Kitchen Decorating Tips

Small changes can have a big effect on how your kitchen looks. Below are 11 decorating ideas that you can do yourself in a day or less. Not only are these simple changes are easy to do, but they are inexpensive too!

1. Afraid of changing your drab white kitchen walls? Instead of choosing rich, deep colors for your first project, you will likely feel more comfortable with a neutral such as beige or gray which will not date the room or create a jarring palate that you will easily tire of.

2. Brighten up the kitchen. Use mirrors to capture the sunlight and bounce it around. Try putting a mirror across from a window or on a wall that corners against the window wall for the most light distribution.

3. Make seasonal changes. Moving the kitchen furniture into a 'summer arrangement' can optimize your space and give it a more airy feel. Make it light and breezy - think about removing some of the furniture and decorations for a lighter feel. Open those curtains and let the sun shine in!

4. Use slipcovers. Slipcovers over your chairs can soften the room and add to your decor. For the holidays, try using special covers in holdiay patters or colors. For a nice summer change use white cotton or canvas slipcovers on the chairs.

5. Get ideas from the pros. Look in magazines, books, television or the internet to get a flavor of the accessories and designs you would like to see in your kitchen. IF you see a kitchen decorated in a way that you like, think about how you can duplicate the same decor in your home.

6. Decorate with cookbooks. You can make a nice display with your cookbooks. Try grouping them in interesting configurations with some laying down and some standing. Don't put small books next to tall books but align them in graduating sizes.

7. Warm it up with rugs. Area rugs can add a splash of color or cover up an old or unmatching floor. When buying rugs, measure the space so you can be sure to get the right size. Rugs used under a table should be large enough to also accommodate the chairs when fully pulled out.

8. Bring the outdoors inside. Don't be afraid to hang plants from any bare ceiling corner to give a lived in feeling to a plain kitchen. Plants provide interest and soften up the room. For above the cabinets or hard to reach places, silk plants work just as well as real ones, however, if you do buy silk, go with a good quality arrangement that looks realistic.

9. Change your look with accessories. A few strategically places accessories can change your kitchen from dull to dramatic! Maybe you want to go with a certain theme and you might be able to give your kitchen a whole new look just by replacing some key accessories like toaster covers, dish towels, cannister sets, salt and pepper shakers and pot holders.

10. Change your cabinet pulls. Theres so many different styles of cabinet pulls these days - figural, wooden, ceramic, glass - you should be able to find a design that matches your new decor easily. They are easy to install yourself and your friends will think you got new cabinets!

11. Add a border. wallpaper borders are easy to put up and can add color and interest. You can use them at the top of the wall or go with a less traditional use underneath the cabinets. Use them at chair rail height to break up long walls. An even less expensive (but more labor intensive) alternative is to use stencils and paint.

About the author:
Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.a-kitchen-decorating-idea.comwhere you can find tips to decorate your kitchen no matter what your budget. Find out more about decorating your kitchen for less at http://www.a-kitchen-decorating-idea.com/decoratingkitchenonabudget.html

Choosing Your REALTOR Gerald MeyerWith so many realtors competing for your business, how do you know which one to choose? Here are a few things to consider when choosing a realtor.

The most important decision you will make in the sale of your home is the Realtor you choose.

Some points to consider:

Find someone you feel comfortable with. If you don't feel you can ask questions or go to your Realtor, you have the wrong Realtor.

Your Realtor should show you research to back up any recommendations. This includes information about recent sales, current listings and recent expired listings in your neighborhood.

Choose a local Realtor. He or she will know your area better than an outsider, will be seen as a source for people looking to relocate in your neighborhood, and will get better co-operation from other agents. It is likely that any amount you might save by having a friend or relative from outside the area serve as your Realtor, will be lost in their lack of knowledge about the very specific local market. Ask for references from the Realtor. He or she should be willing to give you names of previous clients.

Ask your friends and acquaintances for recommendations, but make your final choice based on your needs.

Ask the Realtor to show you what will be done to market your home. Consider the office and company support available to him or her as well as the initiative and professionalism shown by the individual.

Look for a Realtor who tells you what he or she knows from experience in the market, and not what they think you want to hear. Flattery may sometimes get the listing, but it doesn't sell the home!

About the author:
Leanna Meyer is a Realtor with Re/Max Cross Country and can help you find Lewisville Texas Real Estate. Find homes for sale and area information for Flower Mound Texas, Lantana, and Dallas, TX. Learn about the North Texas area at http://www.LeannaMeyer.com. Free buyer and seller reports are available as well as a mortgage calculator and other mortgage information. Visit http://www.home-improvement-sites.comfor Home Improvement.

7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pilejames ellisonCompost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches, becomes a dark, crumbly mixture of organic matter.

Learn how composting works. Even a newbie to composting can make good quality compost. It can be compared to cooking as art or part science. The following 7 factors will help you master the art of composting.

1. Materials
After a time anything that was once alive will naturally decompose. But, not all organic items should be composted for the home. To prepare compost, organic material, microorganisms, air, water, and a small amount of nitrogen are needed.

These items are safe to compost at home:
* grass clippings
* trimmings from hedges
* vegetable scraps
* leaves
* potting soil that has grown old
* twigs
* coffee filters with coffee grounds
* tea bags
* weeds that have not went to seed
* plant stalks

These items are Not safe to compost at home:
* weeds that have went to seed
* dead animals
* pet feces
* bread and grains
* meat
* grease
* cooking oil
* oily foods
*diseased plants

2. What To Do To Make It Work
There are small forms of plant and animal life which break down the organic material. This life is called microorganisms. From a minute amount of garden soil or manure comes plenty of microorganisms.

Nitrogen, air, and water will provide a favorable environment for the microorganisms to make the compost. Air circulation and water will keep the microorganisms healthy and working. The nitrogen feeds the tiny organisms. You may have to add a small amount of nitrogen to the pile.

Putting on too much nitrogen can kill microbes and too much water causes insufficient air in the pile. You just cannot add too much air.

3. Beneficial Microorganisms
Bacteria are the most effective compost makers in your compost pile. They are the first to break down plant tissue. Then comes the fungi and protozoans to help with the process. The arthropodes, like centipedes, beetles, millipedes and worms, bring in the finishing touches to complete the composting.

4. Smaller is Better
The materials will break down faster if the microorganisms have more surface area to eat. Chopping your garden materials with a chipper, shredder, or lawnmower will help them decompose faster.

5. Size of The Pile
The activity of millions of microorganisms generates heat in the compost pile but a minimum size 3-foot by 3-foot by 3-foot is needed for a hot, fast composting pile. Piles that are any larger may hamper the air supply needed in the pile for the microorganisms.

6. Moisture and Aeration
If you can imagine a wet squeezed out sponge with its many air pockets, then this would be the ideal enviroment for the microorganisms in the pile to function at their best. Pay attention while your pile is composting, to the amount of rain or a drought you may have. Water in a drought and maybe turn the pile in a lot of rainy days. The extremes of these two may upset the balance of the pile. The use of a pitchfork would come in handy at this time.

7. Temperature and Time
Keep your pile between 110F and 160F and the beneficial bacteria will love it. Not too cool nor too hot. The temperature will rise over several days if you keep a good ratio of carbon and nitrogen, maintain lots of surface area within a large volume of material, and maintain adequate moisture and aeration.

-Importance of Compost-

+Compost has nutrients, but it is not a complete fertilizer.

+Compost provides nutrients in the soil until plants need to use them.

+ It loosens and aerates clay soils

+ Retains water in sandy soils.

-Using the Compost-

+ A soil amendment, mix 2 to 5 inches of compost into gardens each year before planting.

+ A potting mixture, add one part compost to two parts potting soil.

+ Make your own potting mixture by using equal parts of compost and sand or perlite.

+ A mulch, prodcast 2 to 4 inches of compost around annual flowers and vegetables, and up to 5 inches around your trees and shrubs.

+ A top dressing, mix finely sifted compost with sand and sprinkle evenly over lawns.

The final thing I would suggest once you have mastered the art of composting is to look very seriously at making your very own aerated compost tea. This elixir will give you results that are hard to believe.

About the author:
James Ellison makes it easy for you to understand making a compost pile correctly. If you need to know more about organic gardening visit: http://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com

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