Decorating with Heidi

At the urging of one or two of my readers, I hope to begin a decorating series here on the blog sometime soon. I'm not exactly feeling qualified. Very few of my projects are original. Most of my projects are very simple. There isn't much time these days for elaborate decorating schemes! Maybe I'll ask my sister, Shannon, to be a guest decorator on occasion. I'm sure she has nothing better to do, and I've failed at my attempt to get her to create her own blog.

So, for those of you that might appreciate little decorating tips, ideas, or projects: this series will be for you. For those of you that have no trouble reading a magazine, seeing an idea on your own, and copying it: you might want to skip future posts on the subject of home decorating.

I would love to see pictures of the projects that you complete! Check out the silhouettes that my cousin Amy created (didn't she do a great job?):

Amy also gave me the great idea of using silhouette cut-outs to make Valentine's cards for grandparents (or other family and friends who might appreciate them). Watch for ideas and instructions next week. (Mom and Haley, pretend that you didn't read that, okay?)

If you are anxious to get started on a project, try planting some wheatgrass. (See top photo.) It is fresh, fun, easy, and grows quickly.

The first step is to find a {container}. You could do something classic such as a terra cotta pot, step it up a notch and use an old tin pail, or go for the out-of-the-box prize and plant in a.... Wait. I'll have to call my sister. Drat, not home. Let me look through a few decorating books. Ah, yes. I have it. Plant the wheat grass in a watering can with an open top. Or an old metal recipe card box. Really, you can use anything that will hold soil, not leak water, and have room for the grass to grow out the top.

Prize. Hmm. That is giving me an idea. If you plant wheatgrass in an unusual container, send me a picture and we'll have a little contest. Shannon, you are disqualified as someone with a unfair advantage, but send me a picture anyway and I'll post it. Maybe I'll see what I can come up with, as well.

The second step is to locate some {wheat seed}. I happened upon some at the craft store while picking up some artists' canvases. You could also try a health food store. And don't forget to grab a bag of {potting soil} while you are out and about!

Now it is time to put it all together. (I told you I would be giving you difficult, involved, astoundingly intricate and amazing project, right?) {Fill} the container with potting soil, about an inch from the top. {Scatter seed} liberally. {Top} with another thin layer of potting soil. {Water}. I prefer to use a spay bottle filled with water on a mist setting. That way the seeds aren't disrupted. Kids love to perform this step!

Put the container near natural {light}. Keep the soil moist. Wheat grass grows quickly, another reason why it makes a terrific project for kids to make with you! {Trim} the grass with a pair of scissors as needed. I usually put the container in a window sill until it gets a good start, and then put it wherever it looks attractive once it is an inch or two tall.


Browse other decorating/project/art blogs that are an inspiration to me:
Nesting Place
Ali Edwards
i have to say

Finally, I think this series needs a snappy name. I am terrible at coming up with witty titles. Have you ever entered Ree's photo naming contests? Not me. Nothing comes to mind. I am so impressed with the clever titles her readers come up with. Maybe it helps to have 25,000 hits a day. Hmm. I'm not quite there yet. I am positive, however, that I have linguistically creative readers. I'm counting on you to come up with a name. Let's start with Decorating with Heidi and go from there...