Art.com says they have the best wall decor to complete your space and achieve your design vision, and that certainly appears to be the case. I’m delighted to have discovered this resource, and sharing it with you completes the fun.

They offer a rich and diverse group of collections from both famous and emerging artists, and you’ll find high-quality prints of the works of classic masters, contemporary originals, and children’s art — just to name a few categories.

This English classic, The Apple Gatherers, by Frederick Morgan, is so summery! It’s available as a Giclee print. The Giclee printing process delivers a fine stream of ink resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail. This print is produced on acid-free, watercolor textured paper.

Here’s an aspect of Art.com’s offerings really rang my bell: They have a team of professionals who specialize in anticipating trends, knowing the current — and next — season’s color palettes, and what the latest decorating trends are, too. (more…)

Photo credit: timparkinson

Truly, I am a sucker for a good deal. What I’m beginning to realize (in my wizened not-so-old age) is that sometimes a good deal can still be a bad buy. Not everything that you can get a bargain on is a smart choice for your home.

For instance, we have one of those nifty As-Seen-On-TV stores in our shopping mall. Since I NEVER order anything over the phone as a rule, I love this place because I can see all that glitzy stuff from TV in real life before I commit to it. Last year I bought that automated doggie toenail trimmer thingy for my mother-in-law because her dog has trouble walking if her toenails get too long yet she won’t let my mother-in-law use a regular trimmer. Long story short - not a bargain: it’s too big for such a small dog and it never gets used.

Here are 10 other inexpensive things you should avoid purchasing for your home:

1. Kitchen cooking utensils made from plastic. They’re temptingly cheap, shiny, and colorful, but they inevitably break under pressure. I’ve lost brand new cheese graters, can openers, spatulas, and garlic presses that just couldn’t take the beating that comes with my culinary skills. Metal and silicone may cost a little more, but are well worth the investment.



2. Used electronics. Unless the previous owner can set it up, turn it on, and show you every single feature is in working order you, just never know what you’re going to get. Even if you find a bargain at a reputable second-hand store and a salesperson can show you that it gets power, you may still come home to find out the item has other problems that just weren’t evident upon first glance. Photo credit: D’Arcy Norman
3. Cheap dishes. Most plates, bowls, and coffee cups that you can find a great deal on are not microwaveable. The contain clay or lead that allow the dish to get extremely hot in the microwave, causing you to burn your hand when you go to retrieve it. And of course, the lead can be a health hazard as well. (more…)

Photo credit: cavecouple

I have always admired and appreciated the styles of the Far East. Room designs are always simple and elegant with clean, crisp lines, never any clutter in sight – they just whisper calm, peace, relaxation.

The Japanese tea room is a good example of what I’m talking about. Tea rooms were originally teahouses, dating back to the 1400 and 1500s. When an interest in tea rose in Japan, the people started building tea rooms as separate structures from their homes. The structures were bamboo and wood huts with thatched roofs built in garden settings. The teahouses and the tea ceremonies witnessed there were designed to give people a respite from the material world and earthly concerns. For that reason, the interiors are decorated as simply as possible with little show of material wealth or status, no bright colors or distracting items. The rooms were, and continue to be, light, simple, and airy with views of nothing but serenity and the surrounding gardens.

The Japanese tea room is more than just a place for drinking tea. While it may have started as a place to entertain guests, drink tea, and escape the binds of social class in ancient Japan, today it also serves as a sanctuary. It’s a calm, peaceful place where you can escape the pressures of today’s issues, meditate, practice yoga, be alone with your thoughts, or draw artistic inspiration.
Photo credit: Japan Green Tea (more…)