For some reason a lot of us who are into home decorating and home improvements, there’s no better time to do a lot of DIY projects than in the summer. Is it the weather? It’s sunny and warm, and it’s rather conducive to more creative thoughts? That brought me to the fact that lately, I’ve been browsing through the site of Smith And Noble again at http://www.smithandnoble.com/sn/home.jsp picking out some swatches for a possible replacement of the draperies in our bedroom. As it is, I haven’t touched the living room drapes as that badly needs to be upgraded. But the husband has been telling me to hold on to it because of an impending plan. Besides, I will need to have a professional for installation as it will be too huge a job for us to tackle. Good thing our bedroom’s drapes are flounce top panels and they are easier to handle.

The 10 free swatches from Smith and Noble will help me decide which material I’d like best. Currently we have silk but I’ll make sure to get different fabrics. The idea of being able to sample the material is really awesome. It’s also the same thing with blinds, as they will gladly send free swatches whether you want metal, wood or even faux wood. Who has no blinds installed in their home anyway? With the harsh weather here in the US more so in the Northeast, blinds work wonders in keeping your homes insulation, which works both ways in the winter as well as in the summer.

I love the design center on this site. You don’t know how many hours I used to spend trying on different looks four years ago when we were in the swing of things with our extensive renovation. It’s fun and gratifying. If you love decorating, this is definitely a must see and stop online portal.