The Craft

Keeping fit without paying for high gym fees

May 25, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

How do you keep fit on a budget. Gym fees can be expensive and a size-able chunk of your monthly salary. But there are plenty of ways to keep yourself looking fit and trim whilst saving dollars to spend on other things. Here are a few ideas to get your heart pumping and the pounds dropping!

Get a walking group together. Friends, neighbours or work colleagues after work on on your lunchbreak. If you get a regular group it keeps you motivated and less likely to find an excuse not to do it. Explore your local area and discover hidden gardens and lane ways right on your doorstep!
Use your furniture. Use a coffee table to do tricep dips and cans from the pantry as weights. You can balance up against the wall and door push ups from your front door step. Your own personal gym!
Take the dog for a run! The family dog may also be in need of some fitness! Its a motivator to get the dog out and exercised and we all know a dog is the perfect way to chat to other dog owners or friendly neighbours. Maybe organise your own puppy group.
Swim! If your lucky enough to live near the beach go for a dip in the summer or a refreshing jog along the beach in the morning before work. Watching the sunrise on the coast and feeling the sea breeze in your hair is a perfect way to set you up for the day!

The key to any fitness success is motivation and the determination to keep at it and keep positive!

Filed Under: Budget Fashion, General, Home Decor Tagged With: Dog, Gym, Press-up

Decorating Your Apartment for the Holidays

May 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Many apartment residents might not feel they have the space or means to decorate for the holidays. However, even just a few decorations can make a place feel festive, and there are plenty of budget-friendly ways to decorate for just about any holiday.

Image by Sarah_Ackerman via Flickr

For example, a string of lights can add festive cheer to any space, and can usually be purchased for under $10. Lights can be found in just about any shape and color, adding additional ambiance.

If there just isn’t the space for a holiday tree, pine or gingerbread scented candles can offer a pleasant aroma and give the illusion of a tree. Placing evergreen branches on a table or mantle will provide the scent and fresh green color without having to shell out big bucks for a tree. Many tree farms offer free branches to customers.

Halloween can be a fun holiday to decorate for as well, since a small pumpkin and candle are inexpensive but can add a festive feel to any room, balcony, or porch.

Setting out decorations can also be a great way to reflect an individual’s personal style and beliefs, and make the apartment feel more like home to those living within its walls.

Many holiday decorations are “do it yourself” so it can be a fun way to spend time with friends or family members, creating something special that could be used to decorate for years to come. A studio apartment found on Forrent.com could offer plenty of space to decorate and feel festive and cheerful.

Filed Under: Budget Decor, Home Decor Tagged With: Christmas, Shopping, Tree

Great DIY tips to upgrade your living room

May 18, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: A child looks into a ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you’re looking to update a room in your home but don’t have a huge budget here are five great tips that won’t break the bank but will transform your room and inject colour style and a sense of a fresh new makeover

Change your rug. If you have a neutral coloured room then by purchasing a rug in a strong, vibrant color and adding a couple of cushions of the same material can really make a difference to the look and feel of your room. Go retro with a burnt orange shag pile rug or a contemporary rug with funky geometric shapes to give your room instant style!
Buy a statement print or large mirror. A mirror will give a sense of extra space to a small room and a statement print or piece of art can become a real focus and talking point for visitors.
For the bedroom a simple change such as a new Manchester set and a new set of curtains and blinds can give you a brand new peaceful sanctuary to unwind in for very little expense
Recover your couch and armchairs to breathe new life into your comfy couch. A good couch is like an old friend, if you look after it and keep it re-upholstered to give you many years of comfort.
Lighting can instantly change the mood of a room. Changing your light bulbs to a softer lighting or buying a pair of chic looking lamps will make an instance difference to the atmosphere of a room.

Keeping your home up to date and refreshing your look doesn’t have to cost the earth and sometimes less is more!

Filed Under: Budget Decor, Home Decor Tagged With: Do it yourself, Look and feel, Manchester

The Perfect Outfit for Girls Night Out

May 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image by NoPro2009 via Flickr

Finding the right gear to wear when you are out with your friends can be a difficult task. You want to look good and be able to walk around comfortably. Consider one of the outfits below to wear on your night out with the girls.

The Long Dress

Look in your closet or go to a discount website, like http://www.offers.com, to find deals on dresses. Choose a maxi or long summer dress in a light and airy color. Find the right tan or camel wedge shoes to pair with it. The right summer hat and bag will put you over the top in style and comfort.

Go Vintage

The vintage look brings sophistication and femininity to those who wear it well. Start by going to your favorite vintage outlet or thrift store. Look for something that is unique with a touch of girly charm. Use your skinny jeans or favorite go-to black pants to go with it. Add a pop of color with the right pumps and you will have the perfect outfit for hanging with your friends.

Jumpsuits

Image by ZaCky ॐ via Flickr

The bold woman may want to embark on the newest trend: the jumpsuit. This one-piece clothing style should accentuate your body, not hide it or make it look worse. Jumpsuits in white or black should be safe with accessories like large necklace or earrings.

The choices above are just the beginning of different clothing options for you to wear when partying with the girls. The decision is yours on what style of clothing makes you feel confident and great about yourself.

Filed Under: Budget Fashion, Fashion Tagged With: Clothing, Jumpsuit, Vintage clothing

Furnishing your home on a budget

May 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

With rising interest rates and bills the average working family is finding it slightly tougher each month to make their salaries stretch to the “extras”. Furniture for the home may seem like an unreachable luxury right now but here are 3 tips to finding a bargain without losing the style.

Change your style. A change is a good as a rest! Choosing an eclectic style such

Image by Decorative Towels – Created by Cath. via Flickr

as a shabby chic or country style theme to your home can be an opportunity to bring together different types of furniture tastefully. Mismatched chairs around a solid oak table can look stunning and you wont need to spend thousands on a set of chairs! Brightly scattered cushions in different materials can look contemporary.
Look online. Websites such as Ebay and Craigslist have hundreds of items of furniture for sale often in your local area. Look hard enough and get in quick to find yourself a real bargain.
Check out the sales areas or warehouses of furniture stores where there is often a treasure trove of end of line rugs, and slight second drawers and wardrobes. If you’re a handy man how can blend a scratch or fix a broken handle and you will have yourself a great piece of furniture.

It may take some patience and maybe a little web surfing but by hunting out some great bargains you can transform your home into a stylish, bright and welcoming home. You can also save dollars by having friends around for drinks and games and save on those expensive nights out!

Filed Under: Budget Decor, Budget Fashion, Home Decor Tagged With: Craigslist, eBay, Furniture

Making Clothes Last

May 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image via Wikipedia

There are some items of clothing that are going to be in style for a very long time. Some of these pieces are classics that can be paired with other stylish items to create a beautiful outfit. Others are just styles that look good on you and so they are worth hanging on to. If you see these things on sale, then by all means pick up more! But taking care of them once you own them is important too.

Read the labels. Different fabrics and materials have different instructions when it comes to how to care for them. If it says “Dry Clean Only,” then that is going to be your best bet for keeping that particular piece looking its best. Also if the label suggests washing in cold water with like colors, this is the best way to prevent fading or bleeding onto some of your lighter items. Washing your Dereon clothes the right way means that you can wear them longer and they will look newer for longer as well. Caring for your clothes is financially smart.

Determine how often you need to wash certain pieces. This is going to be different for each person. Some things like pants and jackets may be able to go without washing them every single wear. If you wear a tank top or camisole under some of your shirts, you may be able to wear them more often before washing them as well. You might pay more for some clothing, but if you take care of them they will last and you will get your money’s worth.

Filed Under: DIY, Fashion Tagged With: Clothing, Dry cleaning, Fashion/Lifestyle/Decor/Budget/Do it Yourself, Wear

Resources for Learning Home Improvement Skills

April 26, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image via Wikipedia

Home improvement projects often appear daunting and beyond the average homeowner’s ability to accomplish. People are intimidated by the unknowns involved in a project and prefer to hire a “professional” to complete the work. While this is often the wise course of action for major projects, smaller projects can be done by anyone who takes the time to learn what is required. With some research, instruction, the right tools, materials and initiative, it is amazing what a novice homeowner can do.

The first step is tackling a home improvement project is learning what is required to do the work. One of the best and most rewarding ways to learn about home building and repair is by volunteering for a Habitat for Humanity home project. These projects are overseen by professionals who know every aspect of home construction and learning by actually doing the work is one of the best ways to become proficient in home improvement. And what better way to learn than buy volunteering time and effort to help a deserving family move into a home.

Another resource of learning how to complete home improvement projects is through large home improvement centers like Lowes and Home Depot. These stores regularly schedule and conduct free training classes on a variety of projects for beginners, including plumbing repairs, laying tile, building decks, painting and other basic home improvement skills

Community colleges are another great resource and regularly teach classes on different home improvement topics.

Once a person completes a small project and gets beyond the idea that home improvement is always complicated, the home becomes a learning place for many new skills and projets.

Filed Under: Home Decor Tagged With: Home Depot, Home improvement, Lowes

Decorating With A Budget

April 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Highly decorated carved-back chairs in Mexico

Image Via Wikipedia sourced.

Springs arrival means spring cleaning for many, but sometimes, more than cleaning is needed. Changing an entire room’s look may be out of the question with those trying to watch their pennies, but there are ways that you can decorate/redecorate on a budget! Here are a few tips/Ideas on how to save money while giving your room a new look!

Image via Wikipedia sourced.

Find a chair!For Ideas check out 5 Clever & Small Painted DIY Details (apartmenttherapy.com) Chairs can even be good conversation pieces. Find an old beat up chair at a garage sale or bargain store, and paint it. Re-fabric/stuff the seat and set it up in your room. sometimes, even re-doing your kitchen chairs can make your kitchen look new and inviting.

Use Scraps of old dried flowers, friezes or rosettes and old scrapbooking paper.See Changing the Look of A Picture with Custom Frames (brighthub.com). paste the focal piece in the middle of the scrapbook paper, then put the paper in a picture frame(you can paint and decorate that too!) without the glass(sometimes even a shadow box works) and put up on your wall! New art always draws the eye to changes in the room.

Use an old drawer that can’t be functional anymore as a piece of art. add magnetic board to the inside and paste over with drawer liner that’s pretty and decorative. then add magnetic art and magnets to the inside of the drawer and hang on your wall..

Filed Under: Budget Decor Tagged With: Apartment Therapy, Picture frame, Room

Budgets: Fashionable Like Bonnets

April 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It is an intimidating prospect trying to keep up with the latest fashions while on a budget, but it’s not at all an impossible task. Quite the opposite, in fact! The secret lies in realizing that you don’t need to buy a complete set of new outfits from all the major labels in order to capitalize on the trends they set. Rather, with smart shopping and some ingenuity, you can get the same effect without sacrificing your fiscal concerns.

The first thing to do is to figure out what your budget is. Decide on how much you think you can afford to spend and get a rough idea of how many items that will encompass. Bear in mind that you may have clothing already that will fit into the latest styles if paired with something new (or even something else you already own). You should be able to figure out a plan for what shopping is reasonable. Equip yourself with a Reach prepaid card to make sure you spend only that for which you’ve budgeted.

After that it’s just a matter of analysis and shopping around. Examine the popular styles and figure out what makes them tick. Is it a particular combination of colors or patterns? How could you get the same effect using clothing you already have or can purchase on a budget? Perhaps you have enough to buy one or two new pieces but you can use them for a lot of different outfits. Some of the most fashionable people are those who are good at using what they have, rather than those who simply buy up every new thing. In these budget-conscious times, let your creativity and ingenuity win the day.

Filed Under: Budget Fashion Tagged With: Clothing, Easter, Fashion

Do It Yourself-Shadowbox displays

April 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image via wikipedia sourced-shadowbox

A shadowbox is a box that is covered with a glass plate that displays objects. Many people use shadow boxes as a cute way to display personal objects. shadowboxes got their name because of the shadow they cast on the object placed within the box. Shadowboxes can be found at any hobby store, sometimes in a lower cost quality at wal-mart.See Nature Shadowboxes: A Great Weekend Project (wired.com) First, you have to choose what color of wood you want your shadowbox to have. whatever decision you make, it can match the decor of your room, or just be a finish you happen to like alot. After selecting your box, you then have to decide what to put in your box. Most people put special items,such as rewards(be they academic or military) or personal items in them. many times, you can find specific shadowboxes for military awards. Shadow boxes can even be used as a gift, to thank hosts for a party given in your favor, new mothers,new brides and golden anniversaries. For Ideas check out Weekend DIY: Paper Butterfly Shadowbox (courtneyoutloud.wordpress.com). Most store bought shadow boxes contain storage instructions, but if your creating your box from scratch, you may need glue, Styrofoam backing, wire or screws to secure your objects into your box. When doing a shadowbox from scratch, you have to use size, weight and proportion to decide on just where and how you can place your items in the box for display.

Image via wikipedia sourched-military shadowbox

Filed Under: Home Decor Tagged With: Do it yourself, Magic: The Gathering, Nature