If you have ever had the pleasure of building a shed or outdoor building like a garage or workshop then you will know the value of having good plans or blueprints to work by. If you haven’t you may be in the crowd that that believe for this type of small building, shed plans are just overkill. However, you would be grossly mistaken.

As someone who has done vast woodworking projects including pergolas, gazebos and out buildings such as garden sheds, etc. I can tell you there are no such projects where you don’t need a little guidance and a lot of instruction. Just getting a cut sheet or a materials list is worth the money you would pay for a set of plans these days because they are really cheap and sometimes free! I would take a good look at what you get for free and if they don’t have the materials list or cut list I would pay the $20 to $30 dollars to get the better set of plans. You will find out very quickly that the better the plans, the better the project goes, the less the waste and the more fun it is. This will lead to other such projects because you did such a great job on this one.

Speaking of projects, you can find several different types of shed plans and woodworking plans that have a lot more to them than meets the eye. One of the best things about these online downloads is they can be affordable because they are not having to draft them like they used to or mail them to you. This is why they send you a variety of shed plans and other wood project plans for you to choose from, which helps you afford them.

It just makes no sense what so ever to spend $300 & up on materials and a weekend or two in time building and not spend the $20 or $30 to insure that you are doing it correctly. Spend the money on well thought out plans and get the job done right!

I recently saw an article about a woman who had created multiple outdoor living spaces in her yard and it was fascinating.  So much so that I decided, on a much smaller scale, to try my hand at creating a few interesting and inviting places in and among the gardens and landscape of my yard.  I placed as an entrance to my front yard rose garden along with a beautiful garden arbor with a climbing trellis on the sides.  It was so easy to put together that I wish I had done this a long time ago.

The roses immediately took to the arbor and have filled in the sides with great ease crafting a lovely entrance to the front yard.  The design of the metal arbor incorporating the trellis has worked magnificently.  I also love the openness of the arch and can’t wait until the roses encompass the canopy in fragrant blooms.  I can smell them as I write!  I wonder why it took me so long to start finding ways to make my yard truly mine.  This incredible natural cedar arbor is perfect as it has the look and feel that I want my front yard to project.

If you haven’t heard of vertical gardening, you will. It seems to be the new rage this year in gardening though it isn’t really anything new. People have been planting vine vegetables up walls, trellises and arbors for many years. They called it survival or planting food wherever you could and if that was by a wall where the plant grew up it; so be it.

It is us who seem to need all these fancy “vertical walls” and “hanging hooks and hammocks” in order to plant vertically. But before you run out and purchase the latest gizmo, look around your house and yard and see what you have that you could try this type of gardening with; a pergola, arbor, trellis, wall, fence, etc. Do a little research to find out what types of plants grow well vertically and try it. It’s great to save space for those things that cannot grow up so you should be able to grow more if part of your garden is dedicated to vertical.

I am just one of many who have happily gone down the isle to say my vows and marry the man I love. Those nuptials were one of the most important things I have ever done and helped shape and put my life on the path I am currently on. Maybe that is why I love the month of June AND weddings! Even after 22 years of marriage I still pick up the wedding planner magazine’s and thumb through it like a school girl. I find some very nice things in those pages but they pale to the memory of my own wedding by the lake in my grandparent’s backyard.

They pulled out all the stops back then to make this day special just for my future husband and me, but the one thing I would not let them do is change the wooden arbor that we were married under. I had loved that arbor since I was a child and every scratch and nick was special to me and I wanted it to be just like I remembered it for the ceremony. Yes it was worn and no longer a solid white but it was also covered with the most spectacular pink and white teacup roses that you have ever seen, and the smell was absolutely divine. I can still close my eyes and go back there to relive that moment every June… it doesn’t get any better than that!

Recently, I saw a beautiful yard that had used pergolas and arbors to establish a palace look in the backyard.  They had used several different kinds and types of pergolas; two made of cedar; one of vinyl and the other features were a variety of arbors made of aluminum, cedar, lattice, vinyl and iron.  They were all placed at different elevations within the overall structure of the yard.  From one to another were a series of pathways using different types of paving stones and brick that were beautifully manicured with an assortment of flowers, shrubs and trees.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that all of the garden features and structures were purchased online and came as kits that they had put together and installed themselves.  Even the largest of the cedar pergolas was a pergola kit.  The yard looked like it had to have taken a landscape designer and company to get this done and I was totally taken back at what could be done with a wonderful imagination and some sweat equity in a yard.  Wonderfully Beautiful!

There are so many wonderful things to choose from that can enhance the experience in your yard and garden.  They range from some incredible large features like pergolas and arbors to the wonderful variety of garden benches and outdoor furniture that allow you to create delightful organic areas in and around your patio and yard.  It’s just so much fun!

Add to that the small touches you can add from garden gnomes, gazing balls and shepherd hooks that allow you to hang all of your favorite plants to outdoor lighting options that both amaze and amuse you.  There is just nothing you cannot do these days to make your yard and garden the perfect outdoor living space for you and your family.  Get started and have a great time doing it!

An arbor can be a great addition to any yard as they can even provide an excellent entry point to your yard or garden.  By positioning your arbor as a welcoming arch into your home, your guests will feel special as they enter under your beautiful archway.  This really sets the tone for your entire yard and your home.  You know that old saying, “You only have one chance to make a good impression”?  With a beautiful arbor, you definitely will!

Arbors add a touch of elegance and extravagance to your outdoor space that no other outdoor structures can.  They say welcome to all who enter here.  A great arbor can also change the whole perception of not only your yard but also of your home.  A good perception of your home translates to a good perception of you.

Give everyone who enters the wonderful experience of a welcoming yard.  You might be surprised at the difference something as simple as an arbor can make in your life.  Opening up your heart to those who enter your home is always a good thing.