairs in their previous home here:

And now back to their new home:

Paired with the new table and bench from Ikea, our deck has new life!  I love the bright pops of color the chairs add.  Since our garden is all veggies and herbs, we don't have room for a lot of colorful flowers, so I need to rely on the planters and accessories to spice it up a bit.

Backyard Progress

Our backyard is slowly starting to take shape.  We've still got a lot of work ahead of us, but at least we can now sit on the deck and enjoy a meal or morning coffee without getting overly distracted by every remaining item on our to-do list.

When we first moved in, the deck area looked like this:

And our old potting containers looked like this:

And now, after a lot of weeding and planting and pruning and spray-painting, (not to mention a lot of bargain shopping at places like ReStore, consignment shops, World Market, Big Lots, Ikea, and KSL classifieds) it looks like this:

And it will look even better once the plants fill out and the flowers bloom!