Inspiration Photo Friday: Home Sweet Spring

22 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday, The Great Outdoors, The Home

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bloom, earth, flowers, gardens, grass, green, growth, home, ivy, leaves, may, nature, spring, trees

I know that it doesn’t feel like spring but it is in fact, officially here. All I can think about is the warmer weather and springtime blooms. I am dying for spring to show her face once and for all.

Dan and I have many plans these next few months so the season will be more to us than just nicer weather. Not only do we celebrate Dan’s birthday this month but our wedding anniversary is May 20th. I can’t believe one year will have gone by. Time flies like there is no tomorrow. Our anniversary trip is booked for the end of the May and we will be relaxing in Charlemont, Massachusetts with our dogs for a whole week. We found the cutest cottage for our stay and I simply can’t wait to get away from it all and be one with nature.

We also have plans here on the home front. Our home will get a number of makeovers which I am very excited about. The kitchen remodel is long overdue and we are about 80% done with collecting all the materials we need to complete it. Once April hits and our windows can be opened, its on! We are also going to work on the backyard a bit and start our vegetable gardens. This is a very much anticipated task. To be able to grow pretty much everything we eat is simple amazing and I can’t wait!

This photo was taken last May, two days after our wedding. When its in full spring mode, our backyard is a true inspiration to me. The lushness of the trees and ivy, the smell of the fresh cut grass, and the little beauties that come alive in our gardens are all the wonderful things that surround our home. All I want to do is lay outside under our cherry trees and listen to the birds sing. I am very lucky to have such an amazing inspiration right in my backyard.

I wish you all happy spring inspirations and hope that the earth can uplift your soul and whisk you away somewhere beautiful. It’s such a gift to have a natural space you can exist in and feel so alive. You don’t know how happy I am to be able to visit mine everyday by just walking out the back door.

Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

21 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Ella Andrews, Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Home

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accessories, decorating, furniture, homeowners, interior design, minimalistic, modern, new home, shopping, sofa, style, traditional

Choosing the right furniture for your new home is important for many reasons. Not only are you are creating a cozy and safe area for you are your family, you are setting the tone for how your home will look like for years ahead as well. The fun part is experimenting with colors, materials, and styles. How do you pick the right furniture and where do you start?

Look and Feel
Before you buy anything, you need to get an idea of the feel that exact piece will bring to your home. It depends on the style you want to create. Whether you are single, married, have children, divorced, or a young professional, your own status should lead you to the right choice. Modern furniture these days is decorative and minimalistic, the focus is on edgier furniture, bright colors, and functionality. If you want a beautiful and comfortable home, you need to spot the right furniture.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Buy the Right Sofa
Along with the kitchen, the living room is a main area of the home. The room’s appeal depends on the style and size of your sofa, so choose wisely. Sit on the sofa and move around to get an idea of its fit. You will spend most of your time on it, watching TV, eating, reading, or working on the computer, so you need a sofa that is the right material, the right height and size. It is one of the priciest pieces, but it’s worth the investment. A great sofa of a quality material will serve you well for years to come. A sofa made of real suede/leather will have a longer life, but suede and cloth get easily stained and are harder to clean, so think of the top leather conditioner before you buy.

Photo Credit: Houzz

Maintain the Theme
In order to have a well-arranged home where all the furniture pieces come together, you need to choose them in a way that they complement each other. Have some consistency and a main theme and your new home will be perfect.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Compare and Shop Around
The furniture in the SW12 house you’ve moved in is above all, a long-term commitment, so don’t buy the first piece you see, unless you are completely in love with it. Go to multiple furniture stores, check websites to read what people say about those pieces you like – for example, Palliser furniture reviews, – and compare prices. You could even negotiate your own price for a set of individual furniture pieces. It’s important to be a smart shopper at all times.

A few more things to think about:
– Choose the furniture after you’ve painted the walls or at least after you’ve determined the colors.
– Select the room accessories after the furniture pieces arrive and finish the look with wall décor and artwork.
– Classic, Mediterranean, minimalist or traditional – the theme of your home has to be in line with the furniture.
– Don’t put too many pieces in the areas of high traffic, so it doesn’t get impossible to move around the house.
– Remember, to extend the theme to the outside of your home since its the first thing people see.
Guest Post: How to Choose Furniture for Your New Home

Hopefully, with these few tips of advice, you can move forward in creating the home of your dreams. Don’t forget to have fun in the process!

{Written by Ella Andrews}

Guest Post: Staycation – Create Exotic Get-Aways at Home

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Guest Posts, The Home

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Chris Garrett, exotic getaway at home, Megaprint, relax, staycation, vacation at home

Everybody needs to get away. There is no doubt about it. Just about anyone you meet would benefit from a little sun and sand, but between family and work obligations it can seem impossible to find time to run errands, much less run away for a bit. With a little humor and creativity, you can create a relaxing getaway at home.

Exotic Food
Challenge yourself by preparing a meal from a foreign land. Try something you’ve never had before, visit a restaurant that serves exotic cuisine, and attempt a cooking method that is completely unfamiliar. You may find a new favorite dish, and even if it doesn’t go as planned, with the right attitude you’ll still appreciate the adventure.

Photo Credit: Conveyor Belt Sushi

Activities
There are beautiful landmarks and historic points of interest just about anywhere you may live, and yet we are all guilty of ignoring these activities, always swearing we’ll do it another time. I lived in Arizona for 18 years before I ever saw The Grand Canyon, and that was only on my way out of the state. Take advantage of whatever your area has to offer, and learn a little bit more about your region. If that doesn’t appeal to you, take a spa day, go to an art show, or visit the local farmers’ market you’ve been meaning to check out.

Photo Credit: Janefury

Electronics
I know it can be difficult, but try taking a hiatus from the tech. Institute a ban for the weekend on cell phones, televisions, and computers. Insist that this time be respected like a real vacation, where the only entertainment is either fun or family. I know… it sounds awful. If you can’t pull it off for the weekend, at least try to limit digital time as well as you can.

Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon

Decor
Remodeling your home to give it that exotic feel for the sake of a weekend ‘can’t-quite-get-away’ is asking an awful lot, but there are ways that you can make your home feel fresh and at least a little unfamiliar. Spruce up your bedroom by buying brand new sheets, pillows, and curtains. Invest in some outdoor furniture for a little alfresco dining. Purchase a series of photographs from an exotic location you’d like to visit or create a window to wherever you want with an entire mural scene on custom printed wallpaper.

Photo Credit: Metaphorical Platypus

{Chris Garrett is a freelance writer for the custom printed wallpaper experts at Megaprint. He is an amateur photographer and he frequently blogs on the topics of design and large format printing. Chris lives in Oregon with his beautiful wife and two children. He is fascinated by the way that art and technology come together in the field of design, and he never gets tired of learning and writing about the newest ways we can personalize the spaces where we live and work.}

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration

15 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Home

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accessories, blinds, color, curtains, decorating, design, emerald green, interior design, interior goods direct, mint, rugs, shades, spring, spring colors, window treatments

With winter slowly leaving us and the hope of a bright and cheerful spring, it seems only appropriate to begin to decorate our homes for the long awaited sunny season. There are so many gorgeous colors for us to choose from, and we don’t always know what style and theme we are looking for. So this is why I have created a list of this season’s top spring colors, along with a few simple but effective design features to make your home look and feel like a happy haven.

Spring Colors We Love
My unpredicted favorite color, which has decided to grace us with its presence this year, is green. Emerald green has been given loads of attention over the past year. However, it’s time to put a new spin on green and opt for a new shade for this season, Mint. This beautiful color, which doesn’t require a lot to stand out, has solely become our new favorite color for this spring.

Photo Credit: HGTV

Considering my love for anything neutral, my passion for cream is rapidly disappearing, and in its place are bright pops of color like green, blue, and yellow.

Photo Credit: Station of Interior and Eksterior Ideas

Now this doesn’t mean I will paint my whole house in this shade. Why not try a statement wall with one of these three colors or opt for bright accessories. This will provide just enough to make your home stand out, but not so much you feel like you’ve taken a step back into the 70s.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Vertical Blinds Direct

Curtains or blinds? That’s the question
I have always had a love for a gorgeous set of curtains, and in my opinion, there’s nothing better than when they fall to the ground in a beautiful pleat. However, lately my opinions are changing. Despite my love for curtains still being strong, they have been taken over by my passion for a set of bright and cheerful blinds.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Vertical Blinds Direct

Now that spring in around the corner, we want to embrace the beautiful bright mornings. Blinds are the perfect opportunity to do so. However, if mornings aren’t your thing, you can still opt for a set of black out blinds in your favorite spring shade, but with the effect of a set of lined curtains. I have recently installed a set of gorgeous blue vertical string blinds to my white and blue home. They are just enough to add a pop of color without it looking over the top.

Guest Post: Spring Inspiration
Photo Credit: Vertical Blinds Direct

Everyone Loves Accessories
Accessories are the perfect opportunity to add personality to your home. If you’re not ready to take the step into bright walls and blinds, you can still change the whole look of your home by accessorizing.

Photo Credit: Houzz

Photo Credit: Coodet

Bright cushions, rugs, and table decorations have the ability to change the look of your home with minimal effort, and if you are anything like me, small touches really count. So invest in little trinkets, wicker baskets, and beautiful wall hangings. Just because we don’t live in the Hamptons doesn’t mean we can’t make our homes look like we do.

Photo Credit: GHID