Decorating Advice and Paint Colors

I’ve probably moved 10 times in the last 5 years. I haven’t added up all the moves because I think it would just depress me. So as an expert mover, I can tell you from a lot of experience that it is very stressful. First, you have to find a new place to live, then you have to pack up all of your worldly possessions & find a way to transport them. The list just goes on & on. Oh, one thing you shouldn’t forget, remember your old house? You need to sell it. This can be the most stressful part of all. There are so many options out there, it’s hard to know what is right for you & your situation.

You have to decide if you want a real estate agent, or if you want to list your house for sale by owner. Both have pros & cons. It’s always nice to have someone on your side, but it’s a service that you pay for. You need to decide whether it is worth the extra time & stress, which will be different in every situation. Now there is a cool site called Obares.com that can help you with whatever you decide. You can even list your house “for sale by owner” absolutely free, yes I said free. They can also hook you up with a real estate agent, & even a mortgage, everything you need to find your dream house. You can even check out your new city, what the libraries, schools & churches are like. I think this is a much needed service. It’s always such a hassle to coordinate everyone’s schedules so you can look at houses. Now you can look from the comfort of your own home, & rule out anything that you don’t like. It’s now a lot easier to find your dream home, & get moved into it!
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This was originally going to be a recap of last night’s Top Design.  However, I watched it late last night, & I don’t remember too much. All of the challenges are pretty much running together for me. All of the designers seem very similar. Some person went home who couldn’t design & didn’t have enough sense to realize that if you want to stay on the show you have to fight with everyone else.  I did however find this cool contest on the Top Design website.  Every week they have a challenge for the viewers at home.  This week the challenge is to take a blank plate & decorate it.  The winner will get a pair of Todd Oldham end tables.  I don’t know if I will be doing this challenge because I don’t have a blank plate.  I would like to do at least one challenge though. However, if you do this challenge, please leave a comment & I’ll give you link..

I think that when the 90′s style get’s recycled, & it all gets recycled sometime, there will be a lot of our favorites coming back.  I think sky murals, & slate floors will be the first to return.  Mold sponge painting & forest green are hopefully gone, never to be heard from again.

I just had some final thoughts on this style. There are a lot of tailored slipcovers out to cover up that green plaid sofa. We had slipcovers in the 90′s, with matching linen tab curtains with brown buttons.  These slipcovers were too loose & made the furniture look fat & ghostly.  I prefer a slipcover with separate seat cushions so it looks more like a couch.  I have tabbed curtains in several rooms.  If the curtains are looking plain or tired, maybe cut off the bottom & sew a contrasting fabric to the hem.  I’ve also just cut the tabs off the curtains & either sewn or clipped rings on because they open so much easier. The 90′s were a very matchy matchy time in decorating, & I think the next time around it will be warmer & more eclectic.

I don’t know how many times I have seen a perfectly good kitchen torn out, just because there are one or two accent tiles that well, aren’t so pretty.  That’s why I was so excited to see a new product on HGTV. There are these cool tile stickers that are quite affordable.  You can get small accents, or even a larger mural, & you can install them yourself.  When you get tired of them, you can remove them. I especially love the tiles that look like mosaic. These are great to use if you have an all white kitchen & want a splash of color. I think this is a great way for renter’s to personalize their space, or for anyone to update those 1 or 2 tiles they don’t love.