Add Throw Pillows To Your Living Room

by Mike's Furniture

Tips on Decorating with Throw Pillows

Choose pillows that match the mood. 

For an elegant look, you might opt for satiny or faux-fur fabrics. For a sense of worldliness, you can go with earthy or exotic fabrics.  Bright and bold colors and geometric fabrics, on the other hand, convey a modern sense of style.

Choose pillows with related colors. 

Don’t worry about fancy color theories. Simply choose pillow colors with something in common, such as hues all inspired by an autumnal country landscape or a springy bouquet of flowers.

Don’t choose pillows too big (or too small) for the sofa. 

Large throw pillows on a small sofa will make it look even smaller. Small pillows (or too few of them) on a large sofa will look dwarfed.

Don’t feel compelled to use the decorative pillows that came with your sofa. 

Factory pillow choices are intended to appeal to as many people as possible rather than to personal tastes. Be creative.

Don’t use throw pillows that are too dull or too light for the sofa. 

There’s an exception to every rule, but decorators agree that pillows look best when they’re darker, brighter or bolder than the sofa.

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Backyard Camping Activities

by Mike's Furniture

Put on some sunscreen, fill up that bottle of water and prepare to stay outside for a while, because we’re going camping. Don’t worry about putting gas in the car or reserving a campsite… simply step outside and pitch the tent right there in the backyard. Best of all, the comforts of home (air conditioning and a clean bathroom, anyone?) are just a few feet away when you need them. So what should you do on your backyard camping excursion? We’ve listed some of our favorite family fun activities below.

Go for a “hike.”

Pay special attention to nature while you walk around the block. Make a game out of finding leaves from different types of trees, and count the number of birds you see. The same old scenery will suddenly seem new and exciting. ​

Get crafty.

Collect small rocks from around the yard and paint them like ladybugs, or make friendship bracelets while you sit around the fire. Create something that will serve as a memento of your special time together.

Make s’mores.

You can’t go wrong with the traditional recipe—two graham cracker squares, a jumbo marshmallow and a piece of milk chocolate. For extra fun, concoct your own recipe! How about chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers? Or maybe a Kit Kat instead of plain milk chocolate?

Explore the sky.

There are dozens of cool astronomy apps you can download on your smartphone or tablet. One of our favorites is Star Walk™, an inexpensive app that helps you identify stars and planets in the sky.

Play a game.

How about a round of “Go Fish?" Or, kick things up a notch and play glow-in-the-dark ring toss with glow stick necklaces!

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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall!

by Mike's Furniture

Did you know that mirrors can be added anywhere in the house? Don`t think that they are limited to the bedroom, bathroom or the lobby, because they are NOT!! In fact, it`s a good thing to have mirrors all around the house for the brightness they give to a room and for making rooms seem bigger! Take a look at our following examples:

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4 Perfect Gift Ideas For Father's Day!

by Mike's Furniture

Dad’s big day is coming up. No time like the present to start brainstorming Father's Day gift ideas. There is nothing wrong with a tie or a gift card. But, you can also make Father’s Day special with a little time and thought.

Father's Day Gift Idea #1: Let Dad Sleep In! 

This gift idea is absolutely free. Let your dad sleep in a little later.

Father's Day Gift Idea #2: Photo Albums

Whether you’ve got photo albums full of prints or loads of shots saved to your iPhone, turn what you have into an artful gift for Dad. Have you seen the latest canvas prints? Pull some great pictures of you with Dad through the years and turn them into gallery-quality canvas-wrapped art.

Father's Day Gift Idea #3: Go Outdoors

Take Dad outdoors to a favorite fishing spot, or explore somewhere new to test the waters. Other Father’s Day Gift ideas could be an overnight camping trip, a walk on the beach or a hike at a scenic park. There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors together.

Father's Day Gift Idea #4: Snack Attack! 

If you’re crafty you’ll love this Father’s Day gift idea. Make your own gift basket! Make your basket themed, such as a beer-lover’s basket with an assorted of microbrews, popcorn, pretzels and nuts. If Dad has a sweet tooth, perhaps gather an assortment of his favorite candies and homemade cookies. 

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DIY Father's Day Cards

by Mike's Furniture

Happy Father's Day

When a special day like Father`s Day is around the corner, surely we want to offer our celebrated something special to tell them how much we love them. Parents always have and always will love homemade gifts and cards, because of all the love we put in it when making the craft. Here are 2 card ideas you can easily do with kids or by yourself:

Wallet Card

You will need: 

Brown craft paper: 4.5x11(cover of the wallet); 3.75x11(big pocket for the message); 1.5x3(small pocket for the gift card)

Craft paper (choose his favorite color) for the message you will write Glue to stick all parts together

1. Put ½ inch of glue on the 2 smaller sides and 1 bigger side of the “big pocket” paper. Then stick it to the “cover” corner-to-corner. Make sure that there is one side of the “big pocket” that doesn’t have any glue, and then you will be able to slide your message in it!
2. Do the same for the “small pocket” and stick it on the “big pocket” to the right or to the left, but not in the center!
3. Slide your message in the bigger pocket and your gift card in the smaller one and bend the paper wallet in the center.

BBQ Card

You will need: 

Craft paper (choose his favorite colors!): 8.8x11(Apron); 7.5x3(pocket); 6x1.5(name tag) 

2 inch ribbon 

2 little buttons 

An image of BBQ utensils (printed or drawn) 

Glue and pencil!

1. Cut the 2 upper corners to make curves.
2. Put ½ inch of glue on the 2 smaller sides and 1 bigger side of the pocket. Then stick it to the bottom of the apron. Stick the 2 buttons on both 2 top sides of the apron.
3. Stick each end of the ribbon behind the top of the apron.
4. Add the utensils in the pocket as well as your message.
5. Stick the name tag to the pocket listing the name of the kids.

Then, just write how much you love him and why you think he`s the best dad in the world, and there you go!

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Home Office & Guest Room In-One

by Mike's Furniture

So you don’t have all the space you desire. What you lack in room, you make up for in economy. If space constraints mean a multifunctional room—such as the all-too-common home office/guest room—maximize it by taking a minimalist approach to design and make your office space work twice as hard for you and your guests.

Tips for maximizing your multifunctional space:

Lighter and brighter. To make a multifunctional space feel more open and less crowded, start by “opening up” the walls with a light, bright paint or soft neutral shade.

Crisp, clean lines. Nothing streamlines the look of a room like clean-lined, straightforward furniture with no muss and no fuss.

Work a major modernist look with sleek, linear furniture in a chic and crisp white.You can still enjoy the homier touch of rustic finished furniture, just keep the lines clean and lean. This desk’s return can be placed on left or right for maximum flexibility, depending on room layout.

Plenty of zzzs. When it comes to home office/guest room bedding, you’ve got quite a few options.Love vintage? A daybed loaded with pillows can double as a quaint seating area and a comfy bed. One with storage underneath comes in especially handy.

Going for less is more? Try a flip-flop sofa/futon on for size. Nothing like that beast of a futon you might have had in your dorm or first apartment, these sleek little numbers are a cinch to adjust.

You could invest in a wall-mounted Murphy bed, but given how they’re heavily bolted in place, they’re quite a commitment. And once you pull them down, you don’t tend to want to fold them back up every morning. 

You might say the same about sofa sleepers, but at least they offer the promise of inviting seating space once you tuck away the inner mattress. Advancements in sofa sleeper mattresses (some now with memory foam instead of innerspring) make them a sound choice for many a home office/guest room.

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Fruits Everywhere!

by Mike's Furniture

Sometimes we have a lack of ideas on how to eat healthy. Then, we feel guilty because we know that it is important to eat well. If you are looking for inspiration to win this battle, here are some tips and ideas for you:

1- Bet on color

Buy fruits that have an attractive look; strawberries, red or green apples, oranges, watermelon, etc. The vivid colors will catch your attention and stimulate your appetite just because they seem more delicious than neutral ones.

2- Leave a fruit basket on the table

It is known; there are more chances to eat fruit if we have them right under our noses; one of the reasons for that phenomenon is the point we raised just above. We usually put fruit in a drawer in the refrigerator and when we are hungry, we take a quick look in the fridge to find something attractive for our stomach. Many times, we peek inside the refrigerator without actually opening any drawers or moving anything around to see what may be hiding way behind. Having the fruit basket at hand will help to avoid any wasting!

3- Add fruit to your decor

In restaurants, we often see paintings or big close-up pictures of fruit on the wall. This is not just to add color to their decor; this is another way to whet people’s appetite! In addition, it’s quite beautiful in a kitchen and a diningroom.

4- Keep it ready to eat

When you come back from the grocery store with all these delicious fruit, take a few minutes to wash them and get them ready to be eaten (cut them into pieces if need to be); sometimes we are too lazy to take the time to wash or cut fruit just before eating them. Now, there are no more excuses, they’ll be ready!

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