Tag Archives: design

Nursery Design for Renters

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One common element of most nursery designs is paint, but if you rent an apartment or a home that does not allow you to paint the walls any shade but white or beige, suddenly your options are limited. You could go with a white nursery theme, but only the bravest of mothers (with extreme stain-fighting skills) usually go this route. Fortunately there are tons of ways to add color to your walls without ever touching a paint brush or losing your security deposit. 1. Hang a quilt. Most crib bedding sets come with a matching quilt. Since your baby has … Continue reading →

Nursery Paint Ideas

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Are you looking for something a little out of the ordinary in terms of design for your baby’s nursery? An interesting paint job can make even the most popular “nursery-in-a-bag” look like custom designer decor. Skip the solid pastel wash and try one of these simple, yet elegant designs. The first step for any of these ideas is to pick your perfect color, whether it be pink, green, blue, yellow or purple. Head to the paint department and look through those handy paint cards – the ones that have 4 or 5 shades on each one. Pick a swatch that … Continue reading →

Creating a Christmas Layout

It is the season of giving and making memories. We want to preserve our Christmas memories with photos in our scrapbooks. What is the best layout for our Christmas photos? Here are some ideas: A scrapbook is a way in which we can be creative and record memories on paper with photos, sentiments and embellishments. That said, take a look at Christmas decorations. I’m going to use the decorating theme I used in my home as the theme for my Christmas layout in my scrapbook. I used reindeer as the theme for my decorating. I have a collection of reindeer … Continue reading →

How to Plan an Artful Container Garden

You can really enhance your curb appeal and transform your outdoor space through the artful arrangement of plants in container gardening. Think of it as instant art meets practical appeal. Container gardening makes everything flexible enough to be changed with your mood or the seasons. Here are some tips on successful container gardening. Think about the size of your pots. Larger pots make a bigger impact and generally look better against the scale of your home. Lots of little pots can look messy and uninspired. Mix up sizes for interest, but then tie them together in other ways, such as … Continue reading →

What to Do with Old Windows

Reusing what you have is usually a sure bet to save money. Some things have obvious reuses, such as paper bags from the grocery store, while others may be a bit obscure, such as what to do with a bunch of leftover allen wrenches. One item that keeps coming up in reuse questions is the old window. This may be the year that we replace our old drafty single pane windows with insulating double pane ones. Just throwing the windows away could cost us two times. The first is the cost to dispose of the windows, either through the window … Continue reading →

What Color Should Your Kitchen Appliances Be?

Sometimes appliances can be inherited, such as when you buy your home. In that case, the color of the appliances are determined beforehand. Often when an appliance needs to be replaced, you stick with the same colors that you already have. But be aware that the color of your appliances an dictate any future upgrades to your kitchen, unless of course you are willing to install all new appliances, which can be costly. When we first moved into our current home, we needed a refrigerator. We decided to go with white, probably because we were so overwhelmed with all that … Continue reading →

Turning Bad Design Trends into Good Design Trends

Some trends in home decor and design can seem hip one minute and out the next. Sometimes the trend is so fast that they are out before the magazine featuring them hits the stand. If you like to experiment and you have the means (budget) to do so, go ahead and have some fun. For the rest of us, though, these are some of the trends we should probably stay away from. Here is how you can taken an existing trend that might make you say “What???” and turn it into one that will make you say “Wow!” Bad Trend: … Continue reading →

Easy Porch Updates

A porch is just a must have for the summer. The porch can be a quiet place to escape and listen to the sounds of summer, a cool place to relax when the temperature indoor is soaring, and a place of conversation as the neighbors stop by to chat or while you entertain. The porch can even be romantic when you enjoy a candlelit dinner for two. Today, my husband is cleaning out the back porch from the dust and clutter it accumulated over the winter. A good power washing will do wonders, as will rubbing the outdoor furniture with … Continue reading →

Personalizing Your Outdoor Living Space 2

Do you have an outdoor porch or patio space that you love to enjoy in the spring, summer and fall? What does it look like? This outdoor space often functions as another room of your home, but is it rather plain and generic? Why not personalize it with your own sense of style and make it a welcoming and comfortable space? Here are some MORE ideas. Personalized pillows are a fun way to dress up a porch or patio. A cute idea is to display your house numbers on the pillows. I like this idea for staging a home to … Continue reading →

Personalizing Your Outdoor Living Space

Do you have an outdoor porch or patio space that you love to enjoy in the spring, summer and fall? What does it look like? This outdoor space often functions as another room of your home, but is it rather plain and generic? Why not personalize it with your own sense of style and make it a welcoming and comfortable space? Here are some ideas. One of the great assets of our current home, is the large screened porch in the back. On that porch, we can enjoy fragrant spring breezes, cool off in the summer and enjoy fall’s bounty … Continue reading →