5 Easy Ways to Refashion Your Living Room

We usually spend 1/3 of our life sleeping - so don't you want to sleep in a room that contributes to mesmerizing dreams.  An unpleasant and disorganizes room can cause depression. What if your room is a central hub for family time- maybe you cuddle with you munchkins and you fond of reading in bed. A depressing and un-colorful bedroom can make your gatherings boring.

It is an easy way to remodel your room without changing the entire interior. Like, you don't have to reinstall windows, but you can replace the curtains and blinds to redecorate your room.

Things Which Should Be Considered First

Are you ready to refashion your room? You just required a little time to consider the following.

✔ What Exactly Do You Want?

First, ask yourself what needs to be changed to get happiness. Is your room too dark or too light? Does street noise affect your peace?

✔ Think About Your Style

Choose a style and fuse with it to evade getting derailed. You should be clear about the style you want to get- a dazzling, well-ventilated bedroom, or a murky comfy room.

✔ What’s The Basic Use of Your Room?

Are you spending more time resting in your room? Are you using it as an office? Is it a movie theater? On the off chance that there's no real way to keep the room held for rest alone, at that point you have to consider its different employments.  There could be several reasons you should consider.

1. Systematize and flush out

To remodel your room, you should get rid of unnecessary stuff which is not in use anymore. If you love to read the books in bed, don't overstuff the side table by keeping all the books there. Put extra books back in the rack.

You can give your unwanted clothes to needy ones to keep your closet clean.

2. Craft Walls That Appease

If you want to change the overall character of the room, there is no better idea than painting. You can find many paint ideas over the internet.

It's the fastest and cheapest way to change the entire look. Do your best to look for a color that enhances the perfect environment that you want in your bedroom — snug and warm, light and up to date, or vivid and eclectic — there are millions upon millions of colors to choose from. If the one color is not working, you can always paint over it.

3. Think About Window Coverings

You may think its furniture that makes the room catchy, but window coverings are more important than anything that pulls the room together. Firstly, you need to decide what kind of covering you will prefer Curtains, blinds, or shades. If you are looking for a variety of windows covering you may contact Blinds in Franklin, TN.

4. Decor The Room- Hang Art That You Adore

The bedroom is the perfect place to hang the artworks that depict your personality. It could be anything sculptures, kids’ painting, and silk rugs. This how you can remodel & refashion your living room.

5. Focus On Good Lighting 

Is there too much or too dim light in your room? And your room is suffering from it. You need to find a perfect match that will soothe you. Use lights which can be dim or sharp, according to the requirement of the environment.

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Die Cutting: A Beginner’s Guide

Cricut. Spellbinder. Silhouette. Brother. Sizzix. Do any of these brands sound familiar to you, or do your friends mention using these? All of them are brand names of die cutting machines. Obviously, each brand has several different models, and maybe you are just dipping your toes into the die cutting pool. Maybe you want to create your own Christmas cards, birthday cards, wooden signs, or scrapbook pages. Well, here are some tools that you might consider having on hand as you start your crafting.

1. A die cutting machine

Now there are all kinds of machines, but the first thing you will need to decide is if you want an electric machine or manual machine. The electric machine would require software that has images that you can either purchase and/or download to your machine which will cut your design for you. A manual machine will require you to purchase die (see point below) and hand-crank your designs through the machine. Both options have their pros and cons. Your choice should depend on cost, what type of project you are creating, and how often you plan to use it. 

Click here to see popular reviews of die cutting materials à https://cuttingmachinereviews.com

2. Paper

The most common type of paper used with die cutting machines is cardstock. It is a very versatile and clean-cutting material. You can purchase it in different colors and thicknesses, depending on what type of project you are working on. 

Other types of paper include vellum and vinyl. Vellum is a somewhat transparent, delicate paper. Essentially, whatever is behind it will show through. Vinyl is another type of paper that die cut machines use. It is mostly used for making signs, including the wood signs that are so popular currently. You can make the sign using vinyl and attach the vinyl right to your wood or metal sign, or you can keep the negative of the vinyl and paint the quote on the wood or metal. 

3. Dies

Dies are the metal cutting implements that actually cut your paper. If you are using a manual die cutting machine, you will need to purchase dies with designs in them so that they will punch out the design onto your paper. These are placed on the paper and either stamped or rolled over with your manual machine to create the impression on the paper.

An electronic die has blades on it that freeform cut the design into the paper. While this might seem easier, these blades will have to be replaced.

As far as what types of dies you should look to use, you should look for many generic designs to begin. Look for floral designs, traditional shapes, lacy designs, and even die with quotes on them. Think about what type of designs and projects you plan to complete and get a variety of different dies to add to your collection.

If you feel like trying your hand at it, or if you want something truly unique, you can even try to create your own dies, as you can see here. This would be a great option for bigger dies or ones that you cannot find in the store. 

4. Accessories

While the die cutting machine and die are the essential parts to the process, there are also tools that will help make it all work more smoothly.

A hand blade is the first tool on this list. These can help poke out designs that didn’t cut all the way through the paper or even just popping stubborn patterns out of the paper. 

Another very handy tool would be a cutting pad. These come in different sizes and types, even self-healing. You place the pad under your paper as it goes through the machine, then the blades don’t tear up the machine or the table it sits on. 

Lastly, on the useful tool list would be some type of writing utensil and tape or glue. The writing utensil would be beneficial if you needed to draw your own design or plan your project. The tape or glue would help you put your project together.

That’s it! Now that you’ve read a little about the process behind die cutting, go get started on your first project!

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3 Easy Upcycling Projects to Teach Your Child the Fun of Creative Reusing

With more and more household waste polluting the environment, upcycling needs to go hand in hand with recycling. It is essential for the upcoming generation to understand the importance of upcycling and waste reduction. Teach your child to enjoy upcycling through these easy craft projects.

Self-watering Plastic Bottle Pots

Plastic bottles not only end up in landfills, but they also end up in our oceans as well. Starting a garden with plastic bottles instead of pots, your child will be adding more oxygen to the earth and reduce plastic waste.

Things you need:

     • Plastic bottle

     • Knife

     • Thread

     • Nail

     • Hammer

     • Soil

     • Easy to grow plant

Steps to prep:

• Cut the bottle into two equal halves (cut latitudinally not longitudinally to separate the top of the bottle from the bottom of the bottle).

• Make holes in the cap of the bottle.

• Put a bunch of threads through the holes in the cap.

• Screw the cap back onto the bottle.

• Fill the bottom half of the bottle with water, a little past the halfway point.

• Invert the top half of the bottle with the cap tightly screwed in place.

• Fill the top half with soil and plant a small sapling.

• Place the inverted half of the bottle over the waterfilled half of the bottle.

• Ensure that the threads are well immersed in the water, else the water will not get soaked into the soil.

Envelop Notebook

Stores buy brown envelopes online, and the envelopes end up from your home to the landfill. You can upcycle the brown envelopes to make a small notebook.

Things you need:

     • Brown envelopes online stores pack things in

     • Thread

     • Paint

     • Hole Puncher

Steps to prep:

• Cut equal sized rectangles out of multiple brown envelopes.

• Stack the paper together

• Punch three holes on one of the longer sides

• Take the thread and bind the paper together to form a notebook.

Milk Jug Piggy Banks

Plastic milk jugs, just like soda bottles end up polluting land and sea. Your child can save the environment and money by turning a milk jug into a piggy bank.

Things you need:

     • Milk jug

     • Knife

     • Scissors

     • Paintbrush

     • Acrylic paint

     • Hot glue gun/super glue

     • Egg carton

Steps to prep:

• Turn the milk carton with the handle facing downwards.

• Cut a coin slot, on the side of the jug facing up.

• Cut four cups out of the egg carton.

• Attach the four cups to four downward corners of the carton, creating legs for the piggy bank. Use hot glue or super glue to make it stick well.

• Allow your child to paint the pig creatively. Draw on ears and eyes or attach cut out cardboard to make ears and eyes.

• Paint the screwed-on cap as the nose of the pig.

• Insert coin through the slot and take them out by opening the nose of the pig.

Your child can grow plants in the upcycled plastic pots, make notes of the plant growth in the upcycled notebook and save money for more plants in the upcycled piggy bank. Let your child come up with more upcycling projects to encourage the habit in them.

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How to Make Your Used Car As Glamorous As You

photo source

Whether your car is a brand new purchase or five years old, you must take pretty good care of it. Your car serves you so much every day. You take your children to school in your car; you go to the office in it, and it also holds all your shopping bags when you go on a crazy shopping spree. It bears the accident marks from your initial driving days, stains on the seats from the coffee you had. The brake may have become loose. All of these needs to be taken good care of. Maintaining your car not only keeps your car brand new for long but also prevents any accidents from occurring in the future. If you want to make your car glamorous and want some tips on how to do so then read on.

Removing the scratches

The first thing that people most often notice on your car is the scratches on it. Scratching removes paint from your car and makes your car look older than it actually is. If you want to preserve the beauty of your car then go for a repaint. If you have proper insurance from the car company then you can get a good paint job done at a cheaper rate. If you still do not want to spend so much then there are pens available in the market that can remove small scratches in few rubs and make your car look brand new again.

Car wash

Your car goes through so much every day. The wheels collect so much dirt and grime from the road. It is important to wash your car every week. You can get the car professionally washed or you can wash it yourself with some good car shampoo available at various petrol pumps.

Car polish

New cars have a kind of sheen to them but as the car ages, it is gone. Do not worry; you can get the sheen back by using rubbing compounds for cars and other polishing materials.

Proper servicing

Change the engine oil, check the brake, proper functioning of the horn, alignment of the car, and the condition of the ac, the airbags, and check for pollution control. You must also change the rubber seals as these get worn out due to wear and tear.

Keeping the tank full

Do not let your car use the reserve oil. Always try to keep your petrol tank full and refill it before it reaches reserve again. You must also check that the car tires have enough air.

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5 Tips to Finding the Right Hardware for Your DIY Project

When it comes to brainstorming the best do-it-yourself projects at home, crafting electronics and other computer-based devices are one of the coolest and most interesting activities that you can start with. Every project that involves electronic and robotic systems relies on a good hardware; one that is user-friendly, made of high-quality materials and has a durability that will stand the test of time.

Although doing these kinds of DIY projects can be a fun learning experience for many people, most beginners might still get lost along the way. Choosing the right hardware for your project is critical to the success of your project, that is why it is important for us to pay attention even to the smallest details. Read more about the five tips for finding the right hardware for your project and start creating your own masterpiece today.

Get to know your project.

To avoid wasting time and resources, it is recommended that you get to know your project well first and to have a comprehensive design for it. After determining the different components that you need for your DIY electronics, it is now time for you to research on the best hardware brands and models in the market. Make sure that every piece is compatible with the one another to lessen the risks of small mechanical failures.

For most starter DIY projects, Arduino is one of the cheapest and most flexible options. At $30 or less, you can already start building your own electronic device. For more advanced projects, Xilinx Zynq 7000 is a highly recommended electronics board. It is a super low-cost alternative to ZedBoard in which designers can take advantage of the massive processing power and extensibility of its architecture among others.

Visit your local shop.

The best way to know more about the different types of hardware that are available for your project is to visit a local shop. Not only do they have a wide range of hardware that is suitable for your project, but they are also equipped with skilled staff and support team that can provide you an assistance in case you need it.

Access the best online resources.

First and foremost, you should already be familiar with these kinds of DIY electronic projects. You can learn from great online resources for beginners such as E is for Electronics and Khan Academy’s Electricity and Magnetism. You may also try out different electronic kits, so you will know which one is the perfect fit for your DIY project.

Check out other people’s works.

With thousands and thousands of DIY projects out there, you will never run out of ideas for your next masterpiece. You may even find similar projects that can give you an idea of which hardware is the best to use for the purpose of your device, its design, and your budget restrictions.

Get expert advice.

Learning everything from scratch is a real challenge for most of us. Fortunately, there are many opportunities in which you can work with like-minded people and ask for suggestions for your hardware needs. You may join online forums and discussions to seek help from the experts. Another option is to join hackerspaces, a community work-space in which you can collaborate hands-on with other people with interest in computers, technology, electronics, and science among others.

Any other helpful tips?

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3 Tips to Making DIY Air Fresheners

A great smelling room can greatly affect one’s brain and body. Whether it is a natural scent or not, a good smell can hugely affect the ambiance and mood of a room. This is the reason why air fresheners are widely popular wherever you go. Amygdala, which is a part of our brain that controls emotions, filters the molecules we inhale. This is why we need to be careful of the things we inhale because these molecules can affect our brains. Using artificial air fresheners can give our living spaces a good smell buy it also contains harmful chemicals that can cause damage to our bodies. These chemicals are known to cause hormonal imbalance and reproductive harm. On the other hand, using essential oils instead can affect our bodies in a positive way. As an alternative, making DIY air fresheners are becoming a trend today. Not only is it safe, you can also tweak it to however you want it. An air freshener can last longer using DIY techniques as well.

photo source

Here are three tips for making DIY air fresheners.

1. Make sure to have a balanced blend.

When making an air freshener, it is important that you have a balanced blend of scent. Essential oils are volatile ingredients that is why they can easily evaporate faster. This is why essential oils are used as a base mixed with heavier ingredients so it can last longer. Artificial ain't fresheners are still known to have longer staying power but that does not mean homemade ones cannot compete. Homemade air fresheners use a combination of top, middle, and base note oils so that these fragrances can last longer. It makes your home smell wonderful making you feel comfortable and relaxed. It also gives actual physical benefits compared to synthetic fragrances.

2. Make an herbal potpourri.

Another creative way to make a natural air freshener is by making an herbal potpourri. It's simple and easy and most.importantly, it is a natural botanical fragrance. It's also a great way to involve kids in making this as a fun project. All you need to make an herbal potpourri are herbs of your choice and essential oils. If you happen to have herbs like hibiscus flowers, orange peels, rose bids, cinnamon chips, and chamomile flowers, mix them all together in a large bowl or jar and put a few drops of your chosen mix of essential oils. Mix them all together until all the ingredients are fully mixed and incorporated. After that, you can place your jar in strategic places like your table in the living room or above your desk. You can also put them in airtight containers for future use. An herbal potpourri will instantly make your room smell nice like flowers in the garden.

3. Make a fragrant simmer pot.

If you want to instantly make your kitchen smell wonderful, make a fragrant simmer pot of simmering select ingredients such as lemon, rosemary, orange peels, basil, or mint. You can also add more herbs and spices to your preferred mix to heighten the fragrance. You can leave your simmered pot or place it in a jar and let it sit in a room. It will give your space a wonderful aroma.

Those are some tips for making a DIY air fresheners. I'll love to hear other tips from you too.

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Bento Baon Serye: Simple Snack/Lunch Baon

Hello! School break is here. Finally, break din ng mga mommies like me.

But still I opted to continue posting my Bento Baon Serye just to give you more snack or lunch baon ideas for the next school year.

Here are a set of simple baons:

Snack: Lava Cake, mentos,  Bear Brand Yogu Milk Drink

Lunch: Rice, tortang talong, grapes

Snack: Loaded white chocolate-filled snack,  Ducthmill Yogurt Drink

Lunch: Rice, chicken afritada, fried banana, grapes

Snack: Egg sandwich, Choco Mucho minis, Zest-O iced tea drink

Lunch: Rice, siomai, fried banana

Snack: Pandesal egg sandwich, Sunkist orange drink

Lunch: Rice, chicken adobo, apple slices

Snack: Whatta Tops rocky road cupcakes, Selecta Moo choco drink

Lunch: Rice, chopseuy with quail eggs, apple

By the way, I made this diy bento picks too.

That's my simple baon set. I hope I have given you ideas on how to prepare your kids school baon. 

Happy bento-ing!

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Bento Baon Serye: Do It Yourself Bento Picks

Hi there! How's your week so far?

If you will ask mine, kakatapos ng 2-day leave ko but parang hindi naman talaga ako nakapahinga. I cleaned the house, I did the laundry, reviewed Matthew, prepared our meals. Well, all of these naman are part of my daily activities. So, why complain? Haha

No actually, iba talaga and feeling kapag nasa bahay. Kahit nakakapagod ang house chores, I have this different fulfillment. And I am sure my son loves it when he go home and I am there. Hay, I am dreaming again.

Sige na, let me share na lang another set of bento baon. For this set, I'll share another tip. 

Bento picks are not cheap. Tapos mawawala lang hindi ba?

Snack: Pancake, Minute Maid orange drink

Lunch: Rice, siomai, buttered corn, grapes

Nake na-experience ko na yan ng ilan ulit. Sobrang nakakahinayang kapag nawala ang bento picks.

Snack: egg pandesal, Bear Brand Yogu Milk Drink, grapes

Lunch: Rice, adobo sa dilaw, grapes

So instead of buying expensive bento picks. Why not make your own pick?

Snack: ham sandwich, Bear Brand Yogu Milk Drink

Lunch: Rice, giniling with quail eggs, fried banana, apple slices

By the way, these nice picks I bought at a very low price. Check out My Bento Tools from Shopee and Daiso for cheap bento tools.

The rice molds also I bought at 24.00 pesos only for 2-piece set na.

Ayun nga, mahal ang bento picks talaga. Although meron ka ngang mabilhan ng mura, nakakahinayang pa din na kung mawawala. Much better to make your own bento picks.

Snack: banana bread, Yakult

Lunch: Rice, bistek with quail eggs, grapes

Before I don't have the eye picks. So what I did was I download photo from the net and print, then I cut and paste on a pick. Same with the mustache na upto now e naghahanap ako ng murang mabilihan, haha.

These leaves too, I print then cut and paste. Namahalan kasi ako bumili nyan  before. But I bought 2 pieces for 50.00 pesos ata.

Since my son loves McQueen.

Snack: wheat bread egg sandwich, choco iced gem, Nestle Chuckie chocolate drink

Lunch: Rice, tuna burger, fried banana and apple

So I also made these picks.

It's easy peasy actually. You can use matte stickers or bond paper then scotch tape to make it water proof.

This race flag is nice with the checkered apple right?

There you go. I hope I have given you ideas on how to prepare your kids school baon. 

Happy bento-ing!

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5 Tips to Transforming Your Garden Shed into An Artistic Oasis

The idea of taking a mediocre backyard shed and turning it into an artistic oasis or relaxing retreat has become quite popular among DIY enthusiasts all over the world. A garden shed is often used for storage and is prone to collection dust, cobwebs, and insects. While a shed can easily turn into an eyesore on one’s property, it certainly doesn’t have to be. This article will provide some tips to transforming your garden shed into an artistic oasis that will be an asset to your property portfolio.

photo via Pinterest

1.   Make a plan. 

If you have a garden shed on your property already, you have already completed half of the project. The hardest part is determining where the shed will be and how you will get it installed or built. If you already have one on your property, you will then need to decide on how you will want to use the space differently. After you have determined if you will use the space as a yoga retreat house, a cozy nook, or a painting studio, you can then begin to plan out what materials you will need and how you want the space to look. The functionality of the space will need to be taken into consideration when planning as you will want the shed to work out well with your vision. 

2.   Put up drywall. 

It is likely that you will want to use your shed in a way that it has not yet been used. To give the structure more stability and to make it seem like an extension of your home, you will need to put up drywall. This is a project that can be hired out or done by yourself with some help from a handyman. 

3.  Add insulation. 

After you have installed drywall, you will also want to add insulation to the space. Adding insulation will help keep cold air out in the winter and keep cold air in during the summer months. If you have insulation, you could consider adding a small heating or air conditioning unit to the space to manage the temperature. 

4.   Rent equipment.

If you do not have a garden shed on your property already, you will likely want to prep a place in your yard to have one. The best way to do this is to rent equipment to dig up dirt and create a space to build your shed. Smartcast Equipment is a great place to check out for rental equipment.  

5.   Paint and decorate. 

After you have added drywall, insulation, or built the shed from scratch, you can then prepare to paint the interior and exterior and plan out your decor. Adding a fresh coat of paint inside and outside will spruce up the place a great deal. Add some decor that goes along with the theme of the space. For example, if you have created a yoga retreat, add a yoga mat, meditation cushion, towels, blocks, straps, and other tools that you may need while practicing yoga. 

*This is a pre-written/guest post.

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Part 2: Matthew Andrei's Babababababanana Party At Home

After Matthew Andrei's babababababanana party at school, it's time naman to prepare for the dinner celebration at home. My brothers and sister arrived, with my in laws too.

Since dinner pa naman, I we still have enough time to prepare the food and this party decorations. Minions is still the theme hence the yellow and blue colors.

All these, I made and designed with much love for our dear birthday boy.

Our little boy, who I know was very happy to see what we prepared for him. Partida, it's his third celebration na ha so maybe that's the reason why he made this pose, haha!

Another pose with his pretty cousins. Time flies indeed, they grow so fast!

These mag-tito talaga are always like this. They have love and hate relationship, but still he is tito's favorite. Regaluhan ba naman sya ng lechon e.

Here are our handa for dinner. Daddy and I cooked all of these, except the lechon.

Made this corner for sweets sana but since wala naman maraming kids na visitor, we didn't buy candies na.

And this one, Matthew got as additional gift from his birthday party at McDonald's. I just print out that Minion to match the theme.

Soon after we finished with the preparations, visitors came in.

We just invite few close friends and relatives.

We also invited our colleagues.

So this ends the three birthday celebrations of our little boy. It was exhausting but just seeing how happy our son is on his special day, it's all worth it. And I must say, I will never get tired of preparing diy home party for him.

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