Mix and Chic

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Product review- Looptworks Phone Wristlet!

Recently, Looptworks sent me one of their wonderful products to review. Thanks, Looptworks!

Looptworks is an online retailer that offers environmentally friendly products by rescuing high quality, unused materials and turn them into limited edition, handnumbered goods

For today's review, I have selected the Shiji Phone Wristlet. The phone wristlet comes in three colors.

Shiji Phone Wristlet (Orange/ Pink)

Shiji Phone Wristlet (Black/ Gray)

Shiji Phone Wristlet ( Bronze/ Coral)

This is the color I picked!

Front

Interior

Back

Interior (with my business cards, credit cards and iPhone)

I love my new phone wristlet! Crafted from excess genuine leather, the quality is amazing. Additionally, the workmanship is marvelous, too. Most importantly, it protects my iPhone well because it fits snugly and securely.

The interior of the wristlet is thoughtfully designed, featuring a small opening for the camera and another opening at the bottom for easy access to the lightning port. It also includes a money pocket and 4 credit card slots.

This wristlet is perfect for someone who likes to have the convenience of having everything in one place especially for running short errands, casual strolling in the park, dog walking, etc. Oh, and did I mention that it comes with a lifetime guarantee as well? Beautifully constructed, high quality and environmentally friendly, what's not to love about this product? Highly recommended!

You can get yours here. Happy shopping!

*I received this product to review for free but the views and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Guest post- Top Tips When Buying A Garage Door!

You may think that a garage door probably would not have that much of an effect on your home. However, you would be wrong. Your garage door is one of the first things people would see when looking at your home.

Usually at the front of the house, it is visible to passersby as well as your visitors. This is why when choosing your garage door there a few things you need to think about, not just in regards to the aesthetics but also any technical issues.

Check The Positioning Of Your Garage

Wherever your garage is placed will depend on what door you can have. It is best not to have an up and over automated garage door that can open from the inside if it opens directly onto the pavement. This is extremely dangerous as you can not see if any pedestrians are walking past as this can cause serious injury if they are hit by the opening door.

Even if the garage is positioned further back on your property, if you do decide to choose an up and over automated door, you should check that it is safe to use on your property, especially if you have small children. You should advise your family not to walk directly in front of the garage to prevent any unexpected injuries.

Check The Positioning Of Any Internal Garage Doors

If you decided to have a garage door with tracks such as sectional garage door or a retractable one, you need to make sure that it does not have any effect on any other doors leading into the garage. Internal doors need to be able to open fully without being restricted by tracks, as this will make it useless.

Check The Height Of Your Car

If you are going to be using your garage to park your car you need to ensure that your car actually fits in there. When choosing your garage door be careful that if it does reduce the usable height of your garage, you can still drive in without a struggle. You also need to ensure that the door you choose would not take up too much space on the inside of the garage if the space is relatively small. If that is the case, a roller or sectional door may be best for you.

Check Where You Live

If you live close to the sea you should be careful about what type of material you use for your garage door. Timber doors are not suitable for these areas as salt can have a negative effect on the wood. In this scenario, it may be more beneficial for you to choose a more hardwearing material such as GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester).

Now that you what types of things you should be looking out for that you probably did not think about previously, you can get a move on and pick out the garage door that will be best for you. At least you would not be making some of these simple mistakes that are often overlooked.

This post was written by Ekta Mair who, when looking for a reliable and trustworthy garage door specialist, decided to choose Eastern Garage Doors. They provided excellent advice on what garage door would suit her property and lifestyle so she had the best for her needs.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The One Room Challenge- Week 6: The Big Reveal!

I am honored and thrilled to be invited to participate in The One Room Challenge, the brainchild of Linda from Calling It Home again. Without this challenge, my son's room will not be completed in another year or two, I am sure! Thanks, Linda!

If you are here for the first time and want to catch up, please check out the links below.

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

It has been a crazy 6 weeks of planning and working on this challenge and I am so excited that my son's room is finally done (for now)! This tiny room ( 8' 8"x10' 4") needs to function as a place for my son to sleep, do his homework, play and store his toys. And most importantly, it has to be done on a tight budget.

My goal is to transform this crazy lime green room into a fun, fresh and creative space by using happy colors and modern elements. Do you think I nailed it? Let's find out, shall we?

The befores and afters.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Did I have a change of plan from start to finish? Certainly. At first, I wanted to make a branch mobile with hanging paper airplanes but I figured it might look a little busy with the rest of the colorful accessories so I ditched the idea and hang just the yarn wrapped branch instead. I decided to add another desk lamp at the last minute because I figured an adjustable lamp will be more practical for reading and homework. It helps to illuminate the desk area better as well.

Overall, I am pleased with how the room turned out. Would I changed anything down the road? Most probably! I might replace the curtains with a roman shade, paint the closet gray (the same color as the stripes opposite the wall) and style the room differently.

I am planning to discuss my thought process behind the design and share the resources for every item you see in this room next Wednesday so don't forget to stop by! (Update: You can check out the list of resources here.)

Please visit the rest of the participants from The One Room Challenge below to see their finished rooms.

The Green Room Interiors

Shelter

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Book review- Staircases: The Architecture of Ascent!

I have received another book named, "Staircases: The Architecture of Ascent" from The Vendome Press lately. This big and beautifully illustrated book, authored by Oscar Tusquets Blanca, Martine Diot, Adelaïde de Savray, Jérôme Coignard, Jean Dethier is a great addition to my collection of coffee table books!

Inside this book, you will be introduced to the different types of staircases and the astonishing diversity of staircases, from the stepped pyramids of the Maya to the exquisitely proportioned stairs of the Renaissance, to the elaborate balustrades of the Baroque period.

Here is a sneak peek!

This volume not only showcases a diverse range of dazzling staircases over the centuries but also the magnificent architecture that surrounds them. Filled with awe-inspiring images and interesting historical facts, this book is highly recommended for those who are interested in architecture, interiors, design or history.

You can pick up your copy here.

*I received this book to review for free but the views and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Guest post- Workplace Design Trends!

This article is provided by Tara Simmons.

Designing workplaces today is much more interesting than it has been for decades. At Custer, the design team works the latest trends into customer solutions - which often inspire new, thought provoking applications for their spaces.

We begin by examining the customer’s use of their square footage. Older workplaces frequently have larger individual workstations/offices and few team spaces. Reducing individual square footage and reallocating all or some of that to shared spaces is very common in today’s workplace. These shared spaces can include a variety of individual areas for focus work, very open collaborative spaces, or any combination thereof. Designing a wide range of individual to group settings frees employees to move around the office and work in the areas that will best support the projects they are working on at that time.

Encouraging employees to collaborate is a stated goal of many of our customers, and a properly designed environment can help them achieve this. Collaborative spaces include a variety of seating types, from lounge to stand-up height - which allows a change in posture throughout the day, minimizing stress on the body. Incorporating technology into these collaborative areas is important in making the workplace successful. Outdated offices often lack technology, which can make collaborating difficult and inefficient.

Employees respond positively to inviting environments. Natural light and views play a big part in developing a more enjoyable working environment which is why glass walls are frequently incorporated into the workplace. Worker satisfaction is very important to us at Custer.

Individual workspaces have become more compact partly because technology has drastically changed and does not require larger work surfaces. Technology has also allowed workers to become more mobile and less tethered to a specific workstation. Unassigned benching stations are becoming more common for mobile workers and really assist in lowering square footage requirements for workspaces. They can be made available on a first come first service basis or placed on a reservable system depending on the customer’s needs. Those workstations that still incorporate panels or walls tend to have them lowered as it allows for natural light to enter the space and encourages improved communication among employees.

When our customers plan to make large changes in their work environment, we encourage them to have plenty of employee involvement. The more input employees have, the more buy-in they will have for the new workspace. Communication is a key factor to a project’s success. Once implemented, we encourage our customers to orient employees to their new space. Communicating the intent of a new space and all the benefits it brings to the employees will help them understand that the new office furniture and the office itself have been designed specifically for their use. Designing a proper environment and open communication can result in happier employees!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The One Room Challenge- Week 5!

Welcome back to The One Room Challenge, we are now at week 5! If you missed any of my previous posts, you can start catching them up here: Week 1,Week 2, Week 3,Week 4.

Let's get back to business. For this project, I am decorating my son's bedroom from scratch with a very tiny budget. The only two items we didn't buy specifically for this room were the mattress, which was inherited from my husband during his bachelor days and the curtain rod that was inherited from our previous master bedroom.

Over the last few weeks, I have shown you the painted room and some DIY projects. Last week, we attempted a project but nothing was accomplished but fortunately this week, we are getting back on track.

Remember the branch mobile installation that didn't work because my husband couldn't locate the studs in the ceiling? Well, he bought a new stud finder and it works! Here, I present you my new branch installation!

We used some hooks and clear fish lines for the branch installation. At first, I wanted to make a branch mobile with a few hanging paper airplanes but I felt the small room is getting too busy with all the pieces I am planning to add in later. So, I decided to hang just the branch and call it an art installation instead. I thought it looks kinda cool and I love it so much more without the airplanes.

After moments I hanged the branch installation, my son came into his room. He noticed it immediately and was absolutely in awe and said, "Wow, mommy, the "tree" is BEAU-TI-FUL". I told him it was a branch, not a tree and he told me "the branch is beautiful" a few times in a row. Lol. On the same night, while he was lying on his bed and saw me passed by his room, he said, "Mommy, I can look at the branch".

A few days later, when I thought he is not interested in the "branch" anymore, he surprised me and said, "Good job, mommy. The branch is so beautiful and colorful" while I was previewing the "branch pictures" on my computer today. (He saw me working on the branch project earlier.) He is truly a sweet little guy and his words made the 4 1/2 hours of work I put into this DIY project truly worthwhile. Honestly, I never thought he would love the "branch" this much so I am really thrilled! :)

Anyway, another project I have completed over the weekend involved the Ikea puppy hooks.

While these puppy hooks look fun and adorable, you might be wondering what else needs to be done, right? Well, my husband thought these hooks will not secure to the wall properly so we will need to mount them to a wood plank first before hanging it on a wall.

So, on our trip to Home Depot earlier, we bought a wood plank for this purpose. I brought in my measurements and was ready to ask one of the Home Depot associate to help cut a wood plank according to the dimensions I wanted. Luckily for us, we found a wood plank close to the size I needed for about $2, so we bought it. It was in its raw state so I painted it in a glossy white using the leftover paint we had in the garage. I didn't sand or prime it but it worked fine. I did paint over it a few times (not for coverage reasons) but to get the brush strokes as straight as possible. I will admit, I am quite the perfectionist. :)

Dried, painted and ready to go!

The screws are in!

All done, exactly the way I wanted!

Let's take a look at my check list again!

1. Put together an art decal project. Check! (Need to fix the peeling parts.)

2. Make a branch mobile. Check!

3. Find fun hooks for Isaac's clothes and backpack. Check!

4. Buy art frames and hang artwork. (Art frames bought, artwork haven't been hung yet.)

5. Shop for DIY project materials. Check!

6. Shop for toy storage. Check!

7. Shop for more accessories. Check!

For the big reveal next week, I will need to clean up my son's room (it's very messy), hang stuffs (artwork, curtain wire and clock), fix the art decal problem, style and photograph his bedroom. It's a lot of work but still doable, I think. Hopefully, nothing crazy comes up at the very last minute and mess up my plans in the process. Fingers crossed.

Remember to check out the rest of the participants from The One Room Challenge below. I am sure they are making a wonderful progress in their rooms as well!

The Green Room Interiors

Henhurst Interiors

Little Black Door