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How to Choose a Fantastic Christmas Gift for Your Sister

November 21, 2012 by Trish

There are few people in the world who will ever know you as well as your sister. You and she share common family lines, personality traits, and memories of growing up. If you want to give your sister a gift she’ll cherish this coming holiday season, then the time to start planning is now. Need some inspiration? Here are some tips for how to choose a fantastic Christmas gift for your sister:

Give her something she needs. Does your sister make regular sacrifices for others? If so, she most likely has a secret wish list of items that would make her life a lot easier (or otherwise pleasant) – items that she would never buy for herself. For example, if your sister’s son has the latest iPhone and she is still navigating the roadways with a compass (we all know a woman like this, no?), you can do her a big favor by gifting her with any of a number of great gadgets, from mp3 players to GPS units.

Give her a fantasy gift. Everyone has a fantasy land in their minds that they like to visit when real life is stuck in the doldrums, and chances are your sister has allowed you access to her daydreams on more than one occasion. Tickle her fancy this Christmas by giving her a unique and unexpected gift that springs from her secret wishes. For example, a hot air balloon ride might be perfect for a woman who secretly wishes she could fly (even adults have childish fantasies), while a guided excursion on horseback might be ideal for an adventurer who spends all of her time tied to the home front.

Something sentimental. The most meaningful gifts don’t have to cost anything but your time and thought. Rummage through the family chest to put together a sentimental gift that will tug at your sister’s heartstrings. For example, you can create a scrapbook with old photos, or create a video dedication to your sister using clips from old home videos.

Get the entire family involved. If your ideal gift for your sister is going to require a considerable expenditure that you’re simply not capable of meeting on your own, then you can ask your family members to contribute in order to make it possible. The great thing about a family gift (in addition to the sheer magnitude of what you can afford) is that it is a wonderful reminder for your sister of how many people she has in her corner . . .and there is perhaps no greater gift than that.

When it comes to choosing the perfect sister gifts this Christmas, you are really only limited by your imagination. Think of all the qualities that make your sister special, and then draw from this list for inspiration to create a gift that she’ll never forget.

About the Author: Kendrick Henandez loves his twin sister with all his heart and hopes to make her smile with an extra special surprise this holiday season.





Filed Under: Family, General Musings, Gifts Tagged With: choose, Family, fantastic, gift, holiday, need, sentimental, sister, Unique, videos

It’s that time of year – so many sales!

November 20, 2012 by Tricia

I guess it’s time to get ready for the holidays. We’ve already had Thanks Giving here in Canada, but I know my American friends are just about to celebrate one of their biggest holidays of the year and the excitement is building not just for the upcoming holidays but for shopping, shopping and more shopping.

I don’t know about you but I’ve been bombarded with commercials, flyers and emails advertising special Black Friday sales. As I said I’m in Canada so I can only imagine what it must be like for those of you in the States who can truly participate in the sales. Sure, stores here will have sales and those of us who live near the boarder can drive across the boarder and get in on some deals. We can also get in on some of the online deals although not all of the online stores have bargains for international customers. I don’t feel all that international being in Canada but I suppose I am.

If I had some spare money and I could go on a spending spree I think I’d get another TV for upstairs. Nothing expense as it would rarely be used, but it would be nice to replace the very old tv that’s already up there! I might also look into getting some comfortable folding chairs so that when we have too many visitors for dinner we’d have extra chairs for the table! Ok, so I don’t really need much .. but I’m sure if I was actually browsing through a store or looking at a site that had some fantastic sales going on I’d come up with a few more things that I’d “need”. LOL

What about you? Are you going to take advantage of some of the holiday sales coming up this week? Or are you going to stay home and celebrate Thanks Giving with your family for the whole weekend and forget the sales?

Filed Under: Canada, Gifts, Home and Lifestyle, Items to Try, Shopping Tagged With: Black friday, bombarded, border, buy, Canada, celebrate, christmas, commercials, customers, drive, emails, flyers, international, Money, online sales, sales, Shopping, stores, Thanks Giving

7 Beautiful and Budget Friendly Christmas Decoration Ideas

November 20, 2012 by Trish

Christmas is a time of celebration, light, fun and frolics; and while all of these are seen en-mass in shops, on streets and from the side of the road it is nice to be able to do the same in your home. However, like most highly lauded events, there is expense involved and Christmas can be quite an expensive addition and this doesn’t stop for Christmas decorations.

Fortunately, with a little innovation, a festive willingness and some skill you can ensure that your Christmas decorations shine, but don’t bankrupt Santa.

Gold Pinecones

One of the best ways to ensure that your Christmas looks great but doesn’t go overboard financially is to buy a pot of gold paint. Placing pinecones in paint is a great way to create a cheap but beautiful decoration that can be used on tables, mantle pieces or in baskets or bowls. You can even place some thread around them and use them on the Christmas tree. It’s a low cost way towards looking great.

Have a Drink

One thing that a lot of us will find an abundance of during the period of Christmas is empty bottles. These can be used as a great candle stick holder once cleaned and can really add a dramatic effect to your home.

Go Rummaging

Put on a warm coat and a pair of gloves and use Mother Nature for your decorations this Christmas. Natural evergreens, branches and berries are wonderful items to display beside candles and really create that Christmas feel. Do be sure you place the candles behind a hurricane glass or on a stand to prevent the items catching fire.

Ribbons

Christmas bows can be used to create that wonderful warm Christmas feel. Why not add a coloured ribbon around the pillows on your couch or chairs to make them look like Christmas gifts. It’s a simple and also dun way to bring the season of joviality into your home.

Entry Hall Décor

Why not gather some branches from your home and then add a little spray paint to them and place them in a case in the entry hall or in your dining room. This can create that festive feel for guests and also looks very sophisticated. Make sure that there are no creepy crawlies in your branches before you paint them.

Add light

Lights are one of the things most associated with Christmas and really give that warm festive feel some depth. Making your own luminaries is not that hard and can really yield some fantastic results when they are placed on mantle pieces or stair cases. There are numerous places to find instructions online and they are very low cost Christmas lights.

Wreathes

It’s also quite easy to make your own wreathe and can be achieved by bending greenery into a circle and then tying it with some string or twine. Look for a good thick piece of greenery for this and then if you like you can intertwine berries and other materials within for colour.

Enjoy your Christmas and take time out to enjoy yourself during this most feted of holidays.

Cormac Reynolds writes for Festive- Lights a UK company with a wide supply of Christmas decorations including lights, trees and other items.

Filed Under: Home and Lifestyle, Recreation Tagged With: beautiful, budget, celebration, christmas, Christmas lights, decoration, drink, entry hall, ideas, light, pinecones, ribbons, wreathes

Why You Should Buy Rugs: Five Amazing Benefits That These Home Decors Provide

November 18, 2012 by Trish

There are necessities and optional commodities and in today’s economic climate, it is easy to see which among these general classifications should be prioritized. When people think about carpets, they don’t really associate it with that much importance as these are neither life-changing nor life-preserving. Yes, this is an understandable sentiment, especially among those struggling to make ends meet. But frankly speaking, the above rationale is an outdated perception towards carpets and should be corrected before any decision towards purchasing them can be finalized. There are a number of advantages to having a rug at home or in the office that should be acknowledged. Listed below are some of them in order to give you a clear insight as to why you should definitely consider them as a part of your home décor.

1. They add more personality to your home.

With their flamboyant colors and designs, it is easy to appreciate what carpets do to your environment. They inject life. They add warmth. And above all, they reflect the purpose of any specific area in your home. There are times when they tie together different ornaments you put into one room so they serve a common theme. In some instances, they solely carry the responsibility of highlighting space features and making the room look more elegant. Commonly, they represent your tastes and character so that visitors know more about you without even having to start a conversation. And although it may seem unnecessary to have all of that responsibility rest on an inanimate object, there is a certain convenience to just making the carpet a focal point in your home décor and discussion.

2. They protect the hardwood floors from damage.

If you have children or pets at home, then perhaps you understand how difficult it can be to keep expensive wood or tile floorings free from damage and scratches. Moreover, you would certainly appreciate the way rugs could cover up high traffic areas and spare them from the pressure of foot traffic, spills, and furniture movement. Yes, there are alternative ways to maintain the pristine nature of your brand new flooring, but you can’t always polish them or guard them from your dogs or your family’s activities. When you are tired or are going out, it is comforting to think that you have a rug in place to absorb all the shock and stains that could have seeped into the flooring materials.

3. They minimize the risk of slips.

Rugs produce friction which improves stability within a solid surface. When you rely mainly on hardwood floor that does not have fibers that oppose or latch on to the bottom of your feet or shoes, you stand a greater chance of slipping. Now, these could lead to debilitating conditions such as sprains, or worse, fractures. It could even pose more danger to kids and older people who have no control over their gait and are less aware of their surroundings. In spite of the chances being slim, the fact that it can happen is threatening enough. And it definitely will keep anyone at home from visiting the hospital if there are carpets and runners positioned to discourage people from speeding.

4. They absorb noise.

Ever wonder why concert halls and recording studios are fixed with wall to wall carpeting? It is because they could use a lot of help when it comes to eliminating unnecessary sounds from the environment. Carpets are very good when it comes to that as adding cushion padding beneath them should enhance their innate ability to reduce noise. They also make good sound barriers between floors so transmissions don’t get mixed up. Furthermore, you can certainly benefit from using them in the bedroom, where you do not want to be disturbed by foreign sounds or foot traffic.

5. Cleans out the air from dust particles.

Given their material, it is easy to see how carpets help out in maintaining the quality of air in the room. It is no secret that they are quite effective when it comes to trapping dust and silt, thereby keeping them from mixing with the air we breathe. This keeps us from having allergic outbursts and developing rhinitis. But then again, they do have a limited capacity. And eventually, this characteristic may backfire and expose you to more allergens than you can handle. This is why it is important that you regularly vacuum carpets within your house so they can serve you their purpose more effectively.

Of course, there are downsides to their use such as high maintenance demands and expensive price tags. There may be cheaper alternatives but more often than not, these cheap counterparts easily wear out. If you choose the right provider, you can take care of these problems and make the most out of the benefits these products provide.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/

Cedric Loiselle is a highly talented writer providing quality articles for a wide range of niches. These include business and finance, health and fitness, as well as home improvement and real estate.

Filed Under: Home and Lifestyle Tagged With: absorb noise, benefits, carpet, floors, Home Decor, personality, protect, rugs, slips

6 Bright Storage Ideas for a Boy’s Bedroom Without Breaking the Bank

November 17, 2012 by Trish

When you’re on a tight budget, creating enough storage for your son’s bedroom can be difficult. Solid shelves, bookcases, wardrobes, drawers and so on can be expensive and generally very uncreative to look at. But when you try to make the move to providing a more exciting bedroom for your son, the price increases and your budget goes out the window.

So how do you combat that? How do you create an adventurous themed room for your son on a tight budget, which includes enough storage to keep track of his abundance of toys, books and games?

Mainly it’s a case of getting a little hands-on. If you’re ready to put in a little DIY effort, you can make the most of cheap storage options, both brightening up the room and providing organizational solutions.

Peep Behind the Door

Finding over the door shoe racks made of canvas or plastic are a fantastic idea for creating a series of pockets to store little odds and ends in. Got nowhere to put those small toy soldiers or colouring pencils? Just pop them in the storage on the back of the door.

This also creates a ‘safe place’ for your son to put little treasures or important pieces he would otherwise lose.

To add the spark of creativity and brightness, you can try colouring in the canvas or plastic with Sharpies. Alternatively, washable colour pens would mean you could recreate the design over time. As a 5 year old he may want trains, but at 15 he may prefer song lyrics on the pockets, so washable pens allow for future change and development.

One’s Trash is Another’s Treasure

Everyone knows you can pick up a trash can for very cheap from Target or similar low budget stores. Why not use these as storage? You can select colours that fit in with the bedroom and colour-coordinate the bin to what is stored inside; say your son has a race car themed bedroom, why not choose red for homework, amber for clothes and green for toys to create the illusion of traffic lights.

This creates a sense of organisation within the room as well as a cheap and bright solution for storage.

Having Fun with Laundry Bins

Some parents feel that soft storage solutions are a better idea because there is less chance of injury when the item has no sharp corners. Why not look to laundry to help with storage?

Many budget stores produce laundry bins for kids which feature cartoon characters or football themes or train themes etc. Instead of relying on these solely for holding dirty laundry, why not consider them as a hiding place for stuffed toys or shoes or bed linens for your son?

Give Old Furniture New Life

You’re on a budget so you don’t want to go out and buy brand new, expensive, solid wood furniture. However, get yourself to a thrift store or garage sale and see what’s on offer there. Someone’s old beaten up wardrobe could be a treasure to you.

Take it home and repaint it to the theme of your son’s bedroom. Wardrobes have enough surface area to create great football murals; just look on www.NFL.com for ideas of what to paint!

Alternatively, you can dress them up with chalkboard paint in order to create a fun surface for play. This allows for your son and his friends to create their own decoration for the bedroom, while still having enough room for storage.

Stick ‘Em Up

Magnetic paint is a great budget lifesaver for avoiding cluttered desk. By painting your wall with magnetic paint, you create a surface where your son can stick up all his artwork and later notes and homework, rather than shoving them on shelves or leaving them scattered on the floor.

You can paint over magnetic paint with normal latex indoor paint so the wall matches the rest for the room, but secretly holds the power of magnetism!

You can also use it for magnetic hooks which allow your son to have picture frames, or coats and bags to clear the floor area.

Give It a Name

Labeling storage bins, racking pockets and shelves creates an extra level of organization in your son’s bedroom and allows him to be on the same page as you in terms of where his possessions belong. Not only does it instill a sense of discipline when it comes to organization, but also helps him with his reading skills.

Benjamin Baker is a freelance writer who loves having flexibility at work. He says that being a freelance writer allows him as many fishing trips a year as he wants. When he’s not writing or on fishing trips, he’s searching www.menshideaway.com for as many fishing gadgets as he can find. He jokes that a man is only as good as his fishing gadgets!

Filed Under: Home Decor Tagged With: back of door, bedroom, bookcase, boys bedroom, budget, chalkboard paint, garage sale, labeling, laundry bins, magnetic paint, old furniture, parent, repaint, shelves, shoe rack, storage bines, storage ideas, theme, wardrobe

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