Archive for July, 2010

Garden Benches – A Classic Accent for Your Outdoor Space

Garden benches are one of the most fundamental forms of outdoor furniture – you can make one of your own with little more than two similarly sized and level objects and a sanded wooden board. Though the concept of a bench is rather simple, garden benches can be fashioned in ornate styles that represent baroque/rococo era or sleekly stylized to suit modern tastes. The appeal of garden benches, regardless of the style in which they are made, is their versatility in an outdoor space. Garden benches can be placed where other pieces of garden furniture rarely go – smack dab in the middle of a flower garden, up against the wall of house, directly beneath a tree, along side a sidewalk, etc.

Garden benches are the equivalent of a welcome sign that you can sit on. If you place a garden bench along side the sidewalk in front of your house, passers-by can use it as a place to rest before they continue on their morning stroll. When set beneath trees, garden benches welcome guests to sit and enjoy the shade if not but for a moment. When against a wall on the front porch, garden benches welcome people into a home. And when in the middle of a garden, garden benches invite people to take the time to sit and watch the garden grow. After all, there is no better place to watch a garden grow than from right in the middle of it.

But as you may already know, garden benches are much more than just places to sit. They are pieces of garden d

Easy Home Decorating Ideas for Small Rooms and Small Spaces

Even though you live in a small house or have a few small spaces in your house to decorate, putting these easy home decorating ideas to work for you will still give your home style and comfort with a great look. This can be accomplished by planning carefully and making the most of the space.

Less is More!

The first step is to get rid of any clutter and pare down the number of knick-knacks and decorative pieces in your room. They can become overpowering and make a room appear cluttered. A home decorating idea for managing collectibles is to concentrate them in one area by displaying them on an attractive bookshelf. That way you will still have a few to exhibit that will no doubt become a center of attraction in your room.

Multitask Furniture

If you are like most people and have too much “stuff” and no place to put it, a home decorating idea to use in any room is to invest in furniture that can serve a dual purpose. For example, a coffee table with shelves or a lid that opens for storage, an ottoman that opens up for storage, or even a chair with a seat cushion that opens for storage are all available on the market today! Choose dining room tables with leaves that can be expanded so you can keep it small when you don’t need the extra space. When decorating small rooms, keep these ideas in mind!

Create a Social Conversation Area

In trying to gain open space in a living room, furniture is often moved to the edges of the room. Place a sofa and a couple of smaller chairs along with a small coffee table together in the middle or toward one end of the room to create a conversation area that provides warmth and comfort for the room. This area also provides a focal point for the room which is just as important when decorating small spaces.

By incorporating these simple home decorating ideas, living in a small home can be very comfortable and you can still enjoy the style and comfort in your home that you desire.

Wooden Bridges – A Must For Any Koi Pond Garden Decoration

The use of wooden bridges is one of the most popular garden decorations. A garden with a mini-waterfall or pool won’t be complete without a garden bridge. There are a wide variety of choices of garden bridges when it comes to designs, styles, kind of wood use, sizes, and steel braces but the most attractive garden bridges are those with hand rails and poles that are carefully handcrafted.

You can have your foot bridges custom made for your garden or fish pond or if you don’t find any style or design that you prefer for your garden. This process is more expensive than ready-made ones that can be purchased readily from home and garden shops as it requires a special kind of treatment that you will specify. Landscaping professionals are the best people who can help you in customizing your own garden bridge. Even a grass or stone garden will look lovely with a wooden bridge. But if you find landscaping professionals expensive, then you can resort to ready-made ones that are reasonably priced depending on the design and style. You can also go for DIY wooden bridge kits that are being sold in leading DIY shops. It’s not only fun but it will save you a lot of money in the process.

Gardens have been used as a place for reflection, meditation and relaxation and foot bridges simply give this peaceful atmosphere in gardens. It provides a very calming effect that these garden decorations give and it’s what makes them more attractive. Outdoor gardens simply become more beautiful, may it be a floral garden, rock, grass, wooden bridges simply enhances its beauty that is almost considered mysterious. Maybe because the use of garden bridges were also very popular in ancient China where Feng Shui was used to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.

You can now find a lot of modern designs and styles and there are some designs that have no safety and hand rails. Bamboo is also used as materials for many foot bridges but wood is still preferred by most homeowners specifically Rosewood. Redwood bridges are perfect for oriental and miniature gardens that are why it is being used in many hotels and resorts as decorations for their mini-parks. Arched garden bridges are more preferred than flat or straight bridges and there are also foot bridges with small steps. Redwood bridges can highlight any part of your garden effectively.

Many people will confirm that a arched bridge is a must for garden decorations. Besides, your garden can become your own very little sanctuary when you need to relax and contemplate. If you are too busy or not artistically inclined, you can get the service of a professional landscape artist and you can easily find one on the internet.

Interior Decorating Ideas : How to Choose Colors to Set a Mood

Room Decor Questions easy points?

Which one is your favorite?

http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=67787&CatID=68155&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=1632e12&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=67787%7c67999&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=29&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=67787|67999|68155

OR

http://www.amazon.com/Blancho-Bedding-Cappuccino-Cotton-Comforter/dp/B001N4M5QY/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1245508895&sr=1-29

OR

http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=66047&CatID=67283&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=15574ac&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=66047%7c67052&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=4&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=66047|67052|67283

And why do you like that one?

And also…

What themes would go with it? or What are some Ideas to decorate my room with that bedding?

thanks!!

xoxo aBBie
Or maybe even…

http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=66047&CatID=67283&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=1488d9d&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=66047%7c67052&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=1&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=66047|67052|67283

Or is that like wayy to bright??

Eat-In Kitchen Decorating Ideas

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Decorative Oil & Vinegar Dispensor Glass Bottles with Nature

Beach Cottages – Choosing the Right Finishing Touches

Beach cottage d

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas (read below)?

Mother’s day is not till next month, but time flies by so quickly, and I would really want to get an early start because my mother is extremely hard to shop for. I would like to give something PRACTICAL to her….the keyword is practical….something she can use.

Please exclude the following: candles, perfume, lotion, blankets, mattresses, poems, songs, photos, collages, spa day or going out, shoes, clothes, jewelry, hair stuff, garden decor, window stuff, anything that has to do with the house or decorations, blenders, kitchen stuff, entertainment (cds and dvds), food, purses, watches, gift certificates or gift cards, money, electronics, blowdryer, sunglasses, gift baskets, keychains, anything to do with car kits because she does not have a car and I can’t afford to buy her one and plus she does not know how to drive and no I do not want to buy a lesson to learn how to drive, picture frames, sewing kits, baskts, anything home-made, etc.

Told you it was hard!