Archive for the ‘health and welfare’ Category
28 Tips for Home-Hunting
Posted on: May 3, 2013
Spring is a time to move house as well as clean house. News broadcasts LOVE to publicize the latest home starts or housing sales. So the houzz article on APARTMENT HUNTING FOR RENTERS seemed quite timely. The “customer comments,” however, resonated with me as never before — and I’ve been in my home for more than fifteen years!
The houzz article is firmly aimed at big city apartment hunters, but the comments hone in on the worldwide dilemma of finding somewhere to live — and loving where you land. Some of houzz’s tips include
- Focus on a FAVORITE neighborhood or two, if possible (might depend on the size of the municipality).
- Beside budgetary concerns, what two other priorities must your new home have?
- Open House overkill? Keep a checklist (of likes and dislikes) or snap a photo or two. (One commenter suggested that snapping a photo of each front door helped immensely.)
- Be prepared! in some markets, housing will go fast. Be ready with pertinent information to convince the seller or landlord you’re the person for their property (references; credit history information; mortgage pre-approval; etc).
- Hidden costs? Are those window treatments included? how much are utilities? is parking available, or cable / internet hook-ups?
- Odd smells? Noises? lack of natural light? add those to your list so you’ll remember your reactions later.
- Be nosy! You might be living here soon: peek into closets, run the water, flush the toilet.
- Search online, newspapers, dedicated publications — but don’t forget word of mouth.
- Negotiate price. It’s worth a try.
- Will Grandma’s armoire fit? Bring a tape measure.
- Did the seller / landlord makes promises: Get it in writing. Don’t rely on memory…
My take-away from some of Comments:
- When talking ‘utilities’, don’t be afraid to ask how a bill is assessed; beware hidden ‘fees’ charged to tenants.
- Likewise, be leery of ‘application fees’ or leave-taking ‘cleaning’ fees.
- Check out the yard (if applicable), especially if the prior owner / tenant had pets. (think: clean-up…)
- Think twice about the flat near the elevator or garbage chute. Do bedroom(s) overlook an alley where the trash is kept? a busy street?
- Be on the look-out for signs (for rent / for sale); tell co-workers about your hunt for a home. The more, the merrier.
- GREAT idea: Check the neighborhood during commute times on a weekday. Cruise the neighborhood between 10pm and 3am [I personally would extend this to the likes of 7am] “to see who and what is out at night”.
- Pertinent to renters: is there a waiting list for a building you want to live in? Get on it!
- Really concerned about safety: contact the local police department and ask about the area.
- Moving in or doing a walk-through before closing? Take pictures and document.
- “Don’t be shy about asking a friend or relative to accompany you” – a second set of eyes can often help.
- Do baking cookies hide an odor? Does music mask street noise? Visit more than once to be sure.
- Looking near a school – but don’t have children? Be aware of increases in (road and foot) traffic; additional noise; parking or trespassing problems.
Now to add a few thoughts of my own. I live in what could be termed a “small city”, certainly an urban area. The housing is predominantly single-family homes, a few condo units, only downtown has some “lower” high-rises. Downtown has exceptionally few amenities, so I can start my list with
- Is your area walkable? How’s the public transportation? Do you need a vehicle no matter what? Depending on your lifestyle, you may want to think twice about where to locate.
- If you like nature, are there public parks, scenic areas easily in reach?
- Would you prefer an area where everyone has children, or are professionals, or all retirees?
- Consider that the No. 1 business of businesses is to grow: that college up the hill will not be content with a student body of 2000 students in ten-years’ time; that airport will add run-ways and parking garages – or change flight patterns to entice larger jets; that highway may be two lanes now, but what if it became wider or faster?
- How close are your closest neighbors? Be aware of basketball hoops, barking dogs, loud cars or loud music. All have the potential to impact your enjoyment of your own home.
I’ve personally have lived through loud neighbors, barking dogs, early morning airplanes, a backyard daycare. I remember reading once about a woman whose neighbor was a chatterbox; ultimately, the writer resorted to diving into her car in the garage, just to avoid the neighbor. The spring after I purchased my home, the state ‘upgraded’ highway bridges – and now you hear traffic thumping over expansion joints; sometimes you feel them too, especially once the potholes begin to crop up again. In the end, you may have little control over what happens over time.
My city used to be tree-lined, but decades ago it lost that attribute to a two-lane / four-lane road through the center. Places change over time. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge when it’s time to cut your ties and move on.
* * *
Whether you’re new to your home, looking for updated decor ideas,
or setting up some “must haves” for a dream home,
At a typical YARD or GARAGE Sale, you’d expect to see what’s presented in the illustration above: clothes on a coat rack; old stereo or TV popped somewhere they fit; books and blankets in boxes. HOUZZ recently ran an informative article called “14 Ways to Make More Money at a Yard Sale — and Have Fun Too.”
Are Yard Sales fun? The one sale I held was to raise some funds from my mother’s past shopping sprees. She had gone through a love of all things SWEATER. Was it a success? yeah, we sold some clothes – but although the prices were cheap, many wanted bargain basement sale. I think I sold more to the neighbor and her sisters than anyone driving by. Were we on a busy street? – with items displayed so as to entice the casual passerby? you bet: BUT the busy street also meant people just drove on by.
Would I do it again? probably not. But then my shopping sprees are for books and we all know the one thing that sells worse at a Yard Sale than clothing: BOOKS! (see the 50-cent bargain box in the picture above!)
So it was with great interest that I read through the HOUZZ article. And you must read the comments; they are HALF THE FUN! I found myself agreeing with so many who said, After selling all day, who has energy for a party (see hints #1 & #14).
- Hint #1 — Make it a Party, with Profits: invite the neighbors for a Block Sale.
- Hint #2 — Embellish Your Goods: upgrade furniture with paint, or change out the knobs on Aunt Dolly’s old dresser. (Houzz writer Laura Gaskill admits that this tip may not be for everyone.)
- Hint #3 — Think about creative ways to display your wares-for-sale: give the old cardboard boxes a miss and get folding tables, wicker baskets, or wine crates.
- Hint #4 — Have a Sales Concept: Avid gardener: offer cuttings or plants along with Uncle Steve’s collection of pipes. Or, Maybe the kids would like to sell refreshments.
- Hint #5 — Advertise Your Sale! (BTW, there are free and/or low cost ways to ‘advertise’.)
- Hint #6 — Make your Garage or Lawn Festive for the Sale: Why not dig out that bunting or those lanterns or maybe just some balloons.
- Hint #7 — Make Pricing Simple: My sweaters were all priced the same, no matter summer or winter clothes, used or never worn.
- Hint #8 — Never forget, You will be ASKED for CHANGE and a BAG.
- Hint #9 — Display Clothes well: – tumbled will not help you past the “jumble sale” mentality.
- Hint #10 — Give the SMALL items their due space: Jewelry can get picked-up as well as picked-over, hanging earrings on a board or around a tea cup might keep them in their place.
- Hint #11 — Let There Be Light: are you selling a lamp or electrical appliance; give the buyer the opportunity to try it out for him/herself. An extension cord could prove handy (but be safe: do this yourself).
- Hint #12 — Create Vignettes: Have tableware AND flatware? — display them together — someone might want to keep them together. After all, The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon.
- Hint #13 — End on a High Note: once all the goods and shoppers have vanished: Pick up and go home.
- Hint #14 — Get Help! If not a Block Sale, then get others to pitch in — especially if you’ve items left over and face having to bring in what you’ve brought out.
As mentioned, the comments are useful too. I especially like the one that mentions Carolyne Roehm: she gave profits to Charity. Another comment brought up the website Freecycle.org.
Two-Day Window Decor – Quick Ship!
Posted on: March 15, 2013
Ever Wish you could measure your windows this morning, order your custom-made window shades tonight, and receive an email that your order has shipped two business days later?
Now your wish becomes reality at
Cellular
Window
Shades.com!
Introducing the CWS “QUICK SHIP” program: Our most popular fabrics and colors can be yours with less waiting. We still offer *FREE* UPS Ground shipping to the Continental US – but let us know if faster UPS delivery is desired.
Sally in Idaho orders a Top Down Bottom Up (Duofold) shade in color ALTO (see fabric sample) on Tuesday Night – with our new QUICK SHIP program that shade will be heading out the door in two business days. UPS will be standing at Sally’s door five business days later (unless Sally lives in the tiny area that needs one extra UPS day).
Bob in Buffalo wants a black out blind shading that street lamp in his guest bedroom. Gardenia is his color of choice, and he opts for ComforTrack Plus side tracks and the Smoothy Cord Loop lift option. He orders on Friday and by mid-next-week his order is boxed and ready to ship. Bob lives two business days from the manufacturing facilities of CellularWindowShades.com, located in Williston, Vermont.
Our QUICK SHIP is developed around our *POPULAR* fabrics and colors. What are they? Here’s a list:
LIGHT FILTERING fabrics
- ALTO (#100) – white
- HARP (#101) – cream
- MANUSCRIPT (#106) – off white
- CAMEO (#108) – warm cream
- DANCE (#118) – light taupe
- VIENNA WOOD (#124) – dark taupe
- FLUTE (#131) – dark grey [while supplies last]
- MISTY (#132) – light grey [while supplies last]
- BATON (#180) – sand
BLACK OUT fabrics
-
GARDENIA (#3200)
- MUSLIN (#3202)
- LATTE (#3224)
How to order? Start with your measurements . . . for windows and skylights. Other shades – even arches – available (“standard” production times apply, although rush requests are considered).
2-Day turnaround means:
This Living Room could have
new shades by the weekend!
If it’s COLD enough to keep a snowman comfortable in your home, consider a:
Cellular Window Shade
For your room’s window!
Cellular Window Shades are perfect for retaining your home’s heat: Today I was talking to a man who had just taken delivery of his recent shade order. He was so enthusiastic! And tonight will be the FIRST time a room (kept at 60-degrees this winter) will have SHADES in the windows at all.
“You will find it makes a WORLD of difference,” I told him, “regarding your comfort as well as the energy savings” — and that’s no mere boast. I sit directly below a “leaky” double-paned window. Today, especially, the only thing that kept me warm was the cellular window shade: I didn’t lift it up till 2 pm! (Winter sun = must “bask” in it)
Click on the snowman to visit our website – Introduce yourself, your home, and your family & pets to the same cold-weather protection my guy was so pleased to be experiencing this afternoon. Our shades are Made in America — unlike this Arctic Blast, which dropped down from Canada….
One thing makes people react and think, “I should get some cellular shades” — EXTREME temperature! HOT or COLD.
I have two internet friends – one just moved to England (from frigid Montreal); the other is in Australia. Sitting in Vermont, where the temps today hit 11-degrees Fahrenheit, with a 3 mile per hour wind (brrrr….), it is hair-raising to read about feet of snow in southern England (which rarely sees snow nowadays) and, half a world away, to hear of childhood homes endangered by bushfires and yet another summer of intense heat.
English Delights – a blog about “England, Crafts & Food” – has a number of posts about the record snowfall, including this evocative photo of Big Ben:
At least here, in the “North East”, we’ve snow plows and salt-making equipment galore (our problems come in the spring…). I remember once going to a bookstore in New Hampshire. Gosh! The plows had been hard at it, for a maze comprised of 5-foot walls of solid white snow shuttled my car from town to the bookshop’s door. To this day, I’ve never seen SO MUCH SNOW packed to the sides of the road.
As for poor Australia, I cannot fathom what a bushfire must be like. AsianCorrespondent, on the other hand, has written a piece about the extreme weather conditions.
I can say, however, that my small corner of Vermont once had a catastrophic fire (a furniture factory; a total loss) in the midst of a cold winter’s day & night. The city felt deserted. Traffic was nil.
As the old commercial said, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature” – and fires, floods, or feet of snow can be so crippling. With such devastation, it is heart-rending to read of more shootings, never mind all the continuing unrest in the warring areas of the world.
When will the “madness” end??
- In: books | cellular window shades | Decor | DIY | Green Solutions | health and welfare | How To | Saving Money | Shopping | social media
- 1 Comment
Wouldn’t you like to jazz up your interior decorations with something you already have around the house? Laura Gaskill of HOUZZ has come up with a list of fifteen NO-COST ways to “Invigorate Your Space”. Let’s look at them together.
Laura comments, “Sometimes all it takes is a bit of inspiration to see your space with fresh eyes.”
1. Frame illustrations from a book or magazine. (The “no-cost” assumes you’ve some black frames lying around…, as well as all those glossy magazines.)
I love these simple floral prints. They remind me of Regency-era Artwork, when women drew and painted botanical specimens.
2. Repurpose fabric remnants as art. Similar to #1, use fabric – as a wall hanging, or as a framed print.
As Laura suggests, you can even use an embroidery hoop and display it that way; but why not add some embroidery touches, in that case?
3. Use vases to display jewelry. The accompanying photo shows a necklace looped a couple of times around the neck of a simple ceramic vase. Another, next to it, has a myriad of gold bracelets tossed down its long thin neck.
My passion is pins, more than necklaces (and certainly more than bracelets: hard to type with a clanking bracelet!). I hung a padded board and stick my brooches all over the surface. Makes it easy to choose which to wear, and keeps them in fine condition.
4. Use “throws” in a fresh way. The text talks about those little blankets that sometimes live at the foot of your bed, as well as throw pillows – which they’ve even piled up under a small table.
My suggestion here might seem old-fashioned, but years ago I haunted an antique lace, doily, and tablecloth booth. Beautiful needlework, and they look great over the back of an overstuffed chair.
5. Swap out accent furniture from room to room.
I did this! Had a small painted table in a back room, that made a perfect bedside table; add lamp and a few books … voila!
6. Revamp old jars as fun storage. Q-tips? pencils? Here’s where they go!
They can be Mason jars, squat jars once filled with nuts, cylindrical peanut butter jars. Be creative with the sizes and shapes. HOUZZ’s photo shows hot PINK covers on all the jars, which unifies the collection.
7. Color code your book shelves. The photo of a white room with blue accents features a wall of books – red bindings huddled together in one area; blue bindings in another; yellow bindings elsewhere; and creams are up there too.
As a book collector, I am loath to DO anything to a book that ‘injures’ it; I keep dust jackets on, for instance. Oh! how that would have helped a 1930s volume from being so sun-faded that the fabric hinges cracked. I do like their bonus, however: “It will give you an excuse to peruse all of your favorite old books!”
8. Turn a crate on its side to hold books.
Rustic… Reused… neatly stacked even. Who could argue with this decor suggestion. Add to that: CDs, DVDs – anything that cries out for a little storage spot to call home. Line the box, if you’d like an addition use for those remnants of fabric!
9. Hang artwork on your shelves.
Personally, I’d prefer the artwork within the shelf‘s little cubby, but the photo show a light at the top of the built-in bookcase, and a little framed picture a few shelves down. As they say, “A small painting allows you to still access the books around it.”
10. Style your open shelving. Glass-fronted or even “commando” (no doors) kitchen cabinets? Take the time to organize and style what you must always view
A non-brainer: Hide the clutter!
11. Put the silver on display. Do you have grandma’s “good silverware”? Show it off, especially if it’s never in use.
The HOUZZ photo has a MARVELOUS Dundee Marmalade stoneware jar – or you could use one of those Mason Jars from #6, above.
12. Reuse glass jars for flowers.
I.e., plant some posies around the rooms you frequent most. You’ll welcome the vibrant colors.
13. Paper a wall in old maps.
This one’s so neat, that I just have to include their photo:
Nautical Charts are FABULOUS for a bath, don’t you think? Must confess, I wish it was one giant map, no jogs in the shoreline at all. (Picky, picky…) HOUZZ suggests papering with maps of places you have been – why not toss in a discrete photo too. A nice Top Down Bottom Up cellular window shade – in Vienna Wood (brown=blend in) or Largo (blue=pop!) would complete this picture, giving much needed privacy.
14. Fill an unused frame with fabric-wrapped cork.
This same idea could be fabric on a frame (see my “pin board,” #3 above) or even a foam-core board. Decorate with photos, notes, or maybe postcards from those places that you’ve got maps for!
15. Remove a door and create a hideaway office.
The HOUZZ photo is so cute – a drawn-to-one-side white “linen” curtain, a green-painted wooden (swivel!) office chair, storage bins on a shelf, even three “time zone” clocks. Who can tell me what time it is in LONDON when it’s 11 am in NEW YORK?
Decorating Disasters to Avoid
Posted on: January 10, 2013
Although I typically HATE those websites that make readers click-click-click to go through a series of photographs with a short write-up, I found a number of useful “don’t dos” from Andie Huber’s web article “Never make these home decor mistakes again“.
I invite you to browse the series of photos (“Go Green!”, shown above, is 10th of 11 pictures), but summarize the highlights here:
TEN Common Home Improvement Mistakes to Never Make Again
- Purchase sample-size pots of paint: light varies (day-to-day; room-to-room), so test “swatches” painted on various walls will save you from purchasing GALLONS of paint that you ultimately don’t want to use.
- Carpets, once installed, might look too small (or large!) for the room. Curtains, once hung, seem inches too short: measuring with a retracting metal tape measure will save you from errors, exchanges, or “must live with it” situations.
- Get comfortable with numbers if you’ve a garden or landscaping job in the planning. Their example: a garden path, 5-feet wide by 60-feet long (assuming a depth of two-inches), if packaged as .5 cubic feet per bag, would require 100 bags of (1 or 2-inch) rocks. Yow!
- Double check with the company whether something that turns out to have been ordered in an incorrect size, unloved color, or “It just doesn’t work for me,” is in fact returnable before you even make the purchase. Read the Policies when ordering online. CellularWindowShades, for instance, spells out everything you need to know about your custom-made-product‘s purchase. Don’t just click on the accept terms without reading the terms… Saves everyone a lot of grief.
- This one rather relates to No. 2 (measuring) and also No. 3 (doing the math): Take note of “quirky corners”, narrow passages, and especially the width of door openings. Don’t order a couch or fridge that can’t fit through the front door!
- Love throw pillows – but maybe don’t really need another one: Swear this purchase will be your last!
- Let your home’s decor speak about YOUR personality, rather than presenting it as straight out of the latest Ikea catalogue. Allow your “dream home” to represent your own vision.
- Cut the Clutter: Get rid of what is no longer used — whether clothes, toys, magazines. Think about donating what is still “good” — shelters, senior housing complexes, schools, library book sales, men & women in the armed services (be creative, depending on your item and its condition) might be greatful to accept items your household no longer can use. Look forward to point No. 9: Your first thought should not always be the trash can!
- Go Green! Recycle bottles (Vermont has had a bottle-ban for decades!), cans, paper, plastics. Don’t have curb-side pick-up?? — Bring recyclable materials to the dump. There’s only ONE environment, and we all share it.
- Recognize when a project is beyond your skill-level: Call the Pros, when you need to do so. For your own safety, as well as wallet.
A metal tape measure could be your BEST friend
==> see Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5.
CellularWindowShades.com provides a free and easy guide for measuring – don’t be sitting on a shade you can’t use!
Who knew that “The Right Stuff” could be boiled down to this one basic: The Right LIGHT. Sure, we all acknowledge the importance of the proper amount of light for reading, and the importance of keeping glare off TVs and Computer screens.
Here I am, sitting, facing a window with the sun smack in my face. It’s a November day and the five minutes the sun actually shines feels terrific; yet, I can’t sit with the light in my eyes. Despite the lovely warmth, I pull down the shade – which is, of course, a CellularWindowShades.com shade made by our Williston, Vermont Company.
Summer nights, with my windows open, light from a neighbor’s front lawn “lamp” beams right into my bedroom window. I have already experienced, firsthand, what “lighting” reports target as concerns worth investigating. The excellent houzz article “Get Your Light Right for a Healthy House” makes the following points:
The Benefits of Darkness
-
From The American Medical Association: “excessive light … at night can disrupt sleep or exacerbate sleep disorders, especially in children or adolescents.”
-
The Ohio State University Medical Center “found that sleeping in a dimly lit room can lead to depression and weight gain.”
-
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has data that “night-lights in children’s rooms could predispose them to myopia” (nearsightedness).
Author Mike Elgan‘s thoughts on this: “Almost everybody is doing it wrong. TV, video games and eBook reading [sources of “blue light”] just before sleep are bad. Light coming in from outside at night is bad. Gadget lights on everything you own are bad. Night-lights are bad.”
What to do??
The first suggestion was right up our alley:
-
“Block outside light with GOOD SHADES.”
Other suggestions include,
-
Don’t watch TV just before going to bed.
-
Use an eBook that requires an external light source.
-
If you can’t unplug electronic products, then cover status lights with electrical tape.
-
With night-lights, try those that “fade to black” after a while.
Let the Sun Shine In
-
Australian National University Researches find a correlation between myopia and the lack of spending time in natural light. Scientists believe that “developing eyes in young children need the body to produce dopamine, which is triggered by direct sunlight going into the eyes.”
-
Lack of sunlight also can lead to Vitamin D deficiency — which, in turn, has been linked to an “increased risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s and other diseases.”
So what does this mean for your home design?
Houzz touts a new-fangled, GPS-driven skylight; I will suggest a Light Filtering Cellular Shade: comes in a variety of colors, your choice of Lift Options – and, to quote houzz user Cordelia2003: “love the cellular honeycomb shades we have now for the amount of light we get during the day“. In response to Cordelia’s concern for privacy, Lizziegardens recommended the use of the Top Down Bottom Up cellular shade (also known as a Duofold, see the photo below): “This gives you complete privacy with a view and light out of the top of the window.”
The Inside Scoop at CellularWindowShades.com 
Recent Comments