Decorate to the max

If there is a year to go big on decorations, this is it. Build anticipation and excitement by decorating your home. Place pumpkins around the house and on the porch, hang black, orange, and white lights. The sky’s the limit! Here are some cool DIY ideas that you can create as a family. 

Have a spooky movie marathon

Pop some popcorn, gather your favorite treats, and settle in for a Halloween-themed movie marathon. From “Hocus Pocus” to “Halloween,” there are plenty of options appropriate for every member of the family. Start with family-friendly Halloween movies and switch to scarier options once the kids go to bed. 

Host a virtual Halloween party

Invite your friends and family to a virtual Halloween party. Throw on a costume, grab some snacks, and put on some music. You can set a theme for the costumes and hold a costume fashion-show, carve pumpkins, and share scary stories. 

Halloween candy hunt

Think Easter egg hunt but with Halloween candy! Decorate your front yard for Halloween and hide prizes and candy around the decorations. Let your kids run around collecting whatever they can find.  

Make some spooky eats and treats

Brew up some Halloween snacks and desserts! Order Halloween-themed meals from local restaurants or make your own scary-themed meal like eyeball pasta (spaghetti and meatballs), or ghost pizza bagels, black bean pumpkin soup, spiderweb cake, or jack-o’-lantern Rice Krispie treats. Here’s a great resource to plan your spooky meal from drinks to dessert! 

We may be living in uncertain times, but that doesn’t mean celebrations are completely on hold. With a little bit of creative thinking, you can create new and fun ways to celebrate Halloween and maybe even create some new traditions along the way.

However you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a fun and safe Halloween weekend.

Schedule your move

If you’re moving during a peak season, like the summer, securing a moving truck or company can be difficult. Once you secure your moving date, you can better plan the rest of your move.

Start packing early

Waiting for the last minute to start packing only increases your stress levels and the likelihood of forgetting something. It’s common to underestimate the time it takes to pack. Once you’ve scheduled your moving date, use that to reverse-engineer your packing timeline. Start with packing items you don’t regularly use, like holiday or seasonal décor, artwork, framed photos, books, and the like.

Clean and declutter

Moving is a great motivator to declutter and purge your belongings. There are a lot of things in our homes that have been forgotten about in storage over the years. As you pack, take stock of your belongings and purge everything you no longer need or use to sell, donate, or give away before you move.

Label everything

Label each side of the box (not just the top) so you can quickly identify where the box should be placed. You can also use colored stickers to designate each room, such as orange for the kitchen, green for the master bathroom. Be sure to place a matching sticker on the corresponding room door. Placing boxes in the room they belong too will make unpacking a breeze.

Pack an essentials box

Fill a box with everything you’ll need for a couple of days after the big move to get you through so you don’t have to rush to unpack everything. Bring along cleaning supplies, toilet paper, clean sheets and bedding, bath towels and toiletries, and extra clothes.

Delay deliveries

If you’ve purchased furniture for your new home, avoid the temptation to have them delivered the same day as your move. Instead, schedule them either shortly before or shortly after moving in so you can fully focus on the movers.

Find a sitter

If you’re able, find a sitter to watch younger children or pets. You’ll appreciate being able to fully focus on managing the move and movers without worrying about keeping an eye out for young kids or pets. Getting them away from the chaos of moving day will help make their transition to a new home easier.

These tips can help make your transition into your new home manageable.

Southern Homes builds new single-family homes throughout Polk County. We’re dedicated to building quality new homes of superior design. We’re here for you and excited to help you find your new home.

Add some soft lighting

The right lighting can turn a cold and sterile room into a comforting and inviting one. Instead of relying on your overhead lighting, layer additional warm-toned task lights, table and floor lamps, and ambient lighting to create a softer glow during the evenings.

Include extra throws and pillows

What’s cozier than a comfy pillow or throw blanket? Throw pillows and blankets are a popular and easy way to make any room cozier (and add some color without the expensive commitment like paint). Add in a few extra pillows and drape a throw blanket over a chair to amp up the coziness factor in your space.

Layer rugs

Layering rugs instantly makes a room feel warmer and cozier. They help soften and ground a room; instead of a cavernous living room, adding a few well-placed rugs will insulate and soften a room.

Decorate with flowers and plants

Plants and flowers make any room feel welcoming by bringing life into a space. They’re a quick trick for brightening a room. Be sure to choose plants that will thrive with the amount of sunlight in a given room. If live plants aren’t your strong point, use dried or artificial greenery instead.

Display family photos

Displaying family photos will make your house feel homey. From gallery walls to scattering smaller pictures around the home, there are lots of ways to make your family house feel more like home.

Take advantage of the power of scent

Scents and aromas can affect our mood, memory, and even creativity. If you ever had a childhood memory triggered after smelling a specific fragrance, you’ll understand how powerful they are! Use this to your advantage by using pleasant scents that evoke happy memories or feelings. Fragrant flowers, scented candles or essential oils, or even DIY potpourri are great options.

Having a cozy home makes it possible for you to have space to retreat to and refresh in. These tips will help you create a cozy space your family and guests will enjoy.

Create a pet nook

Just like everyone has their own bedroom, your pet also needs a dedicated space to relax. This allows them a quiet space of their own where they can go to unwind after a day of interacting with the family.  It can be as simple as a pet bed in the corner of your bedroom or a crate in another part of the house.  

Choose pet-friendly floors

You’ll want to choose a durable, scratch-resistant material like ceramic tile or laminate. These floors are much easier to clean and maintain. You can warm up the floor with area rugs. If you prefer carpet, look for a low-pile carpet that reduces the chances of the fibers catching in their nails. Just be mindful that carpet does take more work to clean and maintain since allergens tend to get caught in the fibers.

Be mindful of your décor

When it comes to choosing colors, use your pet’s fur as inspiration. Choose colors that are close to your pet’s fur so the hair they’ll inevitably leave behind won’t be as visible. Likewise, you’ll want to choose furniture with stain-resistant fabrics to make cleaning and upkeep easy. Keep small decorative pieces out of reach of your pets and make sure you choose pet-friendly plants.

Choose mess-free toys

It’s important to give your pet toys to keep them entertained and keep them from destroying your furniture. However, not all toys are created equally! Choose toys that won’t make a mess, like the rubber chew toys or durable fabric toys. While some dogs love rawhide bones, chew toys like those leave greasy stains on the floor and furniture. While most veterinarians don’t recommend giving your pets these types of chew toys, if you do, save those for outside. For your cats, provide scratching posts, smaller toys they can play with by themselves, and elevated places they can sit (a cat tree or cat shelves are great options).

Fence them in

Good fences make good neighbors but they also keep your pets safe. If your pet spends any time outside, you’ll want to make sure you have a sturdy fence around your yard. This keeps them safe from running out into the street and keeping other strange animals out.

These small touches will turn your home into a pet-friendly home your furry family member will be safe and happy in. Every member of your family will love living in a Southern Home, even the furry ones. Visit us online at MySouthernHome.com to learn more about our new homes throughout Polk County.

Cook a romantic dinner

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest nights for restaurants. Skip the long wait times by having a romantic dinner at home. If you love to cook, have fun recreating your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant. Or you can order take out from your favorite restaurant and re-plate the food on your own plates.

You can even turn this into a picnic in the living room by the fireplace or by candlelight (opt for LED candles, so you don’t even have to worry about accidentally knocking over a candle!). Lay a blanket and some pillows and settle in for a cozy meal.

Make a spa night

Treat yourself without leaving home with a DIY spa night. Clear out any clutter in the bathroom, dim the lights or light some candles, and play some soothing music. For an extra special touch of luxury, serve champagne or sparkling wine or cider. Draw a bubble bath or steamy shower, take turns giving each other a massage, or grab some foot scrub, lotion, or face masks and relax and unwind together.

Host a pajama and movie night

Put on your pajamas, grab some popcorn and drinks, and watch your favorite movies or maybe something new.

Dance the night away

Once dinner is over, move aside some furniture and turn your living room into a dance floor. Cue up some music and dance the night away. You can slow dance to slow jams, or learn some traditional dance steps like the Salsa, or freestyle to your favorite music.

Host a game night

Playing games aren’t just for kids. Gather your favorite board games, deck of cards, or even video games and have a night of friendly competition. You can also create a scavenger hunt around the house to a special gift or treat.

Whatever you decide to do in celebration of Valentine’s Day this year, the best thing to do is remember why you fell in love with your partner and let them know. At Southern Homes, we hope you have a happy Valentine’s Day filled with plenty of love.

Plan your layout: Before you start moving your furniture, look over your space and consider how the room will function: what’s the main purpose? will it host lots of guests? Is it a personal space? How will foot traffic need to flow through the room? Answering these questions will help you decide which types of furniture will work best.

Choose a focal point: Pick a focal point in the room, whether it’ll be where the television will be, a fireplace or a large window, and arrange your furniture around the room. Remember to plan for and guide foot traffic around the furniture.

Scale your furniture: Most people assume that smaller furniture works better in an equally small room, however, many interior designers recommend choosing one large statement piece (a sofa or bed) and then filling the space with smaller pieces (chairs, nightstands, etc.). This method allows you to furnish a room without looking cluttered will multiple smaller pieces. Be sure the furniture does not block walkways or natural light. To help cut down on the number of furniture pieces, consider multifunctional pieces that can fit an additional need or provide extra hidden storage.

Play with angles: Conventional wisdom is to push the furniture against the wall to create space but floating your furniture a few inches in front of the wall is a better use of space! Placing your furniture just a few inches away from the wall can help make the room look more open. Also experiment with angles and arrange some of your furniture diagonally.

Paint with lighter colors: Darker colors can make a room appear smaller because they absorb light instead of reflecting it. That’s why it’s better to stick to lighter colors like white, pale grays and blues, to create a light, airy feeling.

Reflect the room: Want a quick way to make a room appear larger? Strategically place a mirror opposite a window to reflect the light and the view, which will trick the eye into believing the room is larger.

Light it up: Don’t rely on just the overhead lights to light your room. Spread the light around the room with the use of several smaller lamps. This will draw the eyes around to the different spaces of the room as light fills more dark areas.