Home and Garden Storage

Television programs show how we can DIY and improve space saving methods in our homes. A storage shed that can fit in the garage or under eaves is a quick solution to minimise clutter. This can create a tidy residence and make day to day tasks a breeze. Otherwise the living space can become cluttered and hard to do things in.

Jan and Fred were less fussy when they were newly married and their things were all over the place. They liked the ‘lived in feeling’. But once the children came along, the couple found that there was less time because both worked full time and the children needed a lot of their attention. So they decided to have a major clean out and in the garage they put two slim storage sheds against the wall. One was for garden tools and the other for stuff for the kids’ crafts and project materials. A family task was to store things away on a regular basis into those sheds. Now and then the storage sheds needed a clean out so that there was enough room. At times like that there would be bags for a trip to St. Vinnies.

Storage sheds like these have made life more sane because when the whole family learns how to keep things tidy then their life becomes more manageable.

I learnt community art and my lounge looked like a disaster area, so I had a garden shed installed in my backyard. It matches my garden in colour and has windows. I moved in all my art equipment and easel – it is now my haven. Whenever I feel like some personal space, as well as feeling the high of creating something which expresses my innermost thoughts, I go into my art studio. What joy?

Mind you, there’s enough room for frames and other art essentials. There’s also an old smallish table under the window which I rest completed art, because it can take up to 3 days to dry.

Some of my friends from the community art classes are jealous because they haven’t got their studios…yet.

Have an aviary in your backyard and feel the benefits of providing safe accommodation for your birds. Parrots are fun, so try housing a couple and enjoy having them as pets. You get an aviary which you can easily assemble and which can make your yard attractive, making your environment alive with the chattering of these friendly creatures.

Nana look at that coloured bird on those telephone wires”. Julie admired the parrot and replied “that’s a Galah, darling”. But Julie wondered how safe that beautiful bird was. She remembered that when she was little her grandparents had an aviary with parrots and she loved visiting. So Julie went an bought an aviary for her two new parrots in her backyard, know that her grandchildren would look forward to the visits. Her cat wished they were free so he could chase them but fortunately they are safe.

Easy to look after and affordable to buy and install, aviaries are great for beautifying your home, whilst bringing nature closer into your life.

When I was a little girl the best you could get for storage in the backyard was tin sheds or wooden sheds that people had to build themselves. Nowadays it’s great that we buy a kit that is a simple DIY or for an affordable cost is assembled for us. Garden sheds that are used for storage or all purpose weatherproof sheds which are great for studios – music, craft and art productions.

Joe (10) and Michael (9) were into mini bikes big time. So their Dad decided that this could be a good hobby which he could supervise and be a part of. Christmas was not far off and Stephen bought his sons a mini track bike each. More importantly Stephen got a garden shed that was just right to store not only the boys bikes but also the mower and some other garden tools and equipment. Mary was happy too because she enjoyed gardening as well as going away with Stephen and the boys for their rallies.

How easy it is to make life fulfilling and get natural highs without spending a fortune and at the same time finding creative storage solutions for hobbies and gardening equipment.

Bikes, photo by Vinish K Saini, Chandigarh, India, kids hobbies

I am sitting in my lounge room with the heater on full, rugged up in a thick lined cardigan and gloves without finger tips (Michael Jackson eat your heart out). It occurred to me that there are plants which would not survive out in this freezing cold. Mind you it’s not snowing, that could be worse, in which case there are snow greenhouses just for that purpose. I’ll write about snow greenhouses another time. This time I am thinking about fresh herbs which are becoming more and more popular when cooking.

On her TV cookery program, the Barefoot Contessa popped out to her garden and picked fresh herbs. Of course the sun was shining on a Summer day. On the other hand, my cousin has a small Hobby Greenhouse which fits on her back patio and it is stocked with fresh herbs and flowers that cannot stand inclement weather, so she has a good supply all year through.

Everything is possible if we are creative about storage solutions. Especially now that we need to reduce water usage, greenhouses help to keep our plants moist with minimal watering.

Herbs, photo by Stephanie Berghaeuser, Bonn, Germany,

Thomas Dolby’s most recognised hit was 1982’s “She Blinded Me with Science”. He has built his music studio in his garden shed.

Shed Life
I work and make music in a garden shed. It’s small but cosy, with windows on all sides, and a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. Didn’t Nick Drake write a song called ‘A Man And His Shed’? He must have been thinking of me. My daily commute is 15 feet. Some days I’m still in my pyjamas at 2pm…I love my shed!

Thomas has gone on to create some great music and has a new EP out 17 July 2007. Hopefully he’s got some “shed music” on it. He tells a great story about owning a “real” recording studio in West London and the headaches that went with it

So create music in your shed, it’s cheaper than giving up a bedroom. Your spouse will appreciate it too.

Studio headphones 3, photo by Jake Levi, Lansdale, USA