Toybox News

Do you have an animal lover in your life celebrating a birthday? Does your end of the year party with the cub scouts need some jazz to it? Make it a jungle theme party. Have an indoor or outdoor safari without leaving the country! A jungle safari adventure is fun for any age group.Send out invitations that have animals or a jungle print. Party supply stores also have decorations with animal print, animals and birds that match the ones found in real jungles. Favors to buy for your guests would include binoculars, safari hats, nets to catch birds or butterflies and plastic guns.To decorate, set up fake trees and vines. Hang stuffed or paper snakes and animals cling to them...

Dear friends,So, you want to design your bedroom. Hmm... looks like you are serious about it.Lets' get started quickly. whenever I hear someone say he/she wants to design/decorate a bedroom a lot of things come to my mind.But, let me clear one thing, design and decorating are two different aspects. When I say design, I mean a whole lot bigger perspective. Design includes a lot more maturity in terms of how you perceive a space from within.Of course I will cover more about design in some other article. Decoration is more close to everyday actions that can be taken in order to change or alter a space. Decoration deals with accessories used in a space. Very small things, such as curtain rods...

When we found out we were having twins, our teenage daughter volunteered to move into a smaller bedroom so that the twins could have the bigger one. It was definitely time to come up with a new bedroom theme! We also didn't have much space to work with or a lot of money to spend. So when we moved her into the smaller bedroom, she decided to decorate with a black and white theme.The walls were already white, so that part was easy. Having the walls white also makes the room look as large as possible.As a school project, our daughter repainted an old cabinet that was mine when I was growing up. She sanded it, painted it white, and then decoupaged onto the cabinet black and white photos (mostly scenery...

Naturally, it reflects the personality of the occupant.LAYOUT: A master bedroom ideally should have a cozy bed, walk-in or conventional wardrobe, a dresser, a recliner, a chair or two and a coffee table, at times also a stuby table. Understandably not all the bedroom sizes allow everything to be included. The childrens bedroom usually gets cluttered with two study tables. Guest bedrooms can do with smaller wardrobes. The colours used should be preferably warm. One of the walls can either be textured or covered by a wardrobe.LIGHTING: There should be three kinds of lights, ambient lights, reading or working lights and highlights. The ambient lights are indirect wall washers that fall along the wall...

Decorating a nursery for your new baby can be a fun and exciting experience. It will be the first place for your baby to dream, to experience, and to grow. Here are a few things to keep in mind:Location. Calm surroundings are critical to a newborn's development. Avoid room's that are close to a busy street, where there could be more noise. Will the baby's room be on the same floor as your bedroom ? This makes it more convenient to monitor your baby. However, you can always opt for an audio or video monitor.Time to decorate! Choosing a particular theme and design for your baby room depends on how much you want to spend, how much space you have, and whether it's a boy or a girl. To be safe, you can...

For the first nineteen years of my life I lived in the same town in my parents home. Whatever home decor there was interested me little, it was just there. Then I went to Italy for a year and lived with an Italian Duke and his family. They lived in a villa in Rome. There I noticed the home decor. The rooms were huge. The Duchess had a penchant for elaborate baroque wall mirrors. They were everywhere, with the rest of the home decor to match. Most days the gardener cut arms full of fresh flowers. I often helped to carry them because I liked to follow him around so that I could look at the classical art statue sculptures and fountains. They, and marble benches, strategically placed between the trees...

Imagine planning a fly-in fishing trip for walleyes and northern pike then discovering that not one, but two of this province's premiere fishing lodges are situated on that very lake. Furthermore, indulge in the fantasy that both of those full-services lodges have made a commitment to providing your fishing party with a memorable, relaxing, trouble-free angling vacation on a little-known, top-rated wilderness lake. Yeah, right. Can't be, you say. Verify this data at Nagagami Lake.Big Nagagami Lake first drew my attention several years ago as we drove north of White River on highway #631 toward Nagagamisis Provincial Park. Considering its sheer size, relative isolation and proximity to Hornepayne's...

Naturally, it reflects the personality of the occupant.LAYOUT: A master bedroom ideally should have a cozy bed, walk-in or conventional wardrobe, a dresser, a recliner, a chair or two and a coffee table, at times also a stuby table. Understandably not all the bedroom sizes allow everything to be included. The childrens bedroom usually gets cluttered with two study tables. Guest bedrooms can do with smaller wardrobes. The colours used should be preferably warm. One of the walls can either be textured or covered by a wardrobe.LIGHTING: There should be three kinds of lights, ambient lights, reading or working lights and highlights. The ambient lights are indirect wall washers that fall along the wall...

The arrival of a baby brings happiness and joy to everyone in the family. It's an exciting time! By the addition of the new family member means that space has to be found for a nursery. And once that space is found, what is the nursery going to look like? Here are some important steps to consider on decorating your baby's nursery.Of course, the gender of the baby will probably greatly influence the colors being used in the room, and so if you don't know what the gender will be it may be best to start off with very neutral colors at first, especially on the walls, and then you can add the appropriate color accessories later on. Just don't put off painting the room very long, as you want to make sure...

You probably already know that your bedroom should be your safe haven... your oasis... your special place.It makes sense... I mean, after all, it is the place you end your day with and begin your day with.Shouldn't your bedroom make you smile and feel comforted?Well, if you choose to not be in your bedroom until it's dark outside, here are some bedroom design ideas that will create a calming, relaxing space.1. Paint your bedroom in your favorite color. Waking up to a color you love is the perfect way to start your day. Don't get so wrapped up in what a bedroom should be or shouldn't be. If you love orange, then paint your bedroom orange.Or paint your bedroom in the complement of your favorite...

When we found out we were having twins, our teenage daughter volunteered to move into a smaller bedroom so that the twins could have the bigger one. It was definitely time to come up with a new bedroom theme! We also didn't have much space to work with or a lot of money to spend. So when we moved her into the smaller bedroom, she decided to decorate with a black and white theme.The walls were already white, so that part was easy. Having the walls white also makes the room look as large as possible.As a school project, our daughter repainted an old cabinet that was mine when I was growing up. She sanded it, painted it white, and then decoupaged onto the cabinet black and white photos (mostly scenery...

A few months ago, a friend called to ask if I'd like to join her on a surfing lesson at Manly Beach in Sydney. Giving thought to my answer, two images flashed to mind. My thirty-nine year old battle weary body, attempting to hang five with a gaggle of bewildered foreign backpackers and pointing school kids. And more vividly, the look on the faces of my settled couple and married-with-kids friends if they knew I was even considering the idea.Having recently broken out of Sydney's Lower North Shore maximum suburbia and moved to fun-filled Manly beach, I had already become a prime suspect in their case against dirty-thirties attempting to recapture lost youth. It wasn't that I'd been caught driving a...

Women avoid weight training as much as men love it. The reason women are reluctant to work out with weights is only because they feel they might end up looking like female body builders. But before jumping onto any conclusions, consider this:. Lifting a baby who weighs anything from four kilos to ten kilos is done on the spur of the moment.. Lifting one or two liters of water-filled jars at a time is another chore most women do unthinkingly.. Picking and lifting pieces of furnitures, cooking utensils and such other items are done daily.Women have been lifting weight everyday for years and this hasn't made them muscle-bound, so how can a few weight -bearing exercises?Weight training is not only about...

Colors have many different meanings. Have you ever been in a blue room, feeling calm and relaxed, and then walked into a red room and you began to feel chatty and excited? The change in your mood wasn't just coincidence - it was an actual psychological and physiological response to the colors of the rooms. When you are planning to decorate your home, the colors of your rooms should be one of your first considerations. You want to choose colors that you're not only comfortable with, but also colors that will create the right types of moods for both you and your guests in each room.Let's start with some of the more common colors: Blue is a calming, relaxing color. The color is good for bedrooms but...

Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small business advice in response to thought-provoking questions submitted by future and fellow entrepreneurs. This week, however, I have a couple of questions for myself, one of which makes me wonder how truly intelligent I really am.Q: Dear Me, I recently took my teenage daughter shopping at the mall. The experience raised two questions. (1) What business lessons might be learned from such a foray into teen commerce; and (2) What the heck was I thinking? -- Sincerely, MeA: Dear Me, great questions! Let me answer them in reverse order since the second question is probably the one causing you the most concern.What was I thinking? Only the good...

Your bathroom is used every single day. Because of that it really should look as good as it possibly can. People, however, often neglect the bathroom because it's a functional room tucked away in the corner of most homes. Even your bathroom deserves to be decorated so why not spruce up your bathroom with some of these ideas?Bathrooms use a lot of water so beach and ocean themes are often popular for these rooms. Beach themes can be a whole lot of fun. You could start by painting the room peach or bright blue and then add several sea shells or similar accessories. Any furniture in the bathroom should be wicker or whitewashed wooden pieces to add to the natural "driftwood" feeling. Any ocean theme...

Buying furniture for you children can be expensive, but you can save money in the long run by buying a few key pieces that will grow with your child from birth to college. When buying the furniture you want to make sure you buy sturdy, well made, kid safe furniture. When furnishing your nursery, the first key piece you can buy is a convertible crib. A convertible crib can convert from a crib, to a toddler bed, to a daybed and then to a headboard and footboard for a twin or full size bed. By spending more for a convertible bed, you are eliminating the need to buy a toddler bed, then a larger bed later on. Another important item for your nursery is a changing table. You can spend several hundred...

Shopping for kids bedding can be lots of fun for you and your children. Yet all the fun can turn into disappointment is you are not happy with your purchase once you begin using it. It gets even more disappointing when your kids love the bedding but it shrinks or tears, fades, stains easily or simply does not hold up to the wear and tear kids give their bedding. How can you avoid this disappointment? The best way is to become an informed, cautious shopper when choosing bedding for kids.You'll want to create a sleep environment that's fun and makes the bedroom a cozy, comfortable place for your child to fall asleep easily. Comfortable sheets and blankets are a must. Hard, scratchy bedding can result...

There are many whimsical, fun baby room themes if you are planning on decorating a nursery. Infants need stimulation, so parents get the chance to be kids again and let their playfulness and imagination run wild.A fun, flexible baby room theme is to decorate it in whimsical patterns. Try painting butter yellow or grass green stripes on the walls. Then hang bold graphic pictures of cats and dogs in bright red or blue frames on the walls.Use the same graphic style to paint a toy chest using stencils, or apply stickers against a colorful painted background.Another fun baby room theme is a design around the theme of Sweet Dreams. Use bright colors such as watermelon pink and lime green on accessory...

Pink Christmas trees are a wonderful choice for that little princess in your life. Any little girl or big girl will most certainly want one of these for her own bedroom, playroom, or family room so that she can decorate it with more 'girly' choices. You will find that pink Christmas trees seem to spark an interest in most girls because they like the idea of decorating their own Christmas tree and a pink Christmas tree is just a bonus. You can find a pink Christmas tree pretty easily and, in most cases, they can be found at your local store.Pink Christmas trees can be found in most stores in all different sizes and shapes. They are priced much like the other kinds of trees and you are sure to find...

The arrival of a baby brings happiness and joy to everyone in the family. It's an exciting time! By the addition of the new family member means that space has to be found for a nursery. And once that space is found, what is the nursery going to look like? Here are some important steps to consider on decorating your baby's nursery.Of course, the gender of the baby will probably greatly influence the colors being used in the room, and so if you don't know what the gender will be it may be best to start off with very neutral colors at first, especially on the walls, and then you can add the appropriate color accessories later on. Just don't put off painting the room very long, as you want to make sure...

When investing in furniture for your kids, there are a few things to keep in mind: durability, adaptability and fun. Kids' interests change quickly and they grow just about as fast, so it's important to shop smart. Most kids only need a bed, dresser and a desk with a chair. When shopping for kids' furniture, durability is very important. Kids play rough, and it's best to buy sturdy furniture, even if you have girls. You want something that's going to last. Even if your children don't share a room, a bunk bed is nice, because it gives them a place for friends when they spend the night. It can also make a great place to store things. Bunk beds are usually built better, as they are meant to hold up to...

Puberty can be a difficult time for children. Not quite kids anymore and not really adolescents they are caught in the middle in type of limbo. It is a sad time for many young people too. Many look back at their childhood and realise that they can never really act the same way yet they look ahead and realise that adolescence will present them with its own peculiar challenges.Children are reaching adolescence earlier than ever. The World Health Organisation estimates that in developing countries puberty begins about three months earlier every ten years. It is a stage when the maturity gap between girls and boys is quite evident - about two years.Puberty is a time of immense body changes. The male and...

About 2-1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented - by using simple child safety devices on the market today. Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It's important to follow installation instructions carefully. In addition, if you have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them. Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children. SAFETY LATCHES and LOCKS on cabinets...

Choose more "YES" in your life! When you participate in something that you love, you experience a natural excitement, a "passionate eagerness." This enthusiasm takes on a life of its own, if allowed to flourish, and seeks more "YES" experience. So, whether you love to garden, write fiction, travel, or have breakfast in bed, the actual doing is so rewarding that it changes you. Its positive reinforcement causes you to be on the lookout for other things you love doing in a very healthy, seemingly subconscious way.In fact, the word "enthusiasm" comes from a Greek root meaning "God within." Enthusiasm can be sensed as feedback from our internal, Divine guidance system: "YES! Go here!"A balanced and...

My husband and I have recently begun thinking about adding an addition to our home. Let’s face it, though, the recent housing market has made moving up to a bigger house, a much more expensive proposition. We also agreed that even with our big family, that although extra space would be nice, we won’t always need it so we questioned the “permanency” of buying a bigger home OR adding on to our current home. There’s always the question of “out pricing” your home in the current neighborhood if you add on as well. So we’ve kind of let the idea go until now.My most recent thought and very serious consideration is buying a shed! Now, not your average box shed...

When we found out we were having twins, our teenage daughter volunteered to move into a smaller bedroom so that the twins could have the bigger one. It was definitely time to come up with a new bedroom theme! We also didn't have much space to work with or a lot of money to spend. So when we moved her into the smaller bedroom, she decided to decorate with a black and white theme.The walls were already white, so that part was easy. Having the walls white also makes the room look as large as possible.As a school project, our daughter repainted an old cabinet that was mine when I was growing up. She sanded it, painted it white, and then decoupaged onto the cabinet black and white photos (mostly scenery...

In the last few years, parents started getting more and more interested in choosing all sorts of educational toys for their children. Because a parent wishes the best for his child, a toy that is labeled as educational is very likely to be bought easier than others. But what is an child educational toy? Well, there is no definition of the term "educational toy" from what I know. However, what I do know is that an educational toy is a toy that helps a child learn something good, something that will help in the future. Play is the most important activity of any child. Learning thru play is a reality; it can and it is done unknowingly every time your child plays. The parent must however control the...

The rocking chair reminds many people of a calmer time, and old-fashioned relaxation. Rockers have been around for a long time - no one knows how long, but they were mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1787. It's probably that these classic pieces of furniture originated in America or in England as a kind of garden chair. The first models were undoubtedly homemade, since rocking chairs didn't start being built by furniture companies until around 1800. Rockers are known from at least the 1740s in Sweden and England. Swedish rocking chairs had six legs with an extra long rocker and were usually black and gold. English versions looked like a standard chair, with rockers added onto the bottom...

In recent times, furniture designs have undergone vast changes. Furniture today is more innovative and trendy in its pattern and outlook. Prices have also risen as more creativity is demanded from modern furniture. Today, furniture uses cheaper materials than before, like vinyl, tubular steel, aluminum and glass. But the prices are still higher due to the intricacies of the design involved.However, there are many companies that provide modern furniture at affordable prices. These may be designs of famous furniture architects, but are manufactured on an assembly line and hence can be priced low. Sometimes separate parts of furniture are manufactured and later assembled to give them different shapes...

The transition from a crib to a bed is never an easy one. Every parent wonders what the best bed option is for their toddler, and what they can buy that will last beyond the toddler years. Children's low loft beds are a perfect answer to these questions. They allow children to easily transition from the crib to the bed, they ensure safety, and they are cost-effective, as they grow with the child. Children's low loft beds remove the need for a transitional toddler bed and they allow children to feel grown up, while still guaranteeing safety. While many people associate loft beds with teenagers, college dorms, and single living, children's low loft beds are a brilliant choice for toddlers and...

One of the most popular themes for baby showers is Winnie the Pooh. Of course that classic bear that is so huggable and loveable he reminds us of a wonderful time filled with childhood innocence. So why not use Winnie the Pooh for your next baby shower theme. It is something that everyone can relate to and enjoy. There are a lot of other reasons that a Winnie the Pooh baby shower themes can be so popular. We have created a list of some of the reasons:Unknown gender?How is that for practical? Trying to plan a baby shower theme around a baby that the sex is unknown can be very difficult. Really the only option then is to use a color or season for the theme. However Winnie the Pooh comes to the...