5 Cool Things Spotted at the Home & Garden Show

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the Home and Garden show this past weekend at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, you missed out! There were some great displays, products and vendors there. Here are five cool things that I spotted. Did you get to attend? What are some cool items you saw?

 

1. Unique garden gates by Blue Bison Outdoors in wrought iron and wood materials with unique finishes.

 

2. Electric powered sports car at the Georgia Power booth.

 

 

3. Kohler Moxie showerhead was the showpiece at the Ferguson and Devore and Johnson booths. A showerhead that plays music! And you can pop it out to take it to the beach. The excellent price point on this item makes it an ideal birthday or Christmas present! Check it out in detail here.

 

 

4. Cork flooring at the Dalton Carpet One booth. So many different colors and patterns!

 

 

5. Edgeworthia chrysantha or "Paper Bush" at the Garden South display. It is simply amazing how many plants and structures they bring in for this show. Magnificent!

 

 

Did you get to attend? What are some cool items you saw? If you didn’t get the opportunity to attend the show this year, make a point to attend next year. You are sure to see many new things and get questions answered on new products. Many thanks to the Athens Area Home Builders Association for putting on this great event!

9 Questions to ask before signing a cabinet contract

 

            Are you considering purchasing some cabinets for your home? Have you stopped to think about some questions you should ask before signing on the dotted line? Cabinets are a big investment and it is important that you have all the information before committing. Below are nine questions I suggest you ask before starting.

 

1. Are you insured? (These people will be in your home, potentially dealing with electrical and plumbing items. Make sure you are protected!)

 

2. Do you have any professional affiliations or certifications? (This will give you a hint about how serious they are about their business or if they are just in it for fun.)

 

3. May I have a list of references from past completed projects? (This is a big one! How their past clients speak of them says volumes!)

 

4. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with this person being in your home? (If you feel unease in your gut, maybe you need to think twice.)

 

5. Do you communicate well with the designer? (How well the two of you communicate will directly reflect how well and to your specifications the project will be completed.)

 

6. Do they have a concrete grasp of your project and have they shown they can listen to you and your ideas? (This is your home and you need to make sure you are getting what you want.)

 

7. Is the price you’ve been given firm or subject to escalation? (Someone who will bait and switch you, may not be who you want to work with.)

 

8. What is your warranty? (If you have an issue in a couple of months, you want to know that they will back up their work.)

 

9. How long have you been in business? (This speaks to their credibility and their ability to satisfy customers of the years.)

The Clutter Cure: Laundry & Baths

Continuing on with our series on clutter, today we will look at the laundry room and bathrooms and some specific things we can to do start 2013 off on the right foot.

 

Laundry Room:

            Cleaning Products- did you try a detergent and not like it? Don’t keep it around                          any longer. Give it away to a friend or donate it. No need for it to clutter up

                         your cabinets.

            Miscellaneous socks-we all have them. The washer or dryer eats sock and you

                         hang onto the spares, waiting for the match to appear. Do yourself a favor 

                         and throw them away.

            Brooms & Mops-clear out the stack of brooms and mops and throw away  anything

                        you are not using or no longer works. Hang hooks behind the door to hang

                        these items and keep them looking neater.

 

Bathroom:

            Beauty Products-Remove all bottles and jars from the counter. Store everything                           in drawers or baskets under the sink. Throw away expired items. Give                           away duplicates or place in a nice basket in your guest bath for guests to use.

            Linens-Toss threadbare towels and mismatched bed linens or cut into smaller                                squares for cleaning rags.

 

When in doubt, ask yourself these questions.

1. Do I really need this?
2. Do I love it?
3. Do I already have something else that will work?
4. Do I use it regularly?
5. Where am I going to put it?
6. How hard would it be to replace this item someday if I needed to?

The Clutter Cure: Office and Closets

            A new year is here! January is always a great time to do some serious clean out and many stores have organizational tubs and items on sale. Today we will look at the home office and closets and some specific things we can to do start 2013 off on the right foot.

 

Home Office

Papers-recycle any papers you don’t need long term; expired coupons, old invitations, out of date school calendars.

Purse-dump everything out and only put back what you need. Go through your wallet and file or throw away any receipts you no longer need. Maybe this is your chance to get a new lip color for the winter. There-ten pounds lighter.

Magazines-make it a rule to throw out the previous issue when the new issue comes in. Or like me, read it and throw it away or pass it on to someone who would enjoy it.

 

Closets

 

Shoes- Weed out any shoes that are uncomfortable or beyond repair. Polish any shoes that need it.

Hangers-remove all extra hangers. Many dry cleaners will take back wire hangers and recycle them.

Clothes-after all of the holiday parties there are probably some items that need to go to the dry cleaners or need some mending. Give away anything you haven’t worn in the past year or no longer like.

 

When in doubt, ask yourself these questions.

1. Do I really need this?
2. Do I love it?
3. Do I already have something else that will work?
4. Do I use it regularly?
5. Where am I going to put it?
6. How hard would it be to replace this item someday if I needed to?

The Clutter Cure: Kitchen Edition

            A new year is here! January is always a great time to do some serious clean out as we put Christmas decorations away and give our houses a good cleaning. Today we will look at the kitchen and some specific things we can to do start 2013 off on the right foot.

 

Kitchen:

            Plastic containers-go through and match up every lid and plastic container. If                               you don’t have a match for it, throw it away.

            Small appliances-does your toaster only toast one side of the bread? Crockpot                              only cook on half the bottom? Get rid of anything needing repair.

            Plastic cups-do you have stacks and stacks of plastic cups? Keep only the ones                             you use on a consistent basis and get rid of the rest. Don’t worry-you will                          accumulate more.

            Spices- Clean out your spice cabinet. Look online to see how long each spice                                 should be kept and throw away accordingly.

            Glasses- Did your aunt give you hand painted drinking glasses? Hand wash only?                          Have they been sitting in your cabinet for the past 5 year untouched                             

                         because you don’t want to have to fool with hand washing them? Give them

                         away! Goodwill would be happy to accept your donation.

            Junk Drawer-we all have one. Dump everything out and only put back what you                                     need to keep. Be ruthless!

 

When in doubt, ask yourself these questions.

1. Do I really need this?
2. Do I love it?
3. Do I already have something else that will work?
4. Do I use it regularly?
5. Where am I going to put it?
6. How hard would it be to replace this item someday if I needed to?

Homeowners want bigger kitchens

Do you desire a larger kitchen? Are you looking for a smaller home? Larger home? What are some of the non-negotiable items you are looking for? A recent survey conducted by RICKI, the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence, found that 59 percent of the people they surveyed would look for a larger kitchen if they moved to a new home. They would also be willing to sacrifice square footage in the family room and then master bedroom if it meant gaining a larger kitchen.

 

            Interestingly enough, only one out of four homeowners say they would be looking for a smaller home if they were buying today. But only 4% of those said they would want a smaller kitchen. Nearly two-thirds of the surveyed homeowners and three-quarters of those under the age of 45 want a larger kitchen. Those are pretty large percentages where most people’s perception is that everyone is looking for something smaller.

 

            Before you give up on your dream of a larger kitchen because people are telling you everyone is going smaller, reconsider and know that kitchen truly is the heart of the home. A larger space will make you and your family happier.           

The "new" neutral

In years past, the go to neutral color has been a shade of beige. With brown, pink or yellow undertones, a version of this color was seen on many home walls throughout the world. It was easy to decorate around and seemed to work with almost any color.

 

Welcome to 2012! Gray is now considered the “new” neutral. With undertones of blue, green, purple or brown, the crisp gray is showing up everywhere. From dark to light, gray is being used in kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms. Whether in the wall color, cabinet color, bedding or accessories, grey is a fresh neutral alternative. The use of gray by designers has jumped from 9 percent in 2010 to almost 40 percent in 2012. Gray makes a great statement without yelling and works well with the classic black or white.

 

Not sure how you can incorporate some gray into your life and home? Try a color on your powder room walls. Drop the pink nail polish and go for a steel gray this winter. Create a new look in your bedroom by getting new bedding in gray tones. Freshen up your drapes by going with a gray silk. Vary your wardrobe with some gray tights. Not sure how to add gray to your life? Simply search “gray” on houzz.com or pinterest.com for many great ideas.