Decorating a Family Recreation Room

The recreation room in most homes seems to be neglected when it come to interior decorating. In most cases this is the spare room or the basement that doubles up as the storage for old unused items. However with a little creativity, this room can be turned into a lovely place that the whole family can enjoy spending time in, while enjoying their favourite games and other fun activities. Any clutter or items that can be gotten rid off should be removed from this space and a general assessment of the room done. The space available has to taken into consideration before the different fun and games gadgets are installed.

Creating a Stylish Recreation Room

The floor of the room should be one that is conducive to a lot of traffic while at the same time be attractive and an asset to the different activities. Carpets are a good idea since they come in a variety of colours and design and they muffle sound. For a basement, ceramic tiles might be too chilly while wooden parquet work well for such spaces. The recreation room walls can be done in the theme central to the room with wall coverings like posters and portraits coming in handy. The recreation room is also a great opportunity for displaying trophies and family heirlooms in a trophy cabinet.

Comfortable couches and functional tables can be included around a fireplace or a big screen television as a focal point. For the musical family, a grand piano sits well across a pool table or ping pong table. A mini refrigerator will be essential so that beverages are within easy reach as would be a popcorn machine for those special movie nights. A family recreation room should reflect the home’s interior decorating and be a place where the whole family can be comfortable.

Making Christmas Crackers at Home

For most people Christmas and the holidays spell fun. Different games are played during this time especially when family and friends gather. It is fun when all are involved in the games or other fun activities and it is more fun when setting up the rules and other intricacies of the games. A fun activity that all will appreciate is opening up Christmas crackers. These can be bought from the store but the extra time during the holidays can be well utilized in creating Christmas crackers at home. These are fairly easy to make and can involve the whole family.

Personalizing Christmas Crackers

The basic items needed are everyday items such as wrapping paper, a cardboard tube such as the toilet roll tube, a written message or picture, sweets and other treat and gift trinkets with the optional cracker snap. The tube is wrapped in light weight wrapping paper or other such material which is easily torn like crepe paper or wrapping tissue. The wrapper should be about two or three times the length of the tube which is place centrally before wrapping. One end of the wrapping paper is then rolled slightly and tied using a ribbon or a string.

The tube is then filled up with the Christmas treats, gift trinkets and the message. The optional cracker snap may also be included if it is available though this is not a must. It is a device placed in the tube so that the cracker makes a pop sound when opened hence the name, cracker. Tie up the other end and include additional decorations like glitter on the cracker top if desired. Christmas crackers are opened by pulling the two ends in opposite directions. They are ideally opened after the Christmas dinner though this may vary with different cultures and personal preferences.

Decorating a Home Garage

One room in the house that might be neglected when assigning interior decorating tasks is the garage. This is mostly because most people do not consider this as part of the rooms in a house. However, most garages are big enough for one or two vehicles as well as some room for a variety of uses. Most garages are used for storage of extra stuff from the house and even old furniture; others still use their garages as a recreational room, setting up pool tables, entertainment equipment and other games. Some garages still are used as laundry rooms, art studios and even home gyms.

Multiple Functions of Home Garages

The first step in decorating a garage is removing all the clutter and getting rid of all unneeded items by having a garage sale or donating to charities. The garage floor should be the next consideration and this should be in a material that is easily cleaned, like terrazzo, especially due to grease from the vehicles. An area rug as well as appropriate furniture can be placed in areas that will be used for leisure activities. To ease storage of items like oils, polishes, cleaning detergents and even jacks and other equipment, shelves may be put up on the garage walls.

To give the garage a more homey feeling especially when dad and his buddies spend time here watching sport and bonding, floor lamps can be added to the garage décor. The walls may be decorated in vibrant colours in wallpaper or paint that complement the lighting used. Floral arrangements are a great idea for livening and freshening up garage space. Whatever the use for the garage it is important to keep it in good orderly condition, making it safe and inviting. Including practical interior decorating ideas in the garage set up will do just that.