Spring Updates in the Living Room

Sometimes I feel like a shark. Yes, a shark. When I browse my favorite home décor shops and boutiques I tend to look the whole place over then circle around my favorite pieces over and over again. .....and OVER AGAIN asking myself all those questions.

 

 

 Do I need this? Are the colors a good fit for my décor? Is this item the right size? Can I make this myself? Is the price justifiable? ...and on and on.

 

I {LOVE} to shop, and even this thrifty chick likes to splurge every now and then. 

 

 

So when I discovered these pillows I immediately knew I wanted them, but I was a shark.

 

A shark, circling around them as my mind went thru all of those deciding factors as I picked up paper towels and milk, and circled around the store, back to the pillows for another look. 

 

Then the decision was made.

 

So the pillows came home with me and I LOVE how they updated my couch!

 

 

This chevron pillow in creamy yellows and gray look great paired with the coordinating colors in the butterfly pillow 

AND

the colors coordinate with my newly made over side chairs too. Yay!

 

 

 

The butterfly is embroidered and full of texture and dimension, which was great because  

my couch was overdue for a pick me up.

 

What I had before were two Fall/Winter pillows.

 

I do love my sweater pillow but hello, it is April!

 

Time to put the sweater pillow away!

 

And my USA pillow in black and cream check was too dark and rustic for the Spring look I was going for.

 

So I am completely happy with my new pillows and LOVE how they perk up my couch and front room!

 

....and can you believe they are from Wal-Mart of all places???? 

 

 

 

 

Inspiring décor can be found in the most unexpected places.

I definitely was not expecting to discover these pillows with such a high end look when I headed out to pick up paper towels and milk! LOL :)

 

....but I am glad I found them and LOVE when I find great deals on home décor!

 

 

So what do you think about my new pillows?

Do you accessorize with the Chevron pattern too?

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No More Ants! Tips for Keeping Ants out of the House!

 

 

 

 

 

Now that it is Spring I thought I would share with you my favorite pest control tips for keeping ants out of the house.

 

 

 Pest control is not a fun topic to talk about but it is a fact of everyday life.

 

 

There are many different ways to do this but I am going to show you the ways that have successfully worked for ME.

 

 

For starters, lets talk about how ants live.

 

As most of us already know, ants build a nest somewhere underground that is usually close to a water source or moist area in the yard.

 

That's why many of us get ants in our kitchens. They need water so somehow those little buggers find their way into our house and its usually in the kitchen!

 

Your first tendency will probably be to set out a ant bait or spray around the areas where the ants are with ant spray.

 

 

The problem with spraying for ants is that you only kill the ones you see.....which means the rest of the aunt colony has gone untouched.

 

 

They are still there trying to get into your home so by spraying you may have blocked them from coming into your home at the place where you sprayed but by the time they get near the spray they are already in your house!

 

This will only divert them to a different place where you have not sprayed.

 

So my opinion, spraying ants is a waste of time.

 

My favorite method for keeping ants out of my home is by using these granules.

 

 

 

This stuff is awesome!

 

It kills off ants, spiders, roaches, and a few other bugs that nobody wants around

and you use it OUTSIDE so it doesn't even get anywhere near your living space!

 

 

 

 

All you do is unzip the bag open

 

 

 

 then you will find a built in shaker.

 

Yes!

 

You don't even need a spreader or any tools for applying this!

 

All you do is simply shake the granules around your foundation.

 

 

 

 

See the little granules in this picture?

 

 

 

That's it!

 

Just lay your mulch right over it and nobody will ever know its even there!

 

It takes about 15 minutes to shake it around and for my house the one bag lasts for about two to three summers!!!!

 

So what makes the granules so much better than using spray?

 

Well, the ants walk thru the granules and they carry them back underground with them to the nest thinking they are a food source and then you kill off the entire colony of ants, including the Queen.

 

Which is EXACTLY what you need to do to successfully get rid of the ants!

 

 

 

A few other tips for keeping ants out of your house are to set around items that the ants do not like.

 

For instance, ants do not like the smell of mint

 

 

so they stay away from the space wherever you set out mint leaves or even peppermint gum!

 

I like using this method in my spice cabinet to ensure ants do not get in there.

 

Some other smells that I have heard ants don't like are

chili powder, cinnamon and borax.

 

Keep in mind that these smells, just like the mint, keep ants out of a

specific space where you put this stuff

but they do not keep ants out of your entire house!

 

 

That's why I prefer to use the granules so you protect your entire house from the outside-in.

 

As I said before, ants are thirsty and gravitate towards water, so if you have stagnant water or moisture around your house it will draw ants.

 

So get rid of those water sources first and foremost.

 

Then use the granules around your house, and for some extra precaution try sitting out some of the organic items like the spices or the borax to detour any straggling ants that find their way into your home.

 

 

 

I was not compensated in any way to promote this product, I just find it affective and wanted to share my tip with you.

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer

 

 

 

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