Home

Modern backyards usually fail at the extremes. One version is a hard gray slab of paving that feels like a

Side yards usually fail as dumping strips: the bins live there, the mower lives there, the grass dies in permanent

The beds are watered, the lawn is mowed, and still the backyard sits there looking perfectly fine and completely forgettable.

Most front yards are not designed at all — they accumulate. A bed gets dug in whatever shape the hose

Most backyards don’t fail in one big way; they fail in pieces. A bed goes in one spring, a path

Small gardens usually fail by shrinking everything. Tiny pots, tiny plants and tiny beds scattered around like samples only make

Backyard gardens usually disappoint in one of two ways. Either a few lonely beds float in a sea of lawn,

Most front yards do not fail all at once — they fade by accumulation. One random shrub lands by the

Whimsical first birthdays go wrong when the theme turns into clutter. Licensed characters land on every plate, banner and napkin,

A girly birthday can tip from pretty to plastic in one shopping trip: pink plates, pink cups, pink balloons and

Second-birthday themes tend to fail in two directions. Either the pun gets printed on every plate, cup and napkin until

A girl’s birthday at home can collapse under Pinterest pressure: a dozen saved color schemes, a dozen half-finished projects, and

A first birthday goes wrong when it is planned for the guests instead of the baby: loud music, decor in

A girl’s birthday theme usually fails in one of two directions. Either the theme lives only on the paper plates,

Second birthdays go wrong when they are planned like mini weddings: too many displays, every table at adult height, and