Reviews by Cole » home

Design it, decorate it, dust it

Cole — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:08:35 +0000

If I had more money to spend, after clothes and make-up, I’d invest in more home decorating. I still haven’t found my stride; although, I tried in San Antonio. It’s harder now, trying to mesh styles of interior design with a roommate. My style is definitely more grown-up and sophisticated than others my age. For example, I like framed art rather than posters. I prefer to line up my pictures in an appealing way. I like when every vase or candle or statue has a place of its own and I cycle through decor based on the season or holiday.

I once read some advice about picking a main theme or piece to use as a basis for your decor and, in San Antonio, I used a large wall mirror for that purpose. However, there’s no room to put it up in my current apartment so it’s leaning against a wall. It definitely makes me a little sad because it’s a very nice piece. But the rest of my decor, which uses an autumny golden orange theme doesn’t seem to match because it’s not up.

I could also definitely use a lesson in grouping and choosing items that either match or contrast in a way that helps to make the decor of a room feel complete and well thought out. My interest in this definitely had a correlation to watching all those home design shows and now sites like Pinterest or Houzz make it even easier to get ideas from people who are more creative — and experienced! — than I am. A decor coffee table book would be cool, too.

A place for everything, everything in its place.

Cole — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:44:48 +0000

I am not a super organized person buuut I suspect I would be more organized with some awesome Tetris shelves. These shelves really speak to the geek in me. Brave Space offers a whole line of shelving in the shape of Tetris blocks–for a pretty penny, of course. Last week I stumbled across another retailer which made similar shelves for a better price but now I cannot find it again, of course. TetrisFurniture.com boasts another type of shelving system which seems both functional and versatile. I like the designs slightly better, too.

The search has turned up more than a handful of other Tetris related products. GadgetSharp did a whole post on Tetris inspired products, including planters, mirrors, soap and other furniture.

For every concept come to life, there are just as many still in the works, it seems. It’s no surprise because people are inventing a lot of experimental, stacking and easy-storage type furniture these days.

It’ll all go well with my new Heartris shirt, don’t cha think?

It’s Etsy!

Cole — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:18:44 +0000

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Etsy. Probably quite a few. I’ve known about it for a cuople years but I never actually made any purchases until just recently. Part of the reason was that a lot of the things I ran across when I was first introduced to the site had a DIY and cheap flavour to it. I can, honestly, never imagine paying for a dinky little friendship bracelet. I’m sorry. More recently, I’ve started looking at Etsy as a small business market rather than flea market and that might be due to some of the items I’ve been looking at or had my eye on.

For instance, I bought an amber coloured, lotus shaped candle holder, which is now sitting atop my mantle shelf, from katiediditglass. (I do need to move some of the pictures so it’s not to crowded). It looks great with a tealight in it and ~~I can’t wait to burn it (with some very careful kitty supervision)~~. Okay, I just lit it up because, why not?

It doesn’t feel (or look) cheap quality or DIY at all. The flame through the glass petals look great and the reflection on the walls around it is also gorgeous. It definitely looks “bigger” all lit up and can even be used two ways. Mine is with the petals pointing up.

I’m still waiting on a pair of potholders (which may be in the mailbox, actually) from Etsy user AlternativeSewing. They feature rather Day of the Dead-esque skulls and red roses. I even figured out a way to display them, rather than leaving them stuffed in a drawer which I haven’t done with anything in my kitchen thus far. Depending on how much I like them and how Ryan feels, I may opt in for the table runner, too, and eventually make my own place mats to match.

I will definitely be spending more time on Etsy for household things but there’s also a host of vintage items. Vintage isn’t really my thing but if you’re into ye olde fashion, it’s worth checking out. if you’re more crafty than I am (yet), you can browse a host of supplies. Fabric, yarn, canvas, buttons and beads, patterns and even wood are all waiting for you to buy them.

In fact, I picked up some absolutely gorgeous red floral brocade fabric for a bedroom project. (Why haven’t I finished that yet?!). It’s actually reversible with black flowers on red on one side and the opposite on the other side. I was floored by how pretty it was when I got the package. Picture did not do it any justice. Unfortunately, it catches Phantom’s eye too, so I’ve had to tuck it away.

I’ll probably make another purchase or two before I’m done. I’ve really become quite the fan of Etsy.

A solution, for now

Cole — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Well, I can no longer say that I have to struggle with my fitted sheet to get it on my mattress. Wal-mart has a collection of mathing separates so I was able to buy just a fitted sheet and save a bit of money. Luckily, they had one which is close to the colour of my sheets (an off white-ish colour); even though it’s slightly darker, it matches pretty well. It would be cool if they had this section online – but they don’t – and even expanded it because I imagine I’m not the only one who has ever had need for just one sheet, eh?

Close the shutters!

Cole — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:09:00 +0000

I’m a pretty big fan of hardware – the fixture, hinge and knob type – and have some pretty strong preferences (I love wrought iron). Of course, it’s easy to overlook the outside hardware such as lights, railings and shutters. I think because people no longer must rely on shutters for protection, with windows being strong and more weather resistant, that they forget about little touches which can really improve the worth of your home. It can be a lot harder to make the outside of your home look as nice as the inside, especially if it’s getting up their in age, old fashioned or paneled in brick/stone but adding shutters, if you have none, or even replacing the outdated shutters on your home can help to bring in some extra money when you’re talking about selling. Even if you aren’t ready to move now, or ever, shutters can make your home look just a little nicer, a little more complete.
I personally like Louvered and Board-and-Batten shutters and am not a big fan of Baham style shutters. With the styles and colours of shutters available, not to mention hardware (hinges, holdbacks, etc), you can’t really go wrong.

If you’re looking into any home improvement project Inviting Home has not only the materials, such as decorative hardware, you need but inspiration and ideas so that you can create the perfect abode. I like the more classic Celtic and Fleur de Lis patterns when it comes to hardware like pulls but if you want something different, you can try painted floral hardware or even animal shaped hardware. Who doesn’t want a Cockatoo adorning their cabinetry?

Does everybody know what time it is?

Cole — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:22:00 +0000

I love to watch home improvement and makeover shows. So much so that I’ve been burned out on the home improvement shows for a while, actually. It’s a shame because they can be great for ideas, especially when there are professionals helping and giving advice, but they can get old fast. I sometimes make a mental note about what kind of work will raise the value of a home (bedrooms are always a plus, a usable backyard space with deck always helps, define the space with “staging” when selling) and what doesn’t work so well. While you might enjoy a theater room complete with home theater seating, the next owners might have no use for such a permanent use of space. My interest in these things makes me wonder if I should ever consider being an interior decorator? Probably not.

Bright Ideas

Cole — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:37:00 +0000

I always sort of think about some mysterious dream home I’ll have in the future with custom hardware, paint and decor. While I have focused on furniture and wall decor, I’ve also given a bit of thought to lighting fixtures. Although not permanent, my lamp is one of the few things I shipped to Misawa from Wisconsin. I still have it and absolutely love it. I really like lighting which looks sort of Gothy, like the kind you might find in an old mansion or castle. I’m also fond of some pendant lighting but that’s more hit or miss with me.

Of course, I may never even have the chance to shop for things like these. Who knows?

Do you feel secure?

Cole — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:37:00 +0000

When I was younger, we didn’t lock our doors let alone have a security system. Of course, the need for home security systems is much greater in today’s world. It wasn’t until sometime last summer when I first experienced anything to do with a security system and I thought the set up was really interesting but couldn’t quite figure out how it worked. I always pictured alarm systems working something like how they show it in the commercials – with electronic data streaming through the walls. After some research, I realized it wasn’t anything like this at all and is really a lot simpler once you understand how home security systems work.

Swiffer Sweeper+Vac

Cole — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:27:00 +0000

So far, I have been really impressed with my Swiffer Sweeper Vac. I liked the o riginal Swiffer Sweeper because it was so good as picking up dust and hair but found that I still had to sweep because it did not adequately pick up larger dirt. However, with the addition of the vacuum function, the Sweeper Vac is everything I need to clean my floors before scrubbing with my other favourite Swiffer: the Wetjet.

The Sweerper Vac is easy to assemble and must be charged before the first use for 24 hours. I think that the charging is probably my biggest problem with this. Although I realize even an iPod must charge for hours, a whole day seems like a long time for less than 30 minutes of performance time. Still, I have used this product 3 or 4 times already on the first charge. Unless you have many or unusually large uncarpeted floors, I don’t think this will be a problem.

Like the original Swiffer, the clothes pick up those minute particles but use of static. The vacuum which flips out of the way so you can apply the Swiffer cloth is fairly quiet and picks up everything I had previously used the broom for like crumbs, string and kitty litter so I have to use 1 less tool to clean. The vacuum even works well on some carpet and rugs so I use it to clean my bathroom and kitchen mats as well. The vacuum is bagless and dirt is stored in a little cup on the unit which must be emptied out.

This Sweeper Vac is pretty lightweight which makes it easy to use and I think it would be great on any hard stairs. But don’t expect this to replace your full sized machine. It also makes it easy to store by hanging up.

You will need to replace the Swiffer cloths (2 come with the original kit) as well as the filters periodically. However, the sweepable surfaces in my home are few and small so I don’t imagine I will have to do this periodically.

So far, I am really happy with my Swiffer Sweeper Vac but I am curious as to how well it will hold up over time.

Incensitive

Cole — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:36:00 +0000

Another method I use to fragrance the air in my home is incense. Incense has been used for many years in both practical and religious senses. I don’t use it as much as some people and my house doesn’t constantly smell like the inside of occult/magick stores but I do like to use it, especially since I just got my pretty blue glass incense burner back!

I tend to use the stick kind and have tried a lot of different scents from basic vanilla to more exotic scents. My favourite scent which I’ve been burning for years is a refreshing, relaxing scent by Escential Essence (purchase at MatchlessGifts.com).

Escential Essence incenses are not as smokey as someone and do not simply smell like burning wood, which I like. The incense, packaged in bags of 16 with a blue and white label featuring a foil sun come in scents like Rain Goddess, Myan Temple, Tibetan Musk and Mountain Wildberry – my personal favourite. It can be found in the aforementioned occult shop and has a woody, fruity scent that reminds me of the rain forest or jungle (though I don’t know what either smells like! LOL)

Escential Essences incense sticks are 10″ long and the package advertises them as cruelty free, probably a good thing as many incense users are nature lovers. Each scent is labeled with sort of a magical magical description (although the “fine print” says that the incense is sold as curio only, no magical effects are guaranteed); for instance, Mountain Wildberry promotes harmony (and who doesn’t need more harmony in their life?).

The back of the packages suggest usages or properties for the specific incense. My favourite comes with the advice to burn during “Joyous summer festivals. Meeting old friends and lovers” where Tebetan Musk is good for “Inner truth, Love, Mountains, Strength and Prosperity, Strong and penetrating scent.”

Magical properties aside, I enjoy Escential Essences incense simple because it’s a clean burning, wonderfully scented incense. Of course, incense comes in many forms besides sticks and there’s quite a market for incense related products and accessories so you can enhance the smells of your home and beautify it at the same time.