2010-03-04

Witch Hazel - The Perfect Winter Addition To Your Garden

Most people have heard of witch hazel. The first thing they think of when the name is mentioned is the ointment that is such a boon when it comes to bruises of all kinds. Many people can remember being treated with this delight when they were children.

Have you ever seen witch hazel growing in the garden?

You may have done at some point, but the chances are you won't have been familiar with its appearance. For most people the familiarity ends with the name. As you will see winter is the best time of year to go out and discover what witch hazel has to offer.

Witch hazel is more properly known as Hamamelis. As with many plants there are many different types of the Hamamelis variety. Look out for Barmstedt Gold for example, with its beautiful yellow flowers. Rubin and Diane are two other varieties of witch hazel that will provide a good splash of rich red in your garden at the right time of year.

Winter is a month that often sees us staying indoors out of the cold weather. The garden can look somewhat lost and lonely at this time of year, mainly because many plants are waiting until at least the spring to unfurl their delights for us to see.

Witch hazel is different. This is an early bloomer and as such it makes a good solid addition to any garden. If you have been caught out by a late burst of winter after planting out some new additions to your garden in the past, you won't have to worry so much about witch hazel. This is a very hardy plant and it can withstand some tough conditions.

The flowers of the witch hazel look almost like streamers as they unfurl and come out to greet you. They can often be among the first flowers you will see in your garden at this time of year, and as such they can look stunning. An acidic soil will be best loved by the witch hazel plant, whichever variety you decide to go for.

The good news is that you can enjoy your witch hazel blooms well into the summer months as well. If you have decided to go out and buy your very first witch hazel plant to add to your garden, be sure you don't have a strict budget in place. Deciduous shrubs like this one tend to be quite expensive, although the cost is well worth the reward you get in return.

Opting for cheaper plants usually does not pay off, since the quality will be less. But provided you bear this in mind and choose your varieties of Hamamelis carefully, you should be rewarded with a wonderful display in your garden.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com

About The Author:

Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

2010-02-22

Why Choose Bamboo Shades for Your Home Decorating Ideas

When you are planning on decorating your home with the use of bamboo shades, you are actually doing yourself a big favor. There are so many ways you can decorate your home with the use of these window shades and all you have to do is use your imagination when doing so. These shades are not only used for covering up your windows with when you want to get some shade from the sun or when you want to cover your windows up from the world outside. You can use these shades as decorative pieces and here are a few ways you can do that. If you know how to paint and you want to personalize your bamboo shades to look more like something that belongs with your present color scheme, here is something you can do. If your living space has the sunset or autumn color palette and you want your window shades to go with your present color scheme, you can easily paint your window shades to fit this palette. You can do this by buying paints in the same color as you living area, in this case oranges, beiges and browns. You will then need to paint over the whole shade with one of these colors or spray it. If you want a more dramatic look for your shades, you can try and paint a few colors on it in an abstract design with a lighter base or darker base and the other colors splashed on or painted on in different free flowing shapes or splashes, depending upon how you feel like painting it. If painting is not your thing, you can actually just leave your bamboo shades as is and make them fit your current color palette by adding accents to these window shades with the use of valances and other window treatments. You can always try to use the same kind of cloth that you use on your throw pillows or sofa cushions for the valances and window treatments that you use with these shades. One of the things you can do when you are thinking of using window treatments on your window shades is to get a long bolt of cloth that is similar to the fabric that you use on your living area throw pillows or cushions. Cut two equal lengths of these in the same height as your shades to hang from both ends of it. Have these two long cloth pieces hemmed on all four sides and have a dowel attached to the bottom of each to weigh them down when they hang from your window. Attach these two to the two ends of your shades as an attractive tie-in to your living-area's color palette. You can also use one long piece of cloth that is also edged or hemmed and simply hang this onto each end of the bamboo shades, as you would a shawl on your shoulder, and have the middle part droop a little to give it a more decorative and somewhat artistic appeal. You can pin the cloth to the two ends of the window shades to have it stay put and you can also add dowels to each end of the cloth to help weigh it down as well. Jennie Keithson is a decorative type, a designer who loves to write and is a educated home and office planner, who discusses bamboo shades, with all of her window shades buyers. Check out her store for more info.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author:When you are planning on decorating your home with the use of bamboo shades, you are actually doing yourself a big favor. There are so many ways you can decorate your home with the use of these window shades and all you have to do is use your imagination when doing so. These shades are not only used for covering up your windows with when you want to keep the sun out or when you want to cover your windows up from the world outside. You can use these shades as decorative pieces and here are a few ways you can do that

How to Decorate Your Home With Furnishing

Buying home is not a challenge, but how you decorate your home is very challengeable nowadays. Home furnishing is mainly essential thing when we are planning to furnish the house. Nowadays, home furnishing is very popular. For home furnishing, we don't require to use our lifetime saved money. Besides, Home furnishing has turned out as easier with cheap furniture.

Keep the natural environment of your home in mind while decorating it. You can start with the architectural approach. However, remember to opt for décor that gels well with the surroundings. For example, a casual country decoration that uses checks, floral, cotton, linen, and other cheerful colors, is apt for cottages. Victorian homes on the other hand need to have a more formal décor with pastel colors, lots of antiques, ferns, lace and flowered wallpaper. Nautical themes go well with Cape Cod.

The reason why you should finish decorating first before you buy abstract canvas art is because your art pieces should serve as finishing touches to the room. You would need to know what the room would look like beforehand so you would be able to get the appropriate art pieces.

A living room set consisting of a sofa, loveseat and chair will look beautiful with a couple of console tables in front or to the side of the furniture. Do not clutter them with lots of junk, however. A simple decoration, candle, magazine or statue will look great and accent the table. Many people will use console tables against the wall as a place to display their family portraits.

Decorating a bedroom is altogether different from that of a living room. In a bedroom a proper care needs to be taken while choosing the mattresses, pillows and pillow covers; bed sheets and bed covers; the size, shape and color of the bed; the paintings to be hung on walls. Furniture is an important accessory of home as its utilitarian value is great. It may be of different variety of wood. The wood that lasts long is used widely for making furniture.

If choosing wallpaper, look for floral scrolled patterns or even paper that looks like a trellis has been covered with flowers in the room.

If you really want to make a statement, consider a William Morris wall tapestry to add a rich and lush accent to the room that brings that time period to life.

When doing interior decorating with a theme, you are only limited by your imagination. A child's room could be decorated as a castle and make the child a perfect fantasy environment that will make bedtime fun. A young sports fan can have a theme room decorated around their favorite sport. There's just no end to what can be included in a theme décor.

Lastly some art to hang on the walls. Choose wall hangings in colors which coordinate with those in the rug, and colors which provide accent. Accent colors can also be picked up in accessories, for example picture frames, pillows and candles. To make the place feel like home you should add some photos of family and friends, too. Soft textures should be added too, in the form of plush area rugs, snug blankets and window furnishings.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author:Read about furniture stores chicago and discount furniture stores in chicagoand living room furniture stores in chicago

2010-02-21

Home Theater Chairs- 3 Important Things

When you finally have the superior quality of 5.1 channel surround-sound home theater, you need to get the righthome theater chairs to complete your home theater.

Furniture specially manufactured for home theaters has developed over the time and now the comfort level found in theater chairs is at its highest. If you just window shop, you will see that modern theater seating has cup holders, footrests, portable trays and in-built bass shakers.

When you have so many products to choose from, you need to ask yourself few things before you buy home theater chairs:

You should know or at least have an idea of the average number of people who will watch with you. If you expect just you and your family members then you can easily have the enough chairs but if you may invite a few more then you need to revise your counting. Providentially, furniture specially designed for home theaters is uniquely designed to provide row seating with back support and risers to make sure everyone can see the screen.

The size of your room is equally important. If you don't have enough space in your home theater room then take a look at moving things in another room. You might also see if you can build an addition to your home for a home theater.

Comfort is something that we all look for. When purchasing home theater chairs take care of this first. Make sure there is enough padding to sit comfortably for more than two hours. Parts like armrests and footrests can help with this.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author: try to write it in the most simplest manner so it becomes easy for the readers to understand it.

Tile Cleaning: What You Need To Look Out For When Cleaning Tiles

Your floors might be the pride and joy of your home, and keeping them pristine might be of top priority for you. However, considering the myriad of options out there to clean your floors, it might get confusing to choose a method that can help you get them looking good and clean in a short amount of time. This is a conundrum for most new home owners that have no experience in this field and have generally relied on services to get the job done. Here are some things that can help you out, if you too are stuck in a similar situation.

Material of the tiles

When it comes to tile cleaning, the first thing that you might want to be careful about is the material that is used in the tiles. You wouldn't want to use something that is not meant for your tiles. This is one of the common reasons for tiles to get damaged and lose their luster in a short period of time. Hence, refer to the person who might be knowledgeable about these tiles to help you out and identify the right cleaning supplies to help brighten up your floors.

Frequency of cleaning

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to tile cleaning is the frequency of cleaning. You wouldn't want to clean too often, as this can be a problem and you might end up damaging the tiles in an attempt to keep it clean and scot-free. Clean it as often as recommended, and also factor in the foot traffic before you do any cleaning. Unnecessary cleaning can also cause problems and make it very tough to retain the original look of your tiles without resorting to some other alternate way of doing things. Remember that the aim of cleaning your tiles is to not incorporate it into your daily regimen, but on the contrary, keeping your floor as clean as possible.

Getting help

Of course, when things go out of hand, it is best to call in the professionals. This also applies if you are unsure about what you are doing and need someone to help you out. In many of the cases, the professionals can help instantly restore the shine of your floors and help it look as good as new. This is something that you might want to look into if you are out of options and don't have much else to try out. But, don't wait until then, as you might end up running a really big bill for s simple tile cleaning request.

There are many professionals out there who can have your tiles cleaned in a jiffy. Many of these are even very good at their job and can help you get what you need without any kind of problem. In many of the cases, the tile cleaning might not even take as long and you can expect tiles that look really good and out of this world, which is what you are ultimately worried about at the end of the day.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author:To learn more about tile cleaning and rug cleaning, go to steamys.com.au/tile-cleaning.html and this should give you a good idea about what this service offers and how it can be of help for you.

Decorating Ideas For Living Room

An effective decoration of a room largely depends on its size and shape and mainly the purpose for which it is going to be used. Living room decoration can be either a simple task or a complicated one depending on the people that are going to use it. Simple if it is going to be empty for most of the time except when the family is at home; complicated if a lot of entertainment is going to take place.

Where is the best place to hang out? After deciding on which place to make as the hang out spot, start stuffing it with eyecandy upholstery. Club chairs or large sofas can do the work of making that area really conducive to lounging. Ottomans or customized sectionals are great, too, just as long as you have the budget, of course. Place an armoire, too, for a more accented look for that lounging area.

Lighting is often overlooked as a decorating tool, because it is also functional. Items that have a function and can enhance a room's decor are the most valuable decorations, since they serve a dual purpose. The lights set a room's ambiance, so a living room should be relaxing and not too bright. If the room is large, don't shy away from large lamps to make a bold style statement. On the other hand, don't use something too big in a small living room.

Then picture, sconces or mirror can be added on the wall of your living room. You can add the nice picture or painting behind your sofa if your sofas are in the opposite of door. Putting picture on the wall will make your home more interesting, because it act as a focal point of the room.

Create a must have list, and start at the top when putting an affordable living room decorating plan in action. There should be one or two pieces that are the focal points of your affordable living room decorating effort, and thus try to obtain those first, and build around them. By considering this in your affordable living room decorating plan, you will be automatically thinking about an actual design, what most people forget to do when they shop for affordable furniture.

A new painting and some candles will make a world of difference to a bland and boring room. There are many stores that offer affordable decorating goodies. If you can't afford all the décor you want, buy it in small batches, and get your absolute must-have item first.

On thing not to neglect is putting art on your walls. This helps to bring the room together and adds a personal touch. You can choose painted canvases that can look great all on their own, or a framed print in shades that compliment your color scheme. Another great wall art idea is photographs. These can be family pictures or perhaps a black and white landscape or city sky line. The key here is not to overdo it.

Whatever living room design idea you have in mind, make sure that it will fit your needs and lifestyle. Make sure to consult from a designer who knows how to handle a tight budget and complies with what you want. And always remember to choose the design that you will enjoy for a long time.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author:Read about furniture stores chicago and discount furniture stores in chicagoand living room furniture stores in chicago

Ideas For Decorating Apartments

Limited space is clearly one of the major concerns when it comes to decorating an apartment. Ideally, when it comes to decorating, maximizing the amount of space available would need to be one of the first priorities, with adequate storage solutions running a close second. Apartment decorating ideas which are able to incorporate both space saving and storage solutions would clearly be worth their weight in gold.

If you live in a place that doesn't feel right to you, we encourage you to look around, reflect on your space, and try to identify what's really bothering you about it. Is it the neighborhood, building, or apartment complex that troubles you? Is it the apartment itself, the floor plan, the colors of the walls, or the size of the rooms? There are many reasons why an apartment might fall short of your ideal, and some of them can't be changed. But some of them can.

What about those walls? Save some money and add flair by putting up some of your own or a friend's artwork. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece -- even color on a canvas can help bring a room to life. Also, be sure to keep your eyes open at flea markets and garage sales for interesting items with character. If you keep the color, texture, and feel consistent in the items you buy, they're sure to look great in a room together.

This doesn't mean you have to hide everything out of sight, though. There are plenty of attractive smaller storage options that allow you to put your items in place and on display at the same time, including over-the-door racks and suction-cup-mounted trays.

Although you may not be able to tear out the carpet or repaint the walls in your apartment, you can still make some changes to the way these parts of your apartment look. For example, you can attach flat sheets to your wall with Velcro or you can even make wall forms that fit snuggly against your walls. For your floors, area rugs can make a big difference or you can simply make your own rug with carpet samples in order to create a new look.

Bare walls can be a bore, so be sure and accent them with some color. One easy way to do this is to take some cheap frames and frame colorful wrapping paper or art. Then hang a series of these on the walls. You might also look into peel-and-stick wall decals to place throughout your apartment. They are a cheap, easy way to get accessorize those walls. You can even use them on furniture, cabinets, and other flat surfaces that need a little dressing up.

Lamps can add a touch of color to the room. Most of the time apartments do not have the lighting that you would like and a lamp can correct this while adding beauty. They will be easy to put on end tables and the nightstand by your bed for some additional lighting.

Room dividers can add color. You don't actually have to divide the room with them, you can put them against a flat wall which adds interest to the room. You can also use them to make a division of sorts between the living space and dining area if you would like.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com About The Author: Read about furniture stores chicago and discount furniture stores in chicagoand living room furniture stores in chicago