Landscape design is certainly on my mind these days. We’ve just completed a house addition, and now the surrounding land looks something akin to a bomb site. We need to start working on a landscape design pronto!

Traditionally, landscape design focuses on patios and walls, lawns, garden beds, and water features. Indeed, these form the backbone of a beautiful garden. But sometimes landscapers miss the element that can really make a garden stand out – outdoor art. Art can elevate the experience in any garden, bringing structure, function, surprise, and fun to any plot of land, large or small.

“Art glass” often evokes images of glass blowing with artisans bending over red-hot kilns to twist and shape molten lumps of glass into luminous, exotic forms. But glass blowers are not alone in their ability to create jaw-dropping works of art out of glass. Today, traditional glass blowers are joined by artists working with stained, fused, slumped, and cast glass that expand the artistic range of glass.

Looking at some of the imaginative work of glass artists who show with the Paradise City Arts Festivals got me wondering about different art glass techniques. Just how do these folks create the magic?

When thinking about buying artwork, it’s easy to overlook small paintings that may be tucked in the corner of an artist’s studio, art fair booth, or gallery. Small paintings can help you create an inviting, beautiful, and balanced environment in your home, so they are worth seeking out.

My husband and I have bought lots of small artwork for no other reason than we absolutely loved the piece and wanted to live with it. But there are many other good reasons to consider the small painting.

What better way to address that spring fever urge to renew, redo, and renovate than custom furniture! And with spring just around the corner, it’s worth taking time to think how you can spruce up your home.

With handmade, custom furniture, you can have pieces that not only meet your functional needs, but that introduce a higher level of artistry and style to your home.

Handmade jewelry is a surefire gift for your partner, for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion. But I get the impression from my friends that buying the right bauble is often a nerve-wracking experience. Will she really like it? Has she the right occasion to wear it?

Representing the woman’s point of view here, I offer some suggestions to help you pick out the perfect piece of handmade jewelry. Here are five tips to help you get it right.