Tag Archives: Home Decor

Spring In Small Places Giveaway!

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~GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED~

Living in an apartment, limits the changes I can make. I can’t build above and enlarge. I can’t break a wall to create a larger closet and I can’t add a skylight in my kitchen. Yet this doesn’t mean that I can’t make my apartment feel like a home.

With small changes, I have made my personality shine. I’ve painted using bright, bold colors. Orange, green, turquoise, peach and even gray can be found throughout my home. The contrasting colors mesh well because of the accesories used. My rugs, paintings, pillows,  plants and knick knacks work to bring it all together. It works because it represents me and my style.

It took me months to figure out how to make my apartment my own. It seemed as if everywhere I turned was claimed by a boy or a dog. I needed space but I really wasn’t sure how to go about getting it. During that time I did lots and lots of window shopping for inspiration. I also have to admit I went apartment hunting. Sometimes I felt like I was torturing myself, but I have to say I also got some great ideas!

I also got some great ideas looking online. I loved this article by Apartment Guide titled Preparing Your Apartment for Spring. I especially loved their suggestion “to reverse the direction of any ceiling fans so that they run clockwise, pushing warm air up and away.” What a great idea! In fact, it was one of many that I now use.

To get YOU ready for Spring, Apartment Guide wants to offer ONE Latina On a Mission reader a spring-themed prize pack valued at $100. The gift pack contains a variety of spring-themed items including an ice bucket, a solar lantern, tablecloth and napkins, picture frames and a serving tray.

 

¡Suerte! / Good luck!

MANDATORY ENTRY- YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE YOU CAN RECEIVE ANY EXTRA ENTRIES: 

“Like” Apartment Guide on Facebook or follow them on Twitter: @AptGuide for real-time tips and updates on making the most of your space. Make sure you also tell them @MsLatina sent you!  Leave a comment below with the URL and your Twitter or Facebook name.

EXTRA ENTRIES – LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY: 

1. Subscribe to my blog via email or feed, follow my blog publicly with Google Friends and/or “Like” Latina On a Mission’s Facebook page for one (1) entry EACH. If you’re already do, let me know! 

2. Follow @MsLatina on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway, stating the below. Provide me with the tweet URL in a comment. One tweet per day till the giveaway ends, so go ahead tweet away!

 Enter to #win an @AptGuide spring-themed prize pack worth $100! http://bit.ly/GW11d #Giveaway #MsLatina #smallspaces

3. Blog about the giveaway, linking back to this post, and provide me with the url for 3 extra entries.

4. Leave a comment on this post,  I Have An Urge To Purge! , for THREE (3) extra entries. Let me know you did so the comments below.

5. Share this post or another on Stumble Upon, Technorati, Digg, and/or Facebook.  Each post shared gives you 3 extra entries. Just let me know which post you shared and your username, if applicable!

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Giveaway ends May 6, 2011 at 11:59 P.M. EST

Open to US residents

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As always, I will use random.org to select the winner. The winner will have 7 days to respond or another winner will be selected. Also, don’t forget, in order for random.org to count all of your entries a separate comment must be entered for each item that is completed. Random.org will not count it otherwise.

Disclosure: Apartment Guide is owned by Consumer Source, Inc. Apartment Guide partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Spring in Small Spaces” Blogger Challenge. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “Spring in Small Spaces” Blogger Challenge. Apartment Guide and Consumer Source believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

I Have An Urge To Purge!

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Escaping New York gave me Spring Fever! Staying in a hotel, enjoying the sun and the warm weather, has given me an urge to purge. Thankfully, being in California has also given me some amazing ideas.

From the hotel lobby, I gleaned I want color in my apartment. The more varied the better!

Telephone

Lounging by the poolside, made me realize I need to clean my window sills to allow more natural light to stream in. I also decided rooms that don’t receive natural light will benefit from lamps. They can’t replace the sun, but they will definitely brighten my mood. Have no idea where and how to start cleaning? Apartment Guide has the basics all lined up for you!

Pool

The hotel room was an oasis, away from the daily hustle and bustle. This zen like feeling was accomplished with a few choice decorations. I especially loved the bamboo plant. I don’t have a green thumb, but thankfully Apartment Guide provides tips for arranging and caring for your blooms.

Plant

No matter where you live, you can add a few quick touches to update your space for the spring season.It shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. In fact, decluttering and cleaning can brighten up a room considerably Whether you live in a large or small space, sometimes the “stuff” around you can become overwhelming. Learn how to strategically attack the clutter by clicking HERE.

I plan to make a few of  these changes now that I’m back in New York but I’m wondering what YOU have planned? Are you redecorating? Are you relocating this Spring? What changes are you making? Let me know in a comment!

For tips and tricks, follow Apartment Guide on Facebook or Twitter.

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And now for my very long disclosure :)

Apartment Guide is owned by Consumer Source, Inc. Apartment Guide partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Spring in Small Spaces” Blogger Challenge. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the “Spring in Small Spaces” Blogger Challenge. Apartment Guide and Consumer Source believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

WordPress Update, Plugin, and New Pillow Covers

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Last week I finally updated my WordPress site to 3.0.1. I also activated a new cache plugin called WP Super Cache. I implemented the changes hoping to speed up my site’s load time, however instead of speeding up my site it caused me countless headaches. 

After the update/new plugin, my emails/RSS feed was no longer updating. My posts were not displaying on the front page and when I created test posts I could not delete them. 

Thankfully, my designer, Revka  (who is a gem!) took the time out of her busy schedule to look over my blog and correct the glitches. After review, she discovered it was the cache that was causing havoc and immediately deactivated the plugin.  

So how do the new pillow covers come in? Well with all that free time, I was able to clean house AND sew two new pillow covers! I decided the original pattern on my sofa pillows didn’t suit me and created new forest green velvet pillow covers. I think they match perfectly with the new wall hanging I recently purchased.

 
Handsewn Velvet Pillow Cover

Btw, I no longer have a sewing machine so I did it by hand. It took longer but with so much free time on my hands I probably could have done a dozen!

Are you a crafty chica?

Dare to be Colorful

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Glidden. All opinions are 100% mine.

This past week, I traveled for a few days. While laying on my hotel bed, staring at the walls, I couldn’t help but compare them to my apartment walls. The hotel walls were lifeless. Sterile. They lacked character. Picture frames and the window couldn’t cover it up, they needed paint!  

I recently used Glidden paint to redo my apartment. My walls are as colorful as a rainbow, with blues, oranges, reds, greens and a grey wall thrown in for contrast! While deciding on the colors, I went back and forth to the The Home Depot store in Manhattan. They had paint testers in every color, XL color chips with coordinating color ideas, and pictures to inspire every project. 

I used the paint testers to decide my color scheme before purchasing full sized cans of paint. The paint testers are also great because they can be used to quickly touch up the scrapes and stains my sons leave.  They store easily in my closet and barely take up any apace.  

Reminiscing about my home, made me realize that not many are as daring as I with color! My color scheme shocks when one first hears it. Its hard to visualize the hodge podge of colors. For those of you who need to see, before selecting your colors, Glidden Paint makes it easy with the Glidden Room Painter. It takes the guess work out of paint selection, making it easy for you to find a color schemes to suit your personality!

I’m back home now, laying in my own bed. I can’t begin to tell you how delighted I am to stare at my orange walls. They have character. They are Latinalicious!

 

Visit my sponsor: Glidden

FREE Design Classes at west elm

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I love west elm! west elm (all lowercase) is a chic and trendy furniture store with an eclectic mix of contemporary decor to suit most styles. I also love that their items are multi-functional and suited for small spaces, like my apartment!

On Saturday, May 8, 2010, west elm is offering FREE design classes. The classes will be given during the first two hours of business at most stores. However, you should confirm with the store you are interested in as times vary per store. Attendees will also receive 10% off purchases made after class.

Leave me a comment and let me know if you plan on attending. I’m hoping to attend the class and would love to meet any readers who are going!

Mail In Paint Rebate & Future Home Decorating Project

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Did you order your FREE Paint? I found out about it from New York Chica, but took too long to put in my order.  Thankfully, Glidden is offering a $5 mail-in rebate for people like me who weren’t able to jump on the freebie offer. The rebate is given after the purchase of a one-gallon, quart or five-gallon can of Glidden™ Premium Interior or Exterior paint.

Click HERE to see the colors that are available.

Click HERE to get the coupon which is valid until July 5, 2009.

This would be perfect for a future home design project that I have in mind. Its a cheap and chic way to decorate that doesn’t take much effort. It should cost you less than $5-$10 depending on where you live. Yet the finished product will look like its worth so much more! I won’t give away the details just yet. I want to finish my project so I can post the pictures!

Till then make sure you pick up a small can of paint!

Chic & Cheap Ways to Decorate your Walls

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I love inviting friends over, whether for a birthday party, a gabfest or as my good friend Ivette suggested a Wii Party! Of course, when I do I like to decorate for the event. I found the perfect way, which also happens to be Latinaliciously chic AND cheap!  

I used to buy birthday, holiday and theme  decorations whenever family and friends gathered. Normally I would go to the 99 cents store, which I thought was very frugal of me. Boy was I wrong! If I added up the cost of my annual decorations it came out to more than one hundred dollars a year, which is still very cheap considering today’s standards. However,  I knew I could put that hundred dollars to better use!

My cousin, Lourdes, gave me the inspiration. She had one wall in her son’s room painted as a  blackboard. The kids used it to draw and write and it kept them entertained for hours! I loved it but did not like the authenticity of the wall- it was black and didn’t match my decor. So off I went to Home Depot where I discovered that you can write on ANY wall that uses paint that can be cleaned with soap and water, typically labeled as kid-friendly paint.

I used the Glidden Evermore Interior Latex Enamel Satin on my walls because it was on sale at the time I made my purchase but there are other brands available. Talk to a one of their sales-personnel, since they can show you which brands of paint are washable. Pick the one that best suits your decor and price range. Also note darker colors tend to work best with chalk.

I didn’t stop there. I decided if I could write on my walls I should also be able to hang stuff on them without making holes (perfect for rentals)! I was right! I brought some Wall Magnetic Paint  and now I can not only write on my walls but I can also hang pictures, birthday cards, and homemade decorations when my friends and I gather.

FYI: I’ve done a search and Amazon has the cheapest price for the Wall Magnetic Paint ($22.62- $29.30).

Below is a picture of my living room’s magnetic chalk wall:

wallwmagnet

As you can tell I could never make my life as a Graffiti artist but don’t you just love the oval necklace I was able to stick to the magnetic wall! Thought it was a nice touch ;)

Decorating on a Dime

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My home is my sanctuary, my oasis away from all the ruckus and strife that I encounter throughout my day. In order to make it my haven, I had to personalize it. Since I live in an apartment rental, I did not want to spend much. I needed to make it mine without breaking the budget so I thought outside the box!

Today I will show you parts of my room and how I used everyday items to decorate it, making it feminine without going into debt! To start it off I painted my room a rich green and orange. I did it myself to save money. I used paint I already had so I did not have to pay for paint. I tend to change my colors often so I do keep extra paint on hand which I purchase at Home Depot. If you are open to colors, they have a section of returned custom blend paints that are sold for a deep discount.  This is offered in EVERY Home Depot. You can also get FREE paint at Freecycle if you can wait to find something you like. 

After my colors were chosen I looked for items that would go with my color scheme. Below are the items I selected. 

Picture 1

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1. I paid 50¢ (Fifty CENTS) for the picture frame and 25¢ (twenty-five CENTS) for each of the hooks. I set this up in my room behind the door so that I could get my clothes ready the night before. I also use the side hooks to hang  handbags or for my robe. The grand total for this section of my room was$1.50!

Pictures 2, 3 & 4

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2, 3 & 4. I have a border that runs across my room. I was unable to get it in one picture and so broke it up into three pictures above. I painted the bottom of the border an orange stripe. I thought it gave the green a nice contrast.  I then purchased pictures from one of the many NYC vendors for $5 each. I placed the pictures in frames that I purchased in Kmart for $1 each. The circular things on the side are actually trivets that I purchased in a flea market for 25¢ (twenty-five CENTS) each. The total for 3 pictures, 3 frames, and 4 trivets as shown here was $19!

Picture 5

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5. This is a picture of the hallway that leads to my room. I used some of the orange paint to do a section of the wall. I then put wooden place-mats on the wall to cover the electrical panel. The place-mats were $1 each at Jacks,  a 99¢ store located in NYC. The mirrors were purchased on discount at Kmart because one of the mirrors were scratched. I paid $5 for each several years ago. The large frame on the left-hand side was the most expensive at $19.99 but the verse won me over! It’s an inspirational slogan that greets me every morning, definitely worth every penny!

Picture 6

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6. I  purchased the above material on clearance for less then $10. I created a border around the blinds provided with the rental. I did not need to sew, I was able to tie the material around the blinds with minimal effort. I have to say that the color in this photo does not do the material justice. It is a beautiful orange with a shimmer to it. It blends in well with the colors on the wall without overwhelming you.

Before these changes my room was a dull white, very bland and boring. I was able to paint the room in two days because I used two colors and the boys were underfoot. I then searched for items that I already had or was able to pick up for very cheap. All in all I spent about $63 on these items and I must say I am very pleased with the outcome!  

Do you have any frugal decorating ideas? If so, I would love to hear them!