Jay’s is Making an Impact with Shepherd Community

For years, Jay’s Moving has made a goal of working with our local non-profits. We believe in giving back the community that has helped build Jay’s, and working with Indianapolis non-profits has helped us in this endeavor.

Shepherd Aims to Break the Cycle of Poverty

Since 1985, Shepherd Community Center has been a staple in Indianapolis. From sponsoring Thanksgiving dinners to opening day-camps for the underprivileged, Shepherd works towards improving our great city, creating a home for everybody.

Not only does Shepherd work towards helping those who are currently underprivileged, but they aim to break the cycle of poverty with after-school programs for students. Students will receive hot meals, homework help, and physical activity. Adults who are seeking help will find all they are looking for at Shepherd. Shepherd offers job training, GED studies, relationship building, and financial literacy and budgeting help.

Shepherd began an urban garden/greenhouse project in 2008, aiming towards improving nutrition in areas that typically can’t access whole and healthy foods. Their health clinic is open towards Shepherd program families, providing health services to those in our neighborhoods in need. Events such as the Christmas toy drive, the Fall Festival, and the Baskets of Hope program allows our local community to band together to help our neighbors in need.

Jay’s Partners with Shepherd Community

Jay’s Moving first partnered with Shepherd Community in 2010. We have worked with Shepherd with their Christmas toy drive, providing our services to deliver and pick up the donation boxes around Indianapolis. In 2013, Jay’s helped collect 10,000 toys for the children of Indianapolis.

During this event, Jay’s entered the CWAM Super Service Challenge. From CWAM’s website:

The nationwide initiative encourages and rewards volunteers from the workplace who come together to serve charities and have an impact in their communities.

By participating in the Super Service Challenge, Jay’s helped Shepherd win $10,000 to be used in their various programs.

We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Shepherd Community and continuing to give back to Indianapolis.

To see more about how Jay’s works with Shepherd, check out our new video here.

Famous Indiana

Seeing your home state’s name suddenly pop up in your favorite actor’s bio, in a movie you love, or a book your reading is a jolt. It gives you a sense of pride- our home is recognized across the country, even across the globe.

Some of the greatest writers, actors, and comedians have called Indiana home. Our state has served as the background in some of the most popular movies and TV shows, showing off our quaint and quintessential Midwest home.

TV Series

Parks and Rec

Ron Swanson’s mustache was asked to be the Colt’s quarterback before it was offered to Luck.

Without a doubt one of the most popular TV shows today, Parks and Rec features a stellar cast in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. While Pawnee may not exist, the many antics of the town can certainly feel as if they are based off of our own little towns and cities. And of course the fun mentions of Muncie and the trips to Indianapolis make it that much more fun.

The Fugitive

Before it was a blockbuster starring Harrison Ford, The Fugitive was a TV series in the 60s. While the main character did travel throughout the country, he initially lived in Indiana with his wife.

Supernatural

This astoundingly popular show features two men who travel all around the country, so it’s no surprise that a few episodes take place in Indiana. Muncie once again pops up, as does Cicero, Indiana. If you’re looking to move to Indiana anytime soon, be assured that neither of these episodes are based on actual events.

Films

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Muncie makes another appearance as the home city for Roy Neary, who’s life is changed after encountering a UFO. The Speilberg film was nominated for multiple Oscars at the 50th Academy Awards, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2007. Muncie is the perfect setting for this film, depicting the average American life for the average American blue-color worker.

Hoosiers/Rudy

A list of popular Indiana films would never be complete without these two memorable sports films. While Hoosiers depicts a small fictional town’s love of basketball and refusal to lose, Rudy shows the determination of our hero to become a football player for Indiana’s best football college, Notre Dame.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Although this dark comedy doesn’t take place in Indiana, two of the main character’s were both born and raised here. Indiana provided the perfectly innocent background for both of them, depicting how their lives grew apart as they grew up.

Our Favorite Celebrities

Half of Bloomington’s population can live comfortably in his hair.

Finding out a celebrity grew up close to where you live is always exciting. You share a connection, even if it’s a small one. Some celebs are more vocal about where they grew up, including Jon McLaughlin and Jim Gaffigan. Some other favorite celebs include Jim Davis, the creator of the Garfield comics, and James Dean, the original Hollywood icon.

David Lee Roth of Van Halen was born in Bloomington, and David Letterman attended Ball State University in Muncie. John Green, the author of A Fault in Our Stars, currently lives in Indianapolis, where he based his New York Time’s best seller.

“Papa” John Schnatter, the father of Papa John’s, attended Ball State University and submitted a business plan for his future pizza chain.

With so many famous faces and places, it’s no wonder so many people love living in Indiana.

DIY Series- Elegant Upgrades

As anybody who has tried to sell her home knows, a dated home is more difficult to sell. Brass hardware, mirrored walls, and oak cabinets can date a home, making it more difficult to sell. Even if you aren’t selling a home, simple and affordable upgrades can make your home feel brand new.

We just pray nobody has avocado appliances.

One of the simplest upgrades you can make is to your hardware. What was stylish for homes built 15 years ago now only ages your kitchens and bathrooms. If you are looking for an entirely new style for your cabinet handles and knobs, start with Lowe’s, Home Depot, or your other local hardware store. If you want to add a timeless cabinet knob, go for a simple round one in silver or bronze tones. Keep the look uniform. If you want to make your bathroom or bedroom look more elegant, consider adding crystal knobs.

If you like the look of your hardware but not the finish, spray paint it. Remove the door knobs, cabinet handles and pulls, light switch plates, and any other metallic hardware that you want to update. You’ll want to lay down an old sheet or tarp in an openly-ventilated area, such as your open garage or outside on your driveway. Once again, be sure your look is uniform; don’t paint your cabinet handles bronze and forget about your gold or silver chandelier. Be sure you are using a metallic spray paint.

Try upgrading the lighting in your home with simple changes. Changing out the shades on your lights is affordable and makes a huge difference. Don’t let bare bulbs show either; cover them with small shades, or, if you can, cluster them together and create your own fabric or beaded chandelier.

If you’re looking to make a drastic change, update your cabinets with a coat (or five) or paint. Although this process is more time consuming, it is much less costly than replacing all of your cabinets. Consider the over-all look you want; white cabinets can give you a country feel, while espresso cabinets will give you a modern, chic feel. This blogger offers great instructions and images on how to give your cabinets a complete makeover.

To add some formality to your dining room, family room, or bedroom, add some crown molding. You can find your favorite molding at your local hardware store. Be sure to measure the room so you have enough molding. A nail gun will make the process easier and more professional looking, but a hammer will work as well. Cutting the pieces so they meet perfectly in the corners will be the trickiest part. They should meet at a 45 degree angle. Some caulk on the edges will finish up the molding.

Once you’ve finished your updates, you’ll be more at home than ever before.

Cozy Kitchens

Everybody sees those dream kitchens plastered online and spewing from your favorite television shows. Large granite islands, an overwhelming amount of cabinet space, stainless steel appliances, and of course a perfect flow. Holidays will be a breeze in such a spacious place. and your guests will feel at home sitting at the kitchen counter.

Just because you don’t have a kitchen that rivals the Louvre doesn’t mean you can’t love the one you do have. The perfect organization will give you plenty of work space and plenty of entertainment space.

First things first, designate the areas in your kitchen. Store your plates and glasses near the sink or dishwasher if you have one.Storing your food in a pantry will free up a ton of space in your cabinets. If you don’t have a pantry, jazz up a simple metal shelving unit with a curtain.

Your pots, pans, and cooking sheets will take up the most space. Many ovens have a drawer beneath them perfectly suited for your cooking sheets. You can use command hooks on your cabinet doors to hold the lids of your pots and pans, and you can stack your pots and pans within each other. You can also try using a tension rod and some s-shaped hooks in the cabinet to hang your lighter pots and pans.

Simple metal shelves will fit inside your cabinets, doubling the space you have for baking dishes, plates, and other kitchen necessities.

To make the most of your counter space, keep the appliances you don’t use every day stored in your pantry or cabinets. Your Kitchen-Aid mixer and fancier serving plates can serve as decoration if you have space on top of your cabinets.

If you don’t have a kitchen island or need more counter space, you can either buy or create a moveable kitchen island. These handy little carts can be tucked away in a small niche of your kitchen and give you the extra prep space you need. If you want to make one, these simple directions show you how to make one with a wood cutting board and a filing cabinet.

Your small kitchen will look larger if it is clean. Don’t leave a dish wrack sitting out all the time, taking up valuable counter space.

Many people store their cleaning supplies beneath their kitchen sinks. Keep this space organized as well. A tension rod will allow you to hang up your bottles of cleaner, freeing up space for boxes of trash bags, dust rags, and dish wracks.

If you need additional storage, create it on the walls. Metal baskets can be hung up and filled with
fruit, doubling as a bright decoration. Magazine files attached to cabinet doors can hold your boxes of wax paper, aluminum, and parchment paper.

Now that your kitchen feels spacious and comfortable, you can make your favorite dishes and entertain your favorite people.

DIY Series- Home Decor

If you’re looking to add some fun decor to your home, don’t feel the need to go out and spend every last cent at Pier 1 (as tempting as it may seem.) Even if you aren’t the most creative person, you can still DIY your way to a beautiful home.

Try some word play.
What you need: canvas, wooden letters, glue,  paint, spongebrush.
Choose your favorite words or phrases and glue the wooden letters in your chosen pattern on the canvas. You can try doing a Scrabble theme, arranging the names of your family up and down and side-to-side on the canvas. You can also try gluing the words in a unique shape, like the word “love” in a heart shape. Once the glue is dry, paint the entire canvas and hang it on the wall.

Hang up your knick-knacks.
What you need: Wall hangers (command hooks, etc.,) knick-knacks, shadow boxes
If you have a bunch of small vacation souvenirs, most of the time they end up hidden in some drawer. Display your souvenirs in a shadow box, and you’ll be reminded of your favorite vacations every time you see the shadow box. Check out a local thrift store or antique shop for some mismatched china, and hang those in your kitchen. If you’re looking for a more elegant look, hang your wine classes from beneath the cabinets.

Put the kids to work.
What you need: Your kids art, picture frames
If you have children, you know they love to draw pictures. Get some nice frames and you can switch out their drawings every week or month. This will keep your art ever-changing while displaying your children’s art all around the house.

Your one-of-a-kind, hand-made art will end up being the envy of Pinterest.

Rental Renovation

Whether you’re moving into an apartment or rental home for one year or five, you’ll want to make your new home perfectly suited to your tastes. However, some landlords have very strict rules about what changes can be made to their property. These tips and decorating ideas will improve your rental and make you instantly feel at home.

Hang up your favorite wall decor. While some places may not allow you to use nails or drills, you can still hang framed posters, pictures, and wall decor. Command Strips come in a variety of sizes and suits various needs, whether you’re hanging a heavy mirror or various shelves, and leave no holes or damage to painted walls when removed. If you’re trying to decide on an arrangement for your shelves and picture frames, trace an outline of the frames on butcher paper or construction paper and tape them to the walls.

Separate rooms and create your own doors. If you have a large room full of unused space, break it into smaller spaces with furniture. A bookcase can be used to separate a family room into a sitting area as well as an office area, or use a vintage room divider.

If your closet has sliding closet doors, consider removing them and replacing them with curtains. This will open up the area and allow you to create a unique space. If you can remove the doors easily, then they can be replaced once you’ve decided to move.

Use your floor space.  Don’t be afraid to add a brightly colored rug to your family room, even if you have a carpet. Layering the rug will add additional warmth and personality to your living area. Rugs will also add a unique look to your kitchen and bathrooms.

Paint what you can. Some rental companies will allow you to paint your walls, so long as you paint them back to the original color before you move. If you want to add some color, consider painting a simple accent wall. This will offer the same affect of creating a unique space, and you won’t have as much of an area to repaint.

Treat your windows. Most rental properties want to maintain a consistent look from the outside, so they won’t allow you to remove the blinds. You can still add some curtains to keep heat in and spruce up the space. To avoid drilling in the walls, use command hooks to hold your curtain rod up. If you want something simpler, use a window sash to hang over the windows.

Once your rental space is full of your favorite things, you’ll feel right at home.

 

DIY Series- Redesign with Paint

Part of moving into a new home is making it yours. Many people have difficulty seeing beyond the painted walls when looking at potential homes, but once they do they can see entirely new possibilities. A fresh coat of paint is one of the quickest and easiest aspects of redesigning a room.

For first-timers, painting may seem a daunting prospect. However, this shouldn’t deter you from freshening up your home. Consider the following tips to make this task easier on you.

Pick a color.
Many times, a color you think is attractive may look different in the light or shade of a room. Consider the decor you have around the room and the overall affect you are going for. If you want a French country look, try lighter blues, greens, and yellows. For something more neutral, stick to shades of ivory, beige, and yellow. If you love bolder looks, consider 2014’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid. When using a bold paint color, consider using it as an accent color on a single wall. This will immediately draw in attention while avoiding an overwhelming look.
Once you’ve decided on a color, purchase sample pots of various shades from your local hardware store and paint a swatch on a wall. Give yourself at least a day or two to decide on which you like- seeing the shades in the sunlight, on cloudy days, and in the evenings will give you a clear idea of how your room will look.
Remember that paint comes in a variety of finishes. Make sure to choose the right finish when you purchase the paint.

Choose your tools.
Make sure you have a stir stick so you can mix your paint. Before you begin painting, line your window and door frames with a good painters tape and remove light switches. The kinds of brushes and rollers you may need can depend on the size of the room you’re painting; if you have cathedral ceilings, use an extending roller so you can reach to the top of the wall. An angled brush will help you get into corners and crevices, and rollers will cover large areas quickly.

Painting Techniques.
Paint the corners, edges, and trim first. Once this has dried, you can paint in the large patches. Above all, don’t overload your brushes and rollers with paint. When using the roller, you’ll want a thin enough coat that it sounds sticky when you roll it over the wall- there shouldn’t be any drips with either the roller or a brush.
You’ll want to paint in long, continuous strokes, making sure your strokes are in the same direction, up and down. This will ensure a consistent texture on the wall. Let the coats dry between each painting. You’ll typically only need two, possibly three coats.

Designer’s Eye
If you want to give your space a truly unique look, consider painting vertical or horizontal stripes,

polka-dots, creating a chevron wall, or using a high-gloss paint to stencil in a pattern.
If you want to create stripes, lay down your lighter base color first. Once this is completely dry, use a yard stick, a level, and painters tape to create the look you are aiming for. For a chevron look, lay out the tape in a grid, and be sure your grid is all symmetrical.

 A fun look you can try is using a glossy paint to create thin strips, or using a stencil to add a pattern to the wall. These designs take more patience, but give off a subtle and elegant affect.

After you’ve painted a couple of rooms in your new home, you’ll feel more confident about your other DIY abilities.

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Indianapolis

Many people who live in Indianapolis already know how great of a place it is to live. We are able to experience so many of the great things that make our city wonderful without even thinking about it. For those new to the area, it won’t take long for Indy to feel like home.

1) The Indy 500
Without a doubt, the Indy 500 is one of the nation’s oldest and most iconic races. The race has been held on Memorial Day weekend since 1911. The Indy 500 is perhaps the biggest event in Indiana, with nearly 300,000 spectators showing up for the race. And of course the Indy 500 is about more than just the race. The 500 Festival features marathons, parades, and even a black-tie ball. Concerts featuring various bands are held during the weekend of the race, which have included ZZ Top, 3 Doors Down, Collective Soul, and this year, Jason Aldean.

2) The Colts 
In 1984, the Baltimore Colts officially became the Indianapolis Colts. Not only did this make Indy a sports town, but it brought in some amazing people to the Indianapolis community. Two of our more famous players, Jeff Saturday and Peyton Manning, have donated plenty of time to improving Indianapolis. Jeff and his wife Karen were recently honored by the Indiana Sports Corp. for their charitable work and contributions to various Indy non-profits, including Susan G. Komen Foundation and the People’s Burn Foundation. Peyton Manning had the Peyton Manning Children’s hospital named for him and continues to work with the hospital. When head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, two dozen of the Colts players and two cheerleaders shaved their heads in support of him.

3) The Indianapolis Children’s Museum

Courtesy of http://bit.ly/1hsw6Qm

Indianapolis has the world’s largest children’s museum, and definitely the greatest. With ever-changing exhibits that appeal to all ages, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum is an amazing experience that is worth any amount of travel. It’s a pretty recognizable building- just look for the dinosaurs bursting through the walls. Children can explore the Playscape, discover the buried treasures of ancient Egypt and China, or learn about science in ScienceWorks. And of course there’s the amazing Dinosphere, one of the only places where kids are encouraged to touch a real dinosaur femur. If you visit the lobby at around 12:55, you can see the iconic and one-of-a-kind water clock empty. Some amazing past exhibits have included a history of Barbie, a comic book exhibit, and King Tut himself. Of course the iconic carousel is still a classic and beautiful attraction.

4) The Night Life
Indianapolis has a great night life. Broad Ripple is meant for exploration, where you can discover a great new bar or enjoy an evening at Cracker’s Comedy Club. If you visit Downtown Indy, you won’t be confined by bad traffic; parking is easy, and you’ll be able to walk to most locations, whether you’re bar hopping or just looking for a way to get outside. If you’re looking for a hole-in-the-wall bar or an artsy area, visit Massachusetts Avenue (Mass Ave). With amazing groups like Indianapolis Downtown Inc. actively working towards improving our downtown area, it is only going to get better.

5) Great Food
The Midwest is arguably the home of the pork tenderloin,  but Indy has a lot more to offer than just that. If you’re looking for a great place for brunch, visit Cafe Patachou or Petit Chou. These cozy cafes offer amazing omelettes and killer home-style soups. It will become your new favorite place to relax with a good book. If you want something a bit more American, make sure to visit Bub’s Burgers in Carmel. You can try their delicious buffalo burger, or try to get your picture on the wall by devouring their Big Ugly. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, there is the ever-amazing Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse or St. Elmo’s Steakhouse.

Outa State, Outa Mind

Finding the perfect home is never easy. One home may have the perfect kitchen and family room, but the bedrooms are lacking. You may see a home online and think it’s perfect, but find the pictures are ten years old when you see it in person. You may even find a great home and enter into a bidding war, only to lose it. And all of these troubles only seem to magnify when you have to move across state lines.

So how are you supposed to find your dream home when you live so far away?

1) Find a realtor.
Of course you will want a realtor, but the key is to find the perfect realtor.  You’ll want to find a realtor who will work for you, not someone who is simply trying to make a sale. If your realtor is trying to sell you a home outside of your price range, you need to look for someone else. Make sure to work with a buyer’s agent. They will know the area you’re looking in, and will make the house-hunting process infinitely easier.

 

 

2) Research online.
Check home listings online to get a better idea of what you want. You can visit websites such as Zillow.com, or visit your realty office’s website to see what homes they have listed.

3) Only make a few visits.
Constantly traveling across the country is costly. Make the most of every visit by fitting in as many home viewings as possible. Visit your new home state for a weekend and see a couple of different homes each day. You may be able to find your new home in your first or second visit. 

4) Consider renting.
If you’re move isn’t necessarily permanent, consider renting an apartment or a house. This will give you time to consider staying in the city, as well as more time to look at potential houses to buy. 

DIY Series- Create Your Own Headboard

We all want something we can’t afford at one point or another. Maybe it’s the new iPhone, or a nicer car, or the ability to spend way too much on new books. And when it comes to buying your first home, you probably want to fill those big empty rooms with beautiful new furniture. Realistically, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get new couches, new tables, and new beds for every room.

But with a little creativity, you can jazz up any area of your home to add elegance. 

One of the best places to begin decorating your home is your bedroom. Your room is your private area, meant for relaxation and comfort. Make your room as unique as you desire with one simple DIY addition.

Create your own headboard. Fancy beds are expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to live without the elegance of a gorgeous bed.

First, buy a large piece of plywood from your local home improvement store. You’ll want to make sure it’s large enough to fit behind your bed. You can create a design, or leave it as a basic square or rectangle shape. If you want a unique shape, draw out the design on paper, then replicate it on the plywood before cutting it out. To ensure the design is symmetrical, use a grid and ruler. You could also upholster four small squares and put them together for a unique design.

Image courtesy of http://bit.ly/1dCxKXs

Use batting to give the headboard some cushion. You can use as many layers as you want to achieve the desired amount of cushion. Lay your plywood down on the batting, pull the batting over the edges, and use a staple gun to staple down onto the back of the plywood.

Once you have the desired amount of padding on your headboard, lay it face down on the fabric you’ve chosen to cover the headboard. Make sure to iron your fabric first- those wrinkles will be hard to get out once the headboard is finished. Similar to the previous step, stretch the fabric over onto the back of the headboard and staple it into place.

After the headboard is finished, you can either add legs for it to stand behind your bed, or you can add hooks for it to hang behind your bed.

Pinterest.com

If you don’t have the time to create an upholstered headboard, give the area behind your bed some flare. Consider framing some of your favorite pictures and hang them behind the bed in a unique shape. Hang some opaque curtains using command hooks and a curtain rod, and thread some white lights behind the curtains for a romantic look.

Target.com

Make a faux footboard by laying a cube organizer on it’s side at the end of your bed.

Now take a picture of your room, load it up on Pinterest, and be the envy of everyone online.