Hang 'em Out to Dry

A few years ago I surprised my husband with the gift of an outside clothes line for Fathers Day. He is a practical kind of guy, and even though I knew I'd be the one using it mostly, (because the clothes have to be "hung just so") -especially to avoid ironing- he loved the gift! He is mainly responsible for putting it out each summer for me, in it's hole in the backyard.

I remember growing up with a clothes line in our 100 year old house. It fit that era and especially the old home. Did I really want this now? And where to put it out of site of the neighbors and the street? (My unmentionables couldn't be in site, of course!)

Well, I have completely embraced the idea, and get a kick out of trying to do my part for the environment, and saving a bit on our gas bill as well. In fact, I was sad when we recently had a week of rain here in the Northwest. I was secretly mourning having to use my dryer and couldn't wait for the warm weather to return. Now that it's sunny and warm again, I figure I have a good two months left to "hang 'em out to dry".

I find something really calming about the process of hanging out the clothes. And the smell! I love the fresh smell when I neatly fold my clothes up when they're dry and "crispy".

I secretly think my friends are envious that I do this-as many of them say "that is so great your doing that". So, why not follow suit?

Then, at the end of the season, my husband will fold it up and store it for the winter until next years unveiling!

Panel of Experts Class

Come join us and our home experts team for an evening of home talk and refreshments! Have your burning home improvement questions answered by:

*Interior Designer, Kelly DuByne, Distinctive Interior Designs
*Professional Organizer, Monika Kristofferson, Efficient Organization
*Handyman, Kory Hauff, JK Property Services

Learn the "Top 3 Favorite Home Improvement Secrets" from each expert!

Date: July 16, 2009
Time: 6-8pm
Investment: $10.00, includes light refreshments and goodie bag!

Location: Uppercase Books Meeting Room
611 2nd Street, Suite L
Snohomish, WA 98290

Bring your design, organizing and home repair questions for an open Q & AS forum and bring photos of your problem areas to ask the experts individually.

Seating is limited, please call Distinctive Interior Designs to register at 425 238-3678

We'd love to share this evening with you!
Cheers!

Get the Most Bang for Your Buck

I often have clients who want to purchase furniture on their own, but they aren't sure where to start. They have questions on how large the couch should be, how many chairs will fit in, what if they buy too much furniture to fit in, etc.

Here's what we recommend for our clients. We will come out to measure their room (s) and then draw it up on graph paper. Then, we will arrange different room arrangements featuring an assortment of furniture shapes and sizes.

The client gets a feel for how they'd like the room to look, and then they are armed to go into the stores knowing they are looking for a 72"couch and two side chairs, etc.

You can do this yourself as well. Measure your rooms length and width and graph it out on graph paper. (You can have each square on the graph paper represent one foot). Then, look up some furniture on line (try http://www.roomandboard.com) (this is a really great furniture website) and note the sizes and even styles of furniture you like. You can make your furniture samples on graph paper and then arrange it on your floor plan.

It's a great tool for visualizing your space and knowing what can fit. That way, you are getting the right amount of furniture-the best bang for your buck!