Home Improvement Ideas for Newly Married Couples

 

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In Florida, where the climate can range from sunny and mild to stormy and severe, newly married couples often face the challenge of making their first home together both comfortable and resilient. Creating a shared living space not only involves blending styles and preferences but also ensuring the home can withstand the local weather conditions. This balance can lead to exciting home improvement projects that cater to functional needs and personal aesthetics, helping couples turn their house into a home.

1. Create a Joint Budget for Home Improvement

One of the first steps for newly married couples looking to improve their home is to establish a joint budget. This financial plan should reflect both parties' priorities and ensure that spending aligns with their shared goals. Couples should discuss what improvements are necessary immediately and what can be planned for the future. Creating a budget helps prevent overspending and ensures that funds are allocated efficiently, making it possible to tackle projects that add the most value and satisfaction to their home life.

2. Upgrade to Energy-Efficient Windows

Upgrading to energy-efficient windows is a smart move for enhancing the home’s functionality and comfort. These windows not only help in reducing the energy bills but also play a crucial role in protecting the home against harsh weather, common in many areas. If you're looking for impact windows Florida has several options that provide both energy efficiency and increased protection during storm seasons. Investing in high-quality windows can result in long-term savings and improve the overall safety and comfort of the home.

3. Revamp the Kitchen

The kitchen is often the heart of the home, where meals are prepared and shared, and guests are entertained. Making this space inviting and functional can greatly enhance daily life. Simple updates like installing a new backsplash, updating cabinet handles, or adding a functional island can transform the kitchen without a complete overhaul. These changes can be both cost-effective and impactful, creating a space that both partners love to use and show off to visitors.

4. Create a Master Bedroom Retreat

Transforming the master bedroom into a retreat can add a significant level of comfort to a home. This space should be a sanctuary where the couple can relax and unwind. Focus on elements that enhance tranquility and comfort such as soothing color schemes, comfortable bedding, and ambient lighting. Adding personal touches like art, photographs, or unique furniture pieces can make the space feel more intimate and tailored to the couple’s tastes.

5. Optimize Bathroom Space

Bathrooms, especially in a home where space is shared, should be optimized for function and relaxation. Consider upgrades like installing dual sinks to make morning routines more efficient or upgrading fixtures for a more modern look. Ample storage solutions can also declutter the space, making it more pleasant and functional. For those looking to add a touch of luxury, options like a rainfall showerhead or a heated towel rack can transform an ordinary bathroom into a spa-like experience.

6. Invest in Quality Furniture

For newly married couples, investing in quality furniture is crucial for building a long-lasting and comfortable home environment. Choosing durable and versatile furniture pieces ensures that they will stand the test of time as the couple's life and family potentially expand. Opt for classic styles that can adapt to various decor changes over the years. It’s also wise to select pieces that offer additional storage or multi-functional uses, such as ottomans with storage space or sleeper sofas for guests, maximizing the utility of each purchase.

7. Smart Home Automation

Integrating smart home technology can greatly enhance the convenience and efficiency of a home. Smart thermostats, for example, adjust the temperature based on the couple’s schedule, saving energy and money. Smart lights can be programmed to change at certain times or controlled remotely, adding both security and convenience. Installing a smart security system can also provide peace of mind, allowing couples to monitor their home remotely. These technologies not only make daily life easier but also help in managing the home more effectively.

8. Personalize Decor with DIY Projects

DIY projects are a fantastic way for couples to personalize their space while also spending quality time together. Creating custom pieces like framed photos, hand-painted wall art, or refurbished furniture adds unique touches that make a home feel more personal. These projects allow couples to put their stamp on their home decor, reflecting their styles and interests. Additionally, DIY decorating can be a cost-effective way to enhance the aesthetics of the home without breaking the bank.

9. Landscape the Outdoor Living Space

Landscaping the outdoor living space can transform an ordinary backyard into a delightful retreat. Planting a garden, installing a patio, or setting up a barbecue area are great ways to enhance outdoor enjoyment. These additions not only provide a beautiful and relaxing environment but also increase the home’s value. For couples who enjoy entertaining, having a well-designed outdoor space is perfect for hosting friends and family.

10. Establish a Maintenance Routine

Maintaining a home can be daunting, but establishing a regular maintenance routine ensures that the property remains in good condition and any problems are addressed promptly. This includes regular checks and upkeep of major home systems like heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, as well as exterior elements like roofing and gutters. A well-maintained home not only saves money on emergency repairs but also ensures a safer living environment.

Conclusion

Home improvement for newly married couples is an exciting journey that transforms a house into a shared home. By investing in quality furniture, embracing smart technology, personalizing spaces with DIY projects, enhancing outdoor areas, and establishing a maintenance routine, couples can create a comfortable and stylish home that grows with their relationship. These improvements not only enhance the couple's quality of life but also build a foundation for a happy and fulfilling future together.

Why You Should Start A New Hobby In Time For The Summer

Hobbies are something that everyone needs to have in their life. They give you purpose and keep you entertained for as long as you need, as well as being a healthy distraction to just pass the time. And what better time to pick something new up now before the Summer is upon us?

It's been a long Winter, and whether or not you want to admit it, we have all been in a state of hibernation that has left us all feeling rather blue - but that's enough! It's time for a pick-me-up that will put you back on track and get you ready for the delicious sun that awaits. It's fine to feel a lack of motivation at times - it's completely normal, but you can only allow it to go on for so long until you decide enough is enough, and you want to be passionate about something again. This post may contain affiliate links.

Capture the beauty.

Photography is a stunning visual way of capturing all of the wonderful things around you, like the magical sunsets that paint the sky all different colours of the rainbow, and the wildlife that surrounds you when you take a walk through the park. This is why you should pick up a camera and get snapping. You don't need to have an expensive high-end camera to do that with either, just go with something easy to start out with and take it from there. The warmer things start to become, the more your environment will begin to flourish, so enjoy the transition that is to come. 

Ride the adventure.

Cycling is not only great for your body, getting it ready for the Summer attire, but it's also a wonderful way to encourage you to get outdoors and explore. There is so much to see around you that you may have always overlooked because you've never had the need to go down that path, or through those trees, but you'd be amazed to find what beauty awaits you. You don't have to venture off alone either, you can buddy up with a friend and make a whole day out of exploring, with a pit stop for some lunch and a refreshing beverage to wash it down with, as well as a giggle or two.

Start DIY'ing

I watch way too much HGTV and am always adding to my home improvements wish list. Summer is the perfect time to learn the basics of DIY at home. Making renovations to the home can prevent wildlife infestations. Being proactive about critter control in warmer months makes the home comfier than ever. Not to mention the pride you would feel from DIY'ing those projects around the house.

So stop thinking about what is to come, and instead choose something exciting to pass your time and discover a newfound thrill that you’ve always had waiting inside of yourself.

Create the sound.
Who doesn't envision spending their evenings sitting around a fire, roasting smores with a ukulele, playing some of their favourite tunes off musicianauthority? It's the ideal dream while being in the company of the ones you love most. So the sooner you start to learn a new instrument, the sooner you can make this happen. Just think, you will be able to create your very own music and share stories from the songs you've written. This is a very powerful tool that can touch so many people on a deeper level, and that's what makes it such a special thing.

Home Remedies to Keep Wildlife Out of Your Garden

 

When you have spent a lot of hard work, time, and money on creating a beautiful flower garden or a bountiful vegetable and fruit garden, nothing is more irritating than watching wildlife eat and destroy your plants. Doubtless, you want to figure out some ways to prevent this from happening anymore. Continue reading to learn about some home remedies to keep wildlife out of your garden.

Herb Plants

This is a great home remedy to keep certain animals out of your garden, as it uses plants that you can eventually use to cook with! One of the most useful plants to repel certain animals, such as moles, deer, and rabbits are chives. Mice and rats hate lavender (not an herb, but a plant nonetheless). Garlic, spearmint, sage, and rosemary are useful to keep ants, rabbits, deer, and many other animals away. Absinthium is also a great plant to deter many different species of small garden destroyers. The best way to utilize these plants is to place them around the perimeter of your garden, barring access to the plants these animals do want to eat.

Pets

If you have an outdoor cat or an outdoor dog, you might have a perfect garden protector already! If you start incentivizing a pet to stay over by your garden during the day and at night, they will likely be a very thorough protector, keeping most wildlife away from your plants. While they will not be able to do anything about insects, they can prevent most small animals and deer from feasting on your plants. 

Homemade Repellents

Most of the pests that ravage gardens hate certain mixtures of substances. One of the easiest all-purpose repellents to make is one that uses chili powder (or chili peppers) mixed with water or vinegar. This solution can then be sprayed around the perimeter of your garden, and should be effective at deterring rats, mice, moles, deer, rabbits, and most other pests you may encounter. Another versatile mixture is one that includes lemon juice mixed with water or vinegar. Use this solution just like the chili mixture, and you should have excellent results! One issue with this type of homemade repellent is that it will have to be applied fairly often, particularly after a rain. If you would rather get professional experience on your side, look into Gray Brothers Wildlife LLC, as these experts will be able to take care of your animal problem, and help you prevent the problem from happening in the future.

Decoys

While these may not work perfectly, a visual deterrent, such as a decoy, can often keep certain pests from ravaging your garden. One of the best, most versatile decoys to use would be an owl. Owls can scare many different pests away. In particular, mice, rats, voles, moles, squirrels, rabbits, and other small critters will definitely be more cautious if they see an owl. It also provides a deterrent for smaller birds that might be trying to eat your plants as well. Another good decoy would be a coyote, as this would keep small critters away, as well as deer and birds. 

Fences

While unsightly, putting in a fence can be a great idea, depending on the type of pests that are ruining your garden. In some cases, a fence might not protect your garden that well. If you are primarily having problems with rabbits, squirrels, birds, or deer, a fence could be an excellent addition to your garden’s defenses. If, however, you are dealing primarily with threats from rodents, they will very easily be able to dig or squeeze through the fence. If you insist on building a fence, a great way to do this is by using chicken wire with a small hole pattern. This allows plants to have access to water and sunlight, but prevents most creatures from getting access. Be sure to put some fencing above the plants as well, as this will keep squirrels, birds, and deer from getting your plants. 

Removal

If these home remedies do not seem to be working, it may be time to consider the wildlife removal process. You have two options: DIY or hiring a professional wildlife removal company. To learn about the specifics of the DIY process, visit pestcontrolanimal.com to learn about DIY methods for animal removal.

Citrus Candles

If you are looking for a cheap and easy DIY that makes use of food scraps, adds elegance, and can be tossed after use, then you are going to love these easy candles. These are just the right size to burn on the deck in the evening and are so cute!

This project is so easy to complete. I had a few candle wicks and a small bag of wax melts to use. I also had a few bruised and battered citrus fruits. This idea was born from a way to add ambiance to a date night at home, by using items I already had on hand.

 

Directions:

Cut citrus fruits in half.

Discard all fruit until you are left with just the peel.

You could use fruits that you juiced for lemonade or limeaid.

Melt wax in the microwave, or in a double boiler over medium heat until it is liquid.

Pour a drop of wax into the peels and stick the wick into the peel.

Fill the peel with wax.

You can either poke a hole into a craft stick and feed the wick into the hole, or just wrap the wick around the stick to keep it in place.

Allow the wax to harden.

Trim the wicks, light and enjoy.

These will float, or just make a nice candle for on the porch that will burn down within an hour.

These also would make a nice gift to share with someone who invites you over to a bbq or for drinks.

They are also just gorgeous to watch burn!

After you make these once, you will want to reserve all of your beat up citrus fruits to make them again!

You can also make these with oranges if you have them on hand!

Find more favorite DIY projects here:

Fantastic flower projects

DIY Coasters

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DIY Pallet Halloween Tree

 I have developed a serious affection for pallet projects. I love how many ways you can re-purpose them! I came up with this easy DIY Pallet Halloween Tree using materials I had a home. 

This is such an easy last minute DIY project to add a little creepy decor to your or yard. You can use the things you have around the house to come up with something creep-tastic! I am already planning ahead to next year and how I will make this cuter with clearance Halloween goodies!

Supplies used:

A few pallet boards

A hand saw and or a circular saw

E6000 glue

Halloween ribbon

Halloween trinkets

Black paint

Directions:

Saw down your pallet boards so that you can form a tree shape. I used a 1", 3",  6",  8",  10" boards and a 18" board for the back.

Paint your boards black, allow to dry.

Glue your short boards to the longest board, black side out.

Place something heavy or use a vice to secure the boards to the wood and allow to cure and dry.

Now, you can start decorating!

I glued Halloween ribbon to the tree and then placed the "ornaments". I used bugs, spiders and creepy eyes as decorations.

Allow to dry again and place it in the yard or in the house.

You can find all of my Halloween crafts here.

Reader favorites include:

Paper Plate Witches

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12 Pretty Peacock Projects

Spring is near and we can't wait to visit the Kingwood Center in Mansfield to view the lovely early flowers, stop by the green house and of course, check out their gorgeous peacocks!

To build on our excitement I thought it would be fun to make a few pretty peacock crafts! I found 12 lovely ideas that I can't wait to share with you. If you like peacocks you are going to want to make a few of these too.

DIY Etched Peacock Cuff Bracelet by Happy hour Projects
Peacock Wreath by Artsy Fartsy Mama
Peacock Soap by Suzy's Sitcom
Peacock Tutu Skirt by Life Sew Savory
Peacock Necklace by Mad in Crafts
Peacock Shoe Clips by Sugar Bee Crafts
Peacock Painted Curtains by Live Laugh Rowe
Peacock Feather Wreath by Doodle Crafts
DIY Peacock Stamped Dress by Twin Dragonfly Designs
Peacock Garden Art by Morena's Corner
DIY Peacock Earrings by Artsy Fartsy Mama
Pretty Peacock Journal by Suzy's Sitcom

I think the feather wreath is gorgeous! That would add so much color to my doorstep this spring! Which of these 12 pretty peacock projects is your favorite? Leave me a comment to let me know!

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How To Remove Cat Urine From Carpet

There is nothing quite like the smell of cat pee on your carpet to really put a damper on the day. While we don't want to admit it, life with pets leads to a few messes here and there. Cat pee can be such a hard odor to get rid of, especially on carpet! It also seems that once your cat has an accident on the carpet, that spot is going to become a frequent place for future accidents if not treated.

My cat has had several accidents over the years. I have tried several methods to remove the odors and the germs! From specialty products sold in pet stores to natural remedies. I have had a variety of results as you can imagine. It seems that the products that work the best require the most work. Then one day, I had an idea and I tried it... Luckily it worked! I can't wait to share this easy DIY solution to pet odors that not only kills bacteria and germs but also has a pleasant smell!

Best of all- this is a DIY solution for pet odors like cat pee that will only cost you $2 to create. You may already have all of the supplies on hand for a frugal and fast fix to pet accidents!

The first step to take when your pet has an accident is to clean up as much of the urine as possible with paper towels. Blot it up as soon as possible until your paper towel is dry after blotting! This will make the job so much easier.

If you have a newspaper around lay it on top of the area where the accident occurred. The newspaper will absorb some of the odor.

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Next, you need an empty spray bottle and mouthwash.

Pour mouthwash into your clean and empty spray bottle.

Simply spray this over the area that the accident occurred. Spray the area down until it is damp.

And there you have it. A simple DIY Cat Urine Remover that is super easy to make and use. The mouthwash will kill bacteria and leave a pleasant smell. As you can see I used mint, because that is what my local Dollar Tree had in stock.

How do you deal with the mess and smell when an accident happens? 

10 Projects to Make for Hanukkah

 The holidays are near and it is time to get crafting! I have 10 Projects to Make for Hanukkah that you aren't going to want to miss! These are so fun you are going to light up at the sight of them!

These 10 Projects to Make for Hanukkah are perfect for crafting with the kids and are a great way to add a little festive decor to your home without having to head to the shops to get it!

Hanukkah Party Poppers by Frugal Elegance

Personalized Hanukkah Gift Crate by The DIY Bungalow

Shimmering Star of David by Crafts by Amanda

Hanukkah Stained Glass Craft by Kid World Citizen

Modern Menorah by Delicate Construction

Handprint Menorah by Mom Endeavors

Elegant Menorah by Mod Podge Rocks

Hanukkah Gelt Tree by Yesterday on Tuesday

DIY Menorah by Sugar Bee Crafts

Hanukkah String Art by Delicate Construction

I can't wait to make the party poppers with the kids! They are going to LOVE these!

If you have a fun craft or DIY for Hanukkah please leave a comment to share with us! If you make any of these ideas make sure you share a pic on facebook!

Find all of our holiday posts here

How To Personalize Your Home

 They say home is where the heart is. As a result, you should find a way to showcase as much of your heart and the things you love in your home as possible. After all, this will help turn your home into your safe haven, a place where you can retreat after a busy or stressful day.

Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash

With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to personalize your home! 

DIY your decorations. DIY is more than just a method for tackling home improvement or maintenance tasks, it can also be a great way to add an extra personal touch to your home. For example, if you had a diy cnc router, you could use this to turn a regular old piece of wood into a coveted work of art, which you can proudly display in any room of your home. You could also use this to create bespoke furniture, such as a coffee table or desk. 

Make use of all the spaces available to you. Another way in which you can make sure your home caters to your every need is by ensuring you make the most of every space you have available to you. For example, if you are a bookworm,  instead of using your attic as a glorified (and rather dusty) storage unit, you could convert your attic into a reading room. This way you have the perfect cozy space to retreat to when you fancy entering another world for a few hours. Alternatively, if you work from home, you could turn this space into a stunning WFH station. 

Paint your walls a bright, bold color. Many home interior guides encourage homeowners to use neutral shades when painting their walls. This is because it allows your furniture to take center stage by acting as a blank canvas. However, as color impacts our emotions and behaviors, featuring your favorite colors in your home (no matter how bright or bold) can truly transform your home and how you feel when spending time there. 

Reupholster your furniture. Learning how to reupholster furniture such as sofas and chairs is another great way to add a more personal touch to your home, without having to buy new furniture outright. It can also be a great way to breathe life into older furniture items, making them look good as new. Try to keep an eye out for bright, bold, or eye-catching fabrics you can use to achieve this goal.

Create a photo wall. Personalized crafts are a great way to spruce up your home. As a result, creating a photo wall is always a great idea. This way you can look back on some of your favorite memories, from vacations to wedding ceremonies every single day. This will not only brighten up any room in the home but can also contribute significantly to your happiness as “photos remind us of people, pets, places, and activities that we love as well as remembering the past. This has been shown to reduce our stress and enhance our mood and overall wellbeing”. There are many ways in which you can create a dynamic photo wall. For example, you could use a variety of different print mediums, from framed photographs to canvases. Alternatively, you could choose a theme for your photo wall, such as black and white images. 

Paint the front door. Home makeovers should include both the interior and exterior of your property, especially if you want to make a real difference. As a result, you could add an extra personal touch to your home by repainting the front door and window frames. Again, do not feel as though you have to choose a plain, neutral color for your door (even if other homeowners on your street have gone down this route). A splash of color will help your home appear bright and inviting! However, you must ensure that you invest in quality, durable paint so that it does not fade quickly or require regular topping-up. 

Paint a Canvas. Hanging art in your home is not only an excellent way to brighten up a dull, blank wall, but it can also trigger creativity and decrease stress. You could take this to the next level by painting your own canvases instead of buying some. This will save you a great deal of money, and will also work to ensure that you have a unique piece of artwork to display in your home. Furthermore, this could be a fun activity that the whole family can partake in, and who knows,  maybe you have a budding Picasso in the family!