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What’s Your Interior Design Personality? Find Out Here!

August 18, 2016 by

Are you partial to chic, modern furnishings, or is your interior design style more of the cozy, vintage-inspired variety? Knowing exactly what types of furnishings you like best will make it much easier for you to decorate your home at Mosaic at Mueller. Here are a few great online quizzes that will help you to zero in on your specific interior design personality.

What’s Your Decorating Style?
This quiz from Coastal Living asks a series of very abstract questions about your lifestyle, your drink preferences, and even your preferred clothing style to help you figure out your interior design style. It also makes recommendations for decorating ideas once your results are in.

Style Maker Visual Quiz
Take this visual quiz from Stylish Home is best for visual learners, as it shows you a series of photos in order to help you determine your home decor preferences. Instead of simply asking you what types of furnishings you like, it actually shows them to you to help get a more accurate response.

Decorating Style Quiz
Better Homes & Gardens offers this fun mix of visual and word-based questions regarding your decor preferences, your personality, and your unique needs. Once you complete the quiz, it offers a general idea of your home decor personality.

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Apply These Easy Decorating Tips to Your Child’s Bedroom

October 22, 2015 by

It’s important for your little one's bedroom to be a reflection of his personality, but you want the room to look nice, too! If you’re searching for some fun, affordable ways to decorate your child's room, these creative tips can help.

  1. Add a gallery wall. If your son or daughter is a budding artist, encourage him or her to paint a few pictures on a variety of different paper sizes. Frame the artwork in colorful frames and hang them in a group to create an eclectic gallery wall that your child will be proud of.
  2. Restore hand-me-down furniture. It seems silly to invest in expensive furniture that the kids will outgrow in a few years, so give that old dresser a fun facelift instead. Sand down the existing paint or stain and paint it your child’s favorite color.
  3. Add removable wall decals. Most home goods stores today sell wall decals in a variety of different styles, so let your child pick the one he or she likes best. They’re a fast way to add personality to the room, and they dress up the wall without painting.
  4. Mix patterns. From throw pillows to rugs, mixing patterns based on the same color scheme creates a funky look while still coordinating perfectly.
  5. Invest in simple storage. Things like low dressers and cubed shelves with removable bins keep the room organized, and they’re simple enough to encourage the kids to put away their own toys.

Affordable Kids' Room Decorating Ideas [HGTV]
10 Decorating Ideas for Kids' Rooms [HGTV]
Decor Ideas for a Kid's Room [Real Simple]
DIY Kid's Room Decor Ideas [Babble]

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Space-Saving Storage Solutions for Bicycles

September 17, 2015 by

Whether you're a cyclist yourself or just share a space with one, you're likely already aware of how much square footage can be zapped up by bicycles. All's not lost, though: These space-saving solutions will show you how to store your wheels without too much obstruction.

  1. Purchase an apartment-friendly bike storage shelf. Many outdoor retailers and sporting goods stores sell large-scale shelving units that are designed especially for storing your bike in an apartment. They feature a large, open area where you can tuck the bike away, as well as smaller shelves below for storing things like your helmet or bike bag.
  2. Add a wall-mount bike rack. If you want to store the bike but don’t need the extra shelving, try a classic bike rack that mounts right onto the wall and can be easily removed when you move out.
  3. Try a two-bike stand. If you live with a fellow cyclist, store both of your bikes using one convenient setup with a two-bike stand. These vertical racks stand upright and stack one bike on top of the other in order to save the maximum amount of space possible.

Stylish Bike Storage Ideas For Your Home Or Garage [Decoist]
6 Clever Ideas for Bicycle Storage [Dwell]
14 Best Space Saving Bike Rack Solutions for Apartments [HiConsumption]

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Shop for Discounted Home Decor on These Flash Sale Sites

August 20, 2015 by

Designing a magazine-worthy home can come at a steep price, but by shopping flash sale sites for decor and furnishings, you can furnish your living space without breaking the bank. Here are just three of the best places to shop online for deals on home decor.

One Kings Lane
Once you sign up for free membership on this flash sale site, you’ll be able to shop One Kings Lane’s gorgeous inventory of unique kitchen supplies, Art Deco furniture, and globally-inspired area rugs, all at a significant discount.

Dot & Bo
If you’re a fan of mid-century modern furniture but you simply can’t afford to invest in an authentic vintage piece, Dot & Bo is the answer to your retro decor woes. This flash sale retailer requires a free membership in order to shop, but once you sign up you’ll have access to teak credenzas, starburst wall clocks, and more unique accent chairs than you can even imagine.

Joss & Main
Joss & Main is a beautiful and charming home furnishing website that offers up to 70 percent off of some of the most popular design trends. Shop shabby chic dressers, dining tables inspired by the French countryside, and everything in between.

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Helpful Study Tips for Students of All Ages

July 9, 2015 by

Students from sixth grade all the way up to graduate school struggle can find studying to be a daunting task, despite how different their curriculum may be. Use these helpful study tips to improve your own studying or to help your struggling child.

  1. Review before bed. While it’s not the best idea to study when you’re overly tired, there’s some benefit to studying right before bed. Your brain strengthens new memories while sleeping, so you’re more likely to remember what you learned if you look at the information right before falling asleep.
  2. Create mnemonic devices. Whether you’re trying to remember complex chemistry concepts or the states and their capitals, it often helps to create a little story or other mnemonic device using people or objects that you’re already familiar with. For example, make a poem out of the first letters of each of the planets for a child who is struggling with an elementary science class.
  3. Create practice tests. One of the only ways to really test your knowledge is by putting yourself to the test. Download pre-made practice tests online or enlist a study partner to quiz you on the topic.
  4. Write instead of typing. Many studies show that the human brain is more likely to remember something that you write by hand than something that you type, so leave your laptop at home the next time you take notes.

22 Science-Backed Study Tips to Ace a Test [Greatist]
10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time [Lifehack]
Adults in College: 10 Secrets to Success if You Haven’t Seen a Classroom in Years [Back to College Blog]
Top 10 Study Tips for Busy Adult Learners [Back to College]

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How to Display Your Houseplants for Maximum Impact

June 18, 2015 by

Adding houseplants to your home is one of the best ways to brighten a room and clean the air, so why not take the time to incorporate a few plants into your home's decor? Check out these tips for getting the most visual impact out of your houseplants.

  1. Place them in display boxes. Hanging antique crates or boxes from the wall is an affordable way add some vintage style to a room, and this is also a good way to show off your green thumb. Secure attractive crates to the wall facing outward, then pop a plant inside to create a sort of framed effect.
  2. Add tiered plant stands. While using plant stand is a great way to show off a smaller plant, adding three plant stands makes an even bigger impact in a room. You can even DIY your own by adhering attractive copper pipes in three different lengths to wooden or concrete tops.
  3. Hang them from the ceiling. Macramé is back in style in a big way, and there’s no better reason to break out your yarn and beads than to show off a beautiful plant. Creating a macramé plant hanger is simple and affordable, so you can create a whole slew of plant hangers with little money and little time.

Plants In The Bedroom [Smile and Wave]
20 Unforgettable Indoor Plant Displays [Decoist]
Buy or DIY: 5 Ideas for Displaying Tillandsia [Apartment Therapy]

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Decorating With Washi Tape? Check Out These Sites for Craft Inspiration!

January 8, 2015 by

Washi tape is an incredibly easy craft tool that you may see popping up in your favorite craft magazines or on popular DIY blogs. This simple adhesive tape comes in a wide variety of different colors and patterns, and because it’s easily removable, it can be used to decorate your electronic gadgets, gift wrap, and even your walls—without damage! Here are a few sites that are filled with fun ideas for decorating with washi tape.

Pinterest
Pinterest is a major hub for all things DIY, and a simple search for washi tape turns up an endless list of ideas for the home. Lovely Little Life Blog’s washi tape board features ways to use the tape to cover clothes hangers, decorate hanging lanterns, and even create your own wall art.

Buzzfeed
In its usual list-article style, Buzzfeed has created a list of 56 different ideas for decorating your home with colorful washi tape. Adding a pretty pattern to your window blinds is just one of the best suggestions, while others cover party planning tips, dressing up your tech gadgets, and much more.

Design Sponge
Design Sponge is a well-respected interior design website, so you can likely guess that its washi tape ideas are a bit more sophisticated than most. Think intricate wall borders, DIY phone cases, and floating picture frames.

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Short on Time? Here’s How to Clean Your Home in 20 Minutes

December 4, 2014 by

Whether you have guests coming over or you’re simply exhausted after a long day at work, sometimes a deep apartment cleaning just isn’t in the cards. Don’t fret, because it is entirely possible to clean your living space without spending a lot of time doing it. Here are a few tips to help you clean your apartment in 20 minutes or less.

  1. Remove clutter. The easiest way to create the illusion of a clean apartment is by removing all of the unnecessary clutter. Hang up the clothes that are lying on the floor (or at least toss them in the closet), and gather up all of the food or magazines scattered around the living room.
  2. Empty the sink. A sink full of dishes is a sure sign of an unclean apartment. Even if you don’t have time for much else, wash the dishes!
  3. Take out the trash. Nothing will blow your clean apartment cover faster than a smelly garbage can. Empty the trash in the bathrooms, bedrooms, and the kitchen.
  4. Freshen up. Spray couches and chairs with a neutral scented fabric refresher, and place some candles throughout the most high-traffic rooms. Even if you didn’t clean every nook and cranny, this will make things feel fresh.

Clean your home in less than 20 minutes [She Knows]
9 Tips For Speed Cleaning [About Home]
30 Quick and Easy Cleaning Tips [Woman’s Day]
Speed Cleaning: Tips For Fast & Efficient Housekeeping [The Inspired Room]

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Here’s Where Families Can Find Halloween Costume Inspiration

October 16, 2014 by

Get creative this Halloween by putting together a group costume to wear as a family. Whether you’re going to a Halloween party, a costume contest, or just door-to-door while trick-or-treating, these websites will provide you with major inspiration for a family-style costume.

Popsugar
Popsugar assembled 33 group costume ideas that can accommodate both the adults and the kids, and they range from sweet and cute to witty pop culture references. Ideas include a whole family of Raggedy Ann-style dolls, a super family of comic book characters, and even creepy costumes from your favorite scary movies.

HalloweenCostumes.com
This one-stop shop for online Halloween costume shopping offers both inspiration for family costumes and links to where you can buy them on the site. Sizes range from the smallest babies all the way up to adults to accommodate every member of the group. Ideas include characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and much more.

Huffington Post
This popular news site is also a great place to search for the perfect Halloween costume for you and the little ones. Ideas include Greek gods and goddesses, the Westminster Dog Show, and the characters from the Mario Brothers video games.

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Want to Travel Light? Don’t Pack These Items!

August 21, 2014 by

You think that you packed your suitcase pretty efficiently—until the scale at the airport tells you otherwise and you’re met with a huge baggage fee. We’ve all been there before, but there are a few things that you can do about it. Eliminate these three items from your list of things to pack, and you’ll likely be amazed at how much lighter your suitcase is.

  1. Toiletries. They may be essentials, but until you actually arrive at your destination, toiletries are just taking up space in your suitcase. Instead of filling your bags with heavy shampoo bottles or, even worse, having your toiletries taken away by airport security, opt to buy the same products in travel-size versions once you arrive.
  2. Snacks. This one is very common with international travelers. If you’re a creature of habit who prefers to eat the same foods every day, it may be tempting to bring your favorite snacks with you on vacation. Even a box of cereal can take up quite a bit of space, however, so opt to instead immerse yourself in foreign culture and try the local cuisine.
  3. Books. Many people like to relax with a good book on the beach or in the hotel room, but it’s very easy to over pack reading material and weigh your suitcase down. Invest in an e-reader instead, or bring just one book and swap with a friend once you finish it.

10 Things You Should Never Pack in Your Checked Bag [Smarter Travel]
What Not to Pack in Bags When Flying [USA Today]
What Not to Pack: 10 Things You Really Shouldn’t Take on Holiday [Skyscanner]
What Not to Pack [IndependentTraveller.com]

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