5 Reasons You Should Renovate Your Bathroom Now!

The bathroom is one of the most-used rooms in the house, and is also subject to wear and tear. However, when it comes to upgrading the home, it is often overlooked. Many people see the bathroom as a purely functional room, but it need not be this way. In fact, a beautiful bathroom is a very satisfying place, so we have put together a list of five reasons why you really should be renovating your bathroom. 

Add Value to Your Home

Perhaps the most important factor is that a well-designed, modern and fresh bathroom adds value to the home. If you are thinking of selling, it is one of the most cost-effective methods of getting the best price, as buyers will certainly be impressed with a beautiful bathroom. Use the latest fixtures, from showers to taps and more, and you will present a room that is a pleasure to enter and use. Whether you choose a modern, sleek style or a more traditional bathroom suite, you have a great choice of quality, affordable fixtures and fittings, so choose wisely, and you and you friends will be impressed with your new room.

Update a Tired Room

Over the years, tiles become cracked, floors become worn and discoloured and your bathroom fixtures and fittings may be worn or broken. It’s all too easy to simply overlook this and work with what you have got, but you may be surprised to find out how affordable it is to rectify the problem. There are many different types of flooring you can choose, for example, in many different colours and designs, and when it comes to tiles, the choice is endless. Carefully designed tiling can really make a bathroom, so check out the many options and you will find something that suits.

Install Modern Equipment

One of the most impressive aspects of updating a bathroom is the range of modern equipment that you can choose from. The latest taps are very stylish, and many do not need to be touched to work, and the choice of very attractive, sleek and beautiful bathtubs, sinks and toilets means you can change your current, ordinary bathroom into one that is stunning in every way, and practical too. If you wish, you can stay with the traditional look but use more modern furnishings, perhaps with a stylish claw-foot bath, a popular choice for larger bathrooms.

Efficient Electric Shower

Taking a shower is likely one of the most important of your daily routines, but the modern electric shower is a far more impressive item than you may realise. Electric showers come in many forms and are very powerful and efficient, and they are affordable to buy, install and run. There are many head designs offering excellent distribution of water, and with effective control of heat and pressure you can have a shower that is perfect every time. There is plenty of information on the best electric shower for your bathroom design, so make sure you check out the various options and take all the advice you can get. 

A Fresh Approach

For many people, the reason for renovating a bathroom is simply because they want a new look. It is often the last room in the house to get the fresh treatment, so once you have improved the rest of the house, the bathroom may look out of place, dated and tired. Or, you may simply be bored with your current design, and want something new and impressive instead. Taking a bath in a new, modern bathroom is a pleasure that you will enjoy every time, so have a look at the options for renovating your bathroom carefully, and you will find something that is perfect for your available space.

The above are just a few of the reasons why you should renovate your bathroom, and there are many more. Whether you design your new room yourself or have a professional take a look for you, don’t forget to include storage space and shelves, two items that are often overlooked. Once you have your new bathroom design you will feel like you have a whole new home, so start searching now for the best designs available, and enjoy a beautiful, usable bathroom that will be the envy of your friends.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/01/renovate-your-bathroom.html

A Year of Logo Fun

I have been reflecting on a lot of serious things that happened in this last year, but there is one thing that — most definitely — was not. Those of you who subscribe via feed readers or email don’t always see some of the stuff I do direct on the blog’s design, but over the past year, I decided to have a little fun with the logo. With each new holiday or season (or just whenever I felt like it), I changed things up to give my little duckling some personality.

Speaking of, did we ever decide on a name for this guy? I can’t even remember.

When I redesigned the site, I picked out a brand new logo to go with:

It was simple, and that’s part of the reason why I liked it so much. But it also meant I could do random things to it just for fun, like last December when I made him into Duckling Santa (which happens to be the same one that’s up on the site now):

December

In January, I gave him a party hat and confetti, but kept the snowflakes — even though it hardly ever snows here in Georgia, at least the site was festive!

January

Whenever there was a good opportunity, I kept the idea going. Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s Day, etc. I tried to take the “less is more” approach with most of them. ;)

February

March

Easter/April

(I know Easter was in March, but it was cute, so I kept it)

By the time my birthday and summer rolled around, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do regarding holidays, so I went with a more seasonal approach to last a few months (and not to mention, I spent a lot of that time outside and away from my computer anyway):

Summer

Football/Fall

And by December, we were right back to where I started!

It was kind of a silly exercise, but it was also a fun way to flex my creative muscles whenever I found myself hitting a design slump (it happens, and sometimes there’s not a lot you can do about it except push through!) and to see who noticed and left comments about it. A few of you really seemed to like it, so I think in 2017, I’m going to keep it going with some new ideas. They might get a little more obscure if I feel like having an inside joke or two, but I hope at the very least, it brought a few more smiles this year. Have a good one tonight, and I’ll see you all in the new year!

The post A Year of Logo Fun appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/year-logo-fun/

A Christmas Story: The Holiday Cookie Prank

If you’ve been reading this blog for a few years, you’re probably aware of our holiday baking tradition. It always takes place in Mom’s kitchen, all of us doing various levels of helping decorate (sometimes ahem, only doing quality control) and bake the various cookie types. This has also included some rather incriminating photos of me…

With permission, I shared two of those recipes in the last couple of years — my Granny’s favorite, kolaches, and my own personal favorite, hard-boiled egg cookies.*

*The name isn’t the most appealing, but they are delicious. If you don’t want to try them, that’s just more for me!

But this year, as my sister Em and I were rolling out the dough, my mom started talking about one of her favorites: anise cookies. She had made a batch of dough and intended on baking them along with the rest of the cookies we were doing. And it reminded me of yet another funny holiday story that I haven’t shared with you guys yet.

If you’ve never heard of anise cookies, they contain an oil that tastes like black licorice, making them the absolute worst possible cookie flavor of all time. Not to mention, their name always makes me have to pronounce them a second time with friends (“No. anissss, with an ‘i’.” Yes, I know what that sounds like. And yes, they do at least figuratively taste like shit.”)

Growing up, I always hated them. Why the hell did someone invent a cookie that tastes like bad candy? Merry friggin’ Christmas, let’s leave Santa a “treat” that would make even the jolliest want to stomp on our presents. There’s just one little problem…

If we use cookie cutters, they look almost exactly identical to my favorite cookies. They bake and puff almost the same. And for years, as kids, we decorated every cookie that came out of the oven with the same icing and sprinkles.

You can see where this is going. Mom would bake the various cookies in small batches and all at once, and we would go apeshit with covering them all in sugar. So, naturally, I would smell that all-too-familiar smell of my my favorite cookies baking in the oven, grab one that’s sitting on the rack cooling, take a BIG bite, and then…

Ewwwww. The cookie would immediately come tumbling out of my mouth in a fury of crumbs and a WTH?!? look on my face. And to make Mom laugh even harder, she never actually meant to prank me; I would just be unlucky sometimes. You would think I could at least smell the anise ones to distinguish them if they looked too similar to know by sight, but with a kitchen full of cookie smell, it was still too confusing for my weak nose.

I’m not proud of the learning curve on this one. It took us years before I stopped gambling with my 50/50 odds of getting the right cookie. I did stop taking such big bites, though.

I find it pretty hilarious that I would forget to prevent this issue so easily by the next time Christmas came around again. Eventually, our solution was to bake a whole bunch of mine and not ice them (I actually hate icing, so it worked out great) and would leave the anise cookies in a simple round shape (sans cookie cutter). They still look a little confusing when they’re all in the same cookie tin, but it’s now accidental-prank-free.

Do you have any funny cookie memories? I hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday!

The post A Christmas Story: The Holiday Cookie Prank appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/a-christmas-story-the-holiday-cookie-prank/

My Nearly-Naked Tree

This year: well… yeah. I think, based on what I’ve seen on social media, quite a lot of people have reached a consensus that 2016 hasn’t been our favorite year in recent memory.

Perhaps that, and for many of my own reasons why (which I’ll cover in my 2016 recap and not this post), I expected myself to go all out on the holiday decorations. I’m stubborn (duh, hi, have we met?), so I wanted to end the year on a high note: a last, big flourish of Christmasy-ness. Lotsa glitter. Silver. Gold. White.

Classic. Complete. Done.

And instead, I did what felt like nothing. I did about 3% of the things I thought I was going to do.

I started out ambitious; I put my tree up the weekend of Thanksgiving. I bought it for myself last year and was really looking forward to getting home from my parents’ house and immediately starting the holiday season. It’s pre-lit and snaps together in only three pieces (which I LOVE — I can’t find the exact one online anymore, so here’s the affiliate link for one that’s similar). I plugged it in, stood in the glow of the white lights…

… and basically didn’t bother to throw on a single ornament for all of December.

At first, I thought the usual culprit — procrastination — was to blame. Every day that I walked by my tree, I told myself tomorrow, and kept doing other things. I sorted through all of my ornaments for the color scheme I wanted to go with. I bought four new ornaments that coordinated with the color scheme I planned to go with. And yet, tomorrow. I left it as-is.

It was blank (well, almost, since the lights were already attached) and comforting. I could walk by, let my eyes glaze over, and just appreciate my nearly-naked tree. I put a skirt on it because it seemed silly without one, but that was it.

I did the holiday thing at other people’s houses and came home to doing my own, quiet thing. It’s actually been really nice to feel a sense of slowness at a time of year where everything else seems so rushed. I’ve been spending time with family, new and old friends, and neglected to feel bad about not throwing glitter on a year that I am not even planning to be friends with as of January 1st.

In hindsight, I’m glad I did things this way; my 2016 tree reflects my feelings about 2016 pretty well.

How I felt about 2015:

How I feel about 2016:

Yep… seems about right.

So, it’s not going to be in anyone’s pretty Christmas roundup or get pinned a million times, and that’s perfectly alright. Instead, I’m going to spend the rest of the season getting myself ready to bring on a new year with lots more in store (for example, in case you missed my comments in the sneak peek last week, I have been working with a brand on my laundry room makeover project and that big reveal is coming in January).

Have you ever put up a Christmas tree, only to not decorate it? I know I can’t be the only one, but I’m curious how many of you did the same or similar!

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/christmas-tree-2016/

Gardening Tip to Make Your Neighbours Look Over the Fence (And Be Green with Envy!)

Maintaining your garden to a high standard so that it gathers admiring glances from all quarters is high on the list of serious gardeners. Take a look at these gardening hacks from Rattan Direct and make your neighbours green with envy at your gardening prowess.

#1 Know your garden, the soil and the climate

Cacti survive in arid desserts for a reason, which is why having them in a garden in a wet and windy corner of the UK will not see cacti thrive.

Knowing your patch of soil, whether it is acidic or alkaline and how you can change this, as well as making the most of the climate will help in deciding the best plants to buy and plant, as well as the best spaces in your garden for these plants to flourish. 

Camellias, for example, prefer a north-facing wall in a court yard and an acid soil, so there is no point planting them in water-logged, alkaline soil with continuous cold draughts irritating their tender stems.

#2 Water

Water is not a sustainable resource - cue downpours that last says, with flooding and horror stories, and yet we are told there is not enough of the wet stuff.

But, one of the key elements that turns drooping pansies into a flowery mass of colour is water. Whilst your neighbour’s lawn and borders become ever more parched during a drought, you can carry on watering your luscious blooms because you have water butts catching rain from all your down pipes. 

#3 Remove pesky weeds as soon as they dare pop their heads above the soil

They are a nuisance. They are everywhere. One minute, they are a tiny head, just popping above the soil surface and the next, it is running rampant across flower beds, anywhere where they can get enough of a foothold with their shallow roots. Weeds are not a gardener’s friend.

But this is the good news: it takes only a few minutes to whip these pesky weeds out of your soil before they get chance to not only become established, but turn to seed and spread them across your entire garden.

#4 Complimentary accessories

We are used to thinking of our gardens as place to be admired – from the house. We look out, admire the dancing blooms in the summer breeze and yet, we spend little time actually enjoying the fruits of your gardening labours.

This is because we don’t make it comfortable for us to enjoy. And when we do, we move back into the house as soon as daylight fades and the temperature drops. 

Make your neighbours green with envy with not only beautiful plants, but fantastic accessories;

·         Garden seating – from a practical garden bench to functional outside sofas, there are all kinds of options when it comes to garden furniture that suit all tastes and budgets.

·         Rugs, throws and cushions – ramp up the style and add splashes of fantastic colour with rugs, throws and cushions made from special material for the outdoors that don’t fade, shrink or spoil in the occasional rain shower or bright, bleaching sunshine.

·        Lighting – solar lighting has come on leaps and bounds since the first dim, last-no-more-than-30-minutes solar powered fairy lights from decades ago. There are all kinds of solar lights that make for a bright, romantic garden when the sun drops.

·         Fire pit – want to enjoy the night time garden with its scents and rustling wildlife but don’t like the cold? The fire pit is the perfect addition. Watch the flames dance and out of the corner of your eye, note the admiration in the eyes of your neighbours…

·         Water – gentle running water caresses the soul. After a busy day at the office, talk a walk in the garden and sit by your water feature, enjoying its soothing tones. Build a full-scale pond and welcome a whole new raft of wildlife in your garden or have a water feature, with water trickling down playing its soul-soothing tune.

#5 Plant in pots

Planting in pots is the perfect way to add colour, form and texture to a garden, softening corners and adding interest.

Keep garden pots of similar colours and shades to get a coherent colour palette running through the garden. Take time to consider the plants you will use in these pots too. Potted plants will need a little more attention, including a daily water – twice daily if the summer is hot – and bedding plants should be regularly dead headed to keep them putting their energy into flowering and not making seeds.

Rattan Direct have a range of garden accessories and furniture, perfect for dressing your garden and accentuating its glorious plants and design.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2016/12/gardening-tip.html

8 Ways to Style Your Home on a Budget

Having a beautiful living space to come home to is one of the great pleasures of life, it can bring an untold amount of comfort and joy. For many of us, interior design may seem like an impossible luxury, but it doesn’t have to be. With a little creativity, you can create a stylish and beautiful space for yourself and your family.

Here are 8 ideas to get you started:

1. Color Coordinate

Color coordinating just a few objects can bring a room together instantly. Pick a few objects that are in need of an update and invest in a can of spray paint in a colour that makes you smile. This technique also works beautifully for a collection of simple objects, such as picture frames, vases, or candle holders.

2. Use Natural Elements

This can be as simple as picking some wild flowers and arranging them in a vase or as complicated as you like. Pressed flowers can be made to look modern in double glass frames, shells and driftwood can add a beachy feel to a bare room, and some sand and choice stones can create a zen space anywhere in your house.

3. DIY

Over the past few years, the internet has become a gold mine of Do it Yourself tutorials. So, take a look at what you could use in your space. Do you have a chair that could be reupholstered, access to wooden pallets, or an old dresser you are not using anymore? You can find countless projects for little to no cost that will add style to your home and maybe even teach you a new skill!

4. Update Your Lighting

 

The quality, placement, and accessories for your lighting make a huge difference in the atmosphere of your home. While beautiful lights may come with a huge budget, good discounts can be found online. Check different stores that offer voucher and discount codes, say LED Hut Ltd., has some beautiful and inexpensive options.

5. Thrift Shop with a Theme

Thrift shopping suddenly becomes chic when you shop with a collection in mind. Gather together half a dozen vintage teacups, frames, lace doilies, small plant pots, or plates and, suddenly objects that seemed out of date look fashionable and new.

6. Fake a Headboard

This tip might be the easiest and most effective on the list. With a small pot of paint and stencils, you can a mattress on the floor look like a bed fit for royalty in a style and color that fits your sensibilities!

7. Use your Jars

 

Jars are a great organizational tool and they come free with your groceries! Making them look gorgeous is a cinch, just wash the labels off and paint the lids to match your decor or with chalkboard paint! You can use them to display your loose leaf tea, buttons, and spices or find something decorative to fill them with, like twinkle lights, origami stars, or tea lights.

8. Mix and Match

 

If you are living with a dining room or serving set that has seen better days, consider trying to find inexpensive individual pieces that share a common theme instead of investing in a new set. A mixed set of beautiful thrift store plates can look much more charming than a standard set as can an eclectic mix of wooden dining room chairs or stools.

 

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2016/12/style-your-home-budget.html

Laundry Room Sneak Peek!