Home Decor Videos: Bringing the Outdoors In

You want to bring in the relaxed feel of the outdoors in your home and think its impossible? This video gives tips on how to make this possible.Watch designer Steve Suraci of Icarus Designs and pick some great advices on home decor..

Blending Modern Furnishings with Existing Home Decor

I stumbled across an online furniture store selling designer European furniture. It's called conceptfurniture.net and of course, I got hooked browsing their products. They have modern home furnishing that would surely make your home a standout. It got me thinking that though ideally some people prefer having just one style as a home decor, other may have existing theme or furnishing but would end up liking a modern furniture piece and they would be in a dilemma if it would fit their current decor scheme..

What I really like about contemporary furniture is that its colors and styles are easy to blend among other furniture styles. Adding one or two modern decor or furnishing in any area in your home would definitely bring out a different and refreshing look. You might want to add a modern designer sofa set on your living room to give it a splash of color and boldness or you may want

to add some modern closets on your rooms, either way this can add a fresh look to your home.

Modern contemporary furniture are a great complement to any exisiting decor. If you have existing home furnishing and you just want to put an extra modern touch to your room, then keep in mind that the furniture you choose will blend in with the exiting furnishing.

If you are starting from scratch then its simply a matter of picking our which furnishing you want to be your focal point. Say, in your kitchen you can choose a contemporary kitchen table and chair set, then simply add in complimentary contemporary home accents to go with your dining set. Just like this dining room area in the photo..

A tip that you would most likely find very useful is to learn about colors and understanding how it works. If you're serious about redecorating your home, then purchasing a color chart is a good idea. You can either go for monochromatic scheme meaning you can choose furnishings that have shades right beside the shades of your existing furnishings. You can also go for complimentary colors and choose additional furnishings that are on the opposite poles of your existing room colors. Either way is up to you and what is appealing to your senses. After all, you'll be the one using it and your home should have your individual preferences in showcase.

Make Your Home or Business Easy To Find

Our friends who come over to visit used to complain about having a hard time looking for our house. Added to not having an address plaque in our house, address numbers here in Phnom Penh are often not in sequence. So we what happens is that our guests usually get lost. We had been thinking how we could make this easier so we have added an address plaque in our entrance. Makes it easier for the postman too so less bills are getting lost.

It's just common sense to want your address to be easily found. Especially if you are running a business from that address, adding address plaques would make it more visible and would also add value to your business in terms of business name recognition.

Address signs are easily customizable as well. You can source it in your area or you can also order it online for more choices. If you are also into creative arts, why not try to make one as a weekend project with your kids?

Easy Tips on Organizing Yourself At Home

I used to waste a lot of time looking for things I need. There are things that one should have handy yet there were times that I find myself looking for these necessary things and getting frustrated because its all buried under clutter.There are times that I miss paying some bills simply because I can't remember where I put it or I mix it up with previously settled bills. For a work at home mom that proved to be almost disastrous for me.

Time which I could have spent updating my weblogs or writing articles were simply wasted looking for stuff. And to top all that, I can't follow my schedule because I simply get caught up with things I should have taken care of first if I was more organized.

So I decided to take control and have a good look at myself, my habits and what I need. I made a list of things I need handy. Then I made sure I organized my workspace, home and myself in a way that I could easily get what I need, follow my schedule and stop wasting time. Here's some tips I have for those who'd like to get a little more organized.

1. Have a daily calendar. Make it a habit to update it. Note down your appointments, bill payment duedates, things to do etc.I find it effective to update it every evening and first thing in the morning. Find out which works best for you.

2. Having a notebook for details of your activities and projects will also be very handy. List down things you need for every activity. In my case, I have a lot of web projects and keeping track of them with no notes is hard. So I have a separate notebook for this and each web project has its own sub-heading and there I list all important things I need to remember like usernames, passwords, rss feed urls etc. You can apply similar technique to other activities like picnics and list down what you need to bring and all other important information.

3. Have a folder or filer for all your paper bills. An accordion type envelope is my favorite since I could easily segregate the paid and the current bills. Don't mix other paper with this to avoid clutter and them piling up. Throw out and put on recycling bin paper that you don't need to keep.

4. Filing systems you create should be simple. Don't create too many sub-categories and sub-headings that you get lost just looking for something. Have it alphabetical or based on date whichever is more applicable.

5. Make your own daily to-do list and place it where you can easily see it. I also find it useful if I place a schedule deadline for each task.

Most importantly, make being organized and on schedule a habit. It's easy to fall off and be disorganized again but the main technique is to be consistent and do things on a daily basis and after some time being organized will now come naturally to you because you have developed the habit already.

Stainless Steel Home Accents

Can you imagine your home having stainless steel fireplace accessories and other accents made from stainless steel? At first I thought stainless steel should just be confined to appliances or cookware but then again I was browsing around stores on home accessories and I chanced upon several with items made from stainless steel. Let's just say, I was intrigued.

Of course before, I know only home items like cookware, stainless steel mailbox, kitchenware, cutlery and other appliances are made of stainless steel materials. After a hopping around and checking out home accents made of stainless steel I am convinced that they would definitely make a unique and elegant addition to a home.

Why so? Stainless steel is stain-resistant, easy to maintain and inexpensive compared to other materials. Another reason is that its attractive, and gives off a sophisticated and modern look. And since I am a big fan of modern contemporary style I'd definitely love having home accents made of stainless steel.

I did say I did some online window shopping and here's some stainless steel home decor I found really unique and stylish..

from left: stainless steel table torch, stainless steel wall mounted wine rack, stainless steel soap dispenser

from left: stainless steel aromatherapy burner, stainless steel tea light holder, stainless steel wall mounted magazine rack,blomus stainless steel mailboxes

Colorful and Playful Bubble Chairs

Perfect for adding some color to an outdoor patio, or your kids room. My daughter got really excited when she saw this. Must be the color and it does look throughly modern yet comfy and cozy.

The bubble chair is based on the unique design of the Ball Chair originally created by Eero Aarnio in 1968. It's easy to imagine oneself relaxing inside that cute pod and listening to music or a reading good book..These chairs are customizable, and you can choose between clear, pink, blue acrylic walls and over 40 different cushion colors.

Available at EvincoDesign

Stunning Leaves Lamp from Evinco

Found this and I couldn't help but be stunned by the beautiful design. Created with 72 leaves shielding the lamp and creating a unique light reflection. The structure is made of twelve steel arches. The leaves are staggered and overlaps each other.

Available at Evinco Design.

Meal Replacement Shakes

I know a lot of people who are trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight and I am one of them. I've been doing a lot of research on what are the latest trends when it comes to diets and I came across meal replacement shakes.

I'm just a bit curious about it. Does anyone here have tried it and is it effective? Diet meal replacements provide an ideal combination of protein, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals to make fat reduction easier and healthier.

I want to know how it tastes and can it really make one feel full enough... I'm thinking of trying it myself..

Tips for Making Your Own Home Garden

You have extra space in your front or backyard and don't know what to with it? Why not turn it into a miniature garden? It could also be an extension of your entertaining area and would be great for weekend outdoor entertaining.

Your garden would definitely add more uniqueness as well as beauty to your home. In fact, home designing and styling is not only limited to just inside the home hence the term home and garden. And same as inside your home, the only limit of how you can make a garden is your imagination.

The first things you have to decide on is where to locate your garden. Next is the measurements. Then once you have that settled, its time to do some planning. You can hire a landscape artist or you can do it by your own. If you decide to do it by your own, you might be in for some fun time. Magazines and the internet are good places to search for ideas as well as items you can add to your garden as garden accents.

A visit to your local horticulture shop would also be great. You can source plants from there and can also get expert advice on what are the suitable plants and how to care for them.

Starting a home garden might be a bit overwhelming at first but its fun. Making this a family project would be a great idea too and a fun weekend project if you have kids who can join it. My parents house has a huge garden and it has grown to that over the years and it was all a family effort. I could still recall every weekend how we worked on plots of our own and our parents gave us the freedom to design our garden anyway we want to. And now that both of them are retired, the garden has turned out to be their main hobby. A great way for them to have lots of sunshine and exercise while doing what they love the most - gardening.

I think anyone could do just the same. Here's some tips that might be handy when you start your own home garden.

• Start small. Select a small section of your area and start from there and then once you get the hang of it, you can expand your little garden..

• Once you have a plan, think and decide on what type of plants to grow. Ask for expert help if you need to. Different plant species have differing needs so choose the ones that would best suit your garden area as well as your plant caring ability.

• Having a physical plan or a simple area map of your garden is a good idea too. It would give you an overall feel of your garden and makes it easier to place plants, accents in their most suitable areas.

• Note your garden dimensions. This is specially important in mapping and planning your garden.

• Before you decide on the type of plants, think also of the full grown height and space needed for each type of plant. Make sure you give enough space for them to grow and it would also affect the overall look of your garden.

• The quality of your garden soil is also important. It should be moist and doesn't easily break apart. If its too sandy or clayish then you might need to add garden soil.

• Know more about plant caring as well as pests and insects. Don't hesitate to ask your local gardener or horticulurist for help.

Cute Countdown to Christmas Calendar

I'm already searching around for some holiday home decor and I found this cute Hable Advent Calendar available at GarnetHill. Love the cheerful holiday color! Its designed with 24 pockets each has a cute holiday applique design. Wanna have a countdown to the holidays? I bet the kids would enjoy this.

Created exclusively for Garnet Hill by Hable Construction and this item is also monogrammable so you can have it personalized and even give it out as early Christmas gift. Crafted in rayon/wool.

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