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Mirrors provide a special touch in home decor by adding light and creating the illusion of space. A mirror is defined as a reflecting surface that forms an image of an object when light rays coming from that object fall on the surface.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the typical mirror is a sheet of glass that is coated on its back with aluminum or silver that produces images by reflection. This type of mirror came into widespread production in Venice during the 16th century.

Here are ten tips for using mirrors in your home decor:

1. Place a mirror on an adjacent wall to an interesting picture or piece of artwork and the mirror will reflect the image and add a sense of space.

2. Hang a decorative mirror near a window in a dark room. This will allow the light to reflect off the mirror creating more natural light in the room.

3. To create the illusion of depth in a room, paint one wall in a dark, contrasting color to the other walls. Then hang a decorative mirror on the dark wall to create a sense of depth in the room.

4. Create a charming entryway by hanging up a framed mirror topped with a floral swag. This will help to create light in the entryway as well as providing a last minute check before heading out the door.

5. Expand a small dining room by placing an ornate mirror on a wall. This will make the room appear larger and brighter.

6. Place a decorative mirror opposite an attractive fireplace and mantel to reflect something interesting in the room.

7. Group and hang several mirrors of assorted sizes and shapes for an attractive wall display.

8. Add mirrors (such as mirror tiles) to the backs of bookcases to add a sense of depth.

9. In the kitchen, add mirror to the countertop’s backsplash. This will reflect light while preparing food and it is easy to maintain.

10. Place a custom sized mirror on the top of a piece of furniture that is damaged or not very attractive. This can be done on dressers, tabletops, coffee tables, and end tables just to name a few.

Always be sure to analyze the placement of mirrors before hanging them up. For example, placing a mirror above a fireplace mantel may reflect the unattractive tops of furniture or blank wall space. You can angle the mirror down so that it reflects something more attractive in the room.

In addition, place mirrors so they will not cause unnecessary glare in a room. Mirrors can be unappealing if they are placed across from a window with a southern or western exposure.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to use mirrors to brighten and enrich your home decor. Decorative mirrors can be found in flea markets, retail stores, home improvement stores, and on the internet in price ranges to fit all budgets.

Lesley Dietschy is a freelance writer and the creator/editor of The Home Decor Exchange. The Home Decor Exchange is a popular home and garden website featuring resources, a shopping marketplace, articles, decorating pictures, decorating advice, free projects, and more. http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com

[tags]mirrors, home decor, decorating, design, interior design, decorate[/tags]

Whether you happen to be green thumbed or you simply want to start gardening it is essential that you are prepared for any little surprises that may occur. You may want to create a beautifully landscaped lawn, or you might even want to grow some vegetables, or you could just want to surround your home with beautiful flowers. But whatever the situation you must keep in mind the following tips when you start any gardening project.

Firstly consider do you suffer from any pollen allergies. If you are like so many people nowadays you probably suffer from some type of allergy. This may affect you every day and during every season, but with all sufferers things can be even worse during the spring and summer months. This is because there is pollen in the air and everything will be in bloom and you may find it difficult to spend large amounts of time outdoors. So before you start any new project in the garden it is important that you consider whether you have any allergies or not and if you have to what extent do they affect you. If you find them be from moderate to severe it may be well worth avoiding working out doors.

The next thing to consider is whether you have an allergy to bee stings. More and more people are discovering that they are allergic to bee stings and in some cases there are people who require medication to help counteract the affect of a bee sting. Some people who have been stung by a bee will have problems with breathing and swallowing and some may have extensive swelling of the area around where the sting occurs, whilst others may have other problems that can be associated with bee stings. If you do get stung by a bee ensure that you remove the sting by flicking it out and not pinching hold of it to remove it (by pinching it you are actually injecting form the sting venom in to the entry site). It is during the later months of autumn that bees can be particularly dangerous and they should be avoided at all costs. If you find that you are allergic or that this type of allergy is common in your family then speak to your doctor about the best medicine to counteract this allergy before commencing any project in the garden.

Now we will look at the sort of clothes you should wear whilst gardening. It is very important that you dress to suit the environment that you will be working in. At times this may mean you will need to wear trousers and a long sleeved top especially if you want to avoid being stung or bitten by some insect. If living in a warm climate (Spain, Italy etc) you want to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes as this could result in potential health problems at certain times of the year. You should also consider wearing a good quality pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands and you should always be mindful of what you are actually reaching for, this is especially true in grassy areas where you will find visibility is diminished. Do not forget to be careful when working in densely populated areas of weeds, shrubbery or just where the garden is overgrown such areas could easily hid snakes, spiders or any other potential aggressor.

Whenever possible you should try doing your gardening either early in the morning or late in the evening. During the afternoon hours you will find it is the hottest period of the day and this is when the sun is at its zenith and produces the most power, which can leave you open to getting heat exhaustion or any number of heat related illnesses. So by deciding to garden during the coolest parts of a day and making sure that you drink plenty of fluids you will find yourself better equipped to your project finished easily and hopefully without any delays.

As well as the issues considered above, when deciding whether or not to do a project in the garden will depend largely on what sort of project and the amount of knowledge and skill you have. If you are just doing the basics, such as planting flowers or vegetable seeds, then there really should not be any problems. However, if the project you wish to undertake consists of a large amount of landscaping work, say you want to install a pond or you have decided to completely redesign the garden then you may wish to consider hiring a professional landscape gardener who can arrange for the work to be carried out without any real inconvenience to you. Wouldn’t it be lovely to come home one day from a day at the office to find that garden you always wanted completed.

Allison Thompson a work from home now living in Spain and is a partner in a small real estate firm. After working in this field for a number of years she decided to set up a number of sites relating to property matters and this one is related to gardens and gardening. If you would like to know more than please visit http://www.gardening.householdfacts.info.

[tags]Gardens, Garden, Gardening, Tools, Gardening Tools, Shovel, Fork, Rake, Safety Tips, Safe Gardening[/tags]

As it is known, tastes differ. When someone arranges his dwelling, he can demonstrate his own color predilections. And still, when you invade into “color power”, you should firstly learn its laws and orders in more detail. Every color has its own character and order.

Visual image of our house is composed of many components. Furniture was a dominant of interior for a long time. But modern designer style of furniture is fundamentally simple, functional, and has almost no individuality. Under such accentuated minimalism of setting, amount of visual impressions needs some compensation and receives it - in color. Tonal interior is in fashion. This means that basic color components of room - are walls, curtains and furniture upholstery coloring - are decided in one whole color spectrum. As for various details - abat-jours, pillows, table-cloths, vases, small utensils - they can submit to general color spectrum, and can also contrast with it, adding touches of warm tints in a cold spectrum, or, conversely, cold - in warm coloring. Tonal interior looks simple - like a common truth, without such pictorial disseminations.

Rainbow

Dark-blue-blue spectrum is associated with coolness, crispness of sea breeze, so these tints are so good while arranging rooms with big windows or loggias, which are open to sky and nature. Bedroom, nursery and dining room can be decided in bluish-silvery tones. Deeper dark-blue is associated with reflections, serious evening conversations; it will be good in a study or drawing-room. Dark-blue is chilly - it doesn’t like fluffy, long-pile materials, connected with a sense of warmth. That’s why dryish, small- texture surfaces do good for it.

Red color creates exultant mood. This is a color of celebrations. It affects as a stimulant, so, in a nursery it can be used only as some supplements. It may feel tight in chamber, small rooms, but it can greatly show its worth in a big sitting-room or main dining-room. Red color is also good in a hall of a spacious modern apartment, and - like an innovation - in a kitchen of vanguard design in combination with metal and plastic. Red color in interior can be of any tint - from bright cinnabar to dingy- flaming and cherry tones. Red walls, red curtains or red tiled floor can add some poignancy to your interior, but - like any other eccentricity - such decision requires immaculacy. No unnecessary things, no casual kickshaws. All combinations of cherry, vinous, terracotta tints are good with bright-red, but pink spots on scarlet and scarlet spots on pink are unpleasant and unsightly. And in general, you may just make a slight mistake in tints or illumination - and here’re it is: anxiously-menacing “sketch in purple tones”.

Pink interior is no less capricious, than red one. It also has clearly expressed character. You can arrange drawing-room, dining-room, bedroom, a daughter’s room in pink spectrum - in that case, when an owner herself prefers feminine style deliberately, style, full of refined small things, antique porcelain, hand-made details. However, “life in pink color” is quite capricious - it is absolutely devoid of different modern High-Techs or massive “Victorian style”.

Yellow color is for tonal interiors of ecologic and ethnic trend. Various tints of yellow combine with each other unconstrained, creating a warm spectrum, full of light. Wicker furniture and natural wood will feel comfortable in creamy-yellow setting. Yellow color is undemanding, and can be chosen for almost any room in the house.

Green color draws the richness of its tints from live nature: delicacy of the first grass, lush depth of July leaves, silverness of mosses, rusty-withered autumn forest All tones and tints of green are wonderfully combined with each other, like they naturally adjoin in the nature itself. Green color can adjust to different styles of interior with the same easiness. Pure delicate light-green and grassy tints are used in modern furniture coloring, including suites of transparent plastic furniture. (Modern teenagers will be delighted with these chairs and tables, resembling huge lollipops). Furniture of simple wood, colored in dimly-green color, is much in fashion today, it imitates the effect of antiquity with success. Clean-colored green flax of any tint and wall-papers with chintz pattern on goldish background can add this ensemble very well.

In contrast to “natural palette”, compound and rare colors are very sensitive to the choice of their “companions”. Lilac, violet and purple materials and walls are elegant, but it’s very difficult to chose decorative accessories to them. In their languid and slightly mysterious atmosphere furniture of smooth shapes can be located harmonically, such furniture reminds us of modernist style, - then they also liked combinations of lilac with dirty-green, silvery and opalesque-chatoyant.

Brown color is natural from the very beginning: this is a color of earth and tree trunks. Brown color has a solid, agreeable and accommodating character. Brown color is associated with composure and solidity, that’s why it is so good in respectable, slightly conservative atmosphere, among “Victorian” cosiness of studies, drawing-rooms and halls. Leather, velveteen, thick upholstery materials and velours are especially good in brown interiors. Leisurely people with stable life aims and tastes usually chose such spectrum for their rooms. Here we can often see spots of gravel, melon-yellow or creamy colors, not large touches of terracotta, bright ochre are possible - in pillows, pictures, vases, walls decoration. The more severe and classical a basic color is, the more important are nuances in decorations. Thus, if a tone of leather upholstery of furniture reminds of old bronze, then additions of greenish color may remind of coppery platinum. Brown can be accentuated by light-lilac, purple, violet and even bluish.

Rules of good form

A choice of color spectrum of interior, of course, depends on personal taste of owners, but it’s rather good to know how to coordinate your predilections with the function of rooms and consider also that each color has its own steady figurative-associative and emotional characteristics. Say, a nursery shouldn’t be gloomy, sullen or irritating. Thus, it shouldn’t be arranged in graphite-grey or “acid” spectrum, even if parents do like these colors. And a man’s study will look rather strange, if arranged in light-pink colors. You shouldn’t follow also a transient fashion on “color of the season” in a tonal interior, as an apartment decoration is counted for rather long term. Color spectrum of living-rooms shouldn’t be too exotic (say, orange or neon-green); exotics is like a spice: it’s good only as small, piquant additions.

You can create various variations inside of one tonal spectrum, depending on distribution of tone deepness between basic components of interior. In simpler words, someone from basic trio (walls, curtains or furniture upholstery) should be colored in lighter color, and someone - in darker. Thus, in nursery and bedroom, walls should be the lightest spot, furniture should be upholstered in deeper color, and curtains may be overshadowed at all. And in drawing-room, on the contrary, walls can be colored in darker color, as the most important events of this room take place under evening illumination, which shades in deep, rich colors favorably. In general, tonal interiors are quite captious to illumination. Color variations are chosen to match both day light and evening lights.

Principle of motley

As it is known, modern fashion is disposed rather to pantophagy, than to stylish austerity. It prefers eclecticism and breaking of the rules even at those moments, where it has just built them up. Thus, after working out tonal interiors, designers began to offer us a mixture of pure, simple, childly bright colors. Kitchen panels and floor coverings, walls and furniture for dining-rooms, drawing-rooms and, naturally, nurseries were painted in dark-blue, yellow, red, green. In this fundamental multi-coloring, a term “suite of furniture” changed too: chairs of the same shape can have different coloring, sofa and table gladly use an opportunity to play in rainbow, and rugs, pillows and pictures on the wall are just destined to look like illustrations in a book for children of preschool age. We’d like freedom, spontaneity, when we don’t feel shy of a casual color spot or slippers that we forgot somewhere accidentally.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of the WomansPassions site for women and about women at http://www.womanspassions.com , it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others.
She also has a blog for women at http://www.womanspassions.com/blog/

[tags]interior, decorating, house, decor, walls, curtains, coloring, tonal interior, spectrum, furniture[/tags]

Whether you are looking for bedroom furniture or family room play furniture you will find many conventional and unusual choices.

Where to start

If you would like to look at the products, take your child to the local department stores and see if they have what you want. If you don’t have time to shop or don’t live conveniently close to stores, there are many online catalogs with endless choices and unique designs.

If you are decorating the child’s room, decide what color paint you want and what theme you will use. You could let the child choose these so they will enjoy their own special room. Choose fabrics for your children’s furniture that will take wear and tear, and wood that matches your other furniture. Functionality and durability are important in choosing the style you will buy. Buying good quality furniture is important if you want it to last for many years. If you have more than one child using it this is especially important.

Making Choices

Children will feel very grown up with their own seating such as kid’s rocking chairs, kid’s recliners, beanbags, and even small kid’s size sofas! When choosing the children’s chairs, pay attention to the craftsmanship and make sure they are sturdy. Also, make sure they don’t tip over easily or have a high back that the child can tip over. Having their own chairs will give them a place to play video games or watch their favorite movie.

For more seating, you might want to add a child size table and chairs. This will give the children their own place to eat, color, make crafts or look at books. These come in formal wooden table and chairs or more casual styles such as picnic tables or brightly painted sets.

Durability and Safety

When buying children’s bedroom furniture it is again important to look at the quality of the furniture. Make sure it is sturdy enough to withstand children playing and the normal “monkeys jumping on the bed.” If you buy furniture that is plain and not overly ornate, you will be able to add pieces to it as your child grows. For instance, when they are little you might want to buy a toy box with it. Later, when they are older, you might want to add a computer desk and chair. Or, if you were not able to purchase all the pieces you want the first time, you would be able to add more as you desire.

It is also important when selecting children’s furniture to notice any safety hazards. Some toy boxes have lids that are heavy and do not have a way to hold them up. Check these carefully because harmful accidents have occurred. If you see any other possible hazards look carefully before buying.

Keep these tips in mind when buying children’s furniture and you’ll find safe, enjoyable furniture that will endure years of child’s play!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about Quick Guide to Children’s Furniture or Majon’s Home Furnishings directory.

[tags]kid’s chairs, kid’s loveseats, kid’s recliners, kid’s rocking chairs, kid’s sofas, children’s chairs[/tags]

A good crib mattress not only makes bedtime cozier for your baby, it also supports his growing bones. But what makes a mattress good is a matter of preference. Consider cost, comfort, and longevity as your child will probably sleep in his crib for up to three years. You might want to think about convenience, too; many parents find the easiest way to change crib linens is to remove the mattress from the crib each time.

You’ll have two types of crib mattresses to choose between - foam and innerspring:

- Foam mattresses Many parents prefer foam mattresses, made of either polyester or polyether, because they weigh less than innerspring mattresses. This can be important when you’re changing soiled sheets at 3 a.m. plus, foam pads are less expensive than innerspring mattresses.

Foam crib mattresses are available in a variety of thicknesses. But thicker is not necessarily better; density is most important. The better foam mattresses are high-density, about 1.5 pounds per cubic foot. Unfortunately, most foam mattresses don’t list density on the packing, so it’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting.

- Innerspring crib mattresses Some parents choose coil mattresses over foam because they keep their shape longer (though a high-density foam mattress will probably wear equally well). Manufacturers equate the number of coils in an innerspring mattress with overall firmness. Factors such as the number of turns per coil and the temper of the wire also contribute to the firmness. It’s a good idea to look for mattresses with a minimum of 150 coils.

What are the right questions to ask when you get one:

- Is it the right size? If you can fit two fingers comfortably between the mattress and the side of the crib then the mattress is too small, which means your baby could suffocate if he falls between the mattress and the side of the crib.

- Is it firm? Squeeze the mattress at the edges and center to test its firmness. Firm is good. Some cases of sudden infant death syndrome have been linked to soft bedding.

- Is the ticking (mattress cover) sturdy? For water-resistance, look for double- or triple-laminated ticking reinforced with nylon. This composition is also more resistant to tears and holes.

- Is there enough venting? A mattress will smell fresher if it has plenty of vent holes, which allow odors to escape.

Catherine has been a salesperson for a bedding store for the last 15 years and enjoys helping customers select the right products for maximum comfort and support. Come to http://www.mbwl.net to get free advice on evaluating mattresses and tips on how to buy a mattress.

[tags]Crib Mattress[/tags]

The best thing about old furniture is the new life you can give it. It doesn’t take much talent - just a little creativity and patience if you’ve never taken on a furniture project before.

Accept this challenge: instead of throwing out that old chest of drawers from your child’s room, think of a new use for it. Recycling furniture can be a lot of fun, plus it’s a good way to get a new look at a fraction of the cost. If you are not happy with the finished product, start over or then give in to purchase a new furniture piece.

Think about that old chest of drawers. Is there a drawer that’s broken? Maybe you can take out that drawer and create a shelf from the opening. Would it make a nice TV stand if it was just a little taller? Consider screwing finials that you can find in your local discount store onto the bottom to create “legs” or “feet.”

And never underestimate the power of a coat of paint! Old furniture gets a quick update when painted. If you like the shabby chic look, tatter the fresh paint job a bit by sanding around corners and other heavy use areas to create a worn look. If it’s your first time to try this furniture painting technique, invest in an inexpensive kit that can be found at any retail discount store.

If you are really creative and not afraid to try new things with your old furniture, you can create some funky new accessories for your home. Use an old dresser as a sink basin for your bathroom. Use the headboard or footboard from a twin size bed as the back of a bench.

Giving your old furniture a new look does not always include creating a new function for it. For instance, drape and tuck fabric over an old sofa or love seat to give it a “slipcovered” look. Or, hot glue some fabric on top of the old rattan panels on the coffee table you’ve had for years. Trim it out by hot gluing some braided trim around the edges and you’ve created a new look for the table.

If your piece of furniture was painted but you’d like to give it a stained look, give it a try. Most woods are easily stripped of paint and stain can be applied in the color and intensity of your choice. Just follow the directions supplied by the stain manufacturer.

Give the lacquer-look furniture popular in past years an up to date look by using a combination of painting and staining. To get a brown leather look, brush your lacquer furniture lightly first with sand paper just enough to rough up the surface so the paint will adhere better. Then, use a red primer color spray paint on the furniture. Once the primer dries, use an oil-based brown stain and a plastic bag to create the leathery look. Working with a small area at a time, use a sponge “brush” to paint on the stain. Crinkle a plastic bag and open it up. Press the crinkled bag on top of the stain and sweep the bag quickly off the furniture. The motion will pull the stain around, creating the lines associated with leather. Kits are also available for this technique.

Bob Benson is the founder of Furniture online. You can check out our website at http://www.my-rustic-furniture.info

[tags]furniture, home decorations[/tags]

The Brush Cherry can add wonderful color as well as interest to your garden. This evergreen shrub will enhance your gardening efforts by yielding puffy white flowers along with round berries all in contrast with it’s glossy leaves which can have a lovely red tint.

The Brush Cherry Bonsai is an evergreen shrub that loves a warm climate like that of it’s native Florida. They do grow best outdoors, but if you live in a cold climate and simply must have one, you can try growing one indoors provided that you can give it enough light. This shrub can grow to upwards of 35 feet in it’s natural state, but will reach a height of about 14″ as a Bonsai.

If you are thinking about planing a Brush Cherry in your garden, be sure that the winters will be mild. The tree does fine in hot weather but ideally should be grown in temperatures ranging from 46 to 68 degrees.

Plant your Brush Cherry Bonsai in a slightly acidic soil and be sure it gets plenty of water in summer months, but don’t over water it. You should give it enough so that the soil is moist, but not so much that there is standing water in the pot. Let the soil dry between waterings. Bonsais love humidity so you might want to mist your plant and use a humidity tray. The bonsai should be set on top of the humidity tray so that it collects water that drains from the freshly watered bonsai.

Fertilize your Brush Cherry Bonsai every two weeks during the summer and a couple of times over the winter. The best type of fertilizer to use is an organic liquid fertilizer such as a seaweed fertilizer or fish emulsion. If you use a chemical fertilizer make sure you dilute it to half strength.

Pruning should be done with care and kept to the summer months. Pinch the leaves with your fingers and try not to use sharp objects like sheers on your Bonsai. Your Bonsai should be wired during the active growing season. Don’t forget to prune the roots as well, the Brush Cherry can survive quite well even with a two thirds loss of roots so you can be a bit aggressive in this task, however you want to be sure not to prune them too much when repotting as this can cause a negative reaction.

Bonsais should be repotted every two years, and the Brush Cherry is no exception. Repotting should be done in early spring and the plant should be watered thoroughly and kept in the shade for several weeks after repotting to help the roots grow into the new pot.

Although it is fairly hardy, pests can be a problem with the Brush Cherry especially the Caribbean fruit fly, aphids, red spider mites, meal bugs, and scales. You should treat your Bonsai with organic pesticides and insecticides and be sure to inspect it regularly for pests and other disease.

To add the finishing touch to your beautiful Brush Cherry Bonsai, think about adding moss to the pot which will help improve moisture retention as well as add to the beauty of this fun garden plant.

Lee Dobbins writes for many gardening online publications. Visit Bonsai.garden-corner.com for more articles on Bonsai care.

[tags]bonsai, garden, gardens, tree, gardening, plants[/tags]

When creating dynamic window coverings, it’s important to choose carefully, because your window coverings will become the focal points of a well-decorated room. But choosing the right window treatments, at the right price, takes some thought about not only the look you’re hoping to achieve, but also about the nature of the space itself.

The first consideration will be how much exposure the fabric is going to receive. All fabrics are susceptible to sunlight, but many homemakers invest in acrylic, modacrylic, polyester, or another glass-based fabric in order to get the longest life out of window treatments. Although it gives a room an elegant feel, silk is most vulnerable to sunlight.

I save money on window treatments by using some imagination and creativity. For example, I often create a custom look by covering a tension rod with a thicker piece of PVC pipe. To avoid having the PVC’s printing bleed into my fabric, I sand off the numbers, but the printing can also be neutralized by using PVC primer, acetone, or even fingernail polish.

I’ve found PVC pipe to be very versatile. I’ve spray painted it black to look like wrought iron or brown to look like wood, and I’ve sponge painted it with copper and dark green over a light green for a verdigris effect. I’ve also painted it to reinforce an accent color or to look like gold or silver. It’s not expensive, and PVC’s decorating uses seem to be endless.

When it comes to longer window spans, wooden closet dowels, stronger than PVC, cost considerably less than drapery rods. I’ve also used copper pipe, which works well for curtain rods and looks great for significantly less money. If the curtain fabric will be touching the copper, though, I spray the copper with a clear gloss. That way, my fabric doesn’t get stained if the copper should happen to oxidize.

To save even more money, I also get creative with the decorative hardware when creating window treatments. For instance, I’ve used the braid cords and tassels from Christmas tree decorations to add a touch of class to my window coverings, at a fraction of the cost of what similar drapery accessories would cost at a window fashion center.

I also love to create unique treatments by using unusual tieback holders. For one remodeling project, I found some old lamp finials and used them as tieback holders. I’ve also created a nice, airy atmosphere in a room by forming delicate swags of sheer lace curtains by securing them with clear fishing line.

Dynamic window treatments are a vital part of the overall look and feel of a room, but they don’t need to break the budget. If you’re creative and allow your imagination to run free, your decorating choices are truly endless.

Copyright (c) 2004 by Jeanette J. Fisher

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

[tags]window treatments,curtains,drapery accessories,Jeanette Fisher,Design Psychology[/tags]

Landscape lighting can add a beautiful quality to any home. There are many choices available to someone who is considering it. Landscape lighting, and any outdoor lighting, can help protect a home as well as keep people from stumbling in the yard. Mainly, people purchase landscape lighting to enhance the appearance of their yard or landscaping.

There are many types of landscape lighting. You can purchase low voltage landscape lighting is recommended if you are interested in conserving energy. Another option to conserving energy is solar landscape lighting. Solar, or from the sun, is powered from the suns rays. It stores energy during the day while the sun is out and then, at night, when it is dark, they are lit using this saved energy. They give off a faint glow that really can light up a little area or large area. These types of outdoor landscape lighting can be great ways to light your yard cost efficiently.

If you are considering doing work on your landscaping, consider landscape lighting design. Designing a beautifully light yard can be tough work, but there are professionals that can help you. For example, something that can be done is light a walkway to the front steps to your home or line the driveway with lights from the street to your garage. Maybe you would prefer to focus your lights on a single bush or tree that is special in some way or to shine on a flag.

When considering landscape lighting, ensure that you think of safety first. Consider speaking with a professional to help you design what you would like your yard to look like. Consider as well using energy efficient landscape lighting such as solar or low voltage. Landscape lighting can add beauty and charm to a home when it is done properly and safely.

About The Author

Mike Yeager, Publisher

http://www.a1-lighting-4u.com/

mjy610@hotmail.com

[tags]outdoor lighting,lighting,outdoor decor,landscape,landscape lighting,home improvement[/tags]

When you redecorate your master bedroom, don’t leave the master bath out in the cold! You can add some zing to your bathroom too and create a cohesive theme between the two rooms that will give you a real sweet master suite.

One thing you need to do when redecorating your master bath is to be sure to tie in some of the elements from your bedroom. You don’t have to make it an identical match, but using a common color or theme will really unite the two rooms. If your bedroom has a cottage theme, carry this over into the bathroom by putting out some shells in dishes on the vanity. If your bedroom is more shabby chic with big floral wallpaper, then think about carrying the color of the flowers into the master bath.

One of the big design elements in the bathroom is the hardware. Faucets and spigots, in addition to tubs and toilets are made in a variety of shapes and materials which can be the centerpiece of your design. Open showers are currently popular with the younger upwardly-
mobile crowd, and claw-foot bathtubs are almost always considered to be classic and
attractive. When selecting hardware and figuring out a floor plan, think about privacy issues and don’t put the toilet and tub too close together.

Another big element in the bathroom is the tiling. The more expensive tiles
should have durability, aesthetic value, and a non-porous surface. Make sure your tiles can be easily cleaned and sanitized, and that it is easy to install and does not require special adhesives which can become costly. When choosing tile, think out of the box. You don’t have to use only porcelain tile, consider marble, clay and anything else you see in the store that catches your eye.

Once you have the design down and selected the major elements, focus on decoration accessories to bring out personality and individualism. The bathroom doesn’t have to just be functional and putting interesting items on the walls or shelves is a great way to give the room some character. Don’t be afraid to use your own ideas and put what you want into the room when redecorating your master bathroom.

Lee Dobbins writes for Bedroom Designs And Decorations where you can find more tips on decorating your bedroom.

[tags]decorating, design, bedroom, decor, pillow, pillows, floor[/tags]