Tag Archives: ideas

Jan24

Slash The Cost Of Your Heating Bill This Winter

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Slash The Cost Of Your Heating Bill This Winter

Winter definitely has it’s plus points. Cozy evenings in, beautiful snow, and delicious hot drinks. But once Christmas is over, the novelty of winter begins to wear off, and by this point, most of us are getting fed up with it! One of the worst parts is the cost of heating our homes, and over the winter months fuel bills can really mount up. Thankfully there are ways to make it a little less expensive. Here’s how:

Switch to a Tankless Water Heater: We all love a long soak in a hot bath over the winter months. But the cost of heating that water can cost a bundle. One way that you can slash costs is by switching to a tankless water heater. This is a system that uses no pilot light, and in many cases can cut bills by half. If your property still uses an old tank heater, you’ll know the frustration of running out of hot water and having to wait around for it to re-heat. With this, water is heated on demand giving you an unlimited supply so there’s no running out, or wasting money by heating water unnecessarily.

Invest in Smart Home Heating: Smart home heating gives you total control over your heating. With this, your thermostat is controlled through your smartphone making it easy to turn on and off at the touch of a button. No going out and worrying you’ve left the heating on. No having to get out of bed in the freezing cold, just use your smartphone in the morning and give the home a few minutes to heat up. There are add-ons which allow you to control the heat in different rooms, too, which can also save on money as you do not have to heat the whole house to feel the warmth in one room.

Buy a Log Burner: Wood burning stoves have a wonderful rustic charm. And while you will have to pay for the installation, the running costs afterward are very low. Firewood is less expensive than traditional central heating, and if you’re able to cut your own wood then you get heat essentially for free! Warming your toes in front of a gorgeous crackling fire truly gives the perfect ski lodge atmosphere. It almost makes the bitter winter weather seem worth it.

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Warm and toasty!

Wrap Up Warm: Rather than having your heating set to maximum, you could set it lower which will cost less money. And to keep warm, wrap up in cozy pajamas and throws. You can buy huge soft throws from places like eBay for around twenty-five dollars which are perfect for snuggling up with on the sofa. After the upfront cost, keeping warm this way will cost significantly less than putting the heating up full blast every night. Fleece pajamas and thick terry toweling dressing gowns will also keep you snug and warm. Although it’s not the most ideal way to save some cash, it is one that I am familiar with considering that’s how my dad manages the heating bills! Lol.-___-

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Dec8

Feeling Good This Winter! How To Stay In Shape

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Over the winter, it’s tough to find the motivation to stay in shape. Not only is it dark and miserable outside, but it’s easy to swathe yourself in big cozy sweaters and forget about the body underneath. Here are some tips to help you stay in shape this winter:

Do a Cleanse: Cleanses are sometimes criticized by the media but the truth is that they can often really help you by helping you cut rubbish food out of your diet for a while. A lot of the time at the end of a cleanse you’ll feel great, with glossy hair, clear skin, and strong nails – and a few pounds down, of course! There are many cleanse programs out there, like Isagenix – and how does Isagenix work for weight loss, I hear you ask? It can reverse months of bad habits and make you feel far more healthy. Make sure that you don’t do a cleanse too often, because that lifestyle isn’t sustainable. Rather, start exercising more frequently and eat cleaner. Make your own recipes from scratch, along with your own dressings and sauces. Make sure that you eat a good breakfast like oatmeal with berries or an egg white omelette every morning and drink plenty of water throughout the day. (The water part is easier said than done – especially if, like me, you have to go to the bathroom CONSTANTLY to begin with!)

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 Yum!!

Go Hiking: You might think that hiking doesn’t sound like much fun in the winter – but on the contrary, you might just have a fantastic time if you wrap up warm and encourage your partner or some friends to come along. Put on a hat with ear flaps, mittens, and a warm thick scarf to keep yourself cozy along with some stout boots and your warmest coat, and go out to appreciate the frosty winter scenery. Go out for some lunch afterwards like a hearty soup along with crusty bread to celebrate your achievement. (Cafes with a fireplace are also a plus!)

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 DOG!!!!

Join a Fitness Class: There are a lot of fitness classes that you could join over the winter time. Even if you visit your local gym regularly, it’s hard to force yourself out of the door in the evenings to just go and work out on the machines by yourself. Going to a fitness class means that you have to go out at a certain time and it’s also more motivating to be encouraged by an instructor. Chances are, you might just make friends with some classmates and that will also encourage you to keep going! There is such a wide range of fitness classes that are available now. If you want something more active, try a cardio class. If you love dancing and you have some rhythm, go for Zumba. If you want to strengthen your core, try out pilates.

As you begin working out, it is so important to listen to your body. Pushing too hard and improper technique can cause injury and the last thing you want is to be laid down when you have the motivation to get moving. HIIT, for example, can be particularly hard on the body which is why the Lagree Method is becoming increasingly popular. This type of workout has a lower impact making it easier on your joints while avoiding excessive heart rate spikes. If this is something that you are interested in trying, simply enter a search for “lagree megaformer perth” (or your local area). Pay close attention to your trainer and give it your best shot!

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Get a Fitness Buddy: It’s so much easier to motivate yourself when you have someone to be motivated with. Whether you have a gym buddy who can spot you and encourage you or whether you’ve met some new pals through the above-mentioned exercise classes, it’s great to have someone to get fit with. Encourage your partner to do Couch To 5K with you. You could also do some fitness videos like Yoga With Adriene! Even if you aren’t very good, you’ll laugh a lot together and make some fun new memories.

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Nov18

Snappy Cooking Is The Way To Make The Kitchen Fun Again

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Snappy Cooking Is The Way To Make The Kitchen Fun Again

If you love cooking, there’s probably one element of it you’re still never happy with. We’re talking, of course, about the amount of time it takes. Cooking a meal can be a joy, almost as good as eating it. But the amount of time it takes to set up, to clean up, and get things done can be a real pain. In this article, we’ll look at the improvements you can make to keep cooking prompt, fresh, and fun.

Keep Building Your Arsenal: They say poor workmen blame their tools. But in the kitchen, the best tools make a much better workman. Going electronic can be a very easy way to save a lot of time on processes that you’ve been doing by hand. For instance, you might have thought blenders were only for smoothies. Consider a proper hybrid blender featured on places like https://www.blenderfriend.com/hybrid// You’ll find they can do so much more. Sous vide tools can make it a lot easier to carefully prepare those dishes that need precisely controlled, low-temperature water. Updating your knives collection can make it a lot easier to tackle more ingredients, as well. If you really love cooking, it’s worth building up your collection of tools.

Keep Learning New Techniques: Naturally, that’s not to say that your tools are going to be able to do all the work for you. A lot of people will skip or substitute directions for the techniques they already know how to do. For example, instead of dicing onions, they’ll simply slice them instead. Not only is that pretty lazy, but it’s also going to have a different result. Dicing onions releases their flavor, so there is no substitute for them. The more you learn new techniques and practice them, the better you’ll get at them. The better you get at them, the less time they’re going to take you overall. There’s no substitute for practice, so keep it up.

Keep a Better Kitchen: A lot of time spent cooking isn’t actually spent cooking. A lot of it is spent looking for ingredients and equipment you’re sure you have. Then, there’s a lot of time spent on the process of cleaning up, as well. For that first point, you might want to consider adding some new storage options to your kitchen. Sites like http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/small-kitchen-storage-organization-213495  have some great ideas for even the smaller spaces.

A spice rack and a knife block are crucial for keeping order at your workstation. With ceiling hooks, you can hang some of the utensils you use most often just in reach. As for cleaning, the simple tip is to do it as you cook, not after. If you make a little mess, it’s a lot easier to clean it up right after. Don’t leave yourself a whole kitchen to clean at the end.

Basically, the better a cook you become, the easier the whole process. You’ll learn the techniques that make it so much easier to reduce time. You’ll get the equipment that does the same thing you’ve been doing, only a lot quicker. You’ll even have a kitchen that’s better suited to your needs.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Nov18

Ill or Injured – and Bored? Productive Uses of Your Time

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Have you ever been in the position where an accident has left you confined to your bed or at least your home for a while? It’s never as much fun as you expect all that time off work to be, is it? The novelty is okay, for a while. You can catch up on all those TV shows everyone has been talking about, sleep in, and take it easy. And then, sometime around day three, it gets old.

It’s not that we are our jobs. We won’t suddenly fall to pieces without them. But the action of inaction is the problem. Just as we get bored and stressed if every work day is the same, we can have an identical reaction to being restricted to our home. At least with work, you’re seeing different things, places, and people. When you’re stuck inside the house, you get stir crazy. You’re not using any mental energy. So if you’re recovering from an injury, make some lemonade from lemons and put the enforced rest to good use.

Learn a Language: If you’ve got a long-term injury, you may be at home for several weeks or even months. You’re liable to pass the time staring at screens, so why not take the opportunity to do it for a good reason? There are several excellent language learning apps available, including the ones on this list: https://www.lingualift.com/blog/best-language-learning-apps/. This way, you can use some of that pent up mental energy in a productive way.

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Consider Why You’re There: We have come to meekly accept that accidents happen and when they happen to us, we just put them down to experience. But if that accident wasn’t your fault, whose was it? Through no fault of your own, you’ve lost many hours of work and, if you were a part-time worker, possibly your job.

Consulting http://getlegal.nyc/personal-injury-negligence/ and similar sources is a good idea here. You may well be entitled to compensation that would go a long way to improving your situation. You could put it into savings, use it for medical treatment, or fund a small business.

Practice Mindfulness: As previously noted, being home alone all day can be dull. That stir crazy feeling is liable to make you feel irritable. As any nurse will tell you, bed-bound patients aren’t the most patient patients. But if you can’t move much physically, then you’re going to be limited in where you can go. Not mentally, though. Meditate and concentrate on clearing your mind.

It may sound like a waste of your time but it allows you to be in command of situations and you get better at it with practice. Once the time comes to get back out there in the world of work, you’d be stunned how useful it can be. As the poem goes, “if you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs…”

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Of course, none of this changes the fact that once you’re able, you will want to get back out there and start living a bit. But if you can take the chance to gain some skills and use your time productively, you’ll be in a better position to take advantage of what comes your way.

Nov16

Three Fun Ways To Get Your Partner To Propose

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Three Fun Ways To Get Your Partner To Propose

Getting engaged and planning a wedding is a pretty big deal. Having an ultimatum like that can be a little scary. Things don’t always go according to plan, either. It is easy to see why both people in the relationship might be having hesitations to get engaged. It might be the scenario that your other half is really dragging their heels, though. So here are a few fun little ideas, to drop some hints to your darling. They’re never going to propose if they think you aren’t interested in it! It can feel like a conversation that you aren’t ready to just say so sometimes signals can work the best. But, as always, honest and open communication is always good in any relationship.

Give a Signal: You’d be surprised at just how many people aren’t proposing because they think they will get rejected. Really! It can be a big thing to make changes in a relationship. Especially if things are going well as they are so dropping them a few hints might be needed. Try bringing in conversations about weddings more and more. It could be a friend is recently engaged or a new movie that features a wedding, for example. Just drop hints about your take on marriage. If you’re feeling brave enough, then you could ask them their views on it, too. Another bold choice could be showing your partner some budget wedding dresses. They won’t be able to help picturing you in them! Chatting about it more and more will help eliminate the excuse of not knowing if you were interested or not.

Hint at the Ring You’d Like: The chances of you going out shopping together are quite high. So how about wandering past an engagement ring shop? Or you could even check out some custom engagement rings online together. If that is going to be way too obvious for your liking, then try a conversation, instead. This low key approach is especially effective if you already wear a lot of jewelry. You could talk about the things you do or don’t like such as your thoughts on platinum vs white gold or whether you prefer a ring that is unique or classic.

Do you like a ring to have one single stone or several smaller ones? Subtly bring up the topic. Looking online is a simpler way, as you are more likely to stumble across a friend’s ring on Instagram, for instance. Then the next thing you know you’ll be looking online at wedding rings. Somewhere like Tacori wedding rings might be a good place to start. Have a browse if you aren’t sure of what style you like. Just be subtle about it!

Don’t Set Timelines: In your head, you might want to be engaged by a certain age, married by a certain age, or having children by a certain age. Don’t set timelines on yourself, though. It can knock your confidence when things don’t happen as you’d like to. You could have those things as goals but avoid putting a time limit on it. It also works in terms of your wedding, too. If you’ve always wanted a summer wedding, you might be thinking of when you need to be engaged to make it happen. But this can also be detrimental! If your other half knows it, it adds extra pressure. So chill out with the timeline. If all else fails, though, you can always propose to them!

While you might have a dream wedding planned in your head, you never know how your timeline will change once you are engaged. The mood might strike you to just go to the courthouse or even elope! Companies like Italy Elope offer elopement packages to navigate the ceremony, photography, and travel for your big day. No matter where you might want to elope to, there are sure to be similar companies or wedding planners to help every step of the way.

How did you or your partner pop the question? What is your dream proposal like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Totes Adorbs Featured Image By: Pixabay

Nov2

Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life

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Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life

Can you believe it’s November already?! With the holiday season creeping up on us quicker than ever, here are some fab gift ideas for everyone on your shopping list:

Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life:

Christmas isn’t far away now and it’s an excellent time to start on your gift shopping! Many deals will be coming up in the next couple of months. You’ll especially want to look out for Black Friday deals later this November. You can grab some great bargains and get them all wrapped up in time for Christmas.

As fun as it is to go holiday shopping, buying gifts can be tough sometimes. Children often let you know a thousand things they’d like for Christmas. But when you buy new things for your spouse year after year, it can be hard to keep it fresh! You should also consider how to gift your parents and other family members. Here are some gift ideas for everyone.

For Him: Men can often be the toughest to buy for. They aren’t as interested in flowers and chocolate and socks and power tools can get boring after a while. When it comes to gifting your husband, father, brother or other male relatives, you might need to get creative.

It’s a good idea to try shopping online for the best gifts for men. You can find many unique gift ideas on sites such as Cuckooland.com. Perhaps your husband would enjoy some retro music equipment. Your brother might appreciate a whiskey hamper. Of course, things like male grooming equipment and accessories like watches and wallets always work. Another great option to consider are T-shirts to wear out and about or to lounge around the house. You could go the customized route or explore funny t-shirts that will provide a laugh every time he wears it.

If the men in your life are big sports fans, you might even want to consider event tickets. There are many places online to get tickets for football, rugby, or any other sport they may be interested in. You can take this gift over the top with authentic Broncos jerseys (or their favorite team) to wear while cheering them on at the game. Giving them an opportunity to support their favorite team in authentic gear will be a much-appreciated gift!

For Her: Husbands- make sure you get your wife something she loves! Getting the same perfume as last year will be disappointing. Make sure to also gift your mother well and any of the other important women in your life.

Cosmetics almost always make the beauty savvy gal smile so look into some great beauty gift ideas. Moisturizer, makeup, and hair products always come in handy! You might even want to treat the women in your life to a spa day. Every girl loves to relax and get pampered from time to time.

Jewelry is also an excellent gift idea, as long as you don’t go for anything tacky. Cute earrings or a stylish necklace will be truly appreciated. If you want to go for something unique, you can even get personalized or engraved jewelry. Make sure you get a stylish gift box to present it in!

For The Kids: Your little ones will most likely want some new toys for Christmas! You may want to check out some of the must-have toys of 2016 at MadeForMums.com if you have young children. Fill up their stockings with sweets, chocolate, and other fun gifts.

If your children are in their teens, they’ll want something a little more exciting. Christmas is the perfect time to gift them new electronics. A new laptop is a fantastic idea- it’ll motivate them to do their homework more as well as being a source of entertainment. Of course, smartphones and tablets never disappoint either. You can often get great deals on electronics on Black Friday.

If you really want to surprise your kids, you might want to get them the latest games consoles. An Xbox One or PS4 will make your youngsters very happy on Christmas morning. (Or your adult boyfriend! Ha, mine would love this!)

Who has began their holiday shopping? Who is finished already?! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Wikimedia Commons

Nov2

Six Useful Technical Skills You Can Make A Living From

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Six Useful Technical Skills You Can Make A Living From

When it comes to considering a career, nothing beats having technical skills. Having the ability to do something practical which many people can’t do will instantly stand out to employers. Not only that, but you can often make your own business or freelancing venture with your technical skills. The best thing is that you can learn many of these skills without having to take a college course. All it takes is some time and dedication. You can learn many of these through short training sessions or even at home!

Many kinds of technical skills can help you make a living. Almost all of these revolve around using a computer. That makes them even easier to learn, as often all you need is your computer and the internet to learn them. A lot of the times, these skills also involve a lot of creativity. It makes for a much more fulfilling job than simply filling in data or working at a cash register.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you could even learn more than one. Having a range of practical skills is useful for getting hired. Many can also be used to offer profitable freelance services. If you’re ready to start learning a technical skill, here are some of the most useful ones to learn.

Graphic Designing: Excellent graphic designing is a skill that’s in high demand and people will pay a lot for ones that do a fantastic job. There are many routes that you can take with graphic designing. Learning how to use Adobe PhotoShop allows you to create enticing posters, flyers, and other materials. Businesses will appreciate this, as they often need these kinds of images created for them.

Graphic designing also comes in handy when it comes to creating websites. Web designers often need someone to design the graphical interface of a website. If you learn both graphic design and web coding, you could become a skilled solo web designer. Nonetheless, even knowing how to create attractive web graphics by yourself will pay off.

Graphic designing is a skill which yields many opportunities for employment. But a lot of people who are skilled create their own businesses. You can appeal to both businesses and individuals with graphics design skills. People need all kinds of things designed – from leaflets to t-shirt designs. If you want to take things a step further, you could even learn about 3D designing and modeling. This is a skill often used in animation, product design, and things like architecture and interior design.

Video Editing: With YouTube becoming the second most popular website in the world, video editing skills are more valued than ever. All kinds of businesses want to create video content for their company these days. People even pay for video editing skills for personal projects. Of course, learning video editing can also come in handy if you plan to become a content creator yourself.

Adobe’s Premiere Pro is a world-leader when it comes to video editing, as it works well on both Mac and Windows. Other software such as Apple Final Cut and Sony Vegas Pro is also useful for advanced video editing. It doesn’t hurt to become proficient in multiple programs.

It’s easy to get started in video editing. You can invest in some video editing software and start practicing yourself. There are also training courses which can help you learn fast. For instance, you could take Premiere Pro training classes to learn the software in less than a week.

Many companies hire video editors as part of their media operations. You can also offer your skills on a freelance basis, editing videos for various people. You might want to dabble in video creating and editing yourself by building a YouTube channel. If you become a video-editing whiz, you might even be able to achieve heights of becoming a film or TV editor.

Languages: Having a good command of more than one language is an extremely valued skill. Businesses who need to communicate with international clients will need someone to translate. Some companies need people who can speak multiple languages to deal with overseas colleagues and customers.

In fact, there’s never been a better time to learn new languages. Being able to speak a foreign language is the hottest job skill right now, with 25,000 jobs for interpreters expected to open up by 2020. Government institutions often need those who can speak different languages. The military also hires foreign interpreters relentlessly. Even Fortune 500 companies value multi-linguists.

It’s also a great skill to have for freelancers. Those offering their interpreting skills on a freelance basis can make a serious amount of money. You could also get some exciting opportunities. For instance, you could translate and interpret interviews at sporting events.

A degree will help you get the best opportunities. But you can also learn new languages at home with sites like Duolingo. Usually, the lesser-spoken languages are more valuable. You can get lucrative opportunities by learning Arabic, Farsi, and Asian languages. You could also teach in foreign countries or tutor language students.

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Coding And Programming: Learning how to code a website or program some great software is a highly useful and profitable practical skill. There are many different coding and programming languages you can learn. But if you learn one, you’ll be able to pick others up much easier.

You might want to start with HTML. It’s the primary language used in creating websites. There are many online resources which can help you get started. The fundamentals only take a short time to learn, but it’ll take more time to create more advanced websites. Make sure you find out how to code a site that’s functional on all browsers. Learning to code to W3C standards is also helpful.

Learning PHP and JavaScript is also necessary for professional web designing. You can add things like forms and dynamic web apps using these languages. You should also learn CSS, which is used to style websites. You should also become familiar with MySQL databases. These are often used for managing databases on sites with a base of users.

When it comes to programming software, Java, C, and C++ are the most popular programming languages. You might also want to learn some of the top programming languages for mobile development. The smartphone app market is becoming huge. Learning to create useful and engaging apps is a highly valued skill. You could get paid to develop apps for business, or even create your own and profit from them.

Writing: Writing is becoming more and more valued in today’s content-heavy market. Businesses often hire talented writers to create blogs and promotional materials for them. Those with creative copy-writing skills could also work in advertising writing jingles and scripts.

You should also look into technical writing. It involves simplifying complex materials for a wider audience. It’s a valuable skill, particularly for writing things like instruction manuals and white papers.

The best way to develop writing skills is to get plenty of practice. Creating a blog and taking on freelance writing jobs will help you to develop a portfolio. Although education can help, your body of work will be the most important factor in getting lucrative opportunities.

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Sound Editing: Audio editing is another skill that comes in handy, especially for freelancers. You can use free software like Audacity for basic editing jobs. Becoming proficient in programs like Adobe Audition and Avid Pro Tools will allow you to take on more complicated jobs.

You can take on various sound editing tasks, like editing radio advertisements and video voice-overs. Those who want to take things a step further may want to get into audio engineering. Those who master sound engineering software are capable of becoming music producers or working on sound for films.

Like other technical skills, you can find resources such as YouTube tutorials and courses to learn. It’s a talent that can take you a long way if you dedicate yourself to it.

Featured Image By: Pexels

May31

Cool Decorating Ideas

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Cool Decorating Ideas

Heyyy everyone and happy Sunday! So every once in a while my parents and I like to hit up Tuesday Morning, which is a lot like TJMaxx minus the clothing. The store has a lot of cool home decor pieces including everything from furniture, mirrors, artwork, and any knick knack you can imagine in one convenient location. Every time I go to Tuesday Morning I tell myself that when the time comes for me to decorate my own apartment I will most definitely be shopping there. I took some pictures of some pieces that I thought were fun and unique to share with you guys and maybe give you some ideas of your own for decorating! Take a look:

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^^^^ Rad, right??

I’m a really big fan of the antique-y vibe that I get from all of these cool little odds and ends. My absolute favorite thing pictured above is the step ladder shelf. I admire that baby every time I go to Tuesday Morning and I would love to have it in my room to house my beloved shoes on. I also really like all of the floral painted wall hooks – I can picture a plethora of those hanging up on the walls in my room to display all of my hats and scarves. I get happy just thinking about it! One item in particular that I’m not sure that I would put in my apartment would be the bust statue – but I guess it would be a pretty good conversation piece! What I was instantly drawn to today when I entered the store was the mini pedestals with the glass container covers. Those are absolutely gorgeous, and my first thought when I saw them was that I would love to display all of my jewelry in them. I imagined a row of the containers going across my desk with each of them holding a necklace or bracelet. So cute! It’s always so fun going into Tuesday Morning to see what’s new and exciting, and I can’t wait for the day that I can go there and fill up a shopping cart with all of the decorations that my little heart desires! Until the fateful day that I move out, I’ll just be admiring all of these items from afar!

I hope these pictures inspired all of the decorators out there to get to work on a new project! Where is your favorite place to buy home decor at? What is your favorite decorative piece in your living quarters? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great day! -Sarah