Get Crafty and Make A Hanging Branch Chandelier

I love the idea of saving money and creating something simple and beautiful at home. HGTV’s Home for the Holidays blogger Liz Gray tells it all when putting together a crafty chandelier made of a plain branch and dried flowers to save you time at the stores and numbers on your account. This creation is a smart embellishment for your dining area during the holidays. Gray gives three steps to follow to make your chandelier at home.

The first step is to find the right branch. It should be skinny and light enough to hang off of your roof. Should also be dry, but also sturdy and carry smaller limbs that branch out. Once you’ve found your piece, dust it with white spray paint or any metallic hues.

Found a “drifted” branch in my parent’s back yard.

Next, think about the flowers. HGTV chose celosia to give their sample a plum hue. You can go to a florist, a local flower farm, or through online sources to get the flower you are looking for. Make sure to keep it one color so that it complements, not compete, with your table set-up.

I love the color yellow and saw these Marigold flowers. They could be the flowers for the chandelier.

These are an example of garden clippers to use when cutting the stem of the flowers.

To make the chandelier part of this creation, click http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2013/11/22/make-a-holiday-branch-chandlier-hanging-centerpiece/ to get the full instructions. You’ll need garden clippers, green embroidery floss, and floral tape.

The end result should look like this:

This is the chandelier HGTV created. Your end-result should look like this.

Get a Hunger Game home style!

Reading off of a blog post from HGTV.com, I came across The Hunger Games meets House Hunters. Now that the U.S. premiere of the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has finally arrived, the author found and embedded a link that leads you to another blog post on the title of his post, showing you an image of a house that would be “home” for a lead character. I followed the embedded images and as I scanned through each character and the related house, I completely agreed to every single one; especially the one for Cinna, Katniss’ stylist. The reason why I agree is because he always wears a sparkly colored eyeliner and in the California penthouse, there is a sparkly chandelier hanging over the dining table.

Hunger Games photo by: Murray Close
House photo by: Zillow

The other ones are:

Katniss

Hunger Games photo by: Murray Close
House photo by: Zillow

Peeta Mellark

Hunger Games photo by: Murray Close
House photo by: Zillow

Gale Hawthorne

Hunger Games photo by: Murray Close
House photo by: Zillow

Effie Trinket

Hunger Games photo by: Murray Close
House photo by: Zillow

Caesar Flickerman

Hunger Games photo by: Murray Close
House photo by: Zillow

If you want to read more of what the original author wrote for each house, go to http://www.frontdoor.com/coolhouses/the-hunger-games-meets-house-hunters.

Thank you for stopping by!

Use Fancy Wrapping Paper, Not Wallpaper for the Holidays

What are your plans for the holidays? Have you decided what to decorate your home with? Is it the same stuff you use every year? Not this year! For all of you homeowners and members of a household, brighten up your display in the common area with foam board and fancy wrapping paper. Applying wallpaper to the back of your shelves will be time-consuming and obligates you to be precise with the lines and press it perfectly against the wall. With wrapping paper, it prevents you to do any of that. Plus, you can easily remove the wrapping paper better than you would with wallpaper after the holidays. This is an inexpensive, creative and easy way of decorating for the holidays!

These are two fancy-like wrapping papers that you can use to cover your wall for the holidays.

Any shelves that displays your pictures with a back wall, can work for putting up the wrapping paper.

 

This is the image used in HGTV’s blog to show what it should look like.

For further information and instructional guidance on how to do this decor, go to this link: http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2013/11/14/decorate-bookshelves-with-wrapping-paper/

3 Must-Haves for Holiday Decoration

Based on what I read and viewed in another blogger’s post on HGTV’s website, there are three things that you should most definitely decorate with for the holidays.

1. Decorate the inside of your home with browns, whites (adding white long candles and pine decor adds a unique touch to it)
2. Always display your holiday dishware in a way that will never be forgotten. (Figures or seasonal colored plates work best)
3. Prep the kitchen for the season by putting away and leaving out your favorite/popular foods and drinks for easy access

• Decorating outside can become quite the show for drivers, but it shouldn’t stop there! When you have guests over, you want them to feel they are invited to a heartwarming place. Give them something to look at to remind them of the holiday and get in the feel of it.
• Placing colorful plates on top of each other and providing silverware on both sides shows you will be serving food in an order and with a pop of fun!
• A hot cup of coffee and/or cocoa are popular favorites during the winter holidays and keeping oatmeal in a jar on the counter-top is the perfect go-to breakfast meal.

These decorations in shades of browns and whites could be hanging or sitting in your home’s common area.

 

I found these plates designed as birds that will stand out on the table and make a statement.

These bottled nuts are examples of placing your most used foods on the counter during the holidays

 

Here is the website for other holiday decor ideas: http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2013/11/05/holiday-decorating-ideas-from-hgtv-one-kings-lane/

How to incorporate organizational and creative ideas for your walk-in closet

Place for Everything

My current student apartment’s walk-in closet could use this shoe organizing space (top half image). Having a place for everything and using up the entire area of the closet by placing everything in its own place is a smart choice to prevent clutter and be organized, such as in the bottom half of the image given. Organizing your clothes into categories and dividing them into their sections gives it a clean look. If you have shoes sitting on the floor, they can pick up dust, debris, and lent over time and makes it look cluttered and harder to keep floors clean

Shoes displayed in open drawers creates a glorious look and organization rather than leaving shoes on the floor to gather dust and dirt.

Jewelry Organizer

I currently have a jewelry organizer but it gets complicated to use the second side because if I hang it with the clothes it gets lost in between the clothes and harder to get a good look at what jewelry to choose. With the jewelry organizer that I’ve found in the second half of the image provided, you can ‘give each piece of jewelry a place of its own’ just as it was stated in this slideshow. With the different compartments in this jewelry drawer insert, it’s easy to pull out your displayed jewelry and also safely hide it away to avoid clutter, promote easy display and safely put away.

My hanging jewelry organizer is complicated while the jewelry cabinet insert is easy to find organized jewelry.

Tie Racks or Necklace Racks?

It’s usually not easy to find a place for long necklaces without overcrowding your walls. As you can see in the image, I have mine hanging from the wall with pins. It’s not appealing, it’s cheap. A better and more appealing look would be to hang your longer jewelry, scarves, and even belts on tie racks! They can be useful for more than just ties. Creativity comes a long way with saving space and appearance.

Be creative with your organization by using tie racks to hold your long necklaces instead of hanging them on your walls.

The information I put together was from gathering ideas from the slideshow of images at http://www.hgtv.com/bedrooms/how-to-make-your-walk-in-closet-resemble-a-chic-boutique/pictures/index.html?i=1. If you liked this post, comment below and I will add more of these topics to my blog as well! Thank you!

Pediatric cancer survivor gets a dream chef kitchen and more

Added to the stairs was tree-detailed wallpaper between each step.

This is what Johnny’s new chalkboard back-splash in the kitchen could look like.

This is the color used to paint the wall going up the stairs with framed family portraits and friends’ messages.

Johnny had cancer growing up in his childhood and underwent various treatments. He is now cancer-free and he and his mother raise awareness for pediatric cancer. Johnny loves to cook and even auctioned off home-cooked meals to fund raise. They’re going create a better kitchen for chef-in-the-making Johnny. They will build more space for Carla’s work for fundraising. Johnny will be gone for a weekend at the beach with his mom Carla while Dad and older brother stay for a “baseball tournament” – excuse used to help out with the renovations.

Day 1

Bathroom demolition begins

Initial Ideas:

1. Kitchen – dishwasher and stove will be switched to give a true chef’s kitchen
2.  Paint garage door, update landscaping, and re-do the fencing

Doors have been repainted white to brighten up the rooms. Brother helps build the board for a media area splitting the living room for Johnny and his brother for gaming and watching shows. A leak from the roof needed to be checked and it was thankfully found. The issue was sealed.

Day 2

Wall cladding gets done in the living room; media cabinet goes in.

The cousins ask the volunteers to make message cards with their thoughts for Johnny to create a wall art. The wall art gets painted red this night. Appliances are put in, but countertops haven’t arrived. The whole first floor is being renovated.

Chalk backsplash for Johnny to write on recipes and new assignments. Shelving is done. Appliances were put in before countertops although there is an order of each step. The countertops usually go first, then the appliances – “guys with the countertops will have to work around the cabinets,” says Anthony Carrino.

Day 3

Countertops arrive a few hours before mom Carla and Johnny arrive. John hanged the rope-design chandelier over the dinner table. Johnny’s friend’s images are framed and hung onto the wall in the living room.

Johnny and Carla arrive to their newly renovated home. Carla only thought they were going to help open up the kitchen for Johnny but they gave her an office spot to work off of the kitchen. Johnny couldn’t believe it. It was all surreal to him. He asked his mom to pinch him. Everyone, including the cousins, were moved by this revealing moment.

New episode “Case of Buyer’s Remorse”

Not the one used in the episode, but this is just to give you an idea of a stove that was placed in an island.

 

This is close to the color of the counter top used in the new;y renovated kitchen.

 

Again, this is not the actual laundry room that was updated in the episode, but it is just an idea that it’s what the couple wanted to be renewed.

Love It or List It‘s new episode titled

Case of Buyer’s Remorse – Heidi and Greg have a 100-year-old house, 2000 sq ft. Current value is 734,000 and worked on several renovations during the course of a year prior to being on the show. The original charm still remains in house and would like to keep it during the renovation. David’s budget is $850,000. Hillary’s budget is $90,000.

Usually, every episode for renovation starts out good and then Hillary gets bad news and something from the buyer’s want list is removed. That’s always a bummer for both the buyers and the viewer because we all want to see the wanted list to be completed without any problems and extra costs.

After Hillary and David were given their budgets, they begin their work. Hillary and her assistant work on creating a new map design of each room planned for renovation so that the couple loves their renovated space and stays. David searches online for a new home that grants their wish list and move out of their current home to list it for sale. Here I start with Hillary’s demolition and plans followed by David’s listings.

Hillary

• Room for closet space by the stairs
• Expand kitchen/move wall, add oven and move sink to window, new insulation on roof
• 2^nd floor bathroom – toilet moves next to sink and add shower
• On-suite bathroom- Move sink to wear bathtub is and standing shower by the sink
• Demolition begins by removing the wall in dining room, , remove glass pains while wait for electrician and plumber

David

• 2200 sq ft house, 4 bed, 2 baths, basement, $989,000 (way out of their budget)
• 1700 sq ft, 4 bed , 3 bath, modern kitchen, laundry in basement, backyard, close to neighborhood, $859,000 (after seeing this, Heidi opened David’s options to looks outside the buyer’s neighborhood)
• 2200 4 bed, 4bath, eat-in kitchen, backyard, $865,000 (this is their best possibility to leave their current home)

PROBLEMS: house is sinking, has to be taken down and underpinned, same cost as getting the bathroom = bathroom is taken out of the list. plumbing pipes are copper gas pipes and pipes needs to be replaced + beneath the basement (new supports needed for sun room) is rotted so money of second bathroom is removed from list.

FINAL RENOVATION: Kitchen – double sink, island and the stove placed in island, natural colored counters, heated gray slate floors / Laundry Room – fixed up next to the kitchen / Sun Room – is opened and renovated to give access to outside deck.

Post Reno value = $860,000   |   Reno increase value of $126,000

They’re going to LOVE IT! Greg says, “Space is so beautiful that we couldn’t walk away from it.”

Premiere of Cousins Undercover was Inspirational and Beautiful

Now she can enjoy her new bedroom with an added master bathroom on the second floor, where she always pictured the rooms to be located.

Elizabeth can now use the baker’s wooden counter-top added to the edge of her new kitchen to bake her famous chocolate chip cookies.

I closely watched the new premiere of Cousins Undercover and jotted down their ideas and renovations for the house.

HGTV’s Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri made someone’s dream come true once again in their new show Cousins Undercover that premiered last night at 8 p.m. They completely surprised Elizabeth Brent, a single mother and an unemployed school teacher, at Ellen DeGeneres‘ show telling her that they will help her with remodeling her bathroom and a room. However, what she didn’t know was that she was going to get a complete home makeover. When she first bought her two-story house, the second floor was unfinished, so it was used for storage and lived on the ground floor in a small room with one bathroom. A few things they learned about Elizabeth are:

• She feeds up to 20 people every Sunday and always had to serve at her parent’s home next door due to no space in the living room and kitchen.
• She also taught ASL to her former students.
• Her siblings mentioned that she loved wineries and, of course, the wine!

With the information they were given, the Italian- American cousins’ designed her home inside and out with the help of friends, family, and her students. The new design included:

• First thing is first – move the bedrooms to the top floor.
• Added a master bath to her bedroom and a huge walk-in closet.
• Pink nursery room for her baby girl with an originally painted vine art with her name on the wall made by her niece.
• Opened up the space between the kitchen and the dining room by knocking down the wall that separated them to give her an open-concept design.
• Added a wooden counter-top on the end for baking her sweets.
• Cut the wall near the kitchen open into a box shaped wine holder for her wine.
• Roof was removed and added thicker roofing plywood with a warranty.
• New hardwood flooring
• Fake gardening on a wall in the dining room with pictures of her family’s hands signing F-A-M-I-L-Y in ASL
• Fresh, new paint inside and outside
• Removed tree trunks in the front and left one with flowers circling it
• New landscaped grass
• They added a book shelf in her living room because she encourages reading in her community and to her students.

The turnout was beautiful and inspirational. It left me in tears because she deserved it. Loved what the cousins did in terms of design! The hardwood floors look nice and the wall art in both the dining room and nursery room was beautiful. She was left with tears and gratitude. I can’t wait to see what family is next to have their lives changed and memories re-made.