Category: Home Interior

There have been a few challenges that have accompanied moving into our new home.  Many of them involve trying to fit old familiar things into new places.  This doesn’t cause too much stress for me because I’m secretly excited about the organizing opportunities ahead.
Hmmm, that might have something to do with my burning passion to reunite with my label maker; it’s been packed in a box for the last 6 months.  Is it possible to go through label maker withdrawal? 🙂

In our last home, we had a convenient corner hutch that perfectly fit and stored all of our games and puzzles. Sadly, that hutch is no longer with us *sniff, sniff*.  So, I was forced to find our collection a new spot, which turned out to be the coat closet.  It just needed a little customization but it was a logical choice for two reasons.

First, the side of the closet was deep enough for storage, yet shallow enough to easily pull out what we need.  And second, it was underutilized because we only wear cold weather coats about 3 months out of the year.

PLUS, I knew I could manage some way to store our overgrown mess of games and puzzles ORDERLY.  Yep, organization ended up being the solution that allowed both our pile of family fun and our infrequently used outerwear to share a small space.  Dual efficiency, my dream come true.  🙂

One more consideration was our pre-school aged daughter. I’m trying to guide her independence in some areas.  I want her to be able to access the games she is able (and allowed) to play.  On the other hand, I do NOT want her getting into some games I consider too old for her or have too many pieces to lose/break.

I find training independence runs a fine line between teaching new skills and avoiding temptation for my Little One.  🙂  So, storing everything shallow and vertical on shelves solves my problem by keeping what is too old for her out of reach.

After a Home Depot run, some detailed measuring, and my PATIENT husband’s help, we had ourselves a homemade shelf system.  I customized it to our specific gaming needs; (3) 11″ deep Melamine shelves for the upper levels and (4) 16″ deep shelves below.

I chose Melamine covered shelves for the durability I anticipate this closet will need.You can see I was so excited to snap a picture that I forgot to paint the unfinished wood supports.  At least you get a good idea of the transformation that took place. In case you’re wondering, the top two green boxes are also game related.  One holds all our Play-doh, conveniently out of reach and out of sight for a certain 4-year-old girlie.  The other contains all our miscellaneous items like playing cards, dice games, etc.

Oh, and the white basket down on the floor holds all the Play-doh toys/supplies.  I don’t mind if she gets those out by herself or brings the whole basket over to the table. Play-doh toys are no big deal if they get strewn around the room when I’m not looking.  Play-doh, on the other hand, has a nasty way of smooching itself into the carpet if played with unsupervised… and will therefore remain up high.  🙂

FYI:  I purposely did not detail our shelf construction to keep the post short (and because there are so many talented blog writers out there who educate perfectly in this department), but please feel free to remark in the Post a Comment section below and I’ll answer any questions!

If you have children, chances are you have art supplies floating around your home. Formerly, I kept things like crayons, markers, coloring books, etc. on a shelf up high to avoid messes.  It recently occurred to me that my preschool age child should be able to access some of these goodies to busy herself while I’m unpacking.
May I introduce to you (imaginary drum roll) the Art Cart. Container Store cart organized with supplies. It was a quick project after a trip to The Container Store and the Dollar Store for all my needs. First, I set to work sorting and grouping items I thought were age appropriate and wanted to include in my project (ie nothing terribly messy or damaging to the furniture).

After I took inventory of our arts/craft supplies, I was off to snag this Silver 3-Tier Siena Rolling Cart from The Container Store.  You could get the larger size if you have tons of art supplies and need the extra room, but the smaller one was a good fit for our purposes.

I also grabbed a couple packs of plastic containers from the Dollar Store to corral the loose supplies.  Then I arranged everything into cart, easy-peasy!  The cart assembly took the most time, and even that was simple and didn’t require any tools.  Truly an easy organizing project!

The top shelf holds coloring books, miscellaneous craft packets, small notebooks, watercolor paints, markers, glue sticks, tape, and googly eyes. The second shelf holds a bucket of crayons, a small construction paper pad, puff balls, and glues.  The bottom shelf contains foam stickers, a bin of regular stickers, colorful ribbon, and our favorite Melissa and Doug stamp collection.

FYI, this Melissa & Doug stamp set is perfect for young children.  The stamp tools are designed for little hands, the ink is washable, and everything is stored in one of their trademark wooden boxes. I love using a cart for art supplies, it’s easy to wheel around wherever we want to spread out.  I also love that the compartmentalized bins allow us to set out individual supplies on the table next to her project.

That about wraps it up, folks.  I’ll leave you with a shot of our Art Cart in action. When we’re done, everything gets packed up and wheeled into the closet.  Easy clean-up and out-of-sight!

UPDATE:  I’ve updated and upgraded our Art Cart for several reasons, mainly because our supply stash was growing over the course of birthdays and Christmas gifts.

Pool owners tend to cut corners when it comes to safety features, opting in for a bigger pool instead. However, this can lead to disastrous consequences, especially if you have kids in your family. There’s nothing more sobering than the fact that children aged 1 through 4 have the highest unintentional drowning rate, and that most of these drownings occur in a home pool! In fact, fatal drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related death in children, right after vehicle accidents according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That does not mean that you should drain and bury your pool right away but is rather a wake-up call to invest in safety features to protect your little ones from a fatal accident. Of course, nothing beats adult supervision, but we all know kids can wander off while we’re occupied somewhere else. That’s why you should ensure you have extra security measures in place.

Add a Safety Cover

A safety cover is the most important pool safety feature, especially during the winter. This green trampoline-like cover spreads across the surface of the pool and prevents anyone from accidentally falling into the water. These covers also come for above ground pools and are a great investment for the colder days.

Keep the Water Quality in Check

Children aren’t only in danger of drowning. If you neglect your pool maintenance, a lot of harmful bacteria and algae can grow there and wreak havoc on your kids’ health. If you cannot maintain your pool on a regular basis, perhaps you should consider switching to a salt water pool.

Saltwater pools require less maintenance, keep your water clean using the dissolved salt and therefore contain less chlorine. Since chlorine is an irritant, their gentle skin will also be safe from irritation. You can learn more about salt water pools at this link: http://www.payanpools.com/salt-water-pools-explained/#more-4430

Install a Safety Fence

Most municipal governments across the country require you to install a security fence along with your new pool, no matter if it’s above ground or inside it. But there are still a lot of older, family pools without a security fence. The fact that it wasn’t required back in the day does not mean you shouldn’t install one right now.

According to the Consumer Product and Safety Commission guidelines, the pool fence should be at least 48 inches high and should have a child-proof, self-closing gate.

Add a Pool Alarm

A pool alarm is the best way to stay alert when your kids sneak away when you’re distracted. There are several types of security alarms, including proximity alarms, pressure sensitive alarms, and gate alarms. Proximity alarms go off when someone enters a perimeter around the pool protected by a laser field this type of alarm emits. Much like in the movies, except these lasers cannot be seen with a naked eye.

On the other hand, pressure sensitive alarms go off when something or someone falls into a pool. They are triggered by a change of pressure inside the pool and can detect over 18lbs of excess weight in the water. Finally, gate alarms are the simplest solution as they activate when someone opens the gate on the security fence.

If you are looking to add security features to your pool in San Diego, contact Payan Pool Services at
10054 Prospect Ave # B, Santee, CA 92071, USA
619-449-1392

Hardwood floors are a fantastic way to achieve the flawless look for any home interior decoration in Cincinnati. In case you would like to create the rustic look of a log cabin or want to include elegance, the secret is in choosing the proper wood and stain. Your Cincinnati hardwood contractor will have the experience to help you pick the best materials to meet your personal taste and designing goals. From mahogany cherry to stain, from birch to pine wood planks, Hammonds Hardwood Floor knows in making your rooms look elegant without compromising functionality.

If you are considering installing hardwood floors at your house in Cincinnati, the good thing is that you are almost assured to be satisfied with the finished product. Cutting edge, shiny hardwood floors usually can add a sensation of richness and class to any space. Hardwood floors are also low maintenance but will last for the lifespan of the home. If you choose Hammonds Hardwood Floor who knows what they are doing, then the final result might be virtually excellent.

Though hardwood floors are best known for their capability to withstand significant amounts of use and abuse, now and again bad treatment or age may cause hardwood floors to get damage such as scratches, cracks, nicks and gouges. But your hardwood floor can be repaired and refreshed with good hardwood floor refinishing.

If you are planning that the hardwood flooring in your house must be refinished, you will have two options: you may hire an expert, or you can do it on your own. Both of these come with advantages and disadvantage. This article will certainly help you determine which is suitable for your current situation.

To determine if your flooring should be refinished, drop a little water onto the hardwood floors and see what happens. When it beads or slowly soaks in, you will not need a refinish. A polishing and cleaning or waxing can certainly restore the look of your wood.

Using the right refinishing tools and excellent sealant and also staining products, Hammonds Hardwood Floor can make your hardwood floors look like new again. Hiring professional floor refinisher at Hammonds Hardwood means that your hardwood floors will be sanded smoothly , that no debris or dirt will become accumulated under the sealant ( which could cause unfavorable roughness ) , and that each corner of your hardwood floors will be reached . DIY attempts to refinish a floor can certainly be ineffective and irreversible. Stay away from problem and contact Hammonds Hardwood Floor.

At Hammonds Hardwood Floor, they deal with everything from new hardwood flooring installation, repairs and refinishing. They are real experts and are really proud of what they do. Hardwood floors is not just part of their business, it is their main business. You will never find contractor anywhere with more hardwood floors experience and experiences that they have. The best suggestions they can give is, if you are purchasing tile flooring go to a tile store , if you are planning to install and buy hardwood floors , go to a hardwood floors expert . It is as simple as that!

Hammonds Hardwood Floor
and Supply Company, Inc

Address: 864 Garfield Ave, Milford, OH 45150 United States
Contact No.: 513-831-9131
Email: info@hammondshardwood.com
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Many houses have basements. But some of them also fail to be aware that they are not using this area to its full functionality. The truth is, many families use their basements for storage space. Therefore, it can be a dirty room in which nobody wants to get there.

Do not worry; your basement will not be a hopeless space. You can modify that dirty basement into a shiny and functional room by means of basement renovation. Here I will discuss basement renovation ideas to give you some help.

The very first thing you must consider when performing a basement remodeling is how you makes use of the space. Do you want to transform it to a livable space which can be visited by all your family members? For example, it can be a game room or amusement room in which your family can spend time on a daily basis. Or do you want it to be an exclusive room that you can use only for special occasions. Or maybe it can also be an additional guest room.

You will find a large amount of basement renovation ideas easily obtainable in magazines as well as the internet that you can read to help you come up with basement creative ideas. Nevertheless, basement renovation is not a totally simple job. It will also be very difficult particularly when you are setting up an unfinished room, or even excessively overloaded space with many stuff and equipments in it. So when dealing with these project, you can call an experienced interior designer or even renovator to get the job done. They can provide you with many different layouts and designs for your basement renovations.

No matter what reason behind it, remodeling your basement is a smart decision. You will have the additional space that you and your family always wanted , you can modify it to meet your unique expectations , and it is a beneficial investment which can help to improve the value of your property on the real estate market .