Akamatra

Improvements That Boost The Value Of Your Home

Hello darlings!

During spring home improvements are high on everyone’s list of things to do aren’t they? Now it’s the time to take care of the garden and maybe freshen up the paint or other parts of the house. For us, it’s high time to do something with our balcony’s door screen which was “molested” by our cat Mini. He played with the damn thing so many times, it stopped resembling a screen and it’s more of a cat toy now. And I am talking about a 3 by 3 meters door!!!

Every couple of years, we try to add a feature or improve an existing one, and every time we complete a project, we realise that aside from the many benefits the family will receive, the property value will increase. Yet some improvements fair better than others when looking at boosting the value of your home, and with that in mind, here are some home improvements that won’t cost the earth, but will add value to the property.

A Summer House

More and more homeowners are reaping the benefits of installing a quality timber summer house in their garden, which gives you comfortable accommodation at a fraction of the cost of a bricks and mortar extension. The useful garden summer house can be used for many different things, and a stand-alone structure in the garden will be classed as extra living accommodation, which will add significantly to the market value. If you would like to browse a selection of quality summer houses, an online search will lead you to the website of a leading supplier, and prices are very reasonable for top quality units that will stand the test of time.

Add Some Garage Space

If you haven’t yet added a second garage, this is definitely an improvement that will attract a potential buyer. Most families run a second car, and having either a carport for the second vehicle, or a double garage, will certainly boost the value of your home. Not only that, the extra space can be used for other things, and is the ideal play area for the kids when it rains. There are online suppliers of quality garages and carports, and with many stylish designs, finding something just right isn’t an issue. If you would like some inspiration in garage design, there is a useful blog that gives you some excellent design ideas.

Porch Design

As every house is unique, and by designing a suitable closed in porch, this will give you several benefits. When you come in from the cold, you and your family will have a dry area to remove all your outdoor clothing, and what’s more, your porch will be the perfect place for coats, jackets and umbrellas, which will free up that valuable area just inside the front door. Ask your local builder to pop round and give you his expert opinion on how best to construct a porch, and with a firm budget in mind, he should be able to create the right design that will enhance the property, which will add value.

There are a few other improvements that will increase the value of the home, but all of the above are inexpensive when compared to replacing the windows or a new roof, and the added living space from a summer house will not only boost the value of your home, it will provide your family with many benefits. Whatever you decide, all of the above will definitely add value to the property, not to mention the countless other benefits to be enjoyed.

Lots of love

4 comments

, by M. Akamatra

home improvement

Color Advice for Staging A Home

Hello darlings!

After the hit of the financial crisis in my country, there was a huge influx of new and old properties for sale as many people were after liquefying their assets. Some were sold in days and others were left unwanted. Have you ever wondered why? Well one of the reasons has to do with colors.

Did you know that the wall color in your house could make or break a selling deal?

For many years, home staging experts have been recommending that you paint your walls some version of white if you want to successfully stage a home to sell. Although this choice has logic behind it because white does go with anything and therefore isn’t likely to offend a potential buyer like a bold color choice might, it’s a choice that also might be totally wrong. The truth is that there isn’t a simple one-color-fits-all-homes choice for home staging. So what are the best wall colors for staging a home?

The best wall colors for staging a home are colors that have two qualities. First, they’re neutral enough that they can play well with many colors, thus giving potential buyers a sense of how their own color preferences might work in the space. Second, they highlight the best features of the rooms they’re in. This second quality centers around what personality you want your home to present when you’re selling it. Do you want your home to appear cozy and inviting? Elegant and sophisticated? Fun and upbeat? What kind of buyers do you want to attract? The colors you choose can help you create a character match between your home and your buyer.

Here are seven wall colors that, if used properly, could create these qualities for your home.

1. Cream

A neutral color scheme has long been at the top of the home staging tips list. This is why white has been the reigning ruler of home staging wall colors. If you like the idea of this type of color palette, you still don’t have to stick to basic white. You can slip just a bit past stark white into a warmer tone of cream.

Creamy whites, as opposed to basic white, have subtle undertones of color. Some have just a breath of beige; some will suggest a wisp of gray; and some flirt with a suggestion of yellow. These undertones may be ever-so-slight, but they can have a powerful impact, adding an energizing glow to a room without adding the kind of color that could put off a neutral-loving buyer.

Depending on what furniture and accents you pair with it, the color cream can create a variety of personalities, ranging from inviting casual or country décor to upscale and refined traditional décor.

2. Gray

Gray is another one of those neutral colors that rarely gets a buyer excited. Sometimes called “the new white,” gray can be a backdrop for a variety of accent colors.

Like cream, gray has different undertones, and you need to be aware of how these undertones will impact your space. Designing with a room planner, for example, will help you match your gray color with any other color in the room. The color, “greige,” which is a gray heavily tinged with beige, works well with colors that blend with tans and browns and creams, and it’s a strong choice for rooms with dark wood flooring or cabinets. Any gray color is a suitable pairing with white. Regarding personality, a gray with stronger color undertones will add more energy to a space. A purer gray with minimal undertones will create a more peaceful feel.

3. Tan

Still relatively neutral but with a more distinct “flavor” than cream or gray, tan can be an excellent staging color if you want to create a natural, organic personality in a space. Tan is dark enough to fill up large rooms but still light enough not to weigh down smaller rooms. Well-suited to a feeling of homey comfort or woodsy seclusion, tan can still level up to cool and cultivated if it’s combined with the right furnishings and accessories.

4. Blue

Long considered one of the best colors for a bedroom, blue hasn’t traditionally been thought of as a good home staging color because it’s “too much color.” However, lighter blues can create beautiful, mature interiors. Pale blues that lean toward turquoise can lend enough serenity to a space to elicit a calming feeling. Colors like this that act as a subliminal emotional trigger will have a positive effect on buyers, even if the buyers might consciously say they don’t like the color.

You can choose blue hues that feel cool or blue hues that feel warm, depending on the personality you want to create. When you combine those blues with neutrals like cream or gray, you will be able to please a large percentage of buyers.

5. Yellow

Yellow may be a color that people either love or hate, but either way, it’s a color that evokes cheer. Given that you want your potential buyers to feel like they could be happy in your home, using yellow as a wall color makes surprising sense.

Like blue, yellow isn’t a popular staging color, but not only does it have a happy feel, it can provide an undebatable sense of charm to a room that might otherwise feel a bit blah. If you want to create an energetic personality in your home, yellow is a good color choice. Yellow also can brighten rooms that don’t get much natural light, and it can lift up rooms that might feel weighted down by heavy architectural features.

Just don’t get too carried away with the brightness level. Neutrality is still a good benchmark for picking staging colors. So if you go with yellow, pick soft yellows that have creamy undertones.

6. Charcoal

Although most staging colors are in the lighter color range, dark colors do have a place in home staging if they’re colors that can be a backdrop to a variety of other colors. Because of charcoal gray’s many color pairings, it can be a powerful wall color choice to use for staging a home.

Contrary to popular belief, dark colors don’t necessarily make a small room look smaller. A dark color on an accent wall can add depth to a room of any size. And a dark color can actually hide the shadows that lurk in small rooms, thus transforming a dark-feeling room into a room that feels inviting.

If you want your home to have a dramatic and stylish feel, charcoal walls will work well for you. If you combine charcoal walls with light-colored furniture and accessories, you’ll create a refreshingly glamorous character even if your furnishings and accessories are simple and inexpensive.

7. Navy

Another dark color that can add pizzazz to your home is navy blue. When you combine navy blue with white, silver, or beige, you can develop a powerful personality in your home, one that whispers, “success” to a potential buyer.

Although you probably don’t want to paint a whole house or even a whole room navy blue, you can definitely use navy blue on an accent wall. Because navy blue is a color that goes well with most other colors, a navy blue accent wall will be a strong focal point in a room without leaving a buyer feeling like their own belongings won’t fit the space.

These seven colors aren’t the only colors that will work well for home staging. However, hopefully, these color ideas have given you an idea of how to choose a color that builds a bridge between neutrality and character. Once you build that bridge, you’ll have a home that appeals to a variety of buyers.

Lots of love

12 comments

, by M. Akamatra

craft

DIY mini yarn bowl - Full photo tutorial

Hello darlings!

I wanted a small yarn bowl to put my yarn in for when I need to crochet a small project like one of my crochet cup cozies at the house. Natalia likes to play with my yarn and though most times I’ll let her, there are times when I don’t really have the energy to untangle what she’s “knitted”.

I found this empty container of ice cream and thought that’s no fun! An ice cream container should always be full of ice cream otherwise it’s a sad container. Well, I don’t make ice cream (just ice cream cakes) but I can make this into a fun container, I thought!

So I gathered my materials and when Nick took Natalia with him on an errand I made this. It’s really fast to do even for us super busy people, so fret not!

Supplies

Empty container
Piece of felt
Lace ribbon
Hot glue and glue gun
Hole puncher
A pen
A pair of scissors
Decorative scissors
Embroidery scissors
A round magnet (optional)
A crochet flower (optional)

How to make the yarn bowl

Start with measuring the felt piece over your container. You don’t have to be exact just a rough appreciation of the size and cut a rectangle to go around the container. Glue one of the smaller sides of the felt onto the container.

Add some glue on the length of the felt and gently press it on the container.

Now cover the edge you previously glued. With your decorative scissors cut the excess of the felt.

If your container is smaller at the base than the top your felt with need to be glued onto the base and maybe a few folds will be formed. That’s ok, no worries, all part of the plan!

Cut the excess of the felt and make sure the bottom is flat and stands ok.

Trace the lid of the container onto the felt and cut the circle. Glue it on the lid with the hot glue. Now take you embroidery scissors and cut the edges.

Take your lace trimming and glue it to cover any letters on the top of the containers, or just for fun!

With your hole puncher make a hole on the lid.

Glue the magnet on the inside of the lid to hold your yarn needles. It’s really easy to find them this way!

Glue your crochet flower or any other decorative piece you like.

As you see my container has white and gold and I think some pearls would look lovely on it but I am afraid of them coming off and they pose a chocking hazard for Natalia. But if you don’t have a baby or toddler at home, go nuts with those pearls!

See? It’s really easy to make and it will keep the container happy and not sad! I know I could’ve spent the 20 minutes it took me to make this doing something else and just use the container as it was.

But that wasn’t going to be cool since:

1. I like nice things around my crochet supplies.

2. If I’d seen an ice cream container all the time, I would want to eat ice cream all the time!

3. Plus, after I made this, I was calm and happy having spent 20 minutes crafting which I love and I still had time to unload the dishwasher, change the cat’s litter, gather the washed clothes and tidy up before Nick and Natalia were back from the errand. So win-win.

It’s really important to have small doses of the things we love isn’t it? I know I wouldn’t be super happy if I couldn’t craft a little bit each week!

Lots of love

29 comments

, by M. Akamatra

kids

Things to do in Athens with a toddler – And how you can adapt this for your city too

Hello darlings!

Every new parent knows that his social life has a high affinity with his kid’s age.

When they are newborns, you don’t have any social (or other for that matter) life at all.

When they get to 15 days they may let you hold them in your arms while you walk around the block pretending to be fascinated by your neighbor’s houses.

When they are between 1-12 months old and sleep in their stroller most of the day, your social life emerges again. You can go outside, socialize (in well ventilated and clean places), go out to lunch and dinner with your husband, see your (healthy and educated on how far away from the baby they should keep their hands and bodily fluids) friends, that sort of thing.

When they become toddlers, your social life begins to revolve around the playground. You become friends with other parents and grandparents and you miss the time you could sit down and eat.

However, there are many things you can do with a toddler and have lots of fun! Here are some of our favorite things to do in Athens with our toddler, Natalia.

We practice attachment parenting and we believe that Natalia’s needs should come first but we don’t have to overlook our needs too. So we do things all of us like.

Take the metro to Syntagma square

Natalia loves the train and sings a train song all the time! It takes us 15 minutes tops to reach Syntagma square from where we live and these 15 minutes are play time too. We sing, we do silly faces and of course we tickle her.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Regardless of where in the world you live, if there is a metro or underground system in your town, take your kid for a ride! Show your kid the fun side of public transportation so that they become good travelers too. Make it into a game to avoid crying.

Natalia sometimes cries when we leave the metro but we then tell her when we are heading and she smiles!

Because next we are going to:

Play with the sand in the National’s garden playground (if it’s not raining/cold)

When you surface the metro, head on south towards the National Garden. A well loved green spot for the Athenians, you can have plenty of fun there. There is a small pond with ducks, a small zoo with lots of goats and bunnies and another small pond with turtles. While you teach your kid fun facts about these animals, hundredths of green parrots will fly above your heads.

Then, follow the signs to the playground and enter the kids’ happy zone! With a lot of different equipment this has something for every age. Swings and merry go rounds and a few teeter-totters will keep your kid plenty busy. Natalia loves the variety of the animal springers too.

By far her most loved pass time is to sit in the sandbox with her small bucket and shovel and play for hours on end! We take the opportunity to become kids with her too. I used to love to play with the sand as a kid.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Find a nice playground near you and take you kid there. Make sure to let them play with the sand and the soil, the rocks and the leaves. They need to be in comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirt on.

Or go the Hellenic Children Museum (if it’s raining or very cold)

Get out on the Evangelismos metro station and make a left on Rigillis street. You will find the building on the number 17-19 of Rigillis and Vasileos Georgiou street.

The museum features many educational programs for the kids and their parents too. We’ve been to some and they were very well organized. Natalia, loves to go there and play with other kids and learn too.

image source

Even if you don’t make an appointment for a specific program you can take your toddler in the special baby room filled with toys and soft furnishings. They will have a blast for sure!

For more information visit the museums website here. They also accept donations for completing their move into the new building, more info can be found here (scroll down for English).

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Find your town’s children museum and take a look at the programs they implement. Find out if your prefecture or a school in the area has anything similar.

After a couple of hours in either the playground or the museum we head on out. By then she (and probably your kid too) is tired and after giving her fruit and an egg she takes a nap in her stroller.

And that’s our chance to:

Have lunch at a nice restaurant

So we get out of the garden (or take the metro back to Syntagma square after the museum) and head west down Xenofontos street. Take a left to Nikis street and head on to number 23 to Makalo. This is where you can have some pretty amazing food while your kid naps.

And when she wakes, fret not! The place is kids and pets friendly. Lou, the cooks dog, is very well trained and will keep your kid entertained (for a minute or two, they are toddlers after all!).

Regardless, you can take turns eating or you can feed your kid his lunch too while you eat yours.

Enjoy freshly cut salads with haloumi cheese, perfectly cooked salmon with greens and one the best tasting schnitzels you’ll ever come across.

Do not miss the opportunity to try the soup and the pie of the day! They are mouthwatering!

The guys working there have a great knowledge of wines too, so you will be able to accompany your meal with a perfect beverage!

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Do some research on your local restaurants. I bet you’ll find some that are kid-friendly. And I am willing to bet you don’t have a smoking issue where you live!

One of the best parts of the day comes next, because it’s time to:

Indulge in a delicious ice cream

Turn right on Nikis street and then do a left on Mitropoleos street. You’ll soon find Le Greche gelato alta qualita under number 16. You will probably recognize it from the loads of people standing in line out of shop, looking to go in for a scoop (or three) of one of the most delicious ice creams in Athens.

Don’t go in there looking for cheap ice cream, you will not find any! Instead you’ll find ice cream made from natural and organic materials, gluten-free ice cream choices and gluten-free cones. They even have a black cone made with activated charcoal available- though I don’t know why you would want to eat such a thing if you haven’t been poisoned!

Be warned: The ice cream is delicious and it’s worth the price and the time you’ll spend in line. However, if you are sensitive in turns of service maybe this isn’t the place for you; the employees look overworked, tired and rarely smile.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Find a place that sells ice cream or the treat of your choice and doesn’t use powdered chemicals in it. If you are going to indulge you might as well do it as healthy as possible, right?

Take your cone and continue west down Mitropoleos street. After all this food and desert it’s time to burn off the calories with:

A long walk to Thiseio

You are now in the center of the historic old Athens and heading towards Monastiraki square. Don’t forget to pay your tribute to Eridanos river, looking down to see if it has any water streaming through. Kids love that kind of stuff!

Now you have so many choices to see and do. You can turn left and head towards Plaka and the Temple of the Winds, one of our favorite places. Take the opportunity to teach your kids about the different types of winds and try to locate them on the temple’s outside.

TIP: there are numerous informative signs along the way to help you!

Or, you can head towards Thiseio, through the winding streets filled with second hand bookstores and antiquaries. Don’t forget to take lots of photos the view of the Acropolis is great from there.

Once you reach Thiseio you can either go left towards Acropolis museum and walk a very nice pedestrian street that leads to another nice playground, or right towards the Gazi area with another nice pedestrian street. The kids can easily walk both ways but do mind the crowds and the occasional motorbike.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Scout out some kid friendly pedestrian streets in your town and play tourist. Your kids don’t know anything (yet) about their surroundings, why not be a guide for them and show them around?

After trotting around the streets of Athens, it’s finally time for:

An afternoon beer in the Lazy bulldog pub

You may find this surprising, bringing a toddler in a pub that is, but trust me it’s not! In Athens almost everyone disregards the no-smoking inside law so there aren’t many places to take your kid that are smoke free. The Lazy Bulldog pub is one of the few law abiding and client respecting places (as is Makalo mentioned above) a person can have a drink in Athens!

More than that, this is an authentic pub with a great variety of draft beers and a very helpful and warm staff. And don’t get me started on the food! It is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! I swear I’ve gained a couple of pounds since we’ve started going there. The club sandwiches are made with fresh bread and are huge, I love the cheeseburger and they do a mean stake! On special occasions they change the menu with special treats you don’t want to miss!

The place is kids friendly with kid high chairs and a couple of couches too. It’s not a rare sight seeing kids playing on the floor especially if you’re there early in the afternoon. It’s also not rare to see dogs in the pub too, extra points for being pet-friendly guys!

Natalia has made friends with everyone in the pub and she loves to play around there (we never let her alone and we are careful so that she’s not ruining anyone’s time).

YOU CAN DO IT TOO: Ask your friends with kids where are the best pubs to eat around there. They have to be kid-friendly too though so make sure to stress this part. Good news travel fast and parents need their fun too, so if you find the place spread the word!

After that it’s time to go home so we hop on the metro again. All in all a very full day which Natalia has grown very fond of!

So you see, if you are here on vacation or if you are staying in Athens for a few months and want to spend some quality time with your kids, there are many options. And this is just a few of them, more to follow!

What’s your favourite thing to do in your city with your kid?

Lots of love

21 comments

, by M. Akamatra

beauty

How to deal with dandruff the natural way and get to the root of the problem

Hello darlings!

Nick has it, I have had it from time to time and I bet many of you have it too! Dandruff is one of the most common hair issues around. To some people, it seems like you can’t take a step outdoors without those little bits of white falling from above. In most cases, dandruff isn’t readily noticeable, but once you have it, you don’t stop noticing it. You might start becoming less willing to take a step outside simply because you’re afraid everyone else will notice it. Well, it’s time to stop being afraid of dandruff. Get to the source of the issue and stamp it out for good as naturally as possible!

Confirm what you’re dealing with

First, you have to be aware that dry scalp and dandruff aren’t necessarily the same thing, even if they are both dealing with small pieces of dead skin that get stuck in and fall from your hair. They share some of the same characteristics, causes, and treatments, but there are sometimes specific medical issues behind dry scalp that can be better treated directly once you know what you’re dealing with. If you have any inflamed skin, itchiness or irritation, or larger pieces of residue falling from your head, you might need a dry scalp shampoo instead. Talk to your doctor or dermatologist to figure out what the exact situation is and you’re much more likely to find an exact cure, too.

Take a drink

Both dry skin and dandruff can be caused by dehydration. When our bodies don’t have enough water, it’s only natural that parts of us should start to get dryer, including our skin. Besides eating more fruit and veggies in order to get more water, you can also take steps to hydrate your hair directly. Hair masks and hair gels can not only hydrate but supplement your scalp with ingredients like vitamin A that can also help with other issues like hair loss. Moisturizing shampoo and deep conditions are essential steps to keeping the head hydrated as well. On the other hand, hair dryers and flat irons have been shown to dehydrate the hair as they dry them, so try drying naturally from now on.

Build better habits

There are a lot of little habits that can affect the health of your hair beyond of how you dry it, as well. The hair and the scalp are just as prone to overall health changes as the rest of our body. For instance, the use of birth control medication or other hormonal changes have been known to cause a lot of issues with our hair. Poor eating habits are another cause of dry scalp and dandruff. Even short-term habits like going to bed with wet hair or not washing your hair thoroughly have been shown to lead to more dandruff the next morning. Changing your diet, looking at alternative birth control options and going to bed with dry hair could make some difference in how much dandruff you encounter but do be aware there may be a more direct cause so it’s still worth treating directly, too.

It's about what you put in it

Everyone should be a little more skeptical of which hair and beauty products they use most regularly. Just as the right ingredients can help give our hair the nutrition it needs, the wrong ingredients can dehydrate, inflame, and otherwise bother the balance of our scalp. When choosing hair products, it’s worth knowing a few ingredients that can harm your hair and scalp. Parabens, alcohol and formaldehyde have all been shown to have negative effects and should be avoided at all costs. My personal rule of thumb is, if you don't use it on your baby, don't use it on yourself! Know what to avoid, as well as what to use with your hair.

Seasonal blues

A lot of people don’t like when the days start getting shorter, the weather colder, and the months darker. If you have dandruff or dry scalp, then you are probably going to hate winter more than anyone because it seems to be the season that exacerbates your issues the worst. Take extra special care of your hair in the colder months. The mix of harsh cold and then the intense heat often found indoors during winter can dehydrate your scalp even further. Take steps to lock in more moisture, such as scalp massages, hydrating hair masks, and hair lotions. Unfortunately, there’s no way to stop winter from happening so you simply have to mitigate its effects as best as possible instead.

Mind your head

Both dandruff and dry scalp are also shown to have some links to our mental and emotional health, as well. Stress and anxiety cause all sorts of physical changes. They’re not just in our head, they affect our hormones, with the stress hormone cortisol causing all kinds of physical issues, from back pain to extra dandruff. Beyond treating the physical condition, it’s worth taking a look at what might be stressing you out, as well. It might sound simplistic, but stress relief tools like meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga can do a lot of good not just for your head but for your hair, too.

Don’t overdo it

If you like to take care of your hair and ensure it always looks its best, then you might have a whole arsenal of tools and products to maintain its luster. But sometimes you can do a lot more harm than good with a thorough routine. Overstyling your hair can potentially cause problems. There are some oils in common products that can produce lipids, which feeds the yeast that can cause dandruff. Cut back on the mousses, the hair sprays, and styling gels until you have the dandruff problem under control. It may mean getting a little more creative with how you style yourself.

It’s important to always stay aware of the difference between dandruff and other types and causes of dry scalp. There are multiple causes and ways to treat each, so it can take a little time to find the steps that make the most effective change for you. But doing nothing about it isn’t going to help, so start by taking action and trying the most common remedies now.

Lots of love