Posts tagged ‘fun’

Spring Decorating

After I finish up all of my spring cleaning I usually get in the mood to start decorating for spring. However, I live in the desert so this is especially problematic. I just can't plant very many flowers or a lawn or anything. This has led me to looking at many different kinds of decor that I won't have to water.

I was looking at Mailbox and Beyond because I'm so envious of all of the different types of address plaques. This is a different type of retailer from what I'm used to seeing because they are licensed dealers for their products.

I wasn't sure there was going to be anything for my exterior because I live in an apartment. I found out that I can get address signs too. I've never seen ceramic crocks before. You can get it customized with your name or your address. It can work inside or outside. There are also accessories like a solar powered lamp. This makes sure that your address plaque can still be noticed when your guests need to find it most. Address plaques are a fun idea that don't require a lot of long term commitment like plants.

Fun vs. Necessary

With anything to do with home improvement I find that there are two categories. There's the fun part of home ownership. It has to do with all of the throw pillows and picking out paint colors. Then there's the necessary part of homeownership. This is geared more towards maintenance and especially energy efficiency. When I finally moved into an apartment with energy efficient windows and doors almost cut my bill in half although this may not happen for everyone.

I was reading through the All Double Glazing site to learn more about windows and doors. You can have four companies giving you quotes and get the double glazing costs for your job by just answering a few questions. This is mostly a U.K. based site and I was surprised to learn that double glazing isn't as prevalent over there as it is in the United States. In fact the effectiveness of your window can be quite obvious if there's condensation on it which is another fact I picked up. I'm trying to think about windows that I've seen condensation on and they've almost always been single paned. This may have even been why some of my apartments have had more outside noise coming through. If you want to go green then start off with small steps that can also save you money.

Holiday Confession

Since I don't have kids sometimes the holidays just aren't that fun. For most family get togethers they're festive because the kids are there. Since I live a few hours away from my family though I only get together with them a few times a year and Easter isn't one of those times. I still try to enjoy the holidays and this year I'm drooling over the from Gourmet Gift Baskets take on Easter Gift Baskets .

At first I thought that these would just be for kids but they even have candy only options and who wouldn't love that? Also, if someone lives away from their family this could be perfect for Easter. (Hint, hint to any family members reading this). My favorite basket contains basically an Easter breakfast or brunch. There's biscuit mix and even ham slices. If you know someone who's going to be alone for the holidays but you don't want them to feel alone then just try this new take on Easter .

Apartment Life

I've been thinking lately how I'm pretty happy in an apartment. Everything is left up to someone else. This includes things like hauling away the garbage and maintaining the grounds. Extra expenses like pool supplies and pool filters are also up to the management. It also means if I pick the right complex I can have a pool.

My grandma use to have a pool when I was a kid; and she was always a legend in my mind for it. I always thought it meant she was rich when really it just meant that she lived in Arizona. Going to grandma's house was always so much fun. With all of the brothers I had; it was one of the few activities that we could all agree upon that would be awesome. Did you think about pools differently now than when you were a kid?

White Wardrobe and Armoire Design Ideas

A white wardrobe can really have a lot of personality to it. This is really a statement piece. It's one of the biggest pieces of furniture that you can own. This also makes it the most expensive. This means that you really going to have to balance it out quite carefully. You can match a lot of your existing furniture. This is a great option if you have a lot of clothes. If you have two dressers in one area they can feel quite cluttered. You may just want to instead try using a larger piece that will give you all of the storage that you need.

If you go with a country kind of design style then there are a lot of different options for this. You could just go with a basic paneled door. This can seem a little bit traditional. You can even embellish it yourself just with the knobs. If it has white knobs on it then try hanging a tassel from the doors for more of a traditional kind of effect. You could even get a simple, rustic Christmas ornament such as a star and hang it from the knobs for an added embellishment.

You can also find a lot of white wardrobe ideas that are going to use really beautiful panel kinds of design styles. This can have a beach like effect that fits in with a whitewashed wood. If you choose a painted white piece then again this is going to feel very country. These pieces are also appropriate enough for a girl's wardrobe. You may even be able to convert it into a makeshift home office.

One thing you may want to consider when going with a white wardrobe armoire is going to be a modern kind of design style. This usually just has flat doors. They can swing open or slide. This can even be a built-in piece. In this case it's usually going to feature a frosted glass. This way you can’t see into your closet but you do have a little bit of light moving throughout the space. This can even be the focal point of your entire room just because it is such an unusual element and it does provide so much storage space.

When you go with a girl's wardrobe then you really want to make it a lot of fun. You should really have oversized French pieces so it's very ornate. It needs to have as much molding as possible. This is really going to make it very special and it can also seem a little bit shabby chic.

You can also just add a lot of these elements into your existing closet or armoire. For instance a hanging wardrobe is going to have a lot of different shoe racks. You can have several rods to it. This allows you to really maximize your hanging space, as well as your storage space. You can also implement a lot of different textures such as canvas materials which are still going to be quite inexpensive.

Creative Commons Photo from Sherry's Rose Cottage