Dust Ruffles – The Perfect Bed Complement

When you select a mattress, you must find the right kind of base or structure for the bed that creates the look you desire. Dust ruffles are suitable for creating a neat, finished look for your bed. Modern styles, such as platform bases or pedestal supports, are great for foam mattresses.

Black and Grey Bedspread on Bed and Pillow

[Photo courtesy of pixabay/pexels.com]

Common bedding sets often include standard dust ruffles that complement the bedspread, sheets and pillows alike. Often, the pattern matches your curtains or other bedroom accessories. Pairing the bed dust ruffle with a box spring set up is easy; just place the ruffle fabric against the box spring and place a foam mattress over the top. This creates a traditional look that also employs the latest in comfort innovations. Bed skirts may also work with your platform or pedestal bed. Ruffle accents are also available, and these accents snap or zip into place. The lip of the platform base does not get in the way, and you have an attractive finish for any bed. Some inexpensive bases used with foam construction mattresses can be hidden with an over-sized bedspread.

Trying to find bedroom items that all coordinate with each other is a hard task to accomplish for any type of bedroom. However, innovations in both beds and the bedding that dresses them can solve even your most difficult decorating dilemma. Chose a comfortable bed with the kind of mattress that gives you a restful sleep, and make sure all your bedding accessories are suitable for the size and dimensions of your bed.

[ Tagged In ] , , , ,

Moving Home? Take The Stress Out With This Advice

Anyone who has ever moved home will know that it can be a surprisingly stressful experience. No matter how many times you might have done it previously, it is always stressful and there is always a real difficulty in keeping the stress at bay. However, there are certain things you can do to ensure that the experience is much less stressful than it might seem like it has to be. As long as you are following these simple steps, you should find that the whole experience is much easier to go along with and enjoy. Let’s take a look at some of the essential advice which could make all the difference.

Black Leather Book Cover

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Organise Early

Usually, the stress of such situations is merely the result of not planning ahead enough. When you fail to plan ahead, it means that you have to make a lot more decisions on the spot, and this can quickly lead to stress building up on the day itself. To avoid this, the solution is clear: simply get yourself organised as early as you can, so as to avoid such an occurrence happening. It’s true that there is plenty to do on the day, but if you organise as much as you can prior to it, then you are helping yourself out in a big way. This means plan what you will do on the day, what order you will do things in, and go down to the smallest detail you can manage on that. This really makes a huge difference.

Get Professional Help

Very few people can carry out such an event as moving day without any help at all. At the very least, you should try to enlist the help of your friends and family. But more than that, you might want to think about the kind of professional help that you could use. Chances are, you could benefit from some kind of help of this nature – so make sure that you go out of your way to find the best moving quotes that you can, ideally long before the big day itself. With this kind of help on your side, the whole experience should be considerably easier – and definitely much less stressful.

architecture, estate, facade

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

Pack Logically

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are moving is that they fail to pack in any logical way. The truth is, the way in which you pack your belongings makes a huge difference to how effectively the day pans out, so make sure that you pack in a way that really makes sense. Keep all like items together, and remember to clearly mark anything that is fragile or has specific needs. This way, everyone who might be helping on the day is sure to know what they are doing much more readily. With a logical packing system under way, you will find that you feel much more in control of the whole day. Your stress levels will be remarkably lower than they would be otherwise, and before you know it you will be relaxing in your new home.

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , , , ,

DIY Home Decor For The Tentative Decorator

Want your home to look beautiful, but don’t have the funds to hire professional decorators? No need to fear, there’s plenty you can do yourself without breaking the bank! Here are a few points to bear in mind if you’re new to decorating and want to have a go.

Colours and Theme

Before diving in with your decorating, spend some time beforehand on the planning stages. This helps to keep everything looking cohesive, and you will get the best result at the end. Scour blogs and Pinterest for rooms you like the look of, picking out different colours, design features and other elements that catch your attention. Have an idea of the kind of colours and the overall look you want to achieve at the end, this saves you purchasing things that don’t look right and wasting your money. Opting for all neutral walls is your best bet if you are unsure. They will make the room look light, bright and airy and you can bring in colour with home accessories. Paint ceilings and woodwork such as skirting boards and doors in a brilliant white for a super fresh and clean look.

architecture, cabinets, carpet

[Photo courtesy of ATBO/pexels.com]

Painting

It’s always advisable to try out a few paint samples on the walls before investing in a big tin. The colour of the walls underneath and the light in the room will affect how it looks once it’s dry so don’t just take a chance. Once you’ve chosen a colour to get a few samples in different shades and paint them onto the wall so you can see which looks best. Start by ‘cutting in’ which is going around all of the edges of the room neatly with a paintbrush, and do the rest with a roller which is quick, easy and gives a smooth finish. Be sure to cover your flooring with old sheets or painters dust sheets to protect it, take your time and do a second or even a third coat if it needs it. Be sure to let each layer fully dry before moving onto the next.

Wallpaper

Adding some wallpaper to the feature wall in your room is a good way to bring in personality, and is good for those who are new to decorating since it’s a smaller area than a whole room. If you’ve never wallpapered before watch a tutorial online first. Follow the techniques carefully, and ideally have another pair of hands to help you. If you’re unsure, you could use repositionable wallpaper, that way if you make a mistake it’s easy to correct. And if you’re renting it’s easy to remove at the end of your tenancy. If you’ve painted the other walls in a light, neutral colour the wallpaper is where you can be a bit bolder. You could go for a bright or bold colour, a statement design or just keep it subtle if that’s more your style.

Do you do much decorating yourself at home, or do you usually call in the professionals?

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Just a Few Examples of Eco-Friendly Construction Ideas

With billions of people now living on the planet and that number expected to continue increasing, our natural resources are becoming scarcer and it is more important than ever before that we change the way we live so that we can build a greener economy and preserve this amazing planet for future generations. From simple everyday acts, such as recycling or avoiding the use of plastic bags at the grocery store, to making major adjustments to construction plans in order to ensure that buildings are more eco-friendly, there are a variety of ways to live a greener life and contribute to a healthier planet.

Below are just a few of the many ways in which you can make your home greener from the inside out. Some of these are relatively inexpensive while others require a bit of an investment, but each one is more than worth your time and money for the great benefits they provide to both people and planet Earth.

The Interior Of The, Repair, Interior, Design, Sampler

[Photo courtesy of pozytywnewnetrza/pixabay.com]

Non-Toxic Paints

Typical interior and exterior paints contain a host of harmful toxins that actually continue to leak out into the air in and around your home for many years after the paint is applied. That is why many paint brands are now offering lines of eco-friendly paints that do not contain the same toxic chemicals and do not release the fumes either. These are not only healthier for the environment, they are also healthier for you and your family, including your pets. Without worrying about inhaling these toxic compounds, you can rest assured that your indoor air quality is safer for everyone.

Plant, Pot Plant, Sunbeams, Window

[Photo courtesy of Pexels/pixabay.com]

Properly Insulated Windows

Replacing your old windows with newer ones that are designed to keep the temperature just right, you can avoid drafts in the winter that require you to turn your heater up higher and you can also prevent heat from coming into your home in the middle of the summer, forcing you to turn your air conditioner up another notch. By lowering your heater and air conditioner, you will not only save money on your energy bill, you will also be conserving energy as well and you won’t be contributing to harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Home Office, Notebook, Home, Couch, Sofa, Canapé

[Photo courtesy of Life-Of-Pix/pixabay.com]

Earth-Friendly Flooring

When it comes to flooring, there are many options available that are environmentally friendly. If you prefer carpets and rugs, you can purchase those made from recycle materials or those that do not contain harmful chemicals. Or if you prefer wood floors, choose those made from renewable resources, such as bamboo.

Eco-Friendly Building Materials

From long-lasting building materials to those that come from recycled parts, you can construct a durable and comfortable home in a much more eco-friendly fashion these days. If you are in the construction business or you bought a plot of land onto which you want build your dream home, working with a surveyor Christchurch who can properly assess the land and help you develop your construction plans will also ensure that you can work with someone who will build you an eco-friendly home.

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , , ,

The Three Things To Do When Your Heating Fails You

There are a lot of things in our homes that we simply take for granted. This could be the access to clean, fresh water, or even the fact that we have a stable roof over our heads. But one thing that nearly every household doesn’t ever appreciate until it’s gone is the heating system. Most homes have some kind of central heating system, and usually it is gas-powered by a furnace or boiler. This type of system only became widespread across the world in the 1960s, as prior to that many residential properties had to find other ways of heating their homes. But now, we are all used to having a reliable heating system available to us at the flick of a switch. So, what do we do when it fails us?

Cold, Hanging, Home, House, Icicles, Roof, Winter

[Photo courtesy of byrev/pixabay.com]

Don’t panic

If your heating fails you at a particularly desperate time – such as in the middle of winter or when you are expecting guests to come round – it can be pretty annoying. When it happens, many of us tend to go into panic mode and take any measure we can to get it sorted as soon as possible. But before you do anything drastic, stop and think for a second. You may want to try your hand at fixing the issue yourself, but remember it is always better to wait for a professional to deal with it if there is any aspect of the system you are not sure of. Some things – such as re-pressurizing your boiler – are fairly straightforward, but for anything else, always call an expert.

Find a replacement

Just like any other household appliance, boilers have a shelf life. When you move into a new property (whether you are a renter or whether you have bought it) always ask to see a copy of the home’s gas certificates, as this will include all information about the current heating system. Typically, any boiler that is more than 20 years old probably isn’t going to be all that energy-efficient any longer. Therefore, you should consider replacing it with a newer model, and getting an engineer to fit it for you. You can find a whole range of different heaters to suit your needs online at Harsterheating.com/services/residential/heating-systems/, or on similar professional sites.

Pug, Dog, Blanket, Bed, Face, Animal, Pet, Funny

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pixabay.com]

Keep warm in the meantime

It may take a few days for your heating system to get fixed, or for a new one to be installed. During this time you may just have to put up with being cold – but there are things you can do to make this time a little bit easier for both you and your family. Bring down lots of blankets from bedrooms and any that are hiding in draws and all snuggle up on the couch together. Body heat is severely underrated when it comes to keeping yourself warm! If you can, get hold of an electric heater too to spread some warm air around until your system is back on. Not having any heating in your home can be a pain, but it doesn’t mean you need to suffer without it.

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Novice’s Guide To Keeping The Garden Healthy

The garden is, for most people, one of the most important parts of the house. It is certainly often the most beautiful, and knowing how to tend to it properly can be something of an art form. Keeping the garden aesthetically pleasing and relaxing to be in is one thing, but it is quite another to keep the place as healthy as it can be, and this usually takes considerably more understanding. It definitely takes more work, and perhaps that accounts for the amount of gardens that suffer terribly from not being cared for properly. Don’t let your garden become one of those – take a stand today and learn how to keep it healthy for longer. Take the following tips as a starting point.

Green Leaf Plant With Fruit

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Watch Out For Pests

One of the most important things for you to do is to watch out for any pests that might be lingering around. No matter what kind of plants you do or do not have in your garden, pests are always going to be a potential issue. Therefore, learning how to spot them and deal with them is going to prove to be vital if you are dedicated to keeping your garden as healthy as it can be. Some of the more obvious signs of pests can be that your plants are being nibbled, or even that they look diseased. It is also worth getting to know the different bugs that abound in your part of the world; some will be friendly, and even useful to the gardener, and other will be a nuisance. Learning this is one of the most important steps you can take to looking after your garden more effectively.

Keep The Lawn Trimmed

There are a number of reasons why you might want to ensure you keep the lawn trimmed, some of them aesthetic and others related to the health of the garden. Above all, it is a good idea to mow the lawn every six weeks or so, no matter what time of year it might be, as this helps the all-round health of the garden to no end. This is one of those tasks where the quality of the tools being used really helps, so make sure you have a decent lawn mower before you get started. You might even want to take a look at some lawn mower reviews before you start, to ensure that you have the best one for your particular garden. With a well-kept lawn, often the rest of a garden seems to just fall into place.

Green Push Lawn Mower

[Photo courtesy of Unsplash/pexels.com]

Check Plants Before Buying

Whenever you purchase plants to add to your garden, it is really in your interest to check them thoroughly before buying them, and definitely before planting them with your other plants. This is because they could be carrying any number of unpleasant diseases, diseases which could swiftly wipe out the majority of your garden. Check the roots, first and foremost, as this is one of the easiest ways to tell whether a plant is diseased or not.

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , , , ,

The Secret Garden

Children love mystery and magic of fairy tales or great stories.  One story that is known the world over is the English classic, The Secret Garden.

It is about a young girl, Mary, who is discovering her way in life after growing up in India.  She doesn’t like her new home too much and there is a very sad boy who lives in the house.  Upon adventuring around the grounds she stumbles upon a locked door in the garden.  She is determined to break through and eventually discovers a secret garden.  The story is based around bringing this garden back to life and making the boy better by sneaking him outside.  It is purely delightful and worth a read.

Our garden’s can often be less than magical but that doesn’t mean, with a little creativity, we can’t take a leaf out of Mary’s book and give our children something amazing.

[Photo courtesy of Leah Kelley/pexels.com]

Think about what you want to achieve, a secret hidden away cove behind her wall of roses?  Perhaps a tucked away fruit garden for your kids to discover and delve into? Or even a real modern rockery with water features or even an inverted fish tank.

Before you get stuck in it’s worth giving a termite treatment now.  Prevention is better than cure and discovering you have a problem after all your landscaping could lead to disappointment.  Once you have the all clear and advice on how to avoid any invasions, get to work.

Little girl breaks the flowers

[Photo courtesy of Kaboompics // Karolina/pexels.com]

Busy families mean keeping on top of a garden can be quite demanding.  But if you enlist the help of your little ones then not only will you have them outside creating, you will also have some keen green fingered workers to help you with digging and planting.

A fun and unique twist on a garden, if you have little or no outside space, is the brilliant living wall.  This is an eco wall of oxygen promoting plants.  You can have them indoors our outdoors and they will purify the air of pollutants.  In fact growing an eco wall in urban areas has quite a positive effect on the environment.

Herbs are a really simple grow and offer a variety of scents which your children can enjoy.  Fruits produce both flowers and then edible delights! Roses can hide fences or walls under their beautiful large petals or you could go with another great kid pleaser, the towering sunflower!

Get creative with your outdoor space and encourage the children to play.  Dedicating a little area all of their own will make them feel like they have a little hideaway and also kick start them off on the road to enjoying creating things.  Bringing a plant to life is one of the most humbling things we can do with simplicity.  Just make sure to teach the children any potential dangers of playing outside in the garden, such as eating fruits they don’t know.  A little bit of mud is good for the immune system, but washing hands is vital after handling plants!

[ Tagged In ] , , , , ,

An Essential Guide To Saving Time When Completing DIY Projects

DIY projects can be extremely fun and at the same time, they give you the opportunity to save lots and lots of cash. Since the economic recession took its grip, a lot of people have been considering completing tasks in the home rather than employing a contractor. Here is your chance to save huge amounts of cash!

If you are considering doing any kind of DIY projects, you need to read this essential guide. This guide will help you save lots of time with each project, but will also ensure that each project is completed to the highest standard possible.

Plan

The first thing that you need to do before you begin is plan the project. This means ensuring you have the right tools, deciding when you will have time to complete the project and even sourcing materials.

If you plan in advance, you will save a lot of time. For instance, if you don’t have all the materials you might find that you are going from one DIY store to the next, just to pick up odd washers and valves. By ensuring that you have ordered all of these items online before hand, you could end up saving yourself a few hours.

Write, Plan, Business, Startup, Start-Up, Notebooks

[Photo courtesy of StartupStockPhotos/pixabay.com]

Organize

Once you have planned your project down to every single fine detail, you need to think about organising your work space in a methodical way. Before you begin get all the tools out that you need and place them where you will be using.

Do the same with any materials that you have purchased. If you don’t organise your work place before hand, the job will end up taking a lot longer. Of course, if you are doing things like painting or plastering, you will want to cover up all the windows and carpets to ensure that they don’t get damaged or dirty.

Complex Tasks

The next thing to consider is whether or not there are any individual complex tasks that are part of this project. This might include things such as pipe bending and soldering, carpet fitting or high level plastering.

If you can see any part of the job being extremely complex, it might be worth calling in an expert. Although it will cost money, it will save you lots of time. An expert is likely to take half the time to complete a task in comparison to you, simply because of their experience. They are also likely to complete jobs to a much higher standard.

Tool Belt, Roof, Belt, Tool, Construction, Work, Worker

[Photo courtesy of alluregraphicdesign/pixabay.com]

Tooling

You will need to buy or rent the correct tools for the job. Don’t try and complete a DIY project without the correct tools. If you do you are going to do one of two things; damage materials or take extremely long to complete the job.

There are some expensive tools that might make jobs run a lot more smoothly and a lot faster. For instance, if you are trying to fix a leak in a pipe that is underground, you can use GPR scanning to locate the leak rather than ripping up the floor.

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , ,

Living with Lifespans – What Needs Replacing?

Here’s a bit of a shocking fact for you – over a period of 30 years, a house and its contents could need as much as 50% of it repairing or replacing from the position it was in at the beginning of this period of time. Let’s face it, you have to be one of the unlucky ones if you are going anywhere near 50% and over if it’s not a house that you have bought as a do-up project, but the figures mainly come from what resides inside the house itself rather than the upkeep of the building.

So, what are the things that fall under the replacement category and what is the recommended lifespan of each thing – are you being shortchanged or are you long overdue a replacement?

Child Playing Front Loader Toy

[Photo courtesy of Markus Spiske raumrot.com/pexels.com]

Flooring

Good, solid wooden flooring can last centuries. Tiled flooring can, too – you can see it houses and churches in the United Kingdom that have lasted through several Kings and Queens and could probably tell a lot of stories … if they could talk. Planned care and restoration of both wooden and tiled floors can help extend the lifespans for future generations to appreciate. Laminate, lino and carpets are another matter entirely – if you are over the 10 year recommended threshold for the longevity of these products, then you should probably start looking at Online Carpet Sale and other such sites to keep your flooring in tip-top condition.

comfort, control, cooking

[Photo courtesy of  WDnet Studio/pexels.com]

Household appliances

All appliances have different recommendations as to how long they will last. A vacuum will last you up to 25 years if serviced and cared for, yet you may think of replacing it a lot sooner to keep up with the increasing demands of both efficiency and productivity.  Everything else pretty much has an average of 10-15 years – so your washers, dryers, dishwashers, microwaves etc should keep going for a fair while, but you may find that they will either go on a lot longer or cut short a lot sooner than expected; it’s always one or the other!

 Brush painting the white wall

[Photo courtesy of  WDnet Studio/pexels.com]

Fixtures, fittings and furnishings

Paint will naturally start to lose colour/chip or peel away/look grubby over the years. Sometimes it can last for a good while,but it’s always worth acknowledging that a touch-up every couple of years will help it to stay in a great condition and look fresh. Hands on walls, especially where people are holding on for stability or pushing against things such as light switches, will always leave a mark; you can’t ever guarantee how clean a person’s hands are. The recommended lifespan of paint is just 7 years – yet you’d be hard pressed finding someone who actually makes the effort to redecorate their whole house that often. There are new trends in paint on the market, with wipe-clean options available for those marks that start appearing. Keep it in a good condition and you can probably exceed the lifespan and laugh in the face of the grim reaper when he comes round and starts picking away at your walls!

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , , , ,

Ward Off Unwanted Attention From Your House With These Ideas

Burglar, At Night, Window, Crowbar, Flashlight, Glove

[Photo courtesy of fbhk/pixabay.com]

Your home will be your castle, so there is no wonder that you just want to retreat into it at the end of a busy day at work or with the kids. The last thing you will want is any unwanted attention aimed at your house or yourself! So, how do you deal with people trying to get to you when you are supposed to be relaxing in your own home? Well, here are my top tips for warding off all that unwanted attention from your home.

Window, House, Curtains, Architecture

[Photo courtesy of samarath/pixabay.com]

Burglars And Intruders

One of the main forms of unwanted attention will come from potential burglars and intruders. Under no circumstance will you want these people anywhere near your home! Thankfully, there is plenty that you can do to deter intruders and burglars from your property. One of the best things is equipping your home with either a burglar alarm or a CCTV camera system. Once a burglar spots either of these on the exterior of your home, they will instantly be put off from attempting to enter your house as there is just too much risk. The alarm could go off, which would bring attention to the property, or their faces could be caught on the CCTV. One mistake that many homeowners make is that they leave their spare set of house keys somewhere outside in case they ever accidentally lock themselves out. That spare set of keys is basically an invitation to intruders to let themselves in! One way to make sure your keys don’t fall into the wrong hands is to switch from a traditional lock to a key fob style lock, such as the ones from Keycard Ninja. These types of locks can’t be picked like traditional ones, and rather than leaving the key fob outside in a hiding place, you can simply give it to your neighbor for safekeeping.

Thief, Burglary, Break Into, Balaclava, Crowbar

[Photo courtesy of TheDigitalWay/pixabay.com]

Pests And Vermin

Not all unwanted intruders in your home are going to try and steal your expensive tech and valuables. Some may try and make their own home in your house! Of course, I’m no longer talking about burglars anymore – I mean pests and vermin! These little creatures will try and make their way into your home no matter what. Thankfully, there are plenty of things that you can do to keep them well away from your property. One of the most obvious ways is to keep a very clean and tidy home. Most pests and vermin will make their way into your home to try and find food and water. So any leftovers or fresh ingredients that are left out on worktops in your kitchen are going to attract all these little critters into your home. So make sure that you clean up well after any cooking and baking. You should also regularly check the frames around your windows and doors. Small gaps can develop in these, which can provide entryways for small insects, rats, and mice. If you notice any new gaps, you should repair them as soon as possible.

Animal, Attractive, Beautiful, Black, Boy, Brown, Close

[Photo courtesy of Meditations/pixabay.com]

Teenagers

Do you have some troubles with your neighbors’ teenage children? Or maybe you live in an area where teenagers regularly congregate and hang out. Even if these children aren’t targeting your house directly, their presence can still be very annoying and, in some cases, even intimidating. If your main issue with these kids is that they are hanging out in your area and demonstrating unsociable behavior, then you should speak to your local police about it. They will be able to disperse any gangs who meet up and move them on. If things get particularly bad and the teenagers get exceptionally rowdy, then the police can always escort them home. Unfortunately, sometimes teenagers can be extremely unruly and target certain properties for no reason. They might cover part of your home in graffiti or, even worse, cause damage to your house or garden. If this happens, you should contact the police who can then work at catching the culprit. If they are caught, they can then be forced to pay for any repairs and cleaning that is required. Depending on the severity of their crimes, they may even be convicted and forced to pay a fine. To make sure that you don’t become the target of any local teenagers, though, you should endeavor to speak to their parents at the first sign of any bad behavior. This should nip things in the bud before things escalate.

Student, School, Back To School, Schoolyard, Education

[Photo courtesy of Wokandapix/pixabay.com]

Spam Callers

There are some forms of attention that could even affect you inside your own home. And one of these types of annoying attention comes from spam callers. These days, many sales companies employ telesale employees who call random households to try and sell their products and services. This can be extremely annoying for people on the receiving end, and many homeowners feel that it is a breach of their privacy. Especially since the sales company has somehow got hold of their home phone number without their knowledge! But thankfully, you don’t need to deal with these annoying spam calls for too long. There is plenty that you can do to stop them calling. One of the best ways is to add your phone number to a do not call registry. The companies are not allowed to contact any of the numbers in these registries. Another way for dealing with these calls is to not hand out your phone number so freely. When you are filling out forms, leave the contact number section blank whenever possible.

Phone, Home, Telephone, Numbers, Landline, Network

[Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures/pixabay.com]

Door To Door Salesmen

Back in the fifties and sixties, door to door salesmen were very common. However, over the past few decades, they have started to be seen as a nuisance, and fewer companies send them out. However, there are still ones which do. If you don’t want to be bothered by these salesmen, you can place a sticker in your home saying that they aren’t welcome. Otherwise, see if there is an online registry to which you can add your address to which will blacklist it for sales companies.

[ Tagged In ] , , , , , , ,
Page 21 of 74:« First « 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 » Last »