2019 Gadgets, Colors and Cleaning Hacks!
We’ve gathered a cornucopia of non-essential essentials for you to peruse and use, from genius ways to use ordinary objects, and cleaning hacks for the lazy, to gadgets and gizmos you can live without, but why would you want to? Like the best oil diffusers for the aromatically enamored. Or the best neutral paint colors for the relax-challenged. We’ve got your tips, reviews and hacks right here!
Start Gardening Now with Seeds
Why spend your hard-earned, hard-saved money on perennials in containers when you can grow your own from seeds starting now? It’s cheaper, more satisfying – and you really do feel like a gardener – even if you’re not the Farmer in the Dell. And while you’ll always have a few seeds that don’t sprout, you should have some success if you follow the step-by-step instructions from DIY Network. You can have a pots full of black-eyed Susan, hollyhock, yarrow, purple coneflower, catmint and aster (some of the easiest to grow from seed) by Mother’s Day, ready for your outdoor garden.
Cleaning Hacks for Lazy Bones
It makes sense, doesn’t it, that if you have the right tools and the right cleaning products you can make short work of cleaning up around the house. Real Simple features a slew of make-it-easy cleaning products from toilet bowl bombs to the steel soap-dispensing dish brush! The washable microfiber duster looks like a winner, and so does the new Swiffer Sweepervac!
It’s a good idea to purge clutter before you clean and we love this idea from Planning Mindfully. For those of us who can’t let go of some of our stuff – either it has sentimental value or we think, “oh I might use that someday,” this cleaning hack solves your dilemma – a MAYBE box. Put anything you’re conflicted about in the maybe box and after six months, if you haven’t missed or pulled anything out and used it – toss it. Don’t open it, just toss it. Or donate it.
We’re not sure if we can toss the box unopened, but we’re going to give it a try!
Painting for Peace
If you’re always on the go and have trouble unplugging and de-stressing, we have two bits of advice for you – both from Real Simple – the experts at simplifying your waking and sleeping life! In search of a blissful bedroom? Then you’ll want to check out the tips here about nightstands, clutter, electronic devices and anything that might inhibit your slumber!
According to the director of strategic design intelligence at Benjamin Moore, “greige” or gray-beige in your living spaces is a soothing gray that can turn a room into a calming oasis. (We agree, if you’re also putting your phone into airplane mode and adopting meditative habits!) But one look at their 2019 pick, Metropolitan, will help you imagine the relaxing effect the color could have on the relax-challenged.
Along with soothing colors go soothing scents and Family Living Today reviewed 40 different oil diffusers so you can indulge in your favorite essential aromatherapy oils. From Bluetooth enabled devices that allow you access to your favorite music while you breathe in comforting fragrances, to the seven-color mood lighting varieties – there’s an oil diffuser to fit any décor and mist preference.
Martha Means Business
Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with a way to make paper lily table decorations out of coffee filters. She has the how-to right here. And for transferring liquids or dry goods from one container to another – look at her genius hacks for using bleach bottles and envelopes. And did you know lemons can polish copper? You heard it here first!
Access in Crystal Valley
One of the best things about moving into a brand new home in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley, is being surrounded by nature, and yet close enough to main arterials to keep a reasonable commute. Just check out the models and move-in ready homes from Richmond American Homes, Kauffman Homes and D.R. Horton – ranch and two-story designs, priced from the $300s. You’ll find the community, amenities plus nearby shopping, entertainment and recreation, convenience and complete!
