5 Cheapskate Tips For Staging Your Spare Room

by MARCI MCFARLAND

Why stage your spare room? A staged bedroom helps emphasize the size of the house and number of bedrooms, not to mention giving the impression of a well-rounded residence. Also, a clean bedroom looks a lot better than a cluttered spare room. Since a proper home staging can lead to a quicker sale and higher sale price, the time and money you spend on this can net you significant returns.

1. Dig Into The Pile

If you have a spare room in the house you're planning to sell, you may well have something that you can use to stage it with. Is that a lamp hidden under all those old suitcases and the clothes you can't quite bear to throw away? Drag it out and see if there can't be something done with it. If you have an old set of drawers awaiting a visit from your local Salvation Army, ask them to hold off and see if you can use it to complete the illusion that this is a guest bedroom. The same goes for any old bed, painting, etc. that you can temporarily repurpose from your belongings.

2. Borrow

You probably know someone, family or friend, who has a spare bed, furniture or tasteful art that you can temporarily place in the room to create the illusion of a happy bedroom. Many people will happily give you castoff furniture in return for you taking it to the local thrift store upon the sale of your home. If the item is to be returned, however, make sure it gets returned clean and in the same (or better!) shape it was when you first borrowed it.

3. Freecycle, Craigslist and thrift stores

Freecycle.org is a non-profit organization that began for the purpose of enabling people to get rid of unwanted items without sending them to a landfill. There are groups all over the world. Craigslist and other ad sites are another alternative. Many people are just trying to get rid of their stuff, hopefully for a few bucks. Much of this is perfect for staging purposes. Thrift stores are another cheap option.

4. Redecorate

A coat of paint or an inexpensive slipcover can make dingy walls and old furniture look much more attractive. Choose a bright, airy color for the walls, perhaps a white, blue or pale yellow. Furniture can be given a quick coat of paint that perhaps matches the room's trim or complements the color of the walls. Make sure your blankets, rugs and curtains are in a solid neutral color, which will pull the room together without distracting the eye.

5. Repurpose

What you're aiming for is the look of a bedroom, not necessarily the actual article. This means that your coffee table could actually be a box covered with an attractive looking tablecloth. It may surprise you how well a blanket or throw can help disguise any furniture dings, rips or scratches. Your bed doesn't have to be an actual mattress; air mattresses set up underneath some art with a comforter and plump pillows are all the bed you need.

Marci McFarland is a Sarasota real estate agent with a broad professional approach. Her unique insight into the various lifestyle requirements of her clients, combined with an intimate knowledge of her service area including Lido Key real estate, make her an ideal choice for families and investors alike.

source: www.amazines.com

Tips on Wearing Cufflinks

By: Hendrik Pohl

Are you interested to add more style to your outfit without burning a deep hole in your pockets? Then adding a nice pair of cufflinks to the sleeves of your dress shirts will be a perfect option for you. If you are confused about how to wear cufflinks and how to match them to the rest of your outfit, then this article is right for you. Just like matching neckties to dress shirts, and your below to your shoes, there are a few simple rules on matching your cufflinks to your other pieces of clothing.

Matching Colors

If you are looking for a very versatile set of cufflinks to wear with almost anything, then your best option is a solid silver cufflink set. Silver is the most common color for cufflinks for a reason: It is easy to match, classy, and timeless. The second most common cufflink color is, yes you guessed right, gold. The general rule for silver and gold cufflinks is that the cufflink color has to match your belt buckle. In addition, your other pieces of jewelry, like your wristwatch, should match as well. Gold cufflinks also look great with shades of brown such as a tan colored suit, brown dress shoes, and brown belt, while silver is the preferred color for gray and charcoal-black suits.

Besides silver and gold, many cufflink sets have colored stones on the front. Even though those cufflinks are typically less formal they will add a great touch to your outfit. Try to match the color to another piece of clothing you are wearing. If you wear pink cufflinks, then a pink necktie would be an excellent choice. What you want to avoid is dressing like a parrot with too many bright and conflicting colors.

Cufflink Styles

There are an endless amount of different cufflink styles available. Just try searching for a particular cufflink theme on the Internet and you will guarantee find what you were searching for. As a general guideline: The more basic the cufflink design, the more conservative the look. If you are bored with your suit and tie look then novelty cufflinks are a good option. Unlike novelty ties, that have a somewhat tacky , novelty cufflinks are well accepted. If you like playing poker, then a nice set of poker cufflinks might just be right up your alley. With so many different styles and themes available, cufflinks will make a great gift for the Holidays, Father’s day, and birthdays.

Different Cufflink Materials

Today cufflinks are made in a wide range of materials. Most common are metals, including the precious metals gold, silver, and platinum. Besides metals, cufflinks are commonly made from glass, colored glass that is as the face, fabric, exotic woods, and even bone.

Matching Cufflinks to Dress Shirts

Cufflinks are worn with French cuffed shirts. The French cuff is often times also referred to the double cuff as the cuffs are folded back before they are secured with a knot or cufflinks. Unlike traditional dress shirts, they do not have any buttons on their own. French cuff dress shirts are often considered more formal, particularly when paired with a set of quality cufflinks.

How much to Spend on Cufflinks

The range in cost of cufflinks can go from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. What makes the difference in price is not so much the designer that makes them, but the materials used. Precious metals and stones are common on high-end cufflinks that can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. How much to spend is obviously your choice. For daily use and travel it might be more suited to choose a slightly less expensive set, and save the “good ones” for special occasions.

About the Author : Pohl is an expert author on formal attire. He considers himself a necktie aficionado. His passion for wearing fine neckties inspired him to start his own necktie business, Ties-Necktie.com - His store not only features a wide range of mens ties, but also offers dress code tips, and instructions on how to tie a necktie.

source: www.isnare.com