Want A Stylish Baby/Pet Gate? Check This Out!

Ok.....so this is not a paid advertisement or anything (I wish!), but an honestly amazing product that I have used in our home as a mommy of little ones. When we first moved into our 2-story home a couple of years ago, our kids hadn't dealt with stairs ever before. At that time, our youngest was 4 months old so I started the research gig and landed on this GREAT option for a baby gate.

Retract-A-Gate

 

And no, that's not me and my kid. :-)

 

The reason I'm even telling you about this is because I think it's actually a pretty stylish and affordable solution for virtually any space. I actually like really love them - a lot. I got two. One for the bottom of the stairs and one for the top. BUT you can get extra mounting brackets, pop it out, and move it - super simple and great for busy parents needing containment of kiddos!

 

 

Ok...totally copying and pasting from the website here:

 

Retract-A-Gate Advantages Ships to U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, APO/FPO addresses JPMA certified baby gate for top and bottom of stairs Retractable gate proven durable for dogs and cats Automatically and quietly rewinds to a small roll Fully retracts out of the way when not in use Tough, washable, see-through mesh barrier Locks open or closed with childproof lock Installs in minutes with included hardware 34" tall mesh and fits openings to 72" wide Baby gate for children 6 through 24 months 100% Made in USA child and pet safety gate Great outdoors on decks, porches, boats & RVs Scratch & claw resistant mesh retracting pet gate Easy, one-hand operation retractable safety gate Now available in TWO colors: Café (tan) and White Clear wall brackets; most inconspicuous on the market Retract-A-Gate can be removed and reinstalled instantly to another doorway with an Additional Wall Bracket Kit

Rewinds to a small roll (Café Shown)

Use as a retractable door gate for pets (White Shown)

Great for wide openings as a baby gate or pet gate (Café Shown)

We have an angled wall at the bottom of our stairs.

It was the PERFECT solution. Everything else I found was ugly,

permanent, and just as expensive. Seriously! No great options for angles. :-(

Except this!

We didn't use a banister kit, but we're pretty handy...we'll fix it when we remove it.

See where it "attaches" to the wall brackets?

Here's where you can "pop" it out really quick (but still baby proof people!)

Here's some price info. I think it's WELL worth it.

And I actually plan on getting a bit of that back via Craigslist!

Café (tan) 52"	0123456789	$99.50/ea
Café (tan) 72"	0123456789	$129.50/ea
White 52"	0123456789	$99.50/ea
White 72"	0123456789	$129.50/ea

My favorite (but mine wasn't the longer one)

is buying extra wall brackets, and then you can unhook and "swing" the gate

to the opposite wall in a hallway or whatnot. Does that make sense?

It is advertised as an

"Indoor/Outdoor Retractable Safety Gate For Kids & Pets"

What do you think? That was a super quick "review" of the gate,

but do you think you would go for something like this?

Do you think it looks better than most other gates?

I'll save another day for my "kid-catcher",

but SO worth it for our house on a hill. Google it. It's GREAT!

Also, just a quick reminder that you

can now follow RustiChic on Twitter and Pinterest -

I just added accounts! Yay!

Hope you're having a fantastic Wednesday!

~Anneke~

$75 Giveaway Winner!

Whenever I am inputting the names of the entrants and go to click on that button to see who wins, I always get these little butterflies in my stomach - especially when I'm the one who will get to work with them directly. It's so exciting!!!

As always with my own personal giveaways, I like to thank everyone who entered with a 20% discount on one item or service good for 30 days.  If you'd like to take me up on that, contact me and let me know what I can do for you! :-)

So....I know, I know - you just want to know already!

The winner of the $75 Giveaway ISSSSSS......

JENN

KIRKPATRICK!!!

CONGRATULATIONS GIRL!!!

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU USE IT FOR!

For logistics, I used random.org to input all entrants, randomize the list,

and then randomly select a winning number.

Jenn won with #8!

Thank you again to everyone who entered!

Contact me for your 20% off item!

~Have a great evening~

Anneke :-)

Quick Tip Tuesday #7 'Design Advice'

I'm so excited to start off my morning with a group of wonderful ladies @ a large MOPS group that some of my friends have attended in past few years. I seriously believe this will directly result in the preservation of my sanity! Oh yes.

Beyond that today, I have a quick and simple tip to keep in mind while contemplating and implementing intentional design into your home. Are you ready???

This is SO easy, but something people often don't think about. When you look at a space, you probably think of some basics like what kind of furniture, where to put it, what colors to incorporate, etc. An important aspect in pulling ALL of those pieces together is how they work together VERTICALLY. Let me explain...

You have a bed, nightstands, a mirror, rug, curtains, etc. It makes a HUGE difference in the look and feel of a room when you consider how the height of the headboard, the height and length of the curtains, the height and width of the nightstands, the horizontal or vertical direction of the mirror, etc. all work together in one cohesive design. Is there enough difference to break it up, but is it balanced enough to not even be "noticed"? Have I lost you yet??? I hope not!

Some examples:

source

See the varying use of height with the different chairs,

table decor, and lighting placement?

                         

                eclectic dining room design by orange county interior designer Fluegge Interior Design, Inc.

source

LOVE THIS!!! Everything cohesive, yet varied just enough.

source

Isn't this space delightfully light and airy? Little pops of color.

Different heights and widths. LOVE.

source

Aren't those pink chairs GREAT with that angled table?!

Varied heights - see the mantle decor, candles, wall art, lighting. It works.

source

I pretty much LOVE this whole entire design...SO my style!

How FUN is that chalkboard, the table, hardware....everything?!!!

source

See how the placement of the curtain rod, the clock, etc. is varied?

What do you think??? Take a look at one room in your space (just one!!!)

and see if it works in a varied and cohesive manner. If not, change it up a bit!

That's the fun part in design! :-)

Have a challenging space??? I know how that can be - trust me!

Send it my way for the chance to put it out to my readers for a fresh look.

~~~~~

Have a great day and stop by later to see who won the $75 Giveaway!

It may be you!!!

~Anneke~

I Need Your Opinion and Giveaway Reminder

Well Good Morning and Happy Monday!!! I hope everyone had a great weekend, and is excited for the coming week - I know I am! For one, I'll be going to my first MOPS group ever (even though my oldest is now 6), and everything I know about this one is that it is crazy fun with tons of fantastic women and I.can't.wait! Then I get to spend a good mix throughout the week between furniture building, refinishing, and interior design for clients, and that keeps my days splendidly interesting. :-)

So over the weekend I was trying to find some great Subway Art (check out my Pinterest page for some of my favs!) for a DIY project, and it kind of struck me that none of them had hooks incorporated. Ok...so I am seriously not a great stencil person (at least when it comes to a million or ten words on something), but I have the tools and whatnot to cut, stain, and put together something for stenciling. So of course I whipped something together with whatever was lying around and came up with this-

What do you think??? Honestly now. Love it? Hate it?

I really don't know what I would stencil on it. What about you???

Would you ever be interested in buying something like this that's

"Stencil-Ready"???

Because at my hourly rate this would end up costing

like $500 instead of, ohhh, let's say $50. :-)

I think it would look SO cute in an entryway or girl's room

with brown lettering or something.

This particular one I put together is about 17" x 32" I believe?

I would love your honest opinion, because I really don't see myself getting into

stenciling, but for those of you that love that kind of thing

 and may not able to build the "canvas" for it, does this appeal to you?

Then you could customize it yourself???

I don't know. If you like this one, I'd be happy to sell it to you! :-)

It has two heavy duty weight D-rings on the back for hanging.

~~~~~

Also, a lovely reminder to enter the GIVEAWAY

for a $75 Giftcard to RustiChic!

Hello....that would get you this cute wall decor and then some,

or whatever else that's on your wish list!!!

I love my followers and fans

and think you deserve the best, so go enter!

Right now - do it! :-)

If you are having any problems, just e.mail me!

Be on the look out for a few workshop openings. If you have a group

of 4-8 friends, you can always contact me to arrange a special day of fun!

I am also opening up some limited space for design services.

Contact me with any inquiries.

Enjoy your day and check back tomorrow

for the announcement of the GIVEAWAY Winner!

It could be you!

~Anneke~

 

linking @:

http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/2011/10/wicked-awesome-wednesday-32.html

Milestone GIVEAWAY! Yay!!!

I'm all about celebrating the little victories, and who better to celebrate it with than YOU! :-)

Because you've helped me reach some personal goals,

I am giving away a

$75 Credit toward any RustiChic service.

It can be used toward building a custom piece of furniture or wall decor,

refinishing a current or found piece of furniture,

having a design consultation, or even personal shopping!

I'm SO excited!!! Are YOU??!!!

{The last winner of the RustiChic giveaway

chose to have this made for her photography business!}

Ok...TO ENTER:

MANDATORY ENTRIES

1. You must be a follower of RustiChic here or on Facebook.

You can follow or "like" on the upper right sidebar.

2. Comment below telling me what you might use

your $75 credit for!

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Share this giveaway via facebook, twitter, or blog

and leave a separate comment.

2. Follow RustiChic on Twitter and leave a separate comment.

3. Follow RustiChic on Pinterest and leave a separate comment.

Please make sure you leave a seperate comment for each on this blog post

of the facebook feed post, not just on the facebook wall.

If you DO NOT have contact info. linked to your entry, please leave an e.mail address!

This giveaway ends Monday, October 3rd @ 11:59pm PST,

and the winner will be selected via random.org

and announced Tuesday, October 4th.

United States residents only.

GOOD LUCK!!!

~~~

And have a FANASTIC weekend!!!!!

~Anneke~