Ready For Another Giveaway??

Yay - it's time for another Virtual Room Review giveaway!! Time to win FREE decorating advice for the room that bugs you the most!

Meagan over at Sunshine & Sippy Cups is giving away one of my Virtual Room Reviews here:

Click here to enter the awesome giveaway!

Good Luck!!

(and remember, if you don't want to wait to win, you can buy one in my Etsy shop for $10!)

L is for Lighting

How much light do you need?

Here's a simple formula for figuring out whether or not you have enough lighting in a room:

First, measure your room's length and width, then multiply to get the square footage. 

Next, multiply that number by 1.5 to get the amount of wattage needed to properly light the room.
 
For example, a 10' by 12' room is 120 square feet...multiplied by 1.5 gives you 180. So in that room, you would want at least 180 watts.
 
In an area that's meant for specific tasks like a kitchen island or an area for homework, multiply by 2.5 instead of 1.5. 

Easy as pie!

K is for Keeping Kitchens Organized

The kitchen is generally the busiest room in the house -- used for cooking, eating, storage, homework, socializing and more. Here are some quick and easy tips to help you keep it organized and looking great:

• Create zones -- one area for food preparation, one for storage, one for eating, etc.

• Store items near where you use them. Don't worry about whether it makes sense for someone else -- I keep plastic kid cups in the fridge beside the juice.

• Free up drawer space by using a decorative canister to hold often-used utensils, such as spatulas and spoons.

• Storing small appliances in cupboards will free up counter space and keep the room looking less cluttered. The ones you rarely use can be stored up high or in the back of the cabinet, and the ones you use often in easy-to-reach areas.

• Inexpensive baskets or plastic containers are great for storing bottles of vinegar, oil and other sauces. It's easier to pull a basket out of the cupboard than it is to root around for the right bottle.

• In a small kitchen, putting the sink in the corner creates more usable, uninterrupted counter space.

• If you have space in your kitchen, an armoire is a terrific organizer. It can hold your microwave, freeing up counter space. You can use the shelves and drawers for anything from cookbooks and tablecloths to mixing bowls and baking needs. Paint the inside of one of the doors with chalkboard paint and you have space for quick notes and lists as well.

• Baskets placed in the area between cabinets and the ceiling are great for storing seldom-used items.

• If you're really short on space, add a shelf above the window or door.

• Hang tablecloths on a towel rack attached to the inside of a cabinet or closet door.

How do you keep your kitchen organized??

ShopHappens

I was so excited the other day to get an email from Erin at ShopHappens asking if I'd like to be featured in their Etsy spotlight!

You can check it out below:

Stylish Solutions at ShopHappens

Let me know what you think!!

Guest Post - More Free Decorating Changes from Susi at Design Shuffle

Hi everyone, I'm Susi and I write as a guest blogger for Design Shuffle, a fabulous social media site that promotes interior designers and their work from around the world. My writing focuses on things I'm passionate about: interior design, decorating ideas, home furnishings, gardening, travel and art. I get to look at gorgeous things all day and write about them. I'm a very lucky girl!

I am so happy to be guest blogging here at Stylish Solutions today. Heather was kind enough to allow me to try my hand at a "5 Free Decorating Changes You Can Make Right Now" post. She had such great ideas (like shopping your own home) in previous posts, I hope these are equally as helpful. Enjoy!

Better Homes and Gardens via

First decorating change might be the most difficult. †Get Organized! Organizing your space, especially a home office or kid's room will make a huge impact. Look for baskets and boxes around the house that you can use to collect items and papers.

HGTV via

Look at old things in new ways as the homeowner did in this bedroom design. Previously talked about was shopping your house...I say shop the garage and maybe even your neighbors' garages. Or go on Craigslist and Freecycle to find free things that can be salvaged and given new life in your home.

Centsational Girl via

Decorate the inside of cabinets, hutches, bookcases to give them a new look. You can use wallpaper, wrapping paper, fabric remnants, and even small amounts of left over paint; things you probably already have in the house.

Pinterest via

Use color to create interest. Gather similar colored accessories, anything from books to pillow to china, and display them in groups to make a bold statement. Shuffle colorful accessories, including artwork, around the home and create big spots of color on bookshelves, beds and sofas.

Apartment Therapy via

And the final of my 5 tips: streamline your space. This goes back to number 1, get organized. Clear the clutter from not just the horizontal surfaces but also the vertical surfaces. Try to create calm, soothing spaces where everything visible is pleasing to the eye.

So there are my 5 free decorating changes you can make right now. Hope you found them helpful and inspiring - perhaps you'll add some of them to your interior design ideas file. ~ Susi

This content comes courtesy of†Design Shuffle, where you can find and share talented interior designs from from New York interior designers, Los Angeles interior designers, and more, check out the latest at Design Shuffle.

Personalized Photo Coasters

While my main business is offline colour consultations, I've been slowly working at filling up my Etsy shop with some handmade home decor stuff as well as virtual consultations. I've become slightly addicted to making tile coasters - my newest ones are done with photos:

A set of 4 is only $15 - and they make a great gift idea (Christmas is only 4 months away!). Visit my Etsy shop here for more details:

Personalized Photo Coasters

Did You Win?? (Little Giveaway Reminder)

Just a little reminder to anyone who has entered one of the giveaways to win a Virtual Room Review - some bloggers email the winner, some post it on their blogs instead and give you a certain number of days before they choose a new winner...so don't forget to check back there and see if you've won!

Another Virtual Room Review Giveaway!

Congratulations to everyone that has won so far!

This week Heather at Thrifty Mom Spot is giving away my Virtual Room Review!

Head on over and enter for your chance to win an interior decorator's FREE advice and get some quick & easy help with that problem room:

Win a FREE Room Review at Thrifty Mom Spot!

If you haven't heard of a Room Review, you can you can see what I mean in my Etsy shop here. 

(And if you don't want to wait to win, you can always buy a Room Review in my shop for only $10.)

Good luck!!

J is for Junk

No matter how nicely decorated your room is, if it's full of junk (more politely known as "clutter"), all you see is the mess. The first step in fixing up any room is to get rid of the extra stuff hanging around. I admit, this is one of my biggest issues...I have a habit of leaving piles of paperwork all over the house. If it's got a flat surface, you're pretty much guaranteed to find my stuff lying on it.

On the other side of this, one person's junk is another's treasure. Some of the nicest home accents turn out to be yard sale or Value Village finds, painted or re-covered to turn them into something great. A can of spray paint and a bit of imagination can turn almost any "junk" into something you can use in your decorating!

Have you turned any "junk" into something decorative?

More Giveaways For You!

More chances to win today! 
 
Two new giveaways start today - Angie at Country Chic Cottage and Kari at Alas 3 Lads are each giving away one of my Virtual Room Reviews. 

Who couldn't use a FREE interior decorator? 

It's a great way to get advice on what to do with those problem areas in your home - that one room that just doesn't look quite the way you want it to...

Win a Free Room Review at Alas 3 Lads

Win a Free Room Review at Country Chic Cottage

And the other 2 giveaways are still open until Tuesday:

  

One Mama's Daily Drama

 

Frantically Simple

Go check them out - enter one, enter 2, enter them all...improve the look of your home and discover some great blogs at the same time!

I is for Inexpensive

One thing I love to do is see how much I can do decor-wise for as little money as possible. Here are 3 easy updates that cost next to nothing:

• An affordable way to get the look of custom-made draperies: simply add fabric borders to the bottom of your existing drapery panels.
  
  
• You can also enhance your throw pillows by adding some fringe, buttons or beadwork.
  
  
• Plain bed linens can be given a new look by sewing a band or 2 of satin ribbon or braiding a little way in from the hems of the pillowcases and sheets.

Each of these is an fairly quick & inexpensive way to make things look a little nicer!

Giveaway Time Again!!

As I mentioned down below, a few different bloggers will be giving away my Virtual Room Reviews over the summer (you can see what I'm talking about at my Etsy shop here). If you don't want to wait, you can buy a Room Review in my shop for $10 - that gets you a list of tips and suggestions you can implement right away to improve the look of your rooms!

Congratulations to the winner of Giveaway #1 - Gale over at Such Fun to Give!

The next 2 giveaways start today (and run until August 9th). Check them out at Frantically Simple (there's a hooker-boot wall involved!) and One Mama's Daily Drama - and enter for your chance to win :)

My plan was to have a giveaway each week over the summer, but apparently scheduling isn't one of my talents...I somehow scheduled 2 for most weeks. It works out well for you guys, though - more chances to win and more great blogs to discover! 

Super Awesome Giveaway You Should Enter at Frantically Simple

Another Super Awesome Giveaway You Should Enter at One Mama's Daily Drama

Good luck!!

Home Grown - Issue 2

I just received the link to the 2nd issue of Home Grown - Parenting in the North...this month my article is about all 3 of the rooms in our Dream Room project for sick children. 

Home Grown - Issue #2

Take a look and let me know what you think!