Fast Fix - Tip of the Month

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EXTRA BOOK HOLDERS?

DON’T THROW THEM OUT…

USE TO KEEP YOUR TOTE BAGS NEAT AND ACCESSIBLE ON A SHELF INTHE CLOSET

HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME IN THE DOLDRUMS OF WINTER

According to Luxury Listings NYC magazine, there are six musts to selling your home in the winter:

1. Update your listing.

2. Be flexible about viewing times.

3. Plan a special event ... better yet, ask your broker to plan one.

4. Take another look at the price if it's been on the market for a month and a half with little action.

5. Consider increasing the brokers' commission.

6. FRESHEN IT UP BY DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING SO IT LOOKS MORE SPACIOUS AND OPEN.

PREPARE YOUR WEEKEND HOUSE
FOR SUMMER NOW

1. Check appliances large and small—air conditioners and lamps, coffee makers and cake mixers—for functionality and faulty wiring.

2. Inspect bed, table and bath linens for moth holes, stains and mold. Wash.
Store with lavender sprigs or sachets.

3. Open windows and doors to let in the fresh air. Dust, vacuum, polish.

4. Run china, silver- and glassware through the dishwasher. Do the same
with pots, pans and cutting boards.

5. Wash windows. Examine screens and install, or replace if needed.

6. Wipe cupboards clean. Put an open box of baking soda in fridge once
it’s cleaned.

7. Bring outdoor furniture and cushions, hammocks, picnic baskets and
garden hoses out of storage. Check condition, dust, replace if necessary.

8. Shore up your supply of light bulbs and candles.

9. Ready porches, decks and pools with flowers and outdoor furniture.

10. Stock up on food, snacks and beverages. Pour yourself a glass of
lemonade.

Relax. You’re going to have a fabulous summer!

ISN’T IT TIME TO TREAT YOURSELF?

10 EASY WAYS TO
TURN YOUR BATHROOM INTO A SPA

Whatever you need, to de-stress and de-tox, revive and rejuvenate, stimulate or soothe the mind and spirit, you can do it chez vous. Following are ten easy tips to turn your bathroom into a spa:

1. Upholster a chair with a plush terry cloth that coordinates with the room’s décor. Glamorous and useful.

2. Buy a shower curtain with built-in pockets to hold the kids’ bath toys, shampoos, conditioners, even cleaning items. If it’s made of clear plastic, hang a nice cloth one in front.

3. Put a small stool in the shower to make shaving legs easy and provide a place to relax a few minutes to enjoy the water flowing gently over you, sending cares down the drain.

4. If you buy shampoo, conditioner and bubble bath in cost-saving, but difficult-to-hold, super-size bottles, decant them into pretty non-breakable containers that fit into the wall niche or on corners of the tub rim.

5. Toss out towels, face cloths, bath mats and robes that have seen their day or don’t complement the good ones. You can find pretty, absorbent and inexpensive styles online and in stores like Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and K-Mart. Or splurge and get the best of the best; they’ll last for years.

6. Change the hardware—drawer pulls, bath-robe hooks, towel racks—for a fresh new look. Make sure they’re as useful and feel as good as they are beautiful.

7. Hang a few of those paintings or photos you haven’t space for elsewhere.

8. Bring some outdoors in with a large green plant. Especially useful if they’ve overtaken another part of the house.

9. Find an armoire—big-box stores stock many sizes and styles and flea markets often have interesting ones—to hold guest towels, soap, hair dryers, powders and perfumes. Easy to paint, maybe even stencil, for a personal touch while getting a lot of stuff off the floor and vanity.

10, Don’t forget candles, your favorite tunes and if it’s in the budget, a heated towel rack or heated cupboards and drawers to keep towels, robes and slippers warm and toasty.

Too Indulgent? I don’t think so. A good way to begin or end the day: Yes!

'TIS THE SEASON TO DECLUTTER!

You got through Thanksgiving...now what?

Declutter, organize and style your home so you're always ready for drop-in guests and can relax in comfort and serenity.

Following are some easy and effective tips:

* Limit the number of family photos and tchochkies on tabletops. A few are more than sufficient.

* Toss those magazines and newspapers you're "planning to read soon." If you must keep some of the magazines, pile them neatly on a bench or two matching chairs at the foot of your bed.

* Clean out the hallway closet so there's room for guests' coats. Be sure to arrange the hangars in the same direction.

* Position furniture so it's easy for people to circulate.

* Organize the books on the shelves with aesthetics in mind: Line them up tallest to shortest. Intersperse vertical with horizontal stacks and add a small framed photo or piece of sculpture on a few of them.

* Store the items on your kitchen countertop that you rarely use in the cupboard so you have room for pouring drinks and preparing nibbles when friends drop in.

* And remember, “Less is more.” When it comes to nearly anything in your home . .. including holiday decorations!

Let me know how it goes and if this has been helpful.

AS SEEN IN MANN REPORT: RESIDENTIAL MAGAZINE

INCORPORATE COLLECTIBLES INTO YOUR DÉCOR…
and put them to work

They’ll give your home personality—YOURS!—and bring back memories every time you see them. Following are some ideas and photos.

Pottery: Small bowls are great for soap and sponges.
Contemporary glass: Choose a sturdy piece. The one seen here is from a visit to Norway.
Baskets: Perfect for pencils, staples, post-its, tape and other business supplies. Extra-large styles hold towels nicely.
Artwork: Put between double windows when there’s no room on the walls. Adds an interesting, sculptural quality.
Beach pails: Let your kids pick the color they want to store bath-time toys and bubbles.
Trays: Put your mongo—slang for found objects—on a tray and place on a coffee- or side table. The one here is at interior designer Scott Bromley’s house and always changing…a terrific conversation starter. He also took the photo.
Flea market finds: Nowhere to put that dressmaker mannequin you couldn’t resist? Drape your bath robe on it.
Objets d’art: Add pizzazz to unexpected places. In the photo are perfume flacons and old silver—both from large collections—on a bathroom shelf.
Unused household items: Fill things like coffee mugs, sugar and creamers, pitchers and shot glasses with Q-tips, makeup brushes, manicure scissors and such. Display on the vanity or keep in the medicine cabinet.
Toys: Have children store their toys in loved but unused pup tents or wagons.