Secrets of Making Your Home Truly Unique

Secrets of Making Your Home Truly Unique

In my last article we looked at using a home decor site to select items to design a truly custom home. Today I would like to revisit our friends over at keepabox.com to find items that your family will enjoy in their special spaces. I think everyone has seen how often in a room a single design element or accessory can really set the tone of the room. A mantle with a large wooden ship, or A candle tree with multi-colored flickering candles, or a little side table with a unique lamp - any of these things highlight your style and announce to your visitors that you have vision for your home and you enjoy your spaces.

In that same tone - let's start in the entryway of your home - with the mental image of having a few friends over for dinner. Think of the first things someone sees and what they will notice when they first walk into your home. Will they see a drab empty space or a unique space with a hanging painting - just below that a slender table hugs the wall with several shelves filled with items that immediately spark conversations. "My what an interesting bronze figurine" - they'll say or "I love that little table - I'm sure it was very expensive". Either way, the conversation will turn to your decor and the ideas and experiences behind your choices. What will you reply - "oh, I got that piece because it was on sale" or "I just bought what everyone else was buying" - No, your home was designed according to your tastes and your families wishes, you have put time and effort into making an environment for your family that is truly unique.

As you walk into the Family room - imagine the side tables with unique lamps and possibly a couple of unique figurines or photo frames. Along the walls - you will have several hanging paintings or other wall decor and you mantel will be graced by a large centerpiece that draws the eye and announces to the visitor that this is indeed the center of this space. The conversation will turn to "how did you select that piece" or " I never would have thought about such a beautiful combination". Then on to the Kitchen and dining area as you offer your guest a drink poured from one of our gracious or uniquely themed tea sets and a cookie from a themed plate - it will seem as though each area of your home has been designed around the overall decor of your home. Each piece just seems to fit with the room and each room flows from one room to the next. It will be a memorable experience for your guest and something they will want to tell others about.

Don't forget your bedrooms and bathrooms - these are the most often forgotten rooms, yet, they tend to say more about a home than any of the more public areas. These spaces are truly personal spaces and should reflect the style and personality of each inhabitant. Imagine again what your guest will think when they enter your bathroom and find matching mirrors, shelves and tables - along with matching rugs and toiletries on your vanity. Again, the style has continued from space to space and room to room - anyone would have to be impressed. Then as they leave the bathroom they pass your bedroom with exquisite bedding, matching pillows, side tables, unique accent pieces and wall decorations. They will eagerly ask you to show them all of your unique rooms - they may even want to take notes for their own designs. When they ask where you got your ideas - don't be too coy - just point them to KeepABox.com and let them find their own unique inspirations.

Easy Design Without Spending A Dime!

People today are presented with so many options when it comes to decorating their homes and personal spaces. The number of web-sites devoted to this cause number into the thousands and present more choices than any sane person would ever actually need. But, by making the most of the options on a well-designed site you can take your design inspiration to new levels. Many people tend to start by collecting pictures of the colors, furniture, and accessories that they like. These pictures are often cut from a magazine or printed from pictures on the internet and can get quite messy very quickly. There are tools available on the internet that allow you to gather these things into a working page that can easily be saved, changed, or removed without messy scrap books, craft glue, paint or scissors. It is also important to note that the pictures need not reflect exactly what you're looking for, but, rather convey your general tastes in design and color. After all - it wouldn't really be any fun if someone else did it for you - would it?

Let's start with a great site that is very near and dear to my heart - keepabox.com. On this site you really need to setup an account - this way you can save your work between sessions and come back to finish when it's convenient for you (it's also a good idea to sign up for the newsletter - it's full of helpful articles about design and home decor). Once you have signed up for an account you can begin by using the fabulous search feature on the site to begin identifying major pieces in your room, color combinations, seasonal tones or just about anything else you can imagine.

For example, since Christmas is rapidly approaching - let's start by doing a search for the word 'Christmas' or 'Santa'. In the results of your search you will begin to see various seasonal items that should get your creative juices flowing. Even if a particular item isn't exactly what you're looking for - imagine how you could use the colors or combine the item with something else to achive the look you want. Choose the 'Buy it Now' link - which actually just adds the item to your cart - you don't actually have to 'Buy it Now' - but, you have that option. The screen will not change, but, you will notice that the shopping cart link at the top of your page will now show (1) items. You can click on the shopping cart link at any time to view the items you have collected. Sometimes just seeing a shape will lead you to your next inspiration. There are literally thousands of items that you can choose from to mix and match to achieve the look you desire.
Next, try searching for 'lamp' or 'table' to get more ideas about shapes and colors for your project. Again, focus mainly on the idea of what you want and try to visualize a combination of items to fine tune your exact vision. As you go from one page to another - remember to add the items to your cart so you can collect and compare your finds at the end of the session. Also, remember that your cart will be saved when you log-off so you can continue your design session anytime you choose.

Once you have compiled a good cart full of choices - click the 'shopping cart' link at the top of the page - you will be taken to the cart and you will be able to see each of your choices in a list. Now, you can contrast each of your selections with one another until you have the exact combination you need. When designing a new look it's often a good idea to purchase multiple items to customize the design over time - this way your look never has to look stale. Again, you can truly achieve that custom design look by combining items - try using a white side table along with several candles to create a mood-setting centerpiece. Let your imagination run wild and your home will be a truly custom treat for your entire family.

Gift Giving : Make Every Day Special

This article is Copyright 2008 - Please Do Not Duplicate Without Permission from the author.

The idea of presenting gifts to friends and loved-ones is as old as time itself. We want to show the people in our lives that we care for them and that we appreciate all of the things they do for us each day. Often times - we make the mistake of waiting for those major holidays to express our feelings, but, these are often the times when our feelings may get lost in all of the hustle and bustle of a large holiday.


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If you want your friends and family to truly 'hear' what you are saying - to truly understand that your feelings are real and sincere - then you should give gifts when you choose - in those times when you just want to say thanks, or I appreciate you or I love you. I'm not sure who came up with the idea of holidays for expressing love or giving gifts, but, it would be a real shame if we limited ourselves to expressing these feelings to once a year.

A tradition that I have involves giving gift baskets. The wonderful thing about gift baskets is - you can customize the contents to say anything that you want. For example: you can put together a 'thank-you' basket filled with decorative and scented candles, a spa kit with body lotions, sea salts, and shower gels and a special figurine or token of your appreciation.


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Or, an 'I love you' basket with a stuffed animal bearing a cupid heart, a glass rose, jewelry, scented candles and other tokens of affection that show your loved one that you truly treasure their love.

Another idea is to recognize the dates that are significant in someones life - such as graduations, anniversaries, or landing a great job - a basket filled with sports themed mugs and T-shirts, a decorative photo frame with a photo from the event, travel kit with a razor or a beauty kit with scented soaps and oils can truly express your happiness for them on their special day.


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At KeepABox.Com you can find any of the above contents along with beautiful wicker baskets that you can customize for your unique gift giving need. Most baskets are sold in a set - with multiple baskets. They will often be different sizes and this makes customizing those unique messages even easier.

You could use the small basket for a 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift, and the medium for a 'get well soon' basket and the large - you could fill with delights for that very special person in your life just to remind them how much you care for them. There are also baby gift baskets of course that celebrate the blessed event - these baskets come in blue or pink for boy or girl and have toys, rattles, brush, snack cups, bottles and lots of other baby friendly goodies.


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A basket really is a great gift to receive - not only do they look beautiful when decorated and filled with goodies, but, when the goodies are all gone - the basket can be used to hold other more ordinary items. Some great ideas for baskets are for flower arrangements, table centerpieces, Entry-way table dressers, mantle place center pieces, placed on a dresser with commonly used items, placed on a bathroom vanity to hold toiletries, placed on shelves to act as organizers for many small items, by the back door to hold fresh fruit or other common items, in the sewing room to hold spools of thread or yarn, in the laundry room to hold common items - you're only limited by your imagination.

Baskets look great and can turn a mess into a masterpiece in no time at all. Remember this when your thinking of that special person in your life - it truly is a gift that keeps on giving - season after season - year after year. Each time they look at the basket they will remember the wonderful gifts and the person and thoughts behind the gift.

Article - (C)opyright 2008 - Chris Jenkins - www.KeepABox.com

Candles, Aroma and Lighting Collection - Keepabox.com

This week we have added many new items to our candles, aroma and lighting collection. These items include many scented candles such as apple cinnamon, orange, ocean mist and many others. We also offer candles scented like your most favorite baked foods - such as the Pillsbury waffle candle and the apple pie and french toast candles - these are sure to add a delicious aroma to your home. While you're there check out our themed lamps and candle displays- we have some of the most beautiful lanterns anywhere!
Candles, Aroma and Lighting Collection

Christmas Items are now arriving!

KeepABox.Com - I have posted a few pictures of the new items being added to the site this week. Check out the cute snow-people and the beautiful angel stocking. Try searching for the word stocking in our search box - we have tons of great Christmas stockings for every member of your family. Also - you can search for the words 'Santa' or 'Snow' to see our huge collection of Christmas related items - or just go directly to the Christmas section for all of our items Christmas.

Sample Items from the new Collections

New Fall Merchandise and Seasonal Items

Keep-A-Box is a website devoted to home and garden decor as well as collectibles and gifts. With 1000's of unique home amd garden items for all your design needs! We carry items from classic,contemporary and exotic decor items. We have home furniture, art, glass display, collectibles, garden art,stepping stones, bird houses and baths, wind chimes, statues, fountains, bronze-finish statues,and much, much more! Check out the themed decor sections to choose from African, coastal, western, asian oriental, and so much more! We offer search by room and advanced search for your custom keyword needs. check us out today!

The new Fall items have begun to appear on the site this week and we will be posting additional Halloween and Christmas items soon! Check out our selection and great prices to complement any decor and style.