Preparing A Guest Room

By Sarah Hitchinson

Almost everyone entertains company from time to time. Whether it be your in-laws, your college friends, or a foreign exchange student, make sure your home is prepared with a beautiful guest room to greet anyone who visits.

Before you start designing your guest room you want to take a look at what you already have. What size bed do you want to place in your guest room; queen, full, or two twin beds. Twins beds are a great idea if you have a teenager who has friends staying over often. Depending on the room, you will need to place a dresser somewhere in the room to hold clothing. You may want to consider adding a chair to sit down in so they can read before turning in for the night.

When you decide on a guest room you will need to make sure that it is close to the bathroom for the convenience of your guests. This is very important to guests.

You want to decorate your guest room so it is a welcoming oasis. A place they can relax and unwind after a day of travel and visiting. To achieve this feel you want to use light colors. Accent and highlight and accent with pastel colors for comforters and pillow shams. Add a bouquet of flowers on the dresser or nightstand.

A small area rug would look great in the guest room. If the guest room has a adjoining bath add the same color area rug in the bath as the bedroom. This will help the rooms balance out.

Now it's time to add those personal touches like scented candles or potpourri. This will give the room a warm and inviting smell. Place to scented candles and potpourri on a dresser but not near the bed.

Storage space is important to the guest room. Make sure that your guests have a place to sort their clothes. You will need to have a mirror somewhere in the room if the bathroom is not adjoining.

Keep small comforts in mind when designing your guest room. Add an extra blanket in case your guests get cold during the night. Make sure there are clean towels and linens that are easily accessible to your guests. Add soft, comfortable pillows to the bed, and turn the mattress from time to time to keep it soft. Add artwork and use soothing colors to make the space welcoming. Remember to incorporate soft area rugs and scented candles and your space will be inviting for guests.

About the Author:

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Let a Zen Alarm Clock Wake You In the Morning!

By Sam P. Jones

People, for as far back as time has been recorded, have been fascinated, driven and obsessed with time. It's only natural that this fascination would carry over to timepieces which are an integral part of many people's lives. We live by the clock, go to sleep and wake up to an alarm, work for a set number of hours and play for a similar amount of time. It's therefore not surprising that since 1877 when the first alarm clocks was patented that we've been hitting the snooze button on the time of our lives. Types and styles of clocks abound. We have analog and digital clocks, desktop clocks, alarm clocks, digital wall clocks, clocks that wake you to music, clocks that blares incomprehensible noise into your head and shock you into consciousness - our need to vary the lowly clock knows no bounds.

Recently, we have gotten into telling time by setting our atomic clocks or radio frequency timepieces. You can now download an atomic clock to your PC so that you will always be on time, or at least in step with the atomic clock world. We cover time for the hearing impaired; kids have children's clocks which wake them to mooing cows or roosters crowing.

Of all these clocks that have hounded us through time, we have come to the Zen Alarm Clock which wakes you up to the soothing and resonating sounds of Tibetan chimes which gradually become more and more frequent until you come gently to consciousness. If you currently have one of those shrilling, scare-you-to-paranoid wakefulness alarm clock beasts, this should sound like heaven.

Zen Alarm Clocks traditionally use a 10 minute chime progression which allows for a gentle waking to a tone that is calming and soothing. The clock is hand tuned with tuning forks that are utilized by music therapists so that each one will produce the same tone. Zen Clocks have a Japanese quartz movement inside and are usually made from wood with an analog clock face.

Recently, they have released Zen Alarm Clocks in digital format that are smaller in size and easier to travel with, although the tones played and progression over the 10 minute cycle remains the same. If you're looking for a different way to wake up in the morning, you should consider trading your shrilling alarm blast, rock music or news of the world wake up for something that's more in tune with starting your day.

About the Author:

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Original 1900s Popcorn Machine That Allow You to Have Great-tasting Popcorn

By Kaye McNeil

Popcorn will never cease to be a great snack for all people, whether children or adults. It has become more than just a great munch during night time movies in the cinema or your home theater. They have also witnessed the changing times as popcorn is an indispensable food to have during countless celebrations. The major concern of most popcorn lovers is the price and availability, as it gets more difficult to find a popcorn store in the suburbs if only to have a taste of that buttery, finger licking popcorn. That is how an old fashioned popcorn machine is brought to life.

It may have the grand look of an original popcorn machine but you can still enjoy the most advance features with it. This will make a good kitchen furniture without jeopardizing the quality of the popcorn it produces. It may be sporting that eons ago look enjoyed by original American popcorn sellers, it can still have the tempered glass and automatic butter warmer features of modern technology. The best thing about this popcorn machine is that it can accommodate the popcorn appetite of your entire family. You can have as much as 6 to 8 ounces of popcorn per serving. That means that your family's needs can be accommodated in only one preparation. Although it has the old original look, you can still enjoy the stainless steel design that makes it easy to clean and yet difficult to rust.

You can enjoy its old maid drawers that will be helpful in keeping your popcorn making tools and ingredients organized and easy to access. You can save up on the time it takes for you to prepare that old-time snack most loved by your family. You are safe from getting burned in this popcorn maker as it has a chute which facilitates the popped kernels into a dishing bowl, ready for consumption, as the popcorn has already been mixed with the use of a built-in stirrer.

Another great feature that this great old fashioned popcorn machines can have is that it has the ability to use air in popping the kernels instead of the usual oil, giving you healthier popcorn variety. The less fat content found in your popcorn would make it a great snack even for those that have health conditions to think about.

With the old-time popcorn cart, you have the chance to enjoy the nostalgic sensation of using the original 1900s design as you enjoy the efficiency it brings by its advance features.

About the Author:

Kaye is a popcorn enthusiast who wrote many articles and books on popcorn and popcorn machines. You can check her site here: antique popcorn machine

The Importance of A Dust Collector For Woodworkers

By Ryan Henders

It's wonderful to have a hobby that you really enjoy and especially if you can make it profitable as well. This should never be done however at the risk of your health. Naturally, you need to take all of the safety precautions necessary when using your tools and equipment. You need to ensure that your work area is a safe environment to protect from accidents. To go even further to this though you have to be certain that you are not being exposed to certain chemicals and pollutants. This is a fairly high risk in the woodworking hobby. One of the most common but perhaps least thought of is the dust. Predominantly sawdust but dust in general can be an issue.

So what steps can you take to handle the dust issue? There are a few options open to you. Ideally, though if you are working at your woodworking hobby a good deal of the time you may want to consider devising or purchasing some type of dust collection system.

There is always the option of wearing a respirator, which everyone should when they are working on their projects. The problem is as soon as they are through with the heavy cutting they remove the respirator but much of the dust is still present in the air and being inhaled. These types of problems that can be caused from inhaling that type of dust may not show up heath wise to later on down the road. By this time it?s too late, and many seasoned woodworkers suffer with respiratory problems as a result of this.

In many wood shops, you will find the shop vac type of vacuums, which are certainly a necessity, but they are more for cleaning up the debris that can seen. You may find it well worth you while to check out some of dust collection systems that are now on the market. Don?t be deceived into thinking that you have to have some big heavy cumbersome unit running all day while you are working. You can use a portable dust collector. These are just situated near where you are working and they consist of a hood that gathers the dust into a bag.

They are a great commodity because they can be hooked onto your power tools with a 4-inch port connector. If you feel that, the portable unit is just not strong enough for the type of work you are doing or there are more than one of you working in the workshop at the same time you may want to try a more centralized system. This type of unit drives the dust and sanding and cutting residues into a micron bag. To become even more elite you and go with one of the cyclone dust collector systems.

You must understand though reference to a dust collector is mostly referring to the collection of the residue of your work such as the wood chips, shavings and sawdust. It really is not addressing those fine particles that are floating around in the air. This is where the respirator is necessary

About the Author:

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Inventing A Winning Board Game

By Matthew Hodge

Whether you are designing a fun game for your friends or family, or you are interested in moving forward and pitching a game design to a major company, you will find that designing a board game can be an excellent challenge and test of your abilities. When you want to make sure that you can design the best board game that you can, and when you want to make sure that you are creating a game that will entertain everyone, take some time to look at these important points.

Know who your audience is. A game that is specifically designed for people in their twenties will not be similar to a game is specifically designed for pre-schoolers. But it goes even deeper than that. The board games that are considered classics usually appeal to all ages, such as the classic board games Clue and Monopoly.

But how specific do you want your game targeted? There are great games that are specifically designed for horror fans or for people who love improvisational comedy. Knowing who is going to enjoy your games and having a good idea of what they like is important.

How fast is Your Game Played? When inventing your board game, remember that some games are ideal for wanting to enjoy it all evening, while other games are intended to be played rather quickly.

Board games usually take longer than, say, card games, so make sure you pause long enough to think about how long one round will last and how long the entire game will take. How long should your game take for people to reach the goal and win? What sort of complications can set them back? Do you want players to be able to finish the game in about twenty minutes?

Get play testers. It doesn't matter who you have the game geared towards; if you don't have play testers, you are going to run into something very unfortunate the first time the game is trotted out. When you want to invest a good board game, it is important to create the prototype and then to spend as much time as you have breaking it!

Definitely get helpers to assist and constructively criticize your game. Take time to think about what your options will probably be and see who you can get to help you. The more play testers that you have around to catch errors and awkward game playing moments, the better.

Make sure your game has good art. When you are inventing a good board game, remember that it should be visually enticing. Even if you are inventing a game simply for personal use, finding an artist to assist you with board game characteristics like layout and good coloring is very essential. You don't want a board game that gives you a headache when you look at it for too long. The visual appeal of a board game is a extremely important.

Pause and spend time to really think about how you want to design your board game. The greater effort you put in, the greater the reward will be for you and future players. It is honestly that simple.

About the Author:

Before you go out a buy expensive board games, make sure you visit Matthew Hodge's website and learn how to design your own Blank Board Game. You can also learn the history of board games

Pick The Gender of Your Baby - How To Conceive A Girl

By Chris Jensen

You might be looking for some tips on how to increase your chances of having a baby girl. There are few effective tips on how to conceive a girl. You may disagree or you may have doubts. But yes, there are effective ways on how to conceive a girl. In fact, numerous couples could attest to that.

Eat the right food. If you wanted to conceive a baby girl, eat a lot of food that is rich from magnesium like cereals, soya beans, green vegetables, apples, and so much more. Avoid foods that is enrich in potassium and magnesium.

Timing is also important. It is important to know when is the right time to conceive. You need to understand first the two types of sperms. The X and Y. Y is for baby boy and X is for baby girl. Y sperm has the ability to swim faster compared to X sperm but they do have shorter life span. So, it is advisable to have a sexual intercourse with your partner prior or few days before ovulation. if you wanted to be sure about the date of your ovulation, you may purchase a predictor kit.

Applying the correct sexual position may also increase the chance of having a baby girl. All you have to do is to shallow the penetration during sexual intercourse. By so doing, Y sperm has to swim longer in order to enter the vagina area. The female may take a lie or sit with flexible position.

There are many tips that you may consider just to have a baby girl. You may invest time, money and so much effort but who cares? You wouldn't be happier having a cute baby girl.

About the Author:

This author has been writing articles on Pick The Gender of Your Baby, How To Conceive A Girl, and other similar subjects.

A Contemporary Look For Your Bedroom

By Emely Gardner

Maybe you have seen the look in a book or at a friend's house. You want to put a contemporary style into your bedroom. You can do that without costing a lot of money but first, it is important to understand the contemporary theme.

Colors and lines seem to be the main issue when you are considering contemporary style. These colors include beige, black and white, dark brown furniture and more. You will want to look for straight simple lines that are not bold. Shapes should be simple too. The main result in the contemporary look is clean and simple. Open spaces and of course uncluttered walls are the way to go.

You don't want anything cluttered. Organization is the way to go with this look so go through everything and discard what you don't need or use. The bedrooms seem to always catch the overspill from other rooms. Walls should be white in color beige, or a pastel green. Neutral colors help to accessorize and not take over. The windows shouldn't have little to no coverings. Make sure that if you do use curtains the rods are simple too.

Beds are usually low, spacious with self-color bed covers, tucked in neatly to show the edges. Frills are not part of this theme. A neat area rug at the foot of the bed in self-colors or geometric patterns should be placed to match the surrounding colors.

When you are looking at furniture you will want to find contrasting design with dark colors. These colors and patterns should be small in size. Make sure you have a small closet to store your extra clothes with a chest of drawers to place clothing in as well.

A mirror displayed in a stylish frame is another way to add contemporary to your room. You will also want to add a dressing table to give it an elegant look.

Finalizing the look, you will need to find abstract painting in black frames. Just a few of these are needed so you don't clutter your room. Add accessories such as a clear jar with colored stones on the table or a bowl of potpourri. At the end of the day you will have a contemporary look and feel that will relax you as soon as you walk into the room.

About the Author:

If you found this Home Decorating article informative, then you are going to adore this editorial about decorating small spaces.

Closet Organizer Basics

By Melanie S. King

When you organize any area of your home, especially your closet, there are some rules that you need to follow. First of all, get rid of everything you do not use or need. This is easier said then done as many people find it particularly difficult to part with their possessions. However, getting rid of your unnecessary items is a vital step in getting your closet organized. It will give you much more space and will greatly increase your ability to find the things you actually do use and will therefore save you valuable time when you are rushed to get dressed for work, for school or for any outing. There is nothing more frustrating then not being able to find the item you want and to have to sift through piles of things you do not even wear.

Another reason to get rid of clutter is that it prevents you from finding the things you really do need and use. When your unused items are mixed together with your used items and everything is in a jumble, it is time consuming and frustrating finding the item that you need. Who hasn't been in a rush to get to an appointment and got delayed because they couldn't find their shirt.

Once you've disposed of your junk, the next step is to categorize your items. Put all your pants together, shirts together etc. I know this sounds obvious but to some people it really is not obvious or else they are not good about putting their things away in the right place and just hang things up in the more convenient and easiest spot available.

A closet organizer can be found for any type of closet. There are kids closet organizers, walk in closet organizers or the basic hanging closet organizer. When choosing what type of material you want, consider the type of closet in question and who or what the organizer is meant to organize. A wire closet organizer has lots of versatility and can be changed at a whim. This makes it very suitable as a kids closet organizer since kids grow and their needs change fairly rapidly. At the moment, your child may need lots of space for toys and sports equipment but in a year or two, he may need more space for hanging clothes and school books. Wire closet organizers are less expensive yet very durable which is an added benefit in the bedroom of a rough and tumble child.

When looking for a closet organizer, keep your needs in mind. Do you have more skirt than pants, lots of shirts put not ties? These variables will determine how much and what kind of space you need. Custom closet organizers are the most elegant and beautiful of closet organizers. They are usually made out of wood and are very durable.

If you are constantly picking up after your children, revamping their closets to make them easy to use and encourage the children to put their things a away is something you should think about. Are the hooks too high for your 7 year old to hang his coat? Is there a space to put his school bag or to store his toys? Choosing a closet organizer with your child in mind is crucial. Make sure rods are low if need be and that there is plenty of open space for large items such as balls, baseball bats, board games and other toys.

About the Author:

Melanie S. King writes articles about getting organized with discount closet organizers and also how to choose the right wire closet organizer.