In Appreciation

In Appreciation of all the men and women
who have and who now
Serve Our Country
and to their families. Thank You for Your
Dedication and Sacrifice.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.

A New Outlook

I was blessed to spend this past weekend in
Washington DC
watching these because my daughter and son-in-law both graduated.Hooray for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course we did our fair share of sight seeing.But I also took some time to
notice all of the little things
that are often over looked.
Beauty
can always be found
in the details
,
even within our own homes.

MMMMMonogram

My daughter asked if I would make a monogram gift for a friend of hers. My life is crazy busy right now, so even though she requested that I make one made from burlap, I chose to do something a little less time consuming.I purchased a large wooden letter from the craft store and sprayed it black. Once dry I traced around it onto scrapbook paper. This letter is so large that it took two pieces so I matched up the two in the middle. I used spray adhesive to adhere the paper. Then I roughed up the edges and a few spots here and there with sandpaper. I rubbed the edges and sanded spots with a coordinating oil pastel, and then painted and quickly wiped off diluted brown craft paint around the edges to give it the charm of age. I sealed it with Mod Podge and then finished it off by gluing on some scrapbook brad heads where the two papers meet. I hope that both my daughter and her friend like it.

Focus points of HGTV Dream House

Focus points of HGTV dream house

Because HGTV dream houses become the trend setter of that year, you must understand that some of the focus points of HGTV dream house are:

Hgtv Dream House: Kitchen for You

Natural materials like palm tree clippings, palm fronds, cacti and pinecones can be used in the indoor decorations.

• As far as the kitchen is concerned, art can be brought to it by adding color, focal point and texture.

Hgtv Dream House: Paint your Room

• While painting a room, the ceiling should be painted with the same color which represents continuity of colors.

• The photos should be framed with planning which means that a frame finish should be chosen wisely and grouped in the room accordingly. All gold, silver, wood or black can be used for the frames and there should be separate spaces for black and white photos and colored ones.

Hgtv Dream House: Furniture

• Instead of using white walls,HGTV dream houses use bold colors like olive, pumpkin, mustard yellow and sky blue.

• If you want some free space inside, more living space can be moved outdoors by way of a porch, outdoor shower or loggia. These ideas can be conveniently used for furniture, furnishings and outdoor space.

• By using movable tables and chairs, the HGTV dream house tries to convert a movie room into a party room or a game room.

Hgtv Dream House: Flowers on the Dining Table

HGTV Dream House uses interesting objects such as pictures, containers, flowers and art objects as focal points on the entire dining table.

• It can be very expensive to bring in natural materials in the house but you can use replicas or resin models of coral, rocks, tree branches and shells that look exactly natural and come at much affordable price.

While HGTV dream houses are constructed with these tips in mind, you can also use them while designing your own dream home.

10 Things You Must Have in The House

We love lists, don't you? We love reading other's people list too, mainly because we're lazy and sometimes it's nice to have other people to do the work so we don't have to think so hard.

We recently saw a list of 100 things you should do in LA before you die by Caroline on Crack and we thought it was great. For those who live in LA, it's a really fun blog to read. For those who live outside LA, it's a great resource to find things to do in LA if you visit.

So we thought we come up with our own list. Since this blog is about the home, we'll focus on that theme. And since 100 is way too many for our brains, here is a list of 10 things you should have in the house:

1) A fantastic bed. This is where you spend of your time and this is where you should splurge and buy the best possible mattress you can find. Hotel mattress are the best! We like the ones from Westin. They even teach you how to make up the bed at home.

2) Fantastic bed sheets. They don't have to be expensive. We find amazing ones at Nordstrom Racks that have very high thread count and get softer after each wash.

3) Fresh scented candles, and please, none of that Glade cheap stuff. Scented candles are like perfume, the cheap ones just give you a headache. We love Votivo and Dyptique.

4) Amazing wine. Even if you don't drink wine, have some anyway. Your guests would appreciate it.

5) A great sofa. This is another thing you should splurge on. Buy the best one that you can afford. You can always reupholster it later. We like ones from Moroni and Burton James.

6) Great books. Even if you don't have time to read, when you see books that you like buy them anyway; then stock them on the bookshelves to read later. Books give soul to the house, and they make you look smart, even if you are not (well, that kinda depends on what kind of books you buy...)

7) Great music. CDs are gone to the way side, and good things too, because they are messy and unattractive. Invest in an IPOD and a good sound system. If you have great wireless Internet, Pandora is amazing for free music.

8) Gorgeous home accessories. By home accessories we means things that add character and style to your house, like rugs, artwork, flowers, decorative pillows and such. Of course we will plug our own site, InsideAvenue.com, but we like ZGallerie too... Again, our mantra is less is more, and quality is better than quantify.

9) Fantastic cookware. Cooking is amazing relaxing and creative. Having great cookware inspire you. We love Sur La Table for high-end cookware. Williams Sonoma is a great store too.

10)A dog. Yes, a dog. A cat if you are not a dog lover. We're plugging dogs because they are so sweet, so loving, so adorable. There's nothing more comforting that coming home to a dog who is so happy to see you, all the time!

What about you, do you have a list of must-haves? Email us your list and we'll publish it.

Irrational Exuberance to Irrational Desperation in 60 Seconds

We don't know about you, but we have had enough with whole frugality thing that our whole country is in. Oh my god, can we do without one more article about how to make one chicken into three meals, how we can have all kind of fun doing free things like taking a walk in the park ? How many walks in the park can one possibly take anyway?

Now, we have nothing against taking a walk in the park, or cutting back for that matter. The economy still sucks, people are losing jobs--that much is clear. But all this cut back is DEPRESSING! Not to mention, if everyone stops spending, we'll have a serious stagflation problem. Look at what happened to the Japanese--their economy has stood still since the 80s.

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stagflation–noun

an inflationary period accompanied by rising unemployment and lack of growth in consumer demand and business activity.

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While we don't encourage living beyond our means, we think everyone should spend a little, if they still can. No, we don't advocate spending your rent check on a pair of Pierre Hardy shoes, but if you can still afford it, and if you really, really want it--why not?

Buy less, but buy quality. Eat out less, but eat well. Spend less, but spend wisely.

And yes, do take that walk in the park, but in some cute shoes... You'll feel much better.

Hgtv Dream House Rooms

Beauty of HGTV dream home rooms

The rooms of HGTV dream home are as beautiful and appealing as never before. All the rooms including living room, dining room and study room are extremely elegant and stylish. The living room of this dream home includes formal and stylish interior design. This is basically an eye catching space decorated in blue color palette.

Hgtv Dream House: Great Room

The furnishings of the living room are also appealing and pleasing. The living room of the HGTV dream home looks exceptionally attractive by the inclusions such as artwork shine and fanciful accessories. The dining room of this dream home also includes a royal decoration that can make the guests feel like having a royal treat.

Hgtv Dream House: Potting Room

The dining room includes formal decoration and includes bold wall colors that make the dining room appealing and attractive like never before. One of the most alluring facets of the dining room of this dream home is that it’s interior is the perfect blend of the European style and traditional style decoration.

Hgtv Dream House: Living Room

The native as well as western touch in the interiors makes this space gracious and of high quality. The best facets of the dining room of this home are that it is stylishly decorated with abstract art and rustic accessories.

Hgtv Dream House: Sitting Room

The family room of this dream home is also equally stylish. The family room is the space meant for get together of the families. The family room of this dream home space is decorated with modern art pieces and includes gas fireplace that can add warmth as well as cozy feel in the entire room.

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

You know how much I delight
in finding old books
and anything French.
So you can imagine how
my heart skipped a beat

when I found this at the thrift store.
That evening I showed my hubby
my exciting find of the day.
He chuckled, flipped open the book
and asked if I knew what was tucked inside.
Then he showed me this
beautiful old lithograph postcard!
Thrifting really doesn't get
much better than this!