Substance of Living

Do you long for a vacation just so you can sleep in a beautiful room?  Do you wish your bedroom were larger or had an alcove? A romantic bedroom should be luxuriously enjoyed on a daily basis.  Most women only dream of a romantic bedroom thinking the cost would be prohibitive.  Or they think that in order to have that romantic feeling the room must be fussy or full of antiques.  Fortunately, with the generosity of many designers sharing photos of their finished projects, you and I are able to mimic on a smaller scale. A few changes can turn a bedroom into a private oasis.  No need to wait for next year's vacation to enjoy sumptuous linens and beautiful surroundings.  Here are some inexpensive ideas to DIY your romantic bedroom. Paint one wall or the whole room Houzz House Beautiful Stylist Home Indeaninterior.com Choose your favorite color or a color that has always elicited romance.  That color might be ...

Although it's the middle of July, it's never too late to start planning a patio garden or gathering landscaping ideas.  Here are some pictures that I took last week while I was out as well as some great ideas around the internet. These ideas inspire the imagination.  How about a stay-cation in the back yard?  Turn the backyard or patio into a quaint deli for the afternoon or imagine visiting a luxurious bed and breakfast.  The fantastic thing about all these ideas is that they are absolutely do-able! Isn't this a beautifully landscaped sloping back yard.  They have privacy and still have a view of the golf course. Better Homes and Gardens Even though this is actually a patio, it would make a beautiful sun room or a cozy area on a covered porch.  (Can you see the kitty?) Better Homes and Gardens Perfect.  Absolutely storybook perfect.  This is a lovely example of using the space between the house and garage or a small back yard....

When we moved into our cute apartment while searching for our new home, a few things - the pantry being one - were not high on our list.  Once we moved in, it became apparent that unfortunately our temporary home doesn’t have what one would call a pantry.  So, we have truly combined our dining room and kitchen.  I suppose our storage system is much like open-cupboard cabinets.  Very pretty to look at but function and storage must be taken into consideration.  Luckily we had some nice storage pieces.  Glass containers are so much prettier to look at than a box.  So, cereal and pasta went into pretty containers. The metal shelving found its way into the kitchen from the storage closet to hold the canned goods and coffee maker.  These larger coffee makers really are great for company or quickly making a large pot of tea.   The island cart came in from the screened-in patio to hold some extra dishes and non-canned goods. S...