Category Archives: Trends

Winter Fun in Knoxville

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The technical definition of “cabin fever” is irritability or listlessness resulting from a long confinement or isolation indoors during the winter. Fortunately, with so many fun activities and events in Knoxville, those with cabin fever need not suffer any longer.

Here’s a look at Winter fun in Knoxville.

The Knoxville Ice Bears. An Ice Bears hockey game is sure to be a hit for the whole family. The games are entertaining and feature special nights like Star Wars Night, Weiner Dog Races, Miss Ice Bear competition, and several vendor and fan appreciation games. Load up the family, grab tickets to the Fanzone, and see the Ice Bears in action along with Chilly, their mascot.

University of Tennessee basketball. During February, the UT men’s and women’s basketball season heats up with conference play. So, wear your “I Back Pat” t-shirt, grab your orange pom pom, and cheer the Vols on to March Madness.

Knoxville Museum of Art. See the “After the Fall” exhibition before in ends in mid-February. Also, the museum hosts Alive after Five which features live music, a beer and wine bar, and light food. Be prepared to be wowed by the art and the entertainment at the KMA.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. This Knoxville treasure is the only museum devoted to honoring all levels of women’s basketball and the amazing stars who play and coach the sport. All members of the family will enjoy the presentations, the artifacts, and the basketball courts.

The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge. February is Sweetheart Month at the Titanic Museum and 2012 is the Year of the Titanic. This interactive museum brings to life the stories of those who were aboard the Titanic.

Mardi Growl. In early March, the Mardi Growl is a parade for our furry, four-legged friends. There are several costume categories, so start stitching that perfect pet costume that displays your furry friend’s personality. The proceeds from the event benefit Young Williams Animal Center.

For more winter fun inspiration, check out the resources on Knoxville area Realtor Judi Starliper’s website.

Creative Fixes for Challenging Spaces

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Natural light brightens any room

Most homes have some sort of design challenge, like a small room, or a room that doesn’t get enough natural light. When listing your Knoxville home, it’s important to tackle these design challenges and make the most of the space.

Here are some design tips to improve common problems:

For a small room, furniture placement, paint color, and lighting are important.

Home staging experts suggest to scale the size of the furniture to the size of the room. This means that in a small room, large bulky sofas or chairs should be avoided. Also, furniture should never block walking pathways. Placing the furniture against the wall allows visitors a clear visual into the next room, which also helps to make a room look larger. If you don’t like the all the furniture against the wall, try placing it at an angle. This creates a diagonal line, which seems longer, thus creating the illusion of a larger space. For table suggestions in a small space, try a glass tabletop. This provides an open feeling to the space.

Natural lighting really opens up a space. Make full use of light from windows to make a small space appear larger. Sheer curtains or pulling back the drapes will bring the outside view into the room, which will make the room look more spacious. If the view is less than desirable, a hanging plant will divert the attention.

Natural light and a plant opens up this space

A common misconception is that small rooms must be painted white to appear larger. Some design experts suggest bold colors for a small space. However, if staging a home to sell, a sunny or warm shade may be the right choice.

For rooms that seem dark and cave-like, paint color should be selected wisely. Contrary to popular belief, pale paint colors do not necessarily brighten a dark room. Design experts suggest mid-tones which are the colors located on the middle of the paint sample. To brighten up dark rooms, light and neutral-colored furniture and accessories will also help. For example, if it’s a bedroom, light linens will bring pizzazz to the space.

For more tips on how to sell your Knoxville home, contact an experienced Realtor like Judi Starliper and the J-Star Team. The website offers many Buyer/Seller Tips.

Steps to Organizing Your Closet

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Is your New Year’s resolution to become more organized? Are you thinking about listing your Knoxville home for sale? Or, perhaps, opening your closet door results in being bombarded by its contents. No matter what reason you have for cleaning out your closet, you can make it a manageable task if you have a plan. Here are some simple suggestions to organizing your closet:

Remove everything and sort. Cleaning out your closet will not yield the desired results unless you do some serious purging. One way to sort is to make three piles, one for things you need, one for things you can donate, and one stack for items you’re on the fence about. When sorting through your items and trying to decide whether to keep or donate, try asking yourself questions like, “When is the last time you wore/used the item?” or “Does it still fit?”

Sorting keepsakes and memorabilia can be emotional. Ask yourself if it duplicates a similar item or if a picture captures the same memory.

After the sorting process, make sure to follow through with the donation process. Don’t be tempted to put it off until later because it’s likely you’ll move the items from one closet to another.

Organize the remainder. Clear plastic totes are helpful because you can visually see what is inside the tote. If using colorful totes, make sure to label the boxes.

To organize clothing items, find a system. Some people organize their hanging clothes by season or by item type. Find the system that makes sense to you and then stick with it. This step is easier if you have enough sturdy hangers.

A clean and organized closet can do wonders. It is rewarding to see a visible difference. It might even inspire you to organize other areas of your home, like your pantry or storage shed.

Quick Tips for Indoor Holiday Decorating

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The holiday season can be a hectic time both at work and at home. Year-end reports and holiday shopping can take its toll, so much so that you don’t feel inspired to decorate your home. To get in the Christmas spirit or to spruce up your home before guests visit, here are some fun and easy decorating tips.

A festive centerpiece display can be as simple as Christmas ornaments in a cake stand or plate. For a natural looking centerpiece, pine cones and evergreen boughs with red ribbon or berries can be simple, easy, and elegant.

Lush greenery (either real or fake) draped around doorways can brighten any room. Greenery is also great for dressing up fireplace mantels.

Getting the kids involved in home decorating accomplishes multiple goals. It keeps them busy, gives them a sense of accomplishment, and it helps to make the home feel merry and bright.

One kid-friendly project is to cut out holiday shapes like mittens or snowflakes out of wrapping paper, fabric scraps, or construction paper. Then thread the shapes and space them out on a length of twine. The festive and fun decorations can be hung in any window or from any ceiling.

Dressing up the dining room is as simple as setting the table. A Christmas red table runner will provide a gorgeous contrast to a white table setting.

The kids can get involved with the dining room decor as well. They can make napkin rings out of almost anything. Find small snowman, elf, or poinsettia patterns on the internet. Have the children cut out the pattern from felt or even construction paper. Affix the pattern on wide Christmas ribbon to wrap around cloth napkins. Instant napkins rings and happy kids, what more could you ask for when serving the holiday meal?

Decorating for the holidays does not have to be time consuming or expensive. It just takes a little imagination and some willing volunteers.

Tips for Outdoor Holiday Decorating

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Decorating the exterior of your home can be a festive way to celebrate the Christmas season. The first priority should be safety and the next objective should be decorating in a manner that suits your home and family.

For decorating safety, following the manufacturer’s guidelines is a must. Always check lights for fraying and toss any lights that appear damaged. When putting lights up, use hooks to hold them in place. It is not recommended to staple or tack the lights.

When using a ladder to put up lights or decorations, be cautious about position of the ladder. Avoid areas next to power lines and check the sturdiness of the ladder position before climbing up.

Dressing up your home’s exterior can bring joy to your family and to the neighborhood. Whether you like the look of wreathes in every window or the fun and festive feeling of multiple inflatables, the key is the have a cohesive theme.

Every neighborhood has that one house at Christmas that has a mix of everything and the result is usually, um, well, tacky. They have some lights that look like they were put in the bushes by an angry squirrel. While the lights on house are a multitude of colors with some blinking and some not. They’ve got a yard full of inflatables that during the day look like a bouncy house exploded on their lawn. It’s fun and festive, but can be an eyesore, especially if they leave the decorations up well into the New Year.

It is possible for homeowners to enjoy a whimsical spirit at Christmas and still keep it tasteful. Homeowners can accomplish this by choosing a theme, like candy canes. Try lining a walkway with candy canes for a fun, seasonal outdoor decorating idea. If you like snowman, try one inflatable and an assortment of light-up snowmen for a fun display.

Other homeowners go for a more elegant look when decorating their home’s exterior for Christmas. For example matching wreathes on the windows with greenery on the mailbox is a nice way to show the holiday spirit. White lights on outdoor trees and bushes can be elegant and festive if you have the right coverage and consistency.

No matter how you decorate for Christmas, one of the season’s favorite activities is driving through neighborhoods that embrace the holiday spirit.