Kathy Zengolewicz

Have an area rug at all entries to the room to catch any dirt or pebbles that may be tracked in. Place rugs or mats in areas where there are chances of spilled or splashed water, like in front of the kitchen sink.

Sweep your floors often with a good quality, fine bristle broom. Vacuum the floor once or twice a week using a soft brush attachment to minimize scratching. Use a soft mop, tightly wrung out, a few times a week to keep the debris to a minimum.

To treat an area of a wood floor that has a tough stain, use a professional wood floor cleaning product that is recommended by your manufacturer. Unrecommended cleaners can cause the finish to dull.

Use furniture pads under your table and chair legs and on the feet of dressers or bureaus. Be extra careful wearing heavy shoes or high heels, as they may cause dents in the floor.

Most surface sealed wood floors are sealed with urethane or polyurethane and are stain and water damage resistant so just sweep and mop and you are done.

Penetrating seal treated or oil treated floors soak into the wood grain and harden. This type of floor needs to be protected with liquid or wax paste.

If you are not sure what kind of finish you have, here is a quick way to find out. Rub your finger across the floor. If a smudge appears then the floor has been treated with a penetrating seal, oil finish or a varnish and then waxed. If no smudge appears then the floor is surface sealed

Take care. I’ll talk to you later.

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

In the kitchen: A Boston fern placed in a wooden basket looks great on top of your refrigerator. You can start a small herb garden on your window sill above your sink.

In the bath: Place an African violet on the tank top of your commode. Hang a spider plant from a corner or in a window.

In the bedroom: placing a fragrant plant like an azalea or a rose plant on your night table will also give you pleasant dreams.

In the living room: Place an English ivy plant in a brass container and place it on the mantle or a curio cabinet. Placing plants on end or coffee tables in unusual containers such as baskets or an old Victorian shoe makes the room interesting and entertaining.

In the dining room: Shop around at some flea markets or garage sales for an old bird cage. Placing a trailing ivy plant in the cage looks beautiful.

Indoor plants need lots of TLC, so make sure to create a routine of watering and weeding dead leaves from the plant to keep it healthy. Feed your plants a multi-purpose plant food like Miracle-Gro every two weeks and watch them flourish and grow.

When you decorate your home with live plants the benefits can be plentiful.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

Hang a quilt on the wall behind your headboard. It’s a simple step that looks great. You don’t have to match the quilt with your bedspread, but do keep the same color scheme.

Mix and match some pillows to brighten up the room. Your décor should express your personality so find a favorite print and use a dollar store picture frame and you have instant art for your bedroom walls.

Not a print kind of person? Take pictures of your children or other loved ones, yes that does include you pets, and frame those photos. Make a collage of those pics. I like that kind of art!

Redecorate or replace your lampshades to correspond with your new décor, or better yet, install wall lamps. That will keep some of the clutter off of your bedside or night table.

Change the position of your bed. Placing your bed on an angle, where the corner of the room is in the middle of your headboard, that gives a unique semblance to the room.

If you’re a snuggler, top your bed with a soft down comforter. If you just want to inject some color into the room do it with a few accessories like a new lampshade or knick knacks.

You can add a homey look to your space by draping your quilt or comforter over the headboard or footboard using your bed as a quilt stand.

So, you see there are many easy and inexpensive ways to change a room using your imagination. Have fun trying some of these suggestions.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Seasonal centerpiece – Turn a large pumpkin or squash into a bowl.  Fill it with ornamental gourds and small pumpkins.

Autumn chandelier – Suspend burnished miniature pumpkins and gilded maple leaves from a chandelier with thread.

Curvaceous container – Turn a narrow-necked gourd into a vase by sawing off the gourd’s tip.

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My husband and I chose to paint our living room oatmeal.  We had looked at so many paint swatches and we knew we wanted the living room to be sort of a taupe color.  We were so glad to be rid of the cold white walls and to bring some warmth into our home with the inexpensive new look of paint.

We gave one side of the room a first and second coat and then went on to other walls.  We were on our last wall when we had to open another container of paint.  That was the “whoops” moment.  Although we had both containers mixed at the same time, the second container was just a touch off from the first one.  Thankfully, it wasn’t so badly off that we would repaint the whole room, but it was noticeable to me. 

Lesson learned.  From that moment on, we decided that when we buy more than one gallon of paint, we will mix the gallons together before using them.  We now have an extra bucket and lid in the shed that we use before we paint a room.  No more mismatched paint.

Has this sort of paint mix-up happened to you?

image (c) Karen Weideman

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Some other sales at Michael’s:

• 40% off baskets & Easter collection decor
• bagged plastic eggs $1.50
• special value ribbon $1
• 50% off select frames
• 50% off spring label florals
• 50% off spring label garlands
• 40% off Decorative Touch tabletop & hanging arrangements
• 40% collage wall frames

Visit Michaels.com to view the sales in your area.

*There may be a limit on the number of times this coupon can be printed.
image from michael’s

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Check out these fresh ideas from Better Homes & Gardens.  BHG has several different ideas for giving your lampshade a new look.  Some of them are easy, such as gluing on some paper or embellishments, and some of them involve sewing.  Choose the style that works for you.

image from bhg

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Sure Fit has something to fit anyone’s needs.  Whether you have a loose back cushion couch, a t-cushion couch, a recliner, futon, or chair, you’ll find something with Sure Fit.  They also have a wide variety of stylish colors and high-quality fabric.  However, if you have an animal, I wouldn’t recommend getting the suede cover like I did.  My cat liked the suede and I guess I didn’t think about it showing hair.  lol  Sure Fit also has coordinating drapes, pillows, and rugs.

Right now, Sure Fit is also having a President’s Day sale.  Buy any stretch slipcover and save 25% on your entire order.  Simply use the promo code PDSH.  Hurry, this sale ends February 17, 2009.

“Thanks mom.  This is comfy!” 

images by Sure Fit and me

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* Turn your clutter into cash (via Best Syndication)

* Cloth napkins can save you money (via Philly Burbs)

* Shopping strategy (at Bend Bulletin)

* Freezer cooking and frugal living (at Filling my Freezer)

* Tips for sprucing up your home (via Suntimes)

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decor8 is a to-the-point name for this blog I’m featuring today. It’s a blog for finding decorating inspiration, eye candy, tips, stores, and products for adding just the perfect touch to the home.

decor8 is written by Holly Becker, who describes her blog as:

decor8 is a quick fix for design addicts who love decorating their homes but find it challenging to shop online. Your time is important, so that’s why I (founder/editor Holly Becker) scour dozens of resources for the latest tips and trends so you don’t have to. Then, I sift through it all extracting only what I strongly favor, posting it here on my blog.

I’m inspired to create my own inspiration notebook or mood board!

Post from: Keeping the Castle