A bed spread definately comes to mind when trying to figure out the best way to cover up your bed, along with duvets , comforters and quilts. Maybe you have just purchased a new bed, or you’ve decided to redecorate the childrens bedroom, either way, you are going to need a decorative and stylish bed spread to cover the bed and enhance the decor in the room. A comforting and attractive daybed bed spread can also do a lot for a room where you like to just lounge around in or enjoy the company of friends and family.

A bed spread can serve other purposes than masking your bed to make the room esthetically pleasing. It can also be used as a blanket for those nights when you just want to curl up on the couch to a good movie. You should be able to count on your bed spread to keep you cozy and warm. You can find these fine bedding covers just about anywhere, in a wide range of patterns, colors, fabrics and textile materials to accomodate practically any budget. This could be your solution to completing the decor in any room. Whether it is silk, satin, cotton, polyester, padded, embroidered or even a quilted bed spread, you can make your room look and feel fantastic, as long as the style is appropriate for the atmosphere you are after.

There are plenty of places where you can buy a bed spread from different designers such as Jacquard, Ecru, Tosca and Chenille, which will all be available in the form of a single, twin, queen bed spread, king bed spread and even the right size for your daybed. What type of bed spread you choose will ultimately depend on your personal needs and preferences. One of the best features that comes with a bed spread is that it will more often than not be reversible, sometimes with a pattern on one side and a solid matching color on the other. This will enable you to change the look of your room by simply flipping the bed spread over. One purchase, one price, one bed spread and two different styles. Sounds like a pretty good investment to me.

Dean Cecere is successful author and regular contributor of interior decorating articles.

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Everybody knows that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. It’s warm, friendly, and dark! At least our kitchen cabinets, finished in dark oak, seemed to soak up light like the inside of a cave. Even extra bright bulbs in the hanging lamp and florescents under the cabinets failed to cheer up the room. The answer struck me like a holy revelation: just have the cabinets professionally painted!

Yeah, right! Who has $1200.00 for cabinet refinishing? I decided to pay myself. The material cost remained under $100.00 and needed no special tools. First I removed all the doors and hinges. An electric drill with a Philips bit takes most of the work out of this chore. Wash down the surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner/degreaser to remove any oil or polish. The color we decided on boiled down to a pale beige with a touch of even paler lemon- yellow in the low areas - sort of a reverse antiquing. The effect simulated a limed oak with pearly highlights.

On a comedy note, one winter day after the first snowfall, our cat, Schatzie, looked out of the kitchen window and saw coming toward her two burly strangers carrying large snow shovels. Frightened, she shot across the room, opened the lower cabinet door under the sink and disappeared behind it in seconds! What a scaredey cat.

The base coat of paint required one half gallon of white primer. When dry, sand down any bumps in the surface. A gallon of acrylic enamel is enough for two coats. Check for drips before the paint is dry and for bumps after drying. Acrylic paint dries to the touch in two hours, and can be repainted after drying overnight.

The antiquing is the fun part. Cover about two square feet (one side of one door) with the lighter graining paint. Use rubber gloves and a small piece of toweling to wipe the graining paint partially off the surface while the paint is still wet. A squiggley motion imparts a wood-grain effect. Keep the motion of the cloth moving with the grain. The final coat of clear acrylic paint produces a pearly, hard surface that is surprisingly impervious to hard cleaning. Use the same hinges, but a new set of handles will put the finishing touch on your new kitchen cabinets.

The next morning your kitchen will glow with a new light, multiplying on the sunny ice cream colors like new-born snow.

Even though I save money out of necessety, I still enjoy doing the work myself.

A bedding ensemble, why didn’t someone think of this earlier? This is the latest thing in bedding innovation. The bedding ensemble is virtually no different than the bed-in-a-bag we are seeing so much of these days. It seems like it’s all a question of convenience with everything we do or buy nowadays. The fact that we are becoming busier and busier as time moves along just can’t be stressed enough. We are constantly in search of things that will somehow simplify our lives, and the bedding ensemble can surely do just that. It can solve our bedroom interior decorating needs in a way that will save time, provide luxury and comfort, and leave you with a room that is well coordinated and refreshingly esthetically pleasing.

Furthermore, there are hundreds, if not thousands of bedding ensembles to choose from, depending on your look and feel you are attempting to create in your bedroom. If you’re trying to create a theme or just a supremely comfortable place to catch your z’s, there is certainly a bedding ensemble that will peak your interest. And we should mention that they are affordable, particularily if you buy them as a set. Meaning, if you like, you can put together your own bedding ensemble by buying everything separately, or everything can be purchased as a set, like a bed-in-a-bag. Option number two usually includes a sheet set, pillow shams, comforter and a bed skirt.

The advantage of obtaining everything exclusively to create your own bedding ensemble, is that you can dream up your own personalized atmosphere that will be much more unique. Either way, you can always make additions to your bedding ensemble by adding extra pillows, or a duvet cover. There are too many options to list, and if you have your creative juices flowing, there is no really limit to what you can do. You may have the need to acquire multiple sheet sets to change the look with different shades of colors, or to change the feel with different fabrics. For instance, flannel sheets are extremely cozy in the cold months, but you may prefer silk , cotton or something breathable and lite in the summer time. Your bedding ensemble is like everything else, you have choices, and you can attain the look and atmosphere you’ve always wanted.

Dean Cecere is regular contributor of resourceful interior decorating articles.

Let us help you with all of your bedroom needs including beds, mattresses, bedding, pillows, futons, foam and more at http://www.beds-foam-mattresses.com

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Why bean bags chairs are better than traditional furniture When you are looking for new furniture for your home and not ready to commit yourself to an entire lounge suit, or maybe you are trying to find something to brighten up a living room or child’s room, don’t always dismiss what may be right in front of you. For whatever reason you are buying furniture, you should consider the prospect of bean bag chairs over contemporary furniture. A bean bag chair, if you haven’t heard of them before, are a large cushion like shape filled with polystyrene beads or beans.

The history of the “beans”
They were first invented by workers who use to throw polystyrene off cuts into bags at the end of a work line. A Company that expanded on this idea later developed this in 1969. They brought a pear shaped leather bag called a Socco, this idea didn’t work so after alterations on the name and design it became a smash all over the world. Now, bean bag chairs are finally back in fashion as the latest craze in home decor. Brought back from the 1970s’ as a comfy option for indoor seating and have come back in style just in time to give you peace of mind when buying furniture. With such a variety of options to suit your home, you can now choose your favorite colors, sizes, fabrics and styles. Best of all, they are made with strong, UV protected, water resistant fabric, so you can take them outside with you whether to the boat or by the swimming pool.

Bean Bags vs. Traditional furniture
With most traditional furniture you couldn’t dream of sliding them outside to lounge by the pool (if you are strong enough to), as some lounge suites can run up to thousands of dollars and you wouldn’t dare think of ruining the beautiful lounge leather. A convenient and easy way to take a comfortable and lightweight chair is to make a bean bag chair your new best friend. They will help you relax and are especially great for easing back or neck pain. Think of it as your own personal masseuse.

Health benefits of the bean bag
They are a healthy investment and comparatively cheaper than a lounge suite too, as they are ideal for pregnant women as they provide a comfortable and supportive seating. They are also great for students, parents, children, pregnant women and sufferers of back conditions. Students can use beanbags as a lightweight seating in a dorm room and are so inexpensive that it doesn’t matter if they spilt a mess on them, as they are relatively easy to clean. Choose any sport and you will find a beanbag that is shaped in your favorite ball or animal. Great for kids as they provide a soft place for your children to site while watching TV, reading or playing a video game.

Things you need to know about bean bags
As great as they are, there is also a safety issue to be address when using bean bags in your home. If you do decide to by yourself or someone else a bean bag chair make sure you remove the pull tag once the bag is filled with polystyrene beans. This is done to prevent a choking hazard for children. A liner that slides between the bag cover and the beans can also be purchased as an extra child hazard prevention. Once you have you bean bag and have filled it with beans, it is finally the best part: the experience itself. The best way to approach a bean bag is to back yourself into one, sit down, let the bag support your body and shape to you then sit back, relax and enjoy!

Claire Calkin operates several websites offering advice to people on decorating and enhancing their homes.

http://www.custombeanbags.com

One of the recent trends in home decorating is the influence of the Far East. With its simplicity and attention to space, this lends itself well to our hectic Western lifestyle. A lot of the elements of Asian home decorating can be trace back to two schools of thought, one originating from China and the other from Japan.

Feng Shui is a Chinese concept of space and object placement. Feng Shui associates the home with both health and prosperity. There are various rooms in which Feng Shui is more prevalent. The kitchen is one of them. Couple this perspective with the role of the kitchen as "the heart of the home," and you can see that any feng shui in this room can have a significant impact on your family. A few things you can try are to place Buddha statues at strategic places. Buddha statues are known to add vibrant chi power to your home. Especially the Laughing Buddha statue. Buddha statues can be made from various stones. Jade as well as bronze are the most popular choices. Quan Yin is the female version of Buddha.

Common Feng Shui gifts include Chinese dragons. These dragons are said not only to provide powerful chi energy, but also keep evil spirits from entering your home. For better wealth, riches and prosperity, one can turn to Chinese Feng Shui money frogs. These frogs are made from either jade or agate. They symbolize fortune and good luck with your hard work and clever mind. If you’re looking for a healthier frame of body and mind, an Asian Feng Shui crystal globe might be your answer. This is one of the most commonly used cures and produces amazing results. When sunlight hits these crystals, beams of colored light radiate in all directions activating chi energy, and can also be used to slow down chi. Incidentally, various Asian animal figures such as jade horses can also be used to the same effect.

The Japanese perspective of home decorating and home furnishings is quite different. Rather than concentrate on objects to attract or repel energies, the Japanese focuses on spatial matters. It uses room dividers known as Shoji screens to separate form and function within a living space. A single Shoji screen can transform a dull square room into practical, attractive living areas. These oriental screens are often made with rice paper and can have vibrant colors or symbols. Some common designs are bamboo tree shoji screen, cherry blossom shoji screen or Geisha shoji screen. Light also plays a vital role in Japanese home design. Japanese lanterns are known for their boxy shape which reflects strength and substance. The thin rice paper allows ample light to shine through while displaying the intended images, much like the way silk paintings are. In fact, Japanese lanterns are sometime made from silk.

We hope you enjoyed our brief tour about Asian décor and Asian furniture with a Chinese and Japanese flair.

Dave Poon is the owner of My Asian Decor. We take the mystery out of Oriental and Asian home decorating. Stop by and learn about Feng Shui and how to use it at your home. We offer the most unique selection of Shoji screens and Buddha Statues anywhere. Come visit us at My Asian Decor.

The difference between quality artificial trees and just your average inexpensive ones is in the manufacturing of the tree itself. The first question you must ask is how many leaves or tips does the tree your purchasing have. Generally the more tips or leaves, the more full it will look therefore the more realistic the tree will look. Look at the quality of the workmanship in the tree by checking the edges of the leaves for frays or strings dangling. This means the tree will be less expensive but won’t last as long or look as good as their higher quality counterparts. Natural trunks give silk trees an even more natural look that will make even the most scrutinizing critics look twice. Also look at how the silk sprays are mounted on the trunk, do they look natural or do they stick out like they are artificial? There are many malls, restaurants, office buildings and homes that employ silk trees into their landscape and most people walk right by them not realizing they are fake.

When it comes to potted trees the best bet for most people is to just purchase trees that come in an inexpensive pot so you can place it in your own planter. If you find trees that are in extravagant planters then you better believe you will be paying more for the pot than if you were to buy one yourself. Most trees come pre potted in either a generic black plastic pot or paper mache pot. Make sure the pot is weighted, some manufactures use a foam which is very light, this saves them on shipping however it will be very hard for you to get the tree to stand up straight when you place it into one of your own planters. If your very crafty and are able to buy a tree without the pot then you can set the tree yourself and generally save yourself a little money. In my next article I will go over the steps and materials used in setting an artificial tree in a pot of your choice.

In conclusion the information I have given you in this article is to be selective when it comes to silk trees because a few dollars in savings may result in replacement costs later and a product you’re not happy with when you receive it.

This article was written by Chad Young - Chad Young is the owner of a silk plant and tree business and is one of the foremost experts when it comes to manufacturing artificial arrangements. To find out more about the products or information visit his website at http://www.qualitysilkplants.com

Do you want cheap carpet that you can easily install yourself? Well, I once carpeted a large bedroom for a total cost of about $12. You read that right, and no, the carpet was not used carpet. I did it with carpet samples.

I bought them for 25 cent apiece at a closeout sale, and it took 36 squares of carpet to finish the room. The only other supplies I used were the staples, which cost about a dollar. Normally, you might pay a dollar each for squares of carpet. I found them available for half that just a few weeks ago, but in any case, this is cheap carpet.

This is an unusual style, though, and you may have to consider the resale value of your home. The bedroom I carpeted this way was in a rental mobile home, where cheap and unusual styles are the norm. Ordinarily, you will want to save this trick for areas like basements, playrooms, and maybe a children’s clubhouse. Still, it doesn’t look so bad - actually it looks just fine if you mix the various colored squares of carpet well.

In a children’s playroom, the multi-colored floor is perfect. It is cheerful and colorful, and if a spill stains one of the carpet squares, you can easily pull it up and install a new one in its place. This is a nice advantage of carpeting a room this way.

Installing Cheap Carpet

The only things you will need to carpet a room with carpet samples or squares is a carpet knife and a staple gun. 5/8-inch staples have worked best for me. Begin at any corner. Just put the piece in place and staple it in two or three places along each side. Wiggle the stapler head down between the fibers, or between the border and the fibers, and the staples will usually be well-hidden.

When carpeting a basement floor, you can use carpet tape instead of staples. In either case, this is best done where padding isn’t too important. Of course, you can use padding too, if you don’t mind the complications, but without it, this is pure simplicity.

You might want to lay out the pieces first, to decide where each will go. When you come to walls, heating registers, and other obstacles, you can easily cut the pieces to fit. If you make a mistake, it cost you perhaps a dollar. Just start over with a new piece.

Before you start, estimate how many pieces you’ll need, and call around to find a carpet store that has enough samples for sale. The carpet samples at different stores range in size, but are usually at least 18 by 18 inches. Using pieces that are all the same size is the easiest way to go. Even at a dollar, this makes it less than 50 cents per square foot to carpet a room. That’s cheap carpet!

Steve Gillman has worked in the carpet cleaning industry for years. For more carpeting ideas, carpet stain advice, and specific stain-by-stain removal instructions, visit http://www.HowToRemoveCarpetStains.com

If you or your spouse’s work requires frequent moves across the state, country, or perhaps even around the world, you can still create a feeling of home every time you move, and do it in a way that quickly says “welcome home” in a strange new place.

1. Keep it Simple. Even if your company relocates you, you will incur at least a few extra expenses as each new space always has different dimensions and proportions. Allow for, say, inexpensive new window shades and properly sized curtain rods. A long length of flowing fabric can be easily draped over the rod for an “immediate” drapery treatment.

2. Consider it an Adventure. Unlike people who live in one home for many years, this is your chance to collect things you love from many wonderful places and showcase them in your home, creating a “life collage” over time.

3. Keep it Light. Collect only items you absolutely love and that are lightweight. Small paintings or pottery are better than heavy pieces of furniture. Limit yourself to one or two pieces per move, or one piece per family member. Remember, you’ll have to move them next time, and moving companies charge by weight.

4. Keep it Functional. For immediate “homey-ness” you’ll want a comfortable sofa; two reading chairs with small tables to hold drinks, lamps, and magazines; a coffee table; comfortable beds and side tables with lamps; a bureau for each bedroom or family member, a dining table and chairs; computer desk(s) and chair(s); a piece to hold your TV and stereo equipment; and perhaps a bookcase or two.

5. Functional Favorites. Choose your functional pieces carefully and make sure you absolutely love their style since you’ll be taking them with you wherever you go. The familiarity of them will help make you feel immediately at home the next time you move.

6. Keep it Neutral. Consider purchasing large furniture, like sofas and chairs, in solid neutral upholstery fabric such as cream or tan. This makes it easier to mix and match items and use them in any room with each subsequent move. Pieces seldom fit exactly right in the next location. Neutral upholstery will help it all flow.

7. Color it Beautiful. Dress up that neutral upholstery with some pillows in your favorite colors and possibly a snuggly throw. This is your chance to bring in patterns and textures as well.

8. Bon Appetit. Buy a set of white dishes and cookware. They’ll make the colors of your food stand out and look appetizing, and you can change napkins and placemat colors depending on the occasion or your mood.

9. Spa Day. After a long move, there’s nothing like a hot bath to ease the tension. Buy two complete fluffy towel sets per family member, in their favorite colors, to jazz up the bath.

10. Comfy Kids. Let your children choose their own comforter and pillows in their favorite colors for their beds. Children need a sense of immediate security and comfort in their new space and choosing their own things will help ease the transition.

11. Flower Power. To immediately make a new place feel like your own cozy home, purchase some fresh flowers and put them on your dining table in a favorite vase.

By keeping things simple, functional, and "portably colorful," (like the pillows and towels), you’ll quickly create a comforting new home for you and your family each time the moving van pulls into your new driveway.

c2005 Kathryn Bechen.

Visit http://www.kathrynbechendesigns.com for more free ideas and tips for decorating your cottage style home on a dollarwise budget and to sign up for Kathryn’s free e-newsletter of decorating tips and resources. Kathryn is an interior decorating consultant and author who specializes in Cottage Style, Non-Toxic, and Dollarwise decorating.

Whether you have a large yard or not, having the right tools and equipment can go a long way toward helping you speed up your routine landscaping tasks and get the results that you want. Not only having good landscaping equipment is important, but also taking good care of your tools and making sure that they are kept in a safe and convenient place as well.

Many home landscapers either build or buy a small tool house or room where they can store most of their landscaping equipment, such as tools, fertilizers, insecticides, and so on. This is usually the best storage solution overall, as it helps keep everything together and within easy reach. But if that is not possible, perhaps clearing a section in your garage will work too. The main point is to try to keep your landscaping equipment close at hand and well organized.

There are certain home landscaping tools that just about everybody needs. Some of the small hand tools that are very commonly used is a hand planting shovel, hand fork and hand cultivator. Having both a bow rake, and a broom rake is also a good idea. A weed spud can be a lifesaver to help with removing weeds, and having a good pair of shears or pruners is important too. Other small tools that are useful include your garden hose, a hand mower, roller, watering can, and a wheelbarrow.

Some other equipment that can be very useful, although not necessarily as vital for most landscaping projects is an edging sickle, a good lawn edger, pole pruning shears, hedge shears, and lopping shears. Of course, if you don’t already have a built in sprinkler system, then you’ll need a good assortment of sprinklers to keep everything watered. For your hose, it’s recommended to have a reel to keep it stored properly and to avoid cracking and weak spots in the hose that can interfere with the water pressure as you apply water to your lawn and landscaping.

Some smaller extra items that can be useful to have around from time to time include plant ties, stakes,some burlap, chicken and garden wire, measuring cups and spoons, sand, peat, moss, lime, fertilizers for each time of year that is needed, and insecticides. Just be sure that you keep dangerous chemicals like insecticides in a very safe place away from small children. And also take care when handling insecticides on your own.

Of course, no matter how prepared you are you’ll always find that you have to run out to the store from time to time to get what you need. But if you can think and plan ahead as much as possible, you can cut down on these extra trips quite a bit.

There are other items that can be useful at times but are not generally necessary. If you have enough room in your garage or tool house you may wish to include a pressures sprayer, seed spreader, soil testing kit, rotary tiller, and lawn sweeper. And of course many of the motorized landscaping tools can help make your job quicker and easier. If you can afford these and have the room, why not include them as well? However, you should be able to do a fine job with the essential home landscaping equipment that we have mentioned above.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find free landscaping ideas and front yard landscaping ideas by visiting our Home Improvement website.

A little ingenuity can go along way in making your home attractive with minimal cost. Here are 7 ways to get started and tap your own imagination:

1. Mirror Mirror. Rather than hang a very large mirror, stand it up against the wall. Turn it horizontally and vertically to get a good look for your space.

2. Sheet Savvy. Buy a pretty and colorful discount bed sheet to use as a tablecloth. Gather the four corners and make a “poof” to tie with pretty ribbon.

3. Planter Plenty. Buy an attractive planter with a pedestal base and top it with a piece of glass for a quick side table.

4. Towel Trio. Hang a new colorful set of towels in your bathroom and put a decorative tie around it using a piece of luxurious cording with tassels. The cording is inexpensive when purchased at sewing stores.

5. Pretty Plates. Take all those pretty mismatched plates you have in your kitchen cabinets and hang them on the wall. They don’t have to all be the same size or pattern, but similar colors create a pleasing look.

6. Basket Case. Turn a sturdy large wicker basket upside down, cover with a piece of round glass, and you have an end table for next to the sofa. Store reference books underneath it.

7. Garbage Can Grandeur. Turn a new large plastic garbage can upside down and cover it with a pretty tablecloth that “puddles” on the floor to use as a bedside table. Store Christmas gifts or birthday presents that you don’t want your kids to find underneath it.

By looking around your home at what you already have, or buying things on sale at home stores and on the internet, you can “fluff-up” your home and make it more attractive in no time!

c2005 Kathryn Bechen.

Visit http://www.kathrynbechendesigns.com for more free ideas and tips for decorating your cottage style home on a dollarwise budget and to sign up for Kathryn’s free e-newsletter of decorating tips and resources. Kathryn is an interior decorating consultant and author who specializes in Cottage Style, Non-Toxic, and Dollarwise decorating.