How To Choose The Best Birthday Gift For Mom

Hey, you!

Yeah, I know. You don't have to say it out loud. I know the question on your lips now is 'where the heck have you been MarBal?'

Before I start giving you a long explanation as to my whereabouts, I'll just say I'm really sorry about the absence. My Internet service provider didn't want me to be great but #Godwin.

That's not why we are here now, I hear you mutter under your breath.

Let's get to it.. my mom is a year older today being 12th of April. I thought to dedicate this post to her by giving you guys some tips on how to choose the best  birthday gift for Mom.

Most of you have often asked your friends questions like this: "hey buddy, it's my mom's birthday today and I don't even know what to get her"

Let's not even start on how our mothers mean the world to us and how we would do anything to make sure that they are happy with us. They deserve to be happy, they deserve to reap the fruit of their toil, they deserve the best and we need to make sure of that.

Mom's birthday is a perfect time to honor her with a heartfelt gift. While your mother may appreciate any gifts you decide to give her, taking the time to choose a special birthday gift shows your loyalty and your love. Like I always say, it's not the gift that matters, but the heart that gives it and the details put into the act.

Choosing the best for mom:

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Consider your mom's lifestyle and personality. Understanding her hobbies and daily routine allows you to choose a birthday gift that she'll truly value. Pay attention to her recent purchases as well as any items on her "must-have" list. You know when they won't stop talking about the hat or shoe Mrs. O had on at the retreat she attended. Make note of any new hobbies or interests she has, such as new culinary skill or photography, and then find tools and accessories that will help her enjoy the new hobby even more.

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Rule out obvious blunders. Save time by eliminating the need to search for products she'll never use or appreciate. For example, avoid looking through the cookware section if she detests cooking or searching for styles of ruby jewelry if she prefers blue gemstones. There's no need buying her items that will lie unused and take up space.

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Use your mom's eyes when choosing her birthday present. Although it's acceptable to choose a gift that falls outside of her normal purchases, try to find a gift she still might get for herself. Perhaps she always buys her favorite scent in eau de toilette; you could buy the most luxurious Eau de Parfum version. Taking your mom for a window shopping adventure can uncover preferences without revealing your true intentions.

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Remember past gift-giving occasions for clues. Recall her reactions to receiving gifts that she liked and those that she disliked. Knowing her possible reactions can help you avoid giving her an underwhelming gift. Notice if she has used gifts you gave her in the past. Is the bottle of bubble bath you gave her last year almost empty? If so, she may like receiving bath products again. If it's still full and gathering dust, you may want to avoid that type of gift.

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Make it a family affair. Get your siblings involved when you want to give Mom a big gift, like fine jewelry.  Make a list of correlating presents, so your family can present Mom with a complete package. For example, a group gift for mom could include a "to match" Italian shoes and purse, that very expensive lace she always wanted, the perfect headgear to complement the outfit and the most beautiful neckpiece.

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Give her a personalized gift. Few gifts show that you've put thought into the gesture like something that is personalized. Whether that's something monogram, initial jewelry or a charm bracelet filled with meaningful charms, this gift will show you spent some time thinking about her when you were shopping.

Meanwhile, I have got great news for you!

Coming soon to MarBal, you can shop all your gift and hamper wants with no worries. Are you as excited as we are?

You know we always have you in mind and want to GIVE you the best.

Xoxo,

MarBal.

Decorating 101: Go your way or hire a pro?

Continued from here 

Once you have figured out what you want your home to look like, the big question is: Should you decorate it yourself or hire a professional?

The professional interior decorators and designers as we know them today barely existed. Before that it was taken for granted that you decorated your home yourself unless you were Marie Antoinette, Aliko Dangote or somebody with a similar pedigree.

Old habits die hard. We Nigerians still think one needs to live in a palace to hire a decorator, or are fearful of the cost (whether real or perceived).

For others, it’s not so much a question of money, but of ceding control (being the oga at the top) and having the concern that the results might not reflect their tastes. Some dive into the collaborative process without hesitation, while others have confidence in their tastes and skill and prefer to decorate their homes themselves.

Which camp do you fall into?

THE ADVANTAGES OF DOING IT YOURSELF

Obviously, decorating your home yourself means you won’t have to pay someone else to do it. The results will truly reflect your personal taste, and you will be able to take full credit for them. If you have gone through the process before and were pleased with the results, there’s no reason not to do it again.

Whether the DIY route will work for you will depend on your strengths. “If you know what you like and you know what makes you tick, you’ll love everything you choose,” says interior designer Alana Homesley of Woodland Hills, California. You can also do the project in stages (for example taking on the living room first), as funds allow, and you won’t face the challenge of trying to convey your likes and dislikes to a stranger.

Disadvantages of Decorating Your Home Yourself

You could mess up. And you’ll either need to live with that error for years to come or pay a large sum of money to make it go away.

“Do you have the ability to visualize? Are you a creative type? If you’re not, then you need some help,” says Homesley, “because it is expensive, and you don’t want to make any mistakes.”

The DIY route won’t necessarily save you money. For example, you may decide to call a painter, but are you sure about putting your money down for an incompetent one who doesn't know the difference between sky blue and royal blue? At the end of the day, you end up losing money because you do not like the results.

Decorating can be a time-consuming proposition with a steep learning curve and a huge number of decisions that need to be made. What’s your time worth? Will that outlay of time justify the fees you’ll be saving? If you make a mistake and something has to be redone, will you forfeit your savings?

Advantages of Hiring an Interior Designer

Hiring an interior designer will give you access to a large selection of furnishings, fabrics and wall coverings that otherwise you’d probably never see, and the services of workrooms and tradespeople that the designer has cultivated relationships with over the years. You can potentially end up with a beautiful home tailored to your tastes and lifestyle, and furnished with pieces chosen by an expert for their beauty, quality and durability.

A designer saves you time, energy and money. Most of us won't take up the task of remodelling ourselves, unlike the American father that can be the plumber, electrician,  and even painter for his home.

The interior designer who is certified and has vast knowledge on home designing can do everything from consultations to product installation.

“If you have the budget, that’s the way you should go because you’re going to have something custom to you,” says Homesley.

“Having someone who can affirm your decisions is really positive,” says designer Amy Luff of Viva Luxe Studios in Bristol, Virginia. “Designers can save you money. And they can save you from repaying for something.”

Find a designer near you today. *wink   MarBal is here.

Disadvantages of Hiring an Interior Designer

Working with an interior designer can be costly (note that I didn't say expensive). It’s also a very intimate process. You will be sharing a lot of details of your life with another person. You might end up working together for months — maybe even years. A designer can become a confidant. Or, if you don’t pick the right one, an adversary.

Working With a Pro and Doing It Yourself

There’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with decorating your home yourself that you might not feel if you pay someone to do the work for you. A good designer will involve you in the process, however, and make you feel like you played a major role in the outcome.

If you like the idea of working with a decorator or an interior designer, but not the cost or loss of participation, there are alternative working arrangements you could consider.

1. Hire a decorator by the hour to help you plan the layout and the furniture, fabric and color selections, then execute the plan yourself. Not all designers are willing to accept small assignments like this, but some will welcome it.


2. Design the project yourself but hire a pro on an hourly basis to hold your hand through the selection process or to offer a verdict on items you’re considering.


3. Work with a virtual designer. A growing number of designers have hung their shingles on the Internet e.g Instagram. You send them photos or a floor plan of your home, and they provide consultations for a fee, without ever meeting you (or your home) in person. There are a number of design apps to help you get a 3D presentation Without having to meet the designer.




4. If there’s a furniture store you really like, see if it offers free interior decorating services. Some stores will work with you on your project without charge, although you will need to acquire the furniture from that store. “If you really like that store’s stuff, it’s a good way to go,” says Homesley.

That's all for now! Watch out for the next #decorating101 post.

What do you think? Kindly leave your comments and contributions below.

Caught the love bug yet? Shop MarBal this Valentine

Practical or fanciful,  whether you subscribe to the 'valentine's day is an invented holiday' school of thought or not, this special day is a chance to celebrate your relationship- old or young, long term or just getting started. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about the roses and romance though. Take the opportunity to show your family members and dearest friends how much they’re loved and admired with a thoughtful gift from "MarBal Shop: the valentine picks", they’ll cherish it well past the day.

MarBal shop has some gifts for you and your loved ones and you know what else we offer that you may not get elsewhere, our AVANT GARDE GIFT PRESENTATION/WRAPPING.

Get in here lovelies, you should take advantage of this.

Present an outstanding present!

SHOP MARBAL

☆☆☆ Gift boxes
Product description: these boxes are the chic way to present gifts now because bags are just so 2014. Get into 2015 already. They can later be used for storage purpose as they are not a waste. Ladies, don't you want cute jewelry boxes?

☆☆☆ Perfumes
Product description: take advantage of our perfume collection (male and female) this Valentine.  No one can have enough bottles of perfume. A wide variety of perfumes available to choose from. If you want more pictures of perfumes available in their different price range, please indicate in your order.

☆☆☆Personalised Cards
Product description: why not say your feelings through a personalised card? The card has sentimental attachment because the receiver's picture is on it, no one would throw that into the bin, right? The cards are from www.fairysistersng@blogspot.com and you get them from us to be included in your hamper at the same price they offer.

☆☆☆Personalised Mugs
Product description: our very unique magic mugs. They change colour, bring up notes and pictures that have been inscribed in them when hot water is put in. Did I hear you say awesome?
N.B PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN BULK QUANTITY FOR SOUVENIR PURPOSE (THAT IS, FOR OCCASIONS AND BUSINESSES)

☆☆☆Personalised Notepads and Journals
Product description: what better way to write down your thoughts and take notes than with our beautiful notepads and journals. ALSO AVAILABLE IN BULK QUANTITY

☆☆☆CupCakes!
Product description: Valentine's day isn't complete without our box of 6 and 12 cupcakes in red velvet, chocolate and vanilla variants.

☆☆☆ Lipsticks, Lip pencils and Lip gloss.
Product description: for our ladies, we have gorgeous and long lasting lip sticks in stock.


Notes:
-we provide gift wrapping service at an affordable price. If you have your gifts already but want them to stand out and remain memorable, send to us and let's ensure your presents have presence.
-all orders should be made, sorted and paid for before 12th of February (in readiness for 14th)
-delivery service available
-refer your friends and family
-hampers also available on request

HOW TO ORDER:
-pick the product you want and send to mariambalogun14@gmail.com
-wait for a response on the price(s)
-pay for your item(s)
-send a message to confirm payment
-VOILA! Get your product on agreed date


Contact information:
mariambalogun14@gmail.com
08054888686 for WhatsApp and Calls
Instagram page- @marbalng
www.marbalng.blogspot.com

Decorating 101 : Tips on how to start a decorating project. Thank me later.

Congratulations!!! You are probably planning a new life with bae/boo of life or you’ve just decided to decorate your home.

Now what?

Whether you’re furnishing your first place or redoing the house you’ve owned for sometime , decorating can be a challenging task, filled with costly decisions whose outcomes could haunt you for years.  Many nigerians run from this and would rather just 'do anything, its a roof over the head at least'.

How do you figure out what style is right for you?
Should you tackle the job yourself or hire a pro?
How much should you spend?
And what steps can you take to ensure you’ll be happy with the results?

In this series I’ll take you through the entire decorating process, from initial inspirations to final floor plans. We’ll talk about choosing colors, shopping for furniture, arranging furniture, where you should scrimp and where you should spend.


But before you do any of that, look around you.

☆☆☆Take a critical look at your current home or new space. What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Are your feelings prompted by the aesthetics of the decor? The comfort? The fabrics? The colors?  Which is your highest point in decorating?
Learn from that. Repeat the things you like, and don’t repeat the things you don’t like just because they’re familiar to you.

☆☆☆Write your list for Santa. Create a wish list — your Santa Claus list. Write down everything you would like to do if money were no object (money na serious matter wey dey discourage our people for this house decoration matter, abi I lie?). Then figure out which things you can do, which things you can’t do, which things have to be done now and which things can wait.

“If you don’t have that master list, it’s hard to prioritize,” says  an interior designer, Amy Luff of Viva Luxe Studios in Bristol, Virginia.

☆☆☆Collect photos. Start collecting pictures of rooms you like. Even if you’re going to hire an interior designer, this will help him or her get a sense of your taste.

With time, MarBal through this blog site and our other social media hope to provide you with a thousand and one decorating ideas in pictures.

Don’t try to do this in one sitting — give yourself a few weeks or months to compile your photos, as your tastes might evolve during the course of the exercise. Something that appealed to you on Day 1 might seem trite by Day 23.

☆☆☆Get your bae/boo of life involved. For many couples, there’s often one person who’s more interested in decorating than the other. The other person might say, “Do whatever you want.”
Hhhm when he/she says that (abeg) do not do whatever you want. Because as soon as you start buying things, Mr. or Ms. No Opinion will suddenly have an opinion. So make him or her spend some time with you at the very beginning just looking at pictures of interiors.
 “Spend an hour or two to look at some things together and talk about them. You may get some ideas from bae's fashion combos too. As you review each room, ask your partner, “What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it?”

Alternatively, you can each collect a file of images independently, then sit down and compare what you’ve chosen. This way your initial selections won’t be swayed by the other person. As you review your selections together, your differences and similarities will immediately become apparent.

(Warning: make this a fun thing to do and don't brew a fight from it because of your partner's preference. I sabi my naija people)

“I don’t know what I like.” Many people find it difficult to articulate what they want. Don’t let that bother you. Let those photos you’ve collected convey that information for you. Look at the characteristics that pop up again and again: the style of furnishings, the color palettes, the patterns, the materials, the quantity of furniture in each room. Let those characteristics guide you.

Most people have a basic comfort level. They know what kinds of rooms they like to be in and what kinds they don’t like to be in. Although it’s good to venture outside your comfort zone every now and then, it’s unlikely that you’ll enjoy living in a minimalist contemporary space if your natural predilection is for French country. So trust your instincts.

☆☆☆Take another look around. Now that you’ve started to zero in on the look you want your interior to have, make a list of all your significant pieces and figure out which items should stay and which should go. Keep in mind that if you love a piece of upholstered furniture but hate its fabric, it can be reupholstered. Wood pieces can be painted or stained. Objects can be repurposed. And if there’s an inherited piece that has great sentimental value but you can’t stand to look at it … well, life’s too short to live with things you don’t love.

☆☆☆All at once or in stages? If you have the budget to do everything at once, by all means go for it. If you want everything done at once but can’t afford that now, save your money and do it all at once later. If you can’t afford to do it all at once and don’t care if everything is done at the same time, then you’ll be better off doing the project in phases. Complete one room before moving on to the next one, rather than doing a little bit in one room and a little bit in another.

Living in a half-finished space isn’t going to make most people happy. I think it’s better to wait and do your project in phases.

The living room is a good place to start, as it will leave you with something you can be proud of and can share with friends — a good launching point for the other work ahead.

Thank you for stopping by to read today's post.

Did you like it? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section. 

Any tip you think should be added? Had to decorate your space before? 

Watchout for #thewelcomehomeproject. Coming soon. 

Xoxo

MarBal

Our Services at MarBal

MarBal is a enterprise made up of three distinct entities, yet I believe they are related. They are extremely different yet they are so alike. I know what's on your mind now, how can they be so different but yet alike? Let's use a set of identical twins as an example, they look very much alike but you can still tell them apart. The same way you know Adaora from Adanma or Taiwo from Kehinde and can tell them apart because of their personalities and attributes. I think this same scenario applies to MarBal.

Enough of that story for now..

So what exactly do we offer:

☆☆☆ Exquisite gift wrapping and presentation.

☆☆☆ Unique gift items and souvenirs for all occasions: parties, corporate,  business and so on.

☆☆☆ Sale of home products and home decorations.

☆☆☆ Interior (Home) design and decorating service (home makeovers)

☆☆☆DIY interior (Home) design tips and projects.

☆☆☆ News and Trends from the interior design world.

☆☆☆ Closet remodeling and organization.

☆☆☆ Health tips, best drug and food-use advice.


Presently, these are the services we offer. There will be projects under each of the three categories and it's in your best interest to join the train now.

We look forward to serving you.

Xoxo
MarBal