Easy, Low-Cost Bathroom Makeovers

Are you looking to add some pizazz to your bathroom before holiday guests use your facilities? If you’re long on determination but short on time and cash, here are some quick, fun makeover ideas that will impress visitors, make your family proud, and help preserve the value of your home.

Revamp Your Floor



Credit:  Marie Haigh/Knitted Gems

 Wood floors give any room a warm elegance. Putting wood in a wet bathroom environment, however, is problematic. Enter sturdy vinyl flooring with a simulated wood finish. Durable and resistant to moisture, vinyl wood planks come with a textured finish that mimics real wood, making them hard to tell from the real thing. Choose oak, maple, and even exotic look-alikes. Costs range from $1 to $4 per sq. ft., and you can finish a small bath in a day.

Get A Handle On It

credit: Three Dogs at Home

Sometimes, a little bit can go a long way. Replacing hardware, such as your toilet handle, upgrades your bathroom for a mere $10 to $15. Also consider replacing your cabinet hardware, including pulls and handles, your door hardware, and towel racks.

Painted Ceilings

Credit:  4men1lady.com

Although Michelangelo would have admired the neck-straining effort it took to complete this ceiling transformation, he would’ve been surprised at the exceptionally low cost: A $40 plastic stencil, some low-VOC paint, and about $60 worth of crown molding create a one-of-a-kind makeover guaranteed to put a smile on your guests’ upturned faces.

John Gets Formal Attire

Credit:  Rhoda at Southern Hospitality Blog

Moldings and wall treatments make a serious upgrade — for not-so-serious cash. The wainscoting for this toilet stall is actually wallpaper that looks like beadboard. Topping the wallpaper with chair rail molding completes the transformation, all for about $50 and a few hours’ work.

Update Outdated Trim



Credit:  Addicted 2 Decorating


Using 220-grit sandpaper, #000 steel wool, spray-on automobile primer, and metallic spray paint, blogger Kristi Linauer of addicted2decorating.com completely changed her old brass trim and shower fixtures by painting them. The key, she says, is preparation — and plenty of painter’s masking tape.

Source:  Houselogic

Weekend Happenings: Holidazzle Parade & Macy's 8th Floor

Why not spend some time in downtown Minneapolis this weekend.  For many twincitians, a trip downtown on a weekend in December is a time-honored tradition with family and friends to shop, eat, and attend the Holidazzle Parade and Macy's 8th Floor.  Maybe you should try it, too!

Holidazzle Parade
Nicollet Mall, Downtown Minneapolis
Thursday-Sunday every weekend from Nov 25 to Dec 18
6:30 pm
Cost:  Free, Hot Seats - $9

Once again it's time to bundle up the kids, pick up the grandparents and head to the Target Holidazzle Parade. Every year since 1992, when the first parade marched down Nicollet Mall, over 300,000 spectators converge on downtown Minneapolis to join the sparkling fun.  Brave the wind and the weather on the street or find a spot up above in the warm and dry skyways.  If you're willing to plunk down some cash you may score a Hot Seat in the heated tent where all the action is. 

For the 14th year the parade will be collecting money and food for the Emergency Foodshelf Network.  Donations can be given before or during the parade. 

Check it out with the parade link above or on facebook.

Macy's Annual Santaland and Puppet Theater
Macy's Department Store, Downtown Minneapolis
8th Floor Auditorium
Sat. Nov 19 through Fri. Dec 30
Generally open 10am to 8pm but times vary so check here before you go
Cost:  Admission Free, pictures w/ Santa extra, Theater tickets $4.

The 49th annual holiday show will delight guests of all ages. Join Macy's for the animated tale of "A Day in the Life of an Elf", a story depicting young elves as they prepare for Christmas at the North Pole.


Afterwards, have your photo taken with Santa himself and be sure to tell him what you're wishing for. Ask his elves about the photo packages.

And, be sure to visit Mrs. Claus' Bakery, which includes fresh gingerbread cookies and many other holiday treats; Santa's Toy Shop, filled with family friendly gifts; and Macy's Puppet Theater.

Kitchen Trends for 2012

If you're looking to build a home in the coming year, planning to update your home for selling or just want to have an updated kitchen, you might want to think about incorporating some of these kitchen design trends for 2012.

Design Style

Kitchens are being recognized as not only the heart of the home, but also quite often the focal point and centerpiece.  Often open to large great rooms, the kitchen now looks less "kitcheny" and more often like an inviting place to gather and entertain.  One component of this trend is the integration and concealment of appliances, which opens the kitchen floor plan, embracing adjoining areas of the home, rather than becoming an intrusion into them.

The decorative elements that are strong right now include natural finishes like wood and stone but they are complimented by glass, shiny metallics, special attention to lighting details, and even crystal.

Traditional style remains the most popular kitchen design, although it has dropped slightly in popularity compared to last year. Shaker style, which is characterized by its simplicity, un-ornamented yet functional, finely crafted style, overtook ‘contemporary’ style in 2011 as the No. 2 most popular kitchen design style, and that trend should continue into 2012.


Appliances

Sleek, shiney, stainless steel appliances are still on trend for 2012.  Since stainless steel has been used in the best kitchens for over a century due to its universal appeal, its ability to provide a sterile surface, its shiny appearance, as well as its association with luxury.

The second most popular color is currently black, which is due to its more formal appearance in relation to the rest of the common areas of your home.  The top 5 colors list is rounded out by grays, beiges, and bones.

Concealed appliances, such as warming drawers and steam ovens are more popular than ever. By hiding appliances away during your kitchen remodel, you allow more space to incorporate multiple guest functionality. Kitchens are fast becoming a warm gathering place for the clients family and friends.  
 



Warming Drawer


Cabinetry

Maple cabinetry looks to be the front-runner in 2012. As for finishes, various shades of white/off-white hues, some finish distressing or glazes remain popular. Dark natural finishes also have been trending. Light natural and colored painted finishes also remained fairly common.

A mix and match approach is still trending where some stand-alone pieces are stained a different color from the rest of the kitchen.  And furniture-looking pieces are still popular.

Countertops

Natural stone and quartz counters remain remodeling prospect favorites, but other renewable and recycled materials, such as laminate, concrete, paper, glass and stainless steel are seeing increased interest. Consider a low-maintenance surface to help cut down on cleaning and disinfecting time!

Quartz countertops



Concrete countertops


Whether your building new or remodeling, we hope this gives you some great ideas for your kitchen in 2012.  Let us know your thoughts.  What do you think are the best trends in kitchens for 2012?

Sources:  Stanton Homes, MBC Building & Remodeling, Slices of Life

Trees for Toys Event - Success!

This year, as we do every year, we co-chaired the Trees for Toys event at our Minnetonka Coldwell Banker Burnet offices.  Each year we collect toys for the Toys for Tots program and in exchange we give our clients either a Christmas Tree or a Wreath.  We serve yummy treats, have fun things for the kids to do and of course Santa is there to take down all the kids' requests.  And it's a great time to catch up with all of our clients/friends. 

This year we broke a record for the most toys collected!  We were able to collect 670 toys with 600 families participating!  What a great achievement!  We want to offer our heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped make this a super fun and very successful charity event.

Because of our great success, we were contacted by KARE11.  Eric will be on TV tonight (Tuesday, December 6) during the Toys for Tots segment to present our donation to the program!  Be sure to tune in and watch him freeze in the cold weather.

Weekly Market Update: December 5, 2011

Tryptophan and chatty in-laws were not able to curb the appetite of local home buyers, as purchase activity easily gobbled up last year's levels. Sellers were apparently stuffed and lethargic, as they brought fewer new properties onto the market than during the same holiday week last year. As we approach the slowest time of year for residential activity, expect transacted dollar volumes and sales counts to weaken from the spring and summer of this year. Keep watching inventory declines; they could have a measurable impact on the Spring 2012 market.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending November 26:

• New Listings decreased 9.1% to 601
• Pending Sales increased 46.8% to 574
• Inventory decreased 22.8% to 20,318

For the month of October:

• Median Sales Price decreased 9.6% to $154,500
• Days on Market decreased 0.5% to 134
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.9% to 91.2%
• Months Supply of Inventory decreased 27.6% to 6.3

Making It Merry

Yes, you can give your holiday décor that designer touch—without blowing the budget or investing time better spent celebrating with friends and family. Interior designer Richard Anderson of Cherub Designs shares a few of words of experience:


➻ Go with what you love. If you’re into glitz, great, more is more! If you like a more laid-back handcrafted style, do it.

➻ Hunt for a tree with character. Whether it’s fake or real, look for character and depth—you don’t want it to be perfectly symmetrical and sheared within an inch of its life. Own an artificial tree? Buy fresh eucalyptus boughs and nestle them in the branches to add a refreshing scent.

➻ Decorate the tree from the inside out. Begin by placing lighting closest to the trunk, and work your way out. Likewise, add ornaments in layers; if branches are widely spaced, hanging ornaments closer to the trunk gives the display depth and interest.

➻ Buy Christmas décor after Christmas—but rather than heading directly to big-box stores, check out nurseries. Bachman’s, Gertens, and the like usually have more variety than department stores and offer great bargains after the holidays.

➻ Buy in multiples. Five or six of something is better than one; it gives a sense of continuity.

➻ Group holiday collections together to make a visual statement. Arrange several collected mini-snowmen on a silver tray, or fill an apothecary jar with vintage ornaments—you can make something Old World look modern simply by changing the way you display it.

➻ If you don’t want to go all out, create a few big hurrahs that will be memorable. Make an impression by decorating the front door and the tree, and adding a centerpiece to the dining table. No need to put holly on every windowsill.

Remember, in a few weeks it’s all coming down. Keep it manageable and you’ll enjoy it more.

Lila Battis is an intern at Midwest Home magazine.

Weekend Happenings: All Things Christmas

Each weekend in December, we'll highlight all the fun happenings related to Christmas.  Take a look at what's going on in your area this weekend.

Tree Lighting Ceremony
City Center Park - Chanhassen
West 78th Street & Market Blvd.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Cost:  Free

Don't miss this annual Chanhassen Celebration! Come and enjoy the lighting of the holiday tree, refreshments, live reindeer, gingerbread house displays and, of course, a special visit from Santa Claus!
This event is FREE and co-sponsored by the City of Chanhassen and Buy Chanhassen. Special thanks to The Mustard Seed Landscaping & Garden Center for their generous contributions.

Hometown Holiday
City Square Park, Chaska
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Cost:  Free

Visit Chaska's historic downtown for a day filled with old fashioned holiday spirit.  Downtown merchants will offer shopping and dining enticements, hospitality, and good cheer all day long.   Santa and other jolly holiday characters will greet visitors and shoppers throughout downtown.  Enter to win a valuable shopping spree.  Events include an indoor farmers market, horse drawn wagon rides, and spagetti dinner/fundraiser. Tree lighting ceremony in downtown's beautiful park will light the night at days end.

Carver Village Christmas
Carver Gymnasium, 316 Broadway
Saturday, Dec 3, 2011
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Cost: Free

Visit Santa, Cookies, Crafts, Wreath Silent Auction and Much More!

Breakfast With Santa
Chanhassen Rec Center
Sunday, Dec 4, 2011
8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Cost: $8 adults, $4 seniors and kids 12 and under

Pancakes, live reindeer, and photos with Santa.

Holiday Sale Weekend
MN Landscape Arboretum
December 3 & 4, 2011
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cost:  Admission price to Arboretum

Auxillary Holiday Sale:  Browse a wide array of exquisite handmade gifts and decorations created by talented Auxiliary crafters. Treasures include arrangements and wreaths, potpourri, hand-knitted and felted items, gift cards and ornaments, plus fresh greens from the West Coast. Prices are affordable and proceeds benefit the Arboretum.

Artistry of Nature - Student Fine Art & Photography Exhibit and Sale*:  Shop for handcrafted greeting cards, original artworks in watercolor, oil and pastels and photographs. Available framed or unframed. Vote for your favorites in People's Choice Awards.** Come try out cameras and gear at the Tamron and National Camera Exchange display tables.
*Created by students in Arboretum adult art and photography classes.
**People’s Choice Awards and prizes sponsored by Tamron and National Camera Exchange.

Minnesota Herb Society Holiday Sale:  Shop for potpourri, scented ornaments, teas and more.
 

 

Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker

Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis

Friday, Dec 2, 7:30 pm

Saturday, Dec 3, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm

Cost:  $24 to $350, available through Ticketmaster

Moscow Ballet is best known for its annual Great Russian Nutcracker holiday productions. The company evolved out of the all-star Russian cast "Glasnost Festival Tour" (1986-92), created by award-winning Juilliard alumnus, composer/conductor and theatrical producer, Akiva Talmi. Moscow Ballet made its debut in 1993, with an all-star Russian cast presenting the Great Russian Nutcracker, directed and choreographed by Stanislav Vlasov (soloist, Bolshoi Theatre).

Top Ten reasons to Buy Local This Christmas

While you're planning out all the gifts you're going to give this year, why not give a gift to your community as well by shopping locally. 

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

1.Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.

2.Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

3.Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit. “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

4.Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.

5.Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.

6.Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers.

7.Invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.

8.Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

9.Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term. A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.

10.Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

Source:  Sustainable Connections
 
For a listing of local retailers in your area, see the following links:
 
SouthWest Metro Chamber of Commerce - Carver, Chanhassen, Chaska, and Victoria
South Lake Excelsior Chamber of Commerce - Deephaven, Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay
Waconia Chamber of Commerce
Wayzata Chamber of Commerce
Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce
 

For Sale: 5BR/2+2BA Single Family House in Chanhassen, MN, $549,000

Presenting Another Gorgeous Home from Stafford Family Realtors

7300 Bent Bow Trail ~ Chanhassen, MN

$549,000

This elegant listing in Demand Longacres! Nestled on a private, wooded lot, this exceptional home features a Main floor office, Gourmet kitchen, fully finished LL walk-out, spacious deck & a stone paver fire pit.

For more information please visit http://www.staffordfamilyrealtors.com/or for a private showing please call 952.470.2575

For Sale: 5BR/2+2BA Single Family House in Chanhassen, MN, $549,000

Weekly Market Update: November 28, 2011

Let the race to the end of the year begin. With 2012 just around the corner, buyers continued to exceed their November 2010 purchase volumes. Sellers weren't so keen, posting fewer newly-listed properties on the MLS than at this time last year. With roughly 87.5 percent of 2011 data in the books, the clever observers will start snapping sneak peeks of annual statistics and watching YTD numbers a little closer than usual.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending November 19:

• New Listings decreased 18.6% to 938
• Pending Sales increased 30.5% to 805
• Inventory decreased 21.8% to 20,796

For the month of October:

• Median Sales Price decreased 9.6% to $154,500
• Days on Market decreased 0.6% to 134
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.9% to 91.2%
• Months Supply of Inventory decreased 27.8% to 6.3

Source: Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors

Wine Storage For Every Home

If you're a wine drinker (like me), chances are you have several bottles of wine in your house at any given time.  Or maybe you only drink wine occasionally but enjoy entertaining or like the thrill of picking up many bottles of wine during huge sales at your local retailer (like me, again).  If you fall into any of these categories, or even if you just like to have a few bottles on hand at any given time, then it's nice to have some handy and stylish wine storage.  We thought we'd highlight some storage ideas for you, from the simple to the extravagant. 

But first, a word about wine storage.  There is a reason that wine has been stored in wine caves and underground cellars for hundreds of years - the ideal storage conditions can be consistently met: cool, dark, humid and still surroundings. While storing wine is not rocket science, there are a few key points to keep in mind that will help ensure your wine has the very best chance for long-term survival and optimal aging.

• Optimal wine storage is a consistent 55°F, excessive heat will wreak havoc on a bottle of wine (i.e., do not store under hot lights, or above the stove or refrigerator).
• Ideal humidity is between 65-75%.
• Keep it dark.  If a wine is in direct light consistently, it will affect the flavor of the wine significantly, a result of premature aging.
• Keep it sideways.  This will keep the cork moist, which should keep the cork from shrinking and allowing the enemy of wine, oxygen, to seep into the bottle.
• Keep it still.  Agitating wine can keep the sediments from settling red wine, which can wreck the flavor.  Be sure there is nothing vibrating near your storage area.

Simple Storage
While it's probably best not to keep a wine rack on your kitchen counter, there's no reason why you can't make a stylish little spot in a closet or your basement.  There are probably as many ways to store your wine as there are types of wine.  Find a style that suits you.

Refrigerated Storage
If you're looking to incorporate a wine refrigerator into your home, there are many to choose from.  Ranging in sizes and features, you can find them in most big box retail stores.  They can be kept on the counter top, as a stand-alone piece of furniture, or as a built-in feature in your home.

Closet Conversion
If you think you don't have room for bigger wine storage, think again.  Here are some pictures of closet conversions.

Wine Cellars
If wine is your passion, then going all out on a cellar makes sense.  Here are entire rooms devoted to storing and tasting wine, sometimes even sharing a meal (but that might be chilly - wear a sweater).  We can all dream, can't we?

Source:  About.com

Thanks Giving

We’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow with family and friends and, as always, we are very much looking forward to it! There’s something really special about Thanksgiving, a day set apart to gather with loved ones and give thanks. And when I think about it, it must be the Giving of Thanks that makes Thanksgiving so meaningful to so many.


Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding them safely to the New World. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 13 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.

It makes me wonder how special every day could be if I approached each day as Thanksgiving Day. A day set aside to give thanks to God for His provision and blessings in my life. Our lives are so much easier than those of the Pilgrims, and I think it’s so easy for us to take for granted the food on our table, the roof over our heads, and the freedoms we enjoy here in America.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Thanksgiving! And on Black Friday, I’m going to continue to celebrate Thanks Giving and continue to celebrate Thanks Giving rest of the year!

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” --Thornton Wilder

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” --Melody Beattie

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family!

Much Love,
Eric & Sharla