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House of Valentina

House of Valentina

Designing the art of living

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Musings on the Lure of Outdoors

May 16, 2025 · In: Garden, Interior Design

I’ve heard people talking about “paradise gardens” before and never fully understood what that meant until more recently.  Honestly, it sounded complicated and completely unachievable for a novice gardener who doesn’t have a lot of time, but as the weather really starts to warm and the herbs really start to grow and the roses are really starting to climb, I’m starting to understand how even a back deck can be transformed into an oasis!

Just a few years ago our backyard was a mud pit (as in actually!  I guess we could have started spa treatments!) Even as a novice, we have simply put herbs and flowers in pots and watched in amazement as they grow.  Have we killed plenty of things along the way?  Uh.  Yeah.  But somehow the victories are all the sweeter when you do succeed!  And your garden (even if it’s just a few planters on your back deck or patio!) always has so much to teach you about life, love, patience, and reward!  

So as the weather warms, I cannot help but recommend to  you that you plant yourself a little herb garden.  You don’t need to be a master gardener!  They are some of the easiest plants to keep alive and you will feel so much pride when you want to make a recipe like my famous herby cheese crackers (I’ll have Jack add the recipe here!) or a yummy cocktail that calls for a sprig of basil and you can just walk to your planters on the deck and grab just what you need!  And it’s so fragrant!  Just brush up against the thyme or the rosemary and you can smell it lingering in the air! It’s heavenly!  Add a little place to sit and maybe even a little water feature and you will have a little slice of paradise on earth!

However you choose to spend the weekend, I hope it is full of sunshine and garden fresh treats and, as always, so much love!  Sending big hugs and a kiss for each cheek! xxV

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By: Valentina Fussell · In: Garden, Interior Design

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  1. Katherine Cervantes says

    May 24, 2025 at 12:00 pm

    Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, thank you, Valentina.
    And Jack.

    Reply

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It’s so easy, especially nowadays when we are bombarded by so many images of home coming at us at the speed of light, to really slow ourselves down and ask this simple question, “What makes a house a home?” And if we dare to ask one more… “What is your idea of a dream home?”

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Guys!! If there’s one thing I love about decorating - it’s decorating for free! Your backyard (or even front yard!) are full of great decor! Nature walks become a treasure hunt and your world inside your home can reflect all the beautify of the outdoors. 

Your vessels, vases, bowls, trays… they all become art with these additions!

But why stop there?! What about the food you eat? Bowls of nuts, trays of dried fruit, vessels overflowing with butternut squash and pumpkins?! Eeekkk! It’s all so beautiful! It’s such an honest way to create seasonal decor while also making seasonal living even better! 

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The best things in life really are free and you wouldn’t believe the things you can use to create these magnificent moments of joy in your life!

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