The MultiFunction Storage Solution

Sorry I haven’t written in awhile (I think its been 7 weeks or so I have been so busy with 2 moves in 2 months that I am finally getting around to things) Here is a 5 basket storage unit available from Target.com and is affordable and provides great organization in a hallway (store shoes in the baskets and keys, phones, etc. in a small bowl on top.) Or it would be great in a small nursery with limited storage (some older homes have small closets as do new condos) so you could put diapers, wipes, crib sheets, onesies, etc. all in different baskets. Or maybe you have a toddler and are looking for a way to keep their favorite toys off the floor when there not playing well now you can easily place them in the baskets and still have a clean family room. I added the link below in case you want to know more about the dimensions, price and see additional photos.

http://www.target.com/p/five-basket-storage-unit-cherry/-/A-11819956#prodSlot=medium_1_22

Room Functions

Over the years houses styles have changed and room functions have as well. Most people in the USA have a home of approximately 2,500 square feet. Depending on where you live may determine the specifics (basement, attic, crawl space), however many people have moved toward more informal living arrangements and now prefer the open concept. There are pros/cons to both. If your a messy person sorry but you don’t belong in an open concept house just picture it when you open the front door it would look like one big mess had engulfed the entire space. What about rooms that didn’t exist years ago? Well many people didn’t use home offices (unless they were self employed or worked from home) moms usually paid all the bills from the kitchen table thereby eliminating an extra bedroom just for surfing the web and bill paying. The formal dining room that gets used only on Thanksgiving or Christmas is wasted space – for the regular entertainer who spends time dining with their guests its a necessity. So here are some ways to make the open living concept work for your family…and yes sometimes open concept means feeling more spacious even though there can be a lack of storage.

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A sofa table can provide great extra storage, serve as extra lighting for reading, use solid baskets to hide the stuff so shelves don’t look crowded. And during the holidays its an easy place to reach to put up some extra Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.

For those of you who find yourself always eating in the kitchen or family room and find the dining room as the black sheep of the house then by all means try re-purposing it into something useful for your family. Here’s a few suggestions: even if your eliminating your dining room table (if you have one in the dining room) make sure to have some built ins designed for the space (whether they’re ikea or custom is up to your style/budget)

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Why the built ins? well you unless you have a massive kitchen or plenty of closet space a built in provides the extra storage for those items that can be seasonal (turkey platters, carving boards) and for all those wedding gifts that don’t have space in maybe a small kitchen. Also with the floor space freed up you still have storage so you can turn the dining room into a library (built ins are great for books) or a home office for the self employed.

Or maybe your in the opposite position and find yourself without the formal dining room and your kitchen, dining room, great room are really one big space…talk about open concept challenges. I suggest removing your kitchen set and having just a larger dining room set. If you have a table that has leaves then it can easily go from 6 people for family dinners to 10 or 12 for holidays.

Consider what rooms you use and how often and for what – ignore the labels for a moment and see if that basement can be turned into the kids playroom or that dining room into the home office for the self employed or maybe an attic can provided needed storage for a hobby room.

How to Make A New Home Yours

Since many families move over the summer and right before school goes back I figured now was the time to share this posting. If you recently moved into a new home (or plan to in the future) here’s some advice on how to make it less new and more family feeling.

First off  congratulations on your new home many people are so excited and busy with all the packing/unpacking that they tend to ignore the little details.

1. Go ahead and plant some flowers in the front of your house – this is a great way to add curb appeal and distinguish your house from the neighbors in large housing developments/MPCs
2. If you have a front porch consider painting the interior ceiling a calm, blue (like the sky) it has helped many homeowners prevent bugs
3. Why not head over to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy some solar powered lights for your driveway – they won’t cost you anything to run since their solar so its a one time expense (and luckily won’t show up on your electric bill)
4. If the outdoors are your thing – then try planting a veggie/fruit garden in your backyard (doesn’t have to be large just enough for your family to enjoy it) – also consider planting items like Basil, Thyme, Parsley or Oregano because they add great flavors to the dish and are so much cheaper to grow than buy (also if you end up growing a lot of herbs  consider clipping them, putting them in a ziploc bag with a paper towel and freezing them for when there not in season).
5. Also consider hanging a clothes line this may seem dated to some of you but to me there’s no better smell than laundry from the line (sorry all the fabric fresherner just never smells that fresh)
6. Roll out the welcome mat or my personal favorite have an area in the front hallway/foyer to remove shoes and keep your floors clean (and your new house looking new)
7. If you have a dog and trees in your back yard connect a dog line between the two trees so they too can enjoy the outdoors
8. Absolutely make sure to paint the interior of your home (I say this incase white or builder beige isn’t your thing) painting walls helps to define areas, personalizes it, and makes for a lived in feel
9. I know sometime technology can be great but what about all those photos on your digital camera/memory card have you thought about going through them and picking a few to print and frame for your new space
10. Have a moving in party with family and friends is great – why not if you plan to live in your new home for a long time have a party where you invite over the neighbors just print off a flyer (address, date, time) and have some easy food (cookies, brownies, coleslaw, hamburgers) the food doesn’t have to be expensive if your anticipating lots of people keep it simple and cheap but make it welcoming (if someone invited offers to bring something graciously accept but don’t tell them what to bring unless they ask)
11. Enjoy your new house and make new memories in it and it will become a family home

Sand Keeper

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So maybe you love the beach (okay I know I LOVE the beach to me there is something so amazing about being there) and yet your trying to recapture every vacation you go on. Well I came across this sand keep and I think this is one simple, cheap DIY anyone could do. All you need is a water bottle, vase and sand of course. Read more here

Taking on your Cabinets – New Finish

One of the MOST expensive renovations can include kitchens and baths in a home, but most people overlook why. Did you know the majority of most kitchen reno budgets goes to the cabinets and installing them. Yes, most people spend the bulk of the money on buying these new cabinets and then paying a lot to have them installed only to find out most cabinets today are not solid wood – hell neither are most door. So instead of using up the bulk of your reno budget why not try re-doing your cabinets. If you cabinets are in fine working shape and aren’t chipped, cracked, or split and its more a cosmetic issue (I like espresso or cherry finish not oak) then here is a simple remedy. In case you have never tackled a project like this before I thought this was a great article and DIY instruction.) 

Reviewing Rugs

Some people have gone more and more towards having hardwood, tile or linoleum throughout their house. Obviously some people do this because of asthma, allergies, quicker cleanup whatever the reason it can leave you with little to no carpeting in your house and sometimes an area rug may just be the perfect solution (under your bed, dining room table or in the living room.) If you’ve been considering getting an area rug make note of 4 things: your budget, the size of the room, the size of the furniture and its placement and finally what material preference you have (I prefer a natural material such as wool.)

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The above Adum Rug, hile pile comes in 4 colors and is available at Ikea $199.00

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The above rug is from Natural Custom Rugs (they sell natural rugs already made and custom made) the photo shown above details the one I created which was a St. Tropez weave and Black Border. Make sure to browse their rugs selection its quite extensive.

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If a modern rug is more your fancy and yet you hate bright bold colors or obnoxious patters this one might do the trick. On this hardwood floor it looks like concrete stones but yet its really an area rug and the neutral colors will work great with many furniture pieces.  Its available from eSaleRugs for $271

Finally remember small area rugs can help older dogs from sliding or sitting on a hard surface and they make a great spot for baby to sit softly on and play. If you are looking to browse (in person or the web) consider these  places below:

Crate and Barrel

Pottery Barn

Looking for cheaper solutions try your home improvement store (Lowe’s and Home Depot) normally have lots of colors, typical sizes and lower prices.

DIY Dresser

So today I am bringing you this pretty simple DIY dresser I absolutely love DIY projects because they can save you plenty of money and also let you customize the look to your exact taste.

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Want to learn more on about this project? Go Here

WebSites You Should Know About But Probably Don’t

Here’s some websites that aren’t quite famous yet (ala Amazon and Ebay)  but I thought that it might interest you and if you shop online (like I do regularly i LOVE Amazon) you too will be happy to have extra sites to check out. I have found personally that some of my local stores don’t carry X brand and so I have to resort to online or that the cost even with shipping is sometimes cheaper. I also wanted to share this for another reason if you have ever known anybody homebound you know they will appreciate it regardless of their age (whether is a new mommy or an elderly grandparent – they will feel a level of independence by being able to shop at home for themselves) also there’s some great deals which I LOVE to share (who couldn’t use a great deal in this economy)

Casa – for all things home

Wag – lets be honest where would we be without our pets? I lost my pet of 14 years not too long ago and so I hope to get a pet again very soon)  – Free shipping on ALL orders over $49 and deliveries are very quickly (p.s. this place has stuff for a lot more than dogs)

Soap – Here’s everything you ever ran out of the house for and made that extra errand because you forgot. All products are delivered in 1-2 days for FREE!

Beauty Bar – For all of us who love to shop for skincare, make up, men, fragrances, & natural products. 3 FREE samples with every order!

YoYo – Just as the name implies this is a site all about Toys

Diapers – Yes Diapers.com for all you parents out there has everything to do with the babies in your life (I highly recommend this also for grand parents, aunts, uncles, etc. Huge variety and might I add its easy to go online to Babies R Us and compare prices to get the best deals) Free shipping on $49 or above

I really hope you enjoy this list the above websites are all part of Quidsi a Latin term for “What If” – these 6 wesbites allow you to checkout with 1 shopping cart and save money by shopping 2 sites or more and Spend $39  you earn Free Shipping.

Also If your a NEW customer to these sites there is a banner with a code to save 10% at Checkout!  Plus the fixed banner has other specials advertised (like today as I type this Soap.com has 10% off purchases for 1st and 2nd time buyers just type in the appropriate code at checkout!)

 

 

 

Rustic + Modern Living

Are you trying to marry two different styles into a room? Maybe you and your other half have completely different ideas on decorating and while most men don’t love decorating they don’t love pink rooms (any more than most women want a full sports living room.) So here’s some ideas try this rustic + modern design. Some people think you can only have 1 style or that your decorating style inside your home must match the architectural style of your home and this is just not true. Blend this style by adding some traditional pieces with more neutral tones, use more modern paint color combinations (grey + yellow or a beige + teal could be really nice) and shop for modern fabric for pillows at the fabric store then just make them into a simple envelope slip pillow costing much less than fancy modern pillows at home furnishing stores. I hope this will inspire you to create a lovely a space for your family.

West Elm’s  Essex Upholstered Ottoman $299.00 – this comes in so many color/fabric options  I like ottomans because they double as a coffee table or sitting space.

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West Elm’s Tree Stump Side Table – $199.00 – its eco-friendly and add a rustic natural charm

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Have Children? Well then you know sometimes a sofa could get really dirty so go ahead and try this slip covered more traditional style from Ikea its the Ektorp Corner Sofa in Vellinge Beige for $999.00

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When you place a tray on an ottoman it can be used for so many things: holding magazines, books, the remote. It also is a great opportunity to add color to your room. This lacquered tray is from West Elm and retails for $22.00

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West Elm’s Lourdes Sanchez 8×10 rug $599.00

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Total cost $2,122 – so next time your at one of those furniture stores that tries to sell you a whole room package that is identical to thousands of other people’s living rooms consider how easy it is to put together your own unique room.

Repuroposing Ideas – Other ways to use Hydrogen Peroxide

Next time your looking at that bottle of hydrogen peroxide (H202) and wondering what else can I use this for other than my scrapes and cuts these suggestions might surprise you. I personally have many uses for it (I use it as a teeth whitener with some baking soda on a toothbrush right before bed – it really will help remove stains / yellowing.)