Enjoying Your Memories Each Day

Photographs are an important part of most peoples lives. We use the camera to capture our favorite memories but unless you have mastered scrapbooking you probably have tossed these images in a box or drawer with the intentions of organizing them later. Your pictures need to be enjoyed now. Let’s explore ways to surround yourself with these priceless bits of your life.

Pick a seasonal theme such as Easter finery and go through your photo collection to find your favorite pictures of your family on Sunday morning. Don’t just concentrate on the children but go back a few generations and enjoy the changes in fashions. Why did we stop wearing those cute little hats and gloves? If your pictures are both color and black and white you may want to have them all copied in black and white for consistency. Put your new collection in frames and group them on a table top. Take time to change them each season. Look for vacation photos, back to school pictures and building a snowman shots. A grouping of each family member on their first birthday will surely bring comparisons of common physical traits.

Children always seem to be full of squeals and smiles during bathtime. Take advantage of this exuberance by taking snapshots of bubble covered heads and towel wrapped dancers. Ask your mom to find the pictures she took of you showing off in the buff. Your kids will love it! You can do a couple of 8x10’s or a grouping of various sizes depending on your wall space and the amount of pictures you have to display. The goal is to create a soapy personalized gallery.

Create a mobile to hang in a child’s room with pictures of family members or friends. Photocopy your pictures and place two of them back to back, laminate them, then punch a small hole at the top of the picture. After laminating them together you can cut out different shapes and add embellishments. The scrapbooking section of your craft store will have ribbons, trims and templates to help you personalize the pictures. Thread ribbon, fishing line or yarn through the hole in each photo and attach to a recycled mobile frame or hang directly from the ceiling with a clear pushpin. Hanging them at different heights will allow you to better view each picture in your hanging photo album.

As you are going through your pictures, sort them into theme piles. You are now ready to place them into specialized photo albums. I enjoy looking through a small book filled with pictures of my daughter and her dad carving the Halloween pumpkin. From the silly faces that come from sticking your hand in a stringy sticky pumpkin to the finished product, this event has given me wonderful snapshots through the years.

On a side note, protect your picture negatives or disks from damage by placing them in a security box that is water tight and fire proof. You may even want to keep this box at a location other than your own home. Pictures are one of the few things that we can’t replace if disaster strikes.

Warning! Sorting through old photographs becomes addictive. Be ready to devote several hours to enjoying the blessed life you have lived.

Decorating With Teens Can Be Fun...REALLY!

The teen years should be called the bedroom years. A computer, home entertainment system and a bed provide them with all they think they need. If it weren’t for the occasional trip to the kitchen, parents would never see their offspring.

There comes a time when your child will declare their room boring or childish. The American Girl Dolls or Brio Trains will be packed for the attic along with the posters from their favorite Disney movies. They are ready to express themselves in their own creative way. As a parent, your job is to remind yourself of what you wanted at this age and how much you would have loved it if your parents had been open to your ideas. I was lucky. My mom gave me the freedom to paint my room trim and closet door lime green. At the time I ( and my friends) thought it was so pretty. I am not sure that was true and it is probably the reason I want only white trim in my home today.

A cool teen room starts out with a theme. For boys, skateboarding, surfing or technology are popular. A giant mural depicting a surfer experiencing the ultimate wave or a skateboarder doing a 360 in the park will give an awesome impact to a room.
Guys are often most comfortable with the colors of their favorite team or school. Hang plenty of shelves for them to display equipment, trophies and souvenir hats. Old t-shirts from favorite events can be turned into pillows for the bed.

Stripes and polka dots are strong favorites with teen girls. You can use paint to create this look on the wall or purchase a comforter splashed with dots or lined with stripes. Animal prints are also a hit. Zebra is fun, especially when paired with a color such as yellow or bright green.

Visit the paint store and let your teen play in the paint sample cards. Encourage them to think about colors that aren’t the typical pink, purple, primary blue and red. Look at the color cards furnished by the paint companies. The combinations they suggest will spark your imagination.

Don’t be surprised if they want to paint their room black. If you aren’t thrilled about this for the entire room redirect them to paint their furniture in this dark tone. One wall in black can create a stunning accent wall behind their bed. Blackboard paint is also a fun choice. It lets them express themselves with easily changed drawings or song lyrics.

Decorating your child’s room can be a fun project. Give them a budget and a few guidelines then listen to what they have to say. They may actually think you are cool for encouraging their creativity.

(Photo shows a room that your teen would love to relax and entertain in. It was featured in a model home. I did not design this beautiful room and do not know the name of the designer in order to give them the credit.)

Quick Change

This is the time of the year we get in the mood for change. Here is a quick and inexpensive idea for your windows.

Sheers are inexpensive to buy if you don't already own any. Instead of the tradional way of sliding them on a rod pocket pole try mounting them with clips. Use as little or as many as you want to get the effect you love. The picture shows adding tassels for interest. You can also loosely wrap the pole in multiple ribbons or a garland of flowers. Lengths of ribbon attached at the clips so that they hang down at different lengths are a creative way to add color.

I would love to hear your ideas. Add them to the comments.

Gettting Ready For Outdoor Living

Enjoy this time between the winter chill and the muggy nights of summer to by taking activities outside. Create an outdoor room on your porch or deck that will be perfect for dining, reading or napping. Begin by giving the area a thorough cleaning. Toss out those plastic flower pots that get stockpiled each year. Replace them with vessels made of natural materials such as clay, stone or glazed pottery. There are many faux stone planters available if you need something that can be moved easily. Fill your new pots with a combination of plants. Start with something low that will spill over the sides such as ivy, next tuck in impatiens that will grow to a beautiful puff of color. Your local garden center manager will be able to recommend the perfect combinations for your environment. Be sure to ask for something with a wonderful fragrance that will heighten the experience of sitting in your garden room.

Your new favorite space will need comfortable seating and a table. This can be a splurge of new furniture with a tailored classic look or you can rummage through the attic or garage sales for a mixture of pieces that give you a charming cottage feel. If you have a collection of mismatched pieces unify them by painting everything the same color. White is the most popular hue but find spray paint in color that makes you happy….that is what this area is all about!

To finish off this wonderful retreat, think of things that will appeal to the senses. Fill the seating with comfortable pillows. The market is being flooded with great outdoor fabrics so you don’t have to worry about a sudden rainstorm. Buy a great set of plastic dishes so that you don’t have to worry about breakage. From the dollar store to mall department stores, you can find plates and cups that are different from your everyday place settings. The change will make a simple sandwich seem tastier.

A Space For You

A Space For You

For most women, the bathroom is a retreat. Does yours look like a restful spa or is it a cluttered dingy box? Transforming this area starts with a plan. First clear everything movable out. Look at your space. Do you want a new color scheme? Is it time to paint or wallpaper? What are your storage issues?

Let’s start with the walls. Go to the paint and wallpaper store and collect samples. Pick up safe choices as well as something you have never tried before. Using painters tape, tack everything on the wall and live with it a couple of days. Make a choice and go for it.

Your new bathroom is going to stay clutter free. If you have a vanity, clean it out. If you have lived in this house for a few years you will marvel at the things that you have taking up space. Jr. is graduating from high school this year so you can throw away the diaper rash ointment. If you looked good at the disco in that glitter make up and it wasn’t a retro dance get rid of it. Toss, toss, toss. Now look at the clean drawers and plan out what goes where. Have a place for the curling iron and blow dryer. Keep the styling products in a drawer not on the countertop. Shop for items that will help you use the space efficiently. Line the drawers with pretty paper that you will enjoy each time you reach for your brush.

Your walls will need artwork. Because of the humidity of the room, don’t place your priceless paintings in this area. This is a great place for prints that are big on style and small on price.

Splurge on big fluffy towels and a warm plush rug and your bathroom will become a sensual haven. MMMM relax and enjoy.

After Christmas Bargains

The stores have much to offer in the mark down section this season. An added bonus is that the colors are not limited to traditional holiday colors anymore. This means that you can buy linens, tablewear,home decor and decorations to use all year round at 50% off.

Think about ways to use the wreaths to celebrate winter. Would removing the bow or adding a different one make it fit your den decor? Candles can be bought for gifts as well as to treat yourself. Change up the candle by adding a bit of ribbon or a charm to the outside.

While shopping I saw lots of the metal containers that work well for drink storage during a party. Textures or cut out designs give them such decorating interest. Like the style but want more than just holiday use out of them? Spray paint them in a great color. Give them a new job by drilling holes in the bottom for drainage and they become great planters for the outdoors.

Discount shopping is so much fun. Combine it with a creative outlook and you will come home with new additions to your home decor.

Closet Personality

I love an organized closet. I hate the work it takes to get there but once it is done and I have thrown out or donated a percentage of the contents I feel GREAT!

While the closet is empty I paint or wall paper it to give it a fresh personal look. Using leftover or reduced mistint paint I paint that mini room a color I love....to heck with what anyone else thinks. If I want a raspberry room and that brings horror to my husband, well I turn my coat closet into a raspberry delight! I have two rolls of a pretty wallpaper I bought for $1.99 a roll. I have a place that is going to benefit from a sunny yellow print. Don't forget to paint the shelves and trim a fresh color with semigloss paint.
Knowing that you get to add spice to your closet might help motivate you to clean it out!