This Weekend: Celebrate Eero Saarinen, Plant Greens and More
It’s a good time to celebrate an icon of modern design, help bees and find a vintage treasure to add to your decor
Laura Gaskill
August 17, 2018
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
The long August days may have you pining for fall, wishing summer would never end or doing a little of both. To make the most of your weekend, pick and choose from a mix of seven could-dos and fun outings, including hunting for treasures on National Thrift Shop Day (Aug. 17), making your garden bee-friendly (National Honey Bee Day is Aug. 18), celebrating a master of modern design and helping kids get ready for back-to-school. Take a look, then tell us: What’s on tap for you around the house this weekend?
1. Take Stock and Store Summer Gear
With summer winding down, this is a good weekend to take a look at the gear you used — or didn’t use — this season and begin to pack it away for next year. If there are items you didn’t use as much as you expected, consider selling them or giving them away instead of putting them back in storage. For gear you’re keeping, make sure it’s all clean and in working order before packing it up neatly into containers and stowing it in a protected area (like the garage).
How to Store Your Outdoor Gear for Summer and All Year
With summer winding down, this is a good weekend to take a look at the gear you used — or didn’t use — this season and begin to pack it away for next year. If there are items you didn’t use as much as you expected, consider selling them or giving them away instead of putting them back in storage. For gear you’re keeping, make sure it’s all clean and in working order before packing it up neatly into containers and stowing it in a protected area (like the garage).
How to Store Your Outdoor Gear for Summer and All Year
2. Plant Some Cool-Season Greens
The weather may be sizzling where you are, but now is the time to start seeding cool-season crops like chard (shown here), kale, spinach and lettuces if you want to enjoy a second harvest before winter. High temperatures can scorch these plants, so keep seedlings sheltered and give them plenty of water until the soil has cooled down.
12 Edibles Perfect to Plant in Late Summer
The weather may be sizzling where you are, but now is the time to start seeding cool-season crops like chard (shown here), kale, spinach and lettuces if you want to enjoy a second harvest before winter. High temperatures can scorch these plants, so keep seedlings sheltered and give them plenty of water until the soil has cooled down.
12 Edibles Perfect to Plant in Late Summer
3. Celebrate an Icon of Modern Design
Architect and designer Eero Saarinen would have been 108 on August 20. Honor his legacy (which includes iconic designs such as the Tulip table and chairs shown here) by visiting a design museum or window-shopping in a store that still produces his designs. Or, if you’re in the St. Louis area, check out another Saarinen icon: the recently reopened Gateway Arch and museum.
Happy Birthday to the Saarinens! Design Words of Wisdom to Celebrate
Architect and designer Eero Saarinen would have been 108 on August 20. Honor his legacy (which includes iconic designs such as the Tulip table and chairs shown here) by visiting a design museum or window-shopping in a store that still produces his designs. Or, if you’re in the St. Louis area, check out another Saarinen icon: the recently reopened Gateway Arch and museum.
Happy Birthday to the Saarinens! Design Words of Wisdom to Celebrate
4. Update Curb Appeal
Take some time this weekend to give your home’s exterior some TLC. Wash the windows, sweep the porch and set out a fresh pot of flowers. If you want to do more, small tweaks like swapping out the door knocker and mailbox can have a big impact. If the paint on the body of your home is in good condition (not peeling or curling up), consider hiring house painters to redo the trim — it can give your home a new look for about half the cost of painting the whole house.
What to Know About Getting Your Home’s Exterior Trim Painted
Take some time this weekend to give your home’s exterior some TLC. Wash the windows, sweep the porch and set out a fresh pot of flowers. If you want to do more, small tweaks like swapping out the door knocker and mailbox can have a big impact. If the paint on the body of your home is in good condition (not peeling or curling up), consider hiring house painters to redo the trim — it can give your home a new look for about half the cost of painting the whole house.
What to Know About Getting Your Home’s Exterior Trim Painted
5. Do a Good Deed for Bees
National Honey Bee Day falls on August 18 this year — why not make it an opportunity to help out these beneficial insects?
Read through the list of ideas below and pick one to try this weekend.
How you can help honeybees and other pollinators:
National Honey Bee Day falls on August 18 this year — why not make it an opportunity to help out these beneficial insects?
Read through the list of ideas below and pick one to try this weekend.
How you can help honeybees and other pollinators:
- Plant native flowers.
- Eliminate pesticide and insecticide use.
- Support beekeepers in your area by purchasing local honey.
- Provide a “bee hotel” for solitary bees.
Ninainvorm
6. Go Thrifting
August 17 is National Thrift Shop Day. Dust off your bargain-hunting skills and see what treasures you can unearth in the stacks of your local thrift shop or consignment store.
Thrifting tips:
August 17 is National Thrift Shop Day. Dust off your bargain-hunting skills and see what treasures you can unearth in the stacks of your local thrift shop or consignment store.
Thrifting tips:
- If you need something specific, bring measurements with you.
- A hand truck or wagon is helpful for toting finds home.
- Shop with an eye to repurposing — a pretty bowl could hold keys or flowers.
- Set a budget and bring cash.
7. Prep for Back-to-School
Ease the transition from summer to a new school year by tackling projects in two key areas of the home this weekend: the entry and kitchen. In the entry or mudroom, make sure there are hooks for coats and backpacks, a calendar or notice board and a drop spot for papers and mail.
In the kitchen, gather all the lunch- and snack-making supplies in one area and bundle healthy food items on an eye-level shelf in the fridge. Pick up a new lunch box or reusable water bottle if needed, and label everything.
Your turn: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
More: Your Back-to-School Game Plan
Ease the transition from summer to a new school year by tackling projects in two key areas of the home this weekend: the entry and kitchen. In the entry or mudroom, make sure there are hooks for coats and backpacks, a calendar or notice board and a drop spot for papers and mail.
In the kitchen, gather all the lunch- and snack-making supplies in one area and bundle healthy food items on an eye-level shelf in the fridge. Pick up a new lunch box or reusable water bottle if needed, and label everything.
Your turn: What are you looking forward to this weekend? Let us know in the Comments.
More: Your Back-to-School Game Plan
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Back to school? so this means my living room becomes my home office. Perhaps I need a shelving system to hide all the papers.... life of a teacher :D I like the curb appeal and flowers and will likely stick to that this weekend.
Years ago, my dentist had those "tulip chairs" in his waiting room. They looked so cool, and were extremely uncomfortable.