Why You Need A Shark Vacuum
One household chore I don't mind doing at all is vacuuming. In fact, I kind of love it. Very few things around the house bring me as much simple satisfaction as fresh vacuum lines on my carpet! A few weeks ago, we decided it was time to upgrade and get a new vacuum. We've had the same vacuum since we got married 8 years ago. I knew it was on it's last leg, but I had no idea just how bad the situation was until we brought our new Shark vacuum home and started firing it up! Prepare to be seriously disturbed when you see the images of all of the junk the Shark pulled up from our rugs (I had literally vacuumed with our old vacuum the night before we brought the new one home)......
Okay here we go.
Behold, the Shark's power.......
Are you seriously grossed out right now?? Because I almost threw up as I emptied these cannisters! Contrary to how this makes the state of our house seem, I promise we aren't disgusting! I vacuum the entire house at least 2-3 times a week! I'm actually pretty anal about it! I was SHOCKED at all of the dust/garbage/dirt that was living in our carpet that our old vacuum was just happily spreading around!
Crazy, right? Bottom line? I'm OBSESSED with my Shark vacuum. It really is incredible, and the whole family fights over who gets to vacuum every day! I only wish I would have bought it 8 years ago! I had no idea what I was missing.
If the above photos didn't convince you that you need one of these vacuums for your own home, check out this video:
Check out the Shark Vacuums that we sell at RC Willey!
You need one. I promise.
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Flower Bed Ideas
There is nothing like a beautiful yard to up your overall curb appeal. It might be overwhelming to see a large flower bed with nothing in it, but don’t worry! There are plenty of ways you can spice up your flower beds and create something so beautiful people will stop and stare.
Flower Bed Ideas
via Home BNC
If you don’t already have flower beds set apart in your yard, you will need to decide on the placement and shape of the beds. Placing flower beds up against a fence, your house, or along the sidewalk are great ideas, but you can also be daring and create an island flower bed in the middle of your yard. You’ll also want to think about the shape of your beds. Both curves and straight lines will look great, it’s just a matter of your personal preference.
via Modern Garden
You’ll want to decide on a color scheme for your flower beds. Consistent color schemes help your eyes rest and move across your yard easily. Pick up to three colors and find flowers and plants in different shades of those colors.
via Savwi
Once you’ve got your color scheme down, make sure you are choosing plants in a variety of heights and textures. Including both upright and sprawling plants will liven up your flower beds. You’ll want to arrange your plants by height with the tallest in the back and shortest near the front so no flower will be lost. Remember that you’ll need to be able to access all the plants in your flower bed, so factor that into your design.
via Modern Garden
When it comes to actually planting your flowers, make sure you’ve positioned your plants based on how big they will be fully grown so they have room to spread and grow. Plants near walkways should be shorter to avoid feeling like you’re walking through a tunnel and you won’t want to plant flowers that are tall enough to block the view in front of your windows.
via Home BNC
Plant for all the seasons. You can have blooms spring to fall if you are careful! Research the flowering times of different plants and spread them throughout your garden so you have even blooms through all seasons.
Good luck with your planting this year! For some of your outdoor basic needs, check out RC Willey and let us know some of your flower bed ideas!
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Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
If your kids are tired of just searching for eggs full of candy and of the same old Easter egg hunts, it's time to try out some new ideas! Have you gone to an Easter egg hunt where the kids find the eggs quicker than it took you to lay them out? Or do you have one child who ends up with 90% of the candy while everyone else ends up sulking over their empty baskets? There are so many ways to make your Easter egg hunts more entertaining and enjoyable. I've listed some of my favorite Easter egg hunt ideas here!
Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
Make your Easter egg hunt last a little bit longer this year by having an EASTER EGG SCAVENGER HUNT. This requires a little bit of preparation, but your kids will be busy for quite awhile! Hide eggs filled with candy or small treats around your house and yard and take pictures of where they're hidden. Print out the pictures and put them in your "clue eggs." You can make this as easy or hard as you want with as many clues as you'd like! Either give all the clue eggs out at once or hide one with each new location.
This is a great option for older kids! Hide pieces of a puzzle in each egg and once all the eggs are found, try putting the puzzle together as a family.
To help keep things fair, especially in groups with large age differences, assign each kid a color of egg they are in charge of finding.
If you have teens or even married kids, this is the perfect egg hunt for you! Hide the eggs (and some decoys!), pass out the flashlights, and let them start searching. Click here for more ideas of how to make this egg hunt a success.
Much like the puzzle idea above, hide pieces of a Lego set that your family can put together after the hunt in your eggs. You may want to make sure you have the instructions and larger pieces set aside in a safe place and if you're planning on having your egg hunt outside, consider taping the eggs shut so you don't have lost pieces floating around the grass.
What are some of your Easter egg hunt ideas?
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Small Master Bedroom Ideas
Just because your bedroom is small doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice on comfort and style! I have never had a master bedroom with an ensuite bath, more than one closet, or that would fit more furniture than just a bed and a dresser. In the beginning, I ended up ignoring the room and leaving it pretty much empty, but after awhile I decided to step up my game and make my master bedroom look as nice as the rest of my house. It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve utilized some of these small master bedroom ideas below.
Small Master Bedroom Ideas
via Harlowe James
First, you need to make use of the limited space you have. While you might have high expectations when it comes to a master bedroom, you need to let the reality of your space take the lead. Look at your room, decide what you actually need, and think creatively about how it will fit.
via My Domaine
Keep your furniture to scale. A giant bed that leaves no room for anything else, including you, will make your space feel cramped and cluttered. Make sure you measure twice before you bring anything in!
via Home Bunch
If you can, consider adding built-ins. They’ll give you more storage while saving space and adding visual interest. Built-ins aren’t always a realistic option, but bookshelves can be a good alternative.
via RC Willey
Speaking of storage, try to think of ways you can add aesthetically pleasing storage. Under the bed storage or headboard bookcases can be an easy solution.
via Simply Beautiful by Angela
Choose a cool color scheme as opposed to a warm one. Cool colors make spaces feel and look larger while warm colors make rooms cozier and smaller.
Mirrors reflect light and give the illusion of a larger space. Adding a full length leaner or a mirror above your dresser will make the space feel much larger - and be a practical addition to your room.
What ideas do you have for your small master bedroom?
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Easter Menu
Easter is just four days away! Are you all ready? There is nothing like a delicious and special Easter brunch. Well, maybe only Easter dinner! Have you started planning your menu? If you still have some holes, I've got you covered! Check out the links to recipes below of delicious brunch, dinner, and dessert options to help make your holiday scrumptuous!.....
BRUNCH IDEAS:
Overnight Breakfast Berry Bake with Caramel Syrup via a Bountiful Kitchen
Bunny Head Fresh Fruit Platter via worthpinning
Blueberry and Lemon Zest Muffins with fresh lemon glaze via a Bountiful Kitchen
DINNER IDEAS:
Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham Glaze via Bountiful Kitchen
Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls via Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Classic Potato Salad via Genius Test Kitchen
Roasted Vegetables via the New York Times
Easy Roasted Asparagus via Simply Recipes
Twice Baked Potatoes via cooking channel tv
DESSERT IDEAS:
Strawberry Shortcake via the NYT
Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Frosting via a Bountiful Kitchen
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Free Wall Anchors at RC Willey
If you haven’t already anchored the furniture in your home to the wall, you need to make sure you do so! Tipped furniture and falling TVs send kids to the emergency room every 24 minutes. By properly anchoring your furniture, you’ll be able to keep your kids safe.
For a limited time only, RC Willey stores in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada are giving away free wall anchors for your furniture. Come visit a store near you and stop by Customer Service to retrieve your free wall anchors today!
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Cool Home Offices
No one wants to work in a dumpy, sad little office - even if it’s in the comfort of your very own home. You might having your filing systems down, every office supply you’d ever need, and the nicest computer you can afford, but don’t forget about the rest of your surroundings! Make your home office an inspiring, comfortable, and fun place to be. Whether your office space is a small corner or an entire room, you’ll be able to find some inspiration from these offices below.
Cool Home Offices
via DecorSpace
I love the idea of having a chalkboard to write your notes, ideas, and thoughts on - and have a place for your kids to be occupied as well! Find a similar chair here.
via Shift Interiors
For a brighter, more simple look this home office would be perfect. Complete the look of your home office with a similar lamp and chair found at RC Willey.
It can be tricky finding a way to fit two people comfortably in a home office, but how cool is this set up? Similar rug and chairs found here.
via DecorSpace
If you only have a small corner for an office, this set up is perfect. If you want to recreate this look, take a look at this desk and this chair.
via New Darlings
Another small space, cool home office solution! I love this mid-century modern look. For a similar desk and rug check out RC Willey.
Whatever shape, size, or style your home office is, you'll be able to make it look just right with the home office options at RC Willey!
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Landscaping Photos
When it comes to landscaping your yard, there are endless ideas. If you're like me, however, you might not be able to visualize the end result until everything is completed. This can make it a little tricky to come up with ideas or plans for landscaping. We had to completely landscape our backyard last summer and I spent more time than I want to admit looking at landscaping photos for ideas. If you're wanting to come up with new ideas for your yard, or if you just want to spend a minute or two looking at beautiful yards, keep reading to see some yard inspiration!
Landscaping Photos
via Rose Gardening
via Primcousa
via ArchitectureHD
via ArchitectureMagz
via Onechitecture
via Decoratio
via David Domoney
Don't forget to finish off your landscaping with some comfortable patio furniture and get ready to start working on your landscaping!
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How To Cook Delicious Pasta
I read an article in the Huffington Post yesterday that completely challenged everything I've ever believed about cooking pasta! My mind is still feeling blown, and so I thought I'd share the little nugget I learned with you guys! Read on!
The title of the article is "Why You Should Never, Ever Drain Your Pasta In The Sink". Immediately I figured it had something to do with all of the hundreds of millions of microorganisms growing in a kitchen sink. I almost didn't read the rest of the article, but my curiosity was piqued and I wanted to know just HOW dirty my kitchen sink is at any given moment.
I kept reading, and was surprised to find that it actually had nothing to do with the kitchen sink, and everything to do with the white cloudy pasta water in the bottom of the pot. Turns out, the starchy pasta water your noodles cooked in isn't 'dirty' as we sometimes think- no, it's actually like liquid gold! It also happens to be the secret to a delicious plate of pasta! How, you might ask? It's the key to emulsifying and thickening your pasta sauce.
Here's more from the article itself:
"All too often, a plate of spaghetti is encircled by a watery, red puddle. You know what we’re talking about. It pools around the edge of your plate and ruins a gorgeous plate of pasta. That puddle results when the water and oil in your pasta and sauce separate from each other.
Here’s where emulsification comes in.
Emulsification is the process of blending two liquids that would otherwise repel each other ― in the case of pasta, it’s oil and water ― into a smooth, inseparable mixture. The starch in your pasta water, as luck would have it, is an emulsifying agent and also a thickener. So if you save some of your pasta water and then slowly mix a ladlefull of it into sauce, you’re binding together the liquids and oils, creating something creamy and thick that won’t ever separate into a puddly mess."
You guys!!! GAME CHANGER!! Have you heard of this before, or am I the only person on planet earth that has been in the dark? My biggest pet peeve about making spaghetti has always been the inevitable pool of red that ends up taking over my plate. I'm literally making spaghetti for dinner tonight because I can't wait to try this trick out!
Check out the rest of the article!
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Spring Activities
Spring is officially here and it’s time to start spending time doing activities for spring. One of the best parts of this season is how anxious it seems everyone is to start being outdoors and enjoying the warmer weather. If you’re looking for ideas of what to do this spring you need to check out the list of spring activities listed below.
Spring Activities
- Pull out your bikes and go for a ride
- Camp outside, even if it’s just your backyard
- Watch an outdoor movie
- Go on a hike
- Play with sidewalk chalk
- Make a kite and see how it flies
- Have a picnic outside
- Make a bird feeder
- Eat outside
- Roast marshmallows around a fire
- Start a family garden
- Make homemade ice cream
- Go to the zoo
- Set up a lemonade stand
- Make homemade popsicles
What are some of your favorite spring activities?
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