Remodel With Style

If you have been living in your home for quite some time, you may feel your bathroom needs updating, especially if you haven’t changed a thing since moving in. Do you still have the standard, boring white bathroom sinks, tub and toilet?

The bathroom is the most used room in the house. Changes to your bathroom can range from small remodeling projects to larger projects depending on your budget. Remodeling the bathroom will add value to your home, so if your thinking of selling and haven’t modernized the bathroom, this may be a project for you to think about. Will you see a return on your remodeling investment when you sell? You most likely will….it is said to be around 80-90% !

You can dress up your bathroom with small projects such as replacing Bathroom vanities or installing the perfect faucet. Replacing your old, outdated bathroom faucets will certainly be more pleasing to the eye and bring about change in the room. This is also a great do it yourself project and you will surely feel a sense of pride when the task is completed.

If you have a small bathroom, you can make more changes while staying within your budget because you have less area to remodel.

If you are looking for design ideas or need help planning your remodel, check out http://www.spacify.com/. The styles they offer are striking and you most likely have not seen these designs elsewhere. Their wide range of bathroom faucets can give your bathroom a modern and contemporary feel. They also offer single hole faucets too. I found their faucets, sinks and vanities are sleek and appealing. I was very impressed with the never before seen designs and workmanship.


Spacify offers modern contemporary,European and Italian designs plus retro designs, which will allow you to remodel with style as you personalize your bathroom to suit your taste and budget. You will certainly turn your bathroom into a work of art with the designs they offer.

Not looking to remodel your bathroom? At Spacify you can also find designs for your bedroom, living room and any other room in the house. Their how to guide and articles will sure help with any questions you may have.

If you are hesitant about buying online and spending extra money on shipping and handling, Spacify offers free shipping. Their site is easy to navigate and there are many topics of interest. From leather care to storage ideas to color schemes. I am sure you will find a topic you are interested in learning more about.

So visit Spacify and start planning your remodel.

Household Tips to Make Your Life Easier

Hallmark has a new movie coming out called Dear Prudence. Jane Seymour stars as a talk show host who gives out household advice.

Below are some tips from the movie about using everyday household products to make your life a bit easier.

Windshield Wiper Frost Free Fluid: When you have to leave your car outside overnight in the winter, mix 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and coat the windows with this solution. This vinegar and water combination will keep windshields ice and frost-free.

To keep cut flowers fresher longer by mixing up a homemade formula. Mix 1 pint warm water, 1 pint lemonade or a lemon-lime soft drink. Pour enough into the vase to cover the lower three to four inches of the stem. Here's how this formula works: the sugar in the mixture supplies energy to the flowers and the citric acid in the lemon helps preserve them.

To keep buttons from dropping off: Dab a drop of clear nail polish onto the thread the secures the buttons. This will harden and make it more difficult for thread to break off.

To help new or just cleaned drapes stay fresh and crisp looking, spray them with a few coats of unscented hair spay before hanging them up. Allow the hair spray to dry between applications.

To speed drying time of big bulky items and jeans, add a dry towel to the wet items you're placing in the dryer. The towel will help absorb some of the excess moisture.

When you need to touch up a scratch or other type of blemish on a painted wall use a drop of paint on a cotton swab to fix the problem. You won't waste a bunch of paint and you won't have to waste time cleaning a paintbrush.

Instead of throwing away a sponge that has a stale odor, simply toss it in the dishwasher and wash it with the next load of dishes. It will come out clean and fresh smelling and will kill any bacteria in the sponge, so it's a good idea to toss your sponges into the dishwasher often.

For sharper scissors simply take your dull scissors and cut through three layers of tin foil ten times. Cut some paper to test. Repeat if not sharp enough for you. Or...cut a sheet of medium-grade sand paper into small pieces!

Make giant ice cubes in muffin tins or plastic margarine bowls. These are perfect for using in picnic coolers or punch bowls. They look pretty and keep your drinks or food cold longer.

Get rid of tarnish on silver the easy way, place a piece of aluminum foil (shiny side up) on the bottom of a glass bowl or pan. Fill the container with a solution made of 2 cups boiling water and 3 teaspoons of baking soda, and you've made an inexpensive "bath" to soak your silver in. Your silver will shine like new in no time!

To keep lint and dust off glass top tables, wash them in a solution of warm water and fabric softener. Add one tablespoon of liquid fabric softener to one quart of warm water. The fabric softener will clean the glass inexpensively and will help keep lint from gathering on the glass. Also great for computer screens and TVs.

Light at The End of The Tunnel

We have all heard the bad news. The real estate market is suffering. More than two million adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) are to reset at much higher rates in coming months, worsening the housing market.
The mortgage crisis rippled into the nation's economy and the average price of a home is on a decline.
Foreclosures are at a record high and will only worsen. It is a sad state of affairs.

Based on that news, it has many people worried. The national news we hear may not be reporting what is actually happening in your area or how it is affecting the state you live in. You may have noticed the interest rates have come down, which will allow more interest in home buying, but do you know what is happening in or around your local area?

I came across a blog that points to 'light' shining on the real estate market. Are we just hearing all the bad news and the good news is being left out of the reporting? I believe sometimes that is true. It seems the bad press surrounding Cincinnati Real Estate is not exactly true. The stats for this area are showing:

* Buyers' or Sellers' Market: About 50-50
* Average Time on Market: 60-90 days
* Market Trend: No Change
* Compared to last year: Up 0-5%
*Only 5% of homeowners have a non-prime or sub-prime borrower with adjustable rate mortgages

Those are pretty good stats. When you have an experienced professional reporting information in your area, you can rest a little bit easier when looking into buying or selling a home. I found that Amy B believes it is her job to inform and educate the people in her area. This is one realtor that loves what she does and it is projected in her performance and services she offers. Her blog, provides motivation and information regarding her local real estate market.

I found http://www.amybsells.com to be a very professional and easy to navigate site, which offers a grand list of resources available. One of the services she offers provides Home Staging. That is key for a home seller. She plunges in immediately with her marketing and creates a custom plan appropriate for each client.

Using MLS, Internet Marketing, upgraded advertisement, virtual tours, electronic lock boxes for safety, incentives for the seller/buyer, I'd say she goes above and beyond her call of duty. The team working with her strives to provide a smooth transaction. She wants her clients to feel supported, so she offers herself 24/7.

More real estate professionals should take the time to educate as Amy is, while providing services which will allow buyers and/or sellers to be successful.

Be sure to stay informed on what is happening in the market surrounding your area.

*Advertisement

Smart Home Solutions

Remove Old Wallpaper
Combine equal parts of hot water and liquid fabric softener in a five gallon bucket. Pour into a tray. Using a paint roller, apply to the wall until it's saturated. Let sit for about 20 minutes, then carefully peel off. The water softens the wall covering and the fabric softener will break down the adhesive.

Spritz Away Soap Scum
To make your own shower cleaner and save money, combine 3 parts water to 1 part bleach in an empty spray bottle. Add 1 tbs. of white vinegar.
Vinegar will dissolve the soap deposits and the bleach will kill mildew and prevents it from forming again

Make Wood Furniture Shine
If you want to keep your unfinished wood pieces shining, combine 2 parts olive oil and one part lemon juice or white vinegar. Shake well Spritz onto furniture and let stand for about 2 minutes, then wipe off with a paper towel. The lemon juice/white vinegar acts like a cleaning agent while the oil brings out the wood's natural shine.

Lift oil based paint off skin
After painting, do you have speckles of paint left on your hands, arms and face? Use olive oil. It sure is more gentle on your skin than paint thinner or mineral oil. Moisten a cotton ball with a few drops of olive oil and rub it on the affected skin. The molecules in the olive oil will attract the molecules in the paint, so the splotches will come off easily.

Gloss Indoor Plant Leaves
Here's a florist's secret: Shine the surface of leaves by rubbing them with a paper towel dipped in olive oil