Month: March 2019

Tips to Choose Baby & Kids Furniture

Who doesn’t love a baby’s smile? Spending some time with little ones can make anyone forgot their worries and sorrows. Embellish the baby’s room with adorable furniture pieces that can retain the happiness of the baby.
While choosing the baby furniture, parents and caretakers spend more time on the composition & configuration. Cradles/Bassinets, Cribs, Changing Tables, Rugs, and Crib bedding forms the baby furniture.
Cradles/Bassinets- It is difficult to imagine the baby’s room without a cradle. They occupy an important place in the baby’s life. The cradle is the first place where the baby spends most of her/his time in the early babyhood. So, it has to be the best time. The cradle/bassinet should soothe the baby. Select a cradle with a limited swing to avoid accidents.
Cribs- After enjoying his/her time in the cradle for a few months, the baby will be shifted to the crib. It is the place where the baby will undergo a transition. It is also the place where the baby starts sleeping independently. The crib should be guarded with safety railings.
Crib Bedding- In the early childhood, the baby’s skin is very sensitive and prone to infections. So, choose the bedding material which is hypoallergenic. The crib mattress should have a high conformity index. Otherwise, it may lead to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). The crib mattress should perfectly fit into the crib without leaving gaps as they may injure the baby.
Changing tables- Many caretakers and parents find it difficult to handle the baby while changing clothes. To deal with such situations, changing tables are designed. They come with pull out drawers to accommodate napkins, Sanitary wipes, and apparel.
After passing the early childhood stage, they will be moving to one of the memorable stages of their life. They are no longer called as babies. Now they have their own mind which is immature. Though they act on their own instincts, but one has to take care of them. Generally, parents allocate separate rooms for their young ones. Kids love to live in an environment which is colorful and playful. So, beautify the kid’s room with different furniture.
Bunk beds- To create a playful environment in the kid’s room, bring home a Bunk bed. They are similar to normal beds except for a two stage construction. Kids can easily climb to the upper part using the ladder fixed to the side of the bed. But make sure that the Bunk bed is provided with a safety rail. To avoid head injuries, consider the height of the ceiling. The mattress should go hand in hand with the bed frame.
Many kids develop a good relation with their bunk beds and want to retain them for their long time. So, manufacturers are coming with adjustable bunk beds that can be used even in teens.
Kids Recliners- Why should parents have all the fun? Kids recliners came from such questions. They are usually placed in the living room alongside normal recliners. Personalized Kids Recliners are the order of the day. Kids recliners with cup holders are versatile in terms of utility.
Rocking chairs- This type of chair is an energy element in the kid’s room. Their rocking mechanism enables the kid to enjoy his/her time. Look for a Kids rocking chair which has a controlled rocking mechanism to avoid accidents.
Toy Organizers – The kid’s room should not be filthy as it may lead to unwanted health problems. Toy organizers can accommodate all toys in a beautiful way.
Playhouses- This furniture piece has a vital role in the holistic development of the kid. They help the kid to socialize faster. They are generally placed in the lawn area.
As this stage is critical to the kid, prepare them to face the world. They will be joining the school in the near future, so prepare them mentally and physically.
Décor- Hang attractive and informative wall charts in the kid’s room. Theme based wall hangings convey the feelings of the kid to the rest of the world. Number charts are widely used by many parents across the world.
Above all, consider the available space and plan accordingly. It is difficult to place Rocking chairs & Kids recliners in one room as they may eat a lot of space. So, calculate the available space and arrive at a conclusion. Shop the furniture which has complied with the safety standards of the land, as safety is the most important thing. Shop kids furniture online as it is easy to exercise your choice and select the right furniture piece. Often many sites also mention about the safety compliant furniture products.

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By Real Estate Club of America March 27, 2019 Off

Find Inspiration with this Beautiful Living Room!

This past winter, we decided to give the living room a quick makeover with a fresh coat of paint. Like any project, it wasn’t as quick as we intended it to be. Painting the walls snowballed into repainting the trim, the built-ins and the brick fireplace. Of course, I’m glad it worked out that way. Even though it was more work than we set out to take on, we were left with a fresh blank canvas to work with.

The walls went from neutral beige to a crisp bright white. My favorite white is Benjamin Moore, Chantilly Lace. It slowly making its way throughout my house. We used a velvet finish on the walls and a semi-gloss in the same color on the trim, fireplace brick and built-in. Amazing how a simple change can make a room feel so completely different.

We decided to leave the wallpaper on the back wall. It was a bit of a splurge a few years back and I worried I would tire of it quickly. While, I don’t like that it dictates the color palette of the room, I still like the subtle geometric print and blue is definitely still a favorite color of mine.

I swapped out the white curtains for soft grey linen panels from Ikea. I absolutely love the pairing of light grey with crisp white. I think because of the expanse of the windows, I should likely add another panel to each side to give it some fullness. Add that to the list of things to do!

If you’ve been following this blog over the years, you’ll likely notice it’s changed quite a bit over the years. I’ve moved away from the more whimsical styling with lots of color pops, in favor of a more subdued palette. This time around, it feels much more like a reflection of my personal style.. more neutral colors, a variety of textures and simple styling.

It’s so much fun to change things up. I wonder what the next couple of years will bring to the space?

Sources:
Rug: Rugs USA
Sofa: Ikea (Karlstad – shockingly discontined)
Coffee Table: CB2
End Tables: Target
Lamps: Target
Leather Poufs: Maison Marrakech
Eames Rocker (knockoff): Wire Home Furnishings
Chairs: Structube
Hanging Planter: West Elm
Panels: Ikea

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By Real Estate Club of America March 26, 2019 Off

Decorating with Paintings

Usually works of art are usually not only decorative pieces, but represent something of themselves, enrich the spirit and generate many feelings, so give it a protagonist importance to the environment in which the lights in our house.
For this does not have to spend large amounts of money, a piece of painting something that we generate ourselves can bring itself, the touch of warmth and color to our home, but have not put a frame.
Decorating with boxes accurate some details to work in the selected room. For example, the thematic choice that will have pictures, which can be drawings or paintings, photos, design and color of the frames, the correlation between the picture, the color of the walls and furniture of the house, are almost obvious tips.

Where to place the pictures

You wonder now where you can place, but everywhere in our home are conducive to wear a beautiful piece of art, though generally most designers choose to place still life in the dining rooms and kitchens and abstract figures in libraries and lounges.
 
Anyway as always I say the limit is your own imagination, especially when placing works of large spans, and larger generally for stunning pictures largest and quality classroom is the environment for excellence because this way everyone can admire it, and rooms or desks include more eclectic pieces.
 

 
The choicest some people choose to hang their favorite works of art in the bedrooms and there is where they keep those things which tend to be more delicate and private.
 

 
Where it is not convenient to hang pictures are the sides of the stairs or those sites where the work can be damaged by being exposed to impact.

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By Real Estate Club of America March 26, 2019 Off

Choosing the Best Pads for Your Minimalist Room

A room is not complete without the little details that make a cozy atmosphere. And no wonder, since the room is the nucleus where they share time with family and visitors. If you want to add atouch of warmth to your minimalist room, the cushions are a great choice.

Sparks of color in your minimalist room


Neutral tones of cushions for your minimalist room

The classic black-white couples are an excellent choice to combine colors in a minimalist room. Never lose them, plus it is super stylish.

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By Real Estate Club of America March 26, 2019 Off

Luxe for Less DIY – Pottery Barn Mirror

I’ve loved this Pottery Barn mirror for years but at $699 it’s overpriced and the wrong color.  There are numerous tutorials to DIY your own mirror  but they seemed a little too complicated aka they had math involved and I don’t have the patience for measurements.  I also have an irrational fear that I might lob off a finger messing around with a circular saw so those tutorials weren’t for me.  Nope, definitely not for me, I love my fingers.

Then, I saw this tutorial using Dollar Store mirrors and I figured, why not try it? Even if it was a epic fail I wouldn’t blow a lot of money.

I didn’t follow all the instructions in the link above because I wanted a much bigger mirror and needed a more sturdy and stable backing.

I started with 25 of these mirrors from the dollar store.  They’re really cheap looking with a plastic frame and they come in black, brown and  I believe red.

I painted the frames with Martha Stewart gold craft paint

Since the mirror would have some weight to it and I wanted to hang it,  I purchased  this kit from Michaels for less than $5 to use.

I also purchased a sheet of 5 MM plywood and had it cut the Home Depot for $15. (no circular saw for me).  I screwed the hanging hook into wood on either side and I did pull my level out to make sure they lined up together.  The piece of plywood I used measured 43 x 54 3/8.

I made sure the mirrors hung over wood by about 1/4 of the inch on all sides and just lined them up by eye balling them and glued them down using E-6000.

Here’s the final product.  Isn’t it pretty?  I only had one mishap when I pressed down too hard on one of the mirrors over the hanging screws and it broke so be careful when pressing down over that area if you are going to try this project. Other than that mishap, it was an easy, peasy project than gives a great impact.

Here’s a sneak peak of how it looks in my room.  I’m finally on track to finish the room after a gazillion years. Yeahhh!!!

Linking this to Thrifty Decor Chick 

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By Real Estate Club of America March 26, 2019 Off

The Gift Of Peppermint Hot Chocolate…


Every October when it starts to get cold outside, I make our family a big batch of “homemade” Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Or maybe I should call it, semi-homemade, because all of the ingredients are readily available and take minimal effort to put together. But combined, they create a cup of yummy, warm, chocolatey deliciousness!

I simply combine regular and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and peppermints (or candy canes) that I unwrap, put into a big zip-lock bag and crush with the flat side of our metal meat tenderizer. Unwrapping all of the peppermints is the most time consuming step of this whole process, so if you have time for that, then you’re good to go!

There isn’t much of a recipe to follow here. You just want to make sure that you have enough peppermint and chocolate chips in there that you get a good amount in every scoop…

I put it all in the jar and then add powdered hot chocolate mix. Nothing fancy or gourmet necessary. When you mix it all with hot water or warm milk, the chocolate chips and marshmallows melt to make a rich taste, and the peppermint adds the perfect hit of flavor…

When it’s all mixed and ready to enjoy, just make it the same way that you make instant hot cocoa. Fill the mug up 1/4 to 1/2 way with the mix (depending on what your sweet tooth prefers) and then fill the mug with boiling water or warm milk. Stir until all of the marshmallows and chocolate chips are melted. When you get to the bottom of the mug, you’ll be left with some chunks of melting peppermint – my kids’ favorite part!

I made a big jar for my best friend and her family this year, tied it with a bright red ribbon and hung a few jingle bells on it…

And this year, the kids and I decided that this would make the perfect gift for our teacher’s and their families over Winter Break and all season long…


For a prettier presentation, I added more crushed peppermint and chocolate chips on top…


I love how it looks when you open the jar!


My kids are obsessed with this hot chocolate, and if I am being totally honest,
so am I!

*For the adults, a dash of Amaretto is really yummy, and Peppermint Schnapps does the trick as well!*

The kids delivered the gifts to their teacher’s yesterday and I am told that they received rave reviews. Hopefully, along with their families, they enjoyed a cup last night!

This also makes a wonderful gift for friends and neighbors, as a hostess gift, and even as a gift from your child to their friends.

Easy, inexpensive, and so, so yummy!

~ Enjoy ~

P.S. I bought the jars at Fred Meyer, but I know that Target sells them as well. I was able to buy them for $5 a piece, on sale. Not bad, if you ask me!

🙂

P.S.S. I am posting this at:
Tatertots and Jello, Remodelaholic, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Beyond The Picket Fence, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different…Act Normal, The Girl Creative, Blue Cricket Design, The Thrifty Home,

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By Real Estate Club of America March 26, 2019 Off

Lovett Kitchen Reno

We’re getting close to a kitchen renovation. Haaaallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I’ve been patiently waiting for this since we moved in.

I’m not trying to do anything groundbreaking here. I just want some classic updates that will make the kitchen feel brighter and less dated. Less sad, basically. We lack serious counter space, so they’ll be some tweaks with the layout that will hopefully not be too costly. This isn’t our forever house so we don’t want to install too many high-end materials but just want something fresh and new.

And with the amount of cooking TH does, this is sure to be a great investment.

Here are some kitchens I’m inspired by.

.

I love the look of an open floor plan. I was thinking of partially knocking down the wall that adjoins the dining room to allow for that open, brighter feel.

bookshelf

I like the idea of a shelf designated just for cookbooks.

microwaveoverstove

I thought the painted glass cabinet trim was a creative way to add just a small amount of color and depth.

butcherblock

butcher block countertops add durability and organic feel.

Screen shot 2014-06-03 at 12.28.00 PM

subway tile is a bit of a no-brainer. I’m leaning towards dark grout to coordinate with our existing slate floor tile.

And just because I’m hoping to get the ball rolling on this, I’ve already rounded up some items.

Kitchen_renovation _edited-2

light fixture // subway tile // faucet // sink  // hardware // butcher block // runner

I’m ready to demo!

The post Lovett Kitchen Reno appeared first on designstiles.

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By Real Estate Club of America March 26, 2019 Off

Adorable Bedroom with BEDDY’S BEDDING

Do you wanna know the best inventions since sliced bread? Well you’re in for a treat! Beddy’s Bedding is the BEST invention ever! This bedding makes making your bed a breeze.

I’ve always made my bed everyday and so when my children were old enough I taught them how but with their little hands and arms its always been really hard for them.
My daughter had the hardest time making her bed. Sometimes it brought her to tears in the morning because she got so frustrated. 
Along came Beddy’s zip up bedding! 
Angels singing!!
Seriously your guys these are a moms best friend.

Just look at that heavy duty zipper! The quality of these bedding sets is unmatched. The zippers go up and down with such ease. Bed*ease see what they did there?

It doesn’t matter how clean your room is, if your bed isn’t made it still looks messy. Don’t you agree? 
Beddy’s has the choice of cotton or Minky inside. We got the Chic White with the Minky inside and it is so soft and warm. My daughter loves it!
Be sure to go to Beddy’s to check out their other styles of zippered bedding, blankets, and throw pillows.
Now my daughter can quickly “zip” up her bed every morning and there have been no complaints at all! That saves me some serious time in the morning.
If you are interested in saving some time and making your children’s and your bed making experience easier use the code COUNTRYGIRL for 20% off your Beddy’s purchase.

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By Real Estate Club of America March 25, 2019 Off