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Creating A Welcoming Guest Room for All Ages

The holiday season is quickly approaching. As we prepare for dinners, drinks and laughter, one thing we sometimes forget is hosting family members in our home overnight.

Here are few ways to create a welcoming guest room for you out of town relatives:

1-Clean, crisp sheets and fluffy towels
Nothing says comfort like a bed made up with clean crisp sheets, warm comforter and throws. Place fluffy towels and face cloths at the end of the bed for your guests to use. If you want to be even more accommodating, provide them with a nice soap.

For kids staying over, make them a towel animal for the bed using these tutorials. Towel Animal Tutorials
Place some bubble bath or cute molded soap with it for them.

2-Provide refreshments
We have all stayed at a relatives house and been hungry or in need of water. Provide your guests with a few bottles of water and some snacks in their room. This will make them feel more comfortable and will be much needed after a long flight or drive. Show off some local items in your guest room from a local chocolatier or snack maker. Place it into a basket or a decorative bowl like this to display it nicely.

Use tips from the blog 7th House on the Left to create the perfect guest room refreshment basket.

3-Reading material
When the family is in town, they may be there for extra time around the big holiday events. So providing them with something to do will keep them from getting bored. Provide a few good books, maybe a book about the area, guidebooks, magazines and of course children’s books for kids. If you have the space, create a small reading nook for them with a comfy chair and throw blanket.

4-Fun things to do
Not everyone loves to read or will want to watch television. Provide your guests with some small games, toys for the kids or a deck of cards. For more tips on what to add to your guest room check out Celebrations at Home’s Blog.

5-Electronic Connections
We are a very connected society now. Your guests may forget their phone charger or may want to access your wi-fi. Provide a card in their room with your wi-fi login for them get online. Leave your guests additional chargers for their cellphones if they need it.

6-Fresh flowers or plants
To brighten any room, have a potted plant or a bouquet of flowers. Just make sure the flowers aren’t overly fragrant in case of allergies. Plants will help clean the air and also provide a natural look for your room. Try low maintenance plants, like air plants, spider plants or succulents.

7-Adequate lighting and shades
There is nothing worse than stumbling around a room to find a light switch. Make sure your guests have lamps and lights to help them find their way. Also, add in some curtains and shades so they have privacy and can sleep in if they desire.

8-Additional comforts
Provide your guests with ample pillows and blankets. A small fan may also be helpful for keeping air circulating, cooling the room down and noise cancellation.

9-Leave them plenty of room
Provide empty drawers and closet space to allow your guests to unpack. They will appreciate being able to hang up their nice clothes and jackets.

10-Consider their sleeping arrangements
You may want to create a room for the kids to enjoy that has toys, stuffed animals and unbreakable stuff. For guests with physical limitations, consider putting them in close proximity to the bathroom and on the first floor if possible.

Looking for more inspiration? Follow us on pinterest!

5 Survival tips to cooking with the kids this Thanksgiving

Get your kids involved while you prepare your holiday meals this season.
It’s a great opportunity to bond with your children, teach them how to cook, entertain and help them feel like a bigger part of a family celebration.
Here’s a few things to get them more involved:

Looking the part.
Entertaining is messy business! All that cooking, cleaning, and caring for guests can leave your clothes dirty. Allow your child to wear an apron to not only protect their clothing, but also they will feel like a bigger part of your event. Jacaranda living offers aprons just for kids to wear. See more on our site here.

Show them measuring basics.
What’s the difference between a cup and tablespoons. Once you teach them how to measure and even read a recipe, they can pre-measure out all your ingredients for you.

Let them use their hands.
Kids love to play with their hands. As adults, we forget the joy in that sometimes. Show you kids how to mix up a sauce, cookie dough or knead some bread dough. Here’s some more tips from Food Network’s Giada DeLaurentis on how to make cooking fun with kids here.

Preparing for dinner.
To many children, a nicely set table for dinner looks like something out of a fairy tale. Think of Cinderella’s Ball or the grand table from Beauty and the Beast. Show them how to properly set a table or fold napkins. They will feel like they made a huge contribution to making the dinner look beautiful. Plus that frees up time fore you to do some last minute preparations for guests. Here’s some inspiration on table settings from HGTV.

Clean up.
It’s never fun to do dishes or put everything away. By having some extra hands, no matter how little, this can be a big help. Kids love to be involved and feel helpful. Give them a task, like clearing the table, putting dishes in the dishwasher or bringing out containers for leftovers. Reward them for their hard work with dessert! Use this helpful checklist from Earlybird Mom here to help with clean up.

Decorate a Bedroom like “Chrisley Knows Best”

Reality TV has allowed us a glimpse into homes we could only dream of owning, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend a ridiculous amount of money to get the same look.

Antique furniture:
Dark wood 4 post bed and dark wood dresser and china cabinet.

Check out this great bed from BernHardt

You can get many of these items at a local antique or consignment store for less than $100/piece if you like to bargain hunt and pick up do it yourself pieces. If they aren’t the color you want, you can always strip them and refinish them.

The nice thing about pieces like these is that they are made of solid wood, last forever and have lots of character, you can change them up over and over. Great for those who love DIY projects.

Accents and decor:
Once again you can get the sitting chairs, antique plates, and vintage lamps for an inexpsenive price at an antique or vintage store. We also found some great reproductions from Ballard Designs, the Bergere Chair is the perfect match. You can also pick from all the fabric choices on their website.

To find the beautiful shelves, try a local supply store for finish carpenters and paint them the color you want.

Wall Decor

We found these really great plates from Pier 1 Imports that will look great in your Chrisley bedroom.

Bedding:
Crisp white sheets with person monograms or designs embroidered into them give a luxurious feel to any bedroom. Add in a comfortable comforter set, complete with decorative pillows to match and you have a enticing and beautiful bedroom. Use the following items available at Jacaranda Living to complete your bedroom. Jacaranda Living offers monogrammed sheets, sheet sets, and variety of pillows, hand towels and even bath and spa product for that extra luxurious Chrisley touch!

If you want the same look of a guest room without the monograms try out some sheets like these with patterns embroidered into them.

Toile Bedskirt

We found a really great Toile bedskirt at Country Curtains

Good Luck with your Chrisley Inspired room, if you use any of our ideas let us know!!! we would love to post your pictures.

Turn your rental unit into a home you can be proud of

Nothing says temporary like living out of a box or suitcase so, if you want to create a space that feels like home, unpack. Everything. Remember the rental unit is not your own so it would be wise to consult with your landlord before you make any permanent changes to the unit.

Most landlords want long term tenants who care for and maintain their space like it was their home, therefore keep open communications going with your landlord and you should be able to create a home environment that most would envy. And if you are a transient renter, there is no reason why you cannot create the homey refuge of your dreams, wherever you are.

Below are suggestions to make any rental space your own.

Address the walls – If the landlord will not allow you to paint, do not be rebuffed, put up pictures and creative artwork. If you are worried about putting holes in the wall, just remember to cover the holes before you vacate the unit.

Swap out hardware – Buy and install hardware that suit your individual style but save and reinstall the existing hardware prior to your departure.

Add lighting – If you do not like the utilitarian lighting fixtures in your unit, buy ones that suit you and install them. Again, these are your fixtures and you can take them with you when you leave but, you must replace the fixtures you removed with the owners fixtures (make sure that they are still in working order)

Add Color – This can be easily accomplished with area rugs, pillows, artwork and window treatments. Have fun. There are no limits. Again, painting may be an issue with the landlord, but do not rule it out. It does not hurt to ask permission to paint, the worst thing he can say is no.

Color to decorate your rental unit, rental apartment decorating — Photo from apartmenttherapy.com

Add plants – Bring the outdoors into your apartment with vibrant colors, aromas and energy. Do some research and choose plants that fit your lifestyle.

Invest in quality furniture and accessories that you like and suit your individual personality. For that extra homey, crisp and polished ambiance, invest in fine cotton or cotton/linen blend accessories. They are luxurious to the touch, easily interchangeable for personal style and satisfy any individual indulgence. Consider these an investment, quality items well worth your while to purchase, because these items will move with you, allowing you to recreate your environment wherever you roam.

5 of 2014’s Design Trends We Love!

Follow our Board on Pinterest as we continue to post our favorite 2014 Design Trends!

Blossoming Prints

“Florals and Chintz: These tried-and-true fabrics are popping up everywhere in fashion and decor. Mix them with other graphic patterns for a modern look.” — Stacey Bewkes, quintessenceblog.com

Shown: Jacaranda Living’s Rosehip Collection

Interchangeable Accents

“I think we’ll see a trend towards chameleon decor. Instead of settling on one fixed look, people will opt for a versatile neutral base and use big-impact accents to easily change their decor.” — Arianna Vargas, ariannabelle.com

A Need for Navy

“Navy blue will be a big trend for 2014. I’m seeing a lot of the shade on the runways, on the streets, in editorials, in chic interiors… I actually think everyone will get it in 2014.” — Mark D. Sikes, markdsikes.com

Shown: Gorgeous Navy and White Design from Jennifer McGee Interiors

Timeless Design

“A return to tradition. After the long-standing trend of modern and eclectic decor, more people will want to feel comfortable and at ease by returning to traditional styles.” — Erin Gates, elementsofstyleblog.com

A Bevy of Blues

“From rich, saturated colors like navy and indigo to bright, vibrant shades like peacock blue and cobalt, blue will continue to reign supreme in the coming year.” — Paloma Contreras, ladolcevitablog.com

5 of 2014's Design Trends We Love!

Follow our Board on Pinterest as we continue to post our favorite 2014 Design Trends!

Blossoming Prints

“Florals and Chintz: These tried-and-true fabrics are popping up everywhere in fashion and decor. Mix them with other graphic patterns for a modern look.” — Stacey Bewkes, quintessenceblog.com
Shown: Jacaranda Living’s Rosehip Collection