HomeZada

We were sent an email from the folks at HomeZada and asked to try out their online solution to help manage the home. Man, could I use some home management help! I'm not a very organized person, and I don't spend alot of time in the planning stage of projects. So this site rocks for someone like me. It does all sorts of cool things to help make your life easier.  The main features are tracking and maintaining a home inventory (an account of your possessions and household fixed assets), tracking maintenance about your home and then alerts the homeowner when these maintenance activities need to get done, managing home improvement projects from wish list inception to tracking shopping purchases, to managing the overall project budget or managing multiple projects over time and finally tracking all the finances associated with your home. So it pretty much covers all bases. 

Here is what the main dashboard looks like:

(I like the snooze option - LOL)

This is a sample of the Finances dashboard:

I am a fan of graphs. I like visuals. Graphs are your friend. 

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Christmas gift ideas from Freedom

When I was asked to put together a Christmas gift guide by Freedom I wanted to do something a little different. Sure there are lots of great gifts in store for "him" and "her" and "me" but I wanted a challenge. I wanted to tackle the dreaded Work Secret Santa. I hate the Work Secret Santa. I always end up with out of date shortbread or a box of pens nicked from the stationery cupboard. Check out my suggestions from Freedom. All under $25 and starting as low as $6.95.

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My second collection is for the family member who has flown the nest this year. It's so exciting setting up a new home of your own but when you're just starting out all the money goes on the boring basics. Time for a little something extra, something to layer on the personality, something that's not secondhand from mum and dad.  And that something special doesn't have to be expensive just fabulous and fun. Thanks Freedom for the chance to put these guides together and family, if you want to know what to buy me... hint hint hint!

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This is a sponsored post in partnership with Freedom.

Affordable art from Arte Limited

It's the final piece of jewelry for a room. The last layer that brings a space to life. It's an expression of who we are and what we love. It's the art we put on our walls and one of the most common questions I get asked by friends and readers is "Where do I get affordable art for my walls?"

Arte Limited is an Italian gallery that sells exclusive art prints, photographs and contemporary art at an affordable price.

"All our art is created by the artists we represent. Our artists are credited and own the copyright to their own works. On behalf of our artists we sell their works printed in limited editions that we produce in-house."

So when Arte Limited approached us to review their prints Kim and I jumped at the chance. We loved what we saw on the website. So much so it was difficult to choose which works we wanted. Decisions made, the prints were sent swiftly and safely to our doors. It was love at first sight when I opened the mailing tube. You'll have to wait to see what we chose. Our art prints are at the framers. I'll just say that Kim went down the black and white illustration route and I fell for some super colourful photography. I'll be sure to pop up pictures when they are up on my walls. 

This post is in partnership with Arte Limited.

Christmas with Freedom

Anyone else out there with no Christmas mojo? I'm at a loss this year when it comes to how and what and why bother. Thank goodness for Freedom who have come up with the cutest little videos to help and inspire! Lisa Tilse, designer, crafter, and maker from the red thread has gift wrapping nailed with simple and stylish solutions. I'm already folding gift bags for presents I haven't even bought yet. Lisa you are so clever!

Stylist Eliza Ashe shows us how to set two simple but super Christmas tables after the jump. I'm loving the coastal theme, just perfect for an Aussie Christmas.

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Introducing Oneflare Scrapbooks – the Pinterest for Home Design!

Oneflare.com has just launched an Australian-first design inspiration tool called Oneflare Scrapbooks, to help Aussies design and build their perfect home. It’s an exciting new tool that helps people find and collect inspiring photos of their favourite home design, ideas and improvements.

To celebrate the launch, Oneflare are giving away 12 iPad Airs valued at $598 plus a $200 Oneflare voucher that can be spent on any of the hundreds of services through oneflare.com. A cleaner, a removalist, a gardener or even an interior designer – the list goes on!

Enter the draw, simply visit Oneflare Scrapbooks here, and click on your favourite image, share it on Facebook and tell us in 25 words or less why you like the image! Don’t forget to also ‘like’ the Oneflare Facebook page here.

With Oneflare Scrapbooks, you can now start planning the look of your dream home, and find the right trade professional to build it – all on one website. It’s essentially like a Pinterest for home design that is powered by over 37,000 qualified Australian home service businesses, guaranteed by Oneflare. And of course, just like finding a local service on Oneflare, it’s easy to use, and totally free!

Why use Oneflare Scrapbooks?

• Be inspired: You can pin images of your favourite design ideas from the web or their own device to their personal Scrapbooks account

• It’s social: You can share, like and comment on other people’s pictures and scrapbooks

• Connect to design experts: You have access to thousands of design/building/renovation experts who can collaborate with you to plan your dream home

• It’s transparent: Scrapbooks allows businesses to upload their portfolios. You also have access to past customer reviews and recommendations to you know how good they are.

• Save time and money: From inspiration through to choosing suppliers - the entire process takes place through the Oneflare site, taking the hassle out of planning any home improvement project.

What is Oneflare?

Oneflare.com is Australia’s fastest growing local services marketplace that connects Australians with over 37,000 businesses across Australia. Oneflare helps you find reputable local businesses, who are fairly priced – saving you time and money. All service providers are checked for licences, insurance and qualifications so you know they are reliable and trustworthy. Our key feature is our Oneflare Guarantee. Should something go wrong with your job, we’ll pay up to $500 to send another Oneflare business to repair your job and set things right.

How does it work?

1. Post a job you need done (posting a job is totally free)

2. You receive five competitive quotes from local businesses interested in your work, along with their full business profile, verification status and past customer reviews.

3. You simply hire the best!

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