Backyard X-scapes Blog
Make a New Year’s Resolution that Sticks
Posted on January 4, 2012 by admin

January is the one month of the year where we all have something in common: we get a fresh start. Whether your new start is real or imagined, we all share in the sense that the new year will bring new and exciting experiences, more organization, less procrastination, a leaner body and more time spent with friends and/or family. Of course, we are speaking of the New Year’s Resolution. So whatever yours is this year, here are a few tips on how to make and keep your resolve. 1. Be specific. Vague resolutions like “meet new people” or “get organized” are typically doomed to fail from the start. Your Resolution needs to be specific so that you know not only how to accomplish it but also when and if you have. So instead of “meeting new people,” resolve to join a new club, learn a new sport or organize a
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Give That Old Christmas Tree New Life This Year
Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

Now that Christmas is over and we’re feeling the let down of gifts given, visitors come and gone and turkeys carved, it’s time to start thinking about what to do with that beautifully smelling tree in your living room. While most of us will be sending the tree to a recycling center to be mulched, here are some more fun, do-it-yourself options for disposing of the tree. Recycle It Yourself. Cut the branches and trunk into smaller portions and put them in a wood chipper (or borrow a neighbors). Use the mulch for increasing the health of your soil in flower beds, around shrubbery or in your garden. Additionally, you can use the wood for kindling in your outdoor fire pit. Average sized trees can provide up to 13 pounds of firewood. Remember, do not burn evergreens inside because they are highly flammable and full of sap. Make a Bird
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Wrap Without Waste
Posted on December 12, 2011 by admin

Christmas is less than two weeks away. Hopefully, everyone has completed all their holiday shopping, decorating and organizing. Now it’s time to wrap!! In our traditional “green” spirit, we have come up with suggestions to curb the another wasteful holiday habit: tossing tons upon tons of the wrapping waste in the garbage. Countless rolls of dyed wrapping paper, non recyclable tape and tissue paper are thrown out every year during the holidays. We believe that if we are committed to going green throughout the rest of the year, there is no reason that commitment should waver during the holiday season. We all have stacks of newspapers, magazines and various scraps of paper lying around. Give these odds and ends that are now useless to you a new life. The comic section is colorful and adds a bit of humor to gift giving. You can really use anything to wrap with
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Decorate for the Family and the Planet
Posted on December 7, 2011 by admin

As we decorate for Christmas this year, we are reminded of the joy of togetherness, the fond memories of Christmases past and the love we feel for all the friends, family and opportunities in our lives. However, we can also get carried away with the stress of hunting for presents in the overcrowded malls, scheduling and attending dinners, parties and other events and making sure the house properly reflects all of our Christmas spirit. Here are some ideas for Christmas decorating that can double as quality family time and your karma points for saving waste from the landfills. Got old cardboard boxes laying around from a recent move or from shipping Christmas presents? Convert this thick paper into ornaments using a stencil, sharp scissors and some creativity. Cut out stars, snowmen, reindeer or even Santa shapes and decorate them with scaprs of paper, ribbon, glitter and paint. Your tree will
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Save on Fountains This Christmas for Truly Original Gift
Posted on November 28, 2011 by admin

The holiday shopping season is upon us! At Backyard X-Scapes, we want to ensure that you find the best deals on the gifts you’re looking for, whether they are for the special people in your life or for your own household. This holiday season we are running promotions on our high quality indoor fountains that are sure to brighten the atmosphere of any living space. The retail price of all our 48” Gardenfall fountains has been reduced by $100. These gorgeous indoor fountains come in a variety of colors and backgrounds. Choose from bronze, stainless steel, copper or black frames and mirrored, bamboo etched or slate backdrops. The Gardenfall fountains can be used as mesmerizing focal points in any room or to create a natural soundtrack for any social gathering. Your guests will be transfixed by the beauty of water flowing down a smooth, glossy surface into the waiting rocks
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

Happy Turkey Day!! As we (well…most of us anyway) prepare for a glorious four day weekend, visions of oodles of home cooked food, quality time with loved ones and traditional football matchups have already begun dancing in our heads. While all these things are the components of a wonderful holiday weekend, we wish to remind you what the holiday is all about: Take a moment this weekend to take pride and comfort in the little things that make life worth living. Remember how much your family loves you and all the times the special people in your life were there for you when no one else was. Take pride in your accomplishments, your successes and the way in which you have positively influenced other people’s lives. Thanksgiving is time to take a day off from being hard on yourself and to take stock of all the blessings in your life.
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How to Create a Tropical Backyard Paradise
Posted on November 9, 2011 by admin

Redoing your backyard can seem like an intimidating, endless and costly project. But it doesn’t have to be. With a few helpful tips, creating a tropical themed backyard can actually be fun and easy. Get started simply by evaluating the size and shape of the space you have to work with and chose an area of focus. This space could be the patio, the garden, a specific area designated for relaxing or entertaining or even just the center of the yard. Once defined, make this section your vision of a Backyard X-Scape: add a table and chairs for outdoor dining, place a tiki bar for convenient adult entertainment, build or inflate a pool for your guests and children to play in or erect a palapa for relaxing in the sun. Within the focal area, decide how much and what type of furniture you will need: how many chairs and tables,
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Have a Hauntingly Happy Halloween
Posted on October 31, 2011 by admin

Happy Halloween Backyard X-Scapes readers! Today is the day when ghosts, goblins and ghouls break out of their usual haunts and roam the streets in search of a candy and an opportunity to cause a fright. So whether your dressing up as a frighteningly fantastic Furby, blending in with the pumpkins on your front porch waiting to scare trick or treaters or generously doling out candy to the princesses and pirates heading your way, we hope you have a one-of-a-kind and special holiday. As usual, we remind you to be safe in your celebrations. Make sure your younger trick-or-treaters are supervised and stay in well lit areas. Always inspect your child’s candy for signs of tampering before they are allowed to eat it. This year, authorities are urging parents more strongly than ever to thoroughly inspect candy because of a new concern that some candies may be laced with marijuana.
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