Posts from — April 2009

Here’s a list of 7 of my favourite quirky/strange/unusual/unique/different/call-it-whatcha-wanna homes:

UFO House

via cityskip

Nautilus House

via worldarchitecturenews

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Looking for affordable chinese ink paintings? Look no further. Etsy user, Kwaimooi- who has over 14 years experience in painting and exhibiting her works around Malaysia and Singapore- offers lovely and extremely reasonably priced chinese ink paintings on her Etsy store.

For added authenticity, her paintings are all done on chinese rice paper, mounted on a sturdy backing with traditional rice starch.

Her current gallery has 7 pieces of chinese ink art ranging from USD48 – USD50. She sells her wares from Kuala Lumpur hence there’ll be no need for expensive shipping fees.

Check out her other works in this collection after the jump

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Want blinds but can’t decide between blinds or curtains? I found this site, Creatively Different Roller Blinds, in which they have a section showcasing a gallery of images of how blinds can be implemented in any home, creatively! Click here to get inspired today.

The great thing about the gallery is that it is logically grouped by different areas in the home. You’d be amazed with the assortment and variety of blind designs available.

In contrast, what I’ve done to my place is totally functional- using perforated blinds to cozy up our top floor rooms. You can read about that past post here – ‘Roller Blinds’

Imagesource: CreativelyDifferentRollerBlinds

Moggit has got to be one of the most entertaining and hillarious design websites around. It takes a fun and refreshing angle on anything decor and design. My personal favourite feature is divaspeak. I won’t explain it but I’ll let the following pictures do just that

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Daniel Loves Objects is a designer currently residing in Singapore, with a myriad of wonderful concepts in his portfolio.

My favourite of the lot – the ‘at your command’ lampstands. Masterfully crafted interactive piece of furniture which allows you to mould the lampstand into several delectable poses

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Hi, I am Kelly Rigotti, an American and living in France with my three children and handsome French frog of a husband. I blog about frugality for the rest of us at Almost Frugal, frugal food at Almost Frugal Food, and blogging at Pretty Your Blog. I am a full time graduate student in marketing and, in my spare time and fueled by strong coffee, I sew baby blankets for my Etsy shop. If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to one (or all) of my feeds?

I have been invited by Adrian from How’sHouse as a guest blogger to share with you, my second article – 5 Ways to Save Money in the Bedroom. I hope you enjoy the article.

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1. Love your linens

Linens are one area where you can find reasonable quality at a reasonable price. Here’s a frugal way to save money on your linens without sacrificing quality: spend a moderate amount of money on 2 pillowcases and a matching comforter cover and then buy two bottom sheets in coordinating colors; if you like lots of pillows buy more plain pillowcases as well. I like having two bottom sheets that go with the comforter cover, in case one gets dirty before wash day. You’ll spend less money than if everything matches, and it’s almost certain that you’ll be the only one looking at your bottom sheets anyway.

2. Change your decor

Many of the frugal decorating ideas that we’ll talk about later in the week for the living room also apply to the bedroom, but here’s one that is only for the chambre à coucher. An easy and frugal way to update your bed’s look is to change your headboard. In fact, the most frugal bed option is to buy a good quality mattress and boxspring, add feet to elevate the bed off the floor and then create your own headboard.

Here are some frugal and easy ways to do so. You could paint the section of the wall behind the bed to create visual interest and then add shelves for your books or alarm clock. Or you could create the look of a built in closet by using Ikea Billy bookcases on either side of the bed plus shelves anchored on the wall. Another homey frugal idea is to hang a quilt on the wall behind the bed. My favorite, by far, is to create a padded headboard using a curtain rod and pillows. For more fabulous frugal headboard ideas, check out this link. Doors anyone?

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This just in…. via my inbox:

One of life’s greatest pleasures is a good night’s rest. But too many of us get less comfortable sleep than we deserve. The proper mattress, pillow and quilt are critical to a good night’s sleep. Do you know that the position you sleep in can make a difference in the mattress that’s right for you?

At IKEA, our bedroom experts can provide guidance about finding exactly what you need. Take our bedroom quiz here and we can recommend the right mattress, pillow and quilt for you to test at the IKEA store. You will also find some inspirational ideas to plan your dream bedroom.

Hi, I am Kelly Rigotti, an American and living in France with my three children and handsome French frog of a husband. I blog about frugality for the rest of us at Almost Frugal, frugal food at Almost Frugal Food, and blogging at Pretty Your Blog. I am a full time graduate student in marketing and, in my spare time and fueled by strong coffee, I sew baby blankets for my Etsy shop. If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to one (or all) of my feeds?

I have been invited by Adrian from How’sHouse as a guest blogger to share with you, my article – 5 Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen. I hope you enjoy the article.

[Read more →]