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imagine your Beach life

Try using a stone basin or sink in your kitchen or bathroom

11/24/2016

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What’s old is new again. In times before manmade materials became plentiful and popular, things were constructed from natural materials. A good example of this is stone basins in bathrooms and kitchen sinks.

Stone sinks in bathrooms and kitchens not only serve a practical purpose as basins. They had an air of elegance. Their presence can literally make the room luxurious and posh.
 
Stone basins available for bathroom or kitchen sink come in a wide range of shapes, colors, and styles. You can choose from under-mount, bench-mount or wall-mount stone basins in your bathroom to get the look and style that best suits your room.
 
In your kitchen you can also choose a stone basin that contrasts with your kitchen counters or one that blends with them. Because the basin is one of the most used structures in both kitchen and bathroom, selecting a stone basin for your bathroom or kitchen is a quick and productive way to renovate a dated kitchen or bathroom. Every guest who visits your kitchen or bathroom will see and admire your handiwork. The installation is so easy that a good DIYer can accomplish this update.
 
Simple and elegant, stone basins are working pieces of art in your kitchen or bathroom.
 
How can you decide which stone basin is just right for your kitchen or bathroom? These pieces come in a wide range of styles from elaborate to very simple. If you have a modern, minimalistic bathroom or kitchen you might choose a glass finish or a lacquered look that will fit nicely with the existing plumbing fixtures. Keeping things natural looking allows that sink to say, “Whoa! Look at me!” to every visitor that comes into that room. Imagine the pause a sink like this one will give your guests! It screams function and beauty. Because its effect is so basic, it literally has the spotlight in the room.

If, instead, you are looking for an ornate structure that will draw all eyes to it liked a masterpiece painting, then you might opt for a different more elaborate stone sink.
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Whatever the look you hope to achieve, there is a stone sink that will help you achieve your purpose by adding just this one piece to your bathroom or kitchen.

Why choose a stone sink or basin? Beyond their obvious beauty, stone sinks are versatile. It’s a show piece and a quick and easy way to upgrade your guest bathroom or kitchen. However, it is also a practical item for both kitchen and the kids’ bathroom. Stone sinks come in a variety of sizes and styles so you are sure to find one that is just the right size and style for each room.

Adding a stone vessel sink to your kitchen or bathroom modernizes the look while adding a touch of sophistication and a piece of art to the room. The changing light in the room changes the color of your new stone sink.  And every time you use it, you will feel a little bit pampered.

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Small home improvements you should do when you move into a new house

11/24/2016

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Here are a few cost-saving home improvements you can make when you move into a new home!
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1. Check Your Energy Efficiency
Low energy costs are a selling feature, but they also save you homeowner costs. Many local utility companies may offer free energy efficiency inspections of your home and/or energy saving workshops.
 
2. Put Your Money where it Counts
Realtors will tell you that while a kitchen or bathroom remodel is nice, putting time and money into a new roof, repairing your home’s exterior, or upgrading plumbing can be a wiser investment. It will pay off in energy efficiency and safety, avoiding costly future repairs.
 
3. Look at Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations
While structural improvements are a safe and wise investment, adding features like granite counter tops, upgrading appliances, or renovating dated bathrooms can help make your house more appealing for future buyers.
 
4. Consider Curb Appeal
Make your house inviting by adding flower beds, tending lawns and making your entrance way attractive. Check out the curb appeal of homes you admire and study landscaping magazines and gardening columns for ideas.
 
5. Attend to Home Maintenance
If you’re spending thousands on home renovations but your improvements aren’t well maintained, then it could become money wasted. Make sure the structure—foundation, roof, electrical, plumbing—are in good order.
 
6. Think About Adding On
Enlarging a room or adding an additional room could increase your home’s resale value. Try adding a sunroom, family room, or an extra bedroom!
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Helpful home organization tools

11/24/2016

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There’s a plethora of home organizing products on the market today that can help get your drawers, closets, kitchens, bathrooms or garage tidy and aesthetically pleasing. Here are some neat organization tools that may help save you time searching for lost items and create more space!

  • Using hangers that don’t come off the rods, boxes for smaller items, shelves and shoe organizers in your closet can turn a small closet into a space that keeps items neatly organized so you can put your hands on items immediately. Some companies will even come to your home and help you choose the products that will make your closet an organizational dream. 
     
  • If your family has typical items like keys, money to pay the paper boy, the dog’s leash, you should create a spot that becomes the item’s “home.” This might be a bowl or a board with hooks or a drawer in a foyer table. This will help you find those items quickly when you’re on the go! 
     
  • Hinge hooks are among clever organizational devices for bathroom towels, robes, back door leashes, or umbrellas. They fit neatly on the door hinge and take up practically no room. Furthermore, they can be attached to a lower hinge so kids can reach them. 
     
  • In most homes, the space under the basement and the main floor stairs is useless. Turn that unused space into storage space with a clever under-the-stairs organizer. It could be used to store athletic equipment, outdoor boots, children’s toys or office equipment. 
     
  • Get an organizer that divides the “junk drawer” into spaces. Empty it out and categorize various items


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Decluttering a Kitchen

11/24/2016

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Are your kitchen cupboards a hodgepodge of items you haven’t used in a year? Are the can goods mixed in with boxes of chocolate pudding? Do you have to search for the items you want? Is the counter littered with small appliances and cooking utensils?

If this describes your kitchen then perhaps it is time to declutter.

Before you begin, get your mind and your kitchen ready for a big clean up. Clear the countertops. Empty the dishwasher. Fill your sink with hot soapy water ready to make long-unused glassware, pans, and dishes sparkle before putting them back in the cupboard.
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For decluttering, use a three-box method of sorting:

Box #1: things I am still using. These will go back into the cupboard in an organized manner after I have scrubbed and/or relined the shelves with adhesive shelf paper available at any dollar store.

Box #2: things that are still good and not past their expirationdates. These can be donated to a food bank or soup kitchen, as I do not use them anymore.

Box #3: past their expiration dates, these items are destined for the garbage.

The same goes for small appliances, pots and pans, dishes, glassware, and wall decorations. Donate or store under the counter. Get the clutter off the counters. 

Next, attack those drawers of cutlery and old recipe books. Use the three box method on them. Be relentless. If you haven’t used it in a year, out it goes. You don’t need five can openers and three corkscrews. Keep the good one and throw out or donate the others.

An efficient kitchen is one that is pared to the bone. Those expired coupons and seldom-used cookbookshave to go out with the bag of catsup and mustard packets.

Pace yourself. Do a cupboard a day or a drawer a day rather than rushing through your kitchen de-cluttering. Don’t forget those appliances. Use the three box method on the contents of your fridge. Scour shelves and make your fridge and stove sparkle inside and out.
 
Next attack that “junk drawer”. We all have one! Resist the urge to keep something because you “might need it someday.” Organize what you do keep in a plastic tray.

Is this a one-day job? For some it is. For others, slow and steady a section at a time is the way to go. It all depends on your energy, your available time, and your personality.
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