You Can Never Have Too Many . . .

The words “stocking up” can cause you to imagine stuffing your cart or storage closet with an abundance of bulk items that you may or may not be able to use up in, well, a lifetime.  So the phrase “you can never have too many” can be taken to extremes, but for all practical purposes, let’s look at some smaller items it’s okay to toss a few extra of in your shopping cart so you never come up short when you need them.

Cocktail Napkins – For a party or for everyday use with company and the family alike, these decorative, square beauties can add a little flair to a drink tray or table spread.  With all the designs, colors, and themes to choose from, having multiples on hand throughout the year makes them grab-and-go easy.

Note Cards and Envelopes – For a thank you note, birthday card, or gift tag, having cardstock note cards at the ready can save you last minute trips to the store when an occasion arises.  Look for options in a rainbow of colors, textures, and designs, or have some custom stationery printed with your name or monogram.  Make sure you have the right size envelopes on hand as well, which can also be purchased in a wide variety of shades.

Candles – With beautiful scents and attractive packaging, candles in pillars and jars in particular can be a great post-season sale item to stock up on.  Keep sweet, fruity, baked goods, or cologne smelling candles on hand for all year burning, too.

Gift Wrapping Supplies –Wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift wrap tape, and rolls of ribbon all at home can be a real timesaver the next time a gift giving opportunity presents itself.  You can forgo the theme-specific baby and birthday wrap taking up your storage space and instead opt for picking up rolls in modern prints, patterns, and attractive colors that offer you both gender options to use for any purpose.  

Storage Baskets – Attractive enough to sit out and functional enough to divide and conquer your storage space, storage baskets in a variety of sizes and shapes shouldn’t go to waste if you capitalize on a sale and add a few more to your collection.  Use them to hold anything from bathroom toiletries and towels to toys and books to chords and craft supplies.

Keep your eyes peeled for good deals on everyday items it doesn’t hurt to have a few more of, and then take them home and put them to work for you, saving time, space, or just simply being beautiful.   

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star January 26th.

Vamp Up Your Valentine’s Day: Plan Ahead Ideas

Don’t let commercialism get you down about Valentine’s Day.  If you get wrapped up in “this is just a holiday to boost card sales,” you miss an opportunity to express your love in creative, sweet ways to your spouse, your children, your parents, or other loved ones.  Instead, ditch the day-of dash for a box of chocolates and opt for a pre-planned treat sure to entice that “I love you” right back.

Your gift doesn’t have to be edible, so think outside the heart-shaped box.  Take a deck of playing cards and a permanent marker, and delve into why your Valentine is loved.  Use the king or queen of hearts as your top card, and write “52 Reasons Why I Love You” across the middle.  And then use each card as a love note, outlining one-liners about big and small reasons you love this special gift recipient.  You could also print out a photo page that says “I love you because:” with a big blank line underneath it.  Frame the page, and use a dry erase marker on the frame’s glass to write your fill-in-the-blank message and be able to change out the reason.  This could offer up a gift that keeps giving. 

Look up online recipes for making your own unique gifts, like a scented hand scrub that only takes a few simple ingredients.  Fill up a small mason jar with your concoction, and add your own custom made label to the lid.  Or take different kinds of candy and fill up your own jar and add a custom label or tag that offers a play on words, like a jar of gummy worms that says “I’m hooked on you,” or a jar of all one color of candy or gumballs with one standout piece in a different color with a tag that says “You’re one in a million.” 

For the kids, make the morning memorable with red and pink helium balloons filling the kitchen at breakfast and serving heart-shaped pancakes or an egg dish with some pink strawberry milk.  Send them off to school with the Valentines theme in their heart-shaped sandwich cutout, dipped strawberries, and some red and pink confetti in their lunchbox.

 To satisfy their (and your) sweet tooth, opt for gifting themed cupcakes, homemade cookies, cake pops, pretzel rods dipped in chocolate and then colored sprinkles, or marshmallow rice treats with red and pink candy pieces mixed in.  Sweet, but not standard.

Explore your options for offering up loving gifts that took a little thought and a little time to tell your Valentine why you would pick them all over again.  

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star January 19th.

Mark Your Calendars

Prep, plan, and preview the best times in 2014 to upgrade, update, and underpay for items you want to add to your home.  Retailers are keen on what is popular to purchase in certain months, and many are happy to oblige with lower price tags to entice shoppers through their doors.  So mark your calendars for a year of home savings made simple.  

January is a prime month to get a discounted rate on exercise equipment.  Weight loss and better fitness top many New Year’s Resolution lists, and consumers can buy machines and smaller accessories alike for less.  Additionally, winter sales on bedding and towels can make this month a great time to bring home new linens.

February centers around electronics, with televisions and cameras topping the list.  TVs can be found for deeper discounts post Super Bowl, and new camera models for spring drop the prices on 2013 versions.

March starts to warm things up across the country, and those with a green thumb get to work, causing discounted prices aplenty on lawn equipment, seeds, plants, and mulch.  This is also a great month to invest in some new luggage if yours has seen one too many rounds on the luggage carousel.       

April is a home decorator’s key month to take advantage of graduation, Mother’s Day, and the summer’s wedding season with retail discounts on décor and accessories that make perfect gifts.  Pick up some new candles, glassware, or picture frames for less.  To keep things tidy, a new vacuum cleaner can be found for less before new models roll out in early summer.

May sales focus on the great outdoors with price cuts on patio grills for seasonal entertaining and more plants, both flowers and vegetables, as planting season is wrapping up.  Sprucing up your patio before the summer barbeques start just got easier.

June is the top of wedding season, and your kitchen can benefit from the plethora of gift registries being shopped from out there with lower costs on dishes, glasses, and flatware. With Father’s Day approaching, the popular gift of tools can be purchased for less, allowing you to stock up for your honey-do projects around the house.

July sales drop prices on big ticket items like mattresses, allowing you to upgrade your master bedroom’s central element.  Home improvement stores discount cans of paint, making the summer an advantageous time to maximize your paint budget, adding new color indoors or out.

August rounds out the summer season, discounting some plants and shrubs, giving you one more opportunity to upgrade your curb appeal before the temperature starts to dip.  If your home office could use a revamp, shop around for a new computer right along with all those college students helping sales pop up.

September is all about the furniture sales, for your home and your patio.  Labor Day ticket prices fall for couches, chairs, beds, and tables, along with outdoor patio table sets and lounge furniture.

October offers another kitchen upgrade with less expensive pots, pans, and other cookware right before the holiday season.

November can add to that kitchen wish list with slashed prices on small appliances perfect for the countertop, as well as helping you get a jump on Christmas gifts before December.

December is a good time to look into discounted flooring for your home, since sales can increase while personal home spending takes a backseat to gifts for under the tree.

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star January 12th.

New Year Redesign

The plastic bins come out, the Christmas decorations come down, and then you look around and think . . . now what?  The temptation is there to run out and buy new accessories and décor to fill in your now bare, sad looking tables, shelves, and other furniture tops.  After all, Christmas decorations fill up your home, and they’re warm and homey, and when they’re put away, you want that feeling to stay behind.  A little simple redesign can be what you need to make your pre-holiday look feel fresh and new again.

Moving things around and rearranging can make a big difference, because you’re introducing your eye to a new layout to feast on.  This is a great time of year to rearrange furniture like the configuration of your couches or the orientation of your bed.  If you feel like tackling that project, the time and energy investment will allow you to reap the rewards well into spring.

Whether you go big or not, you can focus on your small décor and ratchet up its pop factor with a series of switcheroos.  To really carry it throughout the house, clear the dining table and maybe some other nearby furniture surfaces.  Take every small decoration on display around your home and place it on the table.  Remove your frames, vases, bowls, book stacks, little statues, figurines, candlesticks, and the like.  Now would be a great time to really dust well, by the way.  And then go “shopping.”  Look over your in-house selection and take your own pieces and place them in new places in different rooms.  Make fresh groupings of accessories on your shelves and tables.  In the end, save yourself something for a dining room centerpiece. 

Another step to take would be to move your wall art around.  You may have a hallway mirror that would look great in your entryway for a while.  A family collage of photos hanging in the living room could get a revamp with more current images and a different layout.  There could be smaller pieces spread here and there that would take on a more gallery look if they were hung all together on a prominent family room wall. 

You’ll find that your eye is drawn to your new creative arrangements when you walk into a room in the same way it is when you bring something brand new home.  The same ol’ same ol’ can get stale with time and familiarity.  Shake things up this January for a renewed look and perhaps outlook in 2014.

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star January 5th.