Gussy Up Any Room with Equestrian Home Décor

Gussy Up Any Room with Equestrian Home Décor

Want to give your home or room a lift, then equestrian home décor could be the solution. Horse décor is one of the most popular animal décor to grace our living spaces. It's versatile and beautiful, not to mention widely available. Horse lovers like to have anything equestrian in a room. Here are some ideas to help you decorate your home with horse décor.

If you feel that bigger pieces are overbearing, start with small accent pieces. Try something like a small horse statuette on your study table, a Texas star wall clock, bookends with horse figures, or wall art with horse motif. Smaller pieces are great for small spaces. Or, put out a large welcome sign or doormat with horse and/or cowboy design to set the tone or mood of the home.

Furniture accents like a country-themed drawer chest or armoire in deep color with horse design can also be a good place to start. This piece can serve as the focal point of the room, or it can be placed in a corner of the room for accent. A horse figure can also serve as a base for a coffee table or side table.

Another easy idea is to use a horse figure as a base for lamps. Or you can have a beautiful horse scene in the lamp shade. When lit, the shade will illuminate the room with beautiful western colors. If you love to decorate your room with tea light candles and oils, you can find a horse motif oil lamps made of ceramic where oil can be burned to provide the scent that you want, or candle holders which are of horse design made from wrought iron.

Try hanging some horse art in the wall. Big or small, the size depends on your preference, as well as on the size of the room. If you want bigger horse designs, you can paint a mural on one wall or use wallpaper with horse designs. This is a great idea for a child's bedroom. What little boy or girl wouldn't enjoy a cowboy or cowgirl theme for their bedroom?

Other accent pieces you can use are throws, rugs or throw pillows with a horse or equestrian motif. These pieces can make a cabin-styled or country home interesting. You can also have a comforter, beddings and pillow cases with horse designs. This is perfect for a horse-loving kid's bedroom. Add a rocking horse, and your child may never want to leave his room anymore.

Horse motif pieces also blend well in country-style bathrooms. You can add a horse towel bar, tissue holder, shower curtain or rug with horse design to your bathroom. You can also place a few decorative tiles with horse design in your sink.

Your kitchen can also be filled with horse décor. Use horse figures in wrought iron as plant or magazine holders, or horse figures as cabinet door knobs or pulls.

An individual's fascination with horse décor can be because of different reasons. Surprisingly, some who incorporate horse décor are not even horse riders nor are they of western or country origin. They simply love the horse form. For more formal or traditional rooms, go for the medieval style knight on the horse motif.

There are many sources of equestrian home décor. Visit a home furnishings store in your locality. We found many beautiful pieces, such as those pictured above at Design Toscano, where there are many designs available. You're sure to find one to accentuate your home. Let the beauty and grace of our equine friends shine when you find a piece to suit your home.

Tag: equestrian horse home decor

Diamonds: How are They Valued?

Diamonds, Ice, Sparklies, A Girl’s Best Friend: Whatever you call them how are they valued? The four C’s -- Cut, Clarity, Color and Carats. We'll talk about the first three C's here.

Cut: A diamonds’ cut influences the brilliance, or light reflecting qualities of the gem, at the same time it enhances the fire of the diamond, or that rainbow quality. A good cut enhances both qualities, fire and brilliance, without sacrificing one for the other. A well cut diamond balances the depth of the diamond to the breadth of the diamond. A poorly cut diamond of the same size can look flat and be more vulnerable to cleavage and breakage.

Clarity: Diamonds are crystalline carbon. The clarity of the diamond refers to the purity of the stone and imperfections within the crystalline structure and on its surface. There is no such thing as a flawless diamond in nature. Sometimes this clarity factor is referred to as the cleanliness of the stone. If a stone is viewed under 10x magnification and no imperfections can be seen, either internally (inclusions) or externally (blemishes), the stone is referred to in the trade as flawless. A microscopic speck of carbon, undetectable by the human eye, but visible under 10Xmagnification,can bring down the value of the diamond substantially. There are five commonly used methods for grading clarity. Just keep in mind the cleaner the stone, the more valuable it is, the more it costs.

Color: Diamonds come in colors including black. Most of the darker colors are used for industrial purposes and not for gems. The white-blue color of pure water is the most valued color for white diamonds and these are rated D-F. (There is no A-C on the scale.) As the diamond color progresses toward yellow (K-M) it becomes less valuable. Diamonds that have a noticeable yellow (N-R) to champagne color (S-Z), are the least valuable. Because the color can be influenced by the color of the gem’s setting, the color is judged when the stone is unset.

To complicate matters and value, diamonds that come in colors, called fancies, are very rare and very valuable. Deep blue, red, and green diamonds are among the rarest and most valuable gems on earth.

When purchasing your diamond for your engagement and wedding rings, consider what factors are more important to you. Size might be more important than color so a larger diamond with a barely noticeable yellow tinge might make you happier than a blue white smaller diamond.

Budget Bedroom Make Over Ideas

Budget Bedroom Make Over Ideas

People can always spruce up an old bedroom for less, by using a little bit of ingenuity, creativity, and some vision. Renovating can make an old bedroom look as good as new, or even better!

A person does not have to spend a lot of money to make an exciting change. There are many ways a person can redecorate his/her bedroom for less! Ideas can be obtained by watching shows on television, talking to friends or reading magazines.

Here are some tips to make any bedroom look fabulous:

• Splash the walls with colors
  Repaint the walls. This simply gives your bedroom walls a new face lift! It will lighten up, and completely renew the look of any bedroom! This is a great chance to add some spice to your old, dull, and boring bedroom. Choose your favorite color to add warmth to the bedroom. But if you want to go crazy, you can pick wild colors and create your very own artwork on your walls. This is a great way to add a personal touch to a bedroom. It also will showcase your personality
• Make old furniture look good as new
  Re-upholster old furniture. It’s amazing the difference this makes in the overall look of a bedroom. Individuals don't have to spend a lot of money on new furniture either. They can as easily restyle their old furniture using unique fabrics, paints, etc.
  Just let their imagination run wild! The best thing is that they totally control the finished appearance of their furniture, since they decide what will be done to refurbish the furniture.
• Accessorize the bedroom
  Strategically place some decorative scented candles around the bedroom to give the room an elegant look. They exude a sense of tranquility once they are lit.
  Another great idea is to hang artwork on the walls. It does not have to be expensive, as inexpensive pieces of good quality are readily available. Select reproductions, or photographs! Even better, if they are adept at art, use some of their own creations and make the walls into their very own personal gallery.
• Go hunting at a second hand store
  Numerous treasures can be found in second hand stores! You can purchase second hand furniture as well as decorative lamps, antique mirrors, etc. for bargain prices at these stores
  Garage sales are also great places to unearth hidden treasures. Just drive around the block or watch the newspaper to see if there is anyone who is hosting a garage sale in your area.
• Develop a theme for your bedroom
  A great way to give a bedroom a fun and exciting look is to use a totally different theme. If you want to go with a Bohemian look for your bedroom, you just build around this theme by picking up things that will suit this motif. Also, try digging through old chests in the attic for items that would compliment the new style of your bedroom.
• Decorate your Bed
  Purchase new bedspreads and pillows that will compliment the new style of your room. Pay a visit to the linen department of any mall: browse through their selection of beautiful sheets, bed skirts, comforters, and pillows. The bedroom is a person's sanctuary: that is why it is important that it offers comfort. After a hard day's work, people just want to lie down in bed, relax, and forget about the day that has just passed. Their beds should offer them maximum comfort so that they are rejuvenated for the next day. The condition of the bed is of utmost importance - it is the most essential part of any bedroom makeover!

Renovating a bedroom does not have to cost you a fortune! Just making key changes will make a world of a difference. Those who are on an extremely tight budget do not have to redecorate their bedroom all at once; they can make improvements as their finances allow. Giving a bedroom a much needed makeover can be an exciting and challenging activity. It can give people just the right boost they need to start their day out right.

Let's face it, who wants to wake up to a messy and/or dreadful looking bedroom? By renovating their bedroom individuals can give themselves that much needed change of environment that will help brighten their day!

Tag: budget bedroom decorating make over ideas