The annual Tour of Gardens will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 24. This year, five local gardens will be showcased in the event presented by Dubuque County Master Gardeners and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in addition to mini educational workshops. Tickets are $8 in advance and are available...

This home improvement season, get inspired by the outdoors with biophilic design. “Biophilic design — the concept of integrating nature into interior design — is not only gorgeous, but it fosters a healthy living environment, promotes happiness and comfort, and reduces stress,” said Jennifer Kline, multimedia graphic artist. “There are many ways to reap these...

With the right pesticide and some intervention tricks, you can get ants out of your home. Sydney Crawley, a professor and extension specialist with expertise in insect and vertebrate pests, shares why they’re in our spaces and how we can reclaim our homes. Why do ants enter homes? Ants come inside homes in search of...

I wanna get into your drawers. You know. To organize. It’s inevitable. Every homeowner deals with storage obstacles. Our generation views the home as multi-functional, and online shopping makes it too easy to have things. Clearly, the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for most as we are surrounded by spec houses. Our effort to maintain our...

It’s time to hit the garage, basement, attic and closets for that age-old task of spring cleaning. Before hauling unwanted possessions to the curb, you might be surprised to learn they might be valuable — especially if you have sports cards and memorabilia gathering dust. With prices of sports cards rising in recent years, take...

Spring is a popular time for transition, especially when it comes to a desire for a change of scenery, which for some means finding a new place to call home. Moving is one of the more stressful life transitions for both individuals and families. If you are looking to move during this season, here are...

A relaxing retreat just steps from the back door? Count us in. Outdoor home spaces serve a lot of functions, but Soothing Refuge is one that designers say is in high demand. Aromatic plantings. Romantic arbors. A meandering path. A yoga platform. Pergola daybeds. Prefab saunas. Plunge Pools. An outdoor shower. And comfortable furniture that...

Modern farmhouse style has been all the rage. According to a study by Ruby Home, it’s the leading home interior style across the United States. The style is a blend of classic and contemporary and is known for its mixture of old and new. It also incorporates traditional farmhouse components such as wood, metal and...

Homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes feel less like a last bastion from the world’s troubles and more like a paradise of rest and relaxation. Here are some of the top ways expert interior designers are decorating homes to reduce anxiety: Biophilic design Biophilic design is the practice of incorporating nature into...

Spring is considered a time of rebirth and new beginnings. Gardeners plant their seeds when the formerly frozen ground warms and grows softer. Rain brings new life into grasses, leading seeds to bud and bloom. The sweet green temptation of salad greens in the garden, the aromatic smell of basil and the tender crunch of...

Before you know it, summer will be in full swing. And many parents will be looking for activities to keep kids’ brains and bodies active once the school year wraps up. Here are a few ideas to help parents know what they can check out locally: For budding creatives Dubuque Museum of Art Youth can...

Upon setting foot inside Steve’s Ace Home & Garden in Dubuque, one certainly will find much of what’s to be expected: Tools for inside and out, patio furniture and decor, grills, firepits, birdfeeders, flowers and assorted plants, and other home improvement essentials. But it’s the unexpected that sets the store apart, according to Sara Carpenter....

A sense of calm can be found in the natural world that is hard to find anywhere else. Just being present in a garden can bring us peace and pleasure, but adding mindfulness practice while in the natural world can have a dramatic impact on our well-being. Mindfulness is defined as the basic human ability...

With the pandemic largely behind us, many Americans are once again focusing on losing weight and starting a healthier routine. In fact, 64% of Americans are motivated to lose weight because they know it has an impact on their immunity, according to a recent poll of 2,000 U.S. adults aged 30 and above. And 61%...

So, you took the leap and signed up for a weight-loss program. But once you got started, it was a whole different story. While you might feel like you’re doing everything to a T, the scale is stuck and you can’t figure out why. Plateaus are a normal part of any weight-loss journey, but there...

I just finished my first year of graduate school. I am working toward my masters degree in management, diversity and inclusion leadership at the University of Dubuque. This past year has been a journey. I have learned a lot and have grown more than I would have imagined. School always has been a safe space...

We officially are entering a busy season. Mid-spring is a time when we comfortably can enjoy outdoor activities. We might exercise outside; clean our yard after a cold, wet winter; or plant a garden. For those with school-aged children, you might be enjoying events such as concerts and award ceremonies as the school year quickly...

Imagine an activity that improves your gut health, regulates stress responses in your body, encourages the absorption of one of the most important vitamins for your body, gets you more nutrients from your food and supports the health of the earth. That would be quite an activity, wouldn’t it? What if I told you that...