Recently, I bought my husband an espresso/ cappuccino machine and the purchase made the two of us reevaluate what we have on our kitchen counter tops. Were we using the small appliances that were taking up space?

Are you using all of the small appliances on your counters, daily?

Our toaster, coffee maker and blender certainly have been earning their keep. But our food processor, juicer and waffle maker, which are used infrequently, were not worthy of our precious counter top real estate and had already been stored away. Since the new machine would not be used daily, we decided it, too, would grace a shelf on our kitchen island where it would be accessible yet out of the way – I get urges for frothy soy hot chocolates with cinnamon sticks!

Frothy hot chocolate - yum!

Do you feel you could use more counter space?

An appliance garage

Unless you have an appliance garage or a very big kitchen, why not take a minute to reevaluate which machines you use a lot and which might be put away? If you do, you may be surprised to find you can create more workroom and, at the same time, make your kitchen look a lot more spacious, too.

If you are in the market for a new sofa, dining table or bed, or any other big piece of furniture, it’s a good idea to measure your door frames and any narrow hallways leading to the room, before making the purchase, besides checking the dimensions of the room itself. All of this information is vital if you are buying something large that is on final sale.

Do you think your home might present delivery men with a challenge?

Staircases and elevators can be a problem for delivery people, so remember to take these measurements and angles into consideration, too, and advise your salesperson. If you have any doubts the piece will fit, ask the store to send someone to measure your space. This step can save you a lot of time, money and agita.

Wait! I just read that Octavia Spencer is planning to redecorate her home in order to find the perfect place to display her well-deserved Oscar, Golden Globe award and other trophies for The Help. She wants to use what she has to redecorate!

2012 Best Supporting Actress

So, may I ask a favor? If you know Octavia, please give her this message:

“Congratulations, Octavia!
If you need ‘help’ redecorating and displaying your new Oscar along with your other awards, feel free to call me at 1-800-We-Use-It (800-938-7348)! We’ll talk.”

Just as the Best Supporting Actress said in her acceptance speech, “Thank you world” for passing this along.

You love your home. You want it to be comfortable and beautiful. But when you look around do you think, “Gee, this place really could really use an update?” Here’s an article, from The Standard of Hong Kong by Mary Beth Breckenridge, which addresses that sometimes-overwhelming issue of where to begin a home redecorating project, whether you live in a small apartment or in a big house.

Read the article.