MyFurnitureOK.com

There are several ways to do this which run from no cost at all to moderate expense. To update a room at no expense at all, little is needed but elbow grease, imagination and a free weekend. Perhaps you want to update your living room. To do this at no expense, strip the room down to the bare walls, floors (carpeted or wood) and basic furniture. Then give it a good old fashioned housecleaning; wash and polish and shampoo every inch of it, until the windows sparkle and the woodwork gleams. Then slowly reconstruct it.

Take a good look at your window treatments. Are they a bit outdated? Frequently they can be updated by simplifying them. If you have several layers, strip them down to one-sheers or a scarf or a valence. Make sure these are laundered or cleaned. When you hang them back up, drape them differently-either pull them back if they covered the window before or the opposite. Even valences can be updated by pleating or gathering them a bit differently. No sewing ability is needed. You can do this with long seamstress pins.

Take a good look at your room and your major pieces of furniture. Can they be rearranged to give a fresh impression? If not, brush, clean and fluff everything.

Next, look at your pictures, lamps and accessories. Group your pictures. Prop one or two on the mantel instead of hanging them on the walls. Eliminate 1/3 of the things you have sitting around and arrange the rest in groups. Put higher watt bulbs in your lamps. You will be surprised how ‘new’ your room looks. Be sure to do go ’shopping’ in your house. It is amazing to find how many things you have tucked into corners or cupboards which can be used in a different way.

At very little expense, you can do the following. Buy any or all of the following: new lampshades (colored ones are very dramatic and effective), new window valences, tiebacks, throws and throw pillows, small area rugs to bring in new colors and patterns (try mounting a small rug on a wall), a mirror to replace a picture, candles in inexpensive glass or metal candlesticks, dried flowers to tuck onto the tops of picture frames, round mirrors on the tabletops with accessories arranged on them and any natural thing. Add plants. The new halogen lights, which can be placed on the floor to highlight a plant or piece of furniture, are great and have safety features in case they are knocked over.

If you want to go to a little more expense, paint the walls in a new updated color. If your walls are light, go darker. If they are a darker shade go lighter. Be sure the color is not too bright to work with your furniture. Furniture which is slightly faded looks ’shabby chic’ with soft colors. With bright or primary colors, it just looks old and worn out. Slipcovers are available at a reasonable cost-and the new ones actually stay on the furniture. Architectural details can be purchased new at a home store and painted or stained to suit your decor, or they can be bought used at various warehouses that sell recyclables.

As always, use your eyes before you make any decisions. It is amazing the ideas you can come up with just by putting a chair in a corner where you don’t usually sit and taking a fresh look at your room. Have fun! Decorating should never be a dismal chore.

Contributions for this article by Suzanne Copenhaver, ON THE GO 4 U’s design consultant.

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles, is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, LLC, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area, providing life management services. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops. Ms. Books is the Vice President for the International Concierge & Errand Association. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

© 2006 Indra A Books for ON THE GO 4 U

[tags]decorating, budget decorating, shabby chic, interior, budget interiors[/tags]

“I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.”

-Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)

Creating a joyful home requires careful planning in order to choose the perfect interior design details. When you understand the underlying psychology of colors, patterns, textures, and finishes, you avoid costly mistakes in decorating your home.

In planning your home makeover, start with the feelings you want to bring about in each space. Consider your personal emotional needs. Think about the way you currently feel in your home and the way you want to feel.

Not all of your desired feelings need stimulation in every space. For instance, you may want your child’s bedroom to inspire creativity and your main bedroom to inspire intimacy, while your whole home inspires comfort, peace, and joy.

Choose from the following emotional groups you desire to inspire in your home:

1. Happiness, Joyfulness, Cheerfulness

2. Peace, Serenity, Tranquility

3. Elation, Excitement, Enthusiasm

4. Humor, Congeniality, Playfulness

5. Fantasy, Inspiration

What are your preferences? Did you choose a particular group, or a mixture? Defining your desired emotional support first, before you start your home improvement projects, helps you get your home decorating right — the first time!

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

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]interior Design Psychology,home decorating,home improvementprojects,Jeanette Fisher[/tags]

When you are shopping for a hot tub, the price of the tub itself is not the only thing you will want to consider. To operate hot tubs, you will need to use considerable amounts of power. Because of this, it is important to know how much you will have to spend each month on power based on the hot tub you purchase. Once you buy it, there are a number of things you can do to keep your energy costs as low as possible.

Most hot tub manufacturers automatically set the temperature at 104 degrees Fahrenheit. You should always make sure your tub is set to about 102 degress Fahrenheit instead. You will also want to avoid using water during times of high frequency use. For example, you can set a timer on your tub to stop generating hot water between 5 AM and 10AM, and between 5 PM to 9 PM, which are the peak hours. If you are leaving your home for a certain period of time, it would be best to make sure the tub is completely shut off. Another thing you can do to reduce your energy costs with your hot tub is to use a cover which is has good insulation. A well insulated cover will keep your water heated for long periods of time, and will reduce the need to use electricity.

It is also important to drain the tub only when it is absolutely necessary. When you drain it, the water should not be wasted. It could be used for your lawn or it should be placed in a sewer. The best way to deal with hot tub operating costs is to only purchase tubs which are energy efficient. The vast majority of hot tubs on the market today are much higher in quality than the models which were available ten years ago. The typical hot tub which is well insulated will run on about 7 kWh each day. A tub which is poorly insulated will use well over 12 kWh each day. The difference in savings over the long term is considerable.

Backyard Hot Tub is the website for hot tub enthusiasts. Get the info you need on the basics of hot tubs, accessories and health benefits of having your own tub. David http://www.backyard-hot-tub.com is a hot tub enthusiast.

[tags]hot tub,hot,tub,backyard,stress,relax,home,garden,patio,water,expenses[/tags]

The primary goal of this article is to provide insightful information to help you make a calculated and wise decision regarding which beds would work best for your rustic-themed bedroom’s requirements and needs. After all it’s the furniture that sets the tone and dynamics of a beautiful room, and rustic log beds are one such attribute.

When considering rustic log beds it should be stressed that price is not always the determining factor between quality and mediocrity. Due to the nature of and materials used in the making of rustic furniture, you can often find beautiful pieces at bargain prices. While it’s true that you often “get what you pay for,” rustic furniture allows for more exceptions to that rule so shop around!

Another handy tip for the price conscious is: buy used! Rustic furniture is often more study than their contemporary counterparts, so when treated properly a rustic piece can easily last generations.

Before moving on I do want to quickly mention that commitment to quality should never come second to anything in the log furniture industry. While it’s great to save a dollar here or there, if you spend the time and money to select the right piece at the start it can serve you well throughout the rest of your life. Rustic log beds are no exception.

While purchasing a rustic log bed you should look for innovativeness in their designs to match your individual tastes. One misconception among many people is that all rustic log furniture looks the same; this misconception couldn’t be further from the truth!

Rustic log beds are crafted from a variety of woods such as cedar, lodgepole pine, Douglas fir logs, etc. Each wood possesses a distinctive appearance, grain and atmosphere, so just the materials alone present a diverse realm of possibilities for your bedroom. In today’s growing market for designer and cool rustic log beds, the styles these beds are offered in also differ significantly, ranging from classic log bed designs to wild custom log bed designs.

There are obvious reasons as to why these rustic log beds are becoming more and more popular among people and individuals. A good deal of us desires a home that radiates warmth with a natural elegance. We want a home evocative of prior times; one that brings forth the charm of days past, but still keeps with the style of the modern day. Rustic log beds merge the past with the present perfectly, lending warmth without looking entirely out of place in a modern setting.

Rustic cedar and pine beds can be ordered in natural unfinished wood or can be completely finished with colored stain to match most any interior design. Hence it can be said that with a keen understanding of quality and design, coupled with knowledge of the fair prices of log furniture, rustic log beds can accommodate nearly any individual’s home to give it the perfect look and feel of the past and the present all collaged into one room!

Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Are you looking to lend your home a rustic touch? Then drop by Rustic Adornments.com where we offer a wide variety of free rustic decor tips and advice. http://www.rusticadornments.com

[tags]rustic log beds, rustic furnishings, furniture, home decor[/tags]

Home security is a huge concern these days, given the increasingly unsafe environment we live in. The fact is, there are a number of easy, practical steps you can take to minimize the chances of your home being burglarized.

* Prevention if usually better than cure. Before you rent or buy a home / apartment, get to know the neighborhood. Talk to residents; ask about burglaries and other crimes in the locality. Being aware of what has been happening in the area should be a priority.

* If possible, have a security expert evaluate the home. Incidentally, many police departments will do a security check of your home at no cost. You will often be alerted to problems you didn’t know existed.

* Don’t hide keys outside the house for fear of being locked out. Getting a locksmith to open your door is a whole lot cheaper than losing valuables because a burglar discovered your hidden keys!

Where possible, team up with a neighbor and hold one set of each other’s keys. That way you have a spare set of keys available should the need arise.

* Trim bushes around your house before they grow enough to easily hide an intruder.

* Having good lighting around your home or apartment complex is an important factor in deterring intruders. If there are burnt-out bulbs or the lighting is inadequate, address the issue

* If you have windows accessible using fire escapes or directly from the ground, they should not open wide enough to let a person in. A screw built into the frame can accomplish this. There are other very effective stops also available. Of course, you should be able to escape in the event of a fire.

* There are anti-lift devices available that can prevent an entire window or sliding door being lifted out of its frame. If you do not install them, thieves may make locks irrelevant by lifting the window or door.

* Your door should have a dead bolt, not just the lock in the knob. Get one installed, if you don’t have one already.

* Avoid listing your complete address in the phone book. List only your street name, at most. This will prevent someone doing reverse listings to find out your name and phone number using your address.

* It is tempting to leave notes for your kids or neighbors on mailboxes and doors. This is an open declaration that you are not home.

* Do not announce your absence from home through your answering machine. Incidentally, an answering machine can be useful for identifying suspicious patterns of missed calls.

* There are a number of excellent home security systems available. If you feel the level of risk warrants it, consider using them.

* Decals are often a good deterrent. Alarm system decals or beware of dog, neighborhood watch signs can make would-be burglars think twice.

Utilize these suggestions and you will make your home a safer place to live in.

Joe Timbers has written on home and office security including ideas on enhancing home security, tips for home security while on vacation and more. Click on the previous links to see some of his articles.

[tags]home security,home security tips,diy home security,cheap home security[/tags]

If you aren’t familiar with the term, “curb appeal”, it is basically what someone like a potential buyer sees when driving by your home. It amazes me the amount of people who put their home on the market to sell and think nothing about the appearance from the street. It doesn’t matter how nice the inside of the house is if the outside is unattractive it may never be seen. By putting in a little work you can change the look of your home from drab to stunning and increase the chances of selling it quickly for a higher price.

Unless you are wealthy and own two or more homes you more than likely live in the home you are selling which makes you blind to some of the problems it may have. You have probably been overlooking that water spot or peeling paint for months, not to mention the cracked shutters on the front of the house and you haven’t even given the old beat up mailbox a second thought. Try to remove yourself as the owner and drive by your home like a would be buyer would do, notice all of the things that someone might have issues with or even be so turned off that they wouldn’t even bother going any further. You may notice the shrubs need to be trimmed, a broken porch light, damaged gutters, and other minor problems that can be easily repaired. If you are the type of person that has trouble visualizing like this you would do well to pay someone to critique your home for you.

If you really want to improve the curb appeal of your home so that you have the best opportunity for the most potential buyers to take a serious look at it then take a look at some of the ideas below.

First off you want people to be able to find your house easily, if your house numbers are obscured or if they are the type that is illuminated then make sure that everything is working properly and that the numbers can be easily seen from the street. If someone has a dozen homes to look at and they have a hard time finding yours they are just going to go one to the next one.

Make sure that the front of your home and the yard are free of any trash and debris and keep the yard cut close so that it always presents a well manicured look, if your yard is in particularly bad shape you may want to hire a professional landscape company to mae it pristine. As mentioned above, if you have shutters that are cracked or need painting either repair them or remove them. If you have a front door that is an eyesore get another and install it.

If your garage is crammed full of stuff like mine is, keep it shut so that potential buyers aren’t driving by getting a bad impression. Don’t neglect the little things, as I said above something as small as a mailbox can detract from the appearance of your home. If you have a home worth 300k it doesn’t really make sense to have a beat up $10 mailbox sitting in front of it now does it?

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about mailboxes and Residential Mail Boxes at http://www.mailboxsuperstoreonline.com

[tags]home improvement, home remodeling, curb appeal, mailboxes[/tags]

The placement of your water garden is your most important decision. You’ll want to choose a spot that gets as much sunlight as possible, generally away from trees or bushes that shed their leaves, because most plants and fish require a fair amount of sunlight to thrive, and deciduous trees and shrubs can make keeping your water element a chore in the fall.

You’re only limited by your budget, the size of your space, and your imagination, but always bear in mind that your water garden will require a certain amount of maintenance, which you’ll have to do if you want your garden to continue to look great. If you incorporate fish into your garden scheme, they’ll also need to be fed as part of your routine maintenance program.

If you use aquatic plants in your water garden, only cover about half the surface of the water. It will allow you to see your ornamental fish underneath. You may also want to plant flowers around the edge of your pond, and there are some plants that will actually add oxygen to the water, which is important, especially if you have fish in your pond. Fish can help keep the pond clean by eating insects.

Algae is one of the primary problems encountered by water gardeners, and it’s often brought about by over fertilizing water plants or feeding fish too much or too often. For many years, people in England have used barley straw to help reduce the amount of string and filament type algae, but it may not work in every situation. If you experience algae problems–and you probably will–pay close attention to the feeding regime of both your fish and your water plants.

To keep your water oxygenated and fresh, you’ll need a pond pump and filter, which can also help reduce insect and algae problems. Water plants also remove nutrients from the water that could create pollution problems. Some good plants include water hyacinths, water violets, and water crowfoot, if you bear in mind that they tend to reproduce vigorously and can quickly take over a pond.

Like all gardens, water gardens require a certain amount of care, but the results can give you years of pleasure.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher has researched the effects of environment on emotions for over 15 years. She teaches interior design college courses and seminars. Free environmental design info: http://environmentpsychology.com

[tags]water gardens,water plants,barley straw,Jeanette Joy Fisher[/tags]

Water is getting scarce, especially the clean, drinking one. Pollution and extreme weather conditions don’t help to improve the matter in any way.

Recycling is a great way to protect the environment. It’s not always simple, though. Some cities and towns collect only certain kinds of recyclable materials and we have to change our “trashing habits” to “recycling habits” when handling empty packaging.

Here is and idea about how to use the recycled water straight from the kitchen sinks - for all you gardeners out there. With almost no effort we can catch and reuse some of the water we exploit in our homes on a daily basis.

All the lucky home keepers who hand-wash the dishes, you can have plenty watering liquid by collecting the rinsing water (while rinsing the dishes). Even if you use the dish washer, you still wash your hands - most likely pretty often and that’s the kind of water that can be used for watering also. Just put a plastic bowl in a sink.

Before using the collected water for watering, make sure it is not greasy. Add a few drops of lemon dish soap or even better, a few drops of baby shampoo to the water. This will not harm the plants but will protect the nature. A drop of fat ruins many drops of drinking water.

One more way to increase the savings is to catch rain water. Unfortunately, you can only do that if you live in a house.

Earth is the only planet available to the human race for living our lives right now. Whatever damage we cause today, our children will inherit the consequences. Every environmentally conscious act makes a positive difference. Contribute your good deed today!

Copyright © 2006 by Daria Perse. All rights reserved.

Daria enjoys writing and researching. Her purpose is to make life simple without sacrificing the quality. Her findings are published via “Simple Living Guide” series. The complete guide on shipping internationally can be found on her webpage at: http://www.TheSunflowerGardens.com

[tags]environment,preserve,water,watering,pollution,weather,grease,recycle water,water plants,rain water[/tags]

A person’s private bedroom and bathroom clearly rank as the most important rooms in that individual’s home. After all, what does a guy want to do once he’s come home from a long day at work? Relax in a hot tub or cool off in the shower and then settle in for a long, restful night of sleep. Right? And we can make that experience reach its maximum comfort level by accessorizing our bathrooms and bedrooms with just the right touches.

Think about it. You walk into your house after a long day at the office, and all you can think about is finding relief for your aching back and neck. A hot shower sounds great. So you step into your bathroom and run through the humdrum of a regular old shower. It’s nothing special, but it works. Then you walk into your stark bedroom and settle in for a night of sleep. Again, your bedroom wouldn’t stand out in a magazine shoot, but it works.

Now imagine walking into the bathroom and smelling that perfect, inviting smell that just melts your cares away. Instantly you feel your muscles begin to unknot. The colors soothe your soul and make you think of tropical beaches or a desired getaway unlike the stark white walls of the old bathroom ever did. Then you walk into your bedroom and the same inviting scent greets you. Lush pillows on the bed call your name, soothingly asking you to just lay your head down and cuddle right into that plush comforter on your bed. And moreover, when you lay in bed with your eyes wide open and look around your bedroom, you see the things that remind you of why you enjoy life so much, of what makes it worth working so hard every day, because you’ve surrounded yourself with reminders of your favorite things, from colors to hardware accessories.

The internet can help you accessorize these two important rooms perfectly. These online stores will offer you a vast variety of sheets, blankets, comforters, curtains, and bathroom accessories. The colors will amaze you, and no matter how odd, absurd, conservative, or liberal your taste, you can find something that you like at these kinds of sites.

As you consider what to add to your bathroom and bedroom to make it that perfect getaway place in the house, shoot for quality and comfort. Don’t just look at style, but remember, you want these places to be ones that you can genuinely put your feet up at. After comfort, consider your personal style. Maybe you like animal prints, so check out the zebra stripe pillows. Maybe you’re a nautical freak and grew up near the ocean, thus pictures of the ocean and sky blue accessories certainly have the potential to soothe you.

Once you’ve accessorized these two rooms to your liking, the change in your sleeping habits will amaze you. You’ll find yourself more relaxed and enjoying these two safe havens even more.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as bathroom tile at http://www.exclusivebathroomaccessories.com.

[tags]bathroom accessories, bathroom remodeling[/tags]

Many folks long for a peaceful garden space in their backyard, but don’t have the time, money, or skill to create the beautiful types of gardens they see in magazines. However, if you have a shady backyard, you still be able to achieve a peaceful space by creating a woodland garden. They’re surprisingly easy to establish, and once you’ve got them up and running, woodland gardens often take care of themselves with relatively little further help or financial input. Here are a few tips:

Choose plants that would normally be found in the woods–plants that thrive in partial shade and relatively poor soils. The first candidate would be ferns, which will generally thrive in wooded areas with little or no site preparation or attention. After all, they’ve lived in wooded environments since the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

You may need to trim the bottom limbs of your trees, to allow you to walk in your garden and to perhaps establish a sitting area, complete with garden swing, if you choose. That’s the beauty of a woodland garden: you can make it as rustic and natural as you want. you’re limited only by your imagination and taste.

When first establishing your woodland garden, be aware that there are four components: the ground layer, the shrub layer, the understory, and the canopy. Again, there is an informality to the woodland garden that precludes hard and fast rules, but paying attention to the four components will add interest and beauty to your space.

Most of your plants will be perennials, so they’ll continue to give you pleasure in all seasons, year after year. Many people incorporate things such as deciduous trees, azaleas, rhododendrons, ferns, and other plants of various heights, textures, and colors that will add interest to the space any time of year. This is especially true with plants and trees that produce flowers or colorful berries.

Using deciduous trees allows you to gain a thick coat of compost every fall, which breaks down and fertilizes the shrubs and plants below. It also means much less work for you to keep your woodland garden going. You may also want to incorporate trees that have interesting bark, such as birch and oak. Shrubs such as red twig dogwood can also provide dramatic color in a snowy winter setting.

A woodland garden may be just what you’re looking for if you don’t have the time, talent, and money to establish and maintain a more “traditional” backyard garden.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Have you ever wondered how to achieve that high-end look in your garden or home without charging up your credit cards? Jeanette Fisher teaches five ways to makeover your home for happiness. Author of interior design and real estate books, Jeanette Fisher has researched the effects of environment on emotions for over 15 years. She teaches interior design college courses and seminars. Free residential design reports: http://interiordesignpsychology.com
More about Environmental Design: http://environmentpsychology.com

[tags]woodland garden,backyard garden,Jeanette Joy Fisher,shade garden[/tags]