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Q: So I was just in my kitchen baking a cake from scratch and wondering to myself. . . where can I possibly receive free advice to help me in my decorating dilemmas? I get stuck obsessing over paint colors and picture placement until I simply can’t sleep at night (unless I take an Ambien). What can I do?

A: Never fear, retro lady! The savvy girls at Spark will be happy to ease your mind. When a question pops up about anything remotely related to interior decorating or outdoor landscaping, give us a jingle.

Our Thursday posts are reserved for reader questions, no matter how big or small. You can even send us a picture of your room or point of angst to illustrate your query. Remember, there are no silly questions. . . only silly people who don’t take advantage of this Q & A forum.  So contact us now and hear from us next Thursday!

This week’s blog is completely poached from the wonderful Austin garden designer/blogger Pam Penick. She regularly writes about Austin’s unique gardening opportunities and constraints with lots of imagery. Pam writes: I’m joining my colleagues at Garden Designers Roundtable today on the topic “Vertical.” Introducing vertical elements into the garden is a time-honored technique for bridging [...]

Well, you know we all want to change the world. Here are a few people who are doing it and inspiring the rest of us to join up! Fritz Haeg is approaching growing your own food as an art expression and in the process creating a revolution in how we approach our front yards. He [...]

Those random glasses at flea markets and thrift stores will never look the same again. The lovely Propellor Design has gathered them all together to create one-of-a-kind chandeliers.  I must have.  Must have now! Can’t you picture this over a gorgeous white tempered glass kitchen table in an amazing white room? Now let’s find some wonderful [...]

Snuggling up with friends on an outdoor couch with a fire in the firepit (or chimenea if there is a burn ban in effect) is so attractive this time of year. It just makes conversation flow. A Spark client is considering a structure for her firepit/conversation area so I went to one of my favorite [...]

Grab your hammers and  picture hooks, kids!  Give your walls a new twist in 2011 with these silkscreened posters featuring music lyrics & fab typography over at Music Philosophy The talented creator of these marvy hits is based in the UK and introduces himself and his work thusly: “Hi. My name is Mico. I am [...]

I buzzed into The Great Outdoors on South Congress in Austin last week to swoop up some plants for winter pots out back (fav find was artichokes – so gorgeous with their outsized silvery blue leaves) and found myself in the midst of some serious Christmas cheer. Red wigglers are great to use in no-till [...]

“Objects are important. They reflect and shape our identity. They influence our moods and inform our interactions with the world around us. Objects are the tools that bring meaning to our daily rituals, and living with objects we love can make us happy. When well designed, they survive year after year and age with grace. [...]