2013 Home Decor: Spruce up that Front Door

While we often make many resolutions when the New Year comes around that we hope will positively affect our personal lives and relationships, we may not always think of home decor resolutions. At Bel Furniture, we're always coming up with new ways to make the spaces in our homes reflect our unique personalities, while fulfilling the practical needs of day-to-day living at the same time.

An often overlooked part of our homes is the front door. We're determined to give this space (including the entire porch if it applies to you) a face lift that will make knocking on the door or ringing the door bell an adventure for families, friends, and visitors, letting them know who you are and what you're about right away. Below, we've compiled a few do-it-yourself ideas that can be easily implemented. You can even involved the whole family!

1. Old School Chalk Board

Hang a mini chalk board from your front door and you may just come home to surprising messages left by friends and family. "Mom, we need more cookies!" Or, "Stopped by to drop off tomato seeds. Call me! - Anne." This can easily be made out of a small piece of slate, available at many home improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot, a sturdy piece of twine, and chalk. To cut the hole in the piece of slate, you may need to bake a drill-owning friend some cookies.

2. Don't Eat our Front Porch Garden

Ideal for homes that get a lot of porch sunlight, this second DIY tip is green-friendly and totally edible. Customize your front porch for 2013 by planting herbs and other greens that you can literally transfer from porch to table. It's been proven that having plants around is calming! In case you forget which plant is which, you can easily make labels out of old wine corks. Shop for your front porch plants at local farmer's markets, home improvement stores, and local garden shops.

3. A Door Mat you can be Proud of

Adding a door mat to your porch or in front of your apartment door is an added touch that certainly won't go unnoticed by guests - especially when it rains. While it has been admittedly much dryer in Houston the past couple years, it does still rain. With that rain comes great cleaning responsibility and mud. Give your guests something fun to wipe their feet on by customizing a wooden door mat. The kids can definitely help with this project by giving each segment of the mat a paint job.

4. Wonderful Wreaths

At Bel Furniture, we love a huge welcome, and what better way to welcome your guests than a beautiful wreath hanging on your front door? The option we found above even includes the address number of the house, fresh flowers, and a decorative bow. To start off, we recommend buying a plain wreath made of sticks and then customizing it yourself. If you decide to go with the fresh flowers look, you'll have to be sure to replace them when they wilt. Fake flower arrangements, however, are a good option, too.

Check back here for more DIY tips for the home. We'd love for you to give us ideas for more 2013 home inspiration below or by commenting on our Facebook page.

Surprising Santa Desserts

We see more decorations during Christmas than any other holiday in the year, but every year, there are so many new, cute ideas that it's hard to catch up!  Luckily, we also have some holiday downtime to do just that.  Here are some adorable dessert ideas we've pinned to our Pinterest boards.  Share them with your kids.  They're easy!

Take some Strawberry Santa Caps to the school holiday party and everyone will turn pink-cheeked and jolly.  Our try some surprising strawberry Christmas Tree treats and have everyone saying "O, Tenenbaum!

KRBE 104.1 Radio and Bel's Last Chance Winner

We are so excited to share the success of our partnership with KRBE Radio's "Christmas Wish" as a part of the Roula & Ryan Show tradition. These charismatic radio personalities have been  sponsoring the charity event for nearly 20 years, asking folks from the Houston Metropolitan area to send KRBE 104.1 a letter (snail mail or online) nominating a deserving individual or family that really needs financial help during the holiday season. While we did partner with KRBE last year, we've beefed up our role this year to include hosting an Awards Breakfast at our Sugarland location in honor of the recipients and their families. Each winner will receive a check for $1,004, courtesy of KRBE and the Bel family.

We encourage all of our friends, family, customers, and KRBE loyal listeners to tune in to 104.1 the morning of the Awards Breakfast, December 19th, because "Special K" from the Roula & Ryan Show will be broadcasting live and accepting call-ins starting around 8 AM. The feasting will be underway by 9 AM and Bel President, Sid Mollai, will be presenting each "Christmas Wish" recipient with a Memory Foam Pillow. We want everything about the holidays to be comfortable and joyful for all the deserving families. After this lovely Awards Breakfast, there will still be time to submit letters nominating a Last Chance Winner, to be chosen by Bel Furniture.

“Partnering with The Roula & Ryan Show of KRBE has been a pleasure for all of us at Bel.  The letters are wonderful reminders to us that people really do care about their community, and we can’t wait to read the ones that come in as we get closer and closer to our Awards Breakfast,” says our Bel Furniture President, Sid Mollai.

The last day to send Bel a letter using their online form OR submit a letter to the drop-box at any Bel store location is December 20th at 10 PM.

We can't wait to meet all the individuals and families who have been chosen and are looking forward to learning more about them. If you have a friend or family member (who does not live in your household) that you think deserves a little help this year from Bel and Roula & Ryan, we encourage you to send us a letter. To see the official rules of the "Christmas Wish," click the hyperlink. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and choose, "Official Contest Rules." We look forward to sharing the success of the Awards Breakfast soon. Have a wonderful weekend!

Photographic Memories

Photos are already decorative, but you can display them in cute, unexpected ways all over your home!

I mean, you probably have tons of photos of family moments stored away in your computer.  Why not make those photos into coasters, or light them up for a festive living room display?  Here are instructions for making your own easy DIY photo displays:

Photo Coasters

You can get everything you need at a craft store:

Ceramic Tiles

Mod Podge

Clear Acrylic High Gloss Coating Spray
High Gloss Photo Paper

Apply Mod Podge to the top of a ceramic tile.  Place the photo on top of it, making sure it's well-centered.  Apply more Mod Podge on top of the photo in even strips so the final product is smooth.  Let it dry, then coat the ceramic tile in High Gloss Coating Spray in a ventilated area.  Let dry and use all the time!

DIY Light-up Photos

You will need:

Fine Scissors

A battery-operated tea light

Sticky Tape

X-Acto knife
Cutting Mat

Cut out your photos so that you can only see a cityscape or the edge of some mountains with fine scissors and then finely cut with an X-Acto knife.  Roll the photo into a bottle shape and place the tea light inside.  Then light up the night!  

See complete instructions here.

Follow us on Pinterest for more DIY ideas and crafty projects to decorate your home. 

Cute Wall Photo Decor

When it comes to decorating your house, it's nice to add a personal touch. Sure, the furniture your personal stamp is on every piece of furniture you buy, but your decor can reflect your family's personality in a bigger way--with memories.  Wall photos are a great way to show off your loved ones, but it's easy to make a wall display too messy for anyone to want to look at.  Arranging wall photos in new, original ways will have your guest "ooh"ing and "aah"ing at every baby photo.

Try some of these ideas:  

If your style is more natural and outdoorsy, cut out wood pallets and make them into display shelves. It looks really organic and original. 

If you're more of a modern, tidy person, try out this beautiful display with inspiring words and messages. 

Another cute idea is to make your photos into square pictures, like Polaroids or Instagrams.  Just place them next to each other and make a big collage, making sure to vary your colors so there's plenty variation. You can even play around with these and organize them chronologically or by family member. Get creative and have fun with the project with your whole family!

What's Under Your Stairs?

When you've been living in the same house for a long time, things start to pile up with stuff you just can't seem to get rid of because there are memories there, right?  We all want space for our little extra treasures.

Some of us are lucky enough to have a closet in that space, and some home-builders are smart enough to include that space as storage compartment; but when they don’t, that space is wasted! The truth is, it’s not only useful, but also decorative to make your stairs into a not-so-secret hiding place.  Here are a few ideas for what to do with it.

You can make your stairs into a bookshelf, a kids' play area, a wine cellar, a reading nook, or even a hideaway entertainment center.  This is a space the whole family will love.  Follow us on Pinterest for more useful ideas to organize and decorate you home. 

We’re teaming up with Roula & Ryan for KRBE 104.1’s “Christmas Wish”

Each year, we strive to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season by giving back to the communities that support us. We know that many families and individuals simply do not have the financial means to make ends meet, which is why we are partnering with Roula & Ryan this year. With our large customer base and KRBE’s millions of listeners, we hope to make a meaningful impact on the lives of seven people.

When we sponsored KRBE 104.1’s “Christmas Wish” last year, we were so moved by the letters Roula & Ryan received that we decided to take a more active role by partnering with the charismatic duo again. This time, not only are we contributing to the $1,004 that will be awarded to seven deserving families or individuals, but we will also provide a special page on our website where visitors can nominate people and compose letters, describing the nominees’ struggles and why they deserve a little help this holiday season. We also encourage our customers and fans to submit their nominating letters at any BelFurniture store location, where drop-off boxes will be available until December 24, 2012.

Official rules for Roula & Ryan’s “Christmas Wish” can be found here, http://104krbe.listenernetwork.com/Contest/UYLCVt, under Official Contest Rules at the bottom of the page.

We urge all of our wonderful customers to consider writing a letter and submit it to our website or to any of our store locations. A total of seven winners will be chosen: 5 winners will be announced by Roula & Ryan live on air beginning the week of December 10^th, 1 winner will be chosen online and notified by December 17^th, and the final winner will be chosen at one of our store locations and contacted on or before January 3, 2013.

Stay tuned to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter to learn about the chosen winners and updated information. From everyone at the Bel team, we wish you the warmest holidays surrounded by loved ones.    

Write It On The Wall

 Inspiring sayings can lift our spirits, but we don't always see them wherever we go!  A great way to stay on track and remember the positive things in life is to put your favorite inspiration quotes on a wall in your home, so you can wake up feeling refreshed and go to sleep feeling peaceful every day.

Inspiring messages also look beautiful and unique in your home, especially when well-placed.  Try putting a quote in your kitchen, or one by your favorite reading nook.  

For book lovers and language enthusiasts, quotes are always a reason to smile.  But quotes are also great for kids.  Whether you buy pre-made wall decals or paint your walls on your own, you can have your kids join in on the fun.  Have them help you choose a favorite quote and you'll always remember that moment you had together.  

Bel Cares

Bel Furniture provides excellent care to customers, but also aspires to improve the lives of those in need. By giving back to the public, the Bel Furniture family extends its founding principles of people-centered service beyond the store.

Bel Furniture is a proud supporter of Pathway of Del Rio, an orphanage that shelters abandoned children from both sides of the Mexican and U.S. border.  In fact, Bel very recently delivered new beds, mattresses, and furniture for the children.  Additionally, Bel gives back to the community by participating in “The 12 Days of Believing,” during which time they partner with other organizations to provide families in need with new home furnishings.  The Bel family of employees strives to assist our greater Houston community throughout the year.  “Just as we pride ourselves in investing in our employees and customers, we also pride ourselves in giving back to the larger Houston community,” says Bel Furniture President, Sid Mollai.

Bel has supported: The Furniture Bank, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Houston, the Houston Zoo, Family Services of Greater Houston, the Salvation Army and the Greater Houston Area American Red Cross.

Colorful Crayon Art

Melted crayon crafts are fun and easy to make.  It's an amazing project to do with your kids or just with yourself on a Saturday afternoon when you're feeling creative.

First, select an image you'd like to silhouette.  It's a good idea to pick something that's in profile, like the zoo animals or the couple pictured below. Use an X-acto knife to cut out the image using black paper.  Place the image on a white background so you'll be able to make the crayon colors the focus of the picture.  Glue the image to the bottom half of the white background and let it dry.  Lay the picture on the ground over newspapers.  Set your crayons right above the picture, and using a blow-dryer, melt the crayons toward the picture.  Once a good amount of the crayon is melted, stand the picture upright so the colors drip.  Voila!

These look beautiful in children’s rooms or in an office.  Send us your picture through Facebook when you're done and we may feature it on our page!  

Family-friendly Halloween Costumes

We posted a little while ago about some great ideas we found on Pinterest to make your kids costume. Be sure to follow us on Pinterest for all kinds of tips and ideas!  It’s really hard to come up with ideas or attempt to make costumes ourselves. But with the right idea, Halloween can be simple and fun.

Let’s start with movie themes.  It's easy to look like Mary Poppins with a long blouse and felt hat from the thrift store.  You can also look like Bert--just paint that old broomstick black and find a newsboy cap.  To be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, all you need is a blue dress and a picnic basket (and maybe a stuffed animal). 

You can also try looking like you just popped out of your favorite book.  Haven't you always wanted to be Harry Potter, and isn't Smeagol from Lord of the Rings a great choice if you want to go scary for the Halloween party?  Game of Thrones is a popular pick this year.  If you already look a little like a character from a kids' book, why not go as Where's Waldo?  We have to admit, people will probably be able to spot you right away.

Happy Tricks, Healthy Treats

It’s almost time for trick-or-treating, which means it’s time to buy goodies.  Parents want their kids to have a great time on Halloween, but they also don't want them to eat too much candy!  We have your solution--just buy fun favors and healthy Halloween snacks for your trick-or-treaters and make everyone happy.



Happy Tricks:

Stickers
Temporary tattoos
Mini-playing cards
Bubbles
Sidewalk Chalk
Tiny notepads
Mini crayon boxes



Healthy Treats:


Pretzel bags
Microwave popcorn
Whole grain peanut butter cookies
Granola cookies or bars
Crunchy cinnamon apple chips
Organic tiny fruits (Little Duck)

DIY Kid Costumes

There's no time that's better for getting creative than Halloween.  And if you have a kid at home, you know how much fun it is to see him or her dressed up and excited for Trick-or-treating.

Here are some great ideas for making sure your kid's costume wows the crowd:

Your little girl is as sweet as a chocolate chip cookie, even when it isn't Halloween.  You can save her costume and use it as a cushion for her tea table chair!

Popcorn anyone?

Disney's UP makes everyone want to soar.  This costume takes some work, but it looks like it's worth the effort.  

Who doesn't love candy corn?  This dress is easy to make and you can find out how HERE.

To further celebrate Halloween, Bel will have a Haunted House for kids at our Sugarland store on October 27th! Come with your little ones in their pretty costumes so they can get a complementary picture from a professional photographer at Bel Furniture. We are so excited to see their cool costumes!

Bel Halloween Décor

We've compiled 6 great Halloween decoration ideas!

Halloween is the one holiday when you just get to have fun. Dressing up and filling up with candy is only part of that fun, however. Just like Christmas, you can get the family to get together or host a party for you and your friends. Whatever the case, we found some very creative ideas on Pinterest that we would love to share. These will surely inspire you to host a party if you weren't planning on it. 

1. PUMPKIN ICE BUCKET: Just fill a big, cleaned out hollow pumpkin with ice and get the party started!

2. PUMPKIN CANDLE HOLDERS: Use miniature pumpkins and pipe cleaners to make these cute candle holders.

3. SPIDER ICE: Freeze clean, plastic spiders in your ice trays for a very spooky effect on your drinks.

4. PUMPKIN VEGGIE TRAY: Arrange your carrots and dip in this cool pumpkin shaped platter that will impress your guests.

5. MICE & MINI PUMPKIN DÉCOR: Use mice (and mouse holes) removable silhouettes paired with miniature pumpkins and candles to make your house look eerie and awesome.

6. PUMPKIN-FACE DRINK: Use black electrical tape to cut out a jack-o-lantern style face and use on wine glasses with orange drinks.

So many great ideas to be found! Halloween is just around the corner and we should make it as fun as possible. Follow us on Pinterest for more home décor tips. Do you have any great ideas or decorating tips? Have you found any you would like to share?  Comment with your own tips and ideas and we might post about it!

Authentic American Architecture: Louis Sullivan

Frank Lloyd Wright’s imaginatively grand and organic architectural structures continue to captivate modern viewers today. Like every great artist, there exists behind him or her, a great teacher and fountain from which innovative ideas spring forth. For Wright, Louis Sullivan was not only that inspiration, but artistic spring board for his later architectural accomplishments that changed the landscape of American architecture.

Louis Sullivan is often hailed as America’s first truly modern architect for having left behind the standard imitation of historical styles for his own unique forms and architectural details. Coming out of the Chicago School or architecture, where some of his famous buildings still stand today, Sullivan revolutionized the design of tall (versus wide) buildings by creating unity and emphasizing the power of the vertical rise, pioneering the way for the advent of the “skyscraper.” Sullivan was no longer interested in basic functionality, and instead chose to focus on the idea that the exterior of any building should not only reflect its interior function, but interior environment and spirit as well. He believed that architectural ornament should be derived from the natural world, because therein, lay the apex of beauty.

An architectural return to nature was not just unique to Sullivan, but a characteristic of the Art Nouveau movement, prominent from 1890 until 1914, during which time painters, architects, and sculptors alike rebelled against classical and formal approaches to design. Art Nouveau buildings typically featured many arches and curved forms that mimicked nature, asymmetrical shapes, mosaics, plant-like embellishments, and mosaics.

Louis Sullivan imbued upon Art Nouveau his own spin: terra cotta. Sullivan’s masonry walls often featured terra cotta designs, which he preferred for its light weight and close appearance to that of stone. It has been said that it was his favorite building material as he often used the terra cotta as a canvas for intertwining vines, leaves, and geometric shapes.

The economic depression of the 1920s and the changing public aesthetic caused Sullivan’s work to fall out of favor and demand. Many of his beautiful buildings fell into disrepair or were demolished a few decades later. There are a few, however, that remain standing today as symbols of authentic American architecture. The Bayard Building, for example, is still erect in New York City with its light industrial structure and open-floor areas. St. Louis’s famous Wainwright Building stands proudly as one of Sullivan’s first steel-framed building designs with a one-of-a-kind façade. And finally, the Guaranty Building in Buffalo, NY, is a testament to his architectural and aesthetic adaptability, looming as one of the first steel-supported and curtain-walled office building in the world featuring Sullivan’s delicate and trademark terra cotta designs. Without Sullivan, the modern skyscraper may have looked quite different. 

Famous Furnishings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The landscape of American furniture design has a rich history dating back to the Colonial period.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art is honoring that tradition and spirit of American design in its exhibit called, “American Decorative Arts.”  We are simply amazed by their extensive collection, which can be viewed on the Museum’s website if one cannot make it to New York.  Their fantastic exhibit is broken into various periods that reflect Baroque, Rococo, and Gothic Revival influences in America.   

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, between 1730 and 1790, American furniture design was heavily influenced by Baroque and Rococo styles of Europe. Both emphasize sweeping curves and exuberance.   Speaking of curves, Boston was actually the first Colonial city to implement the “S” curve in chair backs.  The “S” allowed the seated person to enjoy a shape that conformed comfortably to their spine, which experts believe reflected a growing American concern for comfort during this time. The most popular wood for furniture making then was black walnut, which was transported from Virginia and Pennsylvania to New England and the rest of the Mid Atlantic.  When it came to comfort, the “S” shape was not enough to satiate the public’s desire for relaxation and leisure.  Cabinetmakers started designing specialized furniture forms, like tables for card playing and entertaining guests with tea.  Many of these tables were bold, resting on dramatic claw feet.

The Rococo styles of the 18^th century were also known for their break from classical order and symmetry.  Designers sought to emphasize natural forms and lines with curves, carvings, engravings, and by incorporating natural materials into furnishings.  The Rococo style really took hold in seaport cities, where designers were inspired by engraved designs in pattern books and other imported objects from Europe.  By the 1780s, however, the exuberant styles of this period were already giving way to more classical forms that had come before. 

“American Revival Styles” is another featured period at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, covering the years between 1840 and 1846, during which time Romanticism motivated furniture designers to return to simpler ways of the past.  Styles adapted from ancient Greece and Rome became popular, especially for suburban houses.  For drawing rooms or parlors, furnishings based on elegant French models were in high demand.  Gothic Revival-style furniture, however, a branch of the Revival period, was a must for home libraries and even dining rooms.  

We are excited to be participating in such a richly steeped American tradition.  Come to any of our store locations to see if you can spot hints of the aforementioned traditions in our furniture selections.  We look forward to helping you add style to your home furnishings.