Home Theater Ideas - Movie Theater Decor,Accents and Style

Movie Theater Ideas

I am a no Architect, but I love great designs! Whether indoor or out, I love to make things fit the needs of the situation. In my friend's house he has a loft, and he changed that loft into a theater room. In the process of converting it over into a theater room there were a few different matters he had to tackle: Screen, Seating, Projection, and Design.

Below I have listed some of the brainstormed ideas he came up with:

Screen/Projection:

• TV or Flat Screen
• Projector Screen and Projector
• Projector Paint on Wall with Projector
• Built in Matting with Projector
  

Seating:

• Couches
• Beanbag Chairs
• Recliners
• Futons
• Theater Seats
• Hammocks
  

Design:

• Color
• Lighting - Floor, Overhead, Wall or Lamps
• Movie Props - Movie Star boxes for the family, Movie Reels, Actual Movie Pros, Red Carpet, Signs, Posters, Popcorn Machine, Snack Bar or Candy Counter, etc
• Spacing between walls and seats, and seats to seats.
• Stage area - none, raised, flat, wood or carpet flooring, size, etc
• Elevated seating or flat
  

Extras:

• Vinyl Lettering on Walls
• DVD shelves or DVD Mega Changer
• Surround Sound System
  

These were a few of the ideas he came up with while planning for the room. These aren't meant to be specific floor plans just the generic idea or map of the room depending upon the size with which you have to work.

 Take a look at the following designs, and envision your own Home Theater!

Some ideas to create effective storage options in your kid’s room!

  All parents will agree with me that keeping their kids room tidy is really tough. They play with a toy and soon get bored, then leave it where it is and carry on with the other toys and other activities and finally at the end of the day. When you look at the room it’s a disaster, you feel like running away rather than face the fact that it’s you who has to clean it before your kid rampages it again the next day!

  A few changes in the room will make it clean and a better place. At least it will be easier to clean. Here are some effective storage ideas that can keep the place considerably better off.

  The first and the most important thing to do, is not to put a lot of storage options like many small drawers or many shelves. Kids are never going to put things in their respective drawers and whenever you need to find things you will need to check all the host of drawers and finally find the thing somewhere else. So keep it minimal.

A mini bucket for stationery on the desk
  A mini bucket or a big tumbler on a desk can be used to keep all the crayons, colors, brushes, the pencils and similar stationery items; it will be easy to fetch things from the bucket. This bucket should be placed on the desk where you child usually sits for homework and other drawing and art activity. You can have a small container to hold the smaller things like rubbers, sharpeners smaller crayons, paper clips and so on.

A room tidy can also be great help
  A room tidy is one of the best ideas for kid’s rooms, if you need to tidy it in a jiffy, just pick up all the toys and put them in the tidy. Either you can buy a conventional room tidy from the market, or make it at home, if you still have the cradle when your kid was small you can use that for keeping all the toys. An old wooden chest would also prove useful and can be a great room tidy.

Locker room style cabinets for boys
  Leave as much floor space as possible without any hindrance or obstacles. The boy’s room can have locker room style storage. In this case they do not need to keep every thing tidy just hang things or throw them in the drawers.

Space saving storage
  It is very common and also effective to have a drawer under the bed for storage. If the bed is at a height like in some modern homes then you can have big drawers piled up to form a stair case (they should be affixed together properly if you are customizing) So it will be easier to climb up and also add on as an effective storage.

Reading corner
  Do your kids love reading? If you have a lot of books for them then you can create a reading corner in the room with a shelf for the books and a comfortable seating arrangement right next to it. A bean bag can be great idea. This will ensure that the book goes straight into the shelf after use.

  The kid’s room and storage furniture should definitely be in colors that are bright and lovely. Balance them out with white or other muted colors so that the colors do not look strikingly bright. Your kids can also do the tidying up do not always volunteer to do it for them!! Let them learn the virtue of cleanliness and keeping things tidy.

You can add true beauty to your yard!

   Anyone who loves the outdoors, particularly gardening and working in the yard can appreciate the little extras that can make your yard welcoming and charming. You may already have beautiful flowers and plants that are starting to make their spring debut and maybe you even have a birdbath and some birdfeeders ready for your birds to come for a visit.

  Do you have a bench for your guests to sit on when they visit your beautiful garden paradise? If not, what do you think you would like? The plastic chairs and benches don't sound very nice but can be quite practical in terms of ease of cleaning and are lightweight enough for you to move around whenever you wish. Or what about a lovely wrought-iron bench? They are a bit heavy but can be worth the price and the trouble lifting them. Their beauty is timeless.

  You may remember an aunt or grandmother who owned one of these wrought-iron benches in full size or the miniature bench and chair sets you may have seen.
  Perhaps you've seen or remember the porch glider rockers. They are smooth and wonderful to pass the time for hours sitting in them.

If the heavy wrought-iron is not for you, there are many plastic chairs and Adirondack in a variety of colors available at Lowe's or Home Depot that are less expensive and very nice for the more practical person. I personally, have a plastic adirondack that is very comfortable that I purchased years ago and it is very sturdy and I can move it easily anywhere in the yard I want.
  You will probably want to add a small table or even go all out and purchase an outdoor patio table with chairs and an umbrella. With all of your new outdoor furniture, you may want to spend hours a day outside enjoying the fresh air  and birds. Don't you just love spring?

What to Get Mom for Mother’s Day?

Mother's Day is rapidly approaching and with it comes the dilemma of what to get Mom this year. I suppose you have already searched the forums and Google for an answer and 95% of the suggestions were: flowers, dinner or a brunch in a nice restaurant, picture of your family and pampering beauty treatments. Am I right? Well, you can go the same route that everyone does and get her the flowers and the spa gift certificate, or you can be a little less predictable this year. Here are some great gift items for mother's day.

 

Mother's Day Jewelry

www.familypantrycollectibles.com

Mothers deserve to be thanked for all they do each day of the year and jewelry is a great way to do that. It is a wonderful gift that will be appreciated for years. Jewelry is something very personal to gift and your choice will depend on your mother’s style, favorite color and whether she prefers fine jewelry or statement pieces. Just give some thought to her personal style and find out which piece reminds you most of her. However, it's a pretty good bet that you can't go wrong with heart shaped necklaces, pendants or beautiful Mother’s Day bracelets. Any of those items can become a meaningful keepsake.

Things to Do on Mother's Day

If you think your mom would enjoy more a lunch with her kids (and grandkids) you can prepare her a meal at your home or organize a family BBQ in your backyard, since the restaurants are crowded and overpriced on Mother’s day. You can also pack a picnic and take her to the park or lake for an afternoon, depending on the area you live in and if the weather permits. The point is, no matter what you do, spend the time honoring your mother and make sure the day is fun for her.
If you don't see your mom as often as she'd like, take couple of days and spend some quality time with her. You can, for example, take a class with your mother – something she would enjoy or something she always wanted to do. Maybe she wants to learn how to use a computer or likes gourmet cooking. Spending quality time with her also means doing things your mother likes to do. Since not all mothers enjoy the same things, think about what makes her special, and plan activities around that, even if it means spending the day in a book club where the youngest person is 70 or pulling weeds.

Also, consider taking your mom to visit a friend or family member that she rarely sees. If such a thing will make your mom happy, then this is a perfect way to spend Mother's Day with her.
If your mother is one of those women who live in a small town and sometimes fall into routines of housework and kids – treat her to a trip to the nearest large town. You can go shopping, visit a gallery, the zoo or just have fun. There are also so many free things you can do in a large town.

Another cool thing to do (in case Mother’s Day is not on Sunday) is to send her flowers at work. It will make her feel extra special and everyone will comment on what a wonderful kid she has.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Brighten Up Your Flower Garden For Springtime!

Flowers in The Garden

Springtime is here; a time to start gardening and spruce up your garden. Below I share a few ideas to give your garden a spring-time makeover with snowdrops, tulips, daffodils, narcissism, crocuses, bluebells, shrubs and trees.
Gardens are used for a variety of activities; planting vegetables, playing football, having fun on the swings or cooking a barbie, but to me it is a place to display an array of beautiful flowers. So as the weather warms up and the last remnants of winter and the dreaded frost have gone, I burst into the garden armed with gloves, trowel, potted plants and seeds ready to bring my garden back to life with pastel shades of yellow, magnolia trees, tulips and daffodils.
Come with me and and let's do some gardening.

 How to Brighten Up Your Garden

1. Walk into your garden and take photos of how it is laid out. This will help you create a mental picture of where you would like to place certain flowers, shrubs and trees, and where you want to display particular colors. For example you could brighten up a dull corner with a dazzling display of Golden Mammoth (yellow) crocuses or design a floral bed of delicate pastels.
2. From the picture you took sketch your basic layout. Start by measuring your garden's boundaries and sketch them out as a rough plan using graph paper and a pencil.
3. It is essential that you choose the right bulbs to suit your garden's conditions. It is known that most bulbs grow and survive in dry, sunny places with good drainage so as to prevent rotting. However, that's not the case for woodland bulbs such as bluebells and snowdrops which requires damp moist conditions.
4. Plant a formal border with flowering shrubs like the rhododendron, azaleas, or Haleakala Carolina. It is recommended that you choose a maximum of three colors to capture the best visual effect, any more than that will make the border too colorful and unattractive.
5) For a natural look to your the lawn add pretty white and yellow lawn flowers. Using a bulb planter dig out a plug and plant the bulb in, patting the plug back into place. The type of bulbs for this natural effect are:

• Chamomile
• Primrose
• Wild Cowslip
• Whit Clover
  

6. Purchase clay, terracotta or alabaster pots, fill with flower seeds or bulbs and place in strategic places in your garden. You can also surround the pot and top the soil with multi colored gravel. This not only looks great but it is fantastic as additional drainage.

7. If you want to create a feature you could purchase a wheel barrow, paint it white and plant your favorite flowers directly in the wheel barrow. Place the wheel barrow in a sunny part of the garden.

8. Buy a trellis and attach silver cone shaped pots at angles with green foliage draping whispering from the pots along the trellis.



9. Put up a mini picket fence. They look so pretty protecting the flowerbeds and gives a cottage feel to the garden.

Spring Gardening

If you dream of a garden with an immaculate lawn, border perennials, and shimmering spring flowers in full bloom then, no doubt, you would have planted your bulbs back in early November right?. The majority of early spring flowers are grown from bulbs planted in the winter, the Snowdrop, Snowflake, Crocus, Tulips and Daffodils are examples of hardy bulbs with spring flowering.
However, if you were not able to plant any bulbs last winter you can still transform and brighten up your flower garden through planting potted tubers or rooted cuttings, which should be planted out as soon as spring has arrived. When planting your tubers/bulbs ensure that you dig a hole at least 9ins deep so as to prevent them drying out.

Perennial Flowers for Spring Garden!

  I love flowers, the more the better! When we moved out of the city I had all the room I needed to plant all the flowers I wanted and I went crazy! I created more flowerbeds than I could keep up with. I knew that I wanted to plant mostly perennials so I would not have to re-plant each year. I spent hundreds of dollars planting flowers that I really knew nothing about. After several years of trial and error, and learning a lot, I have found several perennial flowers that are not only hardy, but also very easy to care for. These are what I consider to be the best perennial flowers for spring gardens. They are hardy plants that need little care.

Daffodils

  Daffodils – These are one of the first flowers to bloom in.spring. Daffodils are just about the easiest flower to grow. They grow from bulbs and are extremely hardy. Try to plant your bulbs early enough in fall that the roots will take hold before the first freeze. You should plant your bulbs about 3-4 inches apart in a hole that is about 2 times deeper than the height of the bulb. Plant it with the pointed end up. Cover with soil, pat down and water. Daffodils prefer full sun, but as they will bloom long before your trees have put on leaves, planting them under trees is not a problem. Dead head the blooms once they fade, but do not remove them stem as it continues to feed the plant. Once the leaves turn yellow or brown, you can them snip the off.

 Tulips

   Tulips are another early bloomer. They too are grown from bulbs and need to be planted a few weeks before the first frost. With tulips, there are “early” bloomers, “mid” bloomers and “late” bloomers. You may want to stagger these different bloomers in order to have a continuous blooming tulip bed for a longer period of time. Tulips need to be planted in a sunny location. Plant the bulbs about 6 inches apart and about 2 inches below the ground for best results. You will want to remove the bloom just as it starts to fade. Leave the stem, as it will continue to feed the plant. Once the leaves have turned yellow, you can gently pull them off or snip them off if you prefer. It you leave the leaves alone, they will eventually just fall off.

Hyacinth

   Hyacinth are one of the most popular spring flowering bulbs. Their most common colors are pink, purple and white. Hyacinth are a very fragrant flower and many are grown indoors in early spring for their fragrance. They are low growing plants and many people plant them in planters outside about “sniffing” range, so they can enjoy their fragrance as they walk by. Plant Hyacinth 6-8 inches deep. Space plants six inches apart. They can be planted in rows, or in groups. Just be sure not to let them get over crowded. Again, being bulbs, the best time to plant Hyacinth are a few weeks before the first freeze, in order for the roots to have time to take hold. Plant them about 6 inches deep, pointed end up. Cover with soil, give one good watering and wait for spring. Once the blooms have faded, dead head the plant, but no the stem as they will continue to feed the plant. Once the leaves have turned yellow or brown, you can snip the off, but they will normally just fall off.

Crocus

   Crocus need very little care and are always one of the very first flowers to pop up even before spring has actually spring. I have seen them blooming while surrounded in snow! Plant them in “drifts” in sun to part shade. The need to be plated about 3-4 inches apart and about 3-6 inches deep. They are hard from zones 4-8. The most likely reason for crocus to not do well is overwatering. They like water in spring and fall, but you can actually over water them in summer, so don’t plant them near other plants that you will be watering often.

Iris

   Iris is another flower that blooms a little later in the spring. They grow from rhizomes and are perennials. They come in many different colors and their leaves will add beauty to your flower garden even after the flowers have stopped blooming. The best time to plant your rhizomes are in early fall. Again, you want to be sure that the roots have time to take hold before the first freeze. Don’t plant them deep. They need to be planted to the top of the rhizome is just below the ground. Iris need at least half a day of sun and good drainage. I plant mine about 6 inches apart. They look beautiful in clumps but getting them too close together can cause them to not bloom well. You may need to thin them out from time to time as they put on new plants.

Creeping Phlox

   Creeping Phlox is also known as Moss Phlox. It is a very hardy plant that blooms early spring. Phlox should be planted in full sun, but in really hot regions, it may need some afternoon shade. If you are planting by seed, you will want to plant before the last frost in spring. Plant you seeds approximately 17-18 inches apart and about 1 inch deep. Keep the soil moist until they have had time to establish their roots. You may want to trim them back or “dead head” them after their first bloom to encourage new growth. This is an excellent plant to have “spilling” over the edge of raised flowerbeds.

 I hope I have given you some useful information here about the best perennial flowers to grow in your spring garden. These plants are all hardy plants they need little care. These perennials should be hardy for zones 5-8. Happy planting!

What is your favorite Easter Around the World Story?

  "Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hopping down the bunny trail, Hippity Hoppity Easter's On its Way."
  What do you remember about the Easter Season?
   We all may take a trip down memory lane with this one. As a child, every Easter we got all dressed up in our Sunday dress clothes - for girls that meant gloves to match your dress and for boys - All shirts were tucked in!

  The biggest part of our Easter morning was spent trying to get mom to hurry up and get dressed so we could (we didn't care that she had been up most the night boiling and coloring Easter eggs) find all those hidden Easter eggs that had been so diligently placed within our sight and small hands reach.
  Dad was normally as excited as we were. He loved to watch the looks on our faces and he always stood next to the eggs that were harder for us to see and find.

 

Easter Around the World & The Easter Bunny

  Specially designed baskets were perched near the door so that when we left to pick up grandparents and meet aunts, uncles and cousins, those special baskets weren't left behind. The local church sponsored a yearly Easter egg hunt. Since we lived in a small town, no one was left out of the 'hunt.' Our little town had it's own Easter Around the World and always included everyone in the search for eggs and toys.
  That year was special for us because they had an Easter Bunny coming and we had never seen one before, but like fairies and Santa Claus and the tooth fairy, we knew he was REAL. I can still smell the green grass growing in the sun from that day.
  For the next two years I talked about that Easter Bunny. I imagined all sorts of things about her- where she lived, how many carrots she ate, what she wore, how long it took her to get Easter eggs out to all the boys and girls, I even imagined a special Easter bunny Cart that helped get that Easter bunny everywhere.
  And then someone took that beautiful image and killed it - like a knife to the heart, I was devastated by his explanation that the Easter Bunny wasn't real.
What makes me laugh, today is that a stuffed Easter bunny was the first gift my wife ever gave me. Even though the days of childhood are gone, the Easter holiday remains precious to us in many ways.

Money Saving Uses for Common Household Items

In today's struggling economy many people are looking for ways to save money. Discount sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial are very popular offering daily discounted specials. There are several blogs such as DealSeekingMom and InGoodCents.com that send daily coupons and thrifty ideas to Facebook subscribers. Take your savings a step further by using common household products in non-traditional ways.

Toothbrush and Toothpaste

The other day I purchased a twin pack of toothbrushes and was shocked they were $7. If you don't change yours regularly that probably isn't a big deal. I change mine every 2 or 3 months so the cost does begin to add up. Instead of throwing away a brush that isn't completely destroyed, I save them. No this isn't some weird collection fetish I have, I reuse them around the house. Toothbrushes are perfect for cleaning small spaces around the house. The smallest nooks and cracks are always the dirtiest and a toothbrush fits perfectly. I use them to clean the grout in the bathroom. When the inside of the window frames need cleaning from condensation and mold growth, toothbrushes are perfect.
Have you ever pulled out a piece of jewelry to wear and discovered it is tarnished? Don't worry if you're out of jewelry cleaner. A toothbrush and a little dab of toothpaste will remove the tarnish and have it looking like new in minutes.

Baby Powder

As a busy stay at home dad these days,  I don't dedicate much time to a beauty routine. A pair of jeans or short pants, a t-shirt do the trick on most days. When I have to leave the house I'll quickly shave the short stubby hairs on the face, brush the teeth' get dressed and out the door. Some days I'll notice the front of my hair looks a little oily. In those instances where throwing on a hat is inappropriate I use baby powder to soak up the oil. Yes, they make dry shampoo, but I think this works just as well. My hair is a black so I feared creating a white spot on top of my head. However, it didn't. I sprinkle a little powder in my hand, rub my hands together, and then run my fingers through my hair.

Hair Conditioner

They say the best hair conditioner are the oils produced by the scalp. With long hair my wive don't shampoo everyday and only condition once a week. Since she don't condition her hair every time she washs it, She tend to accumulate bottles of conditioner. Luckily it can also be used to shave. Squirt a dab of conditioner on your palm and rub it all over your leg. It has a much better glide than ordinary soap and it saves on buying shaving gel. Plus I get to use some of her great smelling products too.

Pumice Stone
  

While we're still in the bathroom let's talk about the pumice stone. I'm sure this stone could be used until it were the size of a dime, but I think it's best to replace the stone once or twice a year. The pores of the stone become filled with dead skin, it gets wet, I really rather not think about what grows in there. Instead of tossing the stone way there is another place it can be used. If you've ever had a hard water ring in your toilet that a simple toilet brush doesn't take care of, the pumice stone will remove the ring. Wearing a rubber glove, simply use the stone to scrub the stained area in the toilet.

Dawn Dish Soap

Dawn dish soap has a variety of uses. I remember a few practical jokes when I lived in Ohio. Many of us have seen fountains full of bubbles because someone added soap. High school kids would pour a bottle on someone's driveway. During the next downpour the driveway would be covered in bubbles. Besides cleaning dirty dishes with ease it can also be used to clean wildlife exposed to an oil spill. Another special attribute this powerful soap carries is sheeting action. Dishes that are hand washed will dry without spots. A few drops of Dawn dish soap, a squeegee, and a few hours later the windows on your house will be clean and spotless.

Cooking Water

Typically when people boil potatoes or make pasta a generous amount of salt is added to the cooking liquid. A stockpot with a strainer insert is ideal for removing the food and leaving the cooking water behind. Instead of dumping this valuable water down the drain take it outside while it's still hot and pour it over some weeds. Just be sure you don't pour it too close to plants you actually like.

 

Newspaper

Newspaper is excellent because it is easy to find even if you don't have a subscription. We all know newspaper works great with window cleaner on glass. Here are a few other uses you can try. Stuffing it into your shoes helps draw out odors. Books and gifts can be wrapped with newspaper. I recently saw a show where they made a holiday wreath with wadded up sections attached to a metal frame and then spray painted. In the garden newspaper is a double duty friend. Surround your plants with 2 or 3 layers of newspaper to act as a weed barrier. Cover the newsprint with mulch and as the paper decomposes it also fertilizes the soil.

These are just a few, let me know what kinds of things you are using.