Garage sales – great finds with lots of potential!

By Annie Lavigne - 18 June 2013 - No comments on this post

You may have noticed the growing popularity of décor created with used furniture or other objects. Garage sales are often the source of great finds!

Here are a few tips that will help you make the most of them:

Bring cash with you! These places are very rarely equipped with a computerized system for receiving payments!
Arrive early! The organizers don’t maintain inventory – the items on sale are often one-of-a-kind. So… the earlier you get there, the more great finds you’ll see!
Consider arriving with whatever transport you’ll need! If you come across your dream find and it happens to be furniture, you’ll be disappointed if you have to pass it up.
Keep an open mind. You may come across something that’s not exactly what you dreamed of. But try to see past its colour and texture. While the colour may be less than ideal and the finish may have been damaged over time, the piece itself could be a great find! It may need nothing more than a new coat of paint or a few stitches.
It’s all very well to keep an open mind… but you should also take a closer look! Inspect the back or underside of every item to make sure that it can be “rescued”, whatever its condition!

Simple Little Guide to a Feng Shui Bedroom

By Pier-Ann Mathieu - 31 May 2013 - No comments on this post

Does spring make you feel like changing your room layout? This simple little guide to Feng Shui can inspire you to bring good energy into your home!

What is Feng Shui?

First of all, Feng Shui is a Chinese system of thought. It is based entirely on the Chi, the vital life force, representing energy movements and energy in general.

Why have a Feng Shui bedroom?

Since we spend almost a third of our life in our bedroom, this vital room should cater to relaxation and sleep so we can recharge our energy.

By applying a few Feng Shui tips, you can create the peaceful environment you’re looking for!

Remove everything from your bedroom that is not sleep-related, such as the television, the computer and the telephone.
Favour a stable bed with a headboard.
Position the bed so that it is not under a window or facing the door.
Choose a comfortable mattress (so get rid of your old, run-down mattress!).
Avoid mirrors.
Use solid neutral colours. Avoid bright colours and patterns.

Of course, there are many other indications for a Feng Shui bedroom. However, these short tips will certainly help you sleep better!

For more information on a Zen bedroom, visit Alain’s blog post: The zen bedroom: Create an environment for yourself that’s conducive to sleep.

Make your own baby book!

By Annie Lavigne - 21 May 2013 - No comments on this post

We all like to have some nice memories of the first year of baby’s life – especially when it’s the first child. Are you one of those people who are familiar with scrapbooking, but think you don’t have the knack for it? You can create a very simple book that doesn’t need a lot of detail to hold people’s interest. And making something like that can really be lot of fun.

1. You need to choose a general theme. I settled on Sewing, since a child, to me, is something made with love – just like the little clothes we sew or knit for our loved ones.

2. Every human has a unique footprintthat identifies him or her. I see this as a nice way to identify your book without placing a photo on the outside – and it’s a tradition that many parents have adopted. Here’s how to do it:

1. Choose the material you want to use for making the footprints: for example, you can just use paint or go with plaster for a relief effect.
2. If you opt for plaster, find a small round plastic plate, into which you need to place a half-inch layer of plaster to get a nice-looking footprint.

Make a doll’s house all by yourself!

By Annie Lavigne - 26 April 2013 - No comments on this post

Most little girls dream of having a doll’s house, but they can be quite expensive to buy. Here’s how you can use one of our bookcases to make this typical little girl’s toy on your own, at a low cost!

Doll's house

1) Choose a bookcase from the range we offer: Pick the colour you like, the height you need (i.e., the number of storeys in your house) as well as the style you’d like to have – some bookcases have metal legs or mouldings that could give the doll’s house a unique touch.

http://southshore.ca/storage

We’ve opted for a very simple bookcase with two adjustable shelves. In our concept, the shelves remain at the centre holes so the space for the dolls is the maximum room height.

2) Start by deciding which rooms you would like on each floor.

As an example, we’ve set up our living room on the first floor, the kitchen/dining room and bathroom on the second, and the two bedrooms on the third, with a rooftop terrace. To make the walls, we chose foam core – a material often used for presentations – but a cardboard box cut into sheets will work quite well. You can stick the panels together with adhesive putty or tape.

The super «monster-free» mates bed for kids

By Sophie Drouin - 16 April 2013 - No comments on this post

As parents, you know sleeping is really important for kids (for their health and yours!), therefore you must pick the right bed.

We offer different types of beds for children, because the needs vary from one to another. However, here`s a list of many reasons that make the mates bed a perfect choice for little ones:

Design Benefits

The bottom of the mates bed is full, therefore no need for a boxspring; you simply put the mattress and it makes it economic.

The mates bed is 14’’ high to allow younger kids to climb in by themselves when it`s sleeping time.
The mates bed shape is rather simple, for easy mix & match with other dressers & chests.
The corners of the mates bed are rounded for more safety.
The mates bed is available in many different colors to suit different tastes & needs.

Functionality Benefits

If your little one is in transition into this big bed, you simply lift the mattress and insert a security rail.
The twin size or full size mates beds don’t take up more space than any other kid’s beds.
The mates bed features integrated storage with 3 perfect drawers for clothes or just for small treasures found everywhere in the house like balls, blocks, action figures (ideal if you lack space for an additional chest).