Author Archives: vwyler

Press Release: Willard & May

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NEW OUTDOOR LIVING COMPANY INSPIRES GARDENERS TO CREATE THE PERFECT OUTDOOR ROOM

Backed by decades of Dutch heritage and experience in the gardening industry, the Tulip World family has recently emerged into the world of outdoor living with their newly launched Willard & May website.

MILWAUKEE, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Backed by decades of Dutch heritage and experience in the gardening industry, Tulip World has been a leading online retailer of flower bulbs and perennials for over twelve years. Desiring to give their customers a more complete outdoor experience, the Tulip World family has recently emerged into the world of “outdoor living” with their newly launched Willard & May website.

Willard & May, which primarily focuses on enhancing the outdoor living spaces of fellow gardening enthusiasts, was built upon the idea that a person’s feeling of “home” should extend far beyond the physical walls of the residence. With a full line of garden decor and pottery, the Willard & May store offers its customers many versatile products to fit just about any outdoor application. “We wanted to provide our customers the opportunity to obtain high-quality pottery and other outdoor living products delivered right to their doorstep without breaking the bank,” says the mastermind behind Willard & May, Jon Studer. The company has definitely achieved this goal by shipping all orders exceeding $50.00 absolutely free. Customers can also gain “how-to” knowledge as well as gather creative ideas on the outdoor living Willard & May blog.

The developers of Willard & May are committed to selling only premium products which they would use in their own backyards. Every piece of pottery on their website is crafted of frost resistant ceramic which is hand-pressed into custom molds and double-fired for a long-lasting finish. The wide variety of colors and textures make these planters not only functional and dynamic, but also unique and attractive. The same is true of their large line of high-quality patio furniture, garden decor, and outdoor heating products. Rhonda Bowles, a long-time garden enthusiast, comments, “I love shopping through this website… finally a company that shares my passion for my outdoor living space!”

With an excellent eye for exclusive products and a strong drive to be number one in customer service, Willard & May is one to watch in the world of outdoor living.

Original Press Release: http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/213626-1331670684-new-outdoor-living-company-inspires-gardeners-to-create-the-perfect-outdoor-room.html

Pin Love: Bright Pops of Color

Outdoor Decor, Pin Inspiration, Store

So it seems spring may officially be here – the robins are chirping, flowers and plants are breaking the surface and the snow is melted away! In honor of spring gracing our backyards, we came across this pin and had to share! We love the bright and bold pops of color that liven up this space.

bright colors outdoor decor
(Source: Better Homes & Garden)

What ways can you add pops of color to your outdoor living space? Here are a few quick items from Willard & May that might just inspire you…

bright colored pottery, tote, planter, bird bath, decor
(1. Cluster Pot 2. Decorative Mushroom 3. Green Bird Bath 4. Foot Planter 5. Red Conical Pot 6. Garden Tote 7. Fish Planter)

Weekend DIY: House Numbers

Curb Appeal, Weekend DIY

Looking for an excuse to enjoy a bit of the warmer weather that has graced most of us over the past few days? How about spending some time this weekend improving your curb appeal by giving your house numbers a makeover? And what’s even better, this unique DIY is budget-friendly!

We came across this simple and classy Do-It-Yourself Nail House Numbers from the blog, StinkerPants. The blog’s writer, Sara, saw this tack artwork and then used the same idea with nails on her fence post. All you need to complete this project are: nails, hammer, needle-nose pliers and a print off of the numbers you’d like to transpose onto your location.  You could easily use this technique on a wooden mailbox post, a fence post, or if you have wood siding (basically anything you can hammer a nail into)! To read the entire DIY project, visit her blogpost.


Also, once you get the nails all hammered in, you could string thread around the nails for a different look, like Amanda did from the blog, Our Humble Abowed.

If you’re not good with a hammer and are still looking for ways to jazz up your house numbers, check out these other ideas we came across as well, such as house numbers made of turf, pumpkins, plates, pots, moss, and etched glass!


(1. Better Homes & Gardens  2. Firmly Planted 3. Sunset Magazine 4. Gluesticks 5. Country Living 6. Crafting a Green World)

Happy Weekend and DIY-ing!

Strawberry Planters & Other Uses

Gardening, Store

Not many things are more delicious than picking strawberries in the summer that you’ve grown from your very own strawberry planter! And while strawberry planters are great for growing strawberries, hence the name, there are many other creative ways to use them in your backyard…or even your kitchen. Why not take this summer to try out something new with your strawberry planter?

The original idea of using a strawberry planter was to be able to grow strawberries and avoid the problem of the fruit touching the ground, which can then cause rotting of the fruit or may give animals or pests a delicacy. Strawberry planters also allow people to grow this fruit in smaller spaces, helps with their shallow roots, and allows proper drainage. To learn how to properly use a strawberry planter for strawberries, read this article.

However, if you aren’t into growing strawberries or want to try something new, there are many other ways to use the planter to create unique container gardens, grow herbs and annuals, or even design a water fountain! Take a peek at some of the many ways you can utilize this unique planter.





(1.Pinterest 2. Pinterest 3. MyHomeIdeas 4. Pinterest 5. Pinterest)

One strawberry planter = thousands of uses! Willard & May’s online store is officially live and we have four different ceramic strawberry planters to use to get you started with your unique garden! One of the best features of the W&M strawberry planters is their over-sized planting pockets. Any of you who have used strawberry planters in the past know that one of the downfalls to this garden accessory is the excessive drying out of the plants planted in the pockets due to the small size. Not a problem with these guys! Check out all the options:

strawberry pots color

Also, if you are looking for strawberries or herb seeds, visit our friends at Holland Bulb Farms and they’ll get you growing! Happy Planting!

Weekend DIY: Bird Feeder

Birds, Weekend DIY

Do you have a special place in your heart for the birds that visit your backyard? Many other animals that enter your backyard can quickly become pests. Like squirrels stealing your freshly planted bulbs, rabbits and deer that eat your hostas and trample through your garden – but birds, there’s not much that is pest-y about them, besides a little bird poop here and there.

If you are into feeding the birds, check out this great rainy-day or snowy-day do-it-yourself project. This easy to make Acorn Bird Feeder comes from DesignSponge, a super great blog for tons of DIY stuff and decorating ideas. Using just a few common objects – seeds, soda bottle, wooden bowl, gelatin and a couple other – you can make this great feeder that birds will love hanging from your tree or near your window.



(Source: DesignSponge)

We also found a few other bird-related projects on Pinterest for you to try out – a garden roof to a birdhouse, cookie cutter bird feeders, and a birdhouse chandelier. And if you are into creating a habitat for the birds in your backyard, check out Willard & May’s great selection of bird baths.


(1. Garden Therapy 2. Eighteen25 3. Pinterest)

Happy weekend and have fun with the birds!

Pin Love: Backyard Balcony

Pin Inspiration

Just because you live in an urban setting, doesn’t mean you can’t have a great backyard. Check out this space we found on pinterest from HGTV, that features all of the great aspects of a suburban backyard, yet simplified and scaled to fit a balcony – a grilling station, playplace for the kids, garden and a water feature.


(Source: HGTV)

There is no excuse not to have a great backyard – no matter where you live!

Weekend DIY: Outdoor Rug

Outdoor Decor, Weekend DIY

The weather in our backyard has been very bi-polar lately. We wake up with an inch or two of snow on the ground, but by the afternoon it’s sunny, melted, and in the 40s! The sky has been playing tricks on us. But if you catch a glimpse of spring-like weather this weekend, or if your garage is warmer than usual for this time of year, try this fun DIY project of creating an outdoor rug.

A great way to bring color and comfort to your backyard patio is to put down a bold, colorful rug. Depending on where you shop, rugs can get pretty pricey, so this is where we can get creative! This DIY blogger from Design Share, found a great patterned table cloth at Target – but ended up using it as a rug instead! All she did was cover the table cloth with multiple layers of satin finish water-based polyurethane – which would protect it from dirt, spills, and stains. While she used this rug indoors, you could easily use it outdoors if you coated both sides! To read the whole Do-It-Yourself project, visit her blog.




(Source: Design Share)

Maybe you’re looking for a different type of outdoor rug or need more inspiration? If that is the case, we found a few other examples of DIY outdoor rugs on Pinterest you can view below!


(1. Tatertots & Jello Blog 2. MyHomeIdeas 3. MyHomeIdeas)

Happy rug-making weekend!

Weekend DIY: Boots

Weekend DIY

The countdown to spring is on, only 31 days left – which means you’ll be in your backyard in no time. While it’s still a bit chilly to get outside, get in the cheerful, almost-spring spirit and do something fun, like painting your boots! Not just any boots, but your rain/garden boots.

We found these creative boots on Pinterest and thought everyone deserves to have some fancy boots like these to use in their garden, backyard, or on a rainy (or snowy) day.

(Aiken House & Garden)

Look for a paint made specifically for use on plastics (it should say this somewhere on the container) as this paint will actually stick to the boots and won’t chip off or break as the boots are used. For a nice clean working surface, you could first spray paint the entire outside of the boots to a color of your liking (being careful not to spray the inside). Once dry, then use acrylic paint for your design. After everything is dry, either use a clear spray paint for plastics, or a textile medium (used for sealing artwork), as this will help seal in the paint and prevent chipping.

If you aren’t into painting boots, we have seen many fashionable rainboots out in stores or online. If you happen to have an old pair of garden boots lying around, try using them as a planter! We found this great DIY for a boot planter here from the blog Rosy Posy. Check out these great ideas below that involve boots…

garden boots, planters, wellies(1. LisLis 2. Brown Eyed Belle 3. Studiopatro 4. Rosy Posy )

No matter what you decide to do this weekend, get your boots ready so that when the snow is gone, you can get to your backyard without any hesitation!