Carrying Winter Colors Over to Spring

First, let me preface this by saying that I have never given-in to the popular opinion that colors should be strictly used for either spring/summer or fall/winter. I believe that the seasons should not drive your emotions, happiness, or melancholy; therefore, I a strong-willed in my decision to carry blue and white window treatments from winter into spring. We live in Colorado, so there is always a vibrant "blue" feel to my surroundings, so it will be unique, but will still blend into our environment very nicely.

Looking for more curtain ideas for your long island home? Try www.liwts.com

Moving Furniture Without Damage

 I have moved furniture far too many times in my life. Throughout all of those times, there was sure to be some damage when I opened the moving truck's bay gate at the new destination. It happened every time! for years, I simply cursed the moving company and vowed to myself that I would shop around for better movers next time. I have yet to find a mover that hasn't damaged at least on item during the move.

Until recently, I was sure that moving furniture was simply opening your favorite furniture items up to danger. I continued to believe this, until I read an article about how moving is an antique's worst nightmare. This article opened up my mind to the hundreds of years of history of moving furniture, and how we have forgotten how to ensure the security of our own items, and leave their fate in the hands of others.

A link to this article is listed below, and it is very entertaining, informative, and shows the adventures furniture pieces had to endure just a century and a half ago.

Read the entire article here.

http://fremontfurnitureco.com/2013/01/the-movers-an-antiques-worst-nightmare/

341 Days Left Until New Years Eve

341 Days Left Until New Years Eve!

Can we just have champagne for no special reason?

Toronto Historic Lodging

Courtesy of Victoria's Mansion

Here at Mirepoix and Mix, we cover many subjects involved with house and home (among other topics), but sometimes you just need to get out of the house and take some time to explore this beautiful world we live in. There are so many treasures all around us that we only get to truly appreciate on rare occasions. Vacations are one such occasion when we can take in the comfort, opulence, wonder, and history of everything on our globe.

One vacation suggestion that we the writers of Mirepoix and Mix would love to put out there is a trip to Toronto, Ontario in Canada -- Toronto lodging courtesy of Victoria's Mansion. Victoria's mansion is a residence that was originally built in the 19th Century, styled in Victorian styles that were popularized in the "Guilded Age." Lavishly dressed with comfortable furnishings, offers attentive service and amenities for the discerning travel that seeks a healthy balance of customer care and privacy. It's convenient location centers guests in the historic neighborhoods of Toronto, close to many of the city's most famous and traveled-to sights destinations.

To learn more about Victoria's Mansion's rich history, for room rates and availability, or to plan your vacation in detail, visit Victoria's Mansion online at:

http://www.victoriasmansion.com/

Changes in Furniture, and Furniture Shopping

Courtesy of Savannah Collections

"It had been about five years since I had done a big furniture shopping excursion. Knowing this, I decided to go from being an avid furniture-browser, to a full on furniture-purchaser." -The Author.

I had no idea what I was in store for when I decided to go "out with the old, and in with the new" for my formal dining room. A lot has changed in five years: a recession bordering on a depression, millions out of work, families struggling to make ends meet... Would this mean that I wouldn't be able to find any nice furniture? Or would it mean that the nice furniture is cheaper now? Is it the exact opposite? Will cheaply-built furniture be extremely high priced?

What I found was a little mix of everything. Some stores I shopped had advertised what they were calling "luxury furniture," but turned out to be cheap imitations at an enormous price. Other Stores advertised cheap furniture, and it was exactly that: cheap, damaged goods at a low price. It seemed that every furniture store I entered was just as confused as I was, as to what the industry standard exactly was. All of this confusion, tended to mean that many stores were blindly pricing their furniture pieces -- some of them at a ridiculous rip-off, some of it at a ridiculous deal. So it seems that with many of the furniture stores being just as confused about the market as its customers, that there can be some quite nice deals to be found, if one searches around for them.

One location I found some particularly valuable pieces at was Savannah Collections, offering high end furniture at amazing prices. Even the local Goodwill store had some surprising finds for the cheaper pieces I needed. Long story short, now is the time to do some furniture shopping, and take advantage of the widely spanning prices.

The Road To Valentine's Day

Courtesy of Jewelry Megastore

Congratulations! You have exactly one month left until Valentine's day, this means you better start putting some thought into exactly what you plan to get that special someone.

Valentine's Day shopping, or any shopping for jewelry can be quite intimidating for even the most seasoned of shoppers. Jewelry Megastore has thousands of selections in stock on their online store. With hundreds of items using gold, silver, platinum and rare gemstones, Jewelry Megastore has a myriad of different styles and items, including:

• Chains
• Earrings
• Bracelets
• Rings
• Diamond Studs
• Wedding Bands
• Necklaces
• Pendants
• Bangles
• Charms
• and more...

 If you are not looking for a jewelry piece for a significant other, but rather for a friend or a family member, there are plenty of options for friendly gifts through Jewelry Megastore as well. Give your best friend a sideways cross necklace, a piece that gained international popularity and appeal this past year for its simplicity, elegance, and inspirational design.

To learn more about Jewelry Megastore, to begin browsing through their catalog, or if you have any questions, visit Jewelry Megastore online at:

http://www.jewelrymegastore.com/

Family-Owned, Customer-Oriented, 100% Reliable

Courtesy of Roofers Supply

There are many questions, concerns and full-blown worries that can and will arise when you become a homeowner. Owning a home is a big responsibility, but no one ever said that you had to worry, or struggle through any part of ownership alone. When questions arise about home repair, roofing maintenance or repair, or other construction-related inquiries, Roofers Supply's knowledgeable and helpful staff go to work to find your best options and solutions. If a contractor is needed, pricing quotes are requested on roofing products, or if you need to find a reliable and bonded contractor, Roofers Supply's Contractor referral programs ensure that all of the work and planning is taken care of for you.

One of the most appreciated and talked about features that Roofers Supply offers is their award-winning rooftop delivery service. With this service, all of the materials for roofing that you pre-order will be loaded and delivered directly to the rooftop of your job or project site. This and many other customer-oriented programs have been employed by Roofers Supply, a family-owned business for since 1994, have been key in establishing Roofers Supply as the Southwest's premier roofing supply specialists.

To browse through Roofers Supply's online catalog of construction and wholesale roofing supplies, to learn more about Roofers Supply's history and rich community-involvement, or to inquire about quotes, estimates, or for contractor referral, visit them online at:

http://www.roofersutah.com/

Spas Require Winter Maintenance As Well

Photo Courtesy of Spa-mart.com

Many spa and pool owners around the United States and the world are unaware that they need to continue to maintain their pools after summer has given way to fall and winter. Actually, the winter time is the time of year that requires more than the usual amount of maintenance.

Most homeowners and pool/spa owners believe that when temperatures dip below freezing, that the spas do not need to be maintained with chemicals, because the freezing temperatures will kill anything living in the water anyway. While it is true that most harmful bacteria and other pathogens are killed when the water freezes, freezing does not kill all of the little critters that may be  in your spa water. Additionally, while the freezing temps may initially kill pathogens in the water, a slowly-warming approach of summer can cause the perfect conditions for the rapid reproduction of some of the most deadly of pathogens.

Danger from creep-crawlies aside, the biggest benefit to year-round maintenance is that it can greatly extend the life of your spa/pool. The chemicals and treatments used in spa/pool care are pro-active as well, and condition the materials used to fabricate the lining and systems of  the spa. This being said, unless you want to one day encounter an expensive crack or break in your hot tub, you might want to keep the spa chemicals in-use all 12 months of the year.

For more tips on preserving the luster and life of your spa, to order spa chemicals and accessories, or for ordering a new spa, visit Spa Mart online at:

http://www.spa-mart.com/

Styling Up Salon Stations

Photo Courtesy of UbeautySalon.com

When you work as a aesthetician, hair designer, makeup artist, or beauty expert, your salon station is your office. That is where you live and breath, and at the end of the day, this is where you make your living. So if you want to be as successful as you possibly can in your corner of the health and beauty world, you should give some thought into just how your salon station appears and what vibe does it give off to your customers and clients.

It could be as simple as installing a new salon chair that more fits your personality and style, perhaps a complete revamping of your entire salon is needed; whatever your look requires, U Beauty Salon can provide it. U Beauty Salon has thousands of items in-stock including:

• Product Cabinets
• Dryer Chairs
• Manicure Tables
• Facial Beds
• Reception Furniture
• Skin Care Products
• Backwash Sinks
• Styling Chairs
• Accessories
• and more...

U Beauty Salon has everything to ensure that your salon is stylish and fits your needs through functionality and aesthetics. To find out more about how you can step up your salon's game, furniture prices, or for more on Salon atmosphere and styling, visit:

 http://www.ubeautysalon.com/

Going Green With Style

Photo Courtesy of Lights by HH

We keep hearing so many concerns about the health and well-being of our planet Mother Earth. We hear of the climate change, and how our own habits and toiling have changed the nature of our planets health. We also hear very much about how it is up to us to turn the tides and to make up for the damage we have caused Earth. There are many ways that we can do this, but initially, many are focusing on the smaller steps that -- though finite -- add up to a very big problem. One of the smaller steps being taken is the replacement of traditional styled bulbs -- which are inefficient, waste energy, and leave a very deep carbon footprint on the earth, with CFL light bulbs and other types of "green" bulbs.

While in the beginning this meant that all of our regular bulbs were to be replaced with new bulbs in only one unattractive style, and at an expensive price tag; now, there are many companies that are creating and designing newer, more stylish bulbs that still save the planet, but also offer a little visual appeal to the rooms they are lighting.

Lights by HH is one such company that believes that just because you want to do your part toward saving and nurturing our environment, doesn't mean that you have to fill your house with unattractive "green options." Lights by HH offers hundreds of styles, colors, and wattage so you can find the bulbs that will fit perfectly in your home, office, or business.

To browse through the products offered by Lights by HH, visit them online at:

http://www.lightsbyhh.com/