Pretty Potty?
Toilet Tattoos has created decorative appliques to spruce your toilet lid according to your mood or season. I would be interested to see this in person, because it’s kinda quirky, but I bet the kids would love to see a little holiday cheer on the loo. (You know what I mean…) Toilet Tattoos are removable and reusable.
Also, Vital has a shop on etsy that sells vinyl decals for toilets, that aren’t reusable, but make more of a statement. I like the urban design of this one and would love to see it in context. You can find this design here.
A New Way to Read Your Favorite Blogs
Google has a great RSS reader that will allow you to catch up on all your favorite blogs – all in one place. Set up "subscriptions" by entering the blog addresses that you regularly read. Google bolds the subscription if there are new posts on the respective blogs so you can stay up-to-date while spending less time clicking around to all your favorite places.
Best part — Google Reader is free. Take the tour here
Eclectic
This image from Elle Decor proves that Eclectic is in. Solid colors coupled with bold patterns and repetition make quite a statement. Although the furniture pieces themselves don’t appear to be all that comfortable, the excess available seating makes the room warm and inviting. There is always a fight between form and function. My husband always wants the puffy puckered furniture because it is almost always much more comfortable. I tend to to lean toward the streamlined and geometric furniture because I think it is more attractive. There is furniture in this picture that fulfill both form and function, creating a cozy room. The oversized portraits in antique frames are a fun touch too!
Mirrors Add Space
Consider using Mirrors in your home to make them appear larger. Mirrors will make a bare wall appear finished, reflect the light within a room to make it warmer, and make the walls seem more open in a room.
Hillsdale Home in Dublin, Ca. has a great selection of new and estate mirrors. See their Astor Mirror below.
It’s Spring — Rearrange the furniture!
Anyone in my family can tell you that from a young age, I was constantly rearranging my furniture. Trying to swap desks with a sister or create new curtains out of any fabric I already had. I usually find that this helps me to think out-of-the-box because, after all, necessity is the mother of invention. For instance, I had a great metal basket holding my makeup in my bedroom. When I decided that metal basket would be great to hold the remotes on top of the coffee table, I was in need of a replacement. I turned to my cake tray (like the one in the picture above) and it became an even better display of the beautiful bottles and makeup brushes.
Last week, I decided to pull my bohemian curtains from my bedroom and put them in the living room. It was a perfect fit. The colors in the living room were an even better match, and it was my favorite kind of transformation: FREE!
Here are some other quick tips when rearranging the furniture:
Switch Places
Try flip-flopping your room. Switch places with your couch and armchairs and see how that changes the space. Try putting the T.V. on the opposite wall. You may find that it opens the walkway, or makes the room look bigger. What’s the worst that could happen? You could just put it back!
New Art
Try your art and pictures in different rooms. Try grouping them together to form a focal wall of pictures. Hang a floating shelf and rest your pictures on the shelf. Above is a picture of a woman mapping out her picture arrangements. You can get how-to instructions here.
Kitchen Display
Take a door or two off your kitchen cabinets and display your colorful bowls, plates and glasses.
Clean the tabletops
Opening up the surface area on the furniture will go a long ways. By doing this you can open up new ways to organize your rooms. Ikea is a great resource for organizing in style. The picture above is how one woman, Julie, decided her office could be: colorful, tidy, and organized. You can see what she did with the rest of her house at the knot.
Be Careful What you Say to Your Sister!
Last summer, my sister Shelley helped Mike Collins write a book called, “The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone.” The book’s main theme is that Open Innovation creates opportunities for people to make money from the things they already know and that you don’t have to have fancy degrees or years of schooling to be an expert on something. In addition to people already prospering in the Open Innovation environment, Mike wanted to profile three people who have the potential to take advantage of this new world but who aren’t already doing so. He selected his own brother (Steve Collins), one of Shelley’s friends (Kelly Hales), and me.
In going through the personal inventory exercise that is part of the book, I came to realize that I have a great deal of practical and personal experience working with homes—buying, selling, renting, refinancing, decorating, painting, and so forth. This insight came by way of working on home make-over shows like Fresh Coat, Design Remix, and Color Splash. It also came from my own experience in just trying to buy, fix up, and sell a home. I’m always interested in home design, and finding ways to decorate your home or apartment creatively.
The book is out this week and Shelley just handed me an advance copy (You can purchase yours here). Because Shelley was so involved in the book, it’s a bit of a family affair. My sister Shannon is also featured in the book as well as my brother BJ’s new business (www.myplace2sell.com). A few of Shelley’s other friends get mentioned as well.
Common Mistakes for New Homebuyers
Anyone who has owned a home can tell you that it can be a strenuous learning experience. Sometimes the excitement of owning your own home can cause you to lose sight of what you really need out of a home, and worse yet — break your budget. Below are a list of some of the ways I have seen first-time home buyers make their first mistakes.
1. Setting the Budget
When analyzing how much you can really afford for a house, stay within your means. I have seen couples buy a house for the maximum amount that they would be able to afford, because to them, the payoff is worth it. These same couples are struggling to make their mortgage every month. Peace of mind, knowing that you are living well within your means will cause less stress for you in the long run. Think about the families today who purchased their home for the very top dollar that they could afford within the last few years. With the housing market crash, many have lost their homes to the bank causing extreme financial hardship. Those who bought at a comfortable price for their income, are definitely feeling the hurt, but will most likely be able to stick it out until the market gets better. We should be able to take a big lesson-learned from the mistakes of these past homebuyers. Be sure to take disasters like this into consideration, as well as your property taxes, homeowners insurance, and HOA’s when setting your top-dollar budget.
2. Budget Breakers
Finding your dream home for $500,000 may seem to be an unbelievable deal. However, if your budget for a house is $400,000, it isn’t the deal for you. Many first time homebuyers get so desperate to own a home that they forget to think rationally. Definitely set your budget ahead of time and make a vow not to break it. Going over your budget will only lead to more learning experiences when you are in over your head.
3. Renovating and Keeping the Home’s Value
Often times new homebuyers purchase a fixer-upper and dig right in to make it the home of their dreams. This is a realistic approach, but if you don’t watch, the money will add up fast. Many families immediately start tearing down walls and ripping up flooring while the credit card bill multiplies. It can be very exciting to create your dream home. Just be sure to take your time, and pay for it as you go. Racking up debt won’t allow you enjoy your new home. And don’t let the costs get away from you. Track what you are spending and make sure that it will increase the home’s value. If you merge two smaller bathrooms into one, this may be more comfortable for you, but think how it will affect your resale value? Will a 3 bedroom/1 bath sell as well as a 3 bedroom/2 bath? Definitely not. It is your home, but consider the possibility that you may need to move due to an emergency, or a new job, and you’ll want to protect your investment and get top-dollar back when you sell your home.
4. Overlooking Flaws
Sometimes finding homes within your price range can be a tall order. Because of this, we often overlook some pretty large flaws, just to be able to own our own property. For example, my husband and I bought a beautiful mid-century home in Sacramento. The flaws in this home were fixable: one bathroom had a blue toilet, sink and shower, and the other had a pink toilet, sink and shower. At the time, we thought it would be no problem to renovate these eyesores, but it proved to be a costly and exhausting endeavor. More severely, some people purchase homes with flaws that they cannot fix. 3 story home? It may be beautiful inside and roomy, but do you really want to chase your three kids up two flights of stairs? Decide what things are important to you before you go house hunting, so you aren’t distracted by the desire of owning real estate.
5. Thinking Too Big
Why does your first house need to be 2,400 square feet? Chances are good that your first home is not the home you are going to end up in. Keeping all of these common mistakes in mind, your first home will be a stepping stone. Something you will most likely grow out of, and learn the things about yourself that you can carry with you on the next home. Start small, learn and grow from there.
Do you have something to add? A learning experience you or someone around you has encountered? Post a comment to add to the list!
Paper Adds Personality
Just thought this was a cute application for the little desktop organizers sold at ikea or others like it. This just has scrapbook paper applied to the front of the drawers. It adds a little personality to the organizer and is less mess than paint! I found this cute idea on Wise Craft.
Put Your Spin on a New Lamp
I found a great semi-do-it-yourself lamp to use with low watt lightbulbs. This lamp comes assembled and includes scissors so you can customize the shade to work with your decor. Such a great idea! You can find it at Generate.
Since this shade works with most hanging lamps, this is great for anybody (tenants and homeowners alike) because you can always take it with you.