Archive for February, 2009
One great tip to add some extra atmosphere to your living room is to use as much real flame us possible.
There is nothing like the scent of a fragrance candle to positively change and influence the mind and the human spirit. Candles are versatile and can be spaced around the area to add some sensuality to a room. Candles are also an ideal way to get rid of unwanted smells that can linger after dinner.
Use church style candles for large open mantle pieces, or invest in some tea lights or floating candles if you prefer a more romantic spattering of light.
Our products have been carefully selected to provide affordable value with uniqueness.
Presented in a beautiful box, these chocolate and vanilla scented candles are the ultimate in high quality candles gifts, ideal for giving to someone really special in your life.
When you decorate your home, you use your own special artistic vision to create an environment specific to your family.
It is great having a house that reflects the inner you, but it could be a greater reward if you include ideas from the rest of the people living in your home. A home has a much deeper meaning when you get your love ones involved in your project and of course you get the opportunity this way to spend more time with them. Choosing objects, patterns and arrangements, each a reminder of the unique spirit of the person that suggested it, could definitely bring the family closer and help to create a beautiful home built on creativity and emotions.
For unique home decor ideas please visit homedecorbylulu.com.
Hand blown glass vases can be incredibly beautiful pieces of glass art, exhibiting both style and class, crossing the bridge between form and functionality.
All of our hand blown glass vases have unique distinctive characteristics because of the colorations and form. They are one-of-a-kind, unique pieces of art, made by the top glass blowing artists in the glass blowing field. Each hand blown glass vase is individually made and signed by the artist.
Due to the nature of hand blown glass, each piece varies slightly giving it character and authenticity.
With spring on the way, we all want to rid ourselves of that heavy and dark winter feel. A good way to bring the fresh spring look into your house is to re-accessorize.
1. Take down the heavy drapes and replace them with light, breezy curtains or sheers.
2. Put away your wool throws and bring out your light and bright decorative cotton throws.
3. Mix and match cheerful modern embroidered throw pillows. Opt for a floral design to add to that spring-summer look.
4. Fill glass bowls with fresh flowers or fruit to add color and brightness to your home.
5. Update your vignette by grouping objects that reminds you that the spring season is almost here, such as beautiful spring blooming bulb flowers in decorative pots and a handblown glass bowl.
Get creative and bring out some of the energy that lifts up your spirit.
It seems that dabbling in home decor can be never ending. Many of us are constantly updating and rearranging our home and our home decor.
Certain colors innately evoke different memories, thoughts or moods. If your home has walls that are too white, then adding colorful details to your decor can change everything. It is amazing how you can make huge differences with small changes.
A simple grouping of three candle holders, like the ones shown here, would make your coffee table stand out and bring interest to the room. At homedecorbylulu.com we feature a variety of candleholders in different colors. Choose the right color to give any room a little extra personality.
(ARA) – Savvy homeowners are becoming master illusionists these days working with their smaller rooms to make them appear bigger and more spacious. Even a house with a maze of irregularly shaped rooms can be designed to enhance the flow from room-to-room giving the impression of more space. So instead of dismissing your smaller rooms, embrace them! According to Chris Sy, from Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, smaller sized rooms can be useful and beautiful. “They make a house unique and with the right techniques, you can make the most of these areas. The goal is to create a room that you can use, is pleasing to the eye, and doesn’t feel cramped.”
Follow these tips to make the most of the smaller rooms in your home:
Walls:Paint the walls with lighter color paints to make a room seem bigger. Lighter colors also reflect the natural light and help to open the space. Consider lighter tones such as nudes and natural colors or use pastels such as powder blue or a light yellow.
Lighting: Lighting is an important element in small rooms. The room should be properly lit to expand the space. Consider replacing table and floor lamps with wall fixtures. If you cannot replace these items, look for ones that are space friendly and have small shades or no shades at all.
Floors: You may be surprised to learn that floors can make a world of difference in how large a room feels. Steer away from narrow floor boards. It may seem logical to use narrow boards in small rooms, but in actuality it makes the room appear busy and cluttered. Wide plank wood floors are great for smaller rooms because they are easy to keep clean and add visual character. Sy says, “Wider floor boards, some 8 to 10-inches, are being used in smaller rooms and they open up the space wonderfully. In older colonial homes, the widest boards were used on the second floor where many of the smaller rooms were located.”
Wide plank wood floors provide the simplicity that is needed in rooms with limited space. By eliminating the majority of seams in the floor and choosing a lighter color, the room will appear open and airy. “Look for boards with subtle grain patterns and fewer knots. At Carlisle, we suggest maple or eastern white pine because these woods have a less prominent grain,” adds Sy.
Furniture: Whether a small living room, bedroom, office or den, there will be various pieces of furniture you will need to make the room functional. When working with a smaller area, determine what you need and what you want. Only using key pieces of furniture will ensure that the room is functional, but not cluttered.
When purchasing furniture, think about pieces that can perform multiple tasks. For example, an end table that has drawers can double for storing small items. Consider smaller pieces to open up space, such as choosing a love seat over a couch. Another helpful tip is to think vertically. Shelving and other items that bring the eye upward make the room feel larger.
Decor: When decorating a smaller room, it’s best to keep things simple. Choose one or two pieces of art to display. On accessories such as decorative pillows and drapes, choose fabrics that have minimal patterns or utilize solid colors. It’s important to decorate every room with your personal tastes in mind, but the general rule to follow is less is more. Add too many items in your small room and it will end up feeling even smaller.
From wide plank wood flooring to wall fixture lights, if you follow these simple guidelines you’ll be able to make your smaller rooms appear bigger and become your own master illusionist. For more information on flooring and style options, visit www.wideplankflooring.com or call (800) 595-9663.
Courtesy of: ARA Content
FAIRYLAND
(Maud Keary)
A Fairy’s house stands in a wood,
Midst fairy trees and flowers,
Where daisies sing like little birds
Between the sun and showers,
And grasses whisper tiny things
About this world of ours.
Such flowers are there beside the way,
Lilies and hollyhocks:
Blow off their stalks to tell the time
Tall dandelion clocks;
While pansies ring an hourly chime
Like a wound music-box.
Some day shall we two try to find
This strange enchanted place?
Go hand in hand through flower-lit woods
Where living trees embrace –
And suddenly, as in a dream,
Behold a fairy’s face!
We are excited to introduce new additions to our pewter fairy collection. Just like the others, these also feature real butterfly wings.
The bedroom is for rest, relaxation, intimacy, rejuvenation, and fun… the place where we can recreate ourselves. We have a few ideas of how to turn it into a relaxing getaway.
1. One of the biggest inhibitor of promoting relaxation in a bedroom is unnecessary clutter, and one of the biggest problem areas is in the wardrobe
closet. Remove items that are damaged or haven’t been worn in two years and have a yard sale or donate them to charity.
In general, the more stuff you have in the room, the smaller and more confining the room will appear.
Eliminate from the room all reminders that you have children; your bedroom is about you and your partner. Move those mementos to another special place in your home.
Our homes have become as crowded as our lives and often our bedrooms do double duty as home offices, but all experts definitely agree that you should get the office and computer out of the bedroom.
2. Make the bed. Your skin will be in contact with your linens for six to eight hours every night. Choose good quality and muted colors rather than bright colors for your bedding. You want the room to be relaxing and romantic. Good colors for a bedroom include dark maroon, beige, mauve, sage green and muted yellow. Fluffy bed pillows, comforters and decorative throw pillows will create a luring bed.
3. Decoration should be simple but in the same time it has to show your personality. Stick with colors, textures and images that are meaningful and relaxing to you.
4. Your focal point could be a large piece of decorative furniture or you could build your design around a beautiful wall art.
5. Cover the windows in heavy draperies of one solid color. The color of the draperies should complement the bedding, but not be of the same pattern as the bedding, therefore solid colored draperies work best.
6. Place candles around the room. This will ensure a relaxed setting and add to the luxurious feel of the room.
I hope these few tips help put you on the right track in creating your dream bedroom.
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Venice some years back. There, I had my first experience with this art form. The process is simple. You melt glass and form it into various designs. What is intriguing is the complexity of the techniques used to come out with beautiful blown glass art. Some finished products do not even resemble glass anymore.
Blowing glass might be an art but the end products are not just for galleries to display.
Functional items made of blown glass like vases, lamps and bowls may be bought in the market. Small sculpture pieces and jewelry are great to have and to hold, to collect and cherish. You will love them so much; you will want to give them to members of your family and friends.
Share something special on Christmas, Valentine’s Day or a birthday. A delightful cotton baby blanket will do just that. A simple gift can stir up emotions and make the day. Delight in how it brings a big smile to the face of the receiver. Soft, plush baby blankets will be a pleasure to touch and behold.
Baby blankets are not just for covering or wrapping babies. They are great to have around when traveling, to lay the baby on when changing diapers, maybe. Or wiping away baby’s sweat when out in the sun. Because of its varied uses, it is a good idea to keep a few blankets in different sizes on hand. Cotton is a good material. It is soft and will not hurt the baby’s delicate skin. It is also easy to care for.