Imriz @ Home

Working extended hours in the office or just at home sitting long hours in front of the computer can cause back pain. Back pain has caused an alarming impact on national productivity. Workers demanding sick leave and seeking medical treatment has pinpointed sitting for long hours to be the cause of few illnesses.

Prolonged sitting caused too much pressures on our back. Sitting limits our activity, thus, causing muscle spasms on arms and of the legs. Remember that inactivity poses health risks into our body systems.

Campaigns have been brought out to combat back pain cause by long periods of sitting and immobility. One solution to address this problem is standing in between work activity. This way, productivity is not disrupted and at the same time it ensures maximum health benefits to workers.

The functionality of the ergonomic adjustable tables can address the health risks associated with back pain. Separate table top and bases designs available can be fitted to allow for different variations. More importantly, the fixture can be adjusted to specific height depending on the user’s height.

With these tables, working while periodically standing shall never be the same again. It ensures maximum steady blood flow all throughout the body. Thus, improving health which can decrease stress and enhance productivity.

In designing a home, I must say, every homeowners dream of fine luxury and decors in the grandest scale. But it my opinion, whether one is decorating on a budget, achieving a cozy and pretty home is doable.

Knowing a design plan -inspiration, theme, color, structure, and a little creativeness- may work wonder in having a home worth an envy. Plus, playing with accessories can transform a simple home into something that spells elegance.

Here’s the top 5 home accessories that can beautify every home.

1. Mirror. The magic that a mirror can bring to every home is a mystery no more. It can draw light to the tiniest of room. Large mirrors can transform a room to make it look spacious and brighter. Even small mirrors places in a small corner table can cast a great complimentary accessory.
2. Candle. Candles are known to effect mood and enhance feeling of relaxation. In homes, lighted candles can transform the overall look of any room. Even unlit candles are by far and large the most common home accessory preferred by many homeowners. With many colors, size and designs to choose from and along with candle holders, too, homeowners can incorporate them with their design ideas.
3. Teapots. Because tea drinking have been a tradition for many centuries, every homes have in some ways few teapots in their cupboards. From there, teapot design has spread quickly after many generation. It is  such a sweet thought having teapot as a centerpiece especially when it holds a family’s history.
4. Vases. Whether vases made from crystal, glass, and ceramic, they complement every home with its great home decor value. It adds depth to every home especially those porcelain-made vases with elaborate hand-painted designs. Vases can be just as great atop a mantle, or can be a vessel for fresh flowers or synthetic blooms. Vases are fantastic decorative accessories that are highly regarded for their elegant touch.
5. Plants. More than the relaxing feeling that candles can suggest in every individual, plants can generally make a lovely accessory because it not only ease off harmful chemicals around, but it improves air circulation around every home. Plus, a single plant can effect positive mood making an individual to feel less stress. There are many variety of plants that are easily cared for indoors. Try incorporating plants as home accessory, it will make every room look fresher and natural.

What’s giving me more migraine than planning a weekly menu is how am I suppose to handle the many clutter at home. The kids tend to haul up as many personal stuff each week. More faster than the time I can spend decluttering their closet and their study desks. We ain’t got no more storage space left. I did ask the hubby to never give in to the kids’ whims and wants. Just as last week, he went home with what seems like a HJC IS-Max BT helmet to me. He suggested our son needs it especially now that he takes interest in motorcycle riding.

I wished we could have more storage space. Growing family with growing kids needs additional storage for all their personal stuff.

I must admit, I am not a minimalist when it comes to home accessorizing. I’d like to place as many decors in my home that I find too cheap to resist. And more importantly, one that reflects my taste and personality in home decorating.

Because I can not afford to buy pricey decor stuff, I am just as content finding cheaper alternatives at bargain depots or flea markets. I am one who believes that one can make a beautiful home decoration sans a pricey price tag.

Like these cheap teapots I found in a clearance sale.

White, ceramic teapots can make my day lovelier. They’re simple yet when paired with other decor accessories, they can make any home pop with design value.

Yes, I am into teapots. Any design will make me go crazy especially when they’re absolutely cheap. You’ll be amazed my green hutch is full of…teapots and teacups…

Yes, I am dreaming of an extra dough to come falling from the heaven. The family room cum entertainment area is in need of fresh coat of paint. While waiting for the miracle to manifest, I had to arrange the corner area where I temporarily placed the old TV rack for my youngest daughter to use as storage for her toys.

Told her to empty up the top shelf for me to make as the family’s “wall of shame” . I replaced old photo frames with wood frames and hung few at the wall. Where I added the two large graduation photos of my eldest daughter.

Because the walls were void of colors, a bunch of yellow and orange faux flower kept the dull corner a little livelier. In a few days, I’d like to hang the native hats that I bought in Lucban last March including my favorite Cowboy Hat, I believed it would add more color and character to the wall space.

This area used to be full of cluttered toys, it makes my eyes sore. Now that I prep up the space a little, the eyes were focused on the family photos instead of the unpainted walls.

AS I HOPED IT WOULD BE:)

Saved this photo because I needed color inspiration for the family room. I know, the budget’s too far from realization. Well, we’ll never know. Luck is something we hang on to everyday. Of course, we have to work our butt off for dreams to manifest

With a positive attitude I started searching for color palettes that will complement the theme of the room. I thought this color combination will be just as awesome when applied in the room. The striking rustic color on the far side of the wall will make a great focal point and the neutral color of the walls (brown family) will tone down the bold hue.

image from hgtv.com

For once, the addition of colors will make the room more family oriented and at the same time, cozier. I am planning to make the family room livelier by adding brightly colored throw pillows, decor items and scented candles -candles are my waterloo.

The hubby even suggested, we transferred the entertainment shelving unit in the center wall to make easy viewing angle for the television and to make room for the home theater units. We really loved listening to old music when we wanted to de-stress and relax. That reminds me to check on the Acoustica Software which might help to improve the kind of music stored on our iPod.

Have a great week, guys. And, do not forget, when you are planning on redecorating a room, infusing bright colors can largely effect the overall look of any space.

Lame excuse.

The following photos were posted on Private World of Imriz, my site dedicated to parenting and family issues. Yes, I know, perhaps, at a time when the site was on an identity crisis, trying to find her niche in the blogging world, I just post what’s happening on a per day basis. Now, that main site has spawn into three er, five different sites, each has slowly finding its own niche…and, so I thought.

At first, I thought of copying/pasting the entire post up here (since the topic was about home improvement), afterwards, deleting the entire post. Then, realizing that the idea might jeopardize with the site’s current rating (yes, Google gave back its PR), and, upon reading its content…it’s actually more of a personal post…

And, so I thought why not make “another post” about it all, dwelling on the idea of how the bathroom was constructed? At least evading proof that this post will be a total “knock-off” Anyway, tis where the post truly belongs…

Let me begin…

The bathroom that never was.

The need for a second toilet and bath came when the kids were growing. The solution, we reclaimed this spot (used to be a clothing storage) and made it into what is T&B today. Measuring just about 1.5 meters to 2 meters. I, myself couldn’t imagine it could be just as fine doing the most important thing that a person do in terms of hygienic purposes, in such a tiny space

How to make the tiny space a little bit ROOMY.

Maximize the space. The lavatory, water closet, and the bath area are all lined up into one side. This will free up the other side for shelving units up the wall. We chose bathroom units in white color. Not just that we try to be safe on colors. Other than the cleanliness that the whites suggest, it makes a simple eye appeal that looks like a wide room.

Add a partition.The hubby was dreaming of a tub area. It doesn’t materialize as when we went to home depot and ask for tub measurements, yes, it could be installed into the space, but, then, it will eat up half of the total area. So, let the dream tub be bygone forever Instead, I asked that an aluminum partition be installed to separate the bath area. This will also avoid water splashes all throughout the area when using the shower. Plus, the idea could make the area accommodated by two person at the same time.

The aluminum partition slides off to both sides and instead of glass panels, we asked that a colorless polycarbonate material be used. Color is something opaque and has bamboo-embossed designs. Cost us P6500 (Philippine pesos) or less than $160. The best advantage to this polycarbonate as against glass is, it is not easily breakable. And, same as glass, it is easy to clean, too.

Choose soft-color tiles.To make the room “looked” a little larger, we chose ceramic wall tiles that are rectangular (8″ x 12″) in shape as opposed to the usual square tiles. This will effect a room to become a little  “stretched”. Plus the wall tiles we chose were in soft yellow with metallic gray accents that reflects when light was turned on. We shun the idea of choosing deep hues in ceramic tiles and other accents. We thought, it would make the space more cramped. Besides, deep colors tend to trap more heat than softer colors.

Overall, with the running cost runs to less than 22 thousand pesos ($525), we thought we have saved a lot in building that second T&B. And, oh! That’s excluding the price for the electrical materials and the labor cost for which I did get FREE from the husband, who knew everything that concerns with electricity. He said that if I would have to asked somebody else, I should have paid $50 more for cost of labor alone. Uh-oh.

In these hard economic times, it always pays to think about ways how to cost-cut without sacrificing the quality and functionality of a space.

Are you planning to redo your bathroom too ?

Every summer, we make it a point to have a project done for the house. That is, involving the kids. Be it a simple DIY project like repainting wood furniture (that was our project summer last year), it’s another way to teach kids responsibilities and at the same time valuing family time. Involving kids to do some projects for the home makes them value the structure they lived in. Here are few small projects or assignments you can ask your kids to do at home:

• Replacing cabinet handles. Even grade school kids can take part. They’ll know the right tools to use for driving out screws and bolts.
• Engage them to take an active role in rearranging furniture. This will enhance their creative and decorative skills
• When shopping for stuff for use at home, tote them along and ask for their ideas on what to buy, say wall pieces or decorative stuff. You might be surprise at how your kids can go gaga over choosing things and they’ll be delighted to know you are considering their ideas.
• Painting a room can be a fun family activity. Let them choose the colors they like. It’ll make them learn how to play with colors. Make sure you give them paint swatches, so they will have a guide for every color they choose.

There are more simple tasks that can involve your kids to do at home. By starting out small, who knows, few more months they’ll volunteer repainting the living area or they’ll be the one replacing broken tap in your bathroom.

It’s been a long time that the three room’s flooring of our home were asking for replacement. The vinyl floor tiles that was installed in the rooms years ago (1998) has surely shown lots of wear and tear. The colors have faded. There were few marks and stains which are harder to remove. It lacks the usual luster even though wax are regularly applied and the vinyls are polished. Worse, there were some chirps and breaks at those areas hit by furniture such as bed frames and chairs.

We were considering ceramic tiles as replacement in lieu of vinyls. For a fact, ceramic tiles (cheaper than granite and marble) are a lot durable than vinyls. But then, though, ceramic tiles are cheaper, it may involved huge amount for the installation. Cost of labor might actually be greater than cost of the materials, as per our previous experience with the reclaimed garage area turned into a family room.

Good thing, when a cousin/friend invited us to check on one of his project for SeaCoastRealty.com for holden beach real estate, we were able to get many ideas that we wanted to tap into our own home. The master’s bedroom caused my jaws to drop as it was beautifully constructed and elegantly decorated. It has an eco-friendly bamboo laminate flooring that made the room look richer but cozy.

That solved my dilemma over our flooring. Moving on to the next problem -the budget.

Er.

What would you suggest other than my thoughts?