This is such a great idea Use photo frames for the numbers and buy the hand sets at Micheals or Hobby Lobby. Turns a boring wall into creative functional art.
Big Photo Frame Wall Clock
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Top 5 DIY Home Security Products by Naomi Wheeler
There are many valuables that we would like to keep protected within our homes including important documents, jewelry, and money. Although burglary and theft can’t always be prevented in your home, there are many ways that you can make it more difficult for them to find your things. Here is a list of the top five DIY home security projects to help prevent theft of your valuables.
Hollowed Book
One of the most common, but most successful and popular ways to protect your valuables, is to hollow out a book. It may take you a couple of days depending on how determined you are to finish it, but it’s a pretty simple process. First, you’ll need a hardback book, some glue, a box cutter, and a brush you don’t mind getting glue in. Mix the glue with a little water (making it about 60% glue), hold the pages together and begin gluing the outside of the book. Once it’s dried, you can begin cutting out your pages from the middle leaving about ½ in. around the edges to make it look like the pages are still in the book. Once you reach the back of the book, you can take glue to the inside of the book to make sure that everything stays together. Now, you have a hollowed out book to hide some of your valuables in!
Safe Pillow
Although this way is a little bit trickier, it is a great way to make sure that your valuables stay safe. You’ll need a throw pillow that you’re willing to cut up, some scissors, thread the same color as the pillow, and some scissors. Cut a horizontal line on the back of the throw pillow that matches the length of the zipper. Take out the stuffing and start stitching the zipper into the pillow. Then, you can put the box or valuables you have set aside into the pillow with the stuffing, making sure the valuables are surrounded by the stuffing so you can’t feel them, and zipping up the pillow. Now you have a secret hiding place, in plain sight, that can help you keep your valuables safe and away from prying eyes.
Painted Jar
A great and simple project that you can finish in a day is to paint a food jar, particularly mayonnaise jars, to make them look like they still have food in them when in fact, it is holding your valuables. Find a paint that looks like mayo and gradually paint the inside of the jar with the color, making sure that it doesn’t get on the outside. A good way to prevent this is to use a plastic bag on the outside to prevent drips. Then, once your paint is completely dry on the inside (could take a couple of days depending on the paint and how thick it is), you can hide your valuables that won’t be harmed by cold temperatures and put it in the fridge!
Potted Plant
Although it may seem simple, using a potted plant to hide your valuables or money is a great way to thwart people who would steal from you. All you need is a plant that you want to hide your items in, and an old medicine bottle or small watertight container. Then, put your valuables or money into the bottle or container and dig a hole big enough for the container in your potted plant. You can then try to remember where your valuables are hidden, or you can put down a small rock or plant decoration to remind you where you hid your valuables.
False Bottom Drawers
Hiding things is drawers is not always the best way to protect important documents and valuables, but hiding things ‘underneath’ your drawers is a great way to prevent valuables from getting stolen. All you need is fabric or wood that looks like the bottom of your drawers cut to the size that you need. Then, you can put your valuables in the drawer, put the false bottom over them, and fill up the drawer with things that you normally would such as clothes, office supplies, or less important paperwork. False bottom drawers are a great way to hid paperwork and other important documents that people might want to steal. This way, even if someone rifles through the drawer, they won’t be able to find anything of value.
Inspiration: Decorating with Air Plants By Jane Blanchard
Bring a little of the outdoors inside your home with air plants. Air plants, also known as tillandsias, absorb nutrients through their leaves, so there is no soil involved. Their striking sculptural forms and easy care make these plants a great addition to any home.
In nature, the majority of air plants survive by using their roots to attach to other objects (mostly plants, rocks, or buildings). This means they can be put in a variety of containers, making them ideal for any style of decor. They can be grown both indoors or out and do an excellent job cleaning the air. Air plants need bright, but indirect light and good air circulation to thrive. Mist these plants with water every few days or soak every 7-10 days.
With over 500 species to choose from, and shapes ranging from the organic to the geometric, choosing your favorites is bound to be hard. Here are some ideas for incorporating air plants into your home.
Create a living wall. Hang air plants directly on the wall or get creative with a hanging structure to create a fantastic and gorgeous focal point in any room.
Modern Living Room by San Francisco Garden & Landscape Supplies OPUS GARTEN
For more great information please visit Modernize.com.
11 Habits of People With Concealed Depression
There will be two main types of people reading this blog: those finding themselves better equipped to understand some of the people they love and those who see their own reflections in these habits.
Depression often goes unseen, unrecognized, and undiagnosed. A person with concealed depression is someone who is conditioned to deal with their inner demons in a way that doesn’t make them clearly visible. They may or may not be diagnosed, and this may or may not be something they’ve shared with even their closest of companions. The problem is that the world becomes darkest when we all stop being able to understand each other. We tend to believe that hardship is worn openly upon one’s chest like a battle scar, but many of these wounds do not easily reveal themselves to those that do not take the time to look.
1. They may intentionally make efforts to appear OK and maybe even seem exponentially happy and upbeat.
The idea that those with depression all have one similarly dreary personality is false. Depression is more than just a mood. Those who live with depression have learned to alter their apparent moods, and may even be some of the most seemingly “happy” people that you know. Personalities can vary. Often those with depression try to stick with the positive and public parts of their demeanor regardless of what they’re going through on the inside. No one wants to bring others down, even if that means hiding how he or she is truly feeling.
2. They may have habitual remedies.
There are serious ways to treat depression, including therapy and medication. However, in addition to these remedies, there are lifestyle habits that those with depression use to treat their everyday state-of-mind. This can be in the form of music, exercise, driving, walks, or basically anything they know can get themselves out of a sinking set of emotions. Concealed depression has a lot to do with the ways people try to personally conquer their own demons.
3.They may have trouble with abandonment.
Anyone who has experienced depression understands the burden it can be. It can also be a burden for those closest to them. Sometimes when you let someone in enough to see the struggles you have, they walk the other way. Though it’s hard to blame these people for leaving, it creates a serious feeling of abandonment for those with depression. It forges a need for secrecy, out of fear of the recession of those they love. There is nothing more heartbreaking than finding out your ugliest layer of self is too ugly for someone you love to handle.
4. They can be pros at “cover-up” stories.
This can be for anything from the cuts on their arms to the reason they skipped dinner. People who live with different forms of depression experience various hardships that can at times impede the normalcy of their daily lives. In these low instances, they know what to say to avoid attention from others to those displays of pain. Often they don’t want to recognize that they are hitting a low point either, so they know how to hide it.
5. They may have abnormal sleeping and eating habits.
This may seem like a small sign or factor, but it has a grave effect. Those who live with depression in an unrevealing way can sometimes only let the little signs show. Sleeping too much or too little are textbook examples. The same goes goes for eating too little or too much. Sleep and nutrition are two critical elements to health. They are also two elements that the human mind can attempt to control. Depression creates a suffocating lack of control, and being able to control at least something, can be all a person has. Sleep can be nearly impossible, or it can be the only escape. The same goes for eating.
6. They may understand substances differently.
A person who handles their depression also knows how to monitor what they put into their body. They know alcohol is a depressant, and drinking it over an extended period of time can create a mental state of low that they are less equipped to handle than the average person. They know that caffeine and sugar are uppers for their moods. They know what medications do what. They know what doesn’t mix well. They know all of this because altering their state of mind in any way is much more of a responsibility than it may be for other people.
7. They may exhibit a very involved perception of life and death.
Not every person with depression has felt suicidal. However, depression often invokes a unique and complex thought process about life in general. Facing one’s mortality often comes at moments of desperation. It happens when you are furiously seeking answers to all of life’s questions. Being dragged in and out of horrible mindsets can cause these kind of thoughts to be more frequent.
8. They are often uniquely talented and expressive.
Many of the most inspired and life-changing artists, musicians, and leaders of this world were also plagued by mental illness. I use the word “plagued” in a contradicting fashion, because having a serious depth of emotions can also lead to profound greatness. People who live with depression that may not be visible to the naked-eye, often express themselves in incredible ways. They are in touch with the good and bad pieces of their souls. They are able to formulate and illustrate beauty through the shadows of the emotions they carry.
9. They are often searching for a purpose.
Everyone wants a purpose in life. We want to know that what we are doing is worthwhile. We want to know that we are moving in the right direction. Those who live with unseen depression want this as well, and in a way that attempts to satisfy something inside of them that may always be hungry for more. Feelings of inadequacy and fear are no stranger to the depressed mind. People with hidden depression are almost always trying to compensate in their life for the frailties that they have inside. They may change directions often. They may become incredibly involved in the pursuit of true happiness. They are also striving and searching for more.
10. They at some times will release subtle cries for help.
Even a person who knows how to live with the burden of their own mind can need help. Outcries from people you aren’t expecting are easily overlooked. Sometimes it isn’t safe for people to be on their own with their depression; as much as they say differently. Sometimes they will reach out. Sometimes they will open up. These moments are the most crucial, because they are especially powerful. They are what builds a bridge between people who have different levels of emotions and mindsets. They are what creates a closeness and trust among friends and lovers that isn’t always easy if some feel they have to camouflage their true selves.
11. They seek love and acceptance, as every person does.
Shielding the world from one’s personal demons is not done so for the sake of dishonesty. People who live with depression in a private and undisclosed way do so for protection. This is for the protection of their hearts. This is for the protection of the people around them. This is for the protection of the success of their dreams. Some of those reading this may have felt an eerie connection to these habits. Whether you have been treated for depression, or you simply have treated yourself, you know how easy it is to feel alone. I entitled this article about those with unseen depression, but the truth is that most depression goes unseen by our human nature. We live in a world that encourages us to hide what is dark and unpleasant. We don’t have to.
The most important habit and motivation of those with unseen depression to understand is that they search for love and acceptance. We all do. The only way to gain it is to spread it. Never turn away from a person who seems to be struggling. Love when it’s difficult. Cry when you need to. Reach out when someone closes the door. Open your heart, even if it feels terrifying to do so. If we keep forcing the bad to go unseen, the good will also go unseen.
Skittle Dress
This dress is now owned by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – and contains over three thousand Skittles. What a piece of work! Can you imagine placing each and every one of those Skittles – it had to be so painstakingly done to look so great.
Country & Victorian Times 