Tips for Rearranging the Living Room

Okay, yes I did it again, the other day I was in a creative mood and had to change my living room around, felt like freshening up the decor. Sometimes we just need a new view and rearranging a room can be fun. I didn’t buy anything new I just used decor items that I had, changed the area rug around, put the end tables in different places. Changed up a vase of flowers, moved lamps around and the biggest move was changing the placement of the couch and loveseat. It’s nice to have a new look and it just feels good to do this every few months or so. Here are a few tips if you happen to be in the mood to do an easy redecorating project.

1) Have a central focus in your room, this could be a fireplace mantle, large front window, or perhaps an entertainment center. A focus will help you balance the other items in your room.

2) Placement of large pieces. If you have an area rug place this first, then figure out the placement of other large pieces of furniture.

3) Think of the traffic flow, if this is a room that you use a lot this can be very important.

4) Think of the lighting you need in this room, be sure to place lamps in appropriate places for well lit reading areas.

5) Be sure the furniture works for conversation, you don’t want to have to be talking extra loud because you’ve placed the furniture too far apart and now conversation feels awkward.

6) Add touches of comfort, throw pillows, plants, bouquet of flowers, or a great coffee table book, these all make for a beautiful room.

Well do you have a favorite tip that you like to use when rearranging a living room or other room in your home? Share it with me here!

Along with all my rearranging I’ve been busy as always working on new designs for my store Designs by Shell Here are a few of them…

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Coconuts and Their Health Benefits

Coconuts have been used by many countries around the world for generations. They have become a relied upon food source in many places around the world and a staple in the diet as well as an economical commodity. Coconut is very nutritious, contains fibre, vitamins and minerals. Studies published in medical journals show that coconut provides a wide range of health benefits.  I have recently started using organic coconut oil and I’m loving it. “Coconut oil is the healthiest oil on earth” – Bruce Fife, N.D. I’ll share a few of it’s benefits with you here…

1) Boosts energy

2) Antibacterial and Antifungal

3) Improves digestion and allows better absorption of nutrients

4) Is an antioxidant

5) Supports immune system

6) Lower in calories than all other fats

7) Helps control weight

Here are a couple of pages with more great information about Coconut Oil and Research that has been done. 

I’ve been busy coming up with some new fun designs for my store, always brain storming new ideas. Drop by for a snoop around… Designs by Shell

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Motivation

This morning over coffee my husband Brian and I were chatting about topics to write about for our blogs as we do every weekend. Motivation was a word that was swimming around in my thoughts and I decided to go with that for todays blog. So did he, you can read his blog here!

Basically everything that we do is driven by motivation, you may not believe it but lets think about for a minute. Say for instance I want a clean house, I don’t really feel like cleaning my floors or scrubbing the shower but I  know I need to do these tasks in order to feel good and have a clean living space. My motivation to get these jobs done is a clean home. Our levels of motivation can change on a daily basis due to individual circumstances like, health issues, financial pressures, family issues and so forth.

What motivates you to go to work everyday? Is it knowing that there are bills and expenses that need to be taken care of or perhaps you simply love your job and this keeps you motivated. What motivates you to exercise?  Perhaps it’s because you want to keep your weight under control, to keep your heart healthy or because you like the way it makes you feel. We all have different motivators in our lives when it comes to getting things done.

Motivation needs to be reignited everyday. We will accomplish much more if we are motivated from within. Motivation is what helps us achieve our goals and move forward in life. 

I’ve been busy working on some designs, and yes, I have to motivate myself everyday to be creative and continue to come up with new ideas for products. Here are a few of my latest ones, come by my store Designs by Shell to see more!

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Home Decor and You

Home decor basically refers to the furnishings and styling of an interior dwelling whether it be your home, office or a public building. I would call my home decor style, traditional with a contemporary flare. I love simplicity with a touch of elegance that is comfortable and liveable. This seems to work well for our family. The colors and furnishings that you choose for your home all create mood and ambience. When choosing colors you want to decide what type of mood you’d like to create in your space. Dramatic, soothing, cheerful, spa like, etc. Once you’ve decided on that then choose your colors accordingly. Just by adding pops of color in home decor items one can define your space and create the atmosphere you like.

I’m excited that Zazzle has jumped on board with ‘home decor’ items. Zazzle has recently introduced some fabulous products for the home. Designers can now create on throw pillows, place mats, napkins, tea towels, teapots and pitchers. I think these home decor products will really be a great addition to all of the other gift items and apparel that Zazzle offers. I have lots of work to keep me busy designing now…. here are a few of the items I’ve been working on. For lots more stop by my store Designs by Shell for a snoop around.

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