I recently saw a segment on Oprah that one of the easiest ways that you can personalize a room is by adding in souvenirs from travels. I was a little discouraged when I heard this because the only place that I’ve ever been is to Canada, & all I brought back is a deck of playing cards. I always thought that I would have time to travel when I got older, but I didn’t know about all the “grown up” stuff, like car insurance, & a job that would get in my way. I wish that I would’ve gone on the trips that were sponsored by my school.
I think anyone who has kids, or is a teacher, should seriously consider encouraging their kids to travel while they are young & have the time. I was just reading about a company called Hemisphere Educational Travel which specializes in affordable student travel. They’ve been in business since 1970. It’s a rare person that can make education fun, but I think a tour to the White House or a New York City musical would definitely fit the bill. They even offer international tours. Their tour package includes everything from taxes, to a keepsake video, to hotel security guards & much more so all you have to do is remember to bring back the souvenirs.
It seems like natural stone is all the rage, we see it in high end kitchen’s & baths, on countertops, on floors, & around fireplaces. It’s the new must have. It really makes a room feel warm & homey. I love the look of Travertine Tile but have never been able to afford it until today when I went to floorzbuzz.com. Accents Glass Tiles has been in business since 1982. They have a great selection of tiles, even very hip glass tiles that are being used as accents in a lot of modern homes. These glass tiles are comparable to the cost of ceramic tiles which is absolutely astounding if you have ever priced glass tiles. It’s the look that we keep seeing in magazines, but it is finally affordable.
I think one of the easiest ways to update a room is to change out the lighting. I always hate to see brand new furniture next to an oversized, dusty table lamp from forty years ago. I love to change out accessories because it is such an inexpensive way to add a new theme or feeling to a room. I can’t change out the furniture whenever I want, but I can update the accessories to make a room feel more current. I was recently in a national store, you know the kind that sells everything, & I was shocked at how much money they were asking for just a cheap looking lamp, then I understood why people seem to hang onto their lamps for so long. It can be very expensive & frustrating to find a table lamp if you don’t know where to shop. I saw a beautiful Quoizel Lamp at Barnes & Wagner Fine Lighting & was very surprised to see the price for the amazing quality lamps, as well as all of the selection of every kind of lamp, sconce, & light you could possibly need. It makes shopping for lamps a much easier experience.
I wasn’t expecting to like my trip to Vegas, because I don’t gamble. However, I underestimated the culture. I think I paid $20 to see a Picasso, Warhol, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet & many others. It was so different than just looking at posters. For instance, Van Gogh’s paintings were so thick with paint that it was hard to tell what the painting was close up, it was best viewed across the room. I never thought I would get to see all this because I couldn’t make it to Europe, but I now feel like I have seen more great art than a lot of people will see in their entire lifetime. There are always lots of cool art exhibits to go too. Plus, I got to take my picture in front of the New York Skyline & the Eiffel Tower, without living the city.
It’s also interesting to me how the styles of homes change depending on location. For instance, in Utah there are a lot of rock or log homes with green tin roofs. Las Vegas homes seem to have a lot of stucco & red tile roofs. This is exactly the kind of home that I have always wanted to live in, but we just don’t have them in Utah, even though technically we are in the desert. So there is tons to see in Vegas, if you can go visit, go visit, if you can go live, go live on a fabulous piece of Las Vegas real estate.
