"What Were They Thinking Thursday!!??" - Curb Appeal

With the new animated movie Knomeo & Juliet recently out, I imagine kids will be begging their parents for a little yard creature of their own to place out in the garden. Stay strong parents and just say no!

Today is all about the front yard. I don't know what these people are thinking! I'm sure you have that one house in your neighborhood that makes you cringe every time you drive by. For me, it's two houses down on the right and they have a big foot statue in their front yard! Now, it's not life-size or anything, but still very tacky.

Yikes, the gnomes are invading!

I don't understand why people think it looks good to plant flowers in an old clawfoot in the front yard. I think it just looks like it was too heavy to move off the property so you just left it there and tried to make it look pretty which really has about the same effect as putting a bow on top of a dirty toilet.

Flower "bed", you thought you were so clever when you did this didn't you?

Little door for the little gnome that roams your garden.

Just tacky

Seriously?

The loch ness monster has left the lake and inhabited your neighbors front yard.

Yes, because dolphins do live in the grass.

A little too patriotic.

The jungle in miniature for your enjoyment. Is that Mufasa?

Good vs. evil flamingos

Ok, so tacky lawn art isn't the only problem when it comes to curb appeal. Another problem is the landscaping. Yards that are overgrown look very uninviting and tell people that you don't maintain things very well.

That huge cedar needs to be trimmed down. Also, those shrubs are coming up and blocking some of the windows.

Approach if you dare...

Looks abandoned, a good way to keep salespeople away but not the homeless.

Beautiful flowers but very overgrown, you can't even see the house.

Very un-proportional.

Now, don't go to the other extreme and have a bare front yard:

Great house but where's the landscaping?

This house needs some shrubs around the front to add some life to the house. Looks bare.

Just a big mess. Needs some maintenance.

And now for the grand finale....the mail box!

Seriously, what were these people thinking!!??

Do you have that one tacky house in your neighborhood, or that house that you drive by on the way to work in the morning that hurts your eyes? Send me a picture of it and I'll post them! jessica_studiob@suddenlinkmail.com

~Jessica

Tubs vs. Showers

When it comes to the master bathroom, what do you prefer? A huge shower or a separate tub and shower? With the way that our lives have become so busy and rushed, most people don't pause to use their tubs anymore but just take a speedy shower and move on to the next task for the day. Bath tubs are becoming obsolete or being used for other things besides soaking.

A comfy reading nook

Ice Chest

I have even heard of people putting their cat litter boxes in the tub. So, do we really need bathtubs in Master baths anymore?

Personally, I love taking bubble baths. I probably take a couple a week. It's my way of relaxing and having some quiet time to just stop and rest for a while. However, if I had a tiny bathroom with a tub/shower combo I would probably prefer to rip it out and just put in a big shower.

What about you? Do you prefer an ok shower with a separate tub or just a big shower? Well, let's take a look at some pictures to get an idea of what it looks like.

This is a pretty typical bath layout. Would you remove the tub and just build a huge shower?

In this case I think I would prefer just one large shower over the two because that shower is tiny!

This bathroom is so pretty but it is small. Would you keep the clawfoot or swap it out for a mega shower? By the way, that antique mantle is fabulous!

Check out this crazy shower! I am thinking the tub needs to go and just put in a real shower.

Fabulous bathroom, but no shower. Could you live with this?

Yikes! Definitely needs a different bathing solution.

Shower only bathrooms:

This is really nice. Instead of having the typical tub/shower combo they put in this fabulous shower. If the kids are grown then you really don't need a tub but you do need to think about how this will affect resell.

One new trend that hasn't quite caught on yet is having a large glass enclosure with the tub and shower in the room.

What do you think? I think it's a cool idea and looks good but there are some logistical considerations, one being cleaning. I can just see mildew growing behind that tub and it being a pain to get behind and clean. Also, what if one person wants to take a relaxing bath and the other needs to take a shower.

This is cool, the tub and shower are both enclosed in glass but separately.

This is a very open shower and tub area. Beautiful but I would be concerned that with having the shower so open you wouldn't get enough steam to keep you warm. Would probably need a really good heat lamp above.

This is really interesting. I really like the way the mirrors are floating and the vanities are across from each other.

Because I am so obsessed with taking baths, I wanted to share some really cool tubs with you.

Love this old world stone tub. I would feel like I was in a castle!

Love this look, especially with all the trim painted black. But there is no shower in this bathroom. Is it worth it?

I absolutely love this! I would love a fireplace in my bathroom and the way this one is done just looks fabulous! I think I could settle for no shower with this bathroom!

Very nice! I love how clean and simple this is.

I love the old stone wall. But would you have rather had just a large shower instead of that small one?

Now this is an awesome tub! You feel like you are lounging by the pool. Complete with reading lamp.

I love this bathroom! Very much my style.

I like the look of a free standing tub instead of a built-in

Now let's take a look at some fabulous showers:

This shower is huge! It could a lot of people but hopefully it's just built for two. This might be too big for a shower, that would be a lot of glass to clean!

Love this shower and check out that long slot drain.

So, if you do decide to lose that old bath tub and replace with a large shower, you can do this with your old tub:

Ok what's the verdict? What do you prefer, fabulous shower or separate tub and shower? For me, it depends on the size of the room. If the shower is just tiny then I say lose the tub and build a bigger shower. That's so hard for me to say though because I love my bubble baths, but with a husband who is 6' 5" 230 lbs having a shower that he can actually fit in is important!

~Jessica