Indoor Living Spaces, Outdoor Entertaining

Small Decorating Ideas That Make a Big Impact

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Outdoor Rug

Decorating Ideas on a Budget Using Paint, Plants, and Outdoor Rugs

Small decorating ideas can make redecorating a room very inexpensive. Before you dip into your savings, though, consider making a few smaller and less expensive changes first. You may find that a couple of small, but meaningful, changes to a room can give you the update you’ve been seeking.

Paint

There’s a reason why decorators and designers often suggest paint as a first step in redecorating. A fresh coat of paint, especially when it is a different color, can make a dramatic statement in a room. Changing the wall color of a room changes the mood and the way light is diffused throughout the room. Taking a dark room, for example, and making it lighter through the application of paint can make that room feel larger, fresher, and more serene. On the other hand, applying a darker hue to light-colored walls can add drama and a sense of romance to a room. To keep costs down, choose a color that is already present in the room and that will coordinate with your existing decor. Use fabrics or accent pieces in the room as inspiration for color choices.

Plants

Another easy and inexpensive change that can be made to any room is to add plants. Whether living or artificial, plants bring warmth and natural beauty to indoor spaces. They make a lush and visually appealing addition to areas that can be challenging to decorate, such as ledges, shelves, and empty corners. For best effect, choose pots or baskets for your plants that coordinate with the style of the room.

Area Rugs

The floor may be one of the most neglected areas when it comes to decorating. Adding an area rug to the floor has just as much impact on a room, though, as adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls. Area rugs define a space more effectively than furniture alone, and they help tie together the various elements in a room to make it feel like a unified whole.

Consider using an outdoor rug for your indoor redecorating. Outdoor rugs are an ideal choice to use as indoor area rugs, especially in high traffic areas of the home. Outdoor rugs are made with durable materials that can stand up to all kinds of abuse, but they are just as beautiful and soft to the touch as traditional indoor rugs. They are much easier to clean than indoor rugs, which gives them yet another advantage over standard indoor area rugs.

Updating your home doesn’t always require spending loads of money. A decorating ideas and small changes, like paint, plants, and outdoor rugs, may be all that is necessary to freshen a room and give it new life.

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

Three Solutions to Common Gardening Frustrations

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Rectangle Planter Box

 

Planter Boxes, Garden Tool Storage, and Potting Benches Solve Multiple Problems

Gardening is an enjoyable past time for millions of people, but for many, it can present challenges and hassles not to mention gardening frustrations. People who have issues with mobility, space limitations, or invasions by local wildlife may find gardening a frustrating experience. With the addition of a few garden helpers, though, many of these challenges can be solved.

Raised Planter Boxes

Raised planter boxes, which are available in square or rectangle shapes, are an easy way to keep plants and veggies contained, but they also offer a number of other advantages. Planter boxes raised on sturdy legs are ideal for gardeners who may have difficulty bending down and working in garden beds on the ground. Raised planter boxes are also appealing to gardeners who are tired of losing out to local rabbits and other critters. They keep tender plants and veggies out of reach. And, for homeowners who lack yard space for planting a garden, planter boxes give them the opportunity to keep a garden on the patio or deck.

Garden Tool Storage

Hoes, rakes, shovels, and other garden tools can get out of hand easily causing gardening frustrations. Keeping them neat and tidy in a convenient place can be a challenge, even when a shed is available. A sturdy, wooden garden tool holder makes an ideal garden tool storage solution. With casters underneath and a dedicated slot for each individual tool, a garden tool holder is easy to move where it’s needed, and makes organizing tools a snap.

Potting Bench

Many gardeners find that their potting supplies get shoved into a corner of the garage or shed, making them difficult to retrieve when it’s time to pot or re-pot plants. Then, finding an appropriate place to do this work can be a challenge. Some gardeners choose to do their potting on a deck or patio, others do it in the garage or in the yard. None of these locations is conducive to efficient work, and the mess created is generally more than expected. A potting bench is the best solution for this problem. The potting bench gives gardeners space to organize potting supplies, and it provides a dedicated space for potting. Potting benches come in many shapes and sizes, but most offer storage shelves, garden tool storage hooks, and ample counter space for working with plants and their pots. A potting bench can be placed in the shed, in a greenhouse, or under the overhang on a deck or patio.

Gardening is an appealing activity for so many reasons: it’s good exercise; it allows gardeners to express their creativity; and it gives people an opportunity to grow their own healthy and delicious foods. Gardening can feel like a chore, though, when completing basic tasks is more difficult than necessary. Thanks to garden helpers like raised planter boxes, garden tool storage holders, and potting benches, many of the difficulties associated with gardening can be alleviated, if not eliminated.

Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Living Spaces

Eucalyptus Patio Furniture: The Affordable and Sustainable Choice

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Eucalyptus Table and Chairs

Affordable Wood Patio Furniture with an Ethical Twist

Eucalyptus Patio Furniture is growing in popularity as the wood of choice for outdoor patio furniture. In the past, teak reigned supreme over most other choices of wood because of its strength, beauty, and durability, but teak furniture is generally very expensive. Many homeowners are unable or unwilling to spend large sums of money on their outdoor furniture. Eucalyptus furniture offers homeowners a much more affordable alternative that rivals the strength and durability of teak.

Why Choose Eucalyptus?

Eucalyptus trees originated in Australia, but they were first introduced to other parts of the world by the Cook expedition of 1770. In some places, these trees have become an invasive species, but when grown sustainably on plantations, eucalyptus trees can be effectively managed. The desire for environmentally sustainable wood products has made the growing of eucalyptus trees beneficial for many local economies around the world. In the US, eucalyptus trees grow particularly well in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in Oregon, Washington, and portions of British Columbia.

Eucalyptus Patio Furniture is a fast-growing wood with a variety of beautiful grains and colors, depending on the species. Wood patio furniture, as well as other products, constructed from eucalyptus make a rich and warm addition to any surroundings. Additionally, these trees produce an oil with insecticidal properties, making them naturally insect resistant — an ideal quality for any wood product used outside. As a result, treatment of outdoor furniture for this purpose is generally not necessary. Like teak, eucalyptus is extremely durable, easy to care for, and beautiful in appearance. The only significant difference is that eucalyptus furniture is budget-friendly, while teak is not.

Make a Sustainable Choice

Consumers who are looking for eucalyptus patio furniture, or any kind of wood patio furniture, should strongly consider choosing furniture certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC is “an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.” When consumers buy wood products certified by the FSC, they can feel confident that the wood used to make these products was grown in an environmentally and economically sustainable way that respects the rights of workers, local inhabitants, and local species. Choosing products that are certified by the FSC helps to support the continuing effort to improve forest management around the world.

Bringing the natural beauty of wood patio furniture to outdoor living spaces in an affordable and ethical way is possible. With fast-growing, highly durable wood sources like eucalyptus, consumers don’t have to bear the burden of spending a good deal of money to buy superior quality outdoor furniture. And, by consciously choosing wood patio furniture certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, consumers can opt out of supporting poorly managed forests and unsustainable practices. Enjoying the best of both worlds — affordability and sustainability — is truly a reality.

Grills and Accessories, Tailgaiting

Portable Grills Are a Hot Item for Tailgating and Home

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Portable HotSpot Yakatori Charcoal Grill

What do you get when you mix fresh air and freshly grilled food? Arguably, you get the tastiest meal available. But what if it’s mealtime while you’re on the road, on vacation, or simply out and about? Lugging around the full-size gas grill or charcoal grill is certainly not a practical option. Even so, just because you are away from home doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your own deliciously grilled delicacies. With today’s portable grills, “eating out” takes on an entirely new meaning.

Portable grills, also known as tabletop grills, are becoming increasingly popular as grill quality and features improve. Whether you are camping in the woods, tailgating at a football game, boating on the lake, or just out for the day on a family picnic, a portable grill can be a welcome addition to your standard gear. Like their full-size cousins, portable grills are available in gas, charcoal, and even infrared varieties. They heat up quickly and provide you with delicious food no matter where you are.

Portable grills can offer a wide variety of features, depending on your needs. For example, while some portable grills come only with the standard grated surface, perfect for grilling hamburgers, bratwurst, or chicken, others feature a number of different grill surfaces, allowing you to choose the proper surface for the food. In addition to the standard grated surface, a portable grill may come with a grill plate, a skillet, and/or a lid that doubles as a wok. Some grills can serve as a camp stove, too, on which a kettle or coffee pot can be placed for boiling water or brewing coffee.

As the name suggests, portable grills are smaller than full-size grills and are easy to transport. Most of these grills have legs that either fold down or can be removed for travel. In addition, portable grills often come with a sturdy carrying bag, making it even easier to bring the grill along. Though smaller in size, a portable grill can still cook a decent amount of food on a single surface.

Perhaps surprisingly, one place where portable grills can be found more and more is not on the road, but on the back patio. Owning a full-size grill is not an option for many apartment and condo residents who may only have access to a small outdoor area. Even when more outdoor living space is available, some home owners prefer the versatility of a portable grill over the full-size option. Portable grills are often less expensive to purchase, are easier to clean, and can be stored out of view when not in use. Considering the many advantages of today’s portable grills, it is easy to see why they have become an increasingly popular addition to life on the road as well as at home.

Backyard Fun, Swing Sets & Play

3 Swing Set Add Ons That Keep Kids Interested in Backyard Play

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Blue Super Tube Spiral SlideHow to Appeal to the Evolving Abilities and Interests of Growing Kids

The backyard swing set you bought for your kids when they were small was probably filled with challenging and fun equipment just right for their age and size. Bucket swings for safety, a short ladder leading to a scoop slide, and maybe even a club house for hours of pretend play. As kids grow older, though, their ideas about what’s fun and challenging evolve. Making sure that the backyard swing set doesn’t become an unused eyesore means keeping up with your children’s changing interests and abilities. By updating the swing set periodically with equipment and accessories that meets your kids’ current needs, you can ensure that the swing set continues to appeal to your kids over the course of many years.

Alternative Swings

Swings are an affordable place to start when it comes to updating a swing set’s accessories. If you haven’t done so already, swap out the bucket swing or half-bucket swing with a traditional belt swing or two. The belt swing is a standard “big kid” swing that will continue to interest kids as they grow. Don’t stop there, though. Swings come in all shapes and styles, and a little variety adds a lot of appeal to a backyard swing set.

Some of the more popular alternative swings include tire swings and disc swings. Kids like that these two swings move in any and every direction, rather than just back and forth. Kids also like the tire swing for its ability to hold two or more friends, which brings an increasingly social and cooperative element to the activity of swinging. Glider swings are another fun alternative to standard swings. Glider swings seat two people, back to back, who work as a team to keep the swing flying high. Finally, older kids and even adults can enjoy a wooden chair swing. A chair swing attaches to the swing set in the same way as any other kind of traditional swing, and it offers a relaxing way to swing gently while chatting with a friend or reading a book.

Slides

Swing sets generally come with a standard scoop slide, which is straight, smooth, and adequately thrilling for little ones. As kids get older, though, they tend to prefer a more exhilarating ride. Replacing your original slide for a spiral slide can offer that extra bit of thrill to older kids.  Spiral slides are often completely enclosed tubes, too, similar to what you find on commercial or public playgrounds. The enclosed spiral brings an additional measure of excitement to the sliding experience.

Climbing Accessories

Climbing equipment offers growing kids a fun way to challenge their bodies’ developing abilities. While not usually appropriate for young children, climbing accessories help older kids gain confidence, strengthen muscles, and refine gross motor and motor planning skills. Monkey bars may be the most common type of climbing accessory found on standard swing sets, but they can be added to an existing swing set that doesn’t already have them. Rope ladders and rock wall climbing kits are available, too, and are exceptionally appealing to adventurous kids.

Updating the backyard swing set to meet the changing abilities and interests of your growing kids can be as easy as replacing the existing swings and slide and adding climbing features more suited to older kids. Making small but meaningful changes over time will not only encourage years of continued interest by your kids, but will also reinforce the value of your initial investment in the swing set.