How to Treat Bay Windows and Skylights?

This is a guest post by Alana Southwell. A DIY home improvements enthusiast. With her many experiences in arts and crafts, she shares her insights on All Weather Blinds as well as in all her other blogs. In this article, she share with us some creative ways to install shade on bay windows and skylights.

It is difficult to determine the best design for every window in your house. Each window is a unique design.
Certain dressings may only be good for one window but not for the other.

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The Problem with Difficult Windows

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The idea of dressing your windows can be very frustrating. Just you start dressing your windows, you will realize later on that the design you have chosen is not good for the other windows. Some windows are tall and hard to reach while others have arches and limited mount space. You just cannot apply one style of dressing to all your windows. Each window must be uniquely treated.

But you need not fear. It's not the end of the world. You can still treat your windows to give a stylish, one-of-kind look to your home interior. You just need to pay close attention to the detail and style of your windows to create a unique design for your window dressing. 

A Keen Eye for Bay Windows

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These type of windows are famous for its intricate architectural feature. Yet, this type of window is quite difficult to treat because of its complicated architecture. You need to have a keen eye for details when decorating these types of windows.

Here are three (3) practical suggestions on how to install shades on a bay window:

1. Using window shades, start installing at the middle window. Bay windows consist of a series of windows laced at different angles. It is good to start at the middle as it is where you can find the focal point of your design.

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2. After installing the shade on the middle window, measure the other two windows starting from each end of the middle window to either right or left.

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3. If you don't want to go through the difficult task of measuring, then you can use drapery panels instead. Window shades look pretty sleek on your bay windows but colorful draperies make them quite lively.

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Bay windows are elegant types of windows. They create a focal point to a room in the house. It is important that you give it the right treatment if you want to maintain a beautiful home interior.

Reaching for the skylights

Here’s another difficult window to treat. First of all, skylights almost impossible to reach. You need to climb up a ladder just to be able to dress it up. But sometimes you would want to close these windows to protect yourself from the glaring sun. 

How, then, do you dress up these overhead windows? Well, you will need a very tall ladder to reach it. But it’s not recommended to use rollers or cellular shade for these windows. It would require extra steps to install these track rollers with these windows. Your life would be much easier if you use motorized rollers or shade instead.

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Because each window in your house is unique, you cannot use on type of shade for all windows. But you can get creative with your home furnishing by using custom blinds for each of these windows.

You just need to pay attention to the details of each window to get the right design. The task of decorating your windows with custom blind can become quite exhilarating but it’s very rewarding in the end.

Author: Alana Southwell

Alana Southwell is the lead content curator for All Weather Blinds. She has great passion for DIY home improvements. She is an arts and crafts enthusiast with plenty of experience in renovations. She enjoys writing about her family and adventures in her blogs. If you want to catch her, she is on Twitter: @AlanaSouthwell.

Top 5 Coolest DIY Furniture Ideas

Furniture is really important part of every space and in some cases a well-chosen piece can really change the overall look of the area and give it a whole new style.
What makes furniture so amazing is that you don’t often have to waste a lot of money to get all kinds of new and exciting items for your home.

 If you invest some effort and spend some time doing things your own way, you can create something that is truly your own and completely original. If this is a thought that entices your imagination, then here are some great ideas that you may like.

Tables 

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One of the most common and often, the easiest elements that you can create on your own are the tables. You can create them from simple wood trunks that you sand down and paint over. Cable turners are also a great element that can be easily converted into a simple rustic table with little effort and even less money. 

Things like old railroad lays can be turned into old style tables and their unique texture will really make them look amazing if you put a thick layer of wood lacquer over them.

Shelves

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Few things are as simple to make as shelves and the best thing is that you can recycle some of the old furniture elements that you have in your home. Things like old doors, old window frames and similar items can easily be contorted into a series of smaller wooden grades that you can use to make any sort of shelves that you need. 

Shipping boxes made of wood are a great source of material that you can use to modify it and create awesome shelves, as well. In most cases you can even find some of these at local transport companies that get them by thousands. 

Moving Furniture Outdoor

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One of the great ways to use furniture pieces that may not look good with your new home style is to simply move them to your garden or outdoor seating area. In order to do that, you will have to finish the wood in a specific manner that will make it resistant to various parasites and water. Sanding down the furniture is one of the first things that you have to do. 

Replace the glue lacquer on your furniture with the outdoor one. Most furniture elements come with indoor lacquer. Don’t just use the same products again, but buy the type of protective products specifically designed for outdoor elements. New coat of paint should be waterproof and you should apply several layers to keep the wood protected. Regular paint over will keep your furniture healthy and allow it to last long even under the influence of bad weather conditions.

Repairing Old Wood Furniture

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In some cases you won’t really have to buy new stuff if you like the furniture that you already have. One of the most common issues that most people have to deal with when it comes to old furniture are the damaged surfaces that are mostly lacquer deep. 

This may sound like a complex issue but it is not. All that you have to do is get some sandpaper and sand down the lacquer from that furniture item. Make sure that you remove everything and then place a new layer of lacquer. Choosing a darker color of lacquer is a good way to make sure that any cuts in the wood become barely visible and give the furniture a whole new life.

Ordinary Pallets

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One would not really think of plastic pallets as of some sort of valuable or important item that you can use to create interesting and original furniture, but you could not be further from the truth. Pallets offer a perfect building foundation for any DIY enthusiast. 

They can be easily turned into tables with just a stable column and few additional boards. Basically, if you treat them as a type of Lego – style material, you can make any piece of furniture using them.

While it may take a little effort, furniture elements that you make on your own will or the ones that you repair will really become something special in your home. Don’t just throw away old furniture pieces as many of them can be used in all kinds of different ways. 

All that you have to do is invest some time and creativity into making them come back to life again and become a part of your living space or your garden, one more time.

This is a guest post by Diana Smith.

Affordable Trendy Renovation Ideas

This is a guest post by Mark Brandon. Mark is your go-to guy when it comes to home renovation and inspection. He shares his expertise to people through a variety of blogs like Safe and Sound Property Inspections. In this article he talks about cheap yet trendy renovation ideas for a modern home.

When it comes to home renovation, busting the budget is everybody’s biggest fear. Basically, there is a good reason behind this. Why would one ever pursue a major home renovation project when it can be done at a price that is affordable? While renovating, every little thing fixed or installed in a house will add up to the total expenses. So, to save a little, here are some budget-friendly solutions to transform your home into something trendy:

1. Opt for natural light without having to add windows

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Before you cut a hole for the frame of a window, you can consider a less expensive and less invasive way of letting the light in. For instance, installing a light tube can help brighten up a hallway or a bathroom. When using this, sunshine will just slip through the roof shaft, thus, allowing natural light inside the house.

2. Head to bargain shops or recycling centers.

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Recycling centers and bargain shops are the best places to find the cheapest yet functional home furniture pieces or building materials. 

People can reap bigger savings with these items as they are being sold at about half its actual price. Though there are plenty of designs to choose from, make sure it suits your contemporary theme.

3. Ask your contractor regarding the materials that will be needed. 

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If you are planning to change your flooring to something classy, you can always ask your contractor, whether he has leftover stocks from his previous projects. 

In case you need hundreds of square feet of hardwood in varying length and width, he can refer you to other job sites with plenty of unused materials. This way, you can save much in material costs alone and still achieve the design you want.

4. Consult an architect.

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Normally, a renovation project involves a set of construction blueprints, frequent meetings, and multiple project-site visits. And, at the end of the day, the commission of an architect may sum up to 8 percent of the overall budget. But most often, this depends on the scale of the project. 

You can always ask an architect to have a one-time design consultation for a flat rate, in which he will determine the issue and then plot the simplest possible solution.

5. Consider DIY projects.

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Depending on the results you want to achieve, you can renovate your house for a price that won’t hurt your pocket. But, this can only happen if you are willing to undertake a little DIY project. It is definitely a fast and inexpensive way of getting new furniture pieces without having to deal with major demolition works.

6. Upgrade the appliances and other home accessories.

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Using energy-efficient appliances will not just transform your home’s overall appearance to something contemporary; it will also save you lots of money as you will be paying less on your monthly utility bills. Also, minor changes, such as replacing the cabinet knobs and outlet covers will give your house a different look and feel.

7. Minor alterations outdoors may boost your house’s appeal.

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A wooden deck made of broken furniture pieces always makes a good addition to a home’s outdoor living space. Apart from that, recycled planters also add beauty to a patio or a walkway. With these minor alterations, you will not just improve the appearance of your home’s outdoor; it will also positively impact your home’s overall value.

8. Get efficient with eco-friendly materials.

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Eco-friendly fixtures, such as tankless hot water heaters and ceiling fans, are among the most energy-efficient upgrades any homeowner can opt for. They don’t just function as decorative pieces; they also reduce your overall monthly energy consumption for about 10 to 20 percent.

The next time you renovate your home, always keep in mind that every little section is equally important. And that any minor changes will have an impact to the home’s overall look and feel. So, if you are not satisfied with every inch of your house, you should seriously think about remodeling the cheap yet trendy way.

Author: Mark Brandon

Your Handy Dandy Guy and is extremely career-focused and family-oriented. He is also DIY builder with plenty of experience in home renovation and home inspection. Whenever he learns something new, he shares it online through blogs hoping it can help some people. If you have any questions, you can reach him via Google+. Twitter or on his blog Safe And Sound Property Inspections

12 Ideas on How to Turn Your Small Balcony or Terrace Into a Beautiful Oasis

Lately I have been posting mostly premium, high end and luxury pictures. Pools, huge terraces and not everybody can afford a big pool, or a very generous backyard, so, with that in mind I thought I should do an article more down-to-earth and that's what i'll be posting now.

We will browse through 12 ideas on how to turn your small balcony or terrace into a beautiful oasis, and I know that are a lot of you who will find this collection extremely useful and inspirational.

Most of these ideas are very cheap and some of them can be made by yourself using old materials or old furniture. You can start small, with a plant and an old chair or you can go and buy everything :D

Source: Homesthetics ; Home Talk ; Three Dogs in a Garden

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10 Original DIY Deco to Make Your Easter More Interesting

Easter is a very traditional holiday which everybody usually spends with their  family or their closest friends. But et’s say you want to surprise and impress your friends or your family?

Take a look at some unique and fun Easter crafts that will make this celebration a non-typical and very memorable one!

Painting and dying eggs is so usual but what would you say to embroidering them? Of course, these are just non-edible decorations but they look just stunning!
Your friends will be blown away and will love these Easter DIY Decorations.

Easter urban jungle garden / Source

Embroidery Easter Eggs / Source

Easter Wall Hanging / Source

Cracked Egg Shells Decor / Source

Crepe Paper Vegetable Surprise / Source

Stained Glass Easter Eggs / Source

Game Of Thrones Easter Eggs / Source

Easter Egg Landscape Art / Source

Felt Bunny Egg Cozies / Source

Easter Table Eye-Catching Centerpiece / Source

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10 Awesome DIY Easy-to-Make Easter Signs and Boards

Signs are a great way to decorate your house in every holiday, and Easter is of course one of them. Boards and signs are a fun, cheap and easy way to decorate your home and involve the whole family in the process.

You might think that some signs for Easter with bunnies, eggs and chickens will be boring but wait until you'll see our beautiful collection of 10 Awesome DIY Easy-to-Make Easter Signs and Boards!

Pastel bunny sign / Source

"Bunny Loves You" sign / Source

Bunny tails sign / Source

Farmhouse Easter sign / Source

Foam egg Easter sign / Source

Stenciled Easter sign / Source

Decoupage Easter sign / Source

Easter scrap wood sign / Source

Peter Rabbit Easter sign / Source

Burlap canvas Easter sign / Source

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