by | Jan 11, 2019 | Around the Home |
Since the New Year has come around, everybody is hard at work trying to stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it is going to the gym or eating healthier, a lot of people give up after a few weeks, and go back to their normal ways of living after admitting defeat. So, why not make a (late) resolution that is more reasonable, and decide to make your home the best that it can be this year? Think about it: it’s where you spend all of that family time, so it should be comfortable and warm. Here are some tips if you want to put the heart back into your home!
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Do all of the repairs that you can
Sometimes, what lets our beautiful homes down is that there are some repairs that we never quite got around to doing. You often think, ‘oh, I’ll do that next week’ but when next week comes around, you have better things to be doing (or so you think). However, neglecting one thing in your home could lead to you letting it deteriorate, and it should be safe and comfortable for the whole family. Make sure that you have trusted contacts for furniture repair, air conditioning repair, and structural repair, and you’ll be able to make this year perfect when it comes to creating a loving and safe home for all of your loved ones.
Have a clear out
Little do most of us realize, but the reason that our homes seem to be spaces that we don’t thoroughly enjoy is usually because we fill them with so much stuff. Especially if you’re a parent, you can find yourself keeping things for sentimental reasons, or just because your kids might want to use them in the future. Make this year the year of saying, ‘if I haven’t used it within the last three months, I am going to give it away to charity.’ Whilst this may seem like a harsh way to be when it comes to your things (you should keep the very sentimental items, of course) you will end up with a house full of junk if you don’t stay on top of it, and you could get money for selling some things.
Make sure that you cook and eat together a few times a week
There are many families across the world now who just don’t take the time to cook and eat together at all. This can make your home feel like it has lost its warmth, and it is so important to make sure that each day (if possible) you share what has happened with those that you love, across dinner. It is a real mistake to eat separately and neglect the role that food has within your relationships – family or otherwise – so make sure that you organise no phone meals, in order to make your home the heart of everything family. You’ll be glad that you did when you go into 2020 stronger than ever!
So, if you want to make sure that your home is (almost) perfect this year, try these simple tips!
by | Dec 5, 2018 | Around the Home |
Image Source: Unsplash
If you have recently taken up DIYing and are looking to hone your skills crafting practical items to adorn the home, this article was written with you in mind. Gaining hands-on experience is something every DIY enthusiast craves, and the best way to do this is start with easy projects. If you begin with less ambitious tasks, with the right tools and a few basic designs, your skill level will gradually rise and you will be able to tackle major renovations. Assuming you already have a basic DIY tool kit, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Paint Old Vinyl Floors
If you have vinyl flooring that has seen better days and you would like to brighten up the place, why not paint the vinyl? Latex enamel paint is the ideal coating, and with a range of rich colours, you can transform your flooring. A good quality roller will ensure an even coating, and, of course, make sure the room is clean and there is no airborne dust at the time of application. A second coat might be needed, depending on the colour, and it might be best to limit this to a single room first, just to see how it performs.
Image Source: Unsplash
Install Bathroom Cabinets
An easy project, starting with the removal of existing units. There are online suppliers of quality bathrooms UK homeowners rely on, and they would have a range of stylish bathroom cabinets and all the other accessories you might want. In fact, any materials you ever require for DIY projects can be easily located online, and if you are based in the UK, there is a leading online building supplies company who have you covered. Buying online saves both time and money and you can shop in the comfort of your living room.
Build a Fireplace
Providing you have fully researched this one, there’s no reason why you can’t tackle building a fireplace. Any gas or electrical work should be outsourced to a qualified engineer, but other than that, you are fully capable of handling what might seem a daunting prospect. Clear the room and make sure you have a template for the finished design. Use heavy plastic sheeting to protect the floor and don’t worry if it starts to get messy, just make sure that everything is protected.
Image Source: Unsplash
Replacing Plasterboard Ceiling
This will really change the interior, and if you would like some step by step help on how to replace a plasterboard ceiling, there are articles you can find online. Make sure you have a stable working platform (good pair of steps or small tower) and you will need help with a full 8×4 sheet of plasterboard. Rather than use the traditional nails, screw them in with your recently purchased cordless drill/screwdriver, making sure you have one fixing every 2ft. Using the tape to cover the joints will leave you a smooth surface to either paint over, or skim.
Whatever you decide to work on, you will need a good materials supplier and with online solutions, you can purchase from the comfort of your own home, along with tools and equipment. A secure online payment will see your items despatched to your home address and you can begin your quest to turn your home into a place of sheer luxury.
by | Oct 19, 2018 | Around the Home |
Ask any interior designer and they’ll gladly confirm that arranging furniture is an art form in itself. Such is the importance, that the furniture arrangement can make or break a room and by clever combinations of colours and textures, it is possible to present any interior in its best light. Whatever the style of the décor, furniture placement needs some careful thought and there’s nothing wrong with the trial and error approach. If you are about to revamp your living room, here are some useful tips on furniture arranging that will help you to create the perfect ambience.
Image Source: Unsplash
Create a Floor Plan – It can be very tiring moving heavy furniture around, and rather than doing this, you should create a floor plan. The plan would include scaled down measurements of not only the room dimensions, but also every item of furniture, which will help you to decide where things can go.
Add Some Antique Items
Take a look at online antique dealers, who would have some unique grandfather clocks that can blend with almost any setting. A period writing desk might look perfect in the corner and can be coupled with an antique bookcase, which makes for the ideal study look.
Create a Focal Point
Every room needs at least one focal point, which might be a fireplace or an elegant furniture item, and the rest of the room would be centred around this. Wall art offers many attractive ways to create a visually appealing focal point, and once you have selected a main item, build upon that. If you spend some time thinking about the primary uses of the room, this will help you to select a good focal point, which might be the flat screen TV or an antique fireplace.
Encourage Conversation
The living room should be a place where people can easily converse, so make sure that sofas and armchairs are not too far apart. Anything more than 8 feet makes for difficult dialogue and try to have seating placed in such a way that people are facing each other. A coffee table that is centrally placed is the perfect starting point and by adding the seating with a view to easy conversation, family and guests will always feel comfortable engaging in dialogue. There are articles available online on how to best place furniture that might help you create the ideal look.
Think Media Experience
If you are revamping your living room, make sure that the seating placement affords the best locations for the ultimate viewing experience, with speakers at ear height when seated, which will ensure the very best audio reception. If you have a state-of-the-art home theatre system, then you can place the Bluetooth speakers around the room, which will enhance the surround sound effect. Daytime viewing is best with suitable screening to black out the room and make sure there’s enough space for people to walk around.
Image Source: Unsplash
Don’t be afraid to experiment with furniture placement, as this is often the best way to ascertain where various items would be best located, and careful selection of colours will ensure a balanced feel about the room. It might be that you are lacking a particular item and with online suppliers of antique and vintage furniture, you can find the ideal item that completes the look.
by | May 23, 2018 | Around the Home |
Incense is composed of the aromatic biotic material that might release fragrant while it is burned and term incense refers to substance itself when compared to odor which is produced. It is widely used in the ritual purification, religious ceremonies, aromatherapy, meditation and masking bad odors. Use of the incense might have originated in Ancient Egypt. Incense has been appeared in different forms like chopped herbs, powders, raw woods, paste, oils or even liquids. Incense is derived from Latin verb intender that is meaning “to burn”. It can emit aromatic smoke which can activate senses. Meditation incense could be burned to help practitioner for achieving states of the focus, clarity and calm. Literally thousand types of the incenses are available and you can buy it in viennaimports.com.
To know about different types of incenses
Incense stick and its fragrant smoky aroma is synonymous with the religious centers and Eastern spiritual. Different kinds of the incenses are available such as
- Amber- It represents both history and knowledge. It is the best choice to meditation in which you are looking to discover information.
- Jasmine- It is both love associate and night. It is associated with the love and beauty. Jasmine is concerned with emotional and mental connections.
- Lavender- it promotes beauty and it is the best incense to lures and glamour. It can work well for the love spells which mean attract mate.
- Lotus- It could be associated with the heightened intelligence, maximized focus and mental clarity. It has amazing properties so it is the best choice to meditation.
- Nag Champa- It is the sacred incense and it could be used to purify or sanctify area.
Incense is the best choice to driving away evil and it is useful to make positive energy and promote inner strength. Different variety of the materials is used in making incense and incense material is available in different degrees of processing and various forms. Generally it is the separated into the indirect burning and direct burning. People can choose the best incense based on the tradition, culture and personal preference. Based on the research says that cinnamon incense is really useful to sharpen mind.
Amazing benefits of using incense
Choosing the best incense stick is most important because each is having specific features. Pure incense stick is infused with the extracts of different herbs and flowers or essential oils. If you are choosing best incense stick then you can get wonderful benefits such as
- Battle anxiety and depression with frankincense
- Sandalwood incense for your environment and mind
- Calm down with pine and cedar
- Sharpen mind with the citrus and cinnamon
- Myrrh for improving circulation and immunity
- Sleep better with lavender incense
Lavender is having unique refreshing aroma when burnt. Inhaling fragrance during aromatherapy can minimize feelings of anxiety, feelings of sadness, grief and depression. Most of the recent studies report that cinnamon incense is really useful to sharpen your mind. Myrrh which is originated in Middle East and North Africa and it is best option to overall digestive health. It has both antimicrobial and anti inflammatory properties and it can soothe coughs. Based on Chinese herbal medicine, it can improve blood circulation and boost immunity which can make your body stronger. Aroma of the sandalwood could be the best stress buster because it might instantly lifts your spirits and relaxing you. In fact burning incense might relax your mind and body and make romantic atmosphere and enhance spiritual meditation. Burning incense is one of the best and easiest ways to create huge spaces smell fragrant.
A beginner guide to use incense sticks
Choosing the best incense stick is also necessary one and you must invest your money on quality sticks because it is only useful to achieve your desire results. If you are planning to use incense in safest way then you must follow some effective tips such as
- Buy premium quality and low smoke incense stick
- Don’t burn too much
- Keep windows open
- Just burn part of the stick
Stick incense is mostly made from the bamboo sticks and upper portion of the stick could be coated with the absorbent sawdust paste that might retain fragrance. It comes in different forms like cones and cylinders. Burning incense is not dangerous to your health but you must choose top quality of incense. You can invest in the all natural and organic incense. Once you visit viennaimports.com then you might get top quality of the incense sticks. Incense each fragrance is created from the roots, stalks, flowers, fruits and reins. It has been widely used by spiritual and religious leaders for purifying soul and air. Certain kinds of the incense smoke are having insecticidal, fungicidal and antibacterial properties which can purify the air. Most type of the incense stick is having antibacterial properties that could be used as the disinfectant in order to kill germs in environment. Recent Chinese study says that incense was mostly used to sterilize hospital ward. Calming effects of the incense is well known by the spiritual leaders and Monks. Specific aroma is having capability to slow down heart rate and soothe nerves. Sedative properties of the incense might make it excellent and natural treatment to aid insomnia. Once you choose best incense then you can some health benefits like minimize stress, purifying air, treating insomnia, fighting depression and managing minor pain.
Conclusion
Medical study determined that some of the incense smoke can activate ion channel in brain that is closely associated with the emotion and alleviating depression. Certain incense fragrance can trigger response from limbic system that results in the release of serotonin. Being in same environment as incense could be linked to the heightened creativity. Aromas are having extremely powerful emotional memory trigger which is really useful to stimulate creativeness and thoughts. If you are using natural and organic incense then you can easily get rid of from side effects. Different kinds of the incense might affect people differently so carefully pick incense fragrance.
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by | Apr 9, 2018 | Around the Home |
Does the state of your closet give you a headache? It might be time to put it in order. Nothing beats an organized closet to make getting ready a breeze.
5 Steps For Organizing Your Closet Like A Pro — Image: Pixabay
While organizing your closet might be one of those chores that you hate, it’s certainly one of the most satisfying when it’s finished.
Learn to organize your closet like a pro in five easy steps.
1. Take it all out
It’s almost impossible to organize your wardrobe with everything already in it, so it makes sense to take everything out and start over. By doing this, you’ll be able to see exactly what you’re dealing with and perhaps even come across items you had forgotten about or thought were missing. Organize everything into piles on the floor or your bed such as pants, dresses, shirts, etc. and that will make it easier for you to put things in order.
2. Get rid of unwanted clothing
Now that you’ve got a clearer picture of all the items you own, you can make some sensible choices about what to keep, and what to toss. Ask yourself some of the following questions:
– Is this item wearable?
– Do I like this item?
– Have I worn this item in the last year?
– Will I wear this item in the next year?
If you answer ‘no’ to any of these questions, then it might be time for the item to go. You need to be ruthless with your closet to help you get rid of the clutter, as well as to make room for new items you’d like to buy in the future. There are plenty of things to do with your unwanted clothing to stop anything going to waste.
3. Create more space
Even after a bit of decluttering, you might find that you still have a lot to try and fit back in your closet. It’s easier to plan your wardrobe by season so that you can put any unwanted items in storage if necessary. While you can make use of closet space by adding shelves and putting hooks on the inside of your closet drawers, you might want to look into other options for your storage needs. Take a look at storage facilities by Bekins Moving Solutions to get a quote for storing your stuff. This is a great solution if you live in an apartment or house without much storage space to help keep everything neat.
4. Put everything back in an organized way
How you organize your wardrobe is up to you. You can separate your items by occasion, or color code your closet to make it easy to see your clothes. Whatever method you decide, make sure it’s something you can follow easily to help make it easier to find the clothes you need.
5. Keep it up!
Organizing your closet is a chore that you should be carrying out each season to keep your wardrobe fresh and to make dressing for the season simple and hassle-free. Keep your staples like your leather jacket or favorite jeans where it’s easy to see them so that you can build some fabulous outfits with ease.
After organizing your closet, you’ll feel happy and in control, making it a satisfying chore to carry out at home. A refreshed closet will make you feel like a new woman, so make sure you get yours in order ready for the summer months!
by | Jan 24, 2018 | Around the Home |
Whether you lease or own your home, it’s likely that you have encountered the stressful situation where something has broken down, gone wrong, or stop working altogether! In particular, washer dryers seem to get a lot of use and so can quite often stop working properly. Of course, you can’t do without clean clothes, so it’s an issue needs to be sorted as soon as possible. Luckily, there are some ways of dealing with this crisis while keeping a cool head. Read on to find out what they are.
When your washer breaks down, it can cause chaos!
Identify the issue
The first task you need to complete if your washer has broken down is to identify what is actually wrong with it. This isn’t as difficult as you might think, as there is plenty of advice on Google that can help you work out what has gone wrong.
I’m not suggesting that you fix it yourself though, as anything that combines electricity and water should be looked at a by a professional. It should also be switched off as soon as you think it’s going wrong for safety reasons. Instead, finding out what the issue is is about knowing whether it’s worth getting the machine repaired or whether it’s more cost effective to buy a new one.
Launderette
Don’t forget too, that while your washer is out of action, there are alternatives that you can use to clean your clothes. One is taking your items to a launderette and using their washer and dryers.
The second is to hand wash items in the bath or sink. Yes, it a bit more time consuming than you are used to but it convenient and will allow you to wash the clothes that you need quickly, even if your washer is broken.
Repair or replace?
Once you have an idea of what is wrong with your washer you can make the decision to repair or replace it. Of course, it is going to be more expensive to buy a new washer. However, if you are sensible about it and consider personal loans with low interest rates to pay for the device, it can be more cost-effective in the long run. The reason being that washer repair people often charge quite a lot, and there is no guarantee that these will work properly or last for a long time. Something that means it can be easier all round to just invest in a new one.
Prevention is better than cure
Last of all, once you have your new or repaired washer sorted remember that taking care of it is vital to ensure that it last as long as possible.
To do this be sure to include descaling treatments if you are in an area with hard water. Also, remember to check all the pockets of your clothes before you put them in the laundry, as well as the empty the tray at the bottom regularly that is used to catch things that shouldn’t be there like coins, buttons, and collar stiffeners. Then you will help keep your washer working for as long as possible!
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