Category Archives: Home, Car, Yard, and Pets

Use Your Lawn to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal by Guest Writer Alec Holland

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During the warm weather months, you might notice that your house is not as elegant as it could be. By sprucing up the lawn just a bit, you can boost the curb appeal of your residence. Most amateur landscaping projects are relatively easy to undertake, and you will soon find that the neighbors are examining your gleaming new lawn with envious eyes.

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One of your first lawn care tasks is to ensure that the grass itself is as green and healthy as possible. By fertilizing the lawn regularly, the roots of the grass will receive their needed nitrogen. Furthermore, you can set up a sophisticated sprinkling system so that the lawn takes on a uniform appearance. As long as you water the entire yard every few days, you can avoid the ugly brown patches that plague most lawns during the height of summer. A well-maintained lawn will always make your house look more visually appealing.

Edging

In locations where the lawn meets the driveway or sidewalk, you can incorporate border materials for a smoother interface. Bricks, stones, and even ivy can be used. For a bit of a twist, you might wish to buy decorative bricks with carved floral patterns. In other cases, you can build a stone path between the back door and the hot tub. Stone paths work best in garden areas with tall trees, hedges, and miniature ponds.
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Mulch

Boring lawn areas can sometimes be brought to life with materials carted in from the local home improvement store. Woodchip mulch can be added to a rock garden or a flower garden for added landscape flavor. In fact, if you have recently decided to replant your entire lawn with grass seed, mulch will help the seedlings retain moisture during the first few weeks. You can use peat moss, compost, and other organic materials as mulch substitutes.

Flower Gardens

If your back yard seems a bit bland, you can spruce things up by planting a small flower garden. Tulips, daisies, and even sunflowers are all good choices. Whether you choose to utilize seeds or bulbs, you should be capable of coaxing to life a flower garden that will brighten your yard and accentuate all of the good features of your property. All flower gardens should be watered regularly. You may also need to be diligent when it comes to removing troublesome weeds.

Vegetable Gardens

With a flower garden already in the works, you might also try growing a vegetable garden. These gardens can rightfully be considered part of the lawn, and they are sure to win your entire residence extra accolades. Tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and a variety of herbs can be grown through the summer and harvested in the fall. If you are in the sharing mood, you might even surprise your neighbors with a basket of fresh vegetables straight from the garden. As a food enthusiast, you can also produce fresh salads, salsas, and casseroles for your family.

Your Lawn as an Extension of Your Home

As you work to elevate the curb appeal of your home, you should not be afraid to think outside the box. Though lawn care is important, you might also incorporate flower gardens, stone paths, and other interesting landscaping ideas. With a yard that exudes elegance and sophistication, your property should become one of the true jewels of the community.

Please visit the Guest Writers Site at: http://www.healthylawns.net

Doll House Book Shelf

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969141_641977829165642_1930924082_nThis conversion of a wooden bookshelf to a doll house will create a time of fun for your special little girl. This design is a little intricate – but it could be made fairly easy and made so that the added components could be removed later to go back to just a book shelf. Picket fence can be added to the bottom, dividers can be added to in between the shelves to divide them into room. Here they removed the top and added a pitched roof with new tongue and groove back. They cut out squares in the sides and inserted premade squares that are divided to look like windows. The back and insides could be painted out to look like little rooms with wall paper (decorated scrapbook pages) paint with stencils or sponge paintings. How about a little metal for the walls in the kitchen. The top pitch (if you make one) could be covered in large tongue depressors (available at craft stores).

Home Improvement – Using Custom Furniture By Guest Writer Ella Andrews

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These days it is extremely important for homeowners to understand that all the money they invest in their homes can be returned in the future. Home improvement is essential for many reasons. Unless you take good care of your house or flat it won’t be as functional as you wish and you will always need to do little repairs here and there which can break the bank. Moreover, by investing money in the flooring, the windows, the tiles and the furniture, you are turning a simple home into a dream home – a place where your family feels safe, a cozy and welcoming area for guests and above all, a house that you can be proud of. Last, but not least, by improving your home you are increasing its market value and this is a big advantage.home improvemnet decorating decoration design elements ella andrews guest writer country and victorian times

One of the best ways to improve your home is by getting some custom furniture. Most people prefer the traditional furniture for many reasons – it’s easier to find, it’s definitely more affordable and more or less adaptable to any home and style. However, the traditional furniture isn’t what sells a house. Moreover, it’s not even what makes you love your house. In order to feel completely relaxed at home, you need some inspirational furniture pieces that you’d be proud to own. High end retailers have numerous styles and trends to offer you – you’d be spoiled for choice. The first thing to do is take the exact measures of your home and be aware of it style. Consider the colors of the walls and whether you are willing to change them. There are many ways to bring new life into your dull home.

Go to a furniture store that offers a big variety of pieces, styles and shapes. Think about the feel you’d like to have in the living room, for example. Would you like more space and bigger area to just lie down and relax? Why don’t you get lower shelves and smaller cabinets? These are so compact you’ll see the big difference they make immediately.home improvemnet decorating decoration design elements country and victorian times ella andrews guest writer

Look for furniture pieces that have a distinct look – whether it’s in the finish, the edges, the color or the detailing, you’ll know when you see it. Try a vintage closet for the bedroom – one that would remind you of your travels abroad. Use colors and finishes to add a new feel to each room. A vintage style desk for the home office is a perfect choice – it will help your creativity flow. A small coffee table made of glass? It’s the perfect choice for those who like the more sophisticated furniture pieces.

Think about the maintenance as well – wooden furniture requires regular polish. Glass surfaces get stained and smudged quickly too. Some of the furniture may change its color over time, so in order to keep them in top condition, ask about maintenance tips.

Bio: Ella Andrews is a  writer and blogger who has great passion for home improvement projects. She is constantly searching for new sources of inspiration. Find out here what motivates her most: motivetes her most: www.movingservicesremovals.co.uk/removals/HP20-moversaylesbury.html

Boil Bacon In WATER?

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bacon boil water fry cook healthy country and victorian timesFirst place the bacon in a fry pan filled with water with just enough water to cover the bacon. Then place the pan on the burner (at high temperature) and let it cook. Cook it till it snaps and hisses at you and then reduce the burner to medium. The water cooking allows it to be fully cooked without browning so there will be  no burnt outside and it will still be chewy inside.

On a side note after you see the bacon shrink a bit you can wash the pan and bacon and then put bacon back in the pan to continue to cook. This way you will loose some of the grease and bacon will be a little healthier to eat. You can also do this with ground hamburger that will be seasoned.

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20 Uses For Sea Salt

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20 uses for sea salt

Sea salt is kind of pretentious because it’s better than all other salts. If salts were fonts, sea salt would be Helvetica and table salt would be Old English (can you say douchebag?). There isn’t much of a difference, but sea salt is a more natural substance that comes from the sea (duh) rather than the ground, with minimal processing before it hits store shelves. It is made of bigger chunks, meaning it tastes better (and you can use less) and is great for non-food uses, such as cleaning and beauty. Not only do I sprinkle sea salt on baked goods, but I’ve also used it to clean my oven and added it to a homemade body scrub.

Here are my top 20 uses for sea salt.

1. Calm psoriasis and skin inflammation in a sea salt bath or body scrub.
2. After a workout, add to a warm bath to soothe muscles and aches.
3. Add to a facial or skin scrub to slough away dead skin and improve its tone.
4. Sprinkle on baked goods (brownie bites or any other chocolate dessert are a fave) for a light contrast of sweet and salty flavors.
5. Sprinkle on thick meat filets to enhance the flavor and absorption of your marinade.
6. Sprinkle on sliced cucumbers for a fresh, crunchy summer snack. Then dip them in ranch dressing, duh!
7. Add to water when making hardboiled eggs to make them easier to peel (although I prefer the oven method, this still works great).
8. Mix with cinnamon for an easy, natural oven cleaning scrub.
9. Mix with soda water for a refrigerator cleaner.
10. Mix with turpentine for a bathroom and shower cleaner.
11. Relieve a sore throat by gargling sea salt with warm water.
12. Heal fresh body piercings with a warm water and sea salt solution.
13. Fade bruises by soaking a washcloth in a sea salt and warm water solution and applying it to the bruise for a minute or two.
14. Remove blood, red wine, and perspiration stains on clothes by scrubbing with sea salt and hot water.
15. Whiten your clothes by boiling them in water, baking soda, and sea salt for an hour. Follow up by washing them as normal.
16. Brighten your teeth by brushing them with one part sea salt and 2 parts baking soda.
17. Alleviate the pain of a bug bite or sting by soaking it in a warm water and sea salt solution.
18. Rinse your sinus cavities with sea salt and warm water in a Neti Pot.
19. Add one eighth of a teaspoon of a sea salt to a glass of water on really hot days to decrease dehydration.
20. Volumize your hair by mixing one part hair conditioner with one part sea salt, coating your strands with it, leaving it on for 20 minutes, and rinsing.