You need not replace these articles, or your metal frames, chandeliers, file cabinets, or lamp bases. The list could go on and on forever, but we think once you get started on this revamp everything else you can spruce up will become very apparent. This project can actually become a tad addictive, because the results are so fantastic, and the difference can be huge.

So how do you do it? Spray paint. Take the object of your affection, and determine if it need prep like primer or sanding. Then move on to the spraying. Get creative with ways to get all sides of things like doorknobs without leaving fingerprints in the paint. Use a pencil placed in the screw holes, or go outside and hang off the end of a pitchfork, or anything you do not mind getting a bit of spray on.

The one I recently whipped up proved to be a real crowd pleaser, even though it took no time at all to compile. I expect it was the combination of tomatoes, corn and avocado that was oh so appealing. It was a much lighter fare than the others I have offered up in the last few days. I have been feeling a bit nostalgic for the dinner fare I experienced while travelling through Florida last summer, and thus had made rather large batches of both coleslaw and potato salad. I guess it was time to move on, and this Mexican inspired, fresh salad was just the thing to carry on with.

As springtime approaches, I have committed myself to making this the year that I install them, and the year that I spend at least twice as much time out of doors as I have in the past. Luckily, I have been preparing for this moment in time and know that for supplies all I will need are some galvanized electrical conduit for the rods, and some plumbing fittings to brace the rods to my pergola beams. Now the only thing left to do is to decide on the colour of the stripes, and that is going to be the fun part.

So what do you pair it with, well designers are talking about grey, ivory, black, and for real zing, gold. Considering it is called the colour of the year, I always recommend that it be used somewhat sparingly, or you will surely feel a room is automatically outdated by January of next year. With that said, check out plates, pillows, rugs and other accessories to introduce honeysuckle into your environment. You will be absolutely on trend, but not overly attached when the 2012 colour of the year is announced.

Establish of the beginning of the New Year as a time in which you deserve a bit of rest and relaxation. Rely on others to help you do the dirty work involved in getting your home back to its preholiday state, or even better. One service you can depend upon to get things sorted is a carpet cleaner hire company. They can bring your carpets back from all that they have endured. Or, go all out and line up a maid service for a one time only visit too. Though many people think you have to commit to help on a long term basis, this simply is not true. In fact, many companies offer deals for you to try out their service.

After all, you worked long and hard to make the holidays special for those around you. And in return you have been left to do even more work. Thus, it only seems fair that you let someone else help you start 2011 on the right foot.

The beauty of the rooftop space is that it is defined by barriers, and as such can become a cozy, and intimate territory. Not to mention if you are hosting a soiree at night you might be lucky enough to enjoy the starlight overhead. That is simply not something that can be simulated in a manner that ever truly compares. One other added bonus is that any mess created during your party is isolated, and out of view until you are prepared to address it. The most quaint of rooftop gardens I have experienced was a wicker garden dining suite with a Parisian style checkered table cloth and tea lights. The aromas from the potted herb garden that surrounded it really set it off and forced me to quietly take some photos for imaginings of my own. These, along with many others, are filling a design photo album I keep under the bed. Now, if only I could get planning permission for a rooftop area of my very own.

Also, I am a bit tired of my buddies and their gals coming over to my place to hangout and leaving a cluttered mess behind. By entertaining predominantly outside I minimize the area in which a mess is made. Plus, the furniture will be weatherproof, which in my situation will come in handy with my sloppier friends. I will not cringe every time a drink spills. And less formal glasses, plates and bowls will be required, so should anything be dropped or cracked, I will not even flinch. The whole idea of creating ones own great garden lounge cannot be beat.

Miss Kissells work will be on exhibit February 11th through March 13th at the Eleven Gallery in London. Expect to see hyper-intense colours, elements of nature supersized, and surprise fundamentals of modern everyday life. Her work has been described as having the ability to transport the viewer. As such, such art is paramount for the homeowner who is denied personal landscape in the physical sense. Good art can work wonders.

With the proper placement of thought provoking art, your accommodations limitations are counterbalanced. Not to mention the super-saturation of colour that is launched into your environment, much like the impact of nature itself.  Let the balancing act begin.