CHRISTMAS FASHION FOR YOUR HOME

| Monday, December 17, 2012 | 14 comments |
We're in the mood of HAM already!  Everyone is very busy buying things for Christmas.  The question here is your home ready for Christmas?

If not well I am going to share with you what I had discovered from Darens' TOP DECORATION TIPS for this season.



CHRISTMAS TREE.  Put this near your window, and see to it when you put all the lights it should be ON.  On the lights in order to see the arrangement of your tree.

FIRST TIP.  Pick a color schemes and stick to it. Here I choose the Classic RED and GOLD.  If you add so many colors it will end up very messy.

SECOND TIP.  If you want to be on TREND this Christmas, think decadent dining, and use rustic wreaths for doors and side corner of your house. Put some woodland toys or animal ornaments like reindeer or snowman  to make your home Fashion and Festive at the same time.

DECADENT DINING
               photo credit: penguincakes via photopin cc

photo credit: iwona_kellie via photopin cc

Always stick to your COLOR SCHEMES!!!  
Or develop your own style.

Effective Room Arrangement

| Monday, November 5, 2012 | 18 comments |
When you enter a house the first room that welcomes you is the LIVING ROOM.  This is where the family spends quality time together, relaxing, celebrating, entertaining, and sometimes serves another purpose like dining or conference or sleeping area for guests.


   photo credit: ooh_food via photopin cc

The correct seating arrangement should be like this:
  1. CHAIRS,SOFAS,COUCHES should face the main door.  The idea is very simple, anyone who is sitting in a living room should be able to view the door to give a full relaxation and comfortable feeling.
  2. Pay special attention to corners and empty places, and darker areas of your living room.  Bring in the lights and put brightness on it or put mirror to it not facing the door.  It will usher good lucks, harmony and peace of mind.
  3. You can also put a CHEER UP WALL, wherein you can hang a happy family photo or picture of a large attractive tree on the east wall favors the family togetherness.  And for career enhancement you can put a photo of a waterfall or lake on the north side of your wall.
Second room is the DINING ROOM.  I love my dining room to be as simple as possible. The ambiance should goes a long way in creating cozy and warm atmosphere.

     photo credit: countrykitty via photopin cc

Dining Decor to consider:

 COLOR OF THE WALLS.  The latest trend that I am sure every house mothers will consider is by coating the dining room in a softer tone as compared to the earlier years.  This will help soften the ambiance and provides the ideal backdrop for serving a warm home cooked meal.
Photo credit: TargetWoman

STORAGE. The Dining Room storage has to be used effectively.  Storing cutlery and crockery in  a sideboard or keeping them in a basket is practical.  Bars can be set to serve quick meals.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT DINING TABLE for your house.  The shape and the size of your table should match the decor of your dining room.  The bigger dining table is suited for big families or families fond of getting together.  And foldable tables are recommended for small families or people who walks around a lot.

Third room is the BATHROOM. For me this is the third room I usually visited every time I go visit my friends house or family/
relatives house.

photo credit: juhansonin via photopin cc

Bathroom is a place  that homeowners love to remodel aside from the kitchen.  A place for relaxation, luxury and satisfaction after a day from work.

Bathroom Tip:

White to cream color palette tend to make the bathroom appear bigger. A dimmer switch adds mood to the bathroom. It should be perfect for late night relaxing baths. However, it is recommended to fix additional lighting behind the bathroom mirror so that faces and hair are more clearly visible in an otherwise dull lit room. 
Source Link TARGET WOMAN 

to be continued....... 




 

USING BAKING SODA IN THE GARDEN

| Saturday, November 3, 2012 | 1 comments |
BAKING SODA  has many uses as a non-toxic cleaner around the house.

Here I will share with you uses of Baking Soda
in the garden.

  photo credit: TPapi via photopin cc

  • MAKE A SPRAY TO TREAT AND PREVENT POWDERY MILDEW.  We usually see this kind of plant problem in our backyards.
photo credit: Jeff Kubina via photopin cc

All you need:
  1. 1 gallon of water
  2. 1 tbsp of baking soda
  3. 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
  4. 1 tbsp of dish washing liquid

Spray your plants weekly to prevent fungus on leaves.  Do this preferably on overcast days to avoid from burning the foliage.

  • SPRINKLE BAKING SODA ON CABBAGES AND OTHER BRASSICAS TO PREVENT THE OCCURRENCE OF CATERPILLARS. If those small green itchy cabbage worms have been making Swiss cheese of your cabbages, broccoli and any other plants try to combine baking powder and baking soda and dust it all over the plants wherein the green itchy worms are eating.
photo credit: net_efekt via photopin cc

Repeat this as necessary until all caterpillars are gone.

  • SWEEP BAKING SODA INTO SIDEWALK CRACKS TO DISCOURAGE WEEDS. Just sweep the baking soda into the cracks to kill any small weeds growing and to prevent new ones to sprout.
photo credit: Matt Lavin via photopin cc

  • KILL CRABGRASS. This is an annoying glass that we usually see on our lawn, garden beds, or sidewalk cracks.  Just simply wet it down then pour a thick dusting baking soda on it, just be careful on applying, you might harm your lawn grass if you put to much baking soda on it.


photo credit: iampeas via photopin cc

But for sure crabgrass will be gone for two to three days they will start dying.
NOTE:  I am not advertising BAKING SODA above. I am just showing an example photo of a BAKING SODA.  You can buy/use any baking soda as you want as long as it is pure baking soda. XOXO.   

Source: TLC HOME

BATHROOM BLISS

| Tuesday, October 16, 2012 | 21 comments |
Celebrating WORLD HAND WASHING DAY!!! 

This post will take you 55 minutes to have a sterile, sparkling and smelling of lavender soap in your BATHROOM. And to have that HANDS free of germs.  


photo credit: Christine ™ via photopin cc

  • HAND AND BATH TOWELS.   If you're rubbing your hands or face on towels, possible you're doing more than just drying but also transferring virus.

QUICK SOLUTION:  Replace towel regularly, and its a BIG NO NO to share with your towels with other family members.  It is better to have its own towel, to make it more safer put embroidered name on it.  Or COLOR-CODE your towels per family members. Also use ANTIBACTERIAL FABRIC CONDITIONER before drying.

  • TOOTHBRUSHES.   When brushing, you are removing plaque and food particles, so this means that contamination with bacteria, blood and saliva are being brought here.  In time, these can germinate.  Especially if your toothbrushes are placed too close together the germs can transfer from one brush to another.
  photo credit: StreetFly JZ via photopin cc

QUICK SOLUTION:   Rinse thoroughly after using.  Place them at least an inch apart from each other.  Better to cover it and change them every three months.

  • TOILET BOWL.   It's not just the bowl per se that's the vial of germs, but the water inside it.  The very act of flushing after you do your thing results in polluted water particles rising into the air,  and landing on whatever is closest-the floor, the wall,and even newspaper you're using while inside the bathroom.
photo credit: MichaelWu via photopin cc

QUICK SOLUTION:   Always flush with the toilet lid down. Make sure your towels and toothbrushes are located away from the bowl.  Otherwise, you will be wiping your face or brushing your teeth on whatever was inside the bowl.  And don't bring newspaper/magazine/book/pocketbook inside your bathroom, so that you cannot spread the germs outside as soon your finish doing your thing inside.

  • OTHER HIGH-TOUCH SURFACES. Faucets, door knobs, shower knobs, and toilet flush-all these are touched by multiple users in a day.  Remember that some viruses can survive for hours outside the human body, so every time you wash your hands, you may have just increased your risk of catching a cold.
Photo credit to photopin.com

QUICK SOLUTION: Disinfect these areas regularly.  If you have colds or other contagious illnesses, disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer often, especially before and after you touch something.

Have a PERFECT BATHROOM.  This is the place wherein you get yourself clean.  So by washing hands and getting your bathroom clean you can be free from harmful bacteria.

Source: GH


    

PERFECT TWO

| Tuesday, October 9, 2012 | 16 comments |
This will help you make an artistry design of your home.  I am giving you some perfect color combination with a twist.  I am not playing tricks here but this is my smartest pick of colors.

GOLDEN YELLOW and GRAY for your LIVING ROOM

photo credit: LethaColleen via photopin cc

Tone it down with gray and all its different shades.  Golden yellow are fabulous to paired with gray.  Set the room with this neutral tone, add with some touches of black and white.  PERFECT!

photo credit: coco+kelley via photopin cc


ROYAL PURPLE AND LIGHT BLUE for your BEDROOM

photo credit: LethaColleen via photopin cc

Blue is cool and calming, reminds us of the sea.  Paint your walls light blue and cover your bed with blue or purple linens and decorations.  Purple makes your room cold.  This two colors really a GOOD MATCH!

photo credit: ooh_food via photopin cc


CHERRY RED AND APPLE GREEN in your KITCHEN


They say the best pairing is that of equals.  Match it with a vibrant red color with zesty green. Let white be the backdrop and red and green will be your accent.  This will keep your kitchen like it's decked for the holidays.  Both Merry and Fresh!

photo credit: coco+kelley via photopin cc

PERFECT TWO means the POWER OF TWO indeed!

Source:GH


60 Minutes Laundry LowDown

| Friday, October 5, 2012 | 26 comments |
We want our clothes to smell fresh and lovely to use.  Here I will give you some of the MYTHS about washing clothes and its SOLUTIONS.


  photo credit: estherase via photopin cc

MYTH #1:  THE MORE DETERGENTS YOU WILL PUT ON YOUR CLOTHES, THE CLEANER THEY WILL GET.

photo credit: estherase via photopin cc

FALSE:  WHY?  The more detergent you use, the more water you will need to consume to rinse off the suds(if you are washing by hands).  If you are using a washing machine, the machine will not be able to tell if the clothes have been rinsed right; you will end up with half-rinsed clothes, which will turn smelly once they dry.

A BETTER SOLUTION: First, try using half as much detergent as you would instinctively put; when the results aren't to your liking, you can always add a little more.  Remember, it's easier to add more, but you can never take away detergent that has already been poured into the wash.

MYTH #2:  HOT WATER WILL REMOVE ALL DIRT AND KILL ALL GERMS.


photo credit: gagilas via photopin cc

FALSE:  WHY?  Unless the water is boiling hot-which you can't very well pour on to your clothes because you'll end up damaging them- it will not be enough to kill all germs and bacteria.

A BETTER SOLUTION:  use a detergent that has anti-bacterial properties to effectively sanitize your laundry.

MYTH #3:  THE MORE BLEACH, THE BETTER.

photo credit: cogdogblog via photopin cc

FALSE:  WHY? Bleach is primarily made of an acidic component, and it can cause your clothes to tear.  Also, pouring it directly onto a piece of cloth is more damaging than helpful.

A BETTER SOLUTION: Liquid detergents that are concentrated makes clean clothes better and are more cost-efficient because you can wash more clothes with them.

photo credit: ziggiau via photopin cc

Hope this will help you ease your laundry chores.  Take a few moments to rest and enjoy its fragrance perfectly.  No hassle.  No worries.

Source: GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Food and Kitchen Safety 101

| Monday, October 1, 2012 | 5 comments |
For only 30 minutes let your kitchen counter tops and grime-free gas ranges inspire you to a domestic goddess greatness!



We all know that our kitchen is where we do our chopping, slicing-and cross-contaminating.

And we should know about kitchen hygiene isn't just about cleaning up after we are done doing our chores; it's also how we SELECT, STORE, and PREPARE our meals.

This will help us on some ways we can keep our food-and family SAFE.

BUYING SAFE FOOD


photo credit: infomatique via photopin cc

  • In buying food, buy only from reputable food sellers.
  • Buy the chilled or frozen food.  This way they are still within their ascribed temperatures by the time you reach home.  Do not stay long in perusing the grocery or in a mall.
  • Inspect your food for damaged packaging; holes and tears increases the chances of food to get contaminated with bacteria.


STORING FOOD PROPERLY

Refrigerator
photo credit: ericmay via photopin cc

  • Keep the raw food on the lower shelves and the cooked food above.  This way the drips won't contaminate ready-to-eat food.
  • NEVER put hot food in the ref, this will cause the temperature to rise inside.
  • Cover food well to prevent it from becoming contaminated and from drying out so that its quality will be maintained.
  • Always CLOSE the ref door immediately after you get something inside.  This will help maintain the correct temperature inside the ref.


Freezer
photo credit: expressionposthumus via photopin cc

  • Never re-freeze food which have been thawed but was not used.  This is because the food will have risen in temperature, which could allow bacteria on it to become more active and begin to multiply.

KEEP EVERYTHING CLEAN-INCLUDING YOURSELF
photo credit: David Blackwell. via photopin cc
  • Tie your hair back, wash hands, and scrub your nails clean.
  • Never cough, sneeze, spit, or smoke over the food.
  • Cover up skin infections, cuts, and grazes.
  • Wear a clean apron.
  • Do not lick fingers or spoons and then touch the food.  A big NO NO.
  • Regularly wash and clean work surfaces/area.
  • Keep utensils clean and well stored.
  • Wipe spills as they occur.
  • Use different chopping boards for different food to prevent cross-contamination. E.g if you are cut with a blades/knife, a tiny grooves left in the cutting boards.  These grooves can harbor germs and bacteria, which can be transferred to the next type of food that you place on the board.

My Ideal Living Room

| Friday, September 21, 2012 | 1 comments |
I want to have a living room like this?  For me Living Room is the center of attention.  It's important to maintain scale as much as possible. 


  
Today's living room are so simple, but elegant.  And take note ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY too.

Most of the houses I've visited and observed are very classical and comfortable to live in.  

And here are the trends that I observe that  make it more ideal to keep your LIVING ROOM a place for get-togethers.


  • NEUTRAL COLOR SCHEME

photo credit: Wonderlane via photo pin cc


Shades of brown, beige, grey, and taupe will give your room a tranquil, relaxing effect.  But for it not to look "boring", you can use bright colors for your throw pillows.


  • USE OF WALLPAPER

photo credit: jinkazamah via photo pin cc

Wallpapers give visual effect/appeal to a room.  There are so many different materials, designs, and textures to choose from.  They can also help to make the room looks larger, more elegant, brighter, or darker.

  • STONE FINISHES FOR THE WOOD FLOORS, INSTEAD OF WOOD

photo credit: Patrick Hoesly via photo pin cc

Granite tiles are now in because they are easier to clean and are not easy damaged by water (i.e., flooding) or terminate infestations.

  • ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY


photo credit: w3y via photo pin cc


Forget all those lamps inside your living room.  Today's living rooms have big windows, curtains made of light, breezy, material and LED lighting fixtures-all the better to make the room bright and comfy.  Airy too without damaging the household electricity bill.

How To Strip Wallpaper

| Saturday, September 15, 2012 | 0 comments |

There are so different ways to strip off your wallpaper.

(1)  STRIPPABLE WALLPAPER:  Most new wallpaper in the market today are strippable.  

How to know if your wallpaper is strippable?  

First,  test a small area to see if its peel right off.  If it peels off leaving only the glue on the wall, you have easy job on it.  Meaning you have a strippable wallpaper.

Here's how to remove STRIPPABLE WALLPAPER:

TOOLS and MATERIALS 

  1. Sponge
  2. Hot Water
  3. Broad 6" Paint Spatula(PALETTE KNIFE)
  4. NEUTRALIZING SOLUTION

PROCEDURE

  1. Soften first the paste underneath the paper with sponge and hot water.
  2. Scrape the paper off with 6" Paint Spatula.  And remove as much as possible all the paper residue on the wall.
  3. Rinse the walls with a NEUTRALIZING SOLUTION OF 1 cup vinegar mixed in 1 gallon of water.
(2)  UNSTRIPPABLE WALLPAPER: The older commercial wallpaper.  In order to remove old wallpaper you have to modify commercial wallpaper remover.

TO MAKE WALLPAPER REMOVER;
COMBINE THE FOLLOWING 

  • 3 gallons of very hot water
  • 1 bottle of wallpaper remover with reactive enzymes.  Label should have enzyme based.
  • 1/4 cup liquid fabric softener.
  • 2 tablespoon baking soda.

WALLPAPER REMOVER is more easy and less messy than steaming.  This is used only for UNSTRIPPABLE WALLPAPER or difficult to remove wall coverings.


TOOLS and MATERIALS

  1. Sprayer or paint roller
  2. WALLPAPER REMOVER
  3. BROAD KNIFE or Paint Spatula
  4. Sponge
  5. Small perforation tool
  6. White vinegar
  7. Water
Make certain plan to move all your furniture away from the walls and better put some old newspaper or old clothes on your floor to avoid damage.

GOOD LUCK and BE SAFE!!! 

Source: RITA HUTNER info guru 

HOUSEKEEPING SECRETS

| Wednesday, September 12, 2012 | 2 comments |
You are familiar of salt, tea, vinegar, lemon and many other all-natural substances use as housecleaning products.

Here I will share with you another secrets use in housecleaning.


COFFEE. Add coffee to your rinse cycles to keep dark clothes dark.  

You can add clothes perfume
conditioner here just to make it smells good.











BANANA SKIN.  Use to polish mildly tarnished silver items.  First you need to blend a few banana peels in some water to make a paste.  Then rub the banana on a silver with a soft cloth.  And finally wash off polish and dry with a clean cloth.  (You can also use it without blending it with water.  Just simply rub the banana peel to the silver).


CHARCOAL and RICE.  Minimize silver tarnish with rice and charcoal.  All you need is to put a few charcoal briquettes or a small bowl of rice in a cabinet where you keep your silver spoon, fork, etc.  You can put a briquette inside a silver teapot or coffee pot, this will prevent moisture from building up.


BUFF UP SCUFF MARKS WITH TOOTHPASTE.  Scuff marks are black-streaks that usually left by items that have a hard rubber bottom such as heels, hard-soled shoes, ladder, furniture, toys, and so on.  By using toothpaste put a small amount on a clean cloth, using firm, circular motions, wipe the area.  Clean it after using damp cloth and dry thoroughly.


A SPRINKLE OF BICARBONATE SODA WILL FRESHEN A CARPET.  Sprinkle soda before you vacuum.  This will remove odors and help lift stains.





















HAPPY CLEANING!!!

Photo credit to PhotoPin