So yes, it’s hard to live in an apartment. But as I already tasted how a garden feels like, there’s no way I’ll settle for anything less than  a small piece of land that I can call mine. That’s what I tell myself: “Land is the only thing that matters, Katie Scarlett O’Hara“. So I’m already thinking in my house in the suburbs, where I’ll finally have a garden, and hopefully, even grow my own vegetables.

Now, call me a garden-freak, but since I’ll probably won’t have the chance to have a secret garden  (and someone who’ll secretly take care of it) I’m thinking of alternatives to have a place where I can sit and relax – have some tea, read a book, and watch my children play with Moosy.

The best idea so far? A pergola. Not only it’s a romantic spot (yes, I mean Liesl and Rolf’s dance in the glass gazebo) but it’s also a perfect way to enjoy your garden in comfort. Good news:  with Lowe’s advice, you can find some recyclable materials for your pergola, making it both eco-friendly and affordable.

That’s why I was thrilled when my parents decided to turn our garage into an Art Studio. The transformation was unbelievable, and in a month, this dark and humid room became a room full of light, where I had everything I needed to make my projects. It was a small space, and my creativity was in bloom, so we had to figure out  how to save space without making the place look crowded: cabinets, hanging some of the tools, and drawers under the tables.

After some years, when I left my parents home, the garage slowly became a storage room again. I gave most of my things away, but some of the art projects  are still in boxes.  And as I’m allergic to dust, whenever I go home, the entrance to my art studio is banned.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I ran into Lowe’s video on how to turn your garage into an Art studio. It made me want to paint again, and have my own space to do so. A place where my little one won’t be affected by the intense use of white spirit, and a  where I can paint while listening to the  inspiring voice of Zooey Deschanel.

After all, although I have a lot of a Desperate Housewife, I’m more of a Desperate Romantic.

Now, what is it I like about Eric – is it his rugged good looks, his cheeky smile, his deep brown eyes? No, although those aren’t half-bad, either. Granted he has all that and more, like a chiseled jaw and an Adonis body, but above all I love his attitude – his ‘anyone can use a jackhammer attitude’.

I am pretty much accident-prone, but after watching these go-for-it videos, I really believe I can use a jackhammer without plowing through my foot, and nail things with a nail gun without hitting my hand or accidentally hitting a passerby’s head! That’s what I call skills, folks.

Alternately, there were the fairly creepy basements I remember from growing up in very old homes in the Mid-West. Generally speaking, us kids were pretty much too terrified to venture down there, aside from the exceptional dare mission. But does that mean the very essence of a basement is to serve only zealous nerds and ghost-hunters? After having learned a thing or two from HGTV, I beg to differ.

Genevieve Gorder of HGTV’s hit show Dear Genevieve, is here to solve all of your basement woes, and help you whip all that dead space into a beautiful recreation room fit for sophisticated grownups.

Personally, I enjoy a good DIY project from time to time, but just like when it comes to cooking, watching others do it is even better.  How can you ever get tired of  good home improvement shows? Especially the ones that do complete makeovers. Watching the transformation of an old, messy or boring house into a fun and welcoming space makes me happy every time. Just seeing what can be done with a little bit of paint, wood and enthusiasm.

In this video Dean and Derek, the friendly experts from the DIY network will show you everything you need to know in order to prepare for a delivery of construction materials. You’ll see that, just like my grandmother says, the key to a successful project is in the little details.

The truth is, these are all excuses. If you really have the Christmas spirit, there are ways to celebrate it in a greener way. You can make like Madonna and have an organic dinner, you can stay away from the turkey and try some other yummy dishes, and you can get some LED lights and save some energy.

If you still think of yourself as a Scrooge and don’t want to admit that you’re doing a favor to help stop global warming, just think that by doing this you’re also reducing your electricity bill. Or at least tell that to the eager carol singers to keep them away.

Back in my University years, I had to take a Construction course that was meant to make us master the techniques of building, puppetry and large-scale painting. The man in charge, Professor Barba, was a mixture between George Lucas and Santa Claus, making everything seem magic when done.

The truth is,  anyone who stood on our platforms was risking his safety. Maybe our strong point was not based on hardcore building, but more on fixing those details that give a whole new dimension to old materials: with our original Sherwin Williams and Black & Decker jingles, we managed to create stained and rusty effects on giant canvases.

Building isn’t magic, but you certainly need a magic hand to help you. Don’t panic if you don’t know where to reach Professor Barba, if George Lucas is too busy or if Santa doesn’t reply during December. Just  ask Tim Carter, and start building!

Despite living in the middle of the city, I’ve been lucky enough to rent an apartment with two huge porches that happen to get quite a healthy does of sunshine, so slowly but surely Dave’s gardening videos and DIY spirit began to call out to me like a siren song – and I had to pull on my gardening gloves and get to work.

To me, gardening always seemed like something that requires a lot of time, plenty of research before planting anything, and of course, something that is surely to go awry on the hands of a city girl such as myself. But after raising my first crop of organic root vegetables in a raised bed on my porch, which yielded yummy root vegetables that kept my kitchen full all winter long (I think I tried almost every recipe for squash soup out there), I feel I am ready for my next challenge – flowers, or rather bulbs.

Surprisingly enough, right when the gardening season seems to be winding down to a halt, it’s the perfect time to get out there and plant bulbs, for an amazing zap of color come springtime. So this weekend I went a little crazy and headed over to the local market to pick up a stash of bulbs – daffodils, freesia, tulips and iris, all now tucked in my fridge for a brief blast of cold to wake them up before planting day.

It was quite hard to pick which bulbs to go with – with such a large variety of colors and aromas available for most temperate climate zones, the array is endless and tempting. One of my sure bets was the Narcissus, however, since I like the Greek mythology background this flower boasts – according to myth, this plant first reared its head where the Greek Narcissus had died, after having become so obsessed with his own reflection in the water that he gazed at it until, by some accounts, he fell into the water and drowned, and by other accounts, starved to death motionlessly.

If you find yourself working up a green sweat of envy while reading this, relax – you can unleash your inner green thumb as well, with minimal effort. In order to show off a hypnotizing color palette in the spring, you’ve got to put in your work now, and plant in the fall. Generally speaking, it’s recommended to plant bulbs in early to mid-Autumn, about 4 to 6 weeks before the first frost in your area. Since I reside in a relatively sunny climate where an Indian summer is the rule and not the exception, the local nursery experts recommended giving the bulbs I bought a cool shock by storing them in the fridge for a week prior to planting. Typically, bulbs prefer sunlight and moist (but not wet) soil. If you’re unsure about where to plant bulbs in your garden or yard, look for a place that gets at least a few good hours of sunlight, and make sure to perform a soil test to check on the PH levels. One of the best things about growing bulbs is that they can continue to light up your garden for several seasons – you can plant the leftover bulbs when the next season rolls around, meaning sustainable and reusable beauty for garden, indoors or out.

If you plan on using pots or containers to grow your bulbs, make sure that these containers have holes that allow water drainage, otherwise your bulbs will suffer from moisture overkill. One of the greatest advantages to growing your bulbs in pots or containers is that you will be able to move them around when needed, as opposed to planting them directly in the ground.

So what does it take to actually plant these babies? Take a cue from Dave and Growing Wisdom: