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Creating the Happiest Place in Your House with a Disney Themed Bedroom

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:23:45 +0000

Solid built Amish bedroom and children’s furniture is the perfect foundation for creating a childhood full of Disney memories. In 1955 Walt Disney looked at a blank canvas of real estate and saw the fantasy world the globe has grown to love. Just as you were as a child your child is captured by the illusions portrayed in Disney’s cartooned universe. By digging deeply in to your imagination you can find the brilliance Disney and bring that feeling of magic home to your child by creating their very own Disney retreat right in your home.

THEMES- Some themed rooms do attempt to draft all the Disney characters in the attempt to get the flavor of the theme park all in one room. While this can work beautifully if thought out and not too cluttered with over a half a century of characters, more impact can be created by narrowing it to one character or movie. There are inspirational themes for even the pickiest pre-teens, such as Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers.

WALL COLORS -Wall colors create a canvas to build your world on. For instance, the Disney princess world is in pastels such as pale blue, yellow or pink. Most of the male oriented Disney themes are in bright primary colors such as the reds and oranges for pirates, Toy Story, CARS, etc. Painting each wall a different color can add interest or create a bold statement with one wall differing as a focal point.

FURNITURE – The largest piece of furniture in a room is usually the bed and the Amish have crafted beds from twin to king, along with the amazing flexibility of the convertible cribs that will last a childhood or more. Themed bedding with pirate ships or race cars are available in every major store and will tie together any theme. Creating a mysterious tent by suspending gauze or fabric above the bed for a canopy is an inexpensive way to create the mood. Solid wood cedar chests can be treasure chests while bookcases and shelving, custom stained to match your Amish heirloom furnishings, will hold all of your Disney collectibles.

FLOOR COVERS – Use oriental rugs as magic carpets from Aladdin or a canvas rug, painted with a race track for CARS and including Matchbox or Hot Wheels for interactive play. Princess Pocohantas loves faux animal skin rugs and a Mulan themed room is easily enhanced by choosing Bamboo rugs.

WINDOWS – Window treatments should be playful but functional. Think theatrical when cutting foam board to create portals on a pirate ship or placing shutters inside the windows to recreate the Old World styling of Beauty and the Beast. Alladdin themes are beautified by hanging an Indian inspired candle lantern, with its intricate cut-outs that silhouette in the dark in a window. This same simple candle lantern can just as easily become Tinkerbell’s home. A painted on Arabic arch or a deep sea theme surrounding the window frame is simple enough for even those artistically challenged parents.

Along with your child develop and an idea of what you want the room to be. Use that vision to trigger your inner child’s imagination. Use resources to inspire you and include your child in the creative process. Before you know it you will transport your child’s room into their own happiest place on earth.

You just have to believe!

How To Sell Your Collectibles and Heirlooms: Valuable and Smart Tips

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:53:04 +0000

While we may collect things from sports cards to furniture simply for the enjoyment of the hunting and the gathering, most of us collect knowing that there is a chance if needs arose, we could sell that collection. Many a handcrafted Amish built bookcase holds the world’s most prized collectibles. It is a fact that people who love the high quality of Amish design are usually people who admire beautiful and interesting objects of art. It goes without saying they collect anything from handmade quilts to high end art glass. In fact many collect, what else? – Amish furniture.

Whatever your obsession for collecting was routed into there may come a time to part from it. Even in the best of times life changes, money is tight, tastes change, space runs out, you marry someone who finds your beer bottles from around the world clashing with her doily collection…Whatever the reason, time may have come for you to lose the collection and gain the cash. Educating yourself away from the consumer thought process and towards the vendor end of the deal is wise.

The first step to selling your possessions is to determining your market. Ask yourself, where will you get the most money for your valuables? Today the availability of avenues to sell your collectibles is vast. From the old fashioned ads in your local paper to yard sales to online auctions, quite literally the world is your storefront. Decide what venue will give you the greatest access to the people who collect what you do? If you have in your collection any rare items the World Wide Web can pay off best. Bidding wars caused by auction frenzy and world wide monetary value differences can only benefit you the seller. A seller can only win when the world is your bidding audience. Include the auction fees when deciding whether to use an auction service.

A very specific target audience is the collector clubs. You may be able to buy and sell to members who obsess over what you have collected. Collector clubs can be reached through member specific publications or online sites and boards. True collectors are members who take the subject seriously. This is evidence of true passion and a truly passionate collector will come up with the cash if you have what they need to complete their collection.

Determine whether you want to offer the collection in bulk or individually. Ask yourself if selling as a whole or selling individually will bring the greatest yield. If you are in a hurry, selling as a whole is a quick route but, remember that selling separately or in smaller groupings can bring the highest amount. There is more time and effort in separating the collection. You also run the risk of being stuck with the less desirable pieces.

Showcase your collection in its best light, whether with pictures and description in print or online, or by insuring that it is in its best condition. Take the time to research your audience, pick the best marketing venue and display your valuables to your advantage. Caring for your treasures while you own them insures that their value is not diminished by improper storage. Investing in solid hardwood Amish designs like cedar chests, shelves, hutches and storage units not only create an amazing showcase but also help protect your investments.

Your Bedroom: Life’s Command Center

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:16:28 +0000

Bedrooms are wondrous rooms that hold many functions and events – many more functions than just sleep. Statistically we spend the majority of our days – perhaps actually nights – inside the bed chamber. We not only hope that it will provide us a safe and comfortable place to sleep and rejuvenate for the next day but the bedroom holds our clothing, shoes, jewelry and other accessories. In the humble bedroom we begin our day – whether at a walk-in closet door or a sit-down vanity table. The room most likely holds dirty laundry and dry cleaning, at least for a time.

Many of us grace our rooms with a quiet reading spot or even a television for late night movies or early bits of news shows. Perhaps our rooms are even mini-libraries, for reading books, magazines and newspapers. Some of us have even placed a writing desk for home organization or correspondence on our laptops. Pet owners allow visits from pets and parents have visits from offspring. The bedroom may even hold storage for linens for the bed. Lastly, the bedroom may be you last refuge for privacy. Indeed, if you were to stop and evaluate your bedroom it is evident that it is in fact the command center of your life.

THE BED:

Perhaps only the sofa or couch competes for the amount of time we spend on a bed. This amount of time justifies the purchase of a great mattress and bed. With a solid wood frame, hand-built by Amish designers and craftsmen guarantee a life time of solidly built attractiveness. Elegant but practical, these beds are built to cradle you in comfort and then pass down as an heirloom investment. From Mission style to Modern these bedroom suite designs are endless in style and design.

It is recommended to buy the biggest and the best bed and mattress you can afford and house.

CLOTHNG STORAGE:

While it would be great to live in world where minimal possessions, especially clothing, were practical, even the Amish realize in the contemporary world it is not. While it is recommended to streamline your clothing in order to function more efficiently each morning the total elimination of excess can be impossible, so we must have furniture to help organize.

Wardrobes, closets, armoires, chests of drawers, lingerie chests, dressers all are built to match your high end solid wood bed. All are available in oaks, maple, cherry, hickory and a variety of stain options. After you ruthlessly scale down your wardrobe from a messy assemblage of chaos know that there is upscale storage available that incorporates different sized drawers, various folding shelves and hanging options.

MIRRORS:

Cheval mirrors are the best friend you always wanted. A solid wood framed swinging, full-length looking glass that makes a great accountability partner – one who will always let you know the truth about your appearance, good or bad.

DRESSING OR VANITY TABLES:

Having a central spot to focus on you as you begin your day can make or break your look. Dressing for success is more than buying the right outfit. It is stopping to survey the details and to polish the surface. Solid wood, easy care, ARESISTOVAR protected surfaces make the Amish vanity ideal.

NIGHTSTANDS:

The most personal piece of bedroom furniture may not be the bed. The most individualized storage facility is the bedside stand or night table. Inside the nightstands is things that only you know why you need, from books and spare change to mints and reading glasses, the nightstand is a private world of odds and ends just for you. The finish on the native hardwoods by Northern Indiana artisans will even forgive a late night cup of tea spill.

A Brief History of the Evolution of Chest or Chests of Drawers

admin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:37:05 +0000

Today the Amish craft solid wood chest of drawers as stand alone pieces or part of a bedroom suite. The name Chests of Drawers is literally derived from the furniture piece that was a chest or trunk; a wooden box for storing clothing linens, books, documents and valuables of any kind. The earliest forms were found in many countries and were highly refined in ancient Egypt. From this chest came the installation of separate compartments known as drawers. The word drawer could have been created from the fact the compartment always was drawn out or that it held your drawers (This drawers, or pants, may have also been named because you had to draw them up and suspend or tie them sometimes with a draw string.) Today most bedroom suites include or offer an optional chest of drawers.

The evolution from trunk to chest of drawers was most likely with the addition of a single, or two or three drawer chests called a mule chest. Mule chest, like the animal, was a hybrid – a chest with added drawers. Sometime after the middle of the 17^th century the first chest of drawers as we know it appeared. Usually two small drawers were placed side-by-side at the top followed by three large drawers below. During this period oak was the wood of choice, just as oak is still a top choice with the Amish craftsmen of today.

As the 17^th century faded and the age of walnut emerged many examples are also found in this beautiful hardwood. By 1730 mahogany was in vogue and many styles of chests had evolved, such as the dressing or commode chests. These pieces may include a “brushing slide“. The brushing slide was a wooden slide found in some chests of drawers that pulled forward, sliding out of a slot in the top, providing extra working surface. Dressing chests also included divided top drawers for easy organization of personal toiletries. Some chests included a large drawer or cabinet for hats and drawers for gloves.

By the Victorian era the chest of drawers was designed in a more form versus function, with the function being the most important. Out of the Victorian revolt developed the Mission era furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. This provided sturdy, functional designs in chests of drawers that were handsome in nature and artistically pure. The Shakers also created the elegance of artisans in chests of drawers with straight lined hardwood practicality. From these designs developed Modern furniture examples of chests that we consider a staple of the 20^th Century. All of these furniture styles are still available in oak, maple, hickory, and cherry thanks to the dedication of Amish furniture builders today.

Amish Hope Cedar Chests and Trunks; A Part of History

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:52:01 +0000

The cedar chest, hope chest or trunk may well be as many furniture historians believe, the first true piece of furniture. From it, most certainly, evolved the chest of drawers. The box called a trunk or chest was a common sense and practical structure. This wooden framed box was built to store and move personal possessions and it could also be used as a seat or a table. Trunk shapes ranged from the rounded vessels found on Conestoga wagon trains or flat topped and sided for extra storage space like the steamer trunks on ships. Although the shape has varied slightly over the centuries, the concept remains steady.

Every era of history and virtually every culture have some sort of trunk or chest. From Africa to Scandinavia communities built their own form of mobile container for storing and moving personal possessions. Some cultures made very plain and functional boxes while some like the Swedes were heavily decorated. Trunks were flat top to domed, plain or embellished with metal work and leather strappings, upholstered or painted. Some trunks went so far as to document its own history in signatures, dates and heavy decoration.

From the fall of Rome to contemporary retailers trunks have held everything from bolts of silk cloth from the Orient traveling from city to city, or parcels of linen for ladies in waiting, to scarce books coming to print after the end of the Dark Ages and Gutenberg’s printing press made reading a possibility for the masses. Today it may hold an inherited quilt, a family Bible or a little boy’s baseball card collection.

The trunk or the chest, especially made out of insect repelling cedar is still a very sought after a functional piece of furniture whether as storage, a bench at the foot of a bed or a coffee table. The Amish crafted cedar chest is perfect as a baby shower gift – a symbol of a long life of memories to collect. As a symbol of memories to share, young singles and newly married couples still list a hope chest to store their future heirlooms or prize possessions for their new homes on gift registries. Every fall students move out of the parental nest and off to university dormitories on campuses around the world. Most of the students have one thing in common and that is that they packed their homes into storage trunks or chests.

These pieces of portable furniture can hold anything from spare socks to secret dreams and have held a place in history for centuries. In oak, maple, hickory or cherry there are over a dozen designs from Mission style to classic the Amish still design and craft these solid wood time capsules to be enjoyed today and handed down tomorrow.

The Versatility of Chests and Armoires

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:22:17 +0000

When you think of a chest of drawers or armoire, you might be thinking that these are only useful as pieces of bedroom furniture. While these are great and functional pieces in any bedroom that can be used for clothes, lingerie, accessories, linens, or towels, they can also offer wonderful amounts of storage and space for just about any other room in the house.

Chests and armoires are perfect for dining rooms or even kitchens where you can store extra table linens, dinnerware, utensils, glasses, or other dining accessories. A shorter chest of drawers can also be used as an alternative to the sideboard for extra serving space during parties.

Televisions can be placed on top of lower chests or even inside armoires with larger cabinet space. You can use the drawers below to store away your videotapes, DVD movies, music CDs, and even all of those extra remote controls that always seem to accumulate around the house.

Chests and armoires are also great for use in offices or craft rooms because you can use the drawers and shelving for any number of supplies. If you don’t have room for a chest or armoire in a room, you can even put them inside most closets. This is great for storing hobby supplies, baby clothes, purses, toys, gift wrap, board games, sewing supplies, or anything else that you want to organize and keep out of sight.