Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part Four

Hard durable flooring is ideal for pet owners. Sealed stone, hardwood, or vinyl flooring will hold up well. If you do choose to have carpeting, get the cut pile variety. Loop pile carpet can be snagged and unraveled by a rowdy pet. An alternative to carpeting is buying several stylish area rugs. These can be cleaned easily, unlike carpet, where the carpet padding can never be fully cleaned if an animal has an accident on the carpet. Just don’t buy rugs that are too expensive, if you do you’ll be stressed out about them getting dirty. Carpet tiles of the sort often used in commercial spaces are another way to go if you want to have carpet. This way, if one square gets dirty, you can pull it up and replace it.

Brushing your pets often can really lessen the amount of hair that ends up in your home. I bought a brush called the furminator that works great on my dogs, I get a lot more hair off of them than I do with a regular brush.

Giving your dog plenty of treats is another way to help keep your furniture looking nice. If they have appealing things to chew on, they’re less likely to chew on your stuff. I go to thrift stores and stock up on small stuffed toys for my dog a couple times a year, much cheaper than buying very similar stuffed toys at a pet store.

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Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part Three

If you’re a big sucker like me, and you like your animals to live in the lap of luxury, consider getting a fashionable piece of furniture just for your pet. If you can get your pet to use it instead of the human furniture, you’ll have a lot less couch cleaning to do. Leather bean bag chairs are a good option that I’ve seen dogs fall in love with. This same idea goes for cats too, if you buy a piece of cat furniture with a little cubby in it or a platform up high where they can lounge they won’t sleep on your furniture as much. I made my cat a little hideaway under an end table and he sleeps there faithfully every day. If you do allow your pets on your furniture, it will probably be worth it to you to buy a small hand held vacuum. You can store it in a convenient place, such as under an end table next to the couch and even keep it plugged in. This way, it’s easy to get out and vacuum your couches often. Another option is to buy slipcovers for your couches that you can wash frequently. Slipcovers are actually in fashion right now, and they come in quite a variety of styles and fabric types.

These days there are plenty of pet accessories to choose from that will match your home. There are stainless steel food and water dishes or ceramic dishes to choose from.

Check back soon for part four of this blog.

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Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part Two

Pick your color scheme carefully if you have pets or anticipate having them soon. Stay away from white carpeting, curtains, or furniture, they won’t be white for long if you own pets. Black fabric and upholstery shows light animal fur really well, and it can be hard to keep it all cleaned off, so try not to use very much black in your decorating. Bold or bright colors also show fur easily. The best colors for us animal lovers are soft neutrals, any color within the range from light tan to chocolate brown will stay looking nice with pets fairly well.

Don’t use flat finish paint if you have pets. When they rub against the walls (or run into the walls as my dogs sometimes do) it will be harder to clean flat finish painted walls. It is best to avoid white walls if you can. This will force you to think about your style a little bit more, and your home will probably end up looking better if you paint them colors other than white.

Your tables and end tables will need to be sturdy. Where you have animals you’ll have play and they’ll inevitably run into your furniture. Also, keeping a lot of knick knacks on your tables probably won’t work well if you are going to own pets, clutter free is best, that way there is less to be knocked over.

Ideally, you’ll have a pantry in the kitchen where you can store your pet’s food. This way, you can keep it hidden instead of having to either display it or go out into your garage each time you feed your pets.

Check back soon for part three of this blog.

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Hawaiian Traditions

Dear Best Hawaii Vacation blog visitors,
The ones of you who visit our Hawaii blog frequently know that we, Pua and Keoki, are not just dedicating this blog to providing you with the best Hawaii vacation tips for travel to the Hawaiian Islands. We love to go beyond that by introducing Hawaiian culture, traditions and heritage to all of you you want to know more about Hawaii, the land and the people. Today we warmly welcome another guest author who will be assisting us to accomplish this mission.

Catherine Tarleton, the blog author of today's post had worked at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for 18 years. When the hotel closed for renovation in 2006, she looked for new ways to get actively engaged in keeping the Hawaiian heritage alive and thriving. Cathey is a free lance writer on the Big Island of Hawaii who had become involved with promoting the rich and beautiful Hawaiian tradition and culture through the 'Moku O Keawe' International International Festival, which is coming up at the beginning of November 2008.

Here is what Cathey has to share with Big Island visitors about the Festival which features an amazing hula competition by dancers from Hawaii and Japan and several cultural workshops led by some amazing kumu in the arts of chant, hula, lei-making, language and more:

"Experience the rich Hawaiian culture during Moku O Keawe International Festival, November 5-9 at Waikoloa Beach Resort. Top hula troupes from Hawaii and Japan take the stage for exciting kupuna, kahiko and auana competition under the stars in the Waikoloa Bowl at the Queens' Gardens.

And during the day, cultural workshops offer an in-depth excursion to practice protocols, gather materials and make authentic lei, a look at the intricacies of lauhala weaving, a visit to the Makali'i to learn story and song about the fabled voyaging canoe--and much more. Kickoff concert starring Na Hokuhanohano Female Vocalist of the Year Napua Greig, fabulous made-in-Hawaii Marketplace and final night Ho'ike starring workshop students and special guest halau complete the third annual event.

Through what is learned in the cultural workshops, hula competition, exhibits of Hawaii-related arts and crafts and other extraordinary events, the Hawaii traveler from near or far can take the Moku O Keawe experience home and share it with their community.

For information visit www.MokuOKeawe.org or call Margo at 808-886-8822."

Much mahalo, Cathey, for your nice invitation to this amazing festival of celebrating Hawaiian traditions and sharing them with our Hawaii Big Island visitors. If you don't know where Waikoloa Beach Resort is, check our Kohala Coast map. It's at a great central location between Kona and the Kohala Coast and Waimea area.

A visit to the Moku O Keawe Festival will be a unique Hawaii experience on your Big Island vacation. Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations and Big Island Vacation

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Tags: Big Island vacation, Hawaii, Hawaii heritage, Hawaii events

Decorate Beautifully AND Have Pets – Part One

I’m an animal lover and live with two dogs and two cats, but that doesn’t mean my house has to look worse for the wear. Sticking to a few rules when decorating your home can allow you to have a home that looks good and pets simultaneously. In fact, a home that is decorated to be durable and stylish may reduce your stress levels when guests or kids are over, you won’t have to worry about messes as much.

Stay away from decorating in fabric types that attract hair. If a fabric has any tendency to have static, it will attract animal hair like crazy. Velvet is another fabric to steer clear of, you will have a hard time keeping velvet hair free. Certain fabric types like microfiber are easy to keep fur off of. Ideally, you would choose fabrics that are close to the color of your pet’s hair to minimize visible fur on the fabric. There is a new fabric type called crypton, designed to resist stains and smells. It comes in many colors and styles and you can check it out at www.cryptonfabric.com. Leather is a good fabric choice for pet owners too. It is easy to clean and very durable. Pleather will work well too. Ultrasuede feels like real suede and is very good for pet owners too.

Check back soon for part two of this blog.

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A Must Have!

This is our fabulous new sentiment frame! We are so excited about this one. These designers are spectacular! Tell me one person who would not love to have this beautiful piece in there home?! Start thinking Christmas gifts, anniversary, wedding, you name it! It measures a substantial 20 x 20 and is as inspirational as it is attractive. These are available in our craft kits section for $32.00 or have us finish it to your specifications for $49.99....a bargain if you've ever priced comparables.

We are all looking forward to a great holiday season....right around the corner I might add! With times the way they are, gas prices through the roof and budgets tightening we are here to help you offer fabulous gifts at unbeatable prices. You will find products that you can finish yourself for that special meaningful touch for your gift recipient while saving money! If crafting isn't your thing don't worry, we are happy to make it ready to give at exceptional prices.

To make it even better this season we are likely to do some pretty great giveaways to our customers, clients and anyone else who stubbles upon us! We couldn't do it without you and want to show our appreciation! Thanks to all of you who have helped us to spread the word about our new site. Let us know what you'd like to see in your home for free by leaving us a comment!

Our season of giving begins the first week in November so check back here for our first giveaway!

http://www.betterhomeinteriors.com/

Pumpkin Carving – Part Four

There are special pumpkin carving kits available at many stores. These kits are a lot easier to use for carving than knives that you happen to have around the kitchen, and a decent kit can usually be found for a good price. Kits usually include tiny serrated blades in several different sizes that make cutting intricate patterns easy. If you intend to really get into carving the details, having a drill on hand can make your task easier.

Candles look the most authentic inside carved pumpkins that are displayed, but the heat from the candles often causes pumpkins to shrivel and age prematurely. To prevent this, consider buying some lights meant to go inside of pumpkins. You can get lights that have tiny batteries in them so you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet. You can also get lights that flicker to look like a candle flame. These don’t usually cost more than a dollar per light, and they’re easier than candles too since you can leave them on instead of having to remember to light and blow out the candle each night.

There are a few unique things you can do with your pumpkin if you want it to stand out. You can put wax paper inside the pumpkin covering the design, this will create an opaque look when the pumpkin is lit. Tin foil inside the pumpkin across from the pattern makes the light emitted from the pumpkin look brighter.

Check back soon for part four of this blog.

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Pumpkin Carving – Part Three

Drilling holes where you will need to start each cut will make carving easier. This way, the hard work is done, and you have a nice starting point for each cut. Make sure you make the most of your carving tools by sawing with them, this is how they are meant to be used. Pumpkin carving is time consuming; expect to spend awhile on this project if you want it to look good when you are done. Pay close attention to your pattern as you cut, you don’t want to end up losing track of the final goal and accidentally sawing off a vital connector area.

When the hard work of carving the pumpkin is done, you might want to spend a few minutes working to make it last as long as possible. Place the pumpkin in a tub full of cold water, let the pumpkin fill with water and sink. Let it soak for at least a couple of hours. Add a little bleach to the tub of water to help prevent molding. This process sounds strange, but it works to firm up the pumpkin. When you remove the pumpkin from the water, let it dry off and then rub Vaseline along any cut edges. This traps the water in the pumpkin, which is what you want, because when water escapes this is what causes pumpkins to shrivel.

Check back soon for part four of this blog.

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Pumpkin Carving – Part Two

Projection kits have gotten popular for pumpkins lately. To project the pattern from the pumpkin onto a wall you’ll want to carve a small pattern into the pumpkin. You also need to carve it backwards if there is any text involved, so it will project the correct direction when you are done.

Pumpkin carving can be as intricate of a process as you would like it to be depending on how complicated the pattern you select is. Many people carve a basic pattern, which will yield black where no pumpkin is carved away, and bright yellow where the carving has been done and the candle shows through. There are two other shades that can be achieved with careful carving though. The first is light orange, which will show through if you carve away all of the skin off of the front of the pumpkin and some of the meat, the more you carve, the lighter the orange will look. Dark orange will show through if you remove the pumpkin meat from the inside, leaving the skin alone on the front side.

Once you pick out a pattern that you like, you will need to transfer it to the pumpkin. First, tape or pin the pattern to the pumpkin. You can push a thumb tack through the paper along the patterns lines, you’ll need a lot of holes to see the pattern clearly. This is a lot of work, but it will be worth it when you are done and you don’t have to guess where to carve any of your lines.

Check back soon for part three of this blog.

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Hawaii Blogs

With holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas 2008 approaching fast, our highest season for Hawaii vacation and travel is coming up. No wonder that most Hawaii blogs are writing posts about the fun of celebrating holidays in warm, sunny Hawaii. A Christmas vacation in Hawaii is on many travelers' wish list for Christmas.

Well, Christmas is about giving and receiving gifts. Recently, our Best Hawaii Vacation blog received an early Christmas gift. Alene from True Aloha Blog nominated our 'Hawaii blog' for the 'I Love Your Blog award! What a nice surprise. We are truly honored! We thought this is the most wonderful idea to say mahalo to our Hawaii blog ohana for staying in touch through blog visits and comments. Last time we did that, it was at our 1st Hawaii Blog Carnival over a year ago.

So, here are our nominees of favorite Hawaii blogs, in alphabetical order to be fair to everybody:

Beat of Hawaii and Beyond: A travel Chronicle from Hawaii http://beatofhawaii.com/

Da Kine Hawaiian Aloha http://hawaiianalohashirts.blogspot.com/

Hawaiirama http://hawaiirama.com/

Hawaii Vacation Blog http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/blog/

Homespun Honolulu - A Honolulu Blog http://homespunhonolulu.com/

The Right Blue - Recounting a Lifetime of Ocean Devotion http://therightblue.com/

True Aloha - Everything about Hawaii and Aloha http://truealoha.com/blog/

Remember what goes around, comes around. Here are the 'rules' for the recipient:

* Display your award.
* Link back to the person who gave you the award.
* Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
* Put links to those blogs on yours.
* Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated.
* Enjoy your award!

We decided for Hawaii blogs on our blog award. Now, we are curious about your blog choices for 'I love your blog' award! Let us know in a comment when your blog award is live. Mahalo, Pua and Keoki Hawaii Vacations and Affordable Hawaii

Tags: Hawaii blogs, Best Hawaii blogs, favorite Hawaii blogs

Pumpkin Carving – Part One

If you haven’t carved a pumpkin yet for Halloween never fear, you still have plenty of time. Even if you don’t have kids, carving a pumpkin can be a lot of fun. There is an endless supply of pattern ideas available for free on the Internet, or get creative and create your own pumpkin design.

Choosing the perfect pumpkin is very important. There are lots of shapes available, you might want a tall oval shaped pumpkin if you envision carving the long faced Frankenstein, or you might want a short wide pumpkin if you want to carve a bat with wings outstretched. There is no perfect shape for all patterns, but you can find perfect shapes if you pick out your pattern first. A pumpkin with a sturdy stem is a sign of a health pumpkin and it will also make lifting the lid off of the carved pumpkin to insert candles a lot easier.

It may seem easy to prep the pumpkin for carving, but there are a few key things to do correctly during this process. Most importantly, when carving off the lid, make sure you carve at an angle in a cone shape. If you carve straight down your lid will just fall into your pumpkin, so this is crucial. The rest of the preparation is pretty simple, just remove the seeds and pulp and you’re ready to go.

Check back soon for part two of this blog.

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Decorate Your Home for a Halloween Party - Part Two

Fake spider webs are extremely cheap. You can use cotton batting if you prefer, artfully draped around your house. Make sure to buy a few fake spiders and bugs to add to your display.

Cut out a shape like a bat or a skull in black construction paper. Tape it onto a flashlight and shine the light towards a noticeable wall. This will cast a shadow in the shape of your cutout that will be a unique decoration.

Scary sound effects are easy to provide, as they are available on CD at many stores. If you place them in an entry way you might be able to surprise your guests.

Switch out some of your regular light bulbs with orange, yellow, or black bulbs for a dimmer spookier look.

A coffin can be built out of a wood frame and used for a variety of purposes. You could put a dummy inside with an arm hanging out. You could put cold drinks in coolers inside. Use your imagination here.

Scarecrows are a common fall decoration for your yard that will look good for a Halloween party.
Grave stones are definitely creepy inscribed with RIP. You can buy them, or you can cut out grey tombstones from construction paper and tape them to a wall so it looks like a silhouette of a grave yard.

Dry ice can be purchased fairly inexpensively and added to punch for a foggy atmosphere. Fog machines will do the same thing, but they’re a little more expensive.

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Decorate Your Home for a Halloween Party – Part One

If you are having a Halloween party this year make sure to decorate your home to get the guests into the spirit. There are plenty of decoration ideas, choose one or all of them for your party. Most of the materials required for these ideas can be acquired from a discount or party store.

Having a few jack o’ lanterns displayed on your front porch or around the house are vital. Carving pumpkins can be a lot of fun for you and especially for kids. There are hundreds of printable stencils available on the internet for free. If you aren’t into carving you can always paint a design on your pumpkin instead.

Candles displayed inside of the jack o’ lanterns will give the faces or designs the appropriate eerie Halloween glow. You can get dark candles and scary looking candle holders to display randomly around your house too.

Crepe paper can add a little fun to your home in Halloween colors. It is cheap and easy to decorate with. Use it as a border around the table where you are planning to have your Halloween treats displayed.

Fake blood is a creepy touch that can be easily added. You can even make your own fake blood using corn syrup, food coloring, and a touch of milk to make the blood look darker and thicker. It can be very messy of course and will stain, so use with caution. Fake blood might best be used outdoors where you won’t have to worry about it getting on your carpet and furniture.

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Have fun in Hawaii at Christmas 2008

Our recent little excursion to Upcountry Maui at Best Hawaii vacation blog got attention by Hawaii travelers who look for the Hawaii paths less traveled away from the tourist crowds. Well, we are sure that today's blog post will get everybody's attention who has a Christmas vacation in Hawaii in mind for this year.

There is no doubt that Vacation in Hawaii is special at any time of the year. Hawaii still holds its position as a top destination for visitors from the Mainland and from around the world, whether it's for a special Hawaii honeymoon, a family beach vacation with kids or celebrities taking a break from their Mainland lifestyles. From our experience as longtime vacation hosts in Hawaii, we can say that the most desired time for a Hawaii vacation is Christmas together with New Year's (this is how most people book it), followed by Thanksgiving and the snowbird months January and February.

We always considered it our most special Christmas gift to go on Christmas Day or the afternoon of Christmas Eve to white sand Mauna Kea Beach, lie in the sun and have a swim in the ocean! Hawaii spoils its visitors with its warm sunny days and warm ocean waters even in December when most Mainland states are in the tight grip of frost, ice and snow. Admittedly, the fun of a Hawaii Christmas vacation does not come cheap to Hawaii visitors. Hawaii hotels charge higher holiday room rates and hotels, 5-star or budget, but they book very fast in advance. We noticed that even this year, after lower Hawaii visitor numbers during the summer and fall months, Christmas holidays don't make an exception.

Here are a few Hawaii Vacation tips for the average Hawaii traveler to save money and have fun at Christmas Vacation 2008:

1. Rent a Hawaii vacation home or condo instead of staying at a hotel

First of all, privately owned Hawaii vacation rentals don't book as fast as hotels, if they are not right on the beach. There are lovely places with short 10 - 15 minute drive to best beaches in your vacation area. They are fully equipped with complete kitchens, which can save you tons of money on all your meals. With this extra money, you can take the whole family to a whale watch tour. Remember the humpback whales are back in December. Vacation rentals by owner come all inclusive with beach equipment, snorkel gear and even Internet access, even saunas or jaccuzis. Remember that's what you pay those Hawaii resort fees for.

2. Share a Hawaii vacation home or condo with family or friends

So many guests would love to have a private pool for their Hawaii Christmas vacation, but cannot afford the place, unless they make a small sacrifice and share the home + the rate (!) with family or friends which you hang out with anyway on a daily basis. Look for vacation rentals which have short driving distances to beaches, shopping and fun entertainment.

3. Share a rental car with family or friends for Christmas

It does not take big planning to share a car with friends for going to the beach, going shopping or do a special Hawaiian island adventure. With a few easy adjustments and planning, you can save a lot of money with a shared car. With higher gas prices in Hawaii, this makes perfectly sense. Remember your last Hawaii vacation when you afterwards wondered why you rented the car in the first place. Book your Hawaii rental car for Christmas as early as possible. Guys these are the Hawaiian Islands and rental cars are not unlimited.

4. Free Christmas entertainment in Hawaii

Yes, there are still things in Hawaii for Christmas which are free. You just have to find them. Hotels have beautifully decorated Christmas tree exhibitions, electric toy railroads in winter wonderland scenery or even ginger bread houses as tall as people (hmm, that smell!). Shopping centers do nightly Christmas entertainment with hula dancers and carol singing. It's a wonderful experience to join those Hawaiian Christmas traditions, more so when you can show up in shorts and Aloha shirts! Welcome to Christmas in Hawaii! Aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
If you are still looking for a Last Minute Thanksgiving Hawaii rental, visit our 'Best Places Hawaii Thanksgiving 2008'.

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Tags: Christmas in Hawaii, Hawaii, travel, vacation, best Hawaii vacation

Dress your Home for Fall – Part Four

Decorating your front stairs for fall can look nice. Just make sure to leave enough walking space. Use potted mums or evergreen plants surrounded by pumpkins and gourds. Rusty pots make good planters for this display, but terra cotta pots will work too. If you carve pumpkins, use your carved pumpkins here, this display will look awesome lit up with your jack o’ lantern.

If you have a bench in your front yard, don’t forget to dress it up like you did your porch.

Inside the home it is important to decorate for fall too. If you have a fireplace, take advantage of it by placing pumpkins, carved is best, one or two on each side of the fireplace. Fireplace mantles also look great decorated for wall with candles, leaves, and mini pumpkins.

There are fake pumpkins that you can buy at a craft store that will last for years. They can even be carved just like a real pumpkin.

Most of the decorating ideas in this and the past three blogs before it can be mixed and matched. Have fun with these projects and let your creative side come out. Be careful not to go overboard with your fall decorating. It can look silly to decorate every available surface in your home, and it will be quite time consuming to do so also. Make sure that wherever you stand in your home you can only see one of two fall decorations at a time.

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Dress your Home for Fall – Part Three

Get a plate in a warm color such as red, yellow, or orange. Gold looks great for this accessory if you can find it. Hot glue artificial leaves around the edge of the plate. Make sure they overlap each other. This can be used as a candle display, as placing two or three pillar candles on it will look lovely. You can do this with a smaller plate too, and just use it to display one pillar candle.

The front door of your home is a popular place to put your Fall decorations. I’m going to do a separate blog about wreaths, but there are several cute alternatives if you aren’t into wreaths.

You can find old picture that is framed at the thrift store or at a yard sale for very cheap. Hot acorns, pinecones, and artificial berries and leaves randomly all over the picture and frame, completely covering them. Finish it off by hot gluing a big bow on your decoration, this looks nice in one corner, but would look good right in the center too. Make sure the ribbon is in a fall color.

An old rake that you won’t use again can be transformed into another door decoration. Hot glue artificial leaves, feathers, and fall grasses to the rake like a bouquet and tie it off with a big ribbon.

Old crates can be found for very cheap or even free and they look great as an outside fall decoration. Place a few of them on your porch, stacking them if you want. Then, sprinkle various sizes of pumpkins and gourds inside and on top of them for a quick porch decoration.

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Dress your Home for Fall – Part Two

Adding a fall wreath to your front door will really make the outside of your home look ready for the season. There so many different types of wreaths than can be made fairly easily that I will write a separate blog to go over them.

Window boxes are great to use in the summertime, but are you taking advantage of them for fall decorating? It is easy to do, and it will get the exterior of your home looking very festive. You can be creative and use your window boxes for winter and Christmas decorating too. First, get a little bit of chicken wire and cut it to fit your window box like a lid. Staple it into place on top of the window box in a few places. The dirt that is already in the window boxes will hold your decorations in place. Get some small wooden skewers or small sticks to hold up your decorations. Gather tall fall grasses and cat tails to group together around the sticks and stick them into the dirt through the chicken wire. Once most of the window box is full, add colorful fall elements to it. If you would like to use the dirt for planting live plants, you can plant mums to decorate around or live evergreen plants. These plants will survive the winter well. Place small pumpkins and gourds around the grasses. Use your wooden skewers to hold the pumpkins and gourds in place. Pre-drill a hole where your skewer will go. After thanksgiving just remove the pumpkins and gourds and replace them with pine cones and a few lights.

This blog is brought to you by physician staffing.

Dress your Home for Fall – Part One

Fall flower arrangements can dress your home up for Thanksgiving. Take advantage of nature. Try putting colorful corn into a glass container, filling it with water, and fill it with sunflowers, mums, and thistle. Add red berry sprigs if you can. If you have a field near your house, you can gather cattails and other dried grass. You can put all of them into a large vase without water. Hand tied bouquets look great too, they can be tied to posts outside your home or to stair railings. Make the most of pumpkins during the fall season. There are lots of centerpieces that use pumpkins, see my previous post on thanksgiving centerpieces to get some ideas.

Adding autumn accessories around the home will make it look festive for your Thanksgiving. These accessories can be made into decorations without having to spend very much money at all, and to save even more money, you can choose artificial plant elements so you can reuse these decorations year after year.

Buy or sew a table runner in a fall color. Good colors to use for fall are burgundy, dark green, orange, or yellow ochre. Maybe you will even want to make or buy a few, and alternate them. Next, buy some artificial fall leaves from a craft store. Artificial leaves are usually available in silk or velvet, velvet looks more interesting to me, because it has more variances and texture, but choose the one you prefer. Now, hot glue the leaves to the table runner in a random pattern. Try using more leaves on the ends of the runner and near the edges, leaving just a few scattered throughout the remainder of the material. Don’t be afraid to layer the leaves a little bit for a richer fuller look in some places.

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Easy to Make Fall Centerpieces – Part Two

One of my favorite centerpieces is one that ends up looking like a little pumpkin patch in the center of your table. This one could be used for a Halloween party just as easily as for Thanksgiving. Place a large pumpkin in the center of our table. Set medium and small pumpkins around it randomly. You probably will only need a couple of medium pumpkins and a few small ones, but depending on the size of your table, you may want more or less. Fill in the spaces with fall leaves. Add a few candles in between pumpkins if you want to. You can also add other thanksgiving garden items to the display if you choose, such as squash or apples.

To make a centerpiece that looks like a mini forest use small potted mini evergreen trees. You can get them as small as six inches high. Buy a few in varying sizes. Hot glue moss onto the pots for a really cute look, or if you don’t want to go to the trouble, just place the trees in matching decorative containers if you can find some that will suit. Cover the table in between the trees with fall leaves, mini pumpkins, and candles of any size.

You can place a large pumpkin on a pedestal cake plate for a quick centerpiece. Add berries, ivy strands, moss, or fall leaves to the plate around the base of the pumpkin.

If you want to buy mum plants, ivy, or ferns you can use them for fall season decorating that will be fresh for the whole season. All you need is a large basket or other container to place the mum pots inside. Arrange a couple of ferns or ivy plant pots between the mums inside the basket. Use moss to cover the plastic rims of the pots, or drape some fall colored material between the plants.

This blog is brought to you by locum tenens.

Easy to Make Fall Centerpieces – Part One

If you are hosting a Thanksgiving meal at your house this year, here are some ideas to impress them with your table decorating.

A centerpiece on the table will be sure to draw attention from your guests and get you compliments. There are many options you could go with, and some of them are very fast to prepare if you are in a hurry.

A shallow glass tray filled with red cranberries topped with white tea candles can be a pretty centerpiece and it will take you less than five minutes to prepare. Since this decoration is on a tray, you can try displaying it around your home to see where it will look best.

Candlesticks and leaves can be arranged together to be a pretty centerpiece. First, arrange the candlesticks, or pillar candles, down the center of the table. This will look best if it is done on top of a narrow runner placed on the table first, in a color that will enhance the thanksgiving feeling, such as forest green, burgundy, or yellow ochre. Next, arrange fall leaves around the base of each candle. You can also add pinecones or twigs to the display if you would like. If you would rather have a portable decoration, lay fabric on a serving tray and use it for your decorating instead. This would look nice displayed on a coffee table or end table.
A green potted plant with trailing branches can be a great starting point for a centerpiece decoration. Ivy works well for this centerpiece, but other similarly shaped plants can work too. You now need a container in which to place the ivy pot. My favorite for this centerpiece is to use a hollowed out pumpkin, but a basket would work too. Fill any gap between the edge of the pot and the edge of the container with fall leaves, and scatter a few down the table on each side of the container.

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Maui Upcountry

When talking about Maui Vacation on Best Hawaii Vacation blog, a lot is said about the Maui resorts in Hawaii Kapalua (read our recent post Hawaii Kapalua Maui, Kaanapali and Kihei with their famous white sand beaches and ocean front and ocean view Maui condos. It makes perfectly sense that Hawaii tourists focus on sunny, white sand beaches when getting away from rainy Mainland. It comes with a sacrifice. Most of our beloved Hawaii beach areas are overflowing with tourists and thus become 'touristy'.

For all those who want to explore the islands, get to know the real Hawaii and get away from the touristy resorts, Upcountry Maui is the place to go on your Maui vacation. Upcountry Maui begins at Pukalani and climbs the slopes of magnificent Haleakala to the ranchland communities of Makawao, Kula, Keokea and Ulupalakua. These are the areas where you can find the oldest ranches, like Ulupakalua Ranch on the slopes of Haleakala at an elevation of under 2,000 feet.

You can reach the ranch via a scenic drive past horses, cattle and purple blooming jacarandas. Enjoy the panoramic views of Lanai, Molokini and Kahoolawe. The Hawaiian cowboys, knowns as paniolos, are still riding the ranges!

When you decide to stay at one of the lovely upcountry B&Bs, inns or vacation rentals in the coming winter months, be aware that the higher elevation brings colder temperatures to those upcountry areas, especially during the nights. Make sure that there is some heating at your accommodation and have a sweater and long pants available for going out at night. Driving a convertible might not be the right thing, as rain can suddenly surprise you.

Well, one cannot leave Hawaii tourism totally behind when visiting Upcountry Maui. The green rolling pastures of rural Makawao with the blue ocean in the distance is home to beautiful boutiques, restaurants and art galleries. But one got to eat on a day trip outing and a little shopping can be fun too. If you are not into it, drive further up the road to Kula where Maui visitors can find flower farms with beautiful tropical flowers like protea, orchids and bird of paradise.

Kula Botanical Garden is another alternative to visiting boutiques and galleries. The 8-acre garden is located on the slopes of Haleakala and displays colorful and unique plants, amazing rock formations, a covered bridge, waterfalls, koi pond and aviary. Visitors will find hundreds of varieties of plants to enjoy and photograph.

We have hundreds of varieties of plants for you to enjoy and photograph.

There is much more to Upcountry Maui. If you have stayed at one of the wonderful upcountry vacation places or would like to share your upcountry Maui experience with our Hawaii blog visitors, we would love to hear from you. Mahalo and aloha, Pua Hawaii Vacations

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Tags: Maui, Best of Maui, Maui vacation, Upcountry Maui

Make your Home Cozy for Winter – Part Four

If you have a fireplace winter is the season when you really want to use it to your advantage. Make sure your fireplace is the focal point during these cold months. Put those big floor pillows and blanket near the fireplace. Stack a few books or candles on one side of the seating area. Make sure the mantle is decorated for the season with warm accents.

Wintertime is a great time for curling up with a book and a warm mug of hot chocolate. Make sure your family room has a wonderful place to read. If there is a comfortable chair in the family room make sure there is a small table next to it and an ottoman in front of it. Drape a throw over the back of the chair and place a cozy accent pillow in the chair. Optionally, add a warm little dog or cat as seen below. If you don’t have a chair do this with, use your love seat or whatever you have available.

Put warm colored candles in groups in your bathrooms. You can place the candles on a small decorative tray so it is easy to move around.

If you have potpourri around the house make sure you replace it with warm spicy scented potpourri.

If you like baking, make sure you have glass covered cake plates and keep them stocked with cakes, cupcakes, bread, muffins and cookies throughout the winter.

Get a decorative tray and keep it displayed in the kitchen always stocked with mugs, spoons, tea bags, and hot chocolate mix.

These ideas can help you change your attitude about winter and get excited about it. You may also enjoy winter more and spring will come before you know it.

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Make your Home Cozy for Winter – Part Three

House plants can make the home seem cozy and help you not to miss your yard as much. Flowers in warm colored vases displayed weekly can really liven a room up. Or buy some hanging plants to put in a room.

Candles are easy to store away during the summer and give the house a nice glow and scent during the winter. An added bonus is the fact that candles are cheap. Vanilla scented candles or candles that smell like baking can make a room feel warm. I’m not a big winter person, but I do look forward to breaking out the candles when the season comes. My favorite candle scents are birthday cake and pumpkin spice.

You can put slip covers over the seat pillows of a chair or couch for winter. Make sure you get slipcovers in a warm cozy color, such as dark brown, orange, or red. Also, look for slip covers in comfortable textures, like microfiber for example.

If you have kids yourself or have children visiting your home often, think about getting a few big floor pillows that match the accent pillows on your couch, in warm colors of course. Fold a blanket or throw and put it near the pillows, this will be enough for a kid to have a great place for reading or drawing.

Glass surfaces make a room look colder. If there are a lot of glass surfaces in your home think about decorating them with fabric place mats, or wicker baskets containing seasonal decorations. Framed pictures and candles would also help make a glass table look warmer.

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Fall in to Autumn!

The fall season is upon us! We are so happy to offer so many fun and exciting products for your home and holiday decorating. We have just added these darling blocks and just in the nick of time for your Halloween fun. This Spooky block measures 5.5x5.5 and will add so much to your fall grouping. Also available with other sayings...BOO, Autumn, Fall and more! Place one or group three different blocks to together!

Buy these blocks finished or if you are feeling crafty buy them as a craft kit and save!

Who can resist this witch?!

How about this great Halloween hanger? Too cute! Order these now for your home. Our friends over at You Don't Say have come up with a winner! We just love this design!

This is just a sample of what we have to offer! Come and see us at www.BetterHomeInteriors.com

Make your Home Cozy for Winter – Part Two

A more permanent change you can make to warm up your home is to repaint. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands you probably don’t want to have to paint seasonally, so this is really only an option if you think you might like a warm color scheme for at least a couple of years. Warm earthy tones can really make a room feel warmer. Orange is my personal favorite warm color, I love it because there are lots of shades to choose from so you can make a room look modern and bright, or elegant and subdued with orange. If you have a south facing room that never sees the sun or a basement room with tiny windows, try painting an accent wall in a bright or warm hue. This can really warm the room up.

If you aren’t planning to repaint the walls, try buying accent pieces in warm colors to decorate your home. Couch pillows are easy accent pieces to use. Also try buying vases or photo frames to go with your winter décor. Throw blankets are another easy accent piece you can get in a warm color. Buy thicker throws for winter, and lighter (both and color and in weight) throws for summer.

Tiled floors or wooden floors can seem a little cold during the winter. It is easy to buy a few thick warm colored rugs to use on these floors while it is cold. Rugs are easy to store away during the summer. Look for rugs with red, orange, or brown color schemes to really warm up the room.

Check back Monday for part three of this blog.

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Hawaii Kapalua Maui

As the the snow birds are getting ready for their winter vacation in Hawaii, we'd better cover some more areas of interest for Hawaii travel after our recent excursion to Molokai's Fishponds. Our September post 'Big Island or Maui Vacation' on Best Hawaii Vacation blog hopefully helped Hawaii travelers to make their final decision which Hawaiian island it's gonna be this year for their special Hawaii vacation. If Maui has come ahead of the Big Island, today's article about Kapalua on West Maui is for you. What's there to do and to see?

The experienced Hawaii traveler knows that the west coasts of the Hawaiian islands are blessed with plenty of sunshine, stretches of white sand beaches and reef lined coastal waters, perfect for snorkelers, divers and swimmers. This is not any different with the area of Kapalua on West Maui. The unique tropical beauty, historic sites and premier golf courses attract thousands of visitors to Kapalua at the northwest end of the island of Maui.

Elegant Kapalua is quietly nestled among tall Cook Pines which give the popular resort a countryside feeling. The five bays of Kapalua are sheltered by lava peninsula, which actually gave Kapalua its name which can be interpreted as "arms embracing the sea". Speaking of surroundings and natural beauty of Kapalua, one has to mention thousands of acres of pinapple which surround the resort and give the hillsides a blue-green tint. By the way, the Kapalua Nature Society offers guided nature hikes into the nearby rain forest.

The 23,000-acre Kapalua Resort can be considered as Hawaii's #1 Golf Resort. Passionate golfers may choose from three championship golf courses - including the Plantation Course, home of the prestigious PGA TOUR Mercedes Championship! - state-of-the-art golf academy and value-added golf packages. Not a golfer?! Kapalua Resort features three white sand beaches, two tennis complexes, restaurants, boutiques and galleries. You don't need to drive or walk far to find your favorite Maui things to do. Kapalua Resort has it all lined up for you. I've found some nice Kapalua photos on Tripadvisor taken by Maui visitors.

Now, the question is where to stay when one wants to enjoy this Hawaii luxury resort. Kapalua Villas are a great choice for those who are not on a budget. We recommend the budget conscious traveler to check out the Kapalua Condos for more affordable Maui vacation. As usual, we would like to hear from you about your Hawaii Kapalua Vacation on Maui. What do you like best in Kapalua? Mahalo, Pua Hawaii Vacations
p.s.
Mahalo Amber from Wahine Style for being another time our Hawaii post girl.

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Tags: Hawaii, Maui, Vacation, Hawaii Vacation, Trip, Hawaii Travel, Kapalua Maui

Make your Home Cozy for Winter – Part One

With winter on the horizon now is a good time to think about making your home cozy for the cold season. Most people spend a lot more time cooped up in the house during the winter, so it is worthwhile to make the house inviting and comfortable. Many of these changes can be done by investing in winter items for the home that can be swapped with summer items each year. This way you only have to spend the extra money once, and you’re set for many years to come.

Windows look great covered with sheer curtains during the summer, but in the winter it looks best to exchange these for thicker curtains. Full length curtains that touch the floor help stop drafts from entering your home. Velvet and corduroy are both wonderful fabrics to use for curtains in the winter season. But, any thicker fabric will do, or you can try layering fabrics to achieve a more feminine look.

Bedding for winter is probably the most important detail. Make sure you own a soft fluffy comforter. Ideally, buy a down comforter and a duvet to cover it. Duvets are great because you can use them without the comforter inside during the summer, or with a much thinner comforter at least. Also, duvets usually come with pillow shams so your bedding will all match. Extra pillows on the bed can make your bed seem cozier for winter too.

Check back tomorrow for part two of this blog.

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