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The RELOGROUP
Quarterly Newsletter
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| Please feel free to register for our
quarterly newsletter. If you are looking for a new home,
we will also send you updates on Builder's Specials, close-out
deals, and special sales, as they occur. There is no
obligation to receive the letter, and your email will not be
distributed to any third parties. See a
sample article from our newsletter below
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| The RELOGROUP Newsletter -
Fall 2006 |
| We're
pleased to share our new home improvement newsletter. Our goal is to
provide you interesting and informative articles. In this issue, our
articles address: kitchen spruce-ups, . |
Frugal
Kitchen Spruce-Ups
By Kathleen Wilson |
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Most of
us spend a good deal of time in our kitchens these days, and it’s
not just for cooking. More homes are being built with the kitchen as
the hub of the home, and even if you’re on a tight budget, that
shouldn’t stop you from making it a pleasant and personal place to
be! |
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If your
cabinets are in need of a total overhaul, consider painting them.
Nothing changes the look of a kitchen faster! Visit the library for
info on faux finishing, or go to
www.paintedhouse.com or
www.fauxlikeapro.com, and turn a simple paint job into a one of
a kind kitchen. |
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If you
don’t want the hard work that goes into total repainting, consider
removing a cupboard door to make a display cabinet. Paint the entire
interior of the cabinet a light or bright accent color, and put your
prettiest on display. Or have someone good with power tools cut out
the center panels of the doors, then shirr fabric over the inside to
hide the contents of the cupboard…secure with a staple gun or Velcro
tape. |
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Pick up
inexpensive plate hangers from the hardware store and hang the
saucers from your good china around the backsplash, or as a border.
Don’t have any china? Visit garage sales and thrift stores this
weekend to pick up a bunch of sweet little plates for a song. (No,
they don’t have to match, or be fancy!) |
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Hang tea
towels on the diagonal over your curtain rod for a fresh summer
valance, and save some extra to stitch up into potholders and
placemats.
Make a
floor cloth to perk up your tired floors from a piece of remnant
vinyl flooring you get at a home improvement center for just a few
dollars. Turn the piece over to the backside, and give it a coat or
two of good primer, then a coat of any basecoat color. Then use
masking tape, stencils, stamps, sponges or freehand painting to
impart a design that fits your room. Be sure to seal it with a
couple of coats of water based polyurethane, and it will wipe clean
for years! This is a great way to customize your kitchen for little
money… lets face it, rugs are expensive, impossible to keep clean in
a kitchen, and are usually the same old boring thing. This is also a
great way to cover an aging or damaged floor, as you can make the
floorcloth to whatever size you need. |
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Save
empty bottles and fill with colored water to set on the windowsills,
or line up the bottles and fill with one flower each from your
garden.
Grow
plants from seed on your windowsills! Even grass seed has become
very vogue. (Don’t tell anyone, because I usually shy away from
“vogue”, but I really like the grass thing!) |
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Above
all, invoke your family into the place where you spend the most
time. I’ve heard some designers say you should keep your
refrigerator clear to prevent clutter, NO MAGNETS! But honestly,
what would my kitchen be without my kids drawings stuck all over the
door? It wouldn’t be the place I want to spend most of my time. I
even have a couple of framed photos of my kids, right on the kitchen
counter! So make your kitchen YOUR home, and have fun doing it!
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About
the Author
Kathleen Wilson is the editor of a free ezine and website called The
Budget Decorator. When she’s not decorating or gardening she’s
caring for her 5 kids, 3 stepkids, and wonderful husband. You can
get more info and free projects at her website
http://www.thebudgetdecorator.com. |
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