Decorating a Room with Disney Cars Room Decor

With the popularity of the recent Disney Pixar Cars movie, chances are that your little boy is wanting Lightning McQueen, Mater, and all their friends to now grace every surface of his bedroom. Decorating a room with a Disney Cars room d?cor is fairly easy and inexpensive. Merchandise is available all over the web and if you are lucky, you may also find an item or two in the stores. Because of the popularity of the movie, all Cars merchandise has been extremely popular so I have learned that when you find an item you want that isn?t sold out, you have to move quickly and buy it.

So what is available for decorating a Disney Cars theme room? Well first, you will have you choice of a couple of beds. A Disney Cars toddler bed is available as is a Lightning McQueen Race Car bed that comes in a twin size. You will also be able to find Disney Cars toddler bedding and twin size bedding sets.

It doesn?t stop with just beds and bedding though. The amount of Disney Cars room d?cor available extends to wall art, room decals, lamps featuring Lightning and Mater, and even dresser knobs featuring many of the movie?s key characters. You will also be able to find Disney Cars furniture pieces including toy boxes and table and chair sets for your Disney Cars theme room.

So if your little boy has been dreaming of a Disney Cars themed bedroom, you will have no trouble coming up with enough Disney Cars room d?cor to create the Lightning McQueen room of his dreams!

? Copyright Rebecca Johnson, All Rights Reserved

Rebecca Johnson is the mother of a three year old son who is a Disney Cars fanatic. She owns a website about decorating rooms for babies and young children. Visit it for more information about decorating a Disney Cars theme room including the best places to find Disney Cars room d?cor.

Home Decorating: Where Are My Surfaces?

Many of you probably remember visiting your grandma's house as a child. I can still see how my grandmother had decorated her home. Every inch of surface and space was filled! The mantle, the kitchen counters, and of course the floor. She was a self-proclaimed pack-rat! When you walk into a home drowning in stuff, it immediately bombards you and creates overwhelming vibes. So, how do we show every little nick knack we love, without going overboard?

I have a very strict rule with myself that every surface in my home should be clean and almost completely cleared. I enjoy showing off my candles, vases, and other items. However, I have learned when it becomes too much. As a teenager I had covered every inch of my dressers and desk with decorations. My bedroom had become more of a showplace then a home. My decorations were nicely placed as sort of a retail window display, but I could never find a place to set something down.. Which of course meant the floor was the only other option. As you can imagine, my old room never stayed clean for very long. Years later, when I got my own place, I was finally sick of my beautiful items appearing more as clutter then as strategically placed home decorations. I cleared my surfaces and started fresh!

I now place only a few of my can't live without decor pieces on my desk, dressers, dining table, and kitchen counters. The rest have been stored away. If you don't think you can part with your treasures, remember these great benefits to the minimal design:

1. Once you have items stored away, you can replace which items you show off each season, which will give your home a new and fresh look. Mix and match and it will look as if you redecorate every month, just by switching which items you have out!

2. When you place a ton of distinct and unique items together, they each lose their charm and eye-catching appeal. If you want people to notice your great design sense and adorable treasures, make sure they can actually see them amongst every other item you have in your home.

3. Your home will appear more spacious and much tidier with this method. Plus, now you can see that beautiful wood table you've been covering up!

4. You can actually set stuff down! And to make sure you don't get in the habit of making a mess, set designated decorative baskets for items such as car keys.

It is easy to get caught up with buying every little nick knack you can find and covering your dressers with jewelry boxes and the dozens of perfume bottles you simply have to keep. But, keep in mind that a cluttered home can infringe on your efficiency as a home business owner, full time parent, or simply a person who needs to find their shoes! But remember, you don't have to throw these items out. Spend some time today removing half of the things you have displayed on your surfaces. Neatly store them in an easy access linen closet for future use. In a few months, when you feel like you need a change, replace the decorations with your stored items and voila! It will look as if you just redecorated. By using the minimal design you will be surprised out how much better your home will look and feel!

Please keep hyperlinks active and content as is when reprinting this article. Keller Hawthorne is the owner of http://www.kbhoutlet.com, which specializes in Elegant Home Decor Accents, Outdoor Garden Decorations and Wood Furniture. Find more home decorating and gardening ideas at our Home Decorating Resource Center. Copyright ? 2005 The KBH Outlet

Using Bamboo Blinds to Decorate Your Home

Bamboo blinds are excellent and classy way to decorate your home. In oriental culture bamboo has been always used at homes as partitions, window blinds to allow cool breeze to come in. bamboo blinds or bamboo shades provides a relaxed and cool look to any room. It adds to the ethnic ambience and charm of your interiors and definitely environment friendly.

The distinctive grass weaves; the natural colors and fine bamboo selection used in the manufacture of finest bamboo blinds gives an elegant and inviting look. In tropical countries in Asia like India and Indonesia, in olden times people used roughly cut bamboo woven together which could be rolled up and down using thick ropes. This was essential to keep the scorching sun out and the torrential rains during the monsoon period.

Bamboo is extensive used in building houses, fences, bridges, utensils, paper, toys, musical instruments ?bamboo flutes, furniture and floors. In interior decorations, bamboo has been used for centuries to accent houses and gardens. The Chinese believed that bamboo brings long life, and in India, it is a mark of friendship. Japanese used it around their places of worship to ward off evil spirits.

Today this traditional art form of bamboo blinds have evolved into a classy style statement that has its own elegant look as well as functionality and exceptional reliability. Now bamboo and bamboo based products are a great rage in the Western world. Different varieties of bamboo blinds, shades and floors have found their way into some of the blue chip companies and sprawling villas worldwide.

Bamboo blinds are catching up as the latest trend and fashion in hard window treatments. They add that eco-friendly flavor and special touch to home d?cor. This versatile natural product can compliment the interior furniture, which incidentally could be made in bamboo too. Bamboo blinds in their stained or varnished to embellish their natural look are more preferred than artificially colored bamboo blinds.

Bamboo blinds are relatively easy to clean and maintain. Just dust them regularly with a clean cloth and use wood polish or just plain soap and water when necessary. The cost depends on the quality, the brand and the shop from where you buy. Typically a bamboo blind of 27 x 64 inches in a walnut stain or other stain of your choice without varnish may cost upwards of $60. If you plan to buy some unique or unusual stains then it may cost more. The natural appearance of bamboo blinds and shades are retained with the grain and color irregularities visibly enhancing the natural look. Depending on the shade you choose, it can change the d?cor of your room to exotic, rustic or even casual in appearance! Whatever the style bamboo blinds seems to be growing in popularity and people are slowly opening their eyes to this all new natural beauty and elegance of bamboo!

Bamboo HQ http://www.bamboo-hq.com/ has articles about bamboo including how to grow bamboo and uses for bamboo.

Decorating Small Spaces

Decorating and furnishing a small apartment or studio can be challenging, but when done correctly your small spaces will look and feel more spacious. When selecting furniture for your small space always choose smaller pieces that have a more open design. A love seat with exposed legs, two small side chairs, and a small round glass top coffee table, is a better choice than a large sofa with hidden legs, love seat, and a large solid wood coffee table. When arranging your furniture be aware of traffic patterns, all traffic should flow uninterrupted through your room. In a living room, start decorating with the sofa or love seat. When arranging your furniture, start with the largest piece on the largest wall and facing your focal point. Then create a conversation area by placing a side chair on each side of the love seat. Place your coffee table where it can be reached from all three sitting places.

However, in small spaces, be careful not to over use accessories. Remember, less is more, if you want to create that open feeling. Mirrors and shiny reflective accessories help create the illusion of more space. Larger patterns should be limited to pillows and smaller accessories, rather than a large sofa or love seat. When choosing color schemes, select soft and monochromatic colors. Use the same or similar colors for your large pieces of furniture and walls, and keep your ceiling lighter than the rest of the room. Use a soft even light and eliminate shadows that tend to slice a room up into smaller spaces. Incandescent lighting will also soften a room. Avoid ceiling lighting, as this will visually lower your ceiling. Keep your apartment simple and clean.

Decorating provides detailed information on Decorating, Home Decorating, Bedroom Decorating, Bathroom Decorating and more. Decorating is affiliated with Web Site Design.

Beach Decorating for Adults and Kids

One way to bring back memories of a summer at the beach is through beach themed decorating and crafts for the kids.

I like to start with the bathroom (for me the most obvious room to start with); there you can add pictures, either sketches or framed photographs to the walls. I think enlarging your own picture (especially if it includes the family) looks best. Towels with starfish, seahorses, seashells, of fish look great. Again, as with the picture, I think it can be more enjoyable for the family if you start with plain towels and wash clothes, then sew on or embroider your own beach or ocean themed designs.

Soaps can also have a beach theme. Place your soaps in a shell container, or even make decorative soap by carving your own designs in them (Ivory soap works great for this). A fishing net embedded with starfish (or even a puffer fish) hung near the tops of the walls really brings home the beach theme for me. Then there are decorative shell baskets (which are easy to find on-line). These seashell baskets can be placed on shelves or just the toilet reservoir. A final touch to the walls would be a shell night light to add evening illumination to the bathroom. One more suggestion if one is feeling industrious is the flooring. You can find linoleum tiles that have fish, shells, or anything beach related and place these on the floor to finalize your bathroom.

As for the kids; the shell baskets I mentioned earlier are an inexpensive way to get the kids involved. These baskets usually come with many different seashells that can be used to make all sorts of design, murals or beach diorama.

The diorama is my favorite for kids. Use the shells, some fine sand, maybe some starfish (there are inexpensive dried starfish available on the internet), and even some plastic fish. Use blue plastic film to represent the ocean, cotton balls for clouds, maybe a toy boat too. The little drink umbrellas are great to use as beach umbrellas. You can glue broken shells together to form a reef too. This project could also be used for the kids to make inexpensive Christmas gifts for family members that show a little more thought than the average gift.

The garden is where my wife likes to add a little more ocean themed flair. She enjoys the Pangansin shell wind chime with the urchin spines that make musical notes. I personally more like the flowing beauty of a stairway (spiral) shell wind chime.

In the garden next to a hammock or just lawn chairs is a good place to hang the shell wind chimes. You can even construct a more life-like ?out door diorama? using a small pond with a fountain head, beach sand or whatever similar is available, again some starfish and seashells and you have your own personal beach space. This can be a little more difficult in colder climates, but the pond can be turned off in the winter, and/or covered with a tarp to prevent damage from falling leaves or whatever else fall and winter bring.

For more ideas and interesting posts, Ocean Decor also may be off interest.

Enjoy!

By Carl Strohmeyer

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/

http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Shells.html

Country Home Decorating Country Style Home Decor the Way Life Used to Be

What is the lure and appeal of country home decorating? Maybe it?s the desire to escape the rush and demands of a hectic lifestyle. It could be the need to return to a time when life was simpler, perhaps even happier. The necessities of rural life are what influence today?s country style home decor.

Country home decorating can be defined as a style featuring rustic simplicity and tradition. Home decorating country style is viewed as welcoming, unpretentious, friendly and practical. Country style home decor is flexible enough to include timeworn antiques, reproductions, crafts and handmade products all together. Country furniture is usually made by craftsmen and has a sturdy, rugged appearance. Country style furniture seldom uses delicate designs. Country home decor may feature unfinished beams, floors with natural finish, rough bricks and unpainted or undulating plaster walls.

Here are recommendations for specific rooms when country home decorating:

Country Kitchen D?cor - use open shelves, buffets, plate racks and cupboards for storage. Country kitchen storage is usually crammed with stoneware pots, plain glazed earthenware and glass jars. Country kitchen pots should be made of copper, steel or cast iron -- country cookware tends to be large and plain. Country kitchen cabinets that are made of aged surfaces, natural materials, rough finishes and round knobs will keep the country style. Open shelving in the country kitchen is perfect to display plates and dinnerware collections. Kitchen cabinets or kitchen furniture made of pine or perhaps even painted can be a beautiful key element in the country kitchen.

Country Kitchen Countertops and Floors - country kitchens countertops have ceramic tiles or even hand painted tiles, slate or marble. If you want to use laminate materials, go for plain colors for coverings. Terracotta tiles, brick, stone and wood are very popular in country kitchen floors. If you decide to add some antiques to your country kitchen, they don't have to be perfect -- even chips and scratches will add to the charm and un-restored look of the antique. Adding a bit of wear and tear to maintain the country flavor is fun and it works!

Country Dining Rooms - dining rooms are once again popular. Many years ago, meals were eaten in large country home kitchens. Today, the kitchen continues to be the hub of the home and the place where you can have less formal meals. However, when entertaining guests, a dining room is the place to be. Country style dining rooms can have a large rectangular table made of pine, oak, walnut or mahogany with wooden chairs or old benches that are similar in style and material. A corner cupboard, plate racks, dresser or sideboard will provide perfect storage and serving area for the dining room as long as they match the style and the materials of the table and chairs.

Country Bathrooms ? the characteristics and styles of country bathrooms take us back to our simple life and roots. A bathroom with neutral tones or soft colored walls, antique looking lighting and wooden antiques or antique reproduction cabinets and vanity will give the country bathroom a calm and elegant atmosphere. Clawfoot tubs, country style antique brass faucets and old-fashioned country home decorating cabinets will give your bathroom the kind of atmosphere that invites you to spend time there.

A country bathroom should have wood, ceramic tile, linoleum, vinyl or natural cork floors. To have carpet in the country bathroom is not appropriate. Wood and brass accessories are perfect materials to use in a country style home decor bathroom. Plain white towels are recommended instead of patterned or bright modern patterns. Use wicker or wire baskets to keep your sponges, loofas and shampoos handy near the tub or shower.

Country Home Furnishings - decorative items associated with country style home decor include adirondack chairs, Windsor chairs, fresh or dry wild flowers, vintage baskets, quilts, yellowware bowls, blue and white ceramics, wicker or wire baskets, floral tapestries, linens and paintings, wool blankets, duck decoys and teddy bears. Floral patterns and candleholders also remind us of the country-style life.

The colors used in country home decorating are neutral tones ranging from white to bone, earth tones, red barn, blues and green which are the most appropriate colors for country style. Stenciling and wallpaper are frequently used in country home decorating. Stenciling originally was cheaper than wallpaper. Stenciling can be used around windows, in areas where the walls meet the ceiling or on the floors. Oftentimes, stenciling is even used on furniture. Done correctly, stenciling adds a great deal of charm to a country home decor.

While country life in the old days was often very difficult, it?s now possible to recreate the pleasures and peace of a nearness to nature without having to endure the adversity and hardship of everyday rural life. In general, the knowledge and abilities needed to create a country style home are achievable by nearly anyone. Read all you can. Inspiration will come if you understand the basics for creating a country style home decor that provides the look and feel of the way life used to be.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

David Buster is Vice-President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - visit the website to learn more about home decorating and remodeling, backyard living, home plans, kitchen and bathroom design and decor tips, home storage, fireplaces, log cabin rentals and more.

Interior Decorating Post Holiday Decorating Tips to Transform Your Space!

Now is a great time to get going on that deep cleaning. Clear the clutter, scrub the walls, clean the carpets, wash the windows and HAVE FUN! (what?)

The first order of business is clear the clutter! To quote William Morris ?Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful? Yeah, right. That?s great to aspire to but in the real world let?s concern ourselves with clearing the counter and tabletops. Lose all the leftover Christmas decorations and any unsightly items that seem out of place.

When it comes to addressing your walls, take a good critical look. Cobwebs and scuff marks aside, do the walls seem dingy? A fresh coat of paint is the least expensive way to breathe new life into your space. Changing from stark white to a soft neutral background will make the room more inviting. (Save leftover paint in a tightly sealed glass jar for future touch-up.)

While cleaning your carpets your furniture is pulled out anyway so this is a great opportunity to rearrange it! Try to think outside the box. Place your largest piece at an angle and reload the rest of your furnishing in relation to it. It is amazing how a minor shift in placement can make a huge impact on your room. Contrary to popular belief, your upholstered pieces do NOT have to be placed against a wall. Windows...No matter how clean the room, a grimy window will draw attention and make the entire space feel dirty. Try using a squeegee for quick cleaning. These little inventions work great and leave no streaks!

Now comes the fun. Shop your entire house for home accessories. Mix things up. Maybe the silk plant you have on the coffee table would look great in the dining room. Those candlesticks in the closet might make a perfect centerpiece alongside some stacked books. Consider moving a lamp from the master bedroom to the living room. Try to keep like items together for a designer look. Glass with glass, metal with metal, and similar color in groupings look best. Try some change. It won?t take long and does not cost a thing!

This article previously published in the Neighborhood News under the title Mixing it Up For Spring.

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

Luxury Comes With Health: The Comfort and Benefits of Home Spas and Whirlpool Tubs

Better health, better sleep, and less pain, and (in a nutshell) feeling great overall doesn?t just put a smile on your face, but it can even prolong your life. So if the reasonable prices on the market for whirlpool tubs or jetted tubs still seem too high?consider it a health investment. Having something like a jetted whirlpool tub in your home is definitely worth the cost. And if you browse around a bit, you will find that there are great prices on some of the most high quality jetted bathtubs available. And that the technology used by whirlpool tubs, which help support your overall health is being constantly developed and improved upon.

The very best time to purchase a jetted whirlpool tub, or even an outdoor whirlpool or corner whirlpool tub is now. There are all kinds of whirlpool tubs designed especially for your home. Whirlpool spas are offered in all different shapes and sizes by manufacturers all over the world, designed to fit your personal style, increase your personal comfort, and ensure you will receive the benefits that whirlpools have to offer in regard to your specific health concerns.

Everyone could use the relaxation that a whirlpool can provide, but especially if you have certain health needs, particularly those which can be helped significantly by using a jetted or whirlpool tub as treatment?this type of healing method is one of your best choices. A jacuzzi tub or jacuzzi whirlpool tub can even be an alternative to pain or sleep or stress medication.

Otherwise, whirlpool bathtubs are just plain luxurious, come home from a hard day of work and relax in your whirlpool tub. Let your troubles bubble away, let your mind swirl to something other than the stress ahead, let your body relax in the warmth and the massage. You don?t need to have a condition, because even if you don?t, your whirlpool or jetted tub can help prevent future health concerns from becoming an issue for you and interrupting your life later on.

A whirlpool spa is a wonderful way to entertain friends and family as well. for example: with a whirlpool spa you can relax with a glass of wine or a nice chilled beer and unwind to start off the weekend, or you soak on a Sunday night to get cozy and rested and prepared for the week to come.

There are all kinds of small get-togethers that may include your whirlpool spa as the main form of entertainment. You will have not only a great way to relax under any circumstances, but also you will have a beautiful addition to your home. There is a unique beauty to whirlpools, jetted tubs, and other kinds of home spas. So you can feel good and your home will look great too with a new addition such as a whirlpool home pool or bathtub.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on home decor please visit Whirlpool Bathtub, Home and Bathroom Decor.

How To Select The Right Area Rug

Area rugs can make such a beautiful contribution to any room and they are often the first thing that catches the eye as as you walk into the room. In view of that, doesn't it make sense to select and choose the right area rug for each room of your home?

Of course, area rugs come in almost every size, shape and color combination imaginable, but a lot will depend on what the intended use is for the rug and the budget that you have to work with. In times past, only hand made rugs were considered to be of high quality and able to stand up to constant use and heavy wear, but thankfully advances have been in rug manufacturing and today's machine made area rugs can offer a lot for the money as well.

In fact, for most people machine made rugs can be the best solution all around as they offer solid and durable construction and an incredibly wide choice of styles and patterns at very affordable prices that can range from fifty dollars up to a couple thousand dollars. If the rug will be used in a room that is not dedcorated with fine furniture and accessories, why spend the money for the most expensive rug to put on the floor? On the other hand, if your room is filled with very high quality furnishings, why would you want to to put down an area rug that does not fit with it's surroundings?

Hand made area rugs are still considered the best available area rug product and they possess a look and feel that is superior to most machine made rugs. You will find that most handmade rugs use high quality wool for construction simply because wool seems to last much longer and stand up to heavier amounts of traffic than most other fibers. So pay attention to the material used to make the rug.

The weaving process of a hand made rug can be important too as the more densely the knots are placed together the higher quality of the rug. This is referred to as knots per square inch and hand made carpets can boaast a weave density of anywhere from 300 - 750 knots per square inch.

Of course, such high quality hand made area rugs can be very expensive, but if used in the correct surroundings and treated as a piece of fine furniture that is cared for properly, they will last for many years and look incredibly beautiful while doing so.

So when you choose an area rug, first determine where it will go and try to match the decor of that room as much as possible, then choose the level of quality that will match your budget, and you will be able to make a wise choice.

Jim Johnson writes on many consumer related topics. You can find out more about area rug discounts by visiting our area rugs website.

Conquer Your Fear of Color: Choosing Paint Colors with Confidence

If you walk the paint aisles at any home center, you?ll see that there are more paint swatches than ever. Thousands of paint choices line the walls, but the fear of color remains strong, and that why most homes are a study in white. It?s because white is the can?t-make-a-mistake color. Of course a few brave souls will insist they have color daring because they went out on a paint limb and used a pale yellow or beige on their walls.

But, don?t you long for more color? Of course you do; we all do. If we didn?t, we?d all buy white furniture and carpets to go with our white walls. But, we don?t because the thought of color on furniture, carpets, or curtains isn?t nearly as terrifying as color on (heaven forbid!) the walls.

Exactly what is the fear that surrounds the decision of going with color? Most people say they?re afraid that they won?t like a strong color once it?s on the walls. But that fear is irrational, because paint, unlike a black sofa covered in green parrots, can be changed inexpensively. It?s hard to return a sofa and it?s very expensive to recover it.

In my own house, our media room is bathed in a deep sage color. And you know what? It?s the most popular room in the house when we have company and everyone fights to go in there. The dark color in this small room is very cozy and inviting and makes you feel like curling up for a movie marathon.

You can get this same feeling too by adding color in your own home. Remember: white walls are for tires. Now, let?s ratchet up your color daring. Try painting just one wall. If you like it, paint the rest of the room. Soon you?ll be hooked on color and your home will ooze design chic!

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui e-zine and is dedicated to helping her readers develop successful, prosperous, and supportive environments with feng shui. To subscribe, logon to www.redlotusletter.com and receive this special report Fr*ee 16 Feng Shui Secrets for Greater Prosperity.

kweber@redlotusconsulting.com

Princess For A Day

What girl wouldn?t want to be a Princess for a day? Whether it?s a birthday, a bachelorette or a girl?s slumber party, they can be treated like royalty. A princess theme will work for a girl of any age.

A Princess Party needs a princess. Whether you pick a fictional character or characters to follow or make your host into the perfect royal highness, decorations will be needed to complete the gala. Use pink, yellow or whatever coordinates with your princess dress, and buy balloons and crepe paper. These can be placed all over a room, hall or even outside. If large appliance cardboard boxes are available, set them up into a castle. Let the guests go to town decorating the princess?s castle.

If you have food or birthday cake at your function, plates and napkins that match your party theme will be needed. Silverware and tablecloths to match the ensemble are also available at any party store. Other paper products like invitations, princess party favor bags and thank you cards can be purchased in a princess or royalty theme too.

All princesses play games. Play pin the tiara on the princess. Draw or buy a poster of a princess without her tiara on and use plastic ones from the party store or ones made of party to attach. Another game would be to play charades and guess which princess says what line in a particular movie. If games are too ?babyish? for the sophisticated princesses, watch a movie. There are several that are not cartoons that have princesses and royal events in them for adults.

A princess party must have cake, and eat it too! Specialty princess pans can be purchased at a party supply store. Frosting, sprinkles and candles to match can also be found there.

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. The Party Supplies Hut has Princess Party Supplies, ideas, pinatas, games, costumes, decorations, and activities.

Quick And Easy Bathroom Decor Changes

Are you tired of the way your bathroom looks? Don't feel bad, a lot of folks are in the same boat. The bathroom is one room in the home that can look drab and run down very easily. And what if you don't have an unlimited budget to make changes in the fixtures and plumbing? Well take heart, there is lots that you can do for very little money that will totally and radically improve the decor of your bathroom.

One of the biggest problems with bathrooms is their tendency to get cluttered. You know, towels hanging all over the place, bath products on top of the vanity and on the shower floor, and things like that. So if you really want to make a 100% improvement in your bathroom clean up the clutter.

Fortunately, that is very easy to do and inexpensive. If you go to any WalMart or Target store, you will find plenty of organizer products for use in the bathroom. They are also very cheap. So get some of them and start to install them so that the most used products and items are within easy reach of wherever they would be used in the bathroom. If you make the storage spot convenient most people will continue to put it back in it's place after they use it. If you make the storage spot even a little difficult to access, you will see those items left all around wherever someone finds a spot for it.

Next, get some extra towel racks and install them so that there is a towel holder within easy reach of almost anywhere in the bathroom. Extra towel holders mean that even used towels can have a spot to be hung up instead of just left lying over the tub or shower stall door. Another advantage decor-wise of having extra towel bars is that you can use some of them to put up fancy towels for show that will really pick up the appearance of the room and highlight the colors that you used in your bathroom design.

Another simple and easy change to the appearance of any bathroom is the flooring. If you don't like what you see, change it. Fortunately, most bathroom floor spaces are fairly small and so not much material is needed. There are several options that you can choose from including vinyl sheets, ceramic tile, or vinyl tile squares. If you want simple and easy, stick-on vinyl tiles are probably the way to go. You can get them at a local Home Improvement store and they are usually very inexpensive too, and you can get some great looking designs that look very close to actual ceramic tile at a casual glance. Armed with a small cutter to trim the tiles when needed or shape them around an object on the bathroom floor, you are ready to go. If you make a mistake, peel up that tile, throw it away and use another one. Simple and easy!

Finally, buy some new towels for the bathroom. Get some great new colors and designs that are eye-cathcing and pleasing. Again, not much money invested for lots of return in visual appeal.

Change out the door knobs on your vanity and closet, and change the shower curtain and rings if you have one.

Just a few of these inexpensive changes in a bathroom can go a long way to changing that tired, old, cluttered, bathroom into one that makes you proud to show it off, and a pleasure to use.

Duane Jones - All About Bed And Bath provides free information, resources and tips on finding bedding, comforters, bathroom fixtures, tubs, and more for your home at the very best price.

Decoration Books Enhance your Creative Skills

Decoration Books is one of the best guides that help you to decorate your favorite places and things. In simple words with the help of decorating book you can decorate your house, garden, office, cakes, cookies, etc. It has the best collection in most of the topics that a decorator seeks for. With decorating book you can make a well-decorated output. It doesn't matters whether you are a good decorator or not but with an appropriate decorating book you can decorate easily and quickly.

Decorating Books is well illustrated in free decorating tips, way through which you can make your house comfortable and beautiful, it also tackles common design problems and bring a firm look in your decorating skill.

Decoration Books: Advantages

Decorating book contains professional decorating ideas, clear instructions, lavish photographs and easy projects that help you to decorate with ease. Decoration Books assist you to make uniquely decorated house.

Decorating Books: Review

Decoration books enhance your decorating skills and help you to create best style in your work. It has some wonderful resources, which provides inspiration, tips and ideas. Decorating Book offers project work, which are easy, simple and inexpensive.

Before You Buy: Decorating Books

If you have decided to purchase a decorating book its very important you have a look at the book carefully. See that every color, illustrated pictures and projects are as per your choice and needs.

Nowadays you can easily purchase a decorating book online. There are number of sites that offer such books. All you have to do is select the book of your choice and apply for the same.

Isabella Rodrigues writes for decorating-books.info, offering the latest information on decorating books, visit them today for more best buy decorating books.

Visit today: http://www.decorating-books.info

A Touch of Elegance: The Very Best Outdoor Decor

You can put in a cement walkway or build a walkway with pebbles or small stones?plant flowers, choose beautiful patio furniture, whatever reflects your taste best. And you can usually find good outdoor decorative items for great prices if you look in the right places for what you want.

?Shady business:

The best gardens will thrive in the shade. So your plants that are the most difficult-to-grow may be better off planted in the shady spots. This will likely leave more space in the sunny spots for outdoor home d?cor. But what kinds of things do you put there? If you have shade in your garden, consider yourself lucky. There is a lot more effort involved in the upkeep of a garden that is almost always in the sun. For such gardens or yards you may need certain outdoor home d?cor that will provide enough shade to make things easier.

You can make shade by extending an awning from the house. And, of course, trees are the best way to make shade. Another idea is to use a piece of outdoor home d?cor such as an archway etc.

Shade is also great for your outdoor home d?cor such as garden benches etc, to protect you from the sun and keep you cool.

?Stone and sculpture:

The look that certain items such as stone, gnome shaped figures and stone fountains or sculptures of marble, stone and other materials may work best in the sunnier spots for your outdoor home d?cor.

?Patio outdoor home d?cor:

The best outdoor home d?cor for your patio is the seating. Getting the right garden benches is essential to achieving the ultimate enjoyment of your patio. Other outdoor home d?cor for the patio includes things like pots for potted plants, chairs, tables ceiling fans and more.

?Landscaping and planting: The do it yourself outdoor d?cor:

Well, I suppose that you could hire someone to design your garden with natural outdoor home d?cor. Plants are our personal favorite kinds of outdoor d?cor because of their allure and fragrance. Here are a few types of plants and flowers that are very popular.

Plants that love the sun:

There are certain plants that thrive in the sun much more than others. Take ivy, for instance. Ivy can be planted in the sunnier spots of your garden. And if you grow your ivy in a certain way, your outdoor home d?cor can also serve to provide shade and cover for your more sensitive plants. If you create an archway around which the ivy or other vine-like plant can thicken and grow, you have created another shady spot for your garden. This outdoor home d?cor is practical, lovely, as well as a very stylish. Try making shade with plants that love the sun.

? Flowers are the basis of garden d?cor:

The kinds of gardens that seem the most decorative, elegant or pleasantly quaint are made so by the types of flowers and the style of landscaping used to create them. There are several types of flowers that are especially attractive when in season. And unless you are growing a vegetable garden, you care about the overall look of your garden.

You want your property to be as beautiful as possible, right? So among the very best kinds of outdoor decorations are the many colors and scents and landscaping design of the flowers themselves. Here are some very popular kinds of flowers to consider:

1) If you can get you hands on one, the Dwarf Japanese iris is a beautiful flower, but it takes a lot of attentiveness to keep healthy, so you can not neglect your garden d?cor if the Dwarf Japanese iris plays a part in the design. The delicate iris gracilipes is rare, but not impossible to find.

2) The yellow trillium as part of your floral garden d?cor is a wonderful flower with three mottled leaves and a flower top each stalk.

3) The primrose seeds, which are often sown by nature present a stunning surprise for your garden, and are great floral garden d?cor.

4) The hardy geranium is a spreading perennial, which blooms in loose spikes and will add a touch of beauty to any garden.

The perennials that bloom early, such as those above, paint the garden with flowers, then subside modestly to green or go dormant while waiting for the next spring. Planting perennials is one way to add an annual splash of color to your garden. Here are some more ideas:

5) The yellow ladyslipper orchid. This orchid is a hardy native that in and of itself makes an eye-catching show.

6) The variegated euonymus can serve as a floral garden d?cor that act as a ground cover, and brightens the shade.

7) Azaleas are early-blooming flowers that provide your garden with a delicate sense of personal style and can certainly serve as floral outdoor home d?cor.

8) The last I will mention is the foamflower. The foamflower is also a spring bloomer, but be careful to plant them wide enough apart because this ground cover spreads fast.

No matter what your personal taste in outdoor home d?cor, the possibilities out there are endless. There are chairs and tables, lights, lamps and swings to consider. As well as the decorative beautiful touch that floral outdoor d?cor can bring.

The type of outdoor home d?cor that you want all depends on the style of your yard or garden. But there is much to choose from. I have several suggestions right here for the very best outdoor home d?cor available.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on outdoor home decor please visit Outdoor Decor.

Have You Neglected Your Bathroom?

The bathroom. We spend hours each day in there. We shower there. We shave there. We perform other bodily functions there. If you look at an average day we're in the bathroom several times at least. For a room that we spend so much time in how much effort do we put into decorating it? Almost none. Normally the bathroom is the very last place in the home to have any money spent on it. This is despite the fact that it may have visible water damage, a leaky sink with squeaky taps and a bath that is well past it's sell by date.

Most people will quite happily leave their bathroom in a state of disrepair until they hear that guests are arriving. Panic sets in! That grubby bathroom that you don't care about may now become public knowledge. Friends and family may get to see how you really live. But why let your life progress to the point of utter panic - and always at the last moment. Why not spend a little money and a little time and get your bathroom in order today?

You can choose to make this a DIY Project if you have any skills in that area. If not then don't take any chances by attempting the work yourself - hire a trained professional to complete your bathroom renovation for you. A word of warning though - make sure you educate yourself on the basic terminology and materials involved by reading a few home remodelling magazines or by asking friends who have completed similar redecorating projects themselves. You need to make sure the entire project is completed in as little time as possible - nothing worse than being stuck without a shower or toilet for days on end.

So where do you start? Well how about expanding the bathroom itself? Is there any square footage that's not being used to its full extent? Can you knock through an existing wall and lengthen or widen your bathroom? This is the chief complaint of many home owners - that their bathroom is simply too small. Any extra space you can add to the room will benefit the entire house both in terms of usability and in overall value.

If you have a large and bulky cabinet in your bathroom then replace it with a smaller model - normally these cabinets are just filled with crap you never use. If there are any shelves dotted around the room remove these also - again they're normally just used to hold old soap and shampoo that you liberated from that hotel room on holidays. The last step then is to make the most of your window space by replacing any old heavy curtains with small roller blinds - whatever style best suits your bathroom. Just maximize your window space by avoiding clutter.

Color is very important in any bathroom. 90% of bathrooms are decorated using cold colours such as blue and very pale creams. Most people use blues because most bathrooms tend to take on an aquatic feel of some kind. The problem is that overuse of blue as a base color can actually make a room feel cold. Why not experiment with warmer colors such as yellow, orange and terracotta? These can make even the dingiest bathroom feel very snug and cosy.

The important thing is to create the bathroom you've always wanted - with no pre-conceived notions. Let your imagination and creativity run wild and create a bathroom that is truly you!

This article was provided courtesy of BathRoomCentral.com where you can find lots more bathroom layout ideas and other hints and tips on bathroom remodelling.

Luck o' the Irish St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Holidays (such as St. Patrick's day) are always a good excuse to have a party. With a holiday like St. Patrick's Day, it is always fun to stick to a traditional theme of green. Incorporate other festive ideas like shamrock shaped invitations. These could be bought from any party supply store. Green balloons, crepe paper and wall hangings can also be used for more elaborate parties.

Food can serve as a great focal point of the celebration. A couple of drops of food coloring can turn many of your favorite foods into a colorful surprise. If your party is going to be for brunch, an old favorite of green eggs and ham maybe just what you are looking for. If you want to go a little fancier, simply add food coloring to a quiche. If the food coloring idea is a little too much, use things like spinach or asparagus to add a touch of color in a quiche.

If you are hosting the gathering later in the evening you may want to have a selection of green drinks to serve. A touch of food coloring can turn beer into a holiday treat and fruity mixed drinks can be turned green as well. Snacks like a spread of green dips would be easily served with vegetables, crackers, chips and so on.

A fun little game might be for whoever greets guests at the door to check if they are wearing green. If not give a little pinch and then as a party favor give them a green pin. It's a fun little joke and gives everyone something to talk about.

If you are entertaining a younger crowd you may want to choose a game like pin the pot-of-gold on the rainbow. Take a stuffed leprechaun and hide him around the house and play a game of hide and seek. Whatever direction you take your party planning takes, just have fun with it. The traditional green theme will delight holiday fun seekers.

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. The Party Supplies Hut has St. Patricks Day Party Supplies, ideas, pinatas, games, costumes, decorations, and activities.

Principles of Interior Design

Whether you are working with existing furnishings and fabrics or ?starting from scratch? with an empty room, you should always use the elements and principles of design as a guide in choosing everything. The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The elements of design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements. The principles of design are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.

Principle #1: Balance
Visual equilibrium in a room is called balance. It gives a sense of repose and a feeling of completion. A well-balanced room gives careful consideration to the placement of objects according to their visual weight. The elements of line, form, color and texture all help determine an object?s visual weight, which is the amount of space it appears to occupy. Balance also refers to how and where you place the elements (line, form, color and texture) within a room. To maintain balance, try to distribute the elements throughout the room.
?Formal balance, often referred to as symmetrical balance, creates a mirror image effect.
?Informal balance uses different objects of the same visual weight to create equilibrium in a room. It is more subtle and spontaneous and gives a warmer, more casual feeling.

Principle #2: Emphasis
Emphasis is the focal point of the room. The focal point should be obvious as you enter the room; it is the area to which your eye is attracted. Whatever is featured, as the center of interest ?a fireplace, artwork or a window treatment framing a beautiful view ? must be sufficiently emphasized so that everything else leads the eye toward the featured area. You can add emphasis to a natural focal point or create one in a room through effective use of line, form, color and texture.

Principle #3: Rhythm
Rhythm supplies the discipline that controls the eye as is moves around a room. Rhythm helps the eye to move easily from one object to another and creates a harmony that tells the eye everything in the room belongs to a unified whole. Rhythm is created through repetition of line, form, color or texture. It can also be created through progression. Progressive rhythm is a gradual increasing or decreasing in size, direction or color.

Principle #4: Proportion and Scale
Size relationships in a room are defined by proportion and scale. Proportion refers to how the elements within an object relate to the object as a whole. Scale relates to the size of an object when compared with the size of the space in which it is located.

Principle #5: Harmony and Unity
A well-designed room is a unified whole that encompasses all the other elements and principles of design. Unity assures a sense of order. There is a consistency of sizes and shapes, a harmony of color and pattern. The ultimate goal of decorating is to create a room with unity and harmony and a sense of rhythm. Repeating the elements, balancing them throughout the room, and then adding a little variety so that the room has its own sense of personality accomplishes this. Too much unity can be boring; too much variety can cause a restless feeling. Juggling the elements and principles to get just the right mix is a key to good design.

Kathy Iven, Columbus, OH
kathy@fabricfarms.com
Kathy Iven is the owner of Fabric Farms Interiors, located in Hilliard, OH. Fabric Farms Interiors specializes in home d?cor fabrics and trims. They also offer custom drapery, bedding and upholstery services. The company was founded in 1971 and is the largest home d?cor fabric store in Central Ohio.
To learn more, visit http://www.fabricfarms.com

Tropical Kids Rooms Decor 2

Just like the rest of the home, we like to make sure that our kids rooms have the proper d?cor that fits with their personal style and desire. Thanks to some well minded retailers there is now a whole line of tropical kids rooms d?cor that will be sure to bring bright colors and a festive feeling to the entire area. Because of the surge in tropical d?cor, the new lines of tropical kids rooms d?cor is fantastic to say the least. No matter the age or gender of the child you are sure to be able to find what you need with the choices that are available. Not only that, the newest lines are durable and high quality that will help ensure that you get the most for your money with the lasting products. It is always difficult when trying to decorate a child?s room as they tend to be very hard on just about everything that they own. This means that parents need to find items that will hold up to the child and create a lasting environment for them without breaking the bank at the same time. Tropical kids rooms d?cor brings to life the colors of the room and adds an air of excitement that any child will love. The room will be alive with a busy tropical scene that will foster the imagination and allow for the child to be free to wonder about the d?cor. Nothing could be finer.

One of the finest and most popular products at this time is the great wall hangings that are new to the tropical kids rooms d?cor line. Unlike posters and framed pictures, these fabric wall hangings are durable and highly colorful to say the least. There is a wide array of styles and colors for you too choose from that are sure to make any child the talk of the town. These wall hangings do so much for the room that you will wonder how you ever did without them.

Check out the full line of tropical kids rooms d?cor and you will see that it is perfect for nearly any child. There is nothing that you can not do with the variety of items, styles and colors that are available. Any room in the home that is occupied by a child is sure to be brighter and much more appealing with any of the fine tropical kids rooms d?cor items that are currently available.

Some very original tropical kids rooms decorations can be found at http://www.art-ickles.com, which sells unique handicrafts brightly colored with tropical themes. The baby bedding quilts, bumper pads, pillow covers shown in this website are of top quality, 100% hand made with the best American fabrics.

Magalie Noel Dresse is the Webmaster of http://www.home-00.info, and informative site on home decor, improvement and of http://www.art-ickles.com.

Whimsical Baby Showers

When a close friend or family member is expecting, a baby shower is imminent. A baby shower has become a popular way to wish good fortune and blessings, not only for the new arrival but also for the expectant parents. But first comes the invitations.

Invitations are a window into what the party will be like. If the invitation is whimsical, the party will be whimsical. If the invitations are elegant, the party will be elegant; they set the mood of the event. If the invitations are sent out early, are neat and have a lot of thought put into them, the guest can expect a well organized, entertaining and overall delightful experience.

With so many options for baby shower decorations, why not have a theme with your party? Invitations, favors, centerpieces and decorations can all be matched to correspond with your theme. At www.Baby-Showers-Etc.com there are several party items to choose from.

Planning a baby shower is filled with responsibility on several different levels. The host has to figure out who should be invited. It this going to be a party where men are invited? What kind of a party would the expectant mother appreciate? How are the guests going to be entertained while at the party? These are some of the little details that pop up during the preparations; essential, but not thought of immediately. These decisions, however, are just as significant as what color scheme will be used, just not as obvious.

If the expectant mother comes from a big family or has a lot of close friends, you might be offered some help by a couple of those people. Accept any help that is offered. Don't try to handle everything on your own, but be sure to accept help from those who are reliable. The most important thing is that the guests have fun and the expectant mother goes home happy.

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. A full baby shower resource is here Baby Showers etc.

Four Decorative Painting Techniques

Tired of plain, boring walls? Faux finishes are a great way to jazz up your space with little cost or effort. Here are a few of the most popular finishes.

Sponging: Of all faux finish techniques, sponging is the easiest, even children can do a somewhat messy reproduction of this technique. In order to sponge, you must first paint the entire area one base color. After this coat dries, then you can take a sponge or even a plastic bag, dip it in paint, and apply the paint randomly to the walls. Although this is a random process, you want to be careful not to get any one area of the wall extremely dark or leave it extremely light or your eye will be drawn to that spot immediately. Sponging is very easy, and for all supplies usually costs between $50-$100, which may also include classes if you want to learn from the professionals.

Combing: Combing is a little more difficult. When combing, you use a squeegee with teeth to comb through the top layer of paint. As with sponging, you want to have a bottom layer so that when you comb there will be a matching layer beneath it. Using a combing technique is also very inexpensive, and you can use the squeegee to make wavy, zigzags, and other designs on the wall.

Glazing: Glazing is actually the product that you put over your first coat of paint. In order to glaze your walls correctly, you should take a class. You may be able to find a home improvement store that offers glazing classes or you may need to talk to a local interior decorator about classes, although these will likely be very expensive. Glazing places a transparent coat over the base coat of paint, making the wall look a bit shiny and transparent. You can use as many coats of glaze as you want to get the desired look.

Trompe-L'oeil: Trompe-L'oeil is French for fool the eye. This finish fools the eye into thinking that the wall has a marble or granite finish. This is probably the most difficult finish to accomplish on your own. For creating the marble finish, you use a technique very much like sponging, but this one takes a bit more talent. Visit local stores to see if they have classes or tips on achieving this style.

These are the four primary types of faux finishes. The first two are fairly easy, while the latter two are significantly harder. Before attempting any of these, plan well so that you can estimate the cost, and visit your local hardware or design store for classes or helpful hints. Having a buddy to take classes with you or practice with you will make the experience more fun. You can even do one room in your house and then decorate a room in your buddy's house; the fun never ends!

? 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. This article is provided courtesy of The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network - http://www.diyhomedecorating.com - a large and growing decorating and decor website featuring articles, tips, advice, and popular decor shopping. This article may be freely published on any website, as long as the author, copyright, website address and link, and this notice are left intact.

A Clean House is a Lucky House: 8 Tips for Creating a Clean and Fortunate Home

A clean house is more than just a luxury ? it is a necessity. That?s right, a necessity. We need a clean house (office or desk) because of all it offers us: efficiency and relaxation. Efficiency, because a clean house means you can find what you need when you need it. It also means that you will spend less time worrying and frustrated over the mess in your house.

A clean house offers relaxation, because clean houses look better, smell better, and feel better ? and that?s what makes you relax. A mess everywhere makes us tense. Even hidden messes worry us. What does it take to have a truly clean house? In a word, discipline. No one likes to hear that word anymore, but it?s true.

A clean house takes work, plain and simple. Ironically, the less a house is cleaned, the more work it takes. Yep, it?s true. If you don?t stay on top of your house, the house will be on top of you -- with papers piling up and junk everywhere -- not to mention dirt and grime.

Look around. Is your outer experience mirroring the inner experience? What is your house saying about you and your life? Now, how does your luck improve with a clean house? Think about all the ?old? and ?unsuccessful? energy that you have in your home.

If you've got dust bunnies the size of Great Danes, it's time to get to work. Dirt and dust equal stagnant and stuck. Remember, a rut is just a grave that's open at both ends. How to get out of your dirty rut? Good old fashioned elbow grease. Here's a quick guide to cleaning your space to get you out of your dirty rut.

1. Go to the bathroom.
Why? Bathrooms that are dirty are germfests waiting to make you sick. Clean it up and you might just feel better or get through cold and flu season unscathed!

2. Take on the kitchen.
This is where you eat so it should be clean. Nothing attracts bugs faster than a filthy kitchen. Make it a goal to give your kitchen a two-hour once over. Spend two hours in there and really clean -- the coils on the fridge, the oven, the floors, ceilings, windows - everything.

3. Head into the bedroom.
When you sleep, you are breathing in everything that's in the room, i.e., pet dander, dust, mites from the bed, you name it. Make it a point to clean under the bed, vacuum the blinds and wash the curtains and bedspreads and blankets. Then vacuum, yes, vacuum, the mattress and flip. Ahhh....clean. It feels so nice.

4. Create a paper trail.
To the recycling center that is. Haven't read that magazine? Then you're not going to, so get rid of it. Conduct your own paperectomy and get rid of all that paper that's just taking up space.

5. Concentrate in the corners.
This is where everything drifts to... the corner of the bedroom, the corners of the ceilings. Corners are a magnet for stacks of papers. On the ceiling, corners attract spider webs. Clear out every corner you have, including closet corners.

6. Go outside.
Rent a pressure washer and wash the house, sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Pressure washers are a house's best friend. Think of it as an exfoliating scrub for your home. You will love your sparkling house.

7. Head to the top.
Clean off the tops of everything. This includes dressers, tables, counters, refrigerators -- anything with a top. It also means dusting the tops of windows,door trim, and tops of baseboards. Dust just loves to hide on the tops of things.

8. Get steamed.
Once a year get your carpets and upholstery STEAM cleaned. Why steam? It's hot and it's water so it will clean REALLY well without hurting anything or leaving behind any kind of soapy residue. That's right, soapy residue.

Many people get their carpets cleaned or use grocery-store carpet cleaner products only to find they need to do it again and again and again because the carpets get dirtier faster and faster and faster.

Hmmmm.... a conspiracy? No. Just soap that stays behind. And soap is sticky, right? Well, then, that's where all the dirt is coming from: it's getting stuck in all that soap that is left behind from those cleaners. And while you're at it, throw away all your soap-based carpet cleaners.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui e-zine and is dedicated to helping her readers develop successful, prosperous, and supportive environments with feng shui. To subscribe, logon to www.redlotusletter.com and receive this special report Fr*ee 16 Feng Shui Secrets for Greater Prosperity.

kweber@redlotusconsulting.com

Seeking Balance in Your Home Decor

In our homes, as in other parts of our lives, we are happier when we live with balance and harmony. Just like the rest of our lives, balance in the rooms of our homes is sometimes hard to create.

For many years, decorators and home owners tried to create this physical balance by having pairs of everything: 2 matching end tables, a matched pair of wing chairs, even sets of twin beds in the master bedroom. This certainly created a balanced room. It also created rooms that were sterile, formal and visually boring. In a formal setting or a Federal or Georgian home, this is still the way things should be to look 'right.' Our ancestors valued this perfect balance so highly that they created false doors in hallways so that both sides matched or doors that looked like windows so that the right and left sides of the back of a house matched perfectly. This can still be seen if you go to visit some of our historic homes. A notable example is the Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis, Md. We, however, tend to prefer a more relaxed approach to our homes.

So how do we create a feeling of balance without matched pairs of everything? You can use:
Color Dark colors have more 'weight' than light colors. Actual size Height, depth and width of an object Mass A thick bulky looking object has more ?weight? than a fragile, delicate one. Just visualize a blown glass vase and a terracotta pot of the same size. Number A group of several like objects in different sizes grouped together creates 'weight.' Think of an assortment of silver candlesticks. Light A dark corner has more 'weight' than one filled with light. If you want to prove this to yourself, gather together a group of assorted objects and use a tabletop/mantel and try out different scenarios. Be sure you have different sizes, colors, textures and shapes. You can put a larger framed picture against one end and a slightly smaller one in front of it. On the other end of your table put a heavy pot. Do the same thing with a matching pot at each end. Try pairing the picture group with an assortment of candles in candlesticks. Each time you create an arrangement, step back and look at it. In fact, if you have a digital camera, take a picture of it. If you do this for a while you will start to get a feel for balance. You can actually give the illusion that the tabletop is tilted slightly by throwing off the visual balance.

The same effect can occur in your room arrangements. If you doubt this, close your eyes and try to 'see' a room in which you felt physically uncomfortable or slightly disoriented even though there was no obvious reason. A room in which the heavy items are all on one side of the room, almost feels as though the floor tilts. Once you have a feel for balance you can start to create a harmonious home.

Stand in the doorway of any room in your house that you feel isn?t 'right.' What do you see? Does the burgundy chair stick out like there is a spotlight on it? Does the entertainment center overwhelm the room? Do you have a TV and a fireplace battling for focal point? Do your easy chairs look like they were made for children next to your mammoth sofa? Does your fireplace mantel look like you are setting up for a tag sale? Your room is out of balance.

Move the furniture around and try different arrangements until you have one that works. Unless you have a room that is just for show like a Victorian parlor, you need to be able to use the room comfortably. Once the practical set-up is done, look at the room from different angles. If the room is out of balance use color and accessories, plants and pictures, groups of like objects, light and volume to create an illusion of balance.

Try grouping the accessories on your mantels and tabletops. Balance the entertainment center on one side of the fireplace with a tall plant or group of plants on the other. Note: avoid having the tops of everything at the same height. You might as well draw a line around your room. Repeat the color of the chair in pillows, throws, lampshades or the matting around a group of pictures. You really will be amazed at the difference it makes.

We may all be born craving balance but except for the lucky few, we have to learn to achieve it. There is a myriad of books on the subject and it can help to read them and look at the pictures, but the best way to get a feel for balance is 'hands on.' Experiment with portable objects until you get a feel for what works and then enjoy creating your harmonious home.

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company?s creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

Content for this article was provided by Suzanne Copenhaver, Design Consultant to ON THE GO 4 U. Suzanne has years of experience decorating in less than ideal situations and always provides us with tons of insight.

? 2005 Indra Books for ON THE GO 4 U

What Should You Know About Baby Diapers!

Baby diapers are the smartest thing invented for the babies. All headaches are gone. There are no more problems with the mess and with the cleaning after every change. The baby diapers are more practical and all you have to do is open it, put it like a panty, clip the cocklebur and that?s it. It?s not only time you spare but money too. More and more brands offer different kind of diapers for almost all the moments of the growth. The purpose of all this brands is to make the baby feel comfortable, free to move, and to avoid any kind of infections.

They improve more and more in the way they open-close, smell and feel. A diaper with rough margins generates rashes and discomfort for the baby. The untreated rashes can get infected. A good baby diaper is that which makes the skin look healthy. A baby diaper must be changed as much as it needs and thrown away. The disposal containing used diapers must be emptied at least once a day. It?s important to keep the baby clean and the place also. The babies must not be exposed to all kind of germs which can make him sick. To change a baby diaper is not that hard, it needs practice and patience. In case you detect any rashes be sure you clean gently the surface of the skin with water or antibacterial substances and also change the brand of the diapers you used. Nothing is too good for your baby.

If you find this information useful you should visit the site http://baby-diaper.info where you will find lots of interesting articles related to this topic, all original and wrote by Michael Lastun.

Hot Boys' 2006 Halloween Costumes ? 7 Popular Costumes

If you're looking for the hottest Halloween costume for your son or young male relative or friend - start by going online. Here are the hottest and newest costumes for 2006 - all under $50.

Superman Returns (with Muscle Chest) - The world's most beloved superhero is back. A DC Comics character costume

Power Rangers Mystic Force - Believe in your destiny to become the Red Ranger. Nick Russell was the last to embrace magic and become a Power Ranger, with his mystic control over fire, he has moves of fury.

Knight of the Dragon - You've got dragons to slay.

The Flash. The scarlet speedster is always there to race and save the day.

Star Wars Stormtrooper - An exceptional trooper in the glorious Empire. As an agent of the Empire your orders are to find the rebels and crush their insignificant rebellion.

X-Men Wolverine - One of the most popular, and deadly, characters in the whole Marvel Universe. He's the best at what he does.

Evil Jester - Jest have some friends. The costume includes a double knot poly shirt with skull trim, black and white checkered pants, black waist sash, black and white checkered headpiece, and skull mask.

* Go to a search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN and type in Halloween costume

* Check how the costumes are organized. Select 'Boys' or you can select by category such as Pirates

* Check what comes with the costume. You may need a wig, makeup or other props - like a sword for a pirate costume.

* Order the costume with time to allow for the most inexpensive shipping. A number of sites offer free shipping if a dollar threshold is met.

* Sign up for the site's newsletter - you will get offers and promotions.

Find and compare Halloween costumes http://www.wise4living.com/kidfeature/costume.htm

Read articles about childcare http://www.wise4living.com/kidnanny/

Author Robin Derry is publisher for http://www.wise4living.com/ a specialty information site that gives solutions to health, household, sport, travel and legal needs

Clawfoot Bathtubs: A Classic Touch in Your Own Home

Flat TV?s, contemporary art, remote controlled curtains, and all things modern can be found everywhere in a typical American home. They may be pleasing to own but too much of it can make your house too ?modern? to look at and sometimes dull and boring.

You may remember the times when simple things were beautiful to look at. Today, many people are considering adding a touch of history in their homes. The warmth and homey look of a home isn?t found in modern appliances and fixtures. Even bathroom fixtures are now integrated with state-of-the-art technology. Home bathtubs are integrated with personal Jacuzzis with a large plasma TV and a floating remote control. These things can be great but it just lacks that classical, homey look that a home should have.

Whenever you visit your grand parent?s house, you will notice the inviting look of a simple yet very classic look inside their homes. No plasma television, no remote controlled curtains, simple kitchen fixtures and those great cookie jars. You may even notice that their bathroom is equipped with simple yet attractive fixtures.

Even the bathtub has its traditional look. If you want this in your own home, you may try and consider buying a clawfoot bathtub. A clawfoot bathtub is very popular for people who want to have that classic American look in their bathroom. It is very simple in design and very pleasing to look at.

There are different styles in a clawfoot bathtub. You should consider choosing one that will compliment your bathroom more. There are clawfoot bathtubs that are made from cast iron or acrylic. The style also varies from roll top, dual and dual slipper. You can also choose from different kinds of feet for your clawfoot bathtub like a ball & claw, lion paw, imperial pedestal and skirt.

Choosing what kind of clawfoot bathtub you want for your home is up to you. Basically, here are the things you should know about the two different kinds of materials used in the clawfoot bathtub.

If you are a strict traditionalist and want a clawfoot bathtub to have that original look, you may want to consider having a cast iron clawfoot bathtub. These bathtubs can be painted and repainted to match the d?cor in your bathroom. Cast iron clawfoot bathtubs are heavy and are not suited for people with bathrooms in the second floor of their house. And, since it is metal, it will not retain heat too long. One advantage of cast iron clawfoot bathtubs is that it can last a long time.

On the other hand, the acrylic clawfoot tubs are light weight and are easier to move and install. It is also perfect for upper story baths because of its weight. Acrylic clawfoot bathtubs are good insulators that can keep your water warm longer.

One disadvantage of acrylic is that it will break down if strong cleaning chemicals are used, like acetate.

You can also install different kinds of faucets for your clawfoot bathtub. Try experimenting or think about what designs you want your faucets to be in your clawfoot bathtub.

If you want your home to have that classical touch, you can start redecorating it in your bathroom. Having a clawfoot bathtub installed in your bathroom can have a pleasing effect with the things around it. With a clawfoot bathtub, you will surely have an enjoyable and relaxing experience while you are bathing.

Claire Bowes is a successful freelance writer and owner of Clawfoot Bathtubs where you will find further tips to spruce up your bathtub.

Candle Accessories for Your Home

Do you like decorating with candles in your home? Almost any room in the house or an apartment can accommodate candle use, as long as you set it up safely and don?t leave candles unsupervised. Although you may think of candles primarily as table ornaments or birthday decorator items for a cake, there are many uses to which you can put candles, and their accessories, to make your home more warm and inviting.

Consider adding wall sconces along your central staircase. Use the electric kind to prevent fire hazards. These candles may run from batteries in their base or by electric plug-in cords. Wall candles add a lovely, romantic feel to a stairwell, creating a sense of intimacy and perhaps an old fashion look to blend with your decorating style. Wall sconces work well outside oft-used rooms, like the bathroom, as well as home offices, dens, and family rooms. You can get faux candles for your sconces just to be sure no one accidentally lights them to create a potential fire hazard.

Votive candles add a decorative touch around the holidays, especially. Set out a candle ring of plastic, vinyl, or fabric flora, taking care that it is fireproof before lighting the candle at its center. Smaller candles can be placed around the main one as accents in color-coded arrangements that emphasize certain holiday or pastel shadings for purposeful design. Votive candles may be white, but then are placed inside colored glass holders. These make great Advent or Easter centerpieces, as well as table decorations for religious celebrations like First Communion, baptism, or church membership.

Large, round candles help to create attractive centerpieces for holiday themes, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or even Memorial Day. Trim the candle base with related decorator craft items, albeit it fabric, flowers, or a basket, and add whatever else helps to make the candle fit the occasion.

Special dinner celebrations can be commemorated with candle centerpieces or candelabra in the center of the table or on a side area, like a buffet. The candelabra may represent spiritual significance for events like Passover or Christmas, or they can simply add a romantic touch to the evening. Use a flame quencher to put out each candle when you are ready to extinguish them.

Candles do not need to be lit to become part of an attractive centerpiece or decorator item. For example, you can attach a candle to the center of a wreath without lighting it. Candles at either end of your fireplace mantel make a nice touch, as do a cluster of varied size candles in the hearth when your fireplace is not in use.

Use candles to add intimacy, romance, or mysticism to your next gathering for guests or just for your family. Few decorating objects add so much ambiance as a candle, especially one that is scented. Small and tall, or large and wide, candles that are wisely used can bring any room to life.

Let CandleCase offer helpful decorating tips when you stop by their website at The Candle Case

Small Bathroom Remodeling And The DoItAll Renovations Contractor

Managing a small bathroom remodeling project

Remodeling your small bathroom, or any sized bathroom for that matter, can be a very rewarding and satisfying project. It can also be the source of much stress and many sleepless nights when things go wrong and believe me they can go wrong. Managing home improvement projects isn't as easy as it might seem and a bathroom remodel can be one of the most difficult tasks you can undertake in your home.

How to minimise the stress of your small bathroom renovation project

The most important thing to do before starting your bathroom makeover project is planning. You must decide not only what you are going to do in your small bathroom but you must also decide how you are going to do it. So what are your options?

• Do it all yourself
• Do part of it yourself and hire a project manager to hire a contract team.
• Hire a project manager to control the whole bathroom remodel
• Project manage your small bathroom makeover and hire a team of contractors yourself.
• Find a multi skilled contractor to complete your whole bathroom-remodeling project.

I knew that I didn't have the time to manage a team of bathroom contractors and I would hold them up if tried to do any of the work myself. I only had the one bathroom so I couldn't afford to have the job take any longer than necessary. So that left me with the options of hiring a team of bathroom contractors and a project manager or finding someone that would do the whole job by themselves.

Preparing your bathroom remodeling plan of action

Before I took the plunge and remodeled my own little bathroom I took the time to talk to people who had some personal remodeling experience of their own. I talked to friends and their friends and I talked to the staff in bathroom showrooms. This is the best way to help you decide how you are going to get your bathroom makeover done. It's also a very good way of finding contacts for suitable contractors.

While I was doing all this talking, that went on for several months, it became clear to me that the people who had the least amount of problems and stress with their small bathroom remodels where the people who had involved the least number of contractors to do the work. They also seemed to get their remodeling project completed much faster.

Hiring a multi skilled contractor to remodel your small bathroom

I decided then that I would look for a bathroom-remodeling contractor who would be capable and prepared to take on my small bathroom renovation from start to finish. I was convinced by what I had found that they do exist but I knew that they would be in high demand. In the end I was very pleased with the result and encourage you to consider this route to your dream bathroom.

I was right about the rarity of the one-stop bathroom-remodeling contractor. Lets face it, there are a lot of skills required and it's hard to see how one person can be a master of them all. On the other hand none of it is rocket science and anyone determined enough to put their mind to it can do a very reasonable job of it all.

After a lot of searching for names and referrals I chose 3 possible contractors and asked them to quote. I found the pin boards in many bathroom showrooms to be a valuable resource in finding contractors, as many of them will leave a card there for you to pick up.

I asked them all for references so that I could go and see some of their work and talk to their clients. This is an important and very reassuring step that can help to ensure that you don't end up with a rogue who runs off with your money.

Be prepared to wait for your small bathroom remodel

The guy that I chose to remodel my small bathroom was booked up for 6 months in advance but I felt that the wait would be well worth it. So we set a time and went with it. I was not disappointed with the result.

Read more about multi-skilled bathroom remodeling contractors in the article Small Bathroom Remodeling and One-Stop Contractors

Before and after pictures of my small bathroom remodel Pictures of bathrooms before and after remodeling at http://www.bathroomsremodeling.this-info.com Steve Gee

Decorating With Lights and Shades

Candlestick, lamp and fixtures for electricity must accord with the lines of your architectures and furniture. The mantelpiece is the connecting link between the architecture and furnishing of a room. It is the architect contribution to the furnishing, and for this reason the keynote for decorator.

In the same way lighting fixtures are links between construction and decoration of a room, and can contribute to, or seriously divert from decorators design.

It is important that fixtures be so placed as to appear a part of a decoration and not merely to illuminate conveniently a corner of the room, a writing desk, table or piano.

In planning your house after arranging for proper wall space for your various articles of furniture, keep in mind always that lights will be needed and must be at the same time conveniently placed and distinctly decorative.

One is astonished to see how often the actual balance of a room is upset by the careless placing of electric fixtures. Therefore keep in mind when deciding upon the lighting of a room the following points:

- fixtures must follow inline style of architecture and furniture

- the position of fixtures on walls must carry out the architect scheme of proportion, line and balance

- the material used in fixtures, brass, gilded wood, glass or wrought iron must contribute to the decorators scheme of line and color

- as a contribution to color scheme the fixtures must be in harmony with the color of the side walls, so as not cut them up, and the shade should be a light note of color, not one of the dark notes when illuminated.

This bring us to the question of shades. The selecting of shapes and colors for shading the lights in your rooms is of the greatest importance, for then shades are one of the harmonics for striking important color notes, and their value must be equal by day and by night, that is, equally, even if different.

Some shades, beautiful and decorative by night, when illuminated lose their color and become meaningless blots in a room.

In ordering or making shades, be sure that you select colors and materials which produce a diffused light. A soft thin pink silk as a lining for a silk or cretonne shade is always successful, and if a delicate pink, never clashes with the colors on the outside.

When you decide upon the shape of your shades do not forget that successful results depend upon absolutely correct proportions.

Marjan Zemljic is owner of Home-decorating-ideas-and-tips.com and author of How to break into the interior design industry. In his book you will find out how you can do exactly that. For more home decorating ideas visit his website at http://www.home-decorating-ideas-and-tips.com and learn how to create the home of your dreams.

Kids Hollywood Style Party: Glitz Glamour And Hollywood Fun!

If your child is feeling a little out of place in a new classroom this year, if it is a special occasion, or if you are simply wanting to throw a special party for your child's friends, why not throw your own kids' Hollywood style party, and help break the ice with the glitz, glamour, and fun of a kids' Hollywood style party?

Whether in your back yard, or another location, you can make a special Hollywood style party for your child. By simply providing things, like inexpensive craft store hats for decorating, party favor jewelry, sunglasses, boa feathers, your child?s favorite music, and movies, together with some fun food and games, your child can have their very own kids' Hollywood style party.

? Buy inexpensive party favors such as craft or thrift store hats for the children, and allow them to decorate the hats themselves, party favor jewelry, sunglasses, feather boas, cardboard cut out stars, painted silver, with each child's name printed on them, and inexpensive party favor trophies or paper awards, easily made and printed on a home computer.

? Serve ginger ale in plastic champagne glasses.

? Serve trays of Hors d'oeuvres, such as finger cakes, cheese dogs wrapped in prepared pastry dough, and baked, small pizza bites, to be served on a table draped with white paper table cloths liberally sprinkled with glitter and confetti.

? Age appropriate music from ?singers? from your child?s list of favorites.

? The use of a karaoke machine, so stars may be born, is another good idea. There is no need to have special karaoke tapes, just let them sing along with their favorite singers! Create your own talent show, letting everyone be a winner, and receive their own award for their efforts.

What better way to help your child have fun, and get to know their friends better, then to have loads of fun with your very own Kids Hollywood Style Party? On your walk of fame, every child can have a star!

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. Free Party Games to help complete your event.

The Magic of Design

There was a time people thought the world was flat. At another point in history it was believed that women didn?t have the know-how to run a business or change a tire. Then there was the one about man not being able to fly. Over time all of these fairytales have proven untrue.

So it is with interior design. Until recently, many people held the belief that having their home decorated by an interior designer was reserved for the rich and famous. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Fact is, many people of average income who live in a middleclass neighborhood are frequently surprised to learn they can easily afford the services of an interior designer. In other cases, many folks prefer to learn tips about design so they have the flexibility to redo a room on a whim. Either way, you have more choices today then ever before.

It is not uncommon to completely redo a room for a one time social event such as a birthday celebration, a graduation or a wedding. With some simple tips, even the most inexperienced person can easily spruce up a room.

Before you begin, think about the style you are interested in. Is it art deco, traditional, Mediterranean, western, modern, or contemporary? These are only a few of the multitude of choices you have. Think through how functional the room will be with what you have in mind. Avoid rugs and chairs that stain easily if there will be a lot of traffic in the room.

Be very careful to scale your furniture to the size of the room. If you have a very large space you can break up the area into little sitting groups or area groups. You can easily shift the ?feel? of a room with the use of lighting and/or plants. Area rugs are another tool many designers use to break up large spaces. A variety of paint colors and wall textures can make even the most mundane room come to life.

Small space decorating is fast becoming a favorite topic for many people as real estate prices rise. Think priorities when it comes to small spaces. Do you need to use an area of the room for more than one reason? In some cases you can easily convert the kitchen table to your workspace provided you have cabinet space handy for supplies. A chest of drawers can easily serve this purpose by holding office supplies, linens, or even computer components.

If you are considering utilizing the services of a designer, do your homework. Check their portfolio and references. Find out how they are to work with, did they deliver on time, were they easy to work with and did they listen to the homeowner. If you get an affirmative answer on all of these and their fees are suitable to your budget, then take the leap. Often, interior designs services are provided at no additional cost to you, and will give you the extra edge you need to create exactly the feeling you want for your home.

A great designer can make recommendations you may not have thought of. Ultimately, their goal is for you to be ecstatic with what you were able to accomplish together. After all, you are the one that has to live in the space long after the designer has done their magic.

Copyright: ? 2004 by Melody Foster

Web: www.thecozyhome.net

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website, or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.

About The Author

Melody Foster is the proprietor of The Cozy Home. The Cozy Home recently received the award for Best Interior Design for 2004 from the Parade of Homes and Salt Lake Home Builders Association for homes in the $400,000 - $700,000 range. Located in historic downtown Draper, Utah, The Cozy Home has a retail outlet that offer a unique selection to those who want the ability to furnish and accessorize their homes in a very individual way, with one-of-a-kind pieces that cannot be found elsewhere. The Cozy Home also focuses on interior design for homes in the $200,000 and up range, specializing in the enhancing the average American home. Contact Melody Foster at mfoster@speakeasy.net

Web: www.thecozyhome.net

Oriental Area Rugs Know Before You Buy an Oriental Rug

Did you know that you can usually tell the country from which an Oriental rug originated from its design and style? While we often think of 'Oriental rugs' as having an overall defining style, the truth is that there are many styles of Oriental rugs, most of them growing from traditional patterns and materials common to the country or area in which they originated. Experts in Oriental rugs spend years learning the variations of patterns, materials, colors and weave that are characteristic of the different areas of the Orient.

Persian Rugs - These are the rugs that most people think of when they hear 'Oriental rug'. Persian rugs are easily the most recognized style of Oriental rug. Now known as Iran, Persia has a reputation for producing some of the most beautiful and high quality rugs throughout history. The traditional designs bear the names of the tribal regions where they are made - Tabriz, Kerman, Sarouk and others. The intricate floral and geometric patterns are a hallmark of Persian designs, which make them among the most sought after and valuable Oriental rugs.

Indian Rugs - Most Oriental rugs sold in the United States nowadays are made in India. The rug industry is one of the mainstays of rural workers in India. Indian rug producers keep a finger on the pulse of the market, so you can find rugs made in India that are made in designs that originate in nearly every other country. Oriental rugs from India are generally less expensive than from other countries. The one rug produced in India that did originate in that country is the traditional Indian dhurrie rug, a flat-weave rug of cotton, wool or other natural fibers created in a variety of traditional and contemporary patterns.

Turkey - Turkish rugs are prized not only for their beauty, but because most Turkish Oriental rugs are between 50 and 75 years old. World War I disrupted the Turkish rug industry, and it has taken nearly 50 years for the industry to begin to regain its footing. The Turkish government now encourages and supports Oriental rug weaving as an industry, and the rugs produced are striking in their rich use of color and traditional design.

Tibet - Tibetan rugs are among the most prized of all rugs. Entire villages and families are involved in the art of Oriental rug design. A Tibetan rug can take up to 3,000 hours to complete. They are made from the wool of Himalayan sheep, which is generally regarded as the best wool fiber for rug making because of its high lanolin content. Tibetan rugs feature rustic patterns and rich colors, with variations in the wool texture and coloring that increase the value and uniqueness of the finished products.

To view our list of recommended sources for the highest quality rugs online, visit: Recommended Online Rug Stores.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of eZerk, an informational website with articles and the latest news about various topics. Visit the website to read more about decorating and rugs.

Invasion of the Bar Stool Are you Prepared?

Picture this: Its 1683, Dublin, Ireland - A guy walks into a bar and asks for his favorite brew. The bartender obliges and hands it off. He sits down enjoys his drink, maybe asks for another, then sits back and relaxes. I am sure that guy would have never thought that what he was sitting on was a potential household dynamo. The bar stool would in later years not only be practical but also, be an essential piece of furniture for its superior functionality in American homes.

When I first heard of a bar stool, I naturally thought of the local pub in town; I never realized that the craze of the bar stool has taken hold of modern American d?cor. Maybe I missed something, maybe I had just as much knowledge as the guy from 1683 drinking in his local pub, but there is no doubt about it ? ?The Mighty Bar Stool? has cometh.

Call it a form of furniture enlightenment, the bar stool popped up all over the place just as quickly as it popped into my mind. No place was safe; it became a bar stool invasion. Why would people accept such ancient furniture into their home, and make everyday use of it?

Well, lets see. We have the following:

-Bar stools have been around for centuries (slowly planning their attack no less)
-Modern America has integrated the bar stool into everyday living as a common piece of furniture
-I just coined the phrase ?Furniture Enlightenment? (wink, wink)

Well to my amazement bar stools impacted home furniture by its diversity of necessity. What does diversity of necessity mean? Its simple, means that bar stools became easily adaptable to common furniture needs in our homes. We can place them in kitchens, dens, family rooms, basements, outdoors, or anywhere else. The bar stool has become a token piece of furniture.

Bar Stools, as best that I can see are the stepping stool (no pun intended) for better diversity for our home d?cor. Meaning they allow more fluidity in our selections of the overall presence in the home. We need easy movable seating for a small kitchen, basement, patio, or anywhere else ? Bar Stool. We want to create an area to socialize in the home or maybe create a home bar ? Hello Bar Stool. There is no escape.

The species of bar stool comes in many forms, colors, and designs. Once thought to only flourish in a pub or a bar, the bar stool has conquered its questionable and gritty history, to find its place in our very homes. The bar stool market surges forward in local and online furniture stores as consumers put it in demand. So if you have not realized the furniture coup d'etat that has transpired over the course of centuries, do not despair you are not alone. In such times there is one motto I leave you with to prepare you for this upheaval ? ? If you can?t beat them? Join them?

This article may be redistributed freely on the Internet as long as the links and copyright stays intact. Copyright 2006 by Damon N. Burgess

Damon N. Burgess is a search engine conceptualist, writer, and an award-winning designer. The founder of Verse Designs, a Long Island web design company, where his concepts come to life. Also the marketing manager of one of the largest online furniture stores on the net ? One Way Furniture

Decorating Your Home: 5 Style Tips that Cost Less than $50

Do you dream of adding style to your home but don?t have a lot of money? Don?t despair! There are 5 things you can do that will help your house look beautiful without spending much money.

1. Declutter your home.

Nothing zaps a great look like clutter. Look around you. Do you have paper plies or mail stacks? Do you just add to your knickknack collection rather than rotate your select favorites? When was the last time you saw the front of your refrigerator? Simple solutions that cost very little money are to invest in nice office trays, pretty bulletin boards and frames for your child?s artwork. Make the trash can handy to immediately toss unwanted mail. Taking away the clutter will make your space appear larger and help your treasured objects be emphasized rather than lost.

2. Make display surfaces pretty.

A key element in houses that are decorated by a professional rather than want-to-be is the art of accessorizing. Flat surfaces such as mantels, bookcases, and coffee tables are the perfect places to restyle for less. The one important point here is to keep it simple. Bookcases should only be 2/3 full. A mantle should not have mirror above it (a very dated look) ? choose artwork instead. Place no more than three items on an end table ? cluster these varied but related items together for more impact.

3. Paint to Impress.

Paint, as you know, makes the most dramatic change for the money. Be bold, be daring and most importantly -- don?t do white! Choose a complex color. This simply means if you would use several different words to describe the color than it is probably complex. For example; if you said it was a kinda ?gold, straw, beige-y color? than it is probably a complex color. If you said ?just yellow? - it probably is not a very inspiring look. A beautiful color on the walls can make the room go from ordinary to extraordinary in less than a day and usually for less than $50.

4. Make it personal

Decorating your house is a job but styling your home is fun. Personalization is putting your interests, hobbies or values into your d?cor to really make it your own. Buy simple ? read inexpensive - curtains at your local big-box store and then buy exquisite wide ribbon to hot glue on the edge. Use your grandson?s first sneakers to tie back the den curtains. Use some family photos but just promise not to use too many. A guest coming for a visit may find all those staring eyes unnerving.

5. Change with the seasons.

You know the drill ? lighter brighter for spring/summer and darker richer for fall/winter. This easy task of changing the fabric items around the home can help you make it seasonal. Change out placements, bath towels, and accent pillows. The final touch is to purchase a seasonal bouquet of flowers: fresh or fake- these centerpieces can add punch to a room.

Decorate your home by spending time not money in decluttering, painting and accessorizing. By following these simple tips, you can make a huge impact by bringing your home from average to spectacular for very little money.

Julie Dana is a professional Interior Redesigner and Accredited Staging Professional. Her company, The Home Stylist, offers online decorating consultations, do-it-yourself decorating plans and real-estate staging. Visit http://www.thehomestylist.com to take a fun style quiz, vote on a color poll, and sign up for free decorating e-newsletter.