2009 Summer Color Trend: Brown and Green

With decorating trends steering toward the green movement, it comes as no surprise that the color green is making a big impact again, especially when it is paired with brown.  Brown has become the popular neutral of the last few years, looking fresh with nearly any color it is paired with.  As the trendy blue and brown trend starts to tire, the brightness of green has taken its place.

For those with a cutting edge color sense,  combining an acid green and chocolate brown is a great look.  The darkness of the brown juxtaposed with the bright color makes it literally jump and shake.  Throw in a little white, and the combination is thrilling and of the moment.  Large scale patterned wallpapers with solid, textured seating emphasize this color combination in modern interiors.  Furnishings are more minimal, allowing the color to saturate the room.  For a bigger punch, throw in a touch of orange or bright yellow.  Romo’s fabric collections are perfect for this look.

The opposite effect is using an earthy green with a softer, mellow toned brown.  The result is a more calming and sophisticated look.  Soft textural fabrics in soft shades of green, along with touches of brown and even a little metallic give an elegant, but current look to interiors.  The key is combining patterns with elements of embroidery, geometrics, and touchable textures for an inviting décor.  One of the most beautiful collections to feature this combination comes from Highland Court’s Phillip Gorvan.

The combination of brown and green can have a long lasting life when used in a way that is not too modern, not too traditional.  Use a medium toned green that can be combined with golds or reds for a timeless feel.  Softer apple greens work well with nearly any color, and are not as harsh.

Double Duty Rooms: Creating a Home Office

With the recession in full swing, more women are looking for ways to earn extra income, particularly from home.  Depending on the type of work, a home office may be needed.  But what if the home has no more room to spare to create an office?
A home office doesn’t have to have a specific room designated for it, especially if space is maxed out already.  Think outside the box and decide which room provides an area conducive to multi-tasking.  Often the home office combines the functions of home, school, and work all in one space.
A home office does have a few requirements:  good lighting, storage, access to technology, and comfortable ergonomic seating.  There may be two or three good areas to utilize as the office – consider the living room, dining room, or even a wide closet.  The key is to create a work space that doesn’t add extra mess and additional work.
With the living room, a console table or small desk can be placed behind a sofa or against a wall.  The desk chair can easily be pulled in as additional seating if there are extra guests.  Utilizing a secretary or drop-down desk works well as they are easily closed up.  File cabinets can be slip-covered to double as pedestals.  A table with an attractive shirred skirt velcroed to it can hide cords or file boxes underneath.  Bookcases are perfect in nearly any room, and can showcase items as well as provide hidden storage.

A dining room comes with a desk in it already.  The key is being able to pick up the area quickly and store it efficiently, so that the shuffling of documents doesn’t end up with lost items.  This room can end up cluttered easily, so using a credenza with pull out drawers or doors that not only stores plates, but accommodates important files works well.  Look for a piece that allows things to be put away without having to create messy piles each time they get picked up.  Storage such as lidded file cabinets tuck into shelves nicely.
If there is a wide closet to spare, then look no further for a compact office.  Two file cabinets with a narrow top can be set inside to create a desk.  The back wall can have cork tiles applied for an instant bulletin board.  Once you are done working, simply close up the door.
Look around your home for other areas that seem conducive to working in.  You may be surprised by the options, and be able to keep the utilitarian aspect under control.

Solution for disappearing socks

Solution for disappearing socks!!!

I’ve been doing my own informal survey and have found that most women struggle with mismatched and lost socks.  Yeah!  It’s not just me.  I have found that people put them in drawers, plastic containers, bags, etc. to match up later.  I do the same.

The simplest and cheapest solution I know of is this.  Buy a couple packs of safety pins.  Have each person pin their socks together BEFORE they throw them in the dirty clothes basket.  They will go through the washer and dryer like this and come out as a pair. You can even put them away pinned together if you want. My husband and I did this until our first child could crawl.  We didn’t want safety pins around that he could swallow.

I knew someone had to have a more sophisticated solution to this problem so here it is…Sockpro Sock Holders.  They keep socks together in the washer and dryer.

Organizing Your Life In a 10 Step Process

Moving is painful, exhilarating, exhausting and eye-openng. If you move as much as we do chances are you stll have stuff in boxes that you haven’t looked at since your last move. I have no excuses now not to get organized. I’m not planning to move any time soon and I have the space I need. So where do I start? I always love a plan to follow. But why reinvent the wheel. People have been organizing forever. So when I came across this book at my Mother-in- law’s house, Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life, I said A-HA – my plan. So here we go. Here are the 10 steps that I will be tackling room by room in my house. First, the laundry room/mud room. It is the first room I see most days upon entering my house!

1. Dedicate time. You have to schedule it into your calendar or you won’t find the time.
2. Gather supplies. No shopping yet! You should have these: a) Trash can  -  b )Boxes- c) Pen to label boxes- d) Pen to write with – e) Sticky notes and paper – f) Tape
3. Establish a Staging area. Make sure you have plenty of room to sort things whether it be a large table or the hallway floor.
4. Sort – make a decision with every item you touch to Keep–Donate-Sell-Throw Away
5. Purge
6. Group like items together.  Put them in categories.
7. Examine your space.
8. Shop!  Create a list of the group’s of items( #6 )that you want to organize.  Take measurements and take them with you.  Take photos of your space and your items with your phone camera and you’ll be able to show them to the salesclerk.
9. Install products
10. Maintain.  This is a daily routine.  Put things where they belong.

My advice to anyone who enters a drab room on their way into their house.  Organize it and decorate.  It will brighten your outlook more than you can imagine…coming and going!

Learning About Cash Back Credit Cards: Good or Bad Idea?

Getting a credit card that offers cash back always sounds like a good idea.  What could be better than getting cash back on all the purchases that you make with your credit card?  It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

Well, there are cards that give you free cash, but it is usually only around 1% cash back.  However, free money is free money, right?  Well, sometimes.

If you like to buy a lot of things in one month, this kind of credit card probably sounds great to you.  However, you need to keep in mind that they are not going to give you cash back on every purchase that you make.  Even if they claim to give you cash back on every purchase, they will only give you up to a certain amount per transaction.  The company also has a strict limit on the amount that they will give back to their customers.  If you read the little, bitty print on the form that you signed, you will see a paragraph with their limits in the terms and agreements.

Research different credit card companies to see what they are offering.  You may be surprised to find a cash back credit card that offers you just what you need and want with a high cash back percentage, few limits on the amount they will give you back, and instant cash deposits when you make each purchase with their card.

What should your decision be?  If you have a good credit rating, then this card is a great option for you.  Research different card companies – there are cards out there that offer you up to 3% cash back and impose very few limits.  If, however, you have a bad credit rating, you may want to find a credit card that will help you rebuild your credit.