Treasure Hill Cottage

I just had my kitchen remodeled, one of the things that I stressed out with my kitchen designer is to make sure that extra shelf space and cabinets were added. Since I really love working in my kitchen, I have a surfeit of pots, pans and bakeware. I also like to see them showcased in one area of my kitchen. As for my small appliances such as blender, coffee maker and oven toasters, I also had the designer create a special place for them.

One kitchen item that shouldn’t be confined to a cabinet is your collection of wine glasses. Their thin glass breaks easily, and stowing them away in a cabinet is just asking for trouble. Since I didn’t want to take up valuable counter space either, I had the designer install a hanging wine glass rack over the island in the kitchen. Now I know my wine glasses are always safe and easily accessible.

This guide will assist you in keeping your crystal collection beautiful and almost dust free as they are oftentimes the cornerstone of home decor. To help prevent dust from entering your corner curio cabinet, apply weather stripping to the edges of the doors. When displaying your pieces, keep them back from the edges to prevent them from falling.

To clean Swarovski crystal figurines, wipe them with newspaper dipped in a solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water. Remove dirt from fine crevices using an inexpensive auto detail brush or soft toothbrush. The bristles are stiff enough to get into tight spaces, but soft enough not to damage surface.

My neighborhood is one of those suburban backdrops that you always see in the movies. Everyone is out on the weekend, pruning their garden and carefully arranging their yard decorations. Every year there is a friendly, yet heated, competition to determine best garden on the block.

It wasn’t a big deal until some of my neighbors got really competitive. My edge is that I’ve got stylish garden decor objects in my yard. No sir, no ceramic gnomes for me! One of the Victorian birdhouses I recently purchased is my centerpiece because it is decorative and useful. Even the judges this year loved it!

We just finished a bathroom addition in the space over our garage and it went a little over budget. I have to spend a lot less on the decor stuff than what I’d like, so I’ve had to do some real bargain hunting to find good deals on stuff that looks great. And when it comes to bathroom décor, it’s pretty important that it be durable quality materials and construction.

I started by purchasing the big-ticket items, such as the sink, tub and toilet, at a liquidation store. Not only did this save me money but it also helped me determine the budget for the rest of the peripherals. Now I know how much I can spend on bath towel hangers, outlet covers and other peripherals.

Most people who own basements often think of the space as dank area without a lot of warmth or potential.  However, basements are also large spaces with a lot of practical uses.  You could turn your basement into a recreation room, a game room, or even a second living room, complete with a fireplace and cozy furniture.  Though their frigid temperature and minimal lighting characterize basements, there’s nothing holding people back from transforming them into locations for family fun.

You might think about adding some cozy furniture first, and then address the lighting with wall sconces, lamps, and a bright central light that illuminates the space. If you can’t afford to install a new fireplace, a space heater works great.  If you want people to spend time in your basement, be sure to install some entertainment as well, whether game tables or electronics.  You could also create a unique theme with some rustic, tropical or some other form of wall decor.

Having one or more garden sculptures as decorations in your yard is the best way to maintain beauty throughout the year. They definitely add charm to the peaceful greenery. Garden sculptures come in many forms and designs; they can be made out of copper, aluminum, and other metals. Some of the whimsical styles you can find are:

~Jug planters - house some of your plants in interestingly designed containers that will add personality to your outdoor area.

~Copper stakes - shaped in the form of various animals, these handcrafted whimsies will brighten every visit to your garden.

~Other metals sculptures - hang these intricate designs like butterflies, the sun, and the moon anywhere outdoors.

Spring is the time when nature and your garden awakes and comes alive after the long winter.  Spring is the time to interplant perennials, shrubs, roses and plant or transplant your annuals.

It’s time to shape up your soil, loosen the mulch around your plants and prune your early blooming shrubs. Rake and remove leaves and debris from your garden. Without a good planting medium your flower garden will never be at its best.

An important part of spring gardening is getting on top of the weeds. Most weeds are fairly easy to control when you start taking them out from early spring on. At that time they still have a shallow root system and because they haven’t bloomed yet they haven’t reproduced either. Taking care of them in spring will pay off big in summer.

Now that all the clean-up, planting, pruning and weeding is done its time to have some fun by adding some garden decor into your beds.  This can take the form of statuary, a bench, stepping stones, decorative birdhouses, a fountain or birdbath.  The list goes on and on.  Choose the item that best suits the theme you are trying to achieve and that reflects your personality.

Spring, it’s really the growing season, and for a gardener it’s perhaps the most beautiful and promising time of the year.

Owing to their storied past, some fixtures are inherently more special and significant than others.  Colonial style furniture for example, is remarkable for its eclectic and elegant combination of materials, which was heavily influenced by the conquering Britons of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and their destinations.  Mahogany fittings, tropical patterns, and bamboo and rattan are all reminiscent of the Colonial era when the British still owned and ruled several states and islands from the Caribbean to the Far East, plus certain parts of America.

Also typifying the Colonial age are cups made of horn, silverware with bone handles, tortoise patterned glass, leather bound books, and letter-writing boxes.  Campaign furnishings, or functional pieces made specifically for traveling Britons in the olden times, are great examples too.  They are characterized by attractive collapsible bed frames, folding mahogany chairs, and writing tables and liquor cabinets fitted into steamer trunks.

Similarly, several furniture styles are directly associated with the British Colonial decor. These are the Pilgrim or Jacobean, the William and Mary, the Queen Anne, and the Chippendale styles.

To have a delightful garden, it’s important to create an atmosphere that encompasses all of the natural elements; water, wood, metal, fire, and stone. Most gardens will incorporate wood and water, but often forget the other three important elements. For metal in the garden, consider silhouette metal art. The images can be whatever you like; cats, dogs, cowboys, it all depends on your tastes, and no, the metal on your garden swing or bench doesn’t count! Fire tends to be most difficult element to include, but in general, a garden lantern, torches, or a fire bowl are excellent additions. Stonework is essential for a thriving garden, including fountains, statuettes, and stepping-stones.

Having an elemental garden will make your outdoor experience much better.  Just think of all the unique pieces you or your visitors will have to admire in addition to the standard flowers, shrubs, and trees!

There’s nothing worse than a cluttered bathroom. In a room that’s probably pretty small to begin with, clutter only compounds the problem. For this reason, make sure that one part of your bathroom decor that you don’t neglect is a high quality set of medicine cabinets. These cabinets come in many different shapes, sizes, and varieties, but the most important thing is that they have lots of shelf space for all your lotions, medicines, and knickknacks.

These shelves should also be of varying heights, so that even tall bottles fit easily. The cabinets can also contain mirrors, which will add a convenient element to the bathroom that you probably want anyway. If you are particularly concerned about the cabinets jutting into the space and diminishing the look of the room, look into the option of recessed cabinets. Just keep in mind that when it comes to cabinets, they’re only helpful if you keep them organized. If everything is cluttered within the cabinets, you still won’t be able to find anything, and the bathroom will be just as messy as it was to begin with.