Decorating Tips For Teen Rooms

Teen rooms can be a real challenge but they don?t have to be. The most important thing to remember when decorating or redecorating a teen room is to keep an open mind and listen to your teen?s thoughts regarding her own space.

You see, teens have their own style and in most cases desire a room the reflects their individuality. For parents sometimes it?s hard to accept that our teens decorating ideas may not match our own.

You also need to consider what end of the teenage scale your child is on. Chances are a teens taste and sense of self will change considerably between 13 and 17. Hence, the reason to tread lightly with fads and trends that may be here today and gone tomorrow.

Air on the side of caution and put a spending cap on major d?cor items that may be trendy but expensive. This is achieved by keeping the core elements of the room simple and using trendy accessories to enhance not overpower the room.

* Update your teen?s furniture with a coat of paint or other decorative touches.

*Turn a small table into a cool make-up vanity by painting it to match the room?s d?cor.

*If your teen opts for a deep color on her walls, accent the room with a few bright accessories to bring a sense of warmth to her space.

*Use colorful bed linens to bring decorative elements together. Purchase extra sheets and use to make matching window and lamp shades.

*Looking for a little height and drama? Think vertical stripes in vibrant colors.

*Don?t replace worn out wall-to-wall carpeting instead opt for a low maintenance painted floor with throw rugs.

For more teen room decorating ideas visit http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net/teen-bedrooms-designs.html

Sherrie Le Masurier is an organizing consultant who helps parents organize and decorate their children's rooms. She is a member of Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) and co-owner of http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net - Copyright.

Preserve Evergreen Memories

Preserve memories with decorative picture frames. Picture Frames add exceptionality to pictures and keeps your pictures and memories evergreen. Picture frames provide support, protection and artistic veracity. The art of picture framing was instigated during the Renaissance period, due to the need to individualize and augment ingenious works.

Picture frames are available in different shapes and materials from the simple design to the contemporary styles. The picture frames are either mass produced or custom made frames from professional frame makers. Picture frames are either square shaped, rectangular, oval or heart shaped.

Picture frames can supplement the value or lessen the value of pictures based on the frames you choose. The picture frames are available in different materials which are usually made of silver, glass, enamel, digital photo frames, wood or even funky frames in classical or elegant styles. Some fun and fancy picture frames also available which is heart shaped porcelain or house shaped wood frame.

The picture frames protects your photos and hidden memories from direct lights, moisture and natural acids in our hands. Picture frames also looks great for gifts. It will be majestic gifts for wedding or other occasions.

Buy your pictures by keeping following features in mind. First decide what type of frame you want to buy, whether you need simple or ornamental frame .Secondly decide on color, style and materials of the frames and then price of the picture frames. Since both economical and expensive picture frames are available.

Picture frames enhances elegance and splendor of your picture. The frames are also available as table tops or wall hangings. The table top picture frames are available in square, rectangular or oval shaped. The wooden hangings may be hand painted, carved or plain.

Tamil Selvi is a SEO copywriter for smdblue.com, She has written many articles in various topics. For more information visit http://www.smdblue.com. She can be reached at tamil@searchenginegenie.com

Selecting Furniture for a Play Room

The furniture you choose to put in your play room depends mostly on your family?s definition of ?play room.? If your play room is for a toddler to have lots of running room, your furniture will differ greatly from the play room designed to give adults the feel of a sports bar atmosphere.

If your play room is designed with a mobile child in mind, you probably will not need much furniture. An appropriately sized table for the child to sit at while coloring or drawing, playing with puzzles or doing crafts is a must along with a sturdy chair. A good toy box that could double as a hope chest for the child later is another good furniture item to include in the room. Throw in a couple of chairs for the kids to wallow on and your furniture needs are met!

A play room for older kids will differ in its furniture needs. A table with sturdy chairs will still be vital. Older kids who like to watch television or movies and play video games will also need a solid entertainment center or tv stand on which to hold the tv set. You?ll need more seating for older kids, too. They tend to have more friends visiting and will require more seating area.

If your play room is for adults, furnish it accordingly. In addition to any favorite games, like pool or billiards, you will want your play room to have quality furniture in it too. Select a nice sofa or sectional with plenty of seating. Select coffee and end tables that can move quickly to accommodate snack trays or your favorite board game. If you are going to have video games in your play room, make sure your seating is placed for good game play.

If your play room is going to be used for hobbies, make sure your furniture is suited for the hobby of your choice. If your hobby is scrap booking, you will need a good, comfortable desk and a nice chair. A hobby such as needle point would require a comfortable chair with good back support and good lighting. If writing is your hobby, your ?play room? may take on the look of a home office instead. Invest in good furniture that includes a computer desk and a comfortable chair.

No matter what your family?s definition of ?play room? is, you can utilize it best and get the most enjoyment from it when you furnish it according to its intended use. Don?t put a lavish sofa in your play room if it will be subjected to frequent spills and gooey drops of food. Likewise, don?t expect to be comfortable on furniture that is way past its last legs. Know your space, know your needs, and know your budget. When you take those things into consideration, you will make good decisions regarding the furniture and accessories you select for your play room and you can concentrate on what the room was intended for ? having fun!

Bob Benson is the founder of Furniture online. You can check out our website at http://www.doll-furniture.info

Decorating on a Dime

Decorating your home and office can be a challenge if you are on a budget. There are so many different options, and most of them are outside of your financial grasp. A good piece of art work could cost you thousands, not to mention framing. How then do you decorate on a dime?

First, you need to know where to shop. Don?t go to a high end art gallery and expect to find something in your price range. Instead window show at the galleries for ideas on paintings that you like. Take that information and start shopping online. There are dozens of discount artwork websites, many of which offer prints of popular paintings. Try an e-coupon site to get some additional discounts on artwork. You can find coupon codes for some of the top discount artwork sites, saving you a great deal. Many throw in free shipping for going through one of these discount coupon sites.

Once you know where to shop, you need to figure out how to get the most art for your buck. Buying prints is an easy way to save some money. Print manufacturers will take a copy of a famous piece of artwork and print it out on a sheet of paper. Some of these prints may be printed on canvas for an authentic look, while others are on high gloss photo paper. They come in a variety of different sizes, and work well for almost any d?cor. Prints are so cheap; you can outfit a dozen houses for what you would pay for one piece of original artwork elsewhere.

Another tip is to forgo the framing and matting and do it yourself. Many artwork sites will tack on another hundred dollars for framing. Try going to your local craft store to purchase an inexpensive frame and mat. It takes only seconds to put together, and you will be very pleased with the overall look. No one will ever know how much money you saved by doing it yourself!

Lastly, be creative with your artwork. If you are unable to find prints that suit your style, try to think outside of the box. You can frame just about anything. Try framing posters, postcards, or even play programs for an interesting look. One of my favorite rooms in my home is filled with interesting postcards. They are all from different eras, and create a fun and interesting look. Best of all, it was super cheap! I spent about $50 dollars on frames, and about $20 for the entire set of postcards. It was a great deal, and I get so many compliments on the room.

Melanie Breeze, avid online shopper and user of online art coupons, is always shopping around for the best deals. You can find art deals and most coupons available around the web at CouponChief, all in one location. Finding a coupon before your online purchase helps you get that extra discount!

Create a Garden and Patio Design To Enjoy YearRound

Retreat to a garden and patio design that's beautiful year-round, and takes minimum fuss. What makes this possible? Carefree plants with continuous blooms, and a well-planned garden structure.

You don't need to be a lawn and garden expert or landscape designer to do this. Here are a few tips for creating a super yet simple garden and patio design that will be a knockout!

The first step is to take a birds-eye view of your garden and patio area. Make a rough sketch of your space, and play around with a few designs until you like what you see. As you're doing this, get some great ideas from existing garden and patio decorations. Pay a visit to other people's gardens, or public gardens. Look through home landscaping and gardening magazines, find what you like, and develop plans of your own.

Decide what style or theme is right for you... formal, casual, rustic, Southwestern, Japanese... there are enormous possibilities. Then stay with that style and theme so the overall effect does not become confusing. For instance, you wouldn't want to combine bronze garden sculptures of saints or cherubs with rustic wooden wagon wheels.

Imagine what your patio area will most often be used for. You may plan to entertain lots of outdoor dinner guests. If so, be sure your patio space has plenty of room for the largest number of people right from the beginning. Your patio may be more of a private, reflective retreat for enjoying the sun, reading a book, or gazing up at the stars. Determine the use of shade, open sun, or even covering it with a roof.

Now take your favorite ideas and put them into your rough plans - and soon you'll have a design that is ready for action.

The next step is to create your garden and patio design to scale - you can use landscaping software for this, or do it by hand. Choose the flowers you intend to plant, noting how many you will need for each month of your growing season, and select the landscaping structures that will give your design its form.

Some say the secret to a beautiful garden and patio design is having a good amount of hard structure. This is what landscape designers refer to as good bones - walls, fences, garden bridges, gates, garden arbors, landscape statues, garden fountains ... even a strong line of evergreen plants.

Garden structures such as these create forms and lines, giving your garden and patio design definition and dimension. Plus, in the winter when most plants are empty and bare, your garden will preserve its shape and sense of completeness. It's amazing how just one or two structures can produce this satisfying effect.

Most garden and landscaping structures are built to withstand the elements. Treated pine, cedar and teak garden furniture, trellises, arbors, and decorative fencing are great choices. Stone, copper, and bronze garden statuary will never let you down. Garden fountains bring incredible beauty and atmosphere to any garden and patio design - in fact, entire gardens have been built around them.

Next, choose annual spring flowers and perennial plants that will give you blooms from one season to the next. For instance, select carefree roses that need no pruning or spraying, and bloom continuously from spring through fall. Fill planters with beautiful blooming flowers such as Oriental lilies or verbena for different colors all summer long. Establish flower beds in corners or along walk ways. Always consider your local climate and plant according to the sun and shade needs of your plants.

As you plan your garden and patio design, create paths or walk ways that lead from one area to the next. Rambling garden paths are relaxing and charming... and if laid out thoughtfully, will be a big help to you as the gardener. Paths can be of stone, brick, flagstone, gravel, or mown turf, although grass paths require more upkeep. Garden sculptures or sitting benches thoughtfully placed along the way provide wonderful expression.

If you want garden and patio designs that are pre-drawn, there are ready-made plans available in books and magazines. This is another fine way to get off to a solid start. Use pre-made garden plans from start to finish, or incorporate parts of them right into you own creative plans.

Copyright 2006 Robert Mosse

Robert Mosse is a gardening and lawn care specialist and author of the Easy Lawn and Gardening Book Series. Visit Robert at Lawn And Gardening Tips for great gardening info... and get the free Guide for 101 Gardening Tips.

Decorating With Art

A Little Savvy with Framed Art Prints and Photographs Can Help Successfully Pull a Room Together

Maybe you?re restricted by an older living space with existing furnishings, or overwhelmed by the possibilities a stark new space may offer. Maybe you?re decorating with unlimited funds, or on a shoe string budget. What ever the circumstances, framed art and prints can offer numerous solutions to decorating dilemmas, and they are often key elements in bringing a room together.

To use framed art successfully, as wall d?cor, color, and grouping, proportions and hanging need to be given careful consideration. Begin by thinking about the feeling or mood you wish to convey. Consider the colors and styles of existing furnishings, you may wish to reinforce, contrast or complement especially those that would be difficult or costly to change, such as flooring or bathroom fixtures. Study the space itself. Is it large and expansive, with high ceilings, or small and intimate?

So, now that you?ve begun thinking about mood, space, color and placement, here are some thoughts about materials and tools. If conservation is an important concern, the matting material should be one hundred percent acid free rag board. This is what museums use. Double mats may work well in situations where you want to maximize an accent color. The accent colored mat is usually placed under the lighter mat so only about one sixteenth to one quarter inch (about three to five centimeters) of it shows. Mats are usually four ply, but thicker, eight ply mats can really draw in the eye. They work best with photos and very small prints. Silk mats may be used in more formal and classic situations. If a mat is not used there are spacers, called fillets that may be used to prevent the piece from touching the glass. This prevents condensation from forming. UV glass does not prevent, but will cut down the amount of fading, over time. Always make sure your mat and frame are not distract!

ing the viewer's eye away. They should compliment the piece, not compete for attention. And, finally, I suggest a level and a good sturdy hammer, if you?re doing the hanging yourself.

Careful hanging, relationships, and grouping will help give a professional look. Unity is most important in bringing a display of pictures, prints and photographs together. Grouping frames for your walls are will give character to the setting. Frames in the same color and finishes unify a collection, even if pictures are of various shapes and sizes. Framing different subjects with the same color mount also helps unity.

Placing all the items you wish to group for a particular wall, on the floor in that room is an easy way to visualize a plan. You can rearrange the items until you are satisfied. Then, step back and check the arrangement, before going to the wall. Remember, a consistent spacing factor between each item is important. Picture cords and large hooks may be hidden under bell cords, ribbons and decorative rosettes. For formal settings, chains can hang pictures on traditional picture rods. Large, bold pictures can be further away, in more open rooms. Small detailed pictures should be hung in intimate halls and baths. The most common error made in hanging pictures is to hang them too high. Standing eye level of an average person is fine for halls and entryways. In living and dinning rooms, pictures should be at eye level when seated.

Celeste is a free lance designer and illustrator who earned her BFA degree, with a major in illustration and a minor in portraiture, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her works can be found in various corporate and private collections as well as online at The Northern Ohio Illustrator's Society where she serves on the board.

About The Author

Celeste is a free lance designer and illustrator who earned her BFA degree, with a major in illustration and a minor in portraiture, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her works can be found in various corporate and private collections as well as online at The Northern Ohio Illustrator's Society, www.nois.com, where she serves on the board.

For more works of art, please visit our Art Gallery of Fine Prints and Posters from www.crookedWall.com. Home to over 100,000 art prints and posters, easily sort able by artist and style.

The Benefits of Large Birdcages

We?ve all heard the phrase, ?Free as a bird.? In the wild, birds are free, flying from tree to tree in effortless abandon. At home, we should recreate that environment to the greatest degree possible. In general, we should buy the largest cage that will safely accommodate our feathered friend.

In order to be comfortable, birds need ample space in order to be comfortable. It should be able to spread its wings easily and move from perch to perch. Like all of us, birds need exercise. It stands to reason, then, that larger or more active birds need large bird cages.

A macaw, for example, needs a cage that is at least three feet long and five feet wide! Amazons, African grays, conures, and cockatoos also require large bird cages, though not as large as the macaw. Before making such a purchase, make sure that you have enough space available in your home.

Large bird cages are available in a variety of materials, such as wood, metal, iron, stainless steel, and acrylic. You can choose based on many factors, but convenience should definitely be considered. Your large bird cage will need to be cleaned regularly, and stainless steel or metal cages are usually the easiest to clean.

Large bird cages are available at most pet stores and specialty bird stores. They can also be ordered online. For a large bird cage built specifically for your space, you might consider a custom bird cage.

Bird Cages Info provides detailed information in decorative, large, custom, acrylic, antique, wooden, and discount bird cages sale, as well as covers and stands. Bird Cages Info is the sister site of Dog Beds Web.

Baby Shower Party Planning Ideas

Baby Showers can be so much fun and serve as a great way to share in the excitement of a new baby with everyone, while getting lots of gifts. A traditional baby shower brings up images of white and pastel, very calming influences for the mother to be, but you can experiment with your color scheme. Sunflower yellow may be a good color to use for a baby due in the summer. Or if you know the gender you can add liberal amounts of blue and pink. Green is a good earthy color and symbolizes fertility.

An easy game for everyone at the party can be, 'Name the Baby.' Pass a hat around and let guests put in one or more slips of paper with their suggestions of what to name the baby. The suggestions can be traditional or outrageous. Then the expectant parents can pick out the slips one at a time and if they don't like the name they have to come up with good reason for rejecting it. This will get a good laugh out of everyone and hopefully expand the list of possible names for parents to think about.

Gifts given at baby showers are usually geared towards the baby and the mom. Don't worry about what you're going to get them and remember it's more than okay to think extremely practical. If all you can think to give is a caseload of diapers the parents will be extremely grateful, especially at two a.m. when they're changing what seems like the fiftieth diaper that day.

Food at a baby shower can probably be appetizers and drinks. The focus is on celebrating with the soon-to-be-mom, not making her get up and cook for twenty people. If you want you can turn it into a potluck party and have guests bring you dinner, while all you provide is the plates, cups and silverware.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Baby Shower ideas, games, , recipes, menus and party tips.

Nursery Rhymes: A Childhood Tradition!

Mother Goose, and nursery rhymes are almost a rite of passage, but are certainly a childhood tradition. Nursery rhymes may be recited in different languages, and vary from country to country across the globe, but there is some form of nursery rhymes present in every country and culture. There is no better theme, with which to welcome a new baby into the world than a nursery rhyme baby shower!

For an easy nursery rhyme theme invitation to your baby shower, purchase plain card stock from an online source, a computer store, party supply store, or department store. Using your home computer, print the cards with graphic cows jumping over a moon, and print, ?Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, and the cow jumped over the moon! Someone you know is having a baby soon! Little Jack Horner stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum, we?re having a nursery rhyme baby shower, and it would be a shame if you didn?t come!? Then, include all the relevant information, and send or hand deliver the invitation! You could also do something very similar, and send the invitations via email!

National Mother Goose Day is May 1st, but Mother Goose is timeless, and you can hold your own nursery rhyme baby shower any time of the year! It is easy to play nursery rhyme charades or Jeopardy, or have a nursery rhyme quiz. Do you remember what happened to Jack Sprat? What about Little Miss Muffet? The winner can receive prizes for knowing the most nursery rhyme tidbits and facts.

A nice, practical decoration for a nursery rhyme theme baby shower is opening disposable diapers, arranging them into a round shape and tying with a wire edged ribbon to form the base layer to a diaper ?cake? the second tier should be smaller, and the third should be the smallest. Placed one upon the other, each tied with the wire edged ribbon (blue for a boy, pink for a girl, or sun shine yellow for either) to form bows, and it looks like a mock cake, and it?s functional as well. Every new arrival needs diapers! You can hang printed nursery rhymes or tuck nursery rhyme pictures into the folded diapers, letting them peek out, to add more to the nursery rhyme theme.

You can use a baby bath as a punch bowl. You can float a plastic cup with three tiny figures in it for Rub a dub, dub, three men in a tub.? Serve a cake marked with a ?B? and ?Pat a Cake, Pat a Cake? written on top.

When it comes to creating a baby shower with a nursery rhyme theme, be creative, and use characters from as many rhymes as you can. Everyone present will enjoy remembering the nursery rhymes from their childhood.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has a huge selection of free party games, coloring pages, word find, word scramble, printable baby and bridal shower activities. Free Baby Shower Games, printable activities, party planning tips, menus, recipes, and party supplies to help complete your event.

Decorating Walls 101 Not All Walls Are Created Equal!

Wall decor is anything that is hung on a wall. This includes Mirrors, Prints, Pictures, Posters, Shelves and Sconces

It is important to remember that your wall decor should makes sense and be in balance with your furniture. Artwork should mirror the shape of the furnishing beneath it and not extend in width.

A common misconception is to hang your art at ?eye level? only problem with that is everyone has a different one. Who?s eye level do we use? Forget it! A no fail solution is to hang the piece center five to five and a half feet from the floor when there is nothing under it. All bets are off when hanging pieces above a substantial piece of furniture. You then want to center the piece both horizontally and vertically above said item. (couch, headboard etc.)

More importantly than placement is line, scale and proportion. Size does matter in the world of wall decor. You don?t want to hang a little picture behind a large sofa just as you would not hang a enormous piece behind a small chair. The placement of art is dictated by what it is next to. If you would like to make a collage try to keep the frames similar. If you are dealing with several different shapes you can pull it together by painting the frames all the same color. Remember to keep the collage in proportion with the piece beneath it.

Mirrors can be of great benefit in many rooms. Not only do they reflect light back but they also can make the room appear larger. When placing a mirror it is important to remember what will be in the reflection. You may want to strategically position a treasured item so as to see it twice.

Julie Rieman is an accomplished instructor in the arts faux painting and interior redesign. She offers two and four day classroom or online interior redesign training. If you live in the Twin Cities area, you can invite Julie into your home for a personalized consultation.

For more information about any of her decorating services and training opportunities please visit: http://www.allaboutredesign.com http://www.allaboutwalls.net

How To Brighten Up Your Home With These Flower Arrangement Ideas

A beautiful flower arrangement piece can become the focal point of the room you choose to decorate. It's truly fascinating how we can combine different flowers to create a mesmerizing bouquet. With the vast selection of colors, fragrances and shapes, you can create or readily buy a flower arrangement piece that will speak to you and others walking in the room what you want to communicate.

First thing to do is decide where you will be placing your flower arrangement. Will it be placed on the floor in your hall, on top of a piece of furniture?

What about the space where your arrangement will sit? Will you need a finished piece that is tall, round, wide or full? What is the decor of the room you've selected that will contrast powerfully with your flowers?

Don't limit your creativity!

There are several design styles you can choose from and we have included a variety of design here for you to get those creative juices flowing.

Use these as a guide to creating your own flower arrangement style. Pictures of the flower arrangements below can be found at our site.

Bud Vases

A bud vase with a single stem or several stems of your favorite flower(s) is a simple but elegant flower arrangement piece. Cut your flower stems to about twice the height of your vase. To enhance your flowers beauty, also include some linear foliage.

One tip I will give you with bud vases is to be imaginative. If you don't have a bud vase, recycle any beautiful glass containers you have lying around the house such as perfume bottles or any other.

Basket Arrangement

A basket flower arrangement brightens up your favorite room very well. They make perfect gifts for a housewarming occasion, birthday, or to send and cheer a loved one who is sick.

Baskets come in all sizes and shapes and if you are designing your own basket arrangement, you can find the one that will be perfect for you. There is so much you can do with flower baskets - let your creativity run wild!

Garden Arrangements

Don't these flower arrangements look like you've picked them from your garden?

After years of living in the city in an apartment block, I have now the great fortune of living in the suburbs and I've taken great pains to create a heavenly garden filled with white and red roses, carnations and lilies. With greenery surrounding their flower beds, my little garden looks like a little paradise.

Centerpieces And Table Arrangements

The trick for a successful centerpiece or table arrangement is not to make them too tall as to obstruct views across your dining table.

Choose or create the piece to generate the mood you want to achieve. Flowers at your table will enhance the dinning experience.

About The Author

Copyright ? Gina Stathopoulos

Looking for a gift? Let Gina and Nick show you what we buy for friends/family and each other. At our site you will find popular gifts, gift information and stories from our readers. Come have a look http://www.we-recommend.com

Designing a Playroom

If you are fortunate enough to have some space for a playroom, this can be a wonderful addition to any home. Consider turning a spare room, formal living or dining room, or basement into a playroom for your children. It will help keep toys out of your main living areas and provides the children their own special place. Some parents even have their children share bedrooms and turn an extra room into the playroom. Other parents have sectioned off a part of the great room for a play space. Use your creativity and what works best for your home. I?ve put a few tips below to help you in your design process.

• Some aspects of the toy room such as paint and flooring are permanent, but you might like the variety of changing toys and decorations. Keep this in mind when choosing items for your playroom.
• Children love bright colors in their playroom. Have them help you pick out the paint or choose cheery colors you enjoy. Don?t be afraid to use two different colors perhaps a different color on each wall or a wall divided by a crown molding strip or border with one paint color on top and another at the bottom.
• Consider getting some chalkboard paint and putting this on one wall or some section of a wall. It will serve as an instant chalkboard and you can use erasers or a dry wet rag to keep it clean.
• Murals can be fun and easy. If you are not the most artistically inclined person, keep it simple. Any of us can do trees, flowers, rainbows, balloons, moons, stars, clouds, etc. If you have a more artistic friend or family member you might enlist their help.
• You might want to keep one wall free that you can use to display your child?s art and craft work. Children love to have their works displayed. When it gets full, you can take it down and replace it with new work.
• You might also want to have one area of the wall devoted to framed pictures of your child with their friends and family celebrating special or fun times. Just as adults are comforted by pictures of their loved ones, so are children.
• Hard surface flooring is ideal because it cleans up easier than carpet. However, you might consider putting down a fun rug or area carpet to protect whatever flooring you have in the space.
• A playroom does not need a theme, other than just an inviting sense of play. However, there are many theme ideas if you choose to go this route. You might decide to keep a room with a more education theme with alphabet, numbers, pictures of presidents, or the states. Other ideas are having a playroom with a seasonal theme (one wall could be winter, one spring, etc.), outdoors (trees, flowers, etc.), a theme based on a more specific concept like trains or safari also works. One thing to consider if you have more than one child or plan to expand your family you may want to purposely keep the room gender neutral, etc.
• Make a point to keep your playroom childproofed and safe. Cover all outlets, make sure any furniture or organizers have rounded or padded corners; they don?t smash little fingers, etc. Keep in mind the age ranges of your children. If a baby will be sharing the space with a preschooler, you might not want small toys like marbles in this area. A playroom should be safe and inviting. It should be a retreat for both you and your child, not a place of stress.
• Have a place in your playroom where music can be enjoyed. You might want to have a tape recorder or CD player with a variety of children?s music available. You can also try different types of children?s music by checking out CDs from your local library. I personally don?t feel a television set should be part of a playroom. Most children watch too much and a playroom should be a place they want to be and hopefully get away from the TV.
• When sitting up your toys, you will want to consider two types of toys. You want some toys easily accessible and always available. These are generally toys that require little to no supervision. However, some toys should not be kept out and may want to be stored away on a high shelf or closet for special (and often supervised times). My son can?t be trusted with games with little pieces (he?ll loose them) or art supplies like paints without my close supervision. Yet, I can put out trains, blocks, and balls to him anytime. Decide what works best for you.
• Use organizers and storage areas for toys in your room. For toys you want tucked away, use covered storage units and place these in a nearby closet. For toys you want accessible consider shelving units with storage buckets your child can easily get out. These types of units work really well for toys with many pieces such as blocks, little balls, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Little Peoples, etc. You might want to double duty storage by using spaces under train tables or on higher shelves for storing toys. You want everything to have a place. The room should be tranquil and organized at the end of the day, not cluttered.
• Work with the windows in your playroom if you have some. You might consider hanging a bird or squirrel feeder on the outside of a window. If possible, you might have a window box of flowers or herbs growing outside. Window crayons are another interesting idea that is becoming more readily available. These simply wipe away with an eraser.
• You may decide to design your playroom around one large central focus toy-often an imagination toy, such as a train table, dollhouse, play kitchen or workshop.
• Provide an area in the playroom, such as corner for snuggling and reading. Kids love beanbag cushions or large pillows. Have their books nearby. You might decide to use a book shelf, large bin or basket piled with books. If possible, try to find (or build) a book storage unit that is like a magazine racks where children can easily see the books and select the ones they want to read. You can rotate books so that some are in the bedroom or family room and some are kept in the playroom.
• Another idea for the playroom is to have an art area such as an easel, art desk, or table and chairs (which can be very versatile). If you child can be trusted, keep art supplies down and easily accessible. Even if your child is older, some art supplies such as glue or glitter is better kept out of reach unless you can supervise.
• Another interesting aspect of a playroom is to have a little special private area for your child. Tents, homemade forts, or ball pits work really well for this.

Gentry is a stay at home mom, with a passion for writing. For more articles on easy living, visit http://www.genstyleliving.com.

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Amazing Baby Shower Mini Cakes

Are you trying to think of a fun and original idea for a baby shower cake? Have you thought about making mini baby shower cakes? These are like regular cakes but much smaller and a lot more fun. They are great for a variety of reasons.

Individualize

That?s right we all love things with our own names on it and things made to our special likes and dislikes. Well, mini cakes are quick and easy to make and this will allow you time to individualize them. You can easily make three or four different cake mixes and from there make 5 to 10 mini cakes from each mix. This gives you an unlimited amount of variety. You can have a chocolate or a white cake with just about any type of frosting or flavor in the middle. How many times have you had to choke down a cake because you did not want to appear rude? As the guest you often don?t have any choice in what the cake flavor is and you can end up having to eat something you don?t even like. With mini cakes and the easy of baking them you can customize the cakes with a few easy changes and then offer your guests the exact cake they like.

Use as Centerpieces

Depending on the exact size and specifications of your baby shower mini cakes these can serve as wonderful centerpieces for the baby shower table decorations. Just think you get more bang for the buck this way. Your decorations and your cake all rolled into one! If you decorate each mini cake in a different way with different colored frosting and different decorations you can easily create a ton of stunning centerpieces. For example if your baby shower theme was Noah?s Ark you could make 5 mini cakes for the centerpieces and then on each cake decorate different groups of animals that will go onto the ark. Just to carry the theme a little farther instead of doing the traditional Noah?s ark theme of two of each animal by sex do two of each animal as a mother and baby. So on one cake at a table you might have a mother and baby Giraffe. Then at another table you might have a mother and baby elephant. Of course at the table where the guest of honor will be sitting you could tie in the theme by adding the ark into the decoration. People will love to walk around and look at these wonderful unique mini baby shower cakes!

Table Decorations

If you don?t want to use theme as centerpieces because you have some other ideas for that already why not use them as a seat decoration. Simply make the cakes and then when decorating add each guests name at the bottom of the cake in a fun script type of writing. These will serve as wonderful table decoration and a seating name cards at the same time. People will be delighted to see their own name on the cute little mini cake.

No Waste

One of the best thing about mini cakes is you have a lot less left over. With big traditional wedding or baby shower cakes there is always a ton of left overs that you have to force upon everyone to take home. However, with cute little baby shower mini cakes you no longer have to worry about extras because each cake can be one serving! However these are so cute that you guests might want to take them home to keep for a while and savor the moment.

Easy to Store

Mini cakes are so small that they are incredibly easy to store. You can really use these to benefit your baby shower planning and timeline by making the cakes two to three weeks ahead of time and then simply stick them in the freezer. Take them out the day before and decorate. You have no taken out one of the last minute items that can cause a panic right before the baby shower.

As you can see baby shower mini cakes can be a ton of fun for all the guests and can be sued in a variety of ways to save you a great deal of time. These are truly the perfect option for cakes: time saving, personalized, and can be used for decorations. What more can you ask for in a cake.

Free 5 day Baby Shower Planning email course. Free bonuses included for signing up. You can also read more articles and advice on Free Baby Shower Mini Cakes

Outdoor Halloween Decorations

Few things are more thrilling for a trick-or-treater than walking up to a house detailed with ghastly Halloween decorations. Whether you use complicated props like swooping ghosts, or simple, classic decorations, like glowing jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows, and indian corn, your house will delight visitors. A haunted yard, complete with fun Halloween decorations, makes a fine setting for outdoor parties in good weather, as well.

Plan out your outdoor Halloween decor. Choosing a theme makes it easier to chose decorations, and is generally more effective. Transform your front lawn into an old, foggy graveyard, a fortune teller's lair, or a mad scientist's lab.

Themes are easier to work with, but don't let that stop you from throwing in whatever appeals to you, and mixing things up. It helps to lay out your design on paper, to get an idea of what will go where. If you are using pranks and gags, try to set them up where guests will have to walk past them to be surprised by them.

There are some very realistic yard props out there, available for purchase form Halloween specialty stores, home decoration stores, and online Halloween shops. Foam-filled rubber sculptures of ghouls clawing their way out of the grave are very effective. Some other prop ideas are: bloody body parts, grave stones, glowing skulls, gargoyles, and faux-dungeon doors. Yard decoration kits are available, too.

With some time and creativity, you can make your own outdoor Halloween decorations out of relatively cheap supplies. Make gravestones out of cardboard or foam. Craft ghosts out of white fabric, and hang them from the trees. The possibilities are endless!

James writes for Ghoulish Halloween, a site that tries to entertain and inform. For more great Halloween articles, visit our Halloween articles archive.

Finding SouthwesternFriendly Designs

It can sometimes be hard to determine what will go well with southwestern style and what will fit well among southwestern pieces. Yet, you can save a great deal of time if you don't have to take many pieces of furniture or rugs home with you to see if they fit.

One useful way of deciding whether or not something will fit with southwestern pieces is to see if the object in question has some of southwestern characteristics. Object with southwestern style often use clean straight lines, bright colors, rough and textured surfaces (almost as a mark of pride), and often are made by hand from natural materials.

An example of an object that has enough of these characteristics to fit well within a southwestern motif is a simple carved wood table. The table would be even better if the light blue paint is peeling off a little. However, as cool as that curvy aluminum chair may look, it probably won't fit well in your southwestern motif.

Another example, and one that is not often associated with southwestern design, are apple computers. Many of their present designs involve very clean and straight lines. Their minimalist appeal can fit perfectly with southwestern pieces. This is also true with many Japanese designs. Often these designs use clean straight lines, and as such would fit well. The main point of contention between these two styles is the finish often used on them. Japanese minimalist style often utilizes highly polished smooth surfaces with a rather simple color such as white or black. However, in southwestern style almost the opposite is true; southwestern surfaces are rough and the colors are bright.

Another interesting style that southwestern design overlaps with quite a bit is the design of the caucuses. This is particularly apparent in the weavings that come from the area. The weavings from these harsh mountain climates often use straight lines and unflinching colors. A deep red rug can go quite well with southwestern floors made from flagstone or brick.

On the other end of the rug design spectrum are Persian rugs. These are amazing rugs to be sure, however, their extremely detailed curvilinear (or ?floral?) designs do not often fit well within southwestern motifs. Another bone of contention between the urban Persian designs and southwestern design are the materials often used. Persian Rugs often use extremely high quality materials, such as silk, which does not go well with the rough edges of southwestern design.

There are many interior design styles that go agree with southwestern design quite well. Minimalist Japanese design and works of art, such as rugs, from the rural caucuses are some good examples of ?southwestern friendly styles?. Knowing where and why these styles agree can save you a great deal of time when picking out items for your house or business.

John Geer runs the online rug store Hazaad.com at http://www.hazaad.com/ He is also a contributor to Hazaad.com's blog (http://blog.hazaad.com/) and helps run Hazaad West, which specializes in southwestern rug designs, at http://stores.ebay.com/Hazaad-com-West

Christmas Decorations On a Budget

The Christmas season is a fun and joyful time for almost everyone and decorating your home can only help to make that joy more full and exciting. You don't have to go all out, though. You can choose to just decorate a table or you can deccorate the entire home, it is entirely up to you. Christmas decorating has been around for centuries and you can take some hints from the olden days to make your home into a beautiful place of Christmas spirit and joy.

Your Christmas Table.

You can decorate your home without spending a lot of money. All you need to do is go into the woods and find some pine cones. Spray paint them with gold paint, add some fake snow, and you will have a beautiful centerpiece for your table. This will look beautiful for Christmas day and for many days after. Holly leaves, mistletoe, and tinsel will also make a beautiful, inexpensive Christmas decoration and it is a very old Celtic symbol of fertility.

Your Christmas Tree.

The Germans probably started the Christmas tree tradition and it has become one of the most popular traditions at Christmastime. The beauty and smell of a real tree is unmatched, but if you don't like those needles on your floor, then you can choose an artificial tree. You can also choose a tree with roots and then plant it after Christmas, if you would like. It is entirely a personal preference.

Candles were used to light Christmas trees in the olden days, but they were found to be quite dangerous, especially if the needles were dry and brittle. Now electric lights are the norm and most people use several strand of lights to turn their tree into a twinkling beauty. You can go over the edge with Christmas decorations, but in most cases, it is best to stay simple.

Inside Your House.

You can use colored paper, silver tinsel, and fake snow to make your home into a Christmas delight. Add snow to your windows, holly above the doors, and some mistletoe to the doorways to get those stolen kisses. You can create a Christmas full of joy simply by adding a few Christmas decorating touches to your home.

Outside Your House.

People used to decorate the outside of their home with a simple holly wreath, but now you see yards and homes decorated with thousands of lights, figurines, and blow-up figures. Too much is not a good thing. Simple is better, especially outside of your home. Pick a theme and stick with it so that you will feel good about your Christmas decorating.

Andrew Caxton is a reliable journalist who has published more articles on this issue for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . A website with tips on xmas ornaments and Christmas decorations. Find there free ideas for your interior design, where you can also subscribe to its decorating newsletter.