Every girl should have her own hand tools and her own toolbox. (That way she’ll always know where they are when she needs to use them!) More and more specialized hand tools for women are being introduced all the time - smaller, more compact tools, pink tools, lighter weight tools. You can go whichever route you want, however before purchasing your hand tools, it is recommended that you educate yourself a little on hand tools and get an idea of which tools should be included in your tool box.

Here’s a list of the essentials to include in your tool box along with special considerations for tool selection. [Read more →]

The other day I was at a Sears store purchasing a new dishwasher. With my mission completed, I was walking to the exit. All of a sudden a very flashy washer and dryer reached out and grabbed my attention. The units on display were in blue, but there was a large ad poster behind them showing the pair in other available colors. The orange was so bold and even more eye-catching. I turned to my mom and said, “I love that orange – it’s so fun.” A mental double-take mere seconds later and I said, “You know what, about 35 years ago when people were shopping for appliances, the same thing happened to them.” The only difference between now and then - they said, “I love that avocado green – it’s so fun!”.

What goes around comes around!

If money is not an issue, feel free to max out on the latest home remodeling trends. On the other hand, if your budget is more limited (like many of us), you’ll want to pick and choose the trends you incorporate in your renovations, remodeling or interior decorating a little more wisely. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the designer looks you can create with less. [Read more →]

If you’ve been living in your house for more than a year and every time you go to get a glass from the kitchen cupboard you find yourself standing in front of the wrong cupboard, chances are your kitchen organization is just not in sync with the way you would naturally use it.

There are logical places for items in the kitchen - cutlery in the top drawer, pots and pans near the stove. It’s all for the sake of improved efficiency.

To improve the efficiency and ease of use of your kitchen, review these organizing tips and ideas: [Read more →]

Can you believe it?!  It’s taken forever to get to this point, but the new roman shade for my kitchen window is finally done. 

Without any further adieu, here it is:

The placement of the shade, right at the top of the cupboards, truly gives the illusion of a larger window. 

Am I the only one who thinks it looks waaaay better than the ‘before’ shot shown below?

Next Up:  The other kitchen window.

Remember that window over my kitchen sink?

The plan was to make a new Roman Shade, specially sized to cover the full width of the space between the upper cabinets on either side of the window above the kitchen sink.  Then, I was going to mount the new fabric window shade at the top of the wall, thus giving the illusion of a larger kitchen window.  The plan has not changed - the process of choosing the perfect fabric, however, has definitely slowed me down.

What I’m looking for is something fresh and bright to liven up the kitchen area.  I’d like something modern and funky, but the fabric I choose also needs to work with the character of this old house.  At this point fabric type, such as linen or cotton, is secondary.

So far I’ve been able to narrow it down to two color families: [Read more →]

Small House = Small Living Room

More than just a living room, this area in my home also serves as the entry point from the front door, the access point to the second floor, and a throughway to the den/library.  That means a lot of traffic and very little uninterrupted wall space.

Like the homes of many DIY home decorators/renovators, my humble abode is a (continual) work in progress - it is by no means perfect.  Through my endeavors to make this small living room work for me, I have discovered and incorporated some small space living ideas and solutions that I thought would be worth sharing with you. [Read more →]