Friday, October 23, 2020

Looking for a Heartfelt Custom Christmas Gift? Or for any other occasion?

Despite this website being mostly about budget friendly ways to improve your decor, occasionally I like to share side projects I am also doing. Lately I have been blessed with a lot of opportunities to create custom artwork for people who have lost loved ones and want to remember them with individuals they never met, or in important memories they didn't get to be a part of. I also have drawn a few different drawings that feature Jesus Christ, and have been fortunate to include those who have passed on with him. To be asked to create custom artwork that features someone's deceased love one is both humbling and special for me, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to create art that brings tears to people's eyes and happiness to their hearts. 

Drawing and creating custom artwork has been a great blessing as it allows me to provide a little bit for our family's needs, as well as work when it is most convenient. Now that my four boys are in school all day, (crossing my fingers that e-learning will soon be a thing of the past,) I have decided to continue my education and go and get my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Because of this decision, I am looking for ways that I can earn money to put towards my education that I start next Fall. 


Since Christmas is coming up, (and if you are like me you're trying to figure out what to get for everyone on your list,) here are a few ideas that would be way more meaningful than a gift card...

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Interior Design Styles have been Changing--Does your Space need an Update? (Contributed Post)

Remember December 2019? Yeah, that was a more peaceful time for the interior design world. If you follow the scene, you will have known that an earthquake was occurring. It wasn’t a surprise at all, it was actually a changing of the guard. If you weren’t paying attention, the gist of it is, the sharp clean lines of the contemporary, minimalist, industrial and postmodern designs and styles, were going out the window. A return of more curves, complex shapes, form over pure function, and more personality was taking over. It had been 10 years at least since we saw the latter but it was a welcome revival of such styles. But, older styles weren’t coming back, we were in the midst of creating a new style, merely taking inspiration from the others. So, let’s get back to this task and finish the transition!




A new bathroom


The bathroom is very often, the last room to get updated. It's not really a showpiece room, is it? The family room, kitchen, and dining rooms always get more praise from guests, so that’s where we pour all of our creativity. But we cannot leave any room behind! 



Start off with new but cheap bathtubs which you can just drop in. These drop-in bathtubs, like the TOTO, KOHLER, and Mansfield are brilliant choices. The square and oval shapes can fit almost any room. The square gives you more room in the bath, but sharper edges so may feel it's easier to slide in. An oval shape is better for those that want more side support and can fit into small rooms.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

4 Ways to Enhance your Kitchen (including one that can be done on a dime!)--Contributed Post

Improving your kitchen is something many people avoid. You need your kitchen to function every single day; preparing food, eating with your family, and catching up with each other about your day. The idea of a kitchen renovation can be stressful in itself for most people; the dust, the invasion of builders and contractors in your space… It’s enough to make anyone turn their back on the idea. But here’s the thing: kitchen improvements do not have to be huge, life-altering renovations which rip out your kitchen at its roots and start all over again. Making a noticeable difference to your kitchen does not necessarily need to involve huge disruptions or bank-breaking expenses.

Image credit.


During the winter, most of us need a pick-me-up. We all love our cozy nights with candles lit and a blanket, but the winter can make a lot of people feel down due to the darkness and cold weather. This isn’t to say that a kitchen renovation will fix all your problems, but making improvements to your space can vastly improve your mindset and make you feel a million times more revitalized.

  1. Refacing Your Cabinets

Old, weathered looking cabinets can immediately age your kitchen and make it look out of date and shabby. If you are looking for an improvement to your kitchen that doesn’t involve ripping the cabinets out and replacing them, refacing the cabinets provides a fresh feeling which lasts a long time.


How to Update Your Kitchen Cabinets


How does cabinet refacing work? You can attempt this yourself as a DIY project, or if you want the job done quickly and reliably, you can hire a professional. You can find well-reviewed companies who offer cabinet refacing in any major city in the US. 


Source

  1. Going To Work On Your Floors

Flooring is an unmissable element of your home’s decor. Your home can be lovely, bright, homely and clean - but with shabby, stained or worn out flooring, nobody will notice the pretty parts. If you don’t want to replace your kitchen floors, though, that’s understandable. This takes some time and money, not to mention that floor replacement can be very disruptive to your home routine. 


Before

Instead, try waxing, varnishing or even repainting your wooden flooring. Wood is a great, classy and valuable choice for home flooring, but the downside is that it is very easily scratched and worn down. If your wooden kitchen floor is starting to age your kitchen, invest in a waxing or varnishing service which not only makes your kitchen floors look stunning, but it protects them against damage and scratching too.

After

  1. Accessories To Elevate Your Kitchen Decor

One thing many people forget is that it doesn’t take a lot to transform a space. If your kitchen has a great base decor which is simple and elegant, but you feel it is a little boring or nondescript, you can easily jazz it up with some decorations. These decor tips are easy to implement and can also be very helpful to your cooking too!


  • Growing herbs. If you have any natural light in your kitchen, you can grow herbs inside. If you often find yourself buying herbs in a supermarket, such as basil, rosemary or mint, why not save yourself the trouble and grow them yourselves? You can keep these in your kitchen on a shelf or windowsill, and they will add a drop of life into the room. Plus, if you are cooking and need a little extra something to flavor the food, you can go right ahead and cut a few sprigs from the plant growing in your kitchen.


    Source



  • Brightly colored pots or accessories. Not everybody wants a bright, intensely colored kitchen which looks like it’s straight out of a Disney movie. That’s understandable. If you like an understated look in grey, brown or white tones, you might still want to consider a few brightly colored pieces to add to the space. These could be a bright casserole dish, a bunch of flowers on the counter or funky mugs. These simple changes can dramatically warm up your space 

Conclusion

Sprucing up your kitchen this winter does not have to cost your savings or disrupt your life. Use this helpful guide to pick up your kitchen and give your home the revitalization it needs!

Monday, August 31, 2020

3 Simple Home Changes that make a Big Impact--Contributed Post

Source 

If you are looking for ways to change up your home that don’t have to be a lot of work, then you’ve come to the right place. There are plenty of options when it comes to doing things differently. You don’t have to tear the whole place up and start from the beginning; instead, you can just do a couple of simple things to see the desired impact. If you want to know more about what kind of things I'm talking about, keep reading down below to find out.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Two Quick & Easy DIY Decor Changes to Spruce up the Walls in your Home -- Contributed Post

Chances are you’ve spent a whole lot of time in the four walls of your home lately. Social isolation and social distancing measures put in place to slow the spread of coronavirus and Covid-19 have meant that many of us have been stuck inside for months. When looking at the same four walls day after day, it is likely that you have grown tired of the "same old same old" and may be wanting to consider sprucing those walls up a bit. The good news is that stores are open and you can now get the supplies you need to make a significant change. If you don’t want to dedicate to a full scale home improvement project right now, but would like to see some positive change, here are two suggestions that will take less than one day to complete!


Painting an Accent Wall


Courtesy of @myhouseof8 (my sister Kelli's Instagram account)

Monday, August 10, 2020

Basic Invite, a Cool, Custom Company that is far from Basic--Sponsored Post

I love when a really neat company reaches out to me and asks me to check out their product and decide if it is something my readers would be interested in. When Basic Invite contacted me I had never heard of them before, but since I had never before looked into creating custom invitations, it made a lot of sense why I hadn't. When I looked over their website, customized a few things myself, and then received my creations in the mail, I was not only impressed with what they have to offer and how user friendly the whole experience is, but their products are top notch as well. So here are 3 reasons to LOVE and use Basic Invite...