Hosting Overnight Visitors Without a Guest Room

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When space is limited and guests need overnight accommodations, it’s easy to get a little stressed out. With some creativity and thoughtfulness, you’ll be able to open up your home to them with confidence. Use some of these tips to make the available space you have into a makeshift guest room.

 

First and foremost, make sure that any room you choose is clean. The room may not be spacious, but the fact that it is clean will be appreciated. No matter what you do to make the space accommodating if the area isn’t tidy, your guests will be sure to notice. Next, try to create more surface area for your visitors to work with. If there are miscellaneous items sitting on the floor that you were going to “get to later”, now is the time to clear them away. Any small furniture that can temporarily be moved to another area is also a good way to free up some space as well.  This will give guests room to place their overnight bags and essentials.

 

When it comes to having a place to sleep, there are a couple of options. You may already own a futon that is currently doubling as a couch in the room. If so, great! If not, you might want to invest in a quality air mattress—preferably one that is about two feet from the ground with a non-slip surface so sheets will not slip all over the place while your guests are using it. Make sure to check the label for a mention of easy inflation and deflation so you don’t have to spend too much time on setup and cleanup. Make sure the bedding you use has been cleaned and be sure to provide extra pillows and blankets to accommodate your guest’s sleeping preferences.  Do not use couch pillows, as they can be uncomfortable to sleep on. If you do not have a spare set, it is highly recommended that you invest in them. Your visitors will thank you. 

  

Once the sleeping area has been set up, add things to the space that would make it look and feel similar to staying in a guest bedroom. If this space lacks proper lighting, move a small side table and lamp from somewhere else in your home and temporarily place it bedside. Guests will appreciate somewhere to put their glasses, phone, and book where they can reach it. 

 

Finally, be sure to have spare toiletries available in case anything may have been forgotten.  Place a small basket in the guest bathroom with shampoo, soap, toothpaste and a spare toothbrush. Make sure towels are clean and readily available. A spare hair dryer is also appreciated.

 

Not having a spare bedroom doesn’t mean that you can’t make your overnight guests experience an enjoyable one. Use these tips the next time you need to accommodate friends and family for an extended stay. Your hospitality won’t go unnoticed.

Declutter Your Home

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Many people participate in fall cleaning, just as they do with spring cleaning.  If you do as well, or if you would like advice on a quick deep clean of your home, keep reading! It is a big undertaking, but it always leaves you feeling refreshed. This is a time for you to get your home back to the way it should look. 

1. Clean out your kitchen. 

Let us be honest, our kitchen can get unorganized very easily. Cabinets can fill up with expired food and dishes seem to always be misplaced. Your kitchen is a great place to start when you begin to declutter your life. We always put off deep cleaning the kitchen because it can be a giant task. Here is how you can clean out your kitchen:

  • Throw out any empty bottles and expired food. It feels great seeing all the new space open up in your fridge and cabinets.
  • Reorganize the dishes in your cabinets. Check for any broken dishes and throw them away. Look to see if things are not in their designated spots and move them. 
  • Keep counter space only for items you will use daily. Also, consider the items you never use: think if you really need them or if they will be better suited in the giveaway box. 
  • Time to literally deep clean your kitchen. It will feel amazing to have a refreshingly clean kitchen. You can tackle the scum in your oven, countertops, stove, you name it. 

2. Go through your closet. 

Closets are easy to avoid cleaning out because they are hidden from our guests. We get dressed in the morning and start to throw clothes in different spots or maybe you are someone who just uses that extra closet as storage for who-knows-what. What you need to do:

  • Take EVERYTHING out of your closet. We are going to start with a completely blank slate.
  • Separate everything into different piles: shoes, shirts, pants, etc. Make sure you have a pile to give away. We are sure that you will find some things that you do not wear or did not know you owned. 
  • Look at the quality of the item, if it is worn or torn, throw it out. 
  • Lastly, you can put everything you decided to keep back into the closet. You should have far fewer items than what you started with. 

 

You will feel extremely refreshed after “the declutter” and possibly tired, make sure to treat yourself! Decluttering your home will ultimately declutter your life because an organized home is an organized life. Things may get messy again, but that is when you pull this article out and start all over.

 

How to Choose the Right Color LED Bulb for the Home

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As your incandescent bulbs burn out, it’s a good time to consider switching to LED bulbs. You have always counted on incandescent bulbs to provide a warm yellowish hue for the home. LED bulbs come in a wide range of colors, last for years and are cooler to operate. We have put together a few tips to help you determine how to choose the right color LED bulb and more.

  • LED bulbs can display a wide color range from red to purple, whites and yellows. For the home, generally, we are still looking for the warm yellow that incandescent bulbs produce.     
  • The most popular colors for LED bulbs are “warm” white or “soft white and “bright” white.   
  • “Warm” white and “soft” white produce a yellow hue like incandescent bulbs.  “Bright” white bulbs produce a white blue light like daylight and retail store lighting.
  • Light color or color temperature is measured in kelvins. The lower the number, the warmer more yellow the light. Typical incandescent bulbs are between 2,700K and3,500K. To ensure you are purchasing a warm yellow bulb look for this range when shopping for LED bulbs.
  • LED bulbs are more expensive than the old incandescent bulbs, but are cheaper to operate. LED bulbs will pay off in the long run, they produce less heat, last much longer and can be operated by smart phone technology. As more competition is entering the market, we are already seeing the price of LED bulbs falling and becoming competitive in the market place. Be aware that unless you are replacing many incandescent bulbs in your house, you will not see significant savings in your power bill.              
  • Please note that due to their circuitry, LED bulbs are not always compatible with traditional dimming switches. You may need to replace with a LED compatible dimmer switch, or pay slightly more for a compatible LED bulb. If you experience a LED bulb humming, buzzing, or flickering you need to replace with a compatible dimmer or replace with a compatible bulb.
  • Not all light fixtures or lamps can be used with LED bulbs. If your LED bulb last less than a year, it is probably due to an old fixture or lamp.

As always, we love to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts and ideas per this helpful topic!                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Organizing Your Garage

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You may store your cars, boxes, tools, or miscellaneous items in your garage and that is okay. But we want to help you take your unorganized garage and transform it into a fully functional space. Here are six ideas to organize your garage this summer: 

 

  1. MetalChain Organizer: Attach a hook to your garage wall then hang one end of a metal chain on it. Tightly wrap up your garden hose and secure it onto the metal chain. Attach the other side of the metal chain to your hook and voila, no more tangled garden hoses. It is just that easy.
  2. Window Planter Storage: If you find yourself with a lot of little, miscellaneous items, try using a window planter for storage. You can store things like car wash supplies, spray cans, and gardening tools.
  3. Old Lockers Transformed: Lockers are not just meant for books and backpacks, but they are perfect for storing all garage-worthy items. Touch them up with a nice coat of spray paint and they will look brand new. 
  4. Rethink Old Golf Bags: Before you toss out your old golf bag, use it for storing larger items like racks and shovels. You can even utilize the smaller pockets for things like gardening tools and gloves.
  5. Tipped-over Filing Cabinet: Transform your old filing cabinet into a storage bin by turning it over on its side. Have the drawers facing up then remove the physical drawers from the cabinet. You will be left with four open basins to fill with all your garage supplies like racks, shovels, and mops. If you are looking for a more aesthetically appealing organizer, try to spray paint it a fun summer color to bring beauty into your garage.
  6. Mason Jars: Store all your tiny screws and nails in one place with mason jars. You can even purchase them in a variety of sizes for different projects. You will never lose track of your nails again with this quick fix. 

 

We hope you enjoyed these garage organizing tips and tricks. How do you keep your garage organized? We would love to hear from you in the comment section below: 


The Child’s Bedroom

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A child’s bedroom should be a room where imagination, creativity, and fun are all welcomed. Often, we find it hard to balance the idea of “fun” and organization in their rooms. We want to help you maximize the amount of fun they have in their rooms while maintaining an organized system with these four tips. 

 

Organizing a Child’s Bedroom: 

  1. Think Like a Kid. Before you begin the organization and decorating process, you will need to keep in mind that a child’s bedroom differs a lot from an adult’s bedroom. Things that may seem like stylish options can be harmful or hard for kids to use. Try to make the room as child-friendly as possible by rethinking height, safety, and durability. You may have to lower the clothing rods in your closet to an appropriate height for your kiddo and swap out your trendy dresser for an easy-to-open, pinch-free dresser. Also, you will want to consider how long the piece will last in this room based off of its durability. 
  2. Little Hands. Instead of organizing from top to bottom, focus on organizing from bottom to top. Try to place items like toys in spots that are “easy for them to put away but hard for them to get out.” This will help you, the parent, determine when it is and is not playtime. Also, it will help keep them on track while they are getting ready. You should try and place necessary items near the ground to help the kids refrain from standing up on furniture and potentially hurting themselves. Items that are not used very often or are just for you can be placed on high shelves in the closet. 
  3. Belongings. Kids will be kids and sometimes they will forget their favorite backpack at the park or school. Labeling can help assure their items return home safely and distinguish which pair of socks belongs to which sibling. Try tucking labels inside of their each item to help prevent losing them.
  4. Clean-up Routine. A child’s bedroom can turn into a messy nightmare in seconds. Parents can prepare in advance by making cleaning “fun” and setting a schedule. Encourage them to make their bed every morning to their favorite song and put away their clean and dirty clothes for a treat at lunchtime. Rewards are always fun, no matter what age you are. 

 

We hope you enjoyed these four tips for organizing a child’s bedroom. How do you encourage your kid to stay motivated when cleaning? We would love to hear from you in the comment section.

Southwest Salad

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Keeping things fresh when you are cooking is a one way to improve your health and making salads for your lunches and dinners is a great way to work towards this goal. So what do you do when you have those cravings for tacos or a burrito but can’t have it due to dietary restrictions? 

 

Transforming your favorite traditional flavors and dishes into a salad is one way you can have your cake and eat it too. Here we use mainly fresh produce throughout, with a few optional add-ons for those of us who aren’t trying to be as strict as others. The salad dressing is a yogurt based avocado and cilantro masterpiece that compliments this vibrant salad. The next time you feel yourself reaching for those tortilla chips and salsa, reach instead for your cutting board and vegetables and whip up this great alternative.

 

Ingredients:

1 bag of spinach

1-2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

2 avocados

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/4 cup of greek yogurt

1 clove of garlic

Lime juice

Shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese

Tortilla strips

Salt

 

  1. Wash all of your produce thoroughly. You will want to have a large bowl to throw everything into as you go.
  2. Begin prepping by removing the spinach stems and adding as much as you prefer. 
  3. Slice the red onions to your desired preference, personally, we think they work well diced or in long strips.
  4. Do the same with the bell peppers and toss all in your salad bowl.
  5. Remove the stems from the cilantro and dice up as much as you’d like to add to the salad. Try not to overdo it so that the cilantro doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
  6. Slice open the avocado and cut into chunks and add to salad. Save half of an avocado for the dressing.
  7. In a food processor combined the half of an avocado, yogurt, 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, garlic, a pinch of salt, and lime juice. Pulse until ingredients are properly blended and the consistency is smooth.
  8. Toss the salad with the dressing and to with desired amounts of cheese and tortilla strips. 

 

This is just one translation of a favorite dish turned into a delicious salad. Use your imagination when creating other salads and think about what ingredients you can put together to recreate a healthier version of your favorite recipes!

Inexpensive Ways to Dress Up Your Landscape

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As homeowners, it’s essential for your outdoor space to look just as good as the interior. So if you’ve been investing some work into your garden we know that know landscape is complete without accessories. After you’ve watered the flowers, treated the soil and repainted the fence it’s time to add the finishing touches.

 

Your garden may be beautiful and full of life. It’s clear that it needs something else. From outdoor furniture to water fixtures there are numerous trendy accessories you can use to add some style to your landscape.

 

Landscape Lighting

Perhaps one of the best ways you can create a stunning landscape is to implement a lighting scheme. You can strategically string Christmas lights or you can invest in more inventive lighting solutions. When shopping for landscape lighting you’ll have to first determine what type of illumination you are seeking. Do you desire soft, romantic lighting or do you need lighting for security reasons?

 

Garden Border

No garden is complete without a well-designed border to protect your hard work. Yes, by installing a simple border you can instantly add appeal to the area. A well-crafted garden border with a nice design will attract the eye.

 

Planters

Elegant planters are a must-have accessory for your garden. They will add some life to your dull garden.  Be sure to choose planters that complement both the overall design of your home.  The great thing about planters is that you don’t have to just place them in your garden. You can set them up around the pool, by the windows and along the fence.  You can even plant more exotic foliage in your planters so that when they grow out it creates a unique look in your landscape.

 

Ornaments

Ornaments, sculptures and other types of accents are a form of garden art that adds interest all year round to the landscape. Whether you’re interested in using faeries, gnomes or animal ornaments, do so sparingly.  Overdecorating with ornaments will make your landscape look cluttered and tacky. Therefore, select a few quality pieces to adorn your landscape with. 

Keys to Creating the Perfect Accent Wall

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You’ve been scouring Pinterest searching for ways you can elevate the decor in your room. If you’re set on adding some drama to a space in your home than you may want to consider creating an accent wall. Accent walls immediately capture the eye which is why they are often the primary or secondary focal point of a room. 

 

From paint colors to materials and surface finishes there are unlimited options available when creating an accent wall. Here are some tips to guide you through the process.

 

Go Bold or Go Home

Perhaps the easiest way to begin designing your accent wall is to paint it a different color from what you’ve already used in the space. Since you want this wall to stand out you should use bold colors that you normally wouldn’t use because it would overwhelm the space. You’ll also want to make sure the color that you select complements the other colors used in the room. Remember, dark colors can suck up the natural light in a room.   Whether you opt for a bright or deep color make sure it’s a hue that you love.

 

Try fabric or vintage wallpaper with a bold pattern to create a unique look.

 

Ceramic tile is another material you can use for an accent a wall that will be both unique and eye-catching.

 

The Ceiling

Have you ever thought about extending the accent wall to the ceiling?  A stylish trend in the industry is to add a pop of color to the ceiling. Make the ceiling your accent wall by using vivid colors that will draw attention upwards. Use a neutral color crown molding to separate the wall color from the ceiling.

 

Accessories

Don’t forget to accessorize your accent wall.  Family photographs, mirrors or a mini bookshelf are just a few ways you can add some pizzazz to your accent wall. On the other hand, too many accessories will make the wall look cluttered.

 

Creating a Home Office

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Home offices are essential for busy homeowners looking for organization. But sometimes, your house does not have an extra room for you to make into an office. If you do not necessarily have space to place your home office, we have the solution for you. We have five tips for homeowners to make an office in any room of their house. 

 

Tips for Creating a Home Office: 

  1. Designated Area & Furnishings. 

There is nothing more frustrating than not having a specific area to do your office work. That is why it is essential to designate a specific area of your home. Whether it is in the corner of your guest bedroom or the nook of your kitchen, you should decide on an area to get your office work done. Make sure to put a desk in that area and refer to it as the office desk. 


  1. Functionally Placed Electronics. 

Printers, computers, and home phones can become a bulky nightmare if they are not properly placed in your home office. Try to organize the desk so that it will be easy to use at a moment’s notice. If the office is not functional, you will find yourself frustrated and use it less and less. 


  1. Organized Cords and Cables. 

Cords and cables can be an eyesore in any home office. Try to tuck cords away and tie them up with twist-ties. Make sure to roll the cords properly because you do not want to damage the cord itself. If you are unsure how to roll them, watch some videos online to see the correct way of storing cords and cables. 


  1. Filing System. 

Bills and important paperwork should be your first priority in your home office. To avoid losing them, create an efficient filing system for you to sort through weekly. 


  1. Define the Zones. 

If you and your entire family are using the office, make the office zones to clear to everyone. Make sure they understand where everything goes and what does what.

Make Your Own Window Treatments

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Who does not love a great “do it yourself” project? If you love making your own personalized items, we have the perfect DIY project for you! Imagine unique, custom curtains that you made all by yourself. We have three curtains & tie-back ideas that you can make from items found around your home. Let us get started! 

 

Warning: This project can be extremely addicting! 

 

DIY Window Curtains: 

Curtain No. 1: Stenciled Curtains. 

You will absolutely love the way that these curtains turn out for you. All you need to transform your currently boring curtains is cloth paint, a stencil, and a paint sponge. 

Curtain No. 2: Painted Window Curtains. 

Embody your “middle school art class” self and consider painting unique curtains for your home. You can do lines, shapes or go full out with a complex design. Painted curtains are perfect for a child’s bedroom and/or playroom. These curtains can represent the playfulness found in a child’s room. 

Curtain No. 3: Bed Sheet Curtains. 

You may have extra bed sheets in your home that serve no purpose. Take your old bedding and repurpose them into curtains! Make sure to iron the sheets before you hang them, but with some simple cutting and sewing skills, you can have some inexpensive stylish curtains.

 

Creative Curtain Tie-Backs:

Idea No. 1: Vintage Door Knobs. 

Vintage stores are filled with classic, timeless door knobs that would be perfect for holding back your custom curtains. Before you pitch any old door knobs in your home, consider if you can use them to tie back your custom curtains.

Idea No. 2: Stylish Metallic Chain. 

Nothing says bold like a gold chain tying back your curtains. This trendy look is perfect for rooms that want to incorporate style and function.

Idea No. 3: A Teacup. 

Wait before you laugh at us for this one. If you take out the bottom of the teacup, the body of the tea cup can be run through the curtains in order to hold them back. Try using a vintage tea cups to achieve a classic look. 

 

We hope you enjoyed these DIY Window Treatment ideas and we would love to hear from you. If you have any tips or tricks of your own, please share them with us and the other readers in the comment section below: