Although each person has a different sense of style when it comes to home decorating, everyone wants a home that feels comfortable and inviting. To that end, an increasing number of people are collecting and displaying figurines that bring a touch of whimsy to the home and smiles to the faces of family members and visitors alike. Three of the most popular collectible figurines are those from Jim Shore, DEMDACO, and My Little Kitchen Fairy.
Jim Shore Figurines
Originally from South Carolina, Jim Shore is an award-winning artist whose figurines can best be categorized as a cross between American folk art and popular culture. Made of stone resin, Jim Shore's figurines encompass themes ranging from his Heartwood Creek collection of angels and his faith-based angels to his collectible Disney figurines. Many of his Disney figurines have patriotic Americana themes, such as "Justice for All," which depicts Mickey Mouse waving a flag in front of the Statue of Liberty, and "Protect & Serve," which depicts Mickey Mouse as a police officer. Jim Shore has also designed a variety of Christmas ornaments, ranging from "12 Days of Christmas" ornaments and reindeer ornaments to farm animal ornaments. He has also made nativity set and Santa figurines.
DEMDACO Figurines
DEMDACO offers many collections of figurines, but one of the most popular is the Wildflower Angel collection. Each figurine in this collection depicts an angel holding a wildflower. Given the meanings associated with different types of flowers, each Wildflower Angel conveys its own message. "Poppies," for example, conveys consolation, while "Forget-Me-Not" encourages someone to always remember the other. "Lilies" convey celebratory enthusiasm, while "Nasturtiums" reflects patriotism. Similarly, "Periwinkles" recalls tender memories, and "Daisies" indicate compassion and concurrence.
My Little Kitchen Fairies Figurines
G.G. Santiago, an award-winning artist, designs the My Little Kitchen Fairies series of collectible figurines for Enesco. Typically between four and five inches tall, these whimsical fairies add heart to any home. Her "Wedding Cake Fairy," for example, depicts a little girl fairy reaching for the top tier of a wedding cake. Her "Hot Chocolate" fairy depicts a little fairy sitting on the handle of a candy cane striped mug with whipped cream on top. The detail in her "Asleep in an Oven Mitt" kitchen fairy shows a mischievous little girl fairy in pigtails, sound asleep with her teddy bear in a highly detailed red, white, and blue oven mitt.
Collecting and displaying fairies has become increasingly popular as a way of adding whimsy and innocence to home decor. Whether they have a touch of Jim Shore Americana, the hidden meanings of DEMDACO Wildflower Angels, or the sweetness of G.G. Santiago My Little Kitchen Fairies, figurines can reflect and express the personalities of their collectors.
Cooking is a fun thing to do, but it might take a long time to accomplish, especially for particular kinds of food. However, you can overcome this problem by getting modern kitchen appliances. They will certainly help you to speed up the cooking process. Moreover, the cooking result will be amazingly perfect too.
We will always want to serve the healthy and delicious meals to our beloved family. These meals will include something like grains, egg, vegetables and many other healthy ingredients. However, it will require sometimes cooking these healthy ingredients. You should out extra effort too because the cooking preparation might not be too simple. It will certainly be an issue when we have to share times of home and work. Therefore, having modern kitchen appliances will absolutely be a perfect solution for every house across all nations.
You can go to home appliances store to see the various different collections of modern kitchen appliances. These equipment are fancy in designs. They are great in functionality too because they only apply the latest and enhanced technologies in the cooking industry. They will help to cut down the cooking time so that you will have more time doing some other important errands.
From these fabulous modern kitchen appliances, mixer and food processors are important equipment to have. You can use these equipment to grind your ingredients, such as onion, spices, pepper and many others. They come in various designs and sizes that you can conveniently choose the best equipment for you.
Other than that, equipment from modern kitchen appliances that will come handy for you is the slow cooker. The use of this device is to cook the food for a longer time. This way, the result of the cooking will be excellent because the meals had been through an extended pressure mechanism. You can choose the desired slow cooker suitable to your need because it comes with various capacities, starting from 3 up to 7 liters in general.
Modern kitchen appliances also come with many handy kitchens appliances, such as microwave and coffee maker. Most houses will generally serve coffee to the family members or guesses. By having the coffee maker, you can serve the coffer instantly without too much trouble. Microwave is also something that we cannot leave without these days. You can use it to keep your meal hot so that they are delicious to eat. Moreover, you can use the microwave to soften the frozen meat.
These modern kitchen appliances will truly help you in serving great meals within a shorter period. You do not need to spend your whole day preparing meals for your family breakfast or dinner. All you need to do is getting modern kitchen appliances and you will know how much time you can save with them.
Have you ever come across a home that is devoid of cabinetry? My guess would be no because cabinetry is an intrinsic part of every household. People cannot store their utensils, dishes and kitchen gadgets properly without cabinetry. Cabinetries are of different types and are located in all different rooms of the home- kitchen, bedroom, study and they meet the storage needs of every room efficiently. Suppose you need a collection of cabinetry for your kitchen. You will be stunned to see the plethora of options that you will be flooded with. So it is always very wise to decide about the type of collection that would like to opt for. The two broad categories where from you would have to make your selection are custom kitchen cabinetry and stock kitchen cabinetry.
Different people have different requirements and tastes. Each of these options has its pros and cons, so you need to conduct proper evaluation in order decide which style suits you the most. Generally people prefer to choose stock cabinets which cost much less than their customized counterparts. You need to do an adequate amount of homework to ascertain the type of cabinetry that will suit your kitchen the most. Though a designer or a plush cabinetry shop might steer you towards custom kitchen cabinetry, people with modest means might not be able to afford such an expensive collection of cabinets.
Even prefabricated cabinets can come with the look that you might be looking for if you are careful enough to get hold of a reputable cabinet manufacturing shop. Even if the quality of the product and the craftsmanship is of top quality, you would not have to worry about the look factor. Generally, you get what you pay for but here you would get something more than you are paying for if you are vigilant enough to make the right purchase. Quality and cost of the cabinetry should be the two top considerations when choosing a collection of cabinetry. If you are careful about these two factors even stock kitchen cabinetry can yield good results as the custom kitchen cabinetry.
If you are in rush and need a collection of cabinetry, nothing can save your time in a much better fashion than the prefabricated ones. Custom cabinets take a lot of time to have manufactured. These cabinets are built keeping a lot of factors in mind and with a lot of precision. Moreover these cabinets take a lot of time to have delivered. So for people who are in desperate need of a set of cabinets, custom kitchen cabinetry is an absolute no no. If you want to have a set of prefabricated cabinets which are uniquely designed and come with features that suit your needs, choose the semi- customized version. This type of cabinet collection would meet your requirements and remain within your budget.
Kitchen is the place where the mind body and soul feels satisfied. A happy heart of all homes is the kitchen. Kitchen appliances and cutlery are creations of mankind to make our lives hassle free and enjoyable. If these have stylish chic look with excellent craftsmanship then that would be heavenly. Paula Deen cookware is one such collection that helps you to prepare the gastronomic delights that fulfils our daily needs for nourishing our body. If the body is satisfied the mind body and soul is happy as well.
If you are planning to redo your kitchen, a kind of makeover, then you have a choice to look for the right place where you will find gadgets of all kinds that are specially designed to make the kitchen colourful and lively. The perfect home of Cutlery and kitchen appliances is with the kitchen queen Paula Deen Cookware collection just like her friendly, warm and welcoming.
Why should so much of attention be given to the design and utility of the cooking ware? There are several reasons for it - but the most important of all is cookware should be such that you have fun when you cook. The cookware that brings joy into the kitchen and home is the best cutlery and kitchen appliances. There should be happy memories associated with the food you cook - it will digest and nourish your body better. The happiness quotient is what Paula Deen has been giving since the time she joined this field.
The budget is another important aspect of selection - especially the appliances. The market of kitchen appliances is ranked among the forerunners in the industry with a variety of appliances smallest to the largest. Every home needs them and therefore a pocket friendly and environmentally friendly choice would be ideal and when you use them the collection of the cutlery and appliances will beckon all to the kitchen for cooking and sharing joy at the table.
Vintage salt and pepper shakers are a very popular item with collectors today. They are a great choice for someone just starting out in collecting who has an interest in kitchen collectibles. The monetary value of each collection will vary depending on the pieces included, but many people see the true value of the collection in the sentimental attachment they bring to their pasts.
One of the great things about choosing this area of collecting is that there is such a huge variety of items to choose from when you begin to build your collection. Salt and pepper shakers are commonly used every day in many homes, so individual pieces or entire collections can easily be worked into a decorative kitchen motif. The themes available for people to choose from stretch across many areas of life. Over the years shakers have been created to commemorate almost anything that one can think of as an area of interest.
Many people carry strong memories with them related to the kitchen they grew up with as a child. Often times, salt and pepper shakers are a part of that vivid memory if someone in their home had a collection. As such, they are often the collectible of choice for people looking to build a kitchen related collection as well as maintain connections to happy childhood days. Smells, tastes and sights all go together to build our memories. Many people with an interest in collectible shakers are carrying on a tradition started by an older relative. A fair share of the collections being built up today by people buying on sites like eBay are continuations of collections started long ago. They may or may not grow in the number of dollars that they are worth, but to a true collector, that is not the only factor to consider.
If you've been involved in designing or building a new kitchen in the past 20 years, you've probably heard the terms 'unfitted kitchens' or 'kitchen workstations' or simply 'kitchen furniture'. These terms don't refer to a dinette set, but rather to a completely different way of organizing a kitchen by using a few specially designed pieces of furniture instead of installing continuous lines of cabinetry and countertops. For some people, a 'furnished' kitchen is an intriguing idea, but others might say "Why bother fixing something that ain't broke?"
Sometimes we get so caught up in accepting how things are that we don't take any time to question whether we are going in the right direction. Technology has a way of pushing us forward, but sometimes we need to take a break to discover what form of progress is the most appropriate. For example, when electricity first came to New York City, there were layers of power lines attached to all the buildings and power poles everywhere. If we look at the old pictures of Manhattan we can't believe how ugly it all was, but to most of the New Yorkers of the period, they never even noticed the chaos. It took someone with just a bit of foresight to realize that burying all the power lines underground was a better way to go.
Kitchen design that uses cabinetry has evolved into the universally accepted method to create a kitchen. But in the last 20 years, designers started to ask the question, "Is cabinetry really the 'best' way for all design situations?" To answer this question, we must first discover the reason 'Why' changing from cabinetry to something else would be beneficial. Hopefully, by illustrating how kitchen design has evolved, you will begin to discover 'Why' kitchen furniture can be a great alternative to designing kitchens with cabinetry.
In the days before electricity changed everything in our lives, family kitchens in modestly sized homes were large but simply appointed rooms. They contained a solid fuel heat source for cooking (a fireplace or a coal or wood stove) and a built-in sink, with or without running water. Everything else was a piece of furniture. The icebox was elegantly made of wood, as were the central dining/work table, cupboards, pie safes and pantries. The family kitchen was the central work/social place of the home too where family members, sometimes in the company of friends performed most domestic chores and socialized with each other.
Electricity brought many timesaving devices into the kitchen, as well as many inventions that pulled us away from the kitchen. Due to the innovations in the kitchen, fewer people were needed to prepare meals, so the kitchen lost a lot of its social importance and became a smaller, super-efficient working room. Built-in cabinetry, previously delegating only to Butler's pantries in larger homes, now became the best way to shrink the kitchen into an efficient workspace. With more leisure time, socializing was delegated to the living areas of the house, because the kitchen was too small.
Now, current planning has opened up the kitchen to incorporate the social rooms again. New homes almost always have a breakfast/family room completely in view of the kitchen. The Great Room concept is simply a large social room with a kitchen in it. Walls between the kitchen and other rooms are being torn down in older homes in the effort to create multi-task, live-in kitchens. We have actually gone full circle, in a little over 100 years, by creating a modern version of a pre-electricity social/working kitchen.
Why has this happened? There are too many reasons to list here, but they all seem to relate to time. With the development of the 2 career families and single head-of-household families, there isn't enough time in the day to dedicate a lot of it to cooking. Again, innovations (i.e., microwaves, pre-prepared and frozen foods) have allowed us to spend less time cooking during the workweek. And when we are cooking, we don't want to miss anything that is going on around us. On weekends, we may relax in the kitchen/family room by watching TV or even entertaining friends by cooking elaborate meals.
But typically, the kitchen portion of the great room still looks like and is organized like the super efficient, work-only kitchen mentioned above. It is lined with horizontal bands of cabinetry and countertops that are interrupted only by exposed hi-tech appliances. Designers promote this 'laboratory' look because it is easy to design and it truly is the only kitchen design concept that most people understand. Most kitchen layouts are created by drawing a line 2 feet out from every wall (to indicate cabinetry) and then if there is room, an island (the bigger, the better) is drawn to act as a buffer between the kitchen and family room. The room's personality is determined by the design of the backsplash, and it depends on the color uniformity of the cabinetry and appliances to hold the design theme of the room intact.
On the other hand, the family room, or the social area of the great room is designed in a completely different way. Typically, a beautiful empty room is created and then it is furnished. Instead of lining all the walls with horizontal bands of built-ins (and there are exceptions to this i.e. Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie homes) the wall spaces are interrupted with vertical elements like windows and doors or focal points such as a fireplaces. The walls of the room are separated into vertical segments instead of continuous horizontal bands. At blank wall areas and in the middle of the room, eclectic pieces of furniture create seating arrangements, while the wall-hung artwork and sculptural collectibles on display determine the room's personality. But the wall, floor and ceiling colors and textures permeate between all of these vertical elements acting as the 'glue' that holds the whole design theme together.
So the question is, why not create a multi-task, live-in modern open-plan kitchen/family room by furnishing it rather than installing cabinetry? Why not blend the kitchen into the family room using vertical instead of horizontal design? Why must half of the room look like a sterile laboratory, while the other half of the room is filled with the personal touches that bring you comfort?
When designing with furniture, spaces must be created between each piece that allow the 3-D character (3-D in that furniture is made with at least 3 finished sides) of each piece to be appreciated. These spaces are most important as they allow the design theme of the adjacent room to continue uninterrupted into the kitchen. The spaces allow the wall, ceiling and floor coverings (the architectural finishes) to instantly meld the kitchen and family room into one homogeneous space in a way that is impossible to do with horizontally designed cabinetry. The spaces define the room's personality and allow the furniture to become more eclectic as well, emulating the same design techniques used in the design of the family room. No longer must the kitchen have just one color of wood, or one door style or one countertop material. The spaces allow all of these elements to change more readily. For a clear example, think of an open-plan log home where all the interior walls are exposed logs. A furnished kitchen allows the logs to be seen between each piece, which helps to unify the open-plan room whereas a horizontally designed cabinetry filled kitchen covers up all the logs. In an open-plan loft design where the kitchen is always seen, a furnished kitchen can blend seamlessly into the other casual seating groupings by allowing all the architectural finishes to meander between all the pieces and hold everything together.
There are a few simple design rules to consider when designing the individual pieces of furniture, but that is a topic for another time. There are even other reasons 'Why' to use furniture instead of cabinetry, such as using it to emulate a certain style or period like the pre-electricity styled kitchen. But it is in today's open-plan kitchen where furniture can make its most universal impact. Will it ever replace cabinetry? Absolutely not, but for anyone who is involved in designing a kitchen project, properly designed furniture may be the most appropriate design concept to use, one that is well worth the bother!
Feng Shui is a design system for arranging your surroundings in harmony and balance with the natural world around you. Your surroundings have a powerful effect on what you attract into your life. When the energy around you is blocked or unbalanced, your prosperity, health, and relationships can be adversely affected. Clutter is one of the biggest obstacles blocking this positive flow of good things into your life.
In Feng Shui, clutter represents postponed decisions and the inability to move forward. Think about that for a while. What do you accumulate, where do you put it, and why do you keep it? The answers say a lot about you.
If clutter in your home or office has you stuck, now is the time to break free. Here are twelve months of Feng Shui clutter-clearing tips. Start with the current month and work through a complete year:
JANUARY: DO THE FENG SHUI FLING.
Start your year out right by doing the Feng Shui Fling. Every trash day, get a large plastic bag, move quickly through your home, and fling 27 things into the bag--things you do not need, do not want, do not know why you are keeping. Open drawers and cabinets. Dig down under the sink. Do not think, do not analyze, do not hesitate...just fling. Then take the bag right out to your trashcan before you change your mind.
FEBRUARY: MAKE ROOM FOR A RELATIONSHIP.
In this Valentine's month, declutter your house to make room for the perfect partner to come into your life. Your goal is to free up 25 percent of the space in your home, especially your bedroom, for someone else's things. Clear out your bedroom closet so there will be room for your lover's clothes. Toss the expired prescriptions and half used toothpaste tubes to make an opening in the medicine cabinet for a lover's toiletries. Clear off one of the night tables in the bedroom and empty at least one drawer for a partner to fill. Remove those extra pillows, throws, and stuffed animals so there is room for a lover to join you in bed.
MARCH: LET YOUR OLD CLOTHES GO.
As the weather starts to change, change your wardrobe by letting go of the clothes you do not need anymore. You see them every morning: the shoes that cause blisters, the pants that ride too high in the crotch, the suits from your button-down days. You may have paid a lot for them, you certainly loved them when you bought them...but you just do not wear them anymore! If you have not worn an item of clothing for a year, remove it from your closet and donate it to charity.
APRIL: ANSWER THREE TAXING QUESTIONS.
Congratulations, you made it through another tax season. But are all of those tax records still cluttering your desk or dining room table? The IRS requires that you keep personal tax records from 5-7 years, so you can safely shred at least one box of old tax records after you filed your return. But what else should you keep? Ask yourself these three questions to help decide whether something is clutter or a keeper:
1. If I throw this away, will I get arrested? If the answer is NO, toss it.
2. Did I need this during the last year? If the answer is NO, out it goes.
3. Can I get it someplace else, especially on the Internet? If the answer is YES, trash it!
MAY: CLEAR OUT THE KITCHEN.
A clean, food-filled kitchen is the center of family life and a symbol of health and prosperity in Feng Shui. Throw out anything in your refrigerator and freezer that is old, half-full, or fuzzy. Remove everything from your pantry, wipe the shelves, and only keep items that are fresher than 6 months old. Update those old photos, take-out menus, and shopping lists on the fridge door with new ones. Buy a new pair of oven mitts or potholders to replace the burnt ones.
JUNE: SPRING CLEAN YOUR OFFICE.
When the warmer weather puts you in the mood for some spring cleaning, include your office. Clean your computer, including keyboard and monitor. Bundle up your electrical cords and wires and contain them with a twist tie or tubes made specially to control them. Remove the books from your shelves and dust; put back only books you use and current manuals. Remove dead leaves from your office plants; if you have silk plants, dust them or replace them if they are faded. Wash your windows if possible.
JULY: READ AND RELEASE.
Is a summer of reading resulting in too many books cluttering your shelves? Instead of cramming even one more book into your bookcase, practice the Read and Release principle: give it to a friend, donate it to charity, forget it at Starbucks, leave it at the grocery store, trade it at a used bookstore. Releasing your books creates space and enriches your community by sharing the pleasure of reading.
AUGUST: GIVE YOUR DESK DRAWER A VACATION.
Do things tend to get lost in your desk drawer? Before you leave for your summer vacation, give your desk a vacation from clutter. Open your top drawer and toss the following things into the trash: Dried-up pens and markers; bent paper clips; plastic utensils and ketchup packets from take-out lunches; month-old memos; message slips from people you have already called; pencils with worn-down erasers; dried up bottles of correction fluid; brittle rubber bands that will break as soon as you stretch them.
SEPTEMBER: ORGANIZE SCHOOL PAPERS.
You love every one of those drawings and papers that your children bring home from school. But if you save everything it diminishes the value of those special ones since they get lost in the clutter. Instead, each week collect all of the papers in a folder and have your child select one to keep. Put it on the refrigerator or display it on a bulletin board. After a week, date the paper and put it in a scrapbook or keepsake box for each child.
OCTOBER: CONTROL MAILBOX CLUTTER.
This is the month when the deluge of holiday catalogues starts arriving in your mailbox along with all the other printed materials you never read. When all of that mail accumulates it translates into clutter. To move your mail rather than accumulate it, keep a trashcan and/or a shredder near your in-box and treat it like a baby. That is, feed it often and change it frequently. When the mail comes, immediately toss the junk mail, circulars, and FYI mail into the trash or shred it.
NOVEMBER: GIVE THANKS FOR THE EXTRA SPACE.
In this month of Thanksgiving you don't need more things to be thankful for, you just need more room for thankfulness. Here are five things you can get rid of this month and be thankful for the extra space in your life: One unfinished project, one object that needs fixing but is not worth the effort, one gift you never liked even though you love the gift giver, one souvenir that no longer has meaning, one item of clothing you have outgrown--physically or emotionally.
DECEMBER: REDUCE GUILT CLUTTER.
End your year by reducing your guilt clutter; that is, your guilt over getting rid of gifts you do not need, even though they came from someone special, or cost you a lot of money, or you just do not like them anymore. Instead of feeling guilty, spend this month finding a new home for all of these things. Whether you sell them, donate them, or trash them, getting rid of the guilt clutter today will open up space for new energy to flow into your life tomorrow.
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You've heard of the Post Office. How about the Compost Office? Composting has become a big part of the nation-wide recycling effort. Although many individuals and communities are engaged in composting efforts, there is still much more we can do to help affect change. In fact, approximately 12% of all municipally generated waste is comprised of food scraps. If we could make a larger, wide-scale effort to increase our compost programs, we could help to divert almost 32 million tons a year from our landfills in the United States alone. Composting at home has become more popular than ever before. However, expanding our composting efforts into the workplace is an important next step in our overall recycling achievements. Making sure that office compost programs are successful lies in the compost bins.
Since compost collection in the workplace can be a considered a somewhat "icky" business to some, it is important to use compost collection containers which help reduce odors and are designed to hide conveniently inside a cabinet. Kitchen compost collectors which have hooks on the back of the bin enable you to hang the compost bin on the inside door of a lunchroom cabinet. This keeps the compost collection bin in a convenient location, yet still out of the open. In addition, choosing a collection container which has a vented lid and activated charcoal filters further assist in making your compost collection a simple and non-obtrusive one.
By selecting a kitchen collection container which has a wide lid, it will be easier to accommodate dumping a plate of food scraps into your collection bin. Too narrow of an opening and you risk dumping food scraps on the counter or floor rather than into your bin.
A kitchen compost bin which has rounded corners makes it a lot easier to clean. Just think how much easier it is to clean a container which has rounded corners as opposed to tight, 90 degree corners. In addition, a kitchen collection bin which is dishwasher safe will make keeping your compost collection program a snap to maintain. By making it easy to maintain your compost program, you make it easier for the program to succeed with flying colors.
By choosing a kitchen compost bin with some of these key features, it is easier than ever to establish and keep up a compost collection program in your office, business or workplace. Get the best bins and get them working for you at your place of work today!
The kitchen is an indispensable part of a home for a household can not operate without a proper kitchen. Today kitchens are not just meant for cooking purposes. Kitchens are like the heart of a home and we cannot think of a home that functions without a kitchen. A vital part of a kitchen is its collection of cabinets. Cabinets are not only meant for offering useful storage but they also help to enhance the beauty of the kitchen and increase its charm. But often people cannot afford to purchase new varieties of appealing and highly functional cabinetry mostly due to the factor of cost. But for this group of people a good option is discount kitchen cabinets. This variety of cabinets would assuredly resolve your problems without burning a hole in your pockets.
The discounted cabinets are not just meant for those who are of limited means. Even those people who are growing tired of existing furnishing items and crave replacements will find discounted cabinets to be a great solution. For this set of cabinets one does not have to spend a fortune, yet get what they want of their cabinetry. It is a cost effective option of remodeling the kitchen and trying new styles whenever you grow tired of the old one. The discount kitchen cabinets are available in almost every leading furniture manufacturing shop, so when it comes to getting a design or style of your choice, you can get them easily.
The most popular notion regarding discounted furnishing items are that they are manufactured of inferior materials and cannot stand the test of time. But contrary to this belief, the discounted cabinets too can be of good quality and superior standard. In order to get hold of this variety of cabinets you need to shop around and get the best deal within your budget. A good solution in this regard is to do thorough research in this area. The internet can be of great help. Do some online research, ask for referrals and you would surely hit upon the kitchen cabinets that fits your bill and matches your taste at the same time.
But if you have the habit of getting the cabinets changed every year, you need not worry about its quality. You can go for the fancy looking kitchen cabinets that do not cost much but would surely catch anyone's fancy. They would not come with any warranty for they are manufactured of not so superior items but then you would be requiring the cabinet just for the purpose of show and appeal. Even in case of discount kitchen cabinets you can fulfill your demands pertaining to the kitchen cabinetry. Determine what your priority is- beauty, style or function. If you find one criterion getting fulfilled then you can compromise on the other points. Be sure of what you want and go ahead with your shopping of custom kitchen cabinetry!
Here's three reasons why you'll enjoy collecting colorful vintage aprons. They are great for the beginning vintage collector because they are usually reasonably priced, each one is unique, and they have an interesting history. So, tie on a printed cotton kitchen bib apron or a frilly sheer hostess coverup and discover this fun and pretty collectible.
Vintage aprons are low priced.
Vintage aprons are starting to become a more widely known collectible vintage item. But because they were previously overlooked by many collectors, you can still find a fine selection for a low price. And with all the online markets out there you'll find a constantly changing array of choices from plain to fancy. Want to match your kitchen decor? You can pick and choose and have fun collecting according to your tastes!
Each apron is unique.
Aprons first came into style out of necessity to protect clothing. Because times were hard, many people decided to add their own details to their plain aprons. They became a showcase for skilled embroidery, or nostalgic designs. A fancy apron was the icing on the cake to the presentation of a fine meal. Women would cook in more practical aprons, then switch to their showy aprons right before presenting the food. Vintage aprons can be found in cotton prints, sheer nylon, terry cloth and even lace. Some are made from handkerchiefs or dish towels and some are reversible. You'll see home made, hand made and mass produced aprons but chances are you won't see the same design twice.
Aprons have an interesting history.
Researching the history of aprons can lead you to find ones that are more collectible. The style of aprons have evolved quite a bit over the years. For example, in Victorian times aprons were long, because the dresses women wore were never above the knee. Washers and dryers did not exist and everything had to be hand scrubbed, so women would often wear the same dress for a week. Aprons helped to protect the clothing. In the 1920s and 30s, aprons were often made from chicken feed sacks. People did not waste things, and would use every scrap of fabric. The rest would be used to make quilts. Half aprons only became the norm in the 1940s and 50s, and had very elaborate and impractical designs, to show off while entertaining guests.
If you want to begin collecting vintage aprons there are a variety of markets and sources out there to get you started. Ask family members and friends if they have any older aprons tucked away in a drawer. Type "apron" into any search engine to bring up many pages of aprons of all kinds. You'll even see quality reproduction aprons made with vintage style fabrics. Check at your local vintage or thrift stores in the housewares section. A perfect apron is out there waiting to be found, Happy Hunting!
Fun Fact: Some researchers point to Biblical references as the earliest mention of aprons. They cite a passage in which Adam and Eve sewed together fig leaves to make aprons to cover themselves.
Come on, admit it. You'd love to have a new and improved kitchen but you're convinced you could never afford it, right? Remodeling your kitchen doesn't have to put you into long-term debt. By putting these tips into practice, you could have that kitchen remodel you've been dreaming of and still have money left over in the bank.
1. Don't be afraid to consult a professional. Their insider remodeling secrets could save you a bundle on your kitchen makeover. Advice from a cabinetry company can help you bring affordable elegance to your kitchen remodel.
2. Consider replacing your kitchen cabinets' hardware as opposed to the entire door. Today's hardware options include nickel, steel, copper, porcelain, wood and iron to suit a wide range of kitchen remodeling tastes. You'll be amazed at how big of a transformation this seemingly little strategy can make in your kitchen remodel project.
3. If your kitchen cabinets are sound but the doors have seen better days, refacing them is a much cheaper alternative to replacing them. Glass doors allow you to show off your kitchen collection while laminate doors (in a variety of colors) and wood doors (in a variety of type) give you that contemporary or rustic kitchen remodel look you're seeking.
4. Eliminate your kitchen clutter with affordable organizational items like pan drawers, lazy susans, cutlery dividers and pull out sink basis. Once everything is stored away inside these inexpensive accessories, your kitchen will look instantly refreshed, without spending a fortune on a complete remodel.
A remodeled and up-to-date kitchen provides one of the highest returns on investment in home improvement. These simple and inexpensive remodeling tips will help you not only enjoy your kitchen more, but will also bring you a higher dollar value when you sell your home.
Hunting for kitchen collectibles by color is lots of fun. It's like going on a treasure hunt with a plan of action already in place.. ..searching by color. Bingo, you spot a yellow pot holder, or a set of red canisters or a green bowl which will fit in just perfectly. Whether you plan to use what you find or collect kitchenware for show only, building a collection with color as your theme can provide lots of hours of pure enjoyment as well as some great looking kitchens .
Collectors can be very creative about how they use color and patterns in their kitchens. For example, recently I visited the home of a collector friend who has a passion for vintage kitchenwares and textiles in the color orange. "Orange" of course, is not a typical Dimestore era color. In fact, believe me, orange is not an easy color to find pre-1960s ! Yet to my amazement this gal has found 1930s-1940s odds and ends here and there in the color orange and has grouped them together with white and black accessories. Wow...does she have an adorable kitchen. There was nothing Halloween about it, it was simply warm and charming. She was able to blend these colors together in a new way creating a very pleasant and cheerful kitchen.
Artists know that colors and color combinations create different moods and invite different reactions.. There is a whole literature on color theory and color psychology and much interest among manufacturers, especially in the textile world to have a pulse on color matters. In fact in 1915, a trade organization called The Textile Color Card Association of America TCCA was established to chart American taste in color. This group consisted of industry representatives who would choose colors for the following season. They also developed a standardized chart of colors that garment manufacturers and allied industries could refer to and continue to meet.
In the context of the Dime Store Era, it is interesting to know that in the 1940s, the war influenced the availability of materials and even what colors would prevail. The U.S. Government War Production Board closely monitored the textile industry reserving certain fabrics, textiles and metals for military uniforms or equipment. In the Spring of 1948, The Textile Color Card Association issued their color chart and you begin to see a change from the drab colors of the war years to the beginning of more colorful palettes.
Other industries were also greatly influenced by the war efforts. We begin to see major changes in the household products available after the war with numerous improvements. Aluminum, plastics, glass are examples of materials which advanced greatly as a result of wartime technologies.
When the war ended, the post war years would see a calmer nation ready for a return to family living and home concerns. Magazine articles in popular women's magazines shifted from subjects about how women could be thrifty during the war to topics about home décor and entertaining. Manufacturers encouraged adding color to the home and ran advertisements encouraging women to buy products for their "gay modern home". Housewares which had been softer in tones in the 1930s would now be produced in strong reds and deep yellows.
Garments would be influenced by Christian Dior's "New Look" of 1947 with colors of pale grays and blues, Blues would also find their way into home décor and on industry packaging. There was nothing pale however about home textiles. Everyday tablecloths, dish towels, curtains and upholsteries were bold, colorful and often patterned with florals, abstracts or whimsical themes. Color was everywhere from outside packaging and advertisements to the products themselves.
