Fireplaces

No doubt about it, fireplaces add instant warmth and character and comfort to any room. I have loads of memories of sitting around the fireplace with my family when I grew up, munching on popcorn, and "special drinks" (Shirley Temples) and listening to a variety of my parent's music choices..The fireplace is like a welcome mat inside the home.

Fireplaces should never be ignored. They are such a focal point, and to ignore them is a shame for the room. There are so many ways to go, I just had some fun looking at different pictures on line. There are the traditional type, brick and burn real wood, all the way to contemporary gas or electric fireplaces.

Last year I gave my fireplace a slight make over. It had kind of boring cement colored stone look, and a dark green tile floor in front of it--neither matched well and really did no service to the overall look of the room. So I painted the whole thing black. I just used black paint I had (it has been a year and never chipped, etc..) It is shiny black. It instantly gave the whole area much more pop and merged it into the room with black and red and yellow, instead of it looking like "one of these things just doesn't belong here" to quote a Sesame Street song.. I also took little pieces of red mosaic glass, and just glued them sparingly on the black, to give it a little sparkle here and there.

As we know, paint changes everything, and is probaby the cheapest decorating thing you can do.I also love a white fireplace. Brick painted white looks fabulous.

Candles inside the fireplace in place of a log is a look I love, and something I must do this summer. Ivory colored candles of all sizes inside the fireplace look so beautiful, during the day give character and at night add just a lovely little sparkle to a summer's evening. On the mantel, an assortment of candles, varying in size, or maybe just a few sprinkled about in tea light holders, whatever the arrangement, really look great. On my mantel, I have a large print of a tropical scene (right from Hawaii) which I love. It makes me so happy, especially in the gloom of Washington winters. I already had black wood candle holders, and put 3 inch candles on each, and it ended up giving it a tropical torch kind of look next to the print--something I had not even considered when placing the objects.

Other great items on a mantel, are a few photos, a vase of flowers, a large mirror, colorful knick knacks--but never too much. The mantel itself is like an accessory--so doing too much to it can really kill it.

These are all simple ideas that can tranform your fireplace and virtually with no spending (seems to be the buzz words these days..)

If you have some budget, you may think about refacing your fireplace--perhaps with stone, or slate or tile (I saw a photo of one done with little mosaic tiles--beautiful!) I am not sure if I could reface the fireplace, so I don't have tips for you. I have not done work with tile and grout, but I don't think it is all that hard..

A new mantel is also a nice addition. I happen to like mine, just the standard white millwork type. But there are some stunning mantels, often you can even buy them from antique stores or estate sales, or have a new one crafted by a carpenter. My mom had a new one built, and it really changed the look.

If you only have one fireplace but desire more to "light up" your home or no fireplace at all, you may consider electric fireplaces. They are not over the top expensive, I see them from a few hundred to over $3000..what a great addition to another room, like your bedroom or master bath.
http://www.electricfireplacesdirect.com is a good site to check out.

Whether with flames in the winter or candles in the summer, your fireplace brings a welcome glow to your home.

Organizing Photos

I feel overwhelmed by photos. With the invention of digital cameras, taking photos is so easy, and there are so many! I download them all to my computer, after editing them.. (this is a pet peeve of mine, why don't people edit their pictures--take out the red eye, center them, fix the lighting etc..?)and then I have 100s of pictures on my computer. Many stay right there and play all day long as a screen saver, but I still print out many of them and then have to put them somewhere...which is mostly albums. And then they get looked at like once a year, but I cannot imagine not having photos in a hard copy.

There are many things that can be done with photos to keep the organized!

Never have them leave your computer! That is sure one option.

Upload them to the new digital picture frames, and keep scrolling through all the pictures.

Put them in albums. I just organize them chronologically. But there is also by event, or people, certainly the whole scrapbooking phenomena has taken off over the years. Just a level of commitment not for me. My albums are are black faux leather. I realized one day a couple of years back that my albums were really horrible, all just cheap things I bought over the years at the drug store, all mismatched. So I went through all the albums, taking all the pictures out, getting rid of a lot of them (even too many photos is clutter) and then redoing all the albums by date and in nice matching albums. A huge difference.)

Use frames. This can only go so far. I am not a fan of a million picture frames all over the house.

Well at least the small ones. Really nice gallery type framing, all matching, like black, can really make a wall pop.

I like to put them out sparingly. But if you love them everywhere, then please do, but make some sense of order--like all on a large bookcase, or going down a hallway wall, or following the wall up the staircase, etc..But even so, if you have tons of pictures, you just won't be able to frame them all. Pottery Barn has great frames.

Photo boxes are another great way to put them away. I like albums better, they seem more attractive to me, like a book, but these boxes are a great organization tool and keep things together easily.

Photo books. These are pretty cool. I have seen with Shutterfly, how you can send them photos and they will create a hard cover book for you...I think I need to try this. You can send children's artwork too--I love that idea!! No more trying to find room all over the refrigerator (which I don't like anyhow..)

Pictures are a tremendous part of our legacy and bring such joy in life and are a gift to leave behind. Managing them can be something of a chore, but like everything else, once you get in under control, you will be glad you did.

Spring Cleaning Your Yard

Well I don't know about you, but spring can NOT come soon enough!! I feel like I am living the title, "The Winter of our Discontent!" It has been cold and wet and snow at times, and the dreary economy and financial picture every minute of every day makes me want to just go to sleep and wake up in 12 months! Oh well. At least spring is beginning to spring, and that is always a good thing (to quote Martha!)

With spring, comes cleaning of course! Today let's just talk about the outside. If you have a yard, and mine happens to be quite big, there is a lot to do. But never fear, it does not all need to get done today, so make a plan, and take your time.

Main things to consider--

the lawn
plants and shrubs
weeds
outdoor furniture
the bar b que
fix its
play structures
patios and walkways
fencing
fixtures

The lawn. If you are going to have one, it should look pretty good. Now I am a huge fan of the perfectly manicured lawn. Love it. But it does take work and may not be possible every day! So sometimes I settle for good to pretty good for my lawn to give myself a break. You will want to schedule your lawn care -- I use TruGreen. They fertilized and did the moss kill on my lawn. Lovely, I then have a huge part of my lawn that looks like it got the black plague--that is what happens to the moss. You must then rake it out. Tiring!! But you will be glad you did. In just a little over a week I can see the lawn greening up from the fertilizer. A nice change from the short, yellow, sorry looking lawn all winter. Probably just about time to give it its first mow as well. Trim it too. Now your lawn is ready to welcome those spring days. (Hopefully you took my advice months ago, and raked up all those dead leaves!)

Plants and shrubs. Perennials will look bleak, but they will be back soon. Prune them up a bit, like getting a haircut. If you have any annuals that managed to hang on, you might wait and see it they come back. I thought I had some, but after the snow, no way. So soon I will be buying some wonderful vining red petunias. If a plant is just not coming back, up to you ..pull it or wait? I had a couple of heathers, looked deader than doornails, but I cannot believe it, after like 1 year, they seem to have come around.

Weeds. Where do they come from? Everything else looks like it is hanging on for dear life, but these damn weeds are prolific, sprouting everywhere! I prefer to pull them out versus spraying them, because then you just have a bunch of dead weeds, and I don't like using so many chemicals..but sometimes I do. If you keep up with the weeks, you will have a handle on them. Beauty bark does help to keep them away, but I have seen weeds popping up through that as well.

Outdoor furniture. This is time to spruce it up again. If it can be spray painted, then get it on a surface that you can work on (and not ruin) put a large tarp down and spray away. Like painting a room inside, freshening up your yard furniture is such instant gratification. Hopefully you have stored away your cushions, and can now pop them back out, or if they are pretty bad, treat yourself to some new ones. Like everything, I don't believe in spending a fortune on cushions.

The bar b que. We bar b que all year, and never cover it (I have to say, taking the cover off and putting it back on all the time does seem like a hassle.) Get cleaner for it, and get going. I have a stainless one, and the cleaner makes it look wonderful. The grill can be cleaned with grill cleaner. A clean and shiny bar b que is much more inviting than some dirty old thing.

Do you have fix its? Broken pots, lights that don't work, paint that is chipping, etc..now is the time to address them. Make yourself a list.

Play structures. Our house came with one. My daughter loves it. I wish it was more of a gazebo or little summer structure, like an art room, or something like that, but right we are doing the play structure thing. If it is wood like ours, it needs to be tuned up every year. Scrape away the old chipping paint and then freshen it up (well it is a redwood stain not paint.) Amazing how every year it looks so weather beaten, terrible. I also clean all the swings etc, with cleanser. Mildew and other junk accumulates over the winter. I like to put some little potted plants for her on her little table as well.

Patios and walkways. Power washing may well be in order. If you live in a wet climate like I do, the winter really does a number on patios. I had mine treated a couple of years ago, so they look pretty good all year round--but it is expensive, and only lasts 3-4 years..Get all the leaves, pine needles, etc. up and make your hardscape or gravel or whatever come to life again.

Fencing. Fences can start to look pretty bad. Our fence is not stained, some of my neighbors have gone that route, but then you are going to need to keep it fresh, so I prefer the weathered look. But if your fence has boards missing, nails sticking out, etc..it needs to be fixed up.

Fixtures. There are so many from light fixtures to yard ornaments. Give them all a once over. Aged yard ornaments are wonderful and lend character to the yard. But if it is broken or falling apart you may want to junk it. If your light fixtures are on their last leg, you may want to think about replacing them. It is not expensive and totally changes the look.

I think of my yard as an extension of my home, but a little less meticulous, which I find refreshing for a clean nut like me. But I never want my yard to look ignored or abandoned or forgotten, especially the front yard, it is such a major impression.

Enjoy these first few weeks of spring (well it is actually about one month away :) )

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom

Well spring is not here yet, another 6 weeks at least! But you might want to think about giving your bathroom or bathrooms a freshening up! It is easy to let these rooms kind of fall into hum drum. Cupboards get filled with junk over time, towels get frayed, rugs get flimsy, the dust collects, even mildew can grow--yuck! So let's talk about bathrooms!

A clean bathroom automatically looks new! Amazing how a few cleaning products and your effort can shine up a bathroom. But before we talk about cleaning, let's look at the whole picture.

Bathrooms, certainly your main bathroom, get a full workout everyday. So even if you are not a clean freak like me, please clean your bathroom ONCE a week. It needs it, yes it does!
Sinks, tubs, toilets, the floor, the counters, the mirror, the whole thing. Sinks, use a cleanser on the counters, there are tons to choose from. If you have a white porcelain sink, there is nothing I love more than Comet. It is the greatest. Clean your faucets too, every part of your counters and sinks needs to be cleaned up. Have you ever looked at a clean sink and counter, before anyone has used it again--it is like a work of art!

Showers--these get a major work out. The whole thing needs to be cleaned. There are cleansers that claim they clean by just being sprayed on every day, but I never found that to really be satisfactory, I don't think there really is any scrub free cleanser--well except for mildew remover, like bleach or Tilex--that stuff does the job! The shower, if you have shower doors, which are not my favorite, really take a beating and must be cleaned every week, or pretty quickly they will look terrible, and over time enter the world of no return of ever looking good again. Shower curtains are my choice. Much easier to clean, so many looks to choose from, and you can always change it out every year or so. The plastic liner responds great to Tilex for any mildew. The shower caddy for shampoo and soaps, etc.. needs to be scrubbed. Don't overload your shower with a bunch of junk, it is just more stuff to move around to clean and screams clutter. And I prefer matching containers for soap, conditioner, etc..than a bunch of mismatched bottles.

The toilet..every one wants an automatic cleaner for this. Again, they don't do the whole job. This is why rubber gloves were invented! Well they are needed for anything with cleansers and water--always wear them! A toilet that is not clean is gross. I cannot stand using a toilet that is not spic and span. The whole thing needs to be cleaned, not just the quick wisk with a toilet brush, no no no..but really, 2 or 3 minutes and you are done.

If you have a separate tub, it is kind of like cleaning the sink and counters again. A beautiful clean tub is so inviting.

There is a lot of dust. Our bathroom collects so much dust from the heater--on top of picture frames, the light fixtures, etc..Just try to remember to clean dust every now and then, even I don't do it every week.

The floor. At very least vacuum. For a solid cleaning, get on your knees and spray cleanser and clean with a mop or a sponge. A bathroom floor should always be clean.

Towels and rugs. I cannot stand mismatched junky towels. I mean it is the worst. I don't believe in really expensive towels either. But put fresh ones out every week, changing the face/hand towels every few days. The rugs, they can last a long time if you take care of them.Please don't put out mismatched rugs, and please do NOT put towels on the floor to serve as a mat! So if you need new towels, go buy some!

In the cupboards..these need cleaning out from time to time. There are those items you buy, like lotion, perfume, whatever and it just sits there and is not used or just gets old. So every 6 months or so review what you got going under the sink. Keep little baskets or something to store all your stuff in an organized fashion. If you have drawers, keep them clean inside. IE I make sure my husband's shaving creme is not all over the cupboard. I am not a big fan of items on the counter, like razors, toothbrushes, make up, etc..Keep it minimal and simple. Really a well done bathroom, even if not fancy, is such a pretty and relaxing room. Your bathroom is where you begin and end your day, so treat yourself, and keep it clean.

Organizing Dressers

Dressers. I kind of think the closet, if it is a walk in, should house all the clothes. But not everyone has a walk in closet, or room for a dresser, or some people still really like dressers in the room. Dressers can be a very attractive part of the room decor. While decorative, they are also highly functional, so there are two things going on with them.

I don't think more than one dresser per person is necessary. That rule does not hold true in my house. My husband has WAY too many clothes, so he has his own 3 deep -drawer dresser, and then shares the 8 drawer dresser with me (so I only use 4 drawers, and he uses 7, nuts!) But I cannot get rid of his excess, as much as I would like to! Really, how can one ever wear 30 polo shirts, 30 t shirts, 15 bathing suits, and we live in Washington, where it is not sun weather for 9 months a year!! Anyhow...

Depending on the size of your room, and what you really need, you will want to choose a dresser that flows with the style of what else you have going on--like the bed, nightstands, a chair or bench or desk, etc..Things can mix and match well, I am all for it, but it can be a fine line of what looks great and what is a "miss."

So you have your dresser. What do you do with it? Well the top should host some decorative items. I believe simple is best, an overcrowded dresser with knick knacks and other stuff might be cute in a kid's room, but comes off awful in a grown up room. Maybe a few photos framed, frames that look good in that room, a lamp, an accessory, like a vase or sculpture piece, perfume bottles if you are a girl, maybe a candle on a stand, a valet for a guy is great, for his keys and wallet, but don't over do it, you can almost always remove one or two items. And as always, this is not permanent, maybe in 6 months you change things around. Do not cover it with bills, laundry, dishes, etc..please!!!

Inside the dresser seems easy. But many have clothes and underwear just stuffed in, a total mess. Just because you cannot see inside, does not mean it should not be orderly and neat, an extension of the decorating really. See I am a detail person. So everything to me should always be neat and organized, even if you don't see it. Pick drawers for specific items, like underwear, socks, pajamas, t shirts, sweats, whatever. I prefer the dresser to hold less, as I like to "see" my clothes in the closet--so I don't like to put sweaters away, too hard to see them all. Each drawer should have the items folded or lined up in a way that is easy to see. If the drawer is over stuffed and you can barely close it, it is a SIGN it is time to get rid of things. My favorite thing to do. Like your closet, think of the inside of your dresser like a store. You would not want to rummage through a pile at a store--so keep your dresser neat inside.

Some people even install additional items in the drawer--like dividers or little boxes to hold things. It is a whole world of organizing in itself! Go to the Container Store if you have one, they are awesome! I could get lost in there.

So now you have the top and inside of your dresser in tip top and decorative shape. One less thing to worry about ;)

Accessories

Accessories make the room. They make the outfit too! They can be very simple or very busy. Too simple or the wrong item, and you just don't see it. Too much, well you just don't see anything but too much stuff at that point. So sometimes it can be a bit hard to figure out what stays and what goes. We all have heard, "less is more." But what does that always mean, and how do you decide which item (s) to take out?

Color. Go with what works in the room. That may be the toughest thing. We all see just adorable cute stuff out there, and want to buy it!But does it work with any room in the house? If not, it is just a waste of money, or worse yet, will look terrible and awkward in the room you place it in. I love all the pink and black I am seeing these days, but I really have nowhere to put it, unless I completely redecorate, which is not an option.

Size. Again, there are some really cool things out there. Have you ever been to Cost Plus and seen like a 3 foot wood carved giraffe, stuff like that? I love those. But I am afraid that my rooms don't have the space for something that dramatic.

Style. That can be a fun one. Styles can mix and really come across well, or just look awful. In my family room, I have different things going on, a tropical print, zebra rug, red couches, yellow walls, but it all comes together really well. Mixing style can be easy, just flip through a decorating magazine to get some ideas.

The fun element. Accesories add to the room and give it the punch. So select things you love and are going to see all the time. If all or some of your rooms in the house go well together, which if you ask me is a really great way to go, so you have great "flow," then every so often you can move things around to other spaces in other rooms--giving things a whole new look, for FREE.

Just like your outfits, you have to put some thought into it. Less really is more. Take one or two things out, move things around, see what is most pleasing to the eye. And you can always change it. A bit simpler than an outfit. Once you go out the door, that is pretty much it for the day! Have you ever worn something and could not wait to get home and take it off, or even stop somewhere and buy something else--I have ! But your rooms are much more living than a one day outfit, so don't stress if it looks less than great today, sit in the room, think of what you can move, change around, and slowly it will come together.