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I have always wanted my own indoor herb garden, but to be honest, I have a black thumb. True story. Any time that I have brought a plant into my apartment, it doesn’t stay long before it withers and dies. But, thanks to the following guest post from Francesca Singer and Lawn Starter, I might just try my hand once more at growing an indoor garden of my own. Check it out below.

How to Make Your Own Indoor Herb Garden

Who needs a spice cabinet when you can grow herbs and spices in your kitchen? Growing edible herbs makes it easier to grab a seasoning while you’re cooking. Here are some tips on how to make your own indoor herb garden.

Find a Sunny Spot

Most herbs do best in full sunlight. A place in front of the kitchen window (preferably facing south) is perfect for giving them six to eight hours of direct sun. Don’t have a windowsill? No problem. Just place a pole near the window and use hanging planters.

You may need to move the planters during a frost since most herbs thrive when the temperature is between 65 and 70 degrees.

Use Potting Soil

There’s a difference between potting soil and dirt. The right mix will contain vermiculite and fertilizer, giving your plants the moisture and nutrients they need. Dirt from your garden may hold onto too much water and outdoor pests — the last thing you want in your kitchen! Make sure your containers have small holes in the bottom (or put gravel in the bottom), so the soil can drain.

What to Plant

Your herbs will add flavor to all your dishes. Some also have medicinal qualities and can save you a trip to the drugstore.

Peppermint

Mint will add flavor to your tea, dessert, and even meat dishes. It’s also soothing and helpful with relieving indigestion and gas. Mint is easy to grow in the kitchen, and flourishes in moist soil and indirect sunlight. Pick the leaves and chop into your salad or marinade. Peppermint can also freshen your breath.

Basil

This fast-growing herb is great in tomato sauce, pesto, in salads or sprinkled over tomatoes. Pick a few leaves at a time, and tear them instead of chopping to get the most flavor.

Chives

What’s a baked potato without sour cream and a few chives? You can also chop these up to use in salads and sauces. You’ll get the taste of onions with a little greenery in your dishes.

German Chamomile

Known for its mellowing properties, German chamomile is well-suited to growing in a pot, provided the container is at least twelve inches across. This soothing herb loves low-key lighting and will do best in a north or east-facing window. Harvest the flowers and use fresh or dried to brew up a calming tea.

Fenugreek

This pungent herb is best known for its seeds, but grown fresh it has many many uses. You can serve it raw in salads, chutney, or pickles, cooked in rice, or made into a tea. It’s also an effective cure for bad breath, and its leaves pureed into a paste and applied to the scalp are a cure for dandruff.

Lemon Balm

Pungent and cooling, lemon balm is an antiviral herb that can also be crushed and applied to cold sores to heal them or rubbed on the skin to repel insects. It adds a lemony flavor to tea and can help with anxiety. It’s also a tasty addition to salads or can be used to brighten up fish and seafood dishes.

Coriander

Also known as cilantro, this herb is a traditional spice in many regions. The leaves and seeds are also good for treating digestive disorders and stimulating one’s appetite. Pinching and removing the leaves encourages growth and guarantees some spice in your favorite dishes.

Tulsi ‘Holy Green Basil’

The most revered of all Indian herbs and often called “the elixir of life.” It’s used for both repelling insects and treating insect bites, regulating stress, and encouraging healthy gums and teeth. You can also eat it in salads or chew on it as a snack.

Aloe Vera

The same plant that most people have in the garden or potted indoors is a powerful healer. Aloe heals sunburns, rejuvenates the skin, and aids in digestion. The plant is easy to grow and to use. Remove a leaf and peel away the green skin and rinse thoroughly before ingesting, or slice open a leaf and generously apply to the skin.

You don’t need a green thumb or a lot of space to create your own indoor herb garden. But you may need a little patience. Some seedlings such as parsley and oregano can take more than a month to mature. Once they’re ready for the picking, you’ll be enjoying these herbs for years to come. Bon appetit!

Francesca Singer is a DIY enthusiast who designed an Ayurvedic herb garden for the American Botanical Council in Austin, Texas. When not writing or wrangling a toddler, she can be found wielding power tools or working in the garden.

Check out another home improvement post:

This post is sponsored by Irvin. Now that we've gotten that pesky FCC compliance out of the way, let's jam on my super secret love that is not a secret anymore.

Okay, that title might seem strange to you, but I secretly love billboards. Like a lot. When I was talking about it with a colleague earlier today I thought the love affair started in college, but as I pondered it further, I realized my love began somewhere in high school.

When I was on road trips with family I always loved seeing the various pictures and text on billboards. Then, in high school, I took a marketing class and I remember we analyzed several billboards for color, text size, and a variety of other factors.

I always found it fascinating that a large picture could reach a bunch of drivers passing by. This obsession only got crazier when I got to college and took an advertising class as part of my prerequisites for graduation. We had to write two papers that I remember vividly that semester. One was on Super Bowl Ads, and one was on – you guessed it – billboards.

That also was around the time my husband and I went to billboard city – New York City to be exact. Seeing all those flashing lights and large boards for a variety of businesses was so exciting for me. Am I alone in this? Leave a comment and tell me if you love billboards as much as I do.

Fast forward to today, and many billboard displays feature LED lights. What I love about that is the fact that these lights are more energy efficient, and they create brighter lights with better colors. They are vibrant and attention grabbing. If you think about the billboards you would have seen 10, or even 5, years ago compared to the ones you might see today, billboards have really come a long way!

The billboards we think about in the past are dull, and usually just pictures on a board above a highway. They might disappear at night when it gets dark, or be barely visible with the assistance of street lights. Luckily, advancements in technology have allowed billboards to proudly display their messages in bright LED light at all hours of the day.

In addition to LED lighting, there are also solar billboard lighting and solar sign lighting options. These lighting options are ideal for systems with a self-contained power source, where there is no or limited access to electricity. Adding electricity can be extremely costly, which can make solar billboard lighting a more affordable illumination of choice.

But, where do you even start if you are looking into your billboard options? My answer for you is Irvin, Inc. That’s where you start. Irvin Inc. is proud to partner with the best sign and billboard LED light manufacturers and component suppliers in the industry. Irvin, Inc. spends countless hours researching and testing all of their solar and LED billboard lighting to ensure that they are dependable, durable, and able to withstand all types of wind and weather.

Irvin, Inc. has been a trusted leader in billboard supplies for more than two decades. Providing billboard supplies for over 20 years now, Irvin also expanded its lines in recent years to include LED and solar lighting. In 2017, Irvin furthered its industry footprint by partnering with Lightking Outdoor to offer the industry’s most revolutionary, high resolution LED billboards and displays. Such alliances set Irvin apart, as the company takes time to aggressively pursue the continued introduction of the most advanced and innovative solutions on the market. Irvin collaborates with outdoor companies, sign shops, independent electrical contractors and other related enterprises to take their businesses to the next level.

There is a lot of technology and science that goes into billboards and when you are walking through Times Square in New York City, you would never think about that aspect of it, but if you are a business that is looking for billboard advertising solutions, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why Irvin, Inc. offers a versatile and customized approach to illumination through strategies that incorporate input from top engineering and manufacturing partners.

The proposals they give are as unique and they aim to create energy efficient lighting alternatives that maximize profitability and minimize carbon footprint. As inferior LED alternatives flood the market, Irvin, Inc. is committed to empowering clients with the tools and information necessary to make sound lighting decisions while providing the industry’s most reliable options and service.

While a secret love of billboards might be a strange love, I hope I have been able to help you see billboards in a new light (pun intended). I think the advancement in technology and how far billboards have come is so incredible, and it is amazing how much they can impact the people who see them.

There is a reason why people always think of Times Square, and the many beautiful billboards there, when they think of New York City. Let me know below if you share my love of billboards and advertisements, or if you have memories of cool billboards like the ones in Times Square!

Today we’re talking about basement storage. If you’re like me, you’re always looking for better ways to store your stuff, whether that’s putting your belongings in a storage facility or making room for them in the basement. If you’re lucky enough to have a basement, many of your possessions probably end up there. Though I don’t have a basement personally, I do have family members that have one. Today, I’m offering tips and solutions for using your basement as a storage option. If you don’t have a basement to store things, check out something like these storage rentals to free up extra space in your home. Hopefully these basement storage ideas will help you get your home a little more organized.

Basement Storage – How to Store Things in Your Basement Successfully

People often use their basements as a storage area. However, it’s important to remember that storing things here may not be as safe as you think. Even a climate-controlled basement can be affected by moisture, water leaks, and mold. If you have an unfinished basement, you’ll want to be very particular about the items you store in your basement. Here are some tips to explain how to store things in your basement successfully.

Declutter Then Store

Make sure you store only things that you will use within the next year. If you can’t name the precise month or occasion when it will be used, give it away.

Ideally, the items you store in the basement should be waterproof, animal proof, as well as mold and rust resistant. The chances of that happening are slim to none. However, if you’re willing to take the risk, you can double the container. For example, in order to store clothing or fabric properly, the material should be in an airtight, waterproof, bag. Then, place the bag inside a container that animals can’t get into. Avoid storing items like photographs, paper items, and electronics in the basement.

Shelves

Because basements tend to flood, you want to make sure that your shelving system is 4-5 feet above the floor. Even if you have things in airtight tubs, you want to keep them off the floor. You can use a pallet system, but ideally, wall shelves or hanging shelves will be the best way to store things. The more valuable an item is to you, the closer it should be to the ceiling.

Plastic Storage Bins

Make use of airtight plastic storage bins. It will look neater this way and make things easier to find as well. If you’re storing holiday items this is a good place to keep them. Don’t store things in corrugated boxes. Even if you’re making use of shelves, you can store items in plastic storage bins and place them on the shelves for added protection against not only water, but any critters that might be in your basement as well. If you have discovered that water damage in your basement you may want to find fast water damage restoration and mitigation local services in your area to help you with the problem.

Pegboards

Cover at least 1 entire wall with a pegboard. This is a great way to get things off the basement floor. It will also allow you to place small items between larger items and save space. A few things you may want to consider storing on pegboard hooks are tools, seasonal toys, like pool noodles and hula-hoops or sporting equipment.

If you want to know how to store things successfully in your basement, be careful about what you store and how you store it. Think about what happens in your basement. If you know a certain area tends to flood faster, don’t store anything in that area. Protect your belongings as best you can. If something has sentimental value and you would be devastated if it was destroyed, don’t store it in the basement.

Related: Tips for Garage Organization and Storage

Basement Storage – What to Consider when Using the Basement for Storage

The basement can be the first place that comes to your mind when you need to store something. But, before you start hauling containers and boxes down to the basement, you need to make sure the basement is a safe place to store your items. Here are a few things you’ll want to check out and take into consideration before using the basement for storage.

Water

Basements, by nature, tend to be humid and have an earthy scent. However, the things you consider “normal” may actually be signs of problems. Cracks could be due to leaks, but they could also be due to a rising water table. The pipes in the home could leak into the basement, or you could find there’s condensation in your basement due to changing temperatures. You will want to figure out exactly what’s causing moisture in your basement and address these issues before you begin storing things in the basement.

If the issue is condensation, this can be remedied with a dehumidifier. If you discover you have leaky pipes, then replacing those pipes might be what you have to do. If it is a leak in the walls, then you’ll need to patch up any cracks or holes. Cracked walls are not uncommon and they may be something that all homeowners have to look into getting fixed at some point in their lifetimes. If you leave the problem, it will only get worse and could even cause irreversible damage to the structure of your home. At the first sign of a problem, it may be in your best interest to contact someone similar to Buildfix who will be able to repair and fill in these cracks or holes before they have a chance to cause further damage. You’ll want to address any dampness no matter how small in your basement before you consider storing anything in there because even the smallest amount of dampness can lead to damage to your belongings when stored in the basement.

Access

Getting into your basement could be something you need to address. Some basements have very steep stairs perhaps without a bannister. Or they have a low ceiling down into the basement. Getting things into the basement to store them having to walk down stairs like this can be very difficult. You might need to get a contractor to reconstruct the stairs to your basement making them easier to carry things down. Perhaps you find that just adding a banister will make the basement better and safer way to get down the stairs.

Lighting

Adding lighting to your basement to make it easier to see your stored items will be a good thing. If you want to use your basement as a living space then you’ll want some ambient lighting and task lighting added to certain areas of your basement to make it easier to complete tasks. If you have low ceilings you might need to use wall mounted fixtures or recessed lighting.

Climate Control

The temperature in your basement can be an issue when storing things. It often doesn’t have any heating and cooling or vents in the basement. You can add these things to keep the temperature the same at all times making it a better environment for storing things.

When you store things in your basement, it’s going to be important to store them in airtight containers and up off the floor as best as possible. Even if you have addressed all the water concerns, you still want to take precautions when storing things in your basement.

Related: Maximizing Your Home’s Potential: Attic and Basement Revamp

I have a small kitchen. Sometimes I feel it’s too small. Can you relate? When you have limited space in the kitchen, it’s hard to consider making it functional and attractive. You often have to choose one or the other. However, with a little planning, you can might be able to implement both. Check out the tips below, and maybe you’ll be inspired to design a kitchen that is aesthetically please, but also efficient enough to help you cook all your meals for yourself and your family.

6 Ways to Design Your Small Kitchen

1. Choose Cabinets Wisely

Cabinets are necessary, but you need to make sure you are using the best ones for your needs. Consider all the things you need to hide in them like kitchen utensils, accessories, and appliances that if left on the counters would make your surroundings look messy.

Use cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling to maximize every square inch of your small space. And don’t just throw things into your cabinets willy nilly. Every item in your cabinets should be organized, and always placed back in the same spot.

2. Build Deep Counters

Having deep counters serve for a lot of purposes. This kitchen design will provide you with a big working space when preparing and serving food. Moreover, said space can also be used for accommodating a number of appliances and devices.

3. Put Up Open Shelves

Having open shelves in a room provides for an airy feel. This type of storage place can also serve as display areas for decorative plates and other attractive accessories in the kitchen. For a really functional kitchen design, it would be good to combine different types of cabinets and shelves on this particular area of the house.

4. Install a Mirrored Backsplash

Installing a mirror backsplash can make your kitchen look stylish. Aside from the aesthetic benefits, however, putting mirror designs in a particular room can make it look larger and more spacious.

5. Show Off Beautiful Cookware Sets Instead of Putting Them In Your Already Limited Cabinet Space

Attractive pots and pans can be hung on racks that attach to the walls. This look is both charming and creative as such objects symbolize the true essence of a kitchen.

6. Build a Window or Hang a Painting Where a Window Should Be

Including a window in your kitchen’s design will allow you to have a scenic view. Moreover, it also has a mirror effect that will make this room seem bigger than it actually is. It is also a good source of natural light when it’s daytime. If a window isn’t possible in your kitchen however, hang a beautiful painting or art installation.

Designing a Functional and Cozy Kitchen

With some imagination and the right approach, a small kitchen can function just as well as a big kitchen. Aiming for a stylish look when designing one of the most used rooms in the house will also provide your family with a pleasant cooking area. Making sure you have the right flooring for a small room can make or break the room. I hear that Cutting Edge Flooring Services can provide some useful information that’ll help you figure out where the rest of the room is going. For a stylish upgrade to your sink’s faucets, have a look at some of the top designs over at https://www.identifyr.com/home/kitchen/best-kitchen-faucets/.

Related: 3 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Home on a Budget

Storage Solutions for Your Small Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. When company comes over that tends to be where people hang out. Lots of family time is spent in the kitchen not only preparing meals, but eating them as well. You need the kitchen to be functional. Storage in a kitchen can be difficult. You want to keep the counters clear of things so you have a work surface while also keeping the things you use frequently easily accessible. Here are some storage solutions to help you make the most of the space you have in your small kitchen:

Store some items in plain sight.

Not everything has to be hidden. Sure, it makes for a sleek design, but it’s not always practical. Some ideas for items to leave in plain sight are: Place your knives in a butcher block right on the counter, fill decorative jars with flour and sugar and other staples you may need, and hang coffee cups underneath your cabinets with hooks.

Organize your pantry.

With shelves, drawers, and pull out bins you can make great use of the pantry space. No matter how big or small your pantry is you can make the most of this area with smart storage solutions. When you’re working with your pantry, it might be a good idea to install some automatic lights. They can support you in your mission to have an organized pantry. My friend uses them all the time and she tells me makes things so much easier. If you decide to do the same, make sure you have Crestron Maintenance in London at hand for repairs if anything goes wrong!

Bottle storage.

You don’t need a wine cellar or a traditional wine rack, but with some plywood and pvc piping, you could build a simple stacked shelving unit for inside your pantry to lay the bottles down in. Or there are plenty of cheap wall units that you could install inside your pantry, or even on the wall of your kitchen for a decorative function like this one.

Store spices in a drawer next to the stove.

Having your spices in a drawer right next to your stove instead of in an overhead cabinet or shelf makes the spices more accessible this way.

Get a Lazy Susan.

You can put storage on a spin with a lazy Susan concept. In a cabinet, add a lazy Susan to store multiple items and be able to find them quickly when needed.

Under the sink storage.

The part right in front of the sink tends to be a false drawer. You can put it on hinges and add a metal tray with drip holes where you store your sponges. Keeps them out of sight while also keeping them easily accessible. Use stackable boxes in the cabinet under the sink to maximize storage space as well. As for bottles, hang them on a tension rod in the cabinet like this.

Dishes in deep drawers instead of stacked in cabinets.

In general, you probably keep your dishes in a cabinet. For a unique storage idea, consider storing them in a drawer separated with pegs. It makes those dinner dishes easier to get when you need to set the table.

Cutting boards.

What do you do with these things? Why not stand them up in an easily accessible basket. You can put them in a cabinet and they’ll be easy to get when you need them.

You can really turn your kitchen into a functional space and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money either. You can use things you already have in your home to create unique and creative storage solutions in your kitchen.

Related: 5 Ways To Add Storage To Your Home