Picking the Right Birdhouse for your Birdwatching

Bird watching is a favorite pastime of many. Learning to do it well requires quite a bit of time investment, however, and the right sort of equipment. While there’s not much one can do to accelerate the learning process and quickly acquire the different defining characteristics of different bird species, learning about equipment can be a lot easier than one might expect. There’s quite a bit out there, but it’s fairly easy to navigate, so long as you know the basic principles of birdhouse creation. Here, we’ll go over some of the most common kinds of birdhouses so you can make an informed choice when you decide to buy one.

Plastic Birdhouses

Many people’s first birdhouse is a plastic one. Plastic birdhouses often come with attached gravity bird feeders, allowing them to be easily refilled and quickly deployed. The nice thing about plastic birdhouses is that they’re highly durable and take well to virtually any kind of weather, rain or shine. The attached vertical feeder common to most plastic birdhouses makes for easy loading and reloading, and attracts quite a number of common bird species. Cardinals and Blue Jays make for particularly common and easily attracted species. This makes plastic birdhouses an easy first investment for new birdwatchers.

Wooden Birdhouses

Wooden birdhouses are a common and traditional next step for amateur birdwatchers to take. One of the main attractions to wooden birdhouses is the fact that they are highly customizable. They can often be purchased unassembled, allowing them to be built to the standards of the instruction or customized on the fly. Wooden birdhouses often have more complicated feeding mechanisms, like dish feeders attached to the bottoms or built into the bottom. Wooden birdhouses are an easy step up for birdwatchers with some experience observing common species, as they attract all the common bird types and some of the more uncommon ones.

Mountable vs Unmountable Birdhouses

Most birdhouses come in either mountable or unmountable varieties. The mountable kinds of birdhouses are those that can be attached to a post, tree, or wall with a mounting hook. Unmountable birdhouses are better for suspension from a patio or tree branch, and allow for somewhat more convenient viewing of all the kinds of species they attract. The choice between mountable and unmountable is largely one of convenience – if it’s easier to set up a mountable birdhouse, that’s the way amateur birdwatchers should go. If there’s no trouble setting up an unmountable one, however, it offers definite benefits that any birdwatcher will enjoy.

There are many other kinds of birdhouses on the market, but plastic and wooden ones are the most common, and mountable/unmountable the most common distinction. This should be enough to give most would-be amateur birdwatchers a good jump start on observation, and as they gain more experience, the additional types of birdhouses will be much easier to understand and navigate.  

Choosing the Perfect Easter Decorations for Your Home

Almost every single holiday that involves the decoration of one’s home will usually take some pre-planning. And this is especially true when talking about Easter. This is a holiday where children are able to celebrate by partaking in avid treasure egg hunts that are filled with candy and other prizes. In the following sections, we are going to provide you with some simple ways to find the perfect Easter decorations for your home.

Randomly Placed Eggs

Randomly places eggs around your home can be one of the more fun ways to decorate your home for the Easter holidays. Also keep in mind that this is also one of the ideas that parents and homeowners tend to overlook. However, if you have children then it can be exhilarating, especially when you fill up the eggs with candy and other treats. Make sure that you are mixing up the colors, shapes, and sizes of the eggs as much as possible. This will provide a lot of variety as well as visual appeal for anyone who may be visiting your home.

Indoor Bunny Garden

While this is another very simple idea to utilize, it is one that is often overlooked as well. An indoor bunny garden is basically when you take plush bunnies and place them on a grass patch that you’ve created. This can be as simple as taking a large piece of green construction paper and adding some yellow tint to it. Plush bunnies provide nice visual appeal for either the inside or outside of your home and can save you a lot of money when you are looking for cost-efficient decoration options for the Easter holidays.

Wooden Letters and Bunnies

If you really want to start getting creative then you should try carving out some wooden letters and bunnies for your Easter decorations. You could then use this figures to decorate the walls within your home. It would generate a nice “flow” throughout your home and really impress your guests if you do an exceptional job. Not to mention, this is an approach that can really capture the spirit of Easter is you take your time with each object. A lot of people even use them as picture holders to add even more meaning and symbolism to their Easter decorations.

Egg Wreath

Finally, you should try creating an egg wreath and placing it on your front door. Not only is it a great way to compliment the Easter decorations that you already have but it is a cost-efficient option that a lot of people tend to overlook.

Eggs wreaths are items that you can purchase locally and you don’t need any experience at all in order to assemble them. All that you do need is a hot glue gun and a few pieces of plastic in order to place all of the pieces together. As you can see, the above tips should provide you with enough ideas and tips for acquiring high-quality Easter decorations for the holidays.

Primitive Decor Tips for Indoor and Outdoor Areas

Primitive decor is something that means partaking in a simple and elegant design for one’s home. It usually incorporates a very minimalistic look and feel and it isn’t uncommon for furniture to be made out of pine, maple, or even walnut. Wool is one of the other main fabrics that are used in this type of decor and you’ll also see a lot of linen and cotton as well.

Keep in mind that the majority of quilts and table covers that are placed throughout one’s home are usually handcrafted and this adds a visual appeal like no other. Imagine having silver mugs, vases, and candlesticks plastered all throughout your home, combined with iron lamps and shades made of parchment. If you can imagine this then you already have a good idea of what to expect from primitive decor.

Minimalism and Simplicity
 
If you really want to take hold of a primitive decor theme within your home then you should consider keep everything as simple and modern as possible. This is one of the main attributes associated with this type of decorating and it can provide someone with a nice, quiet, and relaxing living environment.

The key is to acquire these items as cheaply as you can so that you can further add to your primitive decor collection around your home. Also take note that it would be a good idea to collect paint, stamps, buttons, or any other types of decorations that would like good with this theme. Let’s continue reading to learn more about what primitive decor options have to offer to consumers.

Deciding on Primitive Colors
 
As you may have already guessed, this is a type of house decoration option that would require you to choose from primitive colors. The reason why you want to do this is to ensure that you have a warm and inviting feeling every single type that you step into your home. As a result, it would be a good idea to utilize blues, greens, yellows, and apple reds into the design of the interior of your home. These colors would create a nice, relaxing environment and you would even be able to mix them with other visual appealing elements for an added effect.

Finishing Touches
 
If you are designing your kitchen then make sure that you adding some sort of primitive colors and themes to them as well. This would mean adding any kind of corers, apple peelers, and egg beaters that fall within this theme. Your ideal goal should be to keep everything as modern as possible while maintain a nice, fresh look.

The good news is that shopping for primitive decor is relatively simple once you understand how to get started. Basically, all that you need to do is visit a store that specializes in producing this kind of merchandise. Make sure that you speak with the customer service agents as they will be able to point you in the right direction as to what kind of primitive decor furniture you should choose for your home.

Bath Towels Add Style to Bathroom Decor

Bath towels are an often and easily overlooked aspect of bathroom decorations. Not only are they practical, but they can definitely be attractive decorative pieces used to lend some nice accentual flair to an already well-composed interior design. Most bath towels are nothing special. That’s not to say that there’s nothing in the way of cool bath towels out there, though. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the classiest styles of bath towels out there, so you can make informed decisions when it comes to stylish bathroom decor.  

Flat Color Towels

Flat color towels are the most common bath towels, and they can be extremely versatile as accentual pieces. Flat colors can be chosen to complement just about any interior design, so if all you want streaming from your towel hangers is a collection of cloths that will make the rest of the design pop, this is probably the way to go. The only downside to flat color towels is the fact that they can’t really make a bathroom design on their own. Their use is restricted almost exclusively to making an already functional bathroom design even more impressive. So, if you’re in search of something that will bring a place together, flat color can be fine. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for something to bring a bathroom from dreary to fabulous, these aren’t the way to go.  

Patterned Towels

Patterned towels come in a variety of designs, including plaid, striped, or polka-dotted. Patterned towels can be fun (e.g., polka dots), or classy (plaid or striped in the right context). These can serve a similar purpose as flat-color towels – i.e., accentuating an already bold design scheme – or they can act as standalone pieces that serve to make the design work in a way it wouldn’t were it not for the towels. The most common choices with patterned towels are stripes and plaid, since they’re the most versatile, but checkered towels aren’t uncommon and can work quite well in the right contexts. All in all, patterned bath towels are a great choice for anyone has either a functional design that could use a little more or a less than functional one that needs more.  

Graphic Towels

Graphic towels admittedly have no place in a sophisticated design scheme. They’re quite a bit of fun for kids, however, and are an almost crucial aspect of child bathroom designs. Oftentimes, such bathrooms are themed according to the child’s favorite films or cartoons, in which case the logical choice of graphic towel is the one representing the corresponding character or film. If the design doesn’t revolve around a movie or anything that might have its own graphic towels to offer, a flat-colored or patterned towel will do just fine.

These three common bath towel types account for the majority of towels bought and sold by most people looking to spruce up their current living spaces. Feel free to mix and match – flat color and striped can work well in combination, for instance. Experimentation is key.

Choosing Unique Outdoor Gifts

For a new homeowner, gardening enthusiast, or general outdoorsy person, choosing outdoor gifts is a great way to celebrate their enjoyment of nature. However, finding useful and unique gifts in this area can be difficult. Here are a few ideas for finding outdoor gifts.

For the person who enjoys having the outside of their home just as organized as the inside, consider giving a monogrammed doormat. These doormats are usually a step above the average quality of doormats and feature the homeowner's initial on in the center. This type of gift is easy to find both in stores and online and is a great way to welcome them to a new home or add some class to their outdoors.

For anyone who is interested in starting a garden or who loves gardening, tool kits, specialized bulbs, or garden decorations are great outdoor gifts. For a beginning gardener, choose kits that have all the materials needed. This will encourage them to start. However, for the more avid gardener with a little more experience, consider giving perhaps some flower bulbs that they've always wanted. Also, specialized gardening tools or anything that is missing from their gardening set is always a good idea. Gardeners love trying to grow new plants, so the sky is the limit.

Another great idea for outdoor gifts is furniture and accessories for the lawn. A wicker chair set goes well in a typical lawn and most people enjoy having furniture on a back patio. There are also fun accessories for outdoor furniture like outdoor pillows. These are pillows that have been treated with a sunscreen-like material to make the pillows more resistant to harsh weather. This is always a great gift for someone who is trying to have a nice outdoor set of furniture complete with throw pillows. Or, if they already have patio furniture and a grill outside, think about getting some grilling equipment, some unique rib rubs, or even a gift set of specialized steaks.

When a person or family enjoys having birds in their yard, this opens up a whole new world of possibilities as far as outdoor gift giving goes. Bird baths and bird houses are fun to have outside in the backyard and are great for families with kids who especially enjoy seeing the feathered friends that come and go. A bird feeder may not seem like a unique gift, but many stores sell fun versions of the feeders that are whimsical and a fun addition to the backyard. Include a bag of birdseed for instant appreciation. This is a great gift because the homeowner doesn't have to invest time in its upkeep and can enjoy seeing the variety of birds for many years.

These are all great ideas for outdoor gifts. They encourage a unique approach to gift-giving to ensure that the outdoor enthusiast will receive something that they will truly enjoy and use. Use this guide to finding a unique gift that will be appreciated and used on a common basis.