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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

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...

18 comments:

Sarah at SmallWorld said...

I never enter Ree's contests either because I am defeated by the 225 previous entries! I love your pot of grass. So simple but so pretty! How about something with Hope in the title? A Touch of Hope? I don't know; I was always terrible at titles.
SmallWorld

Renee said...

Exciting! Can't wait to hear your ideas!

Barb said...

Ah, I've been hoping you'd do something like this. You've already inspired me with the pictures of your home. I think putting away Christmas decoration re-inspired me to take a fresh look at decorating. For years I lived the utilitarian look and am ready for some impractical, totally just-for-fun decor.

Donna Boucher said...

I absolutely love this concept!!!!
Great first project.

Please show us how to arrange things and hang things.
I am just not good at this and I could use simple rules to follow :o)

Heidi Style: Elegant, Simple, Fun.

(Or some other words)

Project Heidi.

(Like project runway :o)

Unknown said...

Well, to qualify, Ree's now getting 75,000 hits a day (yikes!!!). I don't mean to be a know-it-all, but... ;)

Anyway, I'm so excited you're doing this! You know what DOESN'T help in those magazines? Just showing pictures. I want to know WHY something isn't looking just right, kwim? I'm totally daft when it comes to decorating. And ideas? Girl, just go from room to room and take photos and tell us about why you did what you did! Your house is gorgeous. Before you know it, your blog will have as many hits as Ree!

Name ideas? I'm just terrible.

Heidi's Hints
Heidi's Here to Help the Hopeless (that'd be me, but maybe wouldn't actually draw readers...lol)
Just Do it Like Heidi
My House is Nicer Than Yours and This is Why (again, probably won't draw too many readers, but I'd like it)
I like Donna's Project Heidi...it sums up decorating tips as well as actual projects

Hmmm, I wonder why I've never even had an honourable mention with Ree.

Blessings!

Heidi said...

[Ree gets 75,000 hits a day?! Ack. Not that it surprises me, but...]

Thanks for the feed-back ladies! It really helps. I really like the title Project Heidi. So far, that's the winner. (Thanks, Donna!)

Okay, sounds like we'll start with Decorating 101. Arranging and hanging things. :) Got it!

Caralyn~ You may not think you have any decorating talent, but you made me LOL today and I appreciate it. :) My House is Nicer Than Yours and Here's Why. LOL! I don't think I'll go with that one...

Jen Rouse said...

This is so cute! I will definitely have to give this a try. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I have no title ideas.

Arranging things and hanging things would be a great post--those are areas where I feel particularly lost.

Donna Boucher said...

Oh goodie.

It pays to watch a lot of tv. :o)

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to this and I love your first idea, thanks!

Jen Rouse said...

Just wondering which store you found the wheat seed at. I looked a couple places today and didn't find any. Well, I found grass seed, but it was in big bags for reseeding your lawn, not small portions like I was looking for.

Heidi said...

I got the wheat seed at Craft Warehouse in Salem. It was a small cup full (for $2.99), but I've done quite a bit with that small amount.

My sister said that she bought some from Corvallis Seed Co on Hwy 34 a few years ago. She said she called them, then went in and got a huge bag full of seed for around $10.

One other possibility~ I purchased wheat berries from the bulk food section in the health food part of Fred Meyer. I wasn't sure if they would sprout or not, so I put some in a wet paper towel yesterday. It looks like they are going to work, but I'm not sure yet. Don't know if they've been processed with too much heat. I'll let you know if they work, because it is the most convenient way to purchase them! Any amount you want, at 69 cents a pound. :)

heather said...

This is a great project. The preschool co-op we are in does this each spring. The kids plant grass in a bucket and have a "living easter basket" to give as a gift or to put their eggs in.

Another thing they do is to take a paper cup and draw a face on it and then plant the grass in it. The grass makes hair for the face. You can even give it a trim when it gets too long.

A title...Living Simply, Living Creatively...Simply Creative...hmmm...I will keep thinking on this...

Sheryl said...

Homestyle with Heidi

Can't wait to check in and get some great tips. I'm redecorating our kitchen and living room right now. I refinished the cabinets. Painted the kitchen a dark brown brick red and family member put in new floors. I made a couple of pillows (dark red with golden dragonflys) but I still have nothing over my mantle...mantel ideas would be great! I'll post some pics on my site soon.

Sheryl in GA

Heidi said...

Sheryl~ Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'd love to see pictures of your place. Sounds like you've been doing a lot of work!

We'll definitely be doing mantel ideas. It is one of my favorite spots to decorate!

Angela said...

ok- i am emailing you my bedroom, great furniture-nothing on the wall..needs some color- how about a designer challenge?????

angela
www.luxetveritas academy.org

Heidi said...

Angela~ Designer Challenge. Hmmm. There's an idea. :) I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything amazing, but... You can email me through WTM or heidi@poetsgarden.com

Wendy said...

Do you think cat grass will work? That was all I could find, so I planted it. We'll see what it ends up looking like.

Heidi said...

Wendy~ Any type of grass should work. Some grow more slowly than others, and they all look a little different. I like wheat grass because it grows so quickly and is really thick looking. Grass in general looks fresh and green, so go for it!