Dog-Tired...

Everyone needs their own space.  Their own, comfortable, little slice of heaven, solely for themselves. It's not just your family members that benefit from their own personal safe haven, but so will your dogs.

Luckily for you, your dog does not take up a whole lot of space and will not require his own room.  Harry Potter may not have cared for his cupbard under the stairs, but your loyal companion would be pleased with his new location.  There are several places in your home, that with the right carpenter or DIY skills, could easily transform into your fur baby's dream room.

Extra space under the stairs provides the perfect place for your companions room.  It is a space that would otherwise go unused, and this is a perfect way to utilize the space for it's full potential.

If your faithful friend is extra small, the space needed is easy to remedy.  Try this idea out, by providing your puppy to sleep in a hollowed out nightstand.  This allows your puppy to be close, but not have a kennel or bed in the way.  

There is always the possibility of creating a space by adding some small changes to an existing piece of furniture.  By adding a new front to the bottom of these bookshelves, this person created matching beds for their dogs.  The dogs are close together, but still have their own space.

If your dog is like mine, your bed is the only logical place for him or her to sleep.  This idea allows your dog to be right next to you, still close enough to pet and cuddle, but does not take up any of your needed sleep area.

But then again, dogs aren't the hardest animals to please.  They would sleep just about anywhere. :)

Shall We Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is a concept that has been implemented into many countries.  Everyone has heard the term, but few understand the history and true meaning of feng shui.  Thanks to feng shui expert, Rodika Tchi, I have found information on this practice that could bring powerful changes to your life. 

Originating in China over 3,000 years ago, feng shui is an ancient art revealing that good health and fortune are bestowed upon people who properly balance the energy in a given space.

The tools necessary for this practice are the Compass and the Bagua.  The bagua is an octagonal energy map that contains the symbols of the I Ching, and in order to feng shui your home, you must know your home's bagua.  The Compass, Luo-Pan, discovers further information about your home by arranging bands of concentric rings around the magnetic needle.

The core knowledge of feng shui is incredibly complex and takes years of studying to understand.  There are many articles that breaks down the process, so you are able to practice the basic knowledge of feng shui in your home.  

As a beginner, here is one simple tip that will skyrocket your way into a more harmonious life and help you begin your feng shui quest.

1. Minimize Clutter - Increase Air and Light

Get rid of the extra trinkets and unwanted magazines.  Rid your home of anything you do not love.  While doing this, begin opening windows to let in light and air.  To have a clutter-free, airy, and bright decor will get you well on your way to a more harmonious life.  

Pennies: Money or Flooring?

Did you know prehistoric floors had carpets?  They were formed from twisted grass or animal hair, and served primarily as decoration.

Luckily for us, we have evolved passed twisting grass and animal hair for our decorative flooring. Today, our flooring has a wide variety of materials: carpets, wood, ceramic tiles, vinyl or linoleum, stone, etc.  Society's interest in new designs and ideas are never ending and constantly changing.

Today, a new flooring fad that is sweeping our nation: pennies. It would not be out of the ordinary to walk into a restaurant or home and witness a copper sea of our past president's face.  People are using rolls of pennies to create floors, walls, showers, etc.  Some people are even going the extra mile to use the different shades of copper to create unique designs.

With this fad growing, there are several website available to teach you exactly how you can create your new penny floor.  In fact, there is an entire website dedicated to a couple who tried this experiment on their bedroom floor.

Keep this flooring design in mind for your next home upgrade, it's money.  Literally.

Outlet Covers Need Love Too

They are small, under rated, always overlooked; but located in every room of your house sits an important staple of your house: electrical outlet.

These small necessities throughout your house are used daily, but are somehow always disregarded when it comes to design and thought of as functional aspects.  While they are highly used for functionality, there is no reason we can not adapt these household staples into a work of genius design.

The most common cause for an outlet cover to gain attention is the art of baby proofing.  To protect our little ones, outlet covers are covered further to prevent any type of electrical shock.  Most of these covers are inserts, and rarely discreet.  Above is one unique way to baby proof your home and still keep a sleek and sophisticated look.  The plate has two sliding inserts that allow the inserts to block access to the sockets when not in use.  This is a great way to always have easy access to blocking off the electrical sockets, without cluttering your walls or running into the chance of losing the socket plug.

Another way of keeping outlets out of the reach of children, is keeping them out of sight completely.  This photo incorporates design and functionality all in one.  While not in use, the hinged drawer comes up, completely covering the outlet.  To any new comer, the end of this island would appear to have two drawers; however, when needed, the drawer would open and allow you to plug in any type of kitchen appliance.

This outlet takes a different approach to making itself useful to the home owners.  Instead of hiding the entire outlet, a small strip of lights are added into the bottom of the outlet plate.  This allows a small night light where ever needed.  Most outlets are found close to the ground or above the counter in a kitchen.  With the night light addition, your outlets can now light your way down a hallway, or help you easily pour a glass of water in the middle of the night.

The biggest downfall to outlet covers is the space required to plug in certain appliances or household objects.  The most common problem areas are the plugs behind bed frames, couches, or entertainment centers.  With the recessed outlet, your furniture can now sit flush against the wall and hide the ends of the cords in a discreet wall indention.

This may be the most efficient outlet cover ever made.  With the majority of the world having charging abilities via usb ports, this addition to the outlet cover helps save a tremendous amount of space.  It allows phones or other electronic devices to charge, while not interfering with the current appliances that use the outlets on a daily bases.

It all starts with LEGOS.

Today I was scouring the web looking for new and inventive ideas for home improvement plans, and came upon something that was sheer genius.  A LEGO wall.

The idea of revamping this childhood love into not just a toy, but into a structural design was overwhelming.  As the childhood memories came flooding back, so did the realization of how inspiring and important these toys had been.  Not only does this simple toy help children develop their brain in so many different ways, but it also sends them in the direction of their dream jobs.  

Children are full of creative ideas and LEGOS allows them to put their creations on display.  There is no right or wrong way to build with LEGOS, so each child’s creations are set apart from one another as truly unique.  To give a child an understanding of individuality and acceptance of their creative expressions can help send them in the direction of careers such as: engineering, architecture, designers, builders, etc.  LEGOS help children develop aspirations and life skills at a young age.  

I grew up with siblings, so we always collaborated on our extreme and elaborate designs.  While it wasn’t always smooth sailing, it did help us learn a thing or two about teamwork.  The majority of structural buildings and machines are thought up by teams.  The teams play off of each other’s unique abilities and expertise to create massive, unique designs.

When building a unique design, there are always some problems that will crop up out of the blue.  When building with LEGOS, you are given a specific amount of supplies.  Children learn at an early age how to figure out the solution to the problem with the allotted amount of supplies they have on hand.  They learn persistence and how to solve problems in order to achieve the goal they initially set.  

I’m sure every engineer, architect, builder, designer, etc., has had their fair share of LEGO time.  This toy has the potential to inspire children to reach their full potential and strive for their dream job.  I encourage and support the installment of LEGO walls everywhere.