home decor Archives

Spring into the World of Outdoor Furniture

May 13, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

As the season of warmer weather approaches, your mind is probably filled with nights of roasted marshmallows and chasing fireflies with the kids. Your outdoor plans during warm summer nights might fall more on the side of conversation with friends and burgers on the grill. Whatever your ideas for the warm season, you are probably thinking about the furniture outside of your house. If you’re starting from scratch or throwing out all of your old stuff, you are probably at a loss for what to next. Online furniture marketplaces such as Vast Market outdoor furniture can be a good place to start. Choosing outdoor furniture is easy, and there are a lot of ways that you spruce things up on your own whenever you want to update in the future.

Feet and Yards

Think about the space that this furniture will go into and who will be using it. Your yard could have grass, dirt, gravel, or stones on the ground and there is furniture for every instance.

· If you have children, you may want to consider something that can hold up to a little abuse and that also won’t hurt so badly if they happen to fall down or run into something.

· If you tend to bring your furniture inside a lot due to weather concerns or because you don’t like it’s constant exposure to the elements, then you’ll want something more lightweight that you can move around easily.

· A small yard doesn’t necessarily mean small furniture. It could mean less furniture. Survey your space and consider every possibility.

· A lot of rain in your area doesn’t mean that you can’t have outdoor furniture. You simply have to look for something that can hold up to the rain and that includes an umbrella or covering.

· Gardening might be your favorite past time. You can include your patio furniture in that function and make it work for you. This works especially well in small spaces.

· Having a lot of children around that play outside or bring their friends over can get messy. An outdoor garbage can fixes that problem. It looks better than a plastic bag attached to the doorknob and has a lot more functionality.

· Placement is crucial. You don’t want people to have to squeeze between the table and the grill just so that they can get back to their seat. Create clear walkways between furniture.

· Colors and styles aren’t as important with outdoor furniture as with your indoor furniture. Due to constant exposure to the elements, colors fade faster and stylish furniture may not be able to withstand staying outside all of the time.

· Consider the area that you live in. Does your outdoor furniture need to be secured? Although you’d like to trust all of your neighbors, you may not be able to and having to secure your furniture so that it doesn’t go missing could be something that you have to think about. There’s also the weather. Areas of high wind, or hurricane and tornado zones are not ideal for lightweight furniture unless you plan to bring it inside every time the weather takes a turn.

Tables, Chairs, and Other Such Things

Don’t worry about how many people you may have over your house at any given time or if there’s enough room on your table to fit all of the food as it comes off the grill. This is your outdoor seating. It’s extra. You still have your kitchen inside or the grass to sit on. When deciding on patio furniture, you should pay the most attention to the people that live in the house, not the people that might be your guests in the future. You may want to consider pool parties and backyard barbeques but those kinds of events most likely won’t happen every day. You and the other people that live in your house will be there every day, and when it’s warm out they will most likely use the outdoor furniture on your patio every day. In that case, you’ll want to think about what they do with their time and who will be maintaining your outdoor furniture before you buy it. An avid gardener will not want to wind their way around picnic tables and lounge chairs to get to their planters. Children will put their bicycles away a lot more often if they have a bike rack to ride them up to. Garbage won’t end up on the ground in your yard if you have an outdoor garbage can. These are functional considerations. You may also be thinking about your own needs to have a place to read and soak up the sun or to sit in the shade while you watch the kids play. There are combinations for every kind of activity. You just have to find what works for you and your yard.

Bringing Old English Charm to Your Living Room

January 13, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Bringing Old English Charm to Your Living Room

Guest post

Besides inviting the Queen for tea… what is the best way to bring old English charm into your living room? Creating a room with old-world elegance and charm requires a certain amount of preparation and planning. Integrating contemporary conveniences with old-fashioned novelty and tradition offers challenges as well as exciting potential. By carefully balancing comfort and style, an elegant English living room can be yours within a matter of weeks.

Old English Architecture

If your home has been graced with a fireplace, you’re off to a jolly good start! English Tudor-style homes just seem to cry out for hardwood floors, stone hearths, and solid mantel pieces displaying classic Versace candleholders. However, if you are not that fortunate, don’t despair. With proper attention to decorating details, a similar look can be achieved by selecting the perfect wall colours, trims, window coverings, furniture, and accessories. Modern homes can incorporate customized multi-paned windows, laminate flooring, and electric fireplaces. If possible, expose any pre-existing wooden beams; apply wainscoting to the walls, and edge doorways and windows with wood, particularly if you are striving for a more traditional Tudor theme.

Decorating an English-Style Home

Begin with your walls, windows, and floors. Wood panelling, painted wall-treatments, and traditional wallpaper serve to create a look that is drenched in old-world charm. Striped, flocked, and floral design wall-coverings provide warmth and ease. Wood, slate, stucco, and brick will help carry the outside in. The building materials used in Tudor style homes were often of the highest quality available; great attention was paid to detail and the use of natural supplies was common practice. Bringing old English charm into your living room means creating an authentic space. Additionally, neutral colours are preferable. Grey, white, creams, blues, and browns provide a lovely palate. From there, add bright flourishes of colour. Jewelled tones will accent the look… burgundies, shades of violet, and soothing greens can be combined in pillows, throw rugs, cushions, and draperies.

Furniture and Accessories

Once you have incorporated wall and fixture designs that project old-world beauty, it’s time to select the ideal overstuffed furniture, antique shelves, and tables. Wing-backed chairs, plush sofas, and cushioned armchairs, covered in crocheted antimacassars, add elegance and comfort. Wall décor should be kept to a minimum. Large oil paintings and lamps will add interest, complementing without overwhelming. Tapestries will help to establish an interesting yet sophisticated touch. Traditional light fixtures, spacious windows -overlooking the English garden, and a chiming mantel clock, are modest, conventional, yet delightfully charming. Wrought iron fireplace tools, hardware, and chandeliers provide drama and dash. Antique bookcases, brass framed mirrors, glass vases, shelves, secretary desks, and coffee tables will finish off the look in elegance and grace.

English Stylishness and Charm

Having kept the notion of Old English charm in mind as you designed your living room, you’ve created a room that is as luxurious as it is serene. Last but not least, set a bone china tea-set on the wooden sofa table. Now you can sit back and relax… who knows, your next guest may indeed be HRH!

How To Have A Disney Frozen Birthday Party Theme

January 11, 2014 by Momstart 2 Comments

My daughter’s birthday was January 3rd and we just had her slumber party this past weekend. She wanted a tea party, she wanted a crystal castle cake, and a Frozen or Brave theme. So we sort of had a mix of both because our local Party City was out of Frozen themed plates and cups, however, we still pulled off a mostly Frozen themed tea party. Look at what we did ourselves that added to the Frozen themed party.

I did find some Frozen party favors at party city and I put those in the gift bags. The girls wanted to open the gift bags right away. I had to hold them off.

To add to the theme I purchased 99 cent bowls in pink and purple and then purchased some blue, purple and pink diamond shaped plastic crystal pieces. Then filled the bowls with the crystals.

The rings were really cute and the Frozen party favors also included kaleidoscopes, stickers and tatoos.

Zoe just wanted to keep all the diamonds, I think if I had wrapped them up and given them to her as a gift she would have just loved.it.

Ahh, here is another thing leftover from Christmas. We have icicles in pink and in purple and those laying around on the table made a great decoration. I think when we did crafts some of the girls even used them to make necklaces.

The pink icicles I put in a mason jar and used as a decoration. It’s so easy and so decorative.

The tea cups look great along with all the Frozen colors. And girls always love cute little bracelets.

And here are the purple jewels. All the decorations I purchased at Party City. The icicles came from the after Christmas sale.

Frozen is available on Digital HD February 25^th and Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD & On-Demand March 18^th

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas 100.00 Red Envelope Giveaway

February 6, 2011 by Momstart 1,393 Comments

Red Envelope has tons, and yes I mean tons of great gift ideas for all occasions, including Valentine’s Day. Not only do they have all occasions covered but they have gifts that are just right for about anyone. I really like looking at Red Envelope for gifts, I was introduced to them last year, I ordered a picture frame collage that was in bright colors. It’s pretty cute! As I searched even deeper into their site this year looking for a gift for my husband, I found some really great gifts that I want to share with you.

Gift ideas for Women:

These are items I would enjoy getting for Valentine’s Day.

aromatherapy wrap & booties , 12 Hand-Dipped Valentine’s Berries , year of seeds and that’s just to name a few. I have a hard time choosing something because they have so many really great options. I’d also be happy with a new picture frame, the cubist appetizer serving set, or something from their home and spa section.

Gift Ideas for Men:

Now for my husband it’s a little more tricky to find the right gift. A lot of men would be happy with a fancy tie, a Mr. Beer premium home brewer, or a men’s navy terry robe, which are all items that can be found on Red Envelope. But for my husband we need to go a little more techy or modern. Like:

hidden message money clip wallet, personalized hidden message collar stays, gadget charger for the car

Then if you really wanted to go all out for Valentine’s day I would recommend some sexy but quite tasteful items from Red Envelope. For instance, you would try out the sexy stackers game or the wrapped in love throw and of course you could match yourselves up in the king + queen of hearts lounging shorts.

RedEnvelope makes Valentine’s Day a cinch. Once you’ve picked out the perfect gift, choose delivery dates (including day-of shipping), select gift wrap, add a personalized card, and you’re set. No more trips to the mall for tired greeting cards and tacky ties!

Enter to Win:

100.00 Gift Card to Red Envelope

To Enter:

Visit Red Envelope and tell me what you would like to purchase the most

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This giveaway ends February 21st. I received samples to use in this post. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Turn Art Projects into Fall Decorations

October 18, 2010 by Momstart 7 Comments

So far the best decorations hanging on the walls in my house are the art projects that Zoe and Miles have been doing.

Zoe’s favorite thing to do is arts and crafts. She has been into it for over a year now and it just seems that her love for art grows every day. We went to the Children’s Musuem up in Everett and she sat right down to create the art project for the day. On that day it was wreath making. Miles had to run around and at the last minute decided to make one so all of the other kids had to wait on him to finish, but he’s quick. Details aren’t as important to him as they are his sister. Anyways, these home made wreaths are my wall decorations for the season.

We have another great project that Zoe did all by herself. This one she did at the Fall Festival that our church had. Her brother could not be convinced to leave the bounce house for his life, so we had to separate. Dad took arts and crafts with Zoe and I took Bounce House duty. So here are more of Zoe’s creations hung up on the wall!

The leaves are hanging to the right of our fireplace. My husband wanted to hang them on the mantel and I’m not ready to put nail wholes in the mantle above the fireplace. I love looking at their work every day. It just reminds me how creative the kids are. So if you are wondering what to do with all of those school projects, use some of them as wall art.

Novica Home Décor & Jewelry Giveaway

September 26, 2010 by Momstart 388 Comments

Novica has some very modern and Asian inspired home décor products that I would love to decorate my house with. In fact, I have been given a gift card from Novica to use to purchase something, but with all of the great and wonderful furniture and home décor items I just cannot make up my mind. I love the paintings, and the decorative boxes that Novica has in their selection on-line. Calling them boxes isn’t actually fair to how decorative they are. They should be called treasure chests and trunks. I would love to have a trunk at the end of my bed for decoration and storage. I have tons of blankets and material that I need to put somewhere other than the closet that is already way too full. How do houses get full so fast I wonder?

Novica also specializes in selling very fine silver jewelry. Their sterling silver jewelry has so really great pieces ranging from earrings to necklaces. I’m not as big into jewelry as say my daughter or even my mother is but I can appreciate what they have.

Enter to win:

50.00 Gift Card to Novica

To Enter:

Visit their home décor section or their sterling silver jewelry and tell me what you might purchase with your gift card. The gift card expires October 30th so you’ll need to use it asap after the giveaway.

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This giveaway ends October 11th, I have been compensated for this post with product. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Roxy Bedding Giveaway

September 21, 2010 by Momstart 940 Comments

Roxy reminds me of playful times and beach excursions. It is a cute line tapping into the woman’s world of surfers. They were created in 1990 to compliment the men’s line Quicksilver. Like all things Quiksilver, Roxy was born in the water; initially a swimwear line. By the next year, a Roxy sportswear line was introduced, and that too prospered, with sales of over $1 million. 1992 saw continued expansion of the brand with a new denim line and key snowwear pieces. The fact that Roxy was a women’s line offered by an authentic surf brand made it intriguing for both retailers and girls alike. It was the first of its kind on the market, and soon after, the other surf brands followed. Roxy was one of the brands that was very easy to sell at the boutique that I worked at. So when I was contacted on behalf of Roxy about hosting a giveaway I was quite excited about the opportunity.

First I was actually surprised. I had no idea that you could purchase fun Roxy bedding materials. In fact, I had no idea how many accessories they make. Roxy is now a $400 million lifestyle brand, offering products for every aspect of the active girl’s life. From handbag to Henley, wetsuit to tide watch, the key ingredient of our products is that inimitable Roxy spirit. “Daring, confident, naturally beautiful, fun, alive: Roxy”. Check out two of the fun patterns you can choose from.

Complete Roxy bedding sets start between $99.99 and $149.99. The Roxy bedding collection retails at Bed Bath & Beyond for $99.99. This collection is also available in Full Duvet Cover Set ($129.99) and Queen Duvet Cover Set ($149.99). Bed Bath and Beyond also carries decorative pillows and dust ruffles to enhance this collection.

Enter to Win:

Name: Roxy Alexis Twin/Twin XL

The collection comes pre-packed in a Duvet Cover Set

The collection includes 5 pieces: one duvet cover, one standard sham and one sheet set (flat sheet, fitted sheet, 1 pillow case)

To Enter:

Tell me which of the three patters you like the most.

Extra Entries:

Tweet or RT this giveaway with the button above, include the link to the giveaway

Roxy 5 Piece Bedding Set #Giveaway http://momstart.com/2010/09/roxy-bedding-giveaway/

This giveaway ends October 11th, I have been compensated for this post with product to use as a donation. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Protect the surfaces in your house DuPont #Giveaway

July 12, 2010 by Momstart 85 Comments

When we moved into our house we were told to seal all of the tile, grout and granite in the house. My husband and I both suffer from sever procrastination and I told my husband I would do it. But with the kids I never found the time to do it. Luckily, DuPont contacted me regarding my blog. If I have to do it for my blog then somehow I can find the motivation to get it done. So today, I sealed the granite kitchen counters that came with the house.

I have no idea how much granite countertops cost, but I hear they are quite pricey and protecting them should be much more of a priority than I made them. I have also heard that you have to reseal them once a year. Blah, that’s a lot of work, or sounds like a pain in the butt.

Guess What?

DuPont’s granite sealer lasts 3 to 5 years. Hurray! I’m so in love with Dupont right now, and my neighbors were over this weekend and saw that I was preparing to do the counters. When I told them about the 3 to 5 years aspect, all their eyes went wide and they wanted to know how I liked it after I used it. Well, instead of just telling them, I want everyone to know. DuPont’s Sealer is so easy to use and looks impeccable afterwards. I recommend it. We’re going to go to Lowes and purchase their DuPont™ Grout Sealer and I’m going to do the bathroom on the next day that I can open all of the windows again! I also need to do all of the stone tiles in the house. I’ll probably use the DuPont™ Premium Stone Sealer.

Many people think that they can use all-purpose cleaners on all surfaces, but that isn’t the case. Using all-purpose or glass cleaners on your natural stone can actually damage the stone surface and degrade the sealer. General home cleaners are usually acid based, breaking down the stone’s seal and wearing away at the surface, jeopardizing its look and feel. DuPont™ Stone Care cleaners and sealers are pH-balanced so that they are gentle and safe to use.

Sealed Unsealed

When using the sealer! Clean your counters, make sure they are dry. Tape off all areas that you do not want sealed and use gloves to protect your skin. Keep the area you are working in very well ventilated and read all instructions on the bottle before you begin.

It is recommended that you Protect, Clean and Enhance:

PROTECT

Stones have different porosity because of their mineral composition and geological formation, but all natural stone is porous. Within seconds, a renegade splash of anything from ketchup to cosmetics can sink deep into stone, often penetrating all the way through to the other side, forever leaving an unsightly spot behind. The best way to prevent stains on natural stone and grout lines is to treat its surface with a sealer to offer protection and keep it looking new. While many stones are pre-sealed or sealed during installation, these sealers often wear away from everyday use and certain all-purpose cleaners. Depending on the amount of use, a countertop or floor can become susceptible to stain penetration within one year, with most sealers fading away after five years. DuPont™ StDuPont™ Granite & Marble Countertop Sealer, DuPont™ Premium Stone Sealer and DuPont™ Grout Sealerone Care sealers protect natural stone and include .

CLEAN

No matter how careful consumers are, spills happen. The same survey found that up to 85 percent of homeowners are using general all-purpose cleaners, disinfecting wipes or glass cleaners on their natural stone, which degrade the stone’s sealer and dull and erode the surface. Instead, specially formulated cleaners are necessary to remove residue from cooking oils, food spills, hairspray and other offenders. If a spill does occur, experts recommend removing as much of the material as possible without allowing it to spread by using a non-abrasive sponge, then simply spray the area with a cleaner such as DuPont™ Granite & Marble Countertop Cleaner + Protector, DuPont™ Tile & Grout Cleaner or DuPont™ Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner.

ENHANCE

Whether daily use has dulled the stone, or a shinier “wet” look is desired, the use of an enhancer can restore the luster to polished stone and tile, or bring out the surface’s color, depth and beauty. DuPont™ Stone Care has many specially formulated enhancing products to treat most natural stone and tile surfaces, with or without shine, including DuPont™ Granite & Marble Countertop Polish and DuPont™ Stone Sealer & Enhancer.

Enter to win:

DuPont Stone Care kit with the DuPont Stone Care Granite and Marble Countertop Sealer, the DuPont Stone Care Granite and Marble Countertop Cleaner +Protector and the DuPont Stone Care Granite and Marble Countertop Polish.

To Enter:

Visit Dupont and tell me what product would work best for your counters!

Extra Entries:

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This giveaway Ends July 26th. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

This is a Sponsored Product Giveaway.

CSN Stores Giveaway

May 1, 2010 by Momstart 1,090 Comments

CSN has over 200 stores in their on-line network of stores. You can find furniture, home decor, housewares, and outdoor treasures. They also have a children’s section where you can find toys, baby and kids items. To narrow it down for you this post is going to just feature their Accent Furniture Direct Store. Using www.accentfurnituredirect.com, you could furnish your house with some great pieces for any room in the house. Of these are:

All Bar Stools,

Cook Ware,

Home Decor,

You pick and choose what you want and have it delivered.

To Enter:

Visit CSN Stores and tell me what you would buy, up to 60.00 (this total includes shipping).

Extra Entries:

Tweet:

CSN Stores 60.00 Giveaway http://bit.ly/agLds6 #giveaway #contest

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The contest will run until May 17th 11:59 pm Pacific. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

This giveaway is being provided by CSN Stores.

Interior Design – Decorating my Son’s room with The Studio Danielson Designs

January 21, 2010 by Momstart 15 Comments

Back in June when right before my life was turned upside down with buying and selling a house Danielson Designs offered to send me a personalized wall plaque. I said yes and right after that everything went crazy. We sold our house and I had to pack it up as soon as it arrived, I was very sad because it deserved to be hung up immediately.

Now that I’ve been in my house for over four months I have realized that I haven’t gotten to decorating anything. Putting up the tree and a few nicknacks was all we did for Christmas and after taking all the decorations down the house looked too empty. Too Plain!

With completely blank walls staring back at me, I was terrified to put a brand new nail hole in the wall. These are virgin walls don’t you know! The inspiration to start putting holes in my walls came from my Christmas present. For Christmas I received a bunch of picture frames. My husband picked them out and filled them with photos. So then I just had to put a hole in the wall.

Since we were finally courageous enough to start putting holes in the wall we decided that we could hang up the plaque in Mile’s room.

Miles Elliot, “You will always be LOVED. ALL THE WAY to the moon & back!” These words are so true. My kids are my world. Now, I’m not where near done decorating the house or deciding what to put where. This is in Mile’s room above the changing table. It’s the only thing on the wall for now, and it’s centered horizontally between the window and the closet and centered vertically between the ceiling and the changing table. My husband has the laser leveler and loves using it. He’s actually a little OCD if you know what I mean. But we still love him. So it was a project we did together. I told him where and he did the hanging.

I realize now I should have taken another photo of the entire wall so you could get a little more perspective but at least you can see how nice the plaque looks. It’s solid wood with the design painted on. I love it. I’m very grateful for the free product that The Studio Danielson Designs sent me.

The Studio ships orders in 48 hours and designing is done is 3 easy steps. First, you choose a product template from their extensive gallery. I chose the Child’s Name Sign that retails for 39.95. You can watch the demo if you want but it’s so easy. Second step is to change the text that you are allowed to personalize and or choose the color option you want. The third step is to save design and add to cart. Easy!

They have Personalized Plaques, personalized picture frames, personalized awards, and personalized monograms. It took me a long time to decide, but since I was still in my old house the only room I could think we needed something in was Mile’s. Now, I need something for my own room.

They sent me this free product with no expectations of posting. They just “hoped” I would like it enough to post about it, and I do!!!