Shop with over 30 crafters and vendors for the special ladies in your life for Mother's Day. There will be a large variety of items to choose from including jewelry and women's accessories, skin care, nail care, home goods, sweet treats and many more!

Admission is free.

Please email signaeventdesign@aol.com for more information or vendor opportunities.

On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, the Rotary Club of Darien held their annual “Taste of Route 66” fundraiser benefiting their “Food for Kids Program” which provides nutritional meals to food-insecure school children on weekends during the school year.  This supports the child's nutritional, mental, and well-being needs, so they can focus on learning.

Joan Wayman, Darien resident and real estate Broker with Realty Executives Midwest in Darien, takes a huge part in organizing this event, along with others throughout the year. This year, the Darien Rotary team raised over $31,000 during the “Taste of Route 66” event, all of which will be donated to the program and serve a HUGE part in helping continue the ongoing efforts of the “Food for Kids Program”.  

Jana Pinc, Managing Broker/Owner of Realty Executives Midwest, was also in attendance and stated, “I am so happy to be able to contribute to this very important cause. I feel humbled by Joan's efforts, and would like to applaud her and the rest of our team who showed their support this evening. As always, we’re grateful be able to take part in local fundraisers because we feel honored to give back to all of those in the community that support us with their business."  

While this event is their biggest of the year, the Rotary Club of Darien is regularly involved with the “Food for Kids Program” because it requires a weekly commitment in order to succeed. Every week, volunteers get together in order to pack lunches for the kids. If you’re interested in participating, feel free to reach out to Joan Wayman directly.

It’s your yard — yours to do with as you wish. And while that’s great, that doesn’t mean you have to be one of those people who spends every spare moment in their yard, sprucing it up.  But, still, your landscaping could use a little something. But something easy. 

Here are five totally doable projects that your budget will barely notice, but your neighbors definitely will:

1.) Add Some (Tough) Edging

Tell your grass who’s boss with edging that can stand up to even the crabbiest of all crabgrasses. But don’t make the mistake that many homeowners make of buying the flexible plastic stuff, thinking it will be easier to install. It’ll look cheap and amateurish from day one.Worse, it won’t last. And before you know it, you won’t be able to tell where your garden bed ends and your “lawn” begins.

Instead buy the more rigid, tough stuff in either fiberglass, aluminum, or steel.

Tips on installing edging:

• Lay out a hose in the pattern you want.
• Sprinkle flour or powdered chalk to mark the hose pattern.
• Use a lawn edger (or spade) to make an incision for the edging.
• Tap the edging into the incision with a rubber mallet.

2.) Create a Focal Point with a Berm

A berm is a mound of gently sloping earth, often created to help with drainage. You can also build them to create “island beds,” a focal point of textures and colors that are so much more interesting than plain ol’ green grass.Plus, they’ll give you privacy — and diffuse street noises. What’s not to like about that? Especially if you live in more urban areas. For most yards, berms should max out at 2-feet high because of the space needed to properly build one. They need a ratio of 4-6 feet of width for every foot of height. That’s at least 8 feet for a typical 2-foot high berm. So be sure you have the room, or decrease the height of your berm.

Popular berm plantings include:

• Flowering bushes, such as azaleas
• Evergreens, such as blue spruce 
• Perennials such as periwinkle
• Tall, swaying prairie grasses
• Lots of mulch to keep weeds away

3.) Make a Flagstone Wall

Aim to build a wall no more than 12 inches tall, and it becomes a super simple DIY project — no mortar needed at all! 

How to build an easy flagstone wall:

• Dig a trench a couple of inches deep and wide enough to accommodate the flagstones.
• Fill with pea gravel and/or sand and tamp to make level.
• Lay out the flagstones to see their shapes and sizes.
• Stack the smaller stones first.
• Save the largest, prettiest flagstones for the top layer.
• Backfill with gravel.

Choose a stone of consistent thickness. Flagstone might be limestone, sandstone, shale — any rock that splits into slabs. 

4.) Install a Path with Flagstone or Gravel

There’s something romantic, charming, and simply welcoming about a meandering pathway to your front door or back garden — which means it has super-huge impact when it comes to your home’s curb appeal. You can use flagstone, pea gravel, decomposed or crushed granite, even poured concrete (although that’s not easy to DIY). 

A few tips for building a pathway:

• Allow 3 feet of width for clearance.
• Create curves rather than straight lines for a pleasing effect.
• Remove sod at least 3 to 4 inches deep to keep grass from coming back.
• If you live in an area with heavy rains, opt for large, heavy stones.

5.) Build a Tree Surround

Installing a masonry surround for a tree is a two-fer project: It looks great, and it means you’ve got less to mow. Come to think of it, it’s a three-fer. It can work as extra seating when you have your lawn party, too!  All it takes is digging a circular trench, adding some sand, and installing brick, cement blocks, or stone. Just go for whatever look you like best. 

The trickiest part is getting an even circle around the tree. Here’s how: 

1. Tie a rope around the tree, making a loop big enough so that when you pull it taut against the tree, the outer edge of the loop is right where you want the surround to be. 

Set your spade inside the loop with the handle plumb — straight up and down. Now, as you move around the tree, the loop of rope keeps the spade exactly the same distance from the base of the tree, creating a nice circle.

Then build the tree surround:

• Dig out a circular trench about 8 inches deep and 6 inches wide. 
• Add a layer of sand. 
• Set bricks at an angle for a saw-tooth effect or lay them end-to-end.
• Fill the surround with 2 to 3 inches of mulch.

Article Source: Houselogic 

Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com

Packing your kids’ stuff for a move may be in some ways a little bit trickier than packing your own. Unlike you, your children have more than clothes, and accessories – they also have toys in all shapes and sizes.

Kids’ rooms and playrooms are usually piled high with toys, storybooks, and just about anything that triggers their creativity. And while “picking up toys” is in their daily chore charts, it may take more than that to keep these things organized especially when you’re in the process of moving houses.

Just in case you need more help; we came up with a few tips on how to keep your little ones’ precious (and forgotten) toys organized during the moving process.

Ask your kids to help

Children love being treated like adults. They like to feel needed and are almost always keen on helping out. Organizing toys is something your kids can do, and you sure can use the help from several small hands.

Sort the toys into piles or boxes

Sorting their toys is an essential step in the process. Besides, you don’t want to bring all those toys to your new house, do you?

Your kids have probably outgrown most of them anyway. What you should do is take two boxes: one for the toys your kids want to keep and the other for the ones they don’t want or play with anymore. Leave the sorting to your kids. Don’t worry; they’ll manage.

You might also want a separate box for your kids’ favorite toys. They’ll probably want to take those with them on moving day.

Categorize the ones you’re keeping

When your kids have finally decided which toys they’re taking with them, subdivide them again into groups. Maybe a group for arts and crafts supplies, another for board games, one more for dolls and stuffed toys, and so on. You may end up with a bunch of “uncategorized” toys, but this is expected. Just put the odd ones in one container.

Place the toys in separate containers and label them.

After categorizing the toys, place them in boxes or storage bins and label them accordingly. Labels make finding stuff so much easier; you and your kids can benefit from this especially when things are lost in a maze of moving boxes and containers.

Here’s an idea: Have your kids create and stick the labels themselves. It might be just another random task for adults, but your kids will think its super fun!

Consider donating

The moving process can also be an excellent chance to teach your kids the value of sharing and giving to the community. Remember those toys they tossed in the “unwanted” pile? They can find a new home in the arms of children not as fortunate as they are. Your local charity will be more than glad to make the pick-up.

We hope these few, simple tips help ease the stress and make the transition more convenient for you and your family. Happy moving!

Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com

It’s nothing new that home staging is a wise move. After all, it has the potential to increase the final sales price of your home by 6 to 20 percent. But what you may not realize is that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to do it. After all, who needs more expenses when you’re moving? If you’re short on cash but want to speed up your home sale and possibly increase that final dollar amount, here are some budget-friendly home staging tips.

Declutter

The first step to home staging is about as budget-friendly as you can get — because it’s free. Donate or trash items such as clothes, extra furniture, books and knick-knacks – anything that’s not being used or that you no longer need. Go through the pantry and donate canned goods to a local food drive. Sift through piles of random papers and shred and recycle what you don’t need.

Hold a pre-moving sale

Hold a garage sale to get rid of what you won’t be taking with you when you move. Not only will you declutter, you’ll also make some extra cash for other home upgrades. Don’t feel like doing a traditional yard sale? Download OfferUp or another buy-and-sell marketplace app to sell your items.

Borrow from friends

A good rule of thumb with home staging is to furnish and stage every room in your home so that no room is left empty. To save costs, you can borrow furniture from friends and family, or you could split up the furniture in other rooms of your home to round out the less furnished rooms. Borrow the treadmill your sister no longer uses and the weight lifting bench in the garage to transform an empty bedroom into a home gym, or add a desk and cabinet to your guest room to help buyers envision both a guest room or home office in that space.

Consider portable storage

After getting rid of the items you no longer want, it’s time to empty your home of excess furniture items, quirky art, and any personal items that may be distracting to buyers. A portable storage container is a popular cost-effective option because it conveniently combines moving and storage.

Here’s how it works: A driver delivers your storage container to your home to fill at your leisure. Once you’ve loaded the items you’re storing, the driver picks up the container and takes it to a nearby storage facility. When your home is sold, have your container re-delivered to your door, fill it with the rest of your stuff, and ta-da! You’re all ready to move. Some portable storage providers can move your container long-distance. For instance, PODS can move your container to your new home even if it’s across the country, in Hawaii, or in some parts of Canada. A solution such as this that combines moving and storage can help reduce the costs of moving by eliminating the need to rent a storage unit or moving trucks multiple times. Moving long-distance with a container can also be significantly less expensive than using a traditional full-service moving company.

Grab your paint brush

Want to transform your home cheaply? Painting gives you the best bang for your buck if you if you’re looking to give your place a makeover. Light, neutral colors are great for staging. If you’re really tight on cash, opt for touch-ups or pick key walls in high-traffic areas to repaint.

Make tiny upgrades that make a big difference

Make your home feel fresh and new on the cheap with some inexpensive updates to hardware, lighting, and faucets. Even new outlet plate covers, vent covers, and kitchen cabinet hardware can give your place a facelift. You don’t even need to buy anything fancy – just shiny and new.

Decorate on a budget

Some simple décor updates can have a surprisingly effective impact on the way buyers view your home. Replace your old, boldly colored shower curtain with a cheap but tasteful curtain. Cover up stained or old couches and chairs with affordable slipcovers. Add some homey cushions to the living room. Just remember to keep things neutral – it’s not the time to express your unique personality! Save that for your new home.

While redoing your flooring or putting in new kitchen cabinets would be ideal, it doesn’t have to take much money to give your home a makeover and make it appealing to buyers. With a little time and creativity, you can turn your soon-to-be-sold home into a beautiful space and have some fun while you’re at it. Good luck with your move!

Article Source: Realty Executives International, Written by PODS

Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com