by: Larla
We all have a junk drawer, a place where we just stuff everything from receipts, coins, pens or anything that could fit in.
At one point, we might be looking for something but couldn’t find it anymore because of the pile of junk inside the drawer. If that happens, then it’s probably the best time to clean up that drawer.
You need to visualize what you would want your drawer to contain. It can just be important documents, old receipts, keys. You can put other things as well as long as it does not look cluttered.
First, remove all the contents and throw out those that are of no use anymore (old batteries, pens with no inks) or things that have their own places but were just stuffed in the drawer.
Sort the contents by finding small compartments/ dividers where you can still put them in your drawer but in an organize way.
Make it a habit to clean up your drawer at least once a month so nothing gets lost and keep the contents in order.
How can our world be like today if we don’t have any color? Same thing goes to our own homes. Ask yourself, Can you live with or without color? Colors are chosen because of how appealing they look. They create a particular mood, ambience and an illusion of space. For some people, colors help motivate. There are colors that are dynamic, stimulating and laid back. There are colors that are soothing to the senses, help us become creative and productive, while others make us like to rest. Colors and the way that we apply and use them in our homes promote a sense of well-being. They create an atmosphere that relates to both physical and psychological properties of the body. Thus it helps us establish a link between their use and the way they make us feel.
Red. The color for energy. It exudes passion and strength. .It helps us get motivated and drives us to get things done. It is associated with the instinct. This stimulates and increases our appetites, quickens our heartbeat and elevates our blood pressure.
Orange and Yellow. These colors are uplifting. They enliven the spirit and stimulate the body to wake up. They are associated with happiness and joy. Both radiate warmth, positivity, and optimism. These colors cheer us up and raises our spirits.
Green. It is a balancing color and is associated with harmony. It is the color of nature. Green represents compassion, caring and kindness. It is also a healing color. It relieves us from stress.
Turquoise. It is fresh, vibrant, youthful, reviving and invigorating. It is cool, crisp and attributed to fresh water. It boosts physical and emotional immunity. It soothes tension away and alleviates feelings of nervousness.
Blue. The color for imagination, communication and inner strength. It is quiet, serene and peaceful. It helps us to relax after a hectic day.
Violet. A meditative color. It is elevating and soothing. It is the color of self respect and dignity.
Pink. The color for romantics. It is feminine and often associated with love. It is a nurturing, tender and compassionate color.
Brown. Is a grounding color. It represents the earth and all its properties. It is very stable, warm and safe.
In Feng Shui, an area is divided into 8 areas that deal with living: North, South, East, West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. The North deals with success in your business or career. The South deals with your reputation. The East deals with health. The West deals with your children. The Northeast deals with knowledge. The Northwest deals with travel and helpful people. The Southeast deals with wealth and the Southwest deals with relationships. By placing the right objects at the right place, the area will be activated and it will bring effects that depend on whether or not the objects are compatible with the area. There are a lot of information about these; just Google “Feng Shui” and you will learn a lot of helpful tips to make use of this ancient art of interior decoration.
Have you ever tried some Feng Shui in your house? If not, you better! According to practitioners, it creates spaces that maximize the opportunities and promote the wellbeing of the inhabitants. It promotes abundance, success in careers and undertakings, sustains loving relationships, improves physical, emotional, and mental health, builds self-esteem and expands influence. By careful picking and placing of objects and choosing the color, design, shape and texture, you could manipulate the universal forces called Chi so that it would give the effect that you would want in an area. The area in turn gives an influence to the inhabitants. Why not try it out: perhaps it would give you luck or not, but you could be sure that it would challenge you and give a pleasing look to your home.
How you arrange your furniture and things makes the difference between a lame room and a lovely room. Avoid a messy look by keeping taller furniture at about the same height. See to it that the tops of bookcases and cabinets align. Group the furniture according to size and make sure that they go along well. For example, it doesn’t look good if you pair a tall chair with a low table. Distribute your furniture properly by putting the largest on the longest wall. You could keep large units parallel to walls to save space. Allow easy access from one area to another and keep from placing unnecessary furniture which eat up space. By keeping the right amount of right-sized furniture at the right spaces, you would see a brand new room shine before your eyes.
There are many reasons why you may wish to renovate and redecorate your house. It may be because your lifestyle has changed and you want your home to reflect that: perhaps you’ve gotten a big salary, your children have left home, you are widowed or divorced, or you just want to spice things a bit. No matter why, there are lots of ways on how to do it. But first, have a meeting and get every one’s opinions if you are not the only one living in the house. As much as possible, agree on the color schemes, furnishing and how much you are going to spend. List what you have and think about what to keep and what to give away. There is no end to the things you can do so have fun!
Save on payments to an interior designer; do the designing yourself! There are plenty of information and inspiration available to you: take a walk in the park, visit designer homes, go to museums or exhibits and take a look at pictures in the glossies. You could also browse online sites for tips and trivia. You could ask advice from people like those who work in paint stores, fabric shops, wallpaper outlets, picture framers and furniture makers. You could also seek pointers from artists, photographers, designers and others in the art business. Or interview those who build and design houses themselves. So what are you waiting for? Have fun exploring!
Want to make your house look like the ones they show on MTV? You can! If you have the knack of finding interesting items, an eye for color and design and a playful imagination, you would have your dream home in no time. Do your homework. Learn and apply the rules in decorating homes and be your own interior designer. Learn how to assess space. Discover the effects of color and lighting on areas of your house. Know how certain items and materials make certain effects. Shop around for materials that will suit the style in your mind. Don’t be afraid to explore, after all, it’s your home!
If you do it correctly, wall art or framed photographs can change the entire look of a room. As a general rule of thumb, pictures should be placed just above eye level, where “eye leve” is determined according to the use of the room. For instance, if you’re placing the picture in the living room where people are usually seated, eye level should be from a sitting position.
As to how the wall art should be arranged, decide on the area you want people to focus on. Placing a group of photos on a wall creates an interesting focal point in a room, but this requires more planning. Arrange the photos out on the floor before placing anything on the wall. This way you can decide on the arrangement without leaving any holes or marks on your wall.
DIY home decorating not only helps you cut costs drastically – it’s a very satisfying and fulfilling project. In order to get things efficiently and properly, you need to have the right tools for the job. Here are some of the basic tools that you will need for any decorating project you might undertake.
For hanging things, you will need thumb tacks, push pins, sewing machine needles, picture wire, and plastic anchors.
For attaching things, get a glue gun and glue sticks, rubber bands, a staple gun and staples, spray adhesive, starch, fabric glue, and needles and thread.
For cutting things, you need sharp fabric scissors, utility scissors, a box cutter, and a light handsaw if you want to do some woodwork.
For measuring things, invest in a tape measure, T-square, or yardstick.
Store your tools in a toolbox and consider getting a step tool and caddy to organize your materials better and make them easy to carry around.
