It is true to say that the majority of homeowners consider their bathroom to be nothing more than a room full of tile together with dazzling fixtures and fittings. However, with a thorough reconsideration of how it could be, you could transform the space into something to be proud of. All that is involved is a little  imagination on your part as to how you would prefer it to look and the modern bathroom accessories required to bring that dream bathroom to fruition.

Bathrooms, as with every other room in a house, should be themed since it offers the space a mood and brings your personality to your little corner of the world. It is where you can state, by design, what is most important to you. There are hundreds of design subjects to choose from, including country, dolls, sea life or even villas on the Mediterranean. The decision is yours, so choose the theme that you desire. It is a good idea to choose a theme that matches, or at least correlates with other design styles in your house. By doing so, it will not be overly busy, or out of tune with other areas of the home.

Bathrooms in numerous older houses were put in as an afterthought and are literally converted closets in some cases. If you are unfortunate enough to have a modest bathroom, you can still decorate to give the illusion of space by utilizing the right colors. Just be aware that with a small bathroom, less is frequently more. Both paint and paper work well although, in a small space, apply neutral colors either on one wall or as an accent on a chair rail. If you decide on conventional white paint or wallpaper, it is a simple matter of accenting with color using any of the myriad of decor accessories. Items like baskets, framed prints, sea shells, throw rugs and even window dressings will all add colorful emphases without going overboard.

If you opt to put plants in your bathroom, then the ideal paper or paint color to set them off is a warm rust tone. You will however need to select your plants wisely because many will not suffer the warm steamy atmosphere or the various chemicals contained in the likes of hairspray, deodorants and perfumes used in bathrooms. The residues from these products will eventually stick to the leaves and the plants will end up on the compost heap. Provided that you have a big enough bathroom, you could hang plants from the ceiling. Or else, on the back of the lavatory is another good position. If your tub is the type with a wide rim, try putting miniature plants around the outside and set them off with ornamental baskets and soaps.

Another important aspect when decorating your bathroom are the towels and rugs. Deep plush or hand woven rugs bring a feeling of elegance. Even So, take care when placing rugs on slippery bathroom vinyl flooring because a nasty fall can be a consequence. Look for rugs that have a lined backing of rubber to prevent falls. You can coordinate the rugs with the bathroom mat in alternate or matching colors as well. Using different textures that match your theme will give the bathroom a little additional feeling of warmth. Never think you are limited on textures since when they are combined with a neutral backdrop, they make a bathroom homely and inviting to be in.

Towel racks are another way to apply a little pizzazz to your bathroom. Decorative racks with colorful towels make a bathroom stand out. You can get towel racks in assorted tones of wood, bronze, silver or gold. Many people paint their own wooden racks, and match their baskets and picture frames with them.

Bathroom lighting is just as important as the decoration and accessories. In fact, lighting can make or break the mood of any room. Because water and electricity do not mix very well, your initial consideration must be safety. If you have children in the house, I would advise that all lighting should be fixed and inaccessible to small wet hands. That aside however, you can leave night lights on when the bathroom is not being used and if counter top space allows, a small lamp. You can then fit lamp shades that match your overall theme.

Finally, take time and read a couple of decorating books on bathrooms. Look at their designs and see the many unusual ways to theme your bathroom. Utilize their designs for inspiration so your own imaginative juices will get flowing. It is okay to be uniquely you when decorating your bathroom, so go for it! You will never know what other themes take your fancy until you check them out when attempting to decorate your bathroom at home.

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Today for breakfast Melinda decided that she wanted chocolate muffins. So she found a recipe on the internet and we started making them! …Well, actually, she made them, I just read the directions. Anyway, the fun thing about this was that we had to use the oven. What’s so funny about using an oven? Well, I’ll tell you. When I first arrived here one of the things Melinda warned me about was the Smoke Detectors. “They go off at the tiniest hint of smoke,” she noted. “They are very sensitive.”

It’s been about two months now (Holy Jersey Cow! Thats quite a while!) and I haven’t heard them go off once! I admit, I began to wonder if the Claybrooks really had been telling the truth. (Haha, just kidding) They mentioned that if the oven was ever used, or if the toaster was ever used, then the Smoke Detectors would go off. (Let’s just say, my Toast and Jelly days were finally over, just because I’m too afraid to use the toaster)

Then the other thing about the Smoke Detectors: They are all linked. If one of them goes off then they all go off. It’s like when a baby cries during the Sunday meeting. When one starts, they all start. And before you know it the entire congregation is crying. Even the ones that aren’t children. -Or like when you yawn. If a person sees you or hears you or even thinks about yawning, they unavoidably, without fail yawn too. How bizarre is that!?

So, the chocolate muffins were made and divided up into their own little hole, then placed in the oven to cook. After about ten minutes or so Melinda asked me, very serious, I might add, if I was ready. I had to ask why.

“Because,” she said handing me a checkered hand towel with an earnest look, “I’m going to open up the oven and the Smoke Alarm is going to go off.”

I took the hand towel slowly from her grasp and remained in the hallway, just under the small white sensor pressed against the ceiling, while she disappeared into the kitchen.

“Okay!” she hollered. “I’m opening the oven!”

Quick as a flash Melinda opened the oven and quick as a flash she yanked the muffins from the depths of the oven. (She did it so fast, in fact, that on the last round, more than half the muffins fell to the ground. It was really rather funny. I laugh just thinking about it! Of course, they’re were only three muffins in the pan to begin with, but hey, it was still more than half)

I remained under the detector watching as Melinda worked. So far the alarm hadn’t gone off and I was beginning to wonder if it ever would. I guess I wasn’t too surprised when it finally did. (Beep! Beep! Beep!) I was a little busy laughing at folly’s to fan the smoke away. Melinda came round bopped me lightly on the head with another towel and started whipping away the smoke from around the abhorrent sphere.

Although I had plenty of good laughs at this small act, I was a little disappointed that I had not been entreated to the full effect. The alarm only went off twice. The other detectors in the house hadn’t had a chance to go off yet. Oh well. I’d like to say simply, “better luck next time” but somehow that doesn’t seem to fit right. Oh well.

When we were each done eating our muffins (which turned out rather well, if I do say so myself) we decided on a couple of things. The house, for one, is a boy. The car, however, is a girl. The car is a girl simply because she has her days of when she feels like starting or not. Plus, it just looks like a girl. Then the house is a boy because, as Melinda put it, “It makes weird noises.” And it does. Really. Whenever I find myself home alone, the house makes the strangest of sounds. There are times I even think that I’m not alone, because it makes so much noise. We also decided that the smoke detectors alone aren’t really a he or a she. They’re just an “it“.

So yeah. That’s how my day went. Interesting hu? ….yeah, you’re right. It was actually very boring….Oh well. That’s life!

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that the unpredictabilities of life are indeed very unpredictable. Strange things can happen and quite often do. …-Oh, and another lesson is that you should always have a towel handy when cooking muffins. You wouldn’t want to disturb the neighbors or give yourself a heart attack.

Julia Willis

From my experience, all Christmas presents should be no bigger than a shoe box. Period.

Now before you think I some kind of Christmas scrooge, let me say that I really love Christmas, but every year it goes like this: We bundle up our little tots and stuff them into our oh-so-cool minivan to cart them to Grandma’s house. There, they load up on sugar and beverages (not the best combination) and open so many huge presents that their heads are about to explode. Somehow, even though we have instituted the gift exchange rule, it never seems to work. There are weird exclusions for the youngest members of the family and they get way more than their share of the loot.

Then it’s time to go and we have to try and figure out how to fit ten pounds of potatoes in a five pound sack in order to make it back home. The kids are so overwhelmed with stuff and they really would be just as happy with one or two special gifts.

Now I know that there is no way I am going to convince all the doting grandmas and aunts of the world not to buy gifts for their special little ones, so I beg you, stick with the shoe box rule. I have no more room for giant castles, enormous plastic furniture, or life-size anything. Please.

Perhaps one of the reasons the website MySpace was so popular for so long is that everyone has a yearning for their own personal space. MySpace allowed teens (and anyone else for that matter) to explore and discover themself without having to leave home or create a blog. They took the work out of it.

Even, as a small child, we find our own comfort zone within the confines of our own home. When we get older, we may want to elaborate on that, carving out a space within our space, a place where we can truly be ourselves and who is that individual? In our own space we can explore our talents and truly learn to appreciate the person within.

Your space can be as large as a room or as small as a diary. The space above is smaller than a closet, but contains enough storage area to hold several personal items and a curtain to pull to hide it from view. The shelves may be lined with hobby craft items, writing supplies or bookkeeping supplies. The curtain is pulled when the person crawls into bed at the end of the night to close the door on these tasks and help clear the mind for rest.

Maybe your space is a window seat with a view and ray of sunshine bursting through. Perhaps you like to sit and leisurely read your favorite book while seated there?

If the seat is built right it can contain built in storage and one could store needle point, crochet, or knitting within. Notice the bookcases on either side storing many hours of reading pleasure.

Maybe your ideal spot is one that showcases all your own artwork or that of your favorite artists?

Add a desk or an easel and you can create while you view your inspiring collection.  Storage areas can be created by taking advantage of several areas you may not have thought of:

• Add an extra dresser, hutch or armoire
• Inside a window seat or bench
• Under the bed – purchase rolling drawers or boxes.
• Hooks or shelves in closets.
• Shelving above doorways or windows
• Storage attached to the doors
• Sheds, garages, basements and attics.
• Out of reach areas in the children’s rooms
• Shelves in hallways and entry ways.
• Stairway – install shelves in the spaces beneath the stairs

When trying to find storage for your cherished items take a page from the creators of manufactured homes. Their brilliance in creating innovating ways to help people live in a small space with an uncluttered look is absolutely inspiring. The cabinet below can work equally well for sewing or many other crafts. Once the doors are closed the supplies are neatly tucked inside a handsome cabinet, open and the fun begins.

Maybe your space is the spa within your bathroom. Perhaps you rejuvenate by luxuriating in a bath of hot suds? If so wait till no one is home so there will not be rap at the door, light your favorite candles, play your best music, take the phone off the hook or turn the ringer off and sit back and soak up the warmth of the soft, fragrant water.

Perhaps you are realizing that you are a complex individual and there are many sides of your personality which require nurturing. Maybe the nature lover in you yearns for a mini greenhouse, the overworked woman that you are needs to relax in a soothing and comforting bath and your creative mind wants to explore new things…

The more creative you are the more space you may crave, but the more resourceful you may be in finding just the space you need. May the many wonderful sides of you find just the space you desire to be who you are!

Marina is Home décor writer and co-owner of vanity mirrors website located at VanityMirrorShop.com

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From my experience, I can tell you that one of the hardiest plants I have every tried to kill is the Lucky Bamboo plant. I am also happy to say that it has thwarted all my inept attempts to end its life. In other words, this plant want to live. Live, I say! Live!

I’ve killed cacti, bonsai trees and even ferns have withered under my watchful eye. But the lucky bamboo has actually thrived with little more than adding water which I do too infrequently. Yet it continues to grow and sprout new leaves.

Not only has it lived through my neglect it has managed to become of visual interest. The twists and turn of the stalk and the green foliage have caught me attention more than once while sitting in my office.

If your thumb is not green, but black like the death you inflict on your houseplants, then I can tell you from experience to try your luck with a lucky bamboo, you will finally be able to say you have stopped the killing spree!

Seriously, these plants are beautiful and easy to care for. Here are some lucky bamboo care instructions, just in case. I have one at home and one at work. They also make great office gifts that require the smallest of commitments.

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From my experience Paradigm speakers are the best bang for the buck you can get for your home theater! Over the years I’ve owned many different brands of speakers including Cerwin Vega, JBL, Infinity and Bose. Yet none of these can compare to the price and sound quality of my current Paradigm home theater setup. And to top it off, the Paradigm’s cost less than my previous Bose speakers. I currently have the Mini Monitor system, except that I opted for a larger center & surrounds.

The first time I heard Paradigm speakers in the showroom, I fell in love with their rich, vibrant & authentic sounds. But it wasn’t until my Mom was visiting and said, “Wow, I can’t believe how good this sounds, it’s better than the theater,” that I truely marveled in how good a value they are. It takes a lot to make people, like my mother, who normally say they can’t tell a difference in sound quality take notice of how good something sounds.

From my experience you should never fry bacon without wearing a shirt. Hot grease hurts. Ouch.

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you own a property, or you’re simply renting it, discovering damp in your home is far from being the most pleasant experience. At its absolute worst, it can feel like a problem over which you have little control, and it always makes your home feel that little less homely. By knowing your enemy and the danger it poses, you can be better prepared to battle against it:

How Does It Happen?

Damp typically comes from one of three sources, two of which are structural. ‘Rising damp’ is the infamous problem of moisture rising up through building materials from the foundations when the ground is saturated. Though typically only reaching about 1.5 meters from the source, this is more than enough to give your house an ugly looking tide mark. Read the rest of this entry

Whether you are acting as the general contractor (GC) for the construction of your new home or not, it is advised that you work with a check list to ensure that important details are not missed when building a new home in Virginia. Home builders with experience usually have a pre-determined method that has proven successful, however, every project is different, and requires a different level of oversight. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have a detailed list of process requirements and key construction steps, in order to ensure that the contractor is on top of the project from beginning ‘til end.

Before breaking ground, do your research!

By this point, you will have chosen one of the many Virginia home builders you interviewed as your contractor. Propose a weekly meeting with your contractor to evaluate the checklist, so as to not miss the important details before it’s too late. Research the industry to familiarize yourself with common terms as well as local codes and requirements. Formulate your checklist from the ground up. Here are a few general items you’ll want to include on your checklist: Read the rest of this entry

The Art of Plumbing

Since making the brave, but certainly right, decision to live alone at the age of 42 I have to admit that there were some advantages of having a man about the house (albeit a fat, forgetful and argumentative one).

Approximately 4 months after my ex moved out one of my pipes sprung a leak. It was a total disaster, and made worse as I realized very quickly that I did not even know how to turn off the water supply.

By the time an emergency plumber arrived several gallons of water had flooded through the bathroom and into the adjoining rooms and down the stairs. The worse hit room was my children’s. The carpet was soaked, and several books and toys that had not been put away were damaged beyond repair. Read the rest of this entry