Benefits of A Children’s Bookshelf

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Benefits of A Children’s Bookshelf It is no secret that reading is beneficial for children, but with technology constantly at our fingertips, getting our children to read can be a battle.

If you’re trying to encourage your children to read more often, consider placing a personal bookshelf in their room.


Why Children Should Read

Not only does reading help children develop a stronger vocabulary skillset, but it also helps them be better communicators. Reading improves fluidity of comprehension. It’s all about practice, practice, practice!

Reading helps kids make sense of the world around them. They learn how to process feelings, observe human behavior, and eventually in more advanced texts, analyze human truths. The fundamentals may be cemented in reality, but by picking up a book kids can travel to celestial spheres or vacation on the moon. Reading sparks imagination!

Reading leads to better writing prowess. Think about it: every class in school involves some degree of writing. If not a story, then an essay, which they will be writing a lot of once they approach college age. The more a child reads, the better a writer they become. This will help them stick to deadlines for school projects.

When Children Should Start Reading

Many children learn reading by the age of six, but research studies prove that children can actually start comprehending what they read by the age of two. Truth be told, there’s no “right” age for your child to start learning, but the sooner they learn to read, the more knowledge they are going to soak up. Drench their minds in the fundamentals now so that they are set up for a trajectory of success!

What Children Should Read

Anything and everything! You’ve put the shelf in their room, now stuff it with novels, picture books, and anything you can get your hands on. Scholastic has created lists for you to choose from based upon a 2-13 year-old age group. They have a great selection which includes baby’s first books, animal books, fantasy, and science and nature themes.

As parents we always want what’s best for our children. Encouraging them to read is one way to keep them on a noble path. Gift your little one a locally-crafted bookshelf from Carriage House Furnishings.

Importance of Properly Storing Jewelry

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Jewelry Storage TipsFor many people, jewelry is a precious keepsake for many reasons. Jewelry does hold monetary value, but more importantly, it often represents specific memories and relationships.

If you want to make sure that your jewelry lasts, you need to make sure that you are storing it safely and properly.

Carriage House Furnishings has a few tips on how to properly store your jewelry, so the memories and the sparkles will last a lifetime.

It is important to keep your jewelry in a place that is clean and dry, such as a jewelry box that’s lined with fabric. If your jewelry came with a pouch when you first purchased it, it’s important to continue to store the piece of jewelry in that pouch. Jewelers often will sell jewelry with a pouch made from a specific type of fabric, designed specifically to keep the piece safe from tarnish.

Gold is malleable and can be damaged and scratched from other gemstones metals. To keep your gold jewelry safe, store it separately from your silver or platinum pieces, and keep them in the bags that they were likely purchased with.

Silver should be stored in tarnish-proof cases, away from air exposure. Extended exposure to air and moisture can cause even well-made silver pieces to tarnish.

To prevent the loss or misplacement of your pieces, it’s important to keep to a routine, and store them in the same place on a daily basis. Jewelry boxes make storing your jewelry easy: not only does the box protect the pieces from tarnish, but it’ll keep them safe in your home, if you always put your pieces back in the same place, you’ll always know where they are the next day.

Interested in purchasing top quality jewelry boxes available at Carriage House Furnishings? Call us today at 717-768-8712.

Benefits of Summer Birdhouses

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Amish BirdhousesHaving an outdoor space where you can enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning is important. Sitting outside and being surrounded by nature can be good for the soul, and we are all about creating a yard space that you can enjoy.

If you’d like to enjoy your outdoor space with some friends, consider adding a birdhouse into your yard which comes with a variety of benefits.

Adding a birdhouse into your yard can do a lot more than attract beautiful, singing birds for you to glance at. There are tons of benefits, both for you and your neighbors, which come with hanging up birdhouses. Many birds eat insects so having birds active in your backyard can help to eliminate unwanted pests in the garden. If your birdhouse attracts enough birds, you might avoid using harmful chemical pesticides

Birds can also help contribute to weed control: birds love to eat weed seeds, especially finches, towhees, and sparrows. If you have birds that get comfortable hanging out at the birdhouse provided, they can actually help you landscape the space and keep it weed-free.

Birdhouses are also great for promoting native plants and flowers to grow in your neighborhood. With bee populations declining throughout the country, your garden and your neighborhood likely need all the help they can get. Hang birdhouses to encourage birds to visit your yard to help keep the area pollinated.

Hanging birdhouses in your backyard can provide an oasis for local and migrating birds, and other species. If you add a few birdhouses to your yard this summer, you’ll even be helping to promote wildlife conservation.

In addition to all of this, bird watching can be a relaxing, joyous hobby to develop.

Feeling inspired? View the birdhouses we offer here at Carriage House Furnishings.

Why You Should Choose Wooden Toys

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Why You Should Choose Wooden ToysIf you’ve been to a toy store lately, you’ve probably noticed that the majority of toys are bright, loud, and plastic.

However, old-fashioned wooden toys that used to entertain kids for hours have made a strong comeback in recent years.

In fact, playing with wooden toys can actually be very beneficial for your child.

Extremely Durable             

Wooden toys are durable; a must-have when it comes to children’s toys. Wooden toys rarely break or lose their paint like many other toys do. Instead of being made of plastic that easily cracks, wooden toys are sturdy and stand up to play time that might be on the rougher side. Unlike stuffed animals, wooden toys will stand the test of time. If you give one to your child to play with, your great grandchild could be playing with the same toy decades from now.

Commit to Safety

Since wooden toys aren’t as prone to breakage as other types of toys on the market, they are often safer for your kids to play with. You won’t have to worry about cuts or scrapes on jagged plastic. All wooden toys are sanded and treated, so splinters won’t be an issue either. Although you have to make sure the toy is age appropriate, they often provide safer options when compared to other toys.

Creativity and Imagination

Wooden toys are just that: toys made of wood. Wooden toys don’t dance and sing and they don’t come with a battery pack. When your child plays with a wooden toy, he or she will have to use his or her imagination in order to play. Imagination and creativity don’t come easily to children who spend most of their days watching television or playing with electronics.

Carriage House Furnishings has a variety of children’s toys available, along with wooden storage and toy chests.

How Playing with Dolls Benefits Children

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How Playing with Dolls Benefits Children It can be hard to pull children away from their electronics. Kids have so many stimulating devices around them that it can be hard to focus their attention elsewhere, but old-fashioned play is great for their minds and their bodies.

Playing dolls comes with a variety of benefits of children of all genders.

Social Skills

Playing with dolls encourages children to play in groups and learn how to cooperate with one another. When children play things such as “house” which is often played with dolls, they are learning how to communicate, establish responsibility, share with one another and more.

Responsibility

Being responsible for a doll can teach a child how to care for something independently. They are responsible for feed the doll, changing the doll, tucking the doll in, and so forth. Children voluntarily care for their dolls without even being told, teaching responsibility to themselves.

Imagination

Any child can watch cartoons and invest themselves into the story and the characters, but it takes true imagination to play make believe. When your children play with dolls, they’re exercising the part of their brain that is responsible for creativity and compassion. Dolls force them to play pretend.

Brain Development

Playing with dolls has also been known to increase fine motor skills and cognitive ability in children. The more they play with their dolls, the more they will grow and develop.

Carriage House Furnishings has all you need to create a doll wonderland in your home: view a selection of our doll furniture, and order today!

Caring for Wooden Furniture

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Home TipsInvesting in good furniture means you have to care for it properly: the same old dusting method you use with your Ikea furniture just won’t do when it comes to high quality wood furniture.

If you’re not familiar with the rules of wood care, don’t worry: Carriage House Furnishings is here to help.

After all, the better you care for your wood furniture now, the longer it will last and continue to look beautiful with time.

Everyday Care

To care for the wood finishing, start by just wiping the dirt and grime off with a mild dish soap and warm water. Don’t worry; it’s okay to get the wood wet, as long as you don’t drench it in water. Just make sure the cloth is damp, not sopping. To clean tricky areas like grooves or intricate detailing, use a soft toothbrush and the same gentle dish soap with warm water.

Avoid Heat & Sunlight

According to HGTV, you shouldn’t place your wood furniture near a heating vent, radiator or fire place if you want to keep it in good shape, and we agree. Don’t keep antiques in the attic where it may be more humid than the rest of your home, and keep your furniture out of direct sunlight, since that will cause the finish to fade.

Dust Often

Dusting your wood furniture with a moistened dust cloth will prevent dirt and grime from settling in, so make dusting a weekly or even daily chore.

Keep these tips in mind when you clean your wood furniture, and we’re sure that each piece will last for many years to come. Don’t have much wood furniture yet but love the look? View some of the hickory furniture available now at Carriage House Furnishings and update your home decor.

Mixing Different Woods into Your Home Decor

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Home Decor IdeasTraditional design etiquette might have you believing that you should be sticking to one certain type or stain of wood within your home. However, modern design trends are shifting away from this concept and are encouraging people to incorporate some mixed woods.

Here are a few easy ways to mix different woods into your home décor, so that you don’t have to worry about always having matching furniture pieces!

Mixing Dark and Light

Creating contrast in your home is the key to a cohesive design: if everything is the same color, you run the risk of your home looking too staged. Instead of opting for all pine, mix your pine pieces with a dark cherry piece. Light and dark contrasts will give the room some dimension. Stick to one light shade of wood and one dark, and if you want, add in a painted wooden accent piece.

Flooring Contrast

If you have wood floors, it is suggested that you break up the space by using lighter or darker woods for your furniture. Having just one shade of wood in a room can leave your home décor feeling too simple. Instead, mix your dark wood floors with light pine furniture or vice versa.

Learn to Balance

To showcase a dark piece that you love, surround it with lighter pieces, or if you’re feeling bold, white washed finishes. The lighter colors will help the dark pieces to pop and the color contrast will give the space a good balance.

Pay Attention to Grain and Texture

Just like mixing and matching wood stains will give your space dimension, mixing grains and textures of wood will do the same. Add a reclaimed wood accent piece to a room that has an oak floor in order to show off something rugged by comparing it to something smooth.

Carriage House Furnishings offers the very best in Amish Furniture in the Lancaster PA area. Our products are designed and solid wood constructed to add beauty to your home while being highly functional at the same time.

Freshen Your Children’s Dollhouse with New Furniture

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Parents out there know that it can be hard to keep the kids interested in their toys. After a while, everything they have seems to get tossed to the side in favor of something shiny and new – or something with a screen! We know that you spent a lot of time and money choosing the perfect dollhouse that can grow with your child, so why not freshen it up with some new furniture pieces to get your kids interested in it again?

Bedroom RefreshFreshen Your Children’s Dollhouse with New Furniture

Outfit your dollhouse bedroom in the latest styles from Carriage House Furnishings. Who doesn’t love an adorable set of bunkbeds? Our doll bunkbeds are made with maple wood and painted white. Plus, each pair of bunks comes with bedding, so all your kids have to do is arrange them in the space and start playing! Smaller dollhouses or homes for single dolls can benefit from new bedding, too, which is why we also offer the single doll bed, complete with cute striped bedding.

Summer Wardrobe

Your children’s dolls will be the talk of the doll neighborhood when they have this luxFreshen Your Children’s Dollhouse with New Furnitureurious deluxe doll wardrobe to house their clothes and accessories. Made from pine in a light harvest finish, this wardrobe may even make the humans in your house jealous of the doll’s storage. Plus, this doll wardrobe is large enough to house some smaller dolls, too, making it a storage space for more than just the accessories.

We also have the simple, yet classic chest of drawers, perfect for the dollhouse that is lacking in storage. Made from pine in a harvest finish, this piece is also available in white. Your kids can stow their doll’s favorite off-season outfits in the drawers and dress them up for any occasion.

Making Meals and Memories

Freshen Your Children’s Dollhouse with New FurnitureWhen it’s time for lunch, the dolls need a spot to sit: so, for the kitchen we have a painted maple wood doll highchair, also available in neutral. The model is also available in oak. It’s the perfect place for your children’s dolls to pull up a seat for snack time.

We can also make playtime more fun with a range of kitchen accessories. Our sink and stove combo will give your child the perfect place to make their tea for tea parties, while the refrigerator piece is perfect to round out the kitchen look. But what about the cups and plates? Store them in the kitchen hutch, and pull them out when it’s time to play.

Check out our full inventory of doll products and children’s furniture online now and see some of the most popular options available – including all new dollhouses and barns. Stop in to Carriage House Furnishings today and shop our showroom in Ronks, Pennsylvania, or call us at 717-768-8712 to learn more.

Be More Cozy in Your Living Room

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The living room is the heart of your home. It’s the room where you gather with friends and family to share a meal or a glass of wine, tell stories or watch them on TV, and simply spend time together making memories. For these reasons and many more, at Carriage House Furnishings, we think living rooms should be as cozy as possible.

While the couch you all settle onto is an important part of the cozy aesthetic, but that doesn’t mean your living room tables are any less crucial to having a comfortable space. Here are some of our favorite pieces that’ll fit seamlessly into your living room and help make your living room all the more welcoming and accommodating.

Our 35-inch round maple coffee table is the perfect centerpiece for any living room, no matter how your seating is configured. The round shape will encourage everyone to grab a spot to sit, bring their drink, and settle in. The classic dark maple is homey and comfortable, and will complement just about any décor style.

Coffee TableOur bigger coffee table with doors is great for larger spaces and features built-in space for storage of family games, magazines and more. No matter what kind of coffee table style you prefer, the options at Carriage House Furnishings will tie your room together, and give you and your family and your guests a big, comfortable, sturdy spot to gather.

End tables are just as important when we’re talking about tables and living rooms. End tables serve a vital role, whether it’s simply a place to rest a glass or the home for a lamp! Our end tables with drawers offer different options depending on your aesthetic preferences. Our traditional style end table features a lighter top and a more open stance that blends into a casual room design, while our more modern end table option features straight lines and a squared body, with a lower storage shelf for additional storage.

If you’re looking for a little extra storage for the living room, consider a sofa table. These tables aren’t for those in the seats but instead provide more storage in your living room. These tables are perfect for larger parties and gatherings, providing a space to store snacks, while the extra cabinet space can serve as a place to keep extra batteries, cords, games, books or anything else.

Take a look at our available living room products online now, and call Carriage House Furnishings today at 717-768-8712 to learn more about any item or to ask about custom options to make your cozy living room look even more inviting.

Spend More Time Outdoors with More Comfortable Furniture

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As the snow melts away and the flowers begin to bud, you remember why you love the outdoors so much. Summer is rapidly approaching and it is important to make sure that you have a selection of suitable outdoor furniture to make your time spent outside as comfortable as possible. Let’s take a look at some of the beautiful and comfy outdoor furniture options Carriage House Furnishings has to offer.

Outdoor Table and Chair SetWhen you have guests come over to congregate outside, chairs are a must. Wooden chair sets are not only pleasing to the eye, they are pleasing to your back as well. The Curved Back Glider is a single chair that will make your friends feel at ease as they enjoy your backyard barbecue. The Fan Back Glider is a double chair that will allow you to pull up a seat next to them as you enjoy the summer together.

Benches and even wooden swings allow for some tranquil time spent on balmy summer evenings. Nothing beats watching a gorgeous sunset or catching some of your town’s Fourth of July fireworks display from the comfort of a gently swaying rocking chair. These swings and rocking chairs will feel good on your back, while rocking you to sleep on a lazy summer day.

End tables are quaint pieces of outdoor furniture that make a great place for summer hors d’oeuvre and drinks. They make for the perfect companion to your chair or bench. Not only are they incredibly useful, they add a nice homey touch to your backyard setup.

Our outdoor furniture is available in two options – poly material or traditional wood. Poly materials are more weather resistant and durable, plus incredibly resistant to rotting or cracking. These chairs, tables and other fixtures are also colorfast, meaning less fading in the summer sun. Wood is the more traditional alternative, and offers a wide range of staining and color options. Wood is also a more rustic and authentic look, and provides a reliable stability and comfort that can bring you back to memories of gathering around the picnic table.

Carriage House Furnishings has a lot to offer when it comes to completing your summer gathering. You deserve some rest and relaxation during the warmest season, and you can find it with the help of our great selection of outdoor furnishings. To learn more, call us today at 717-768-8712 or stop by our showroom on West Newport Road in Ronks, Pennsylvania.

Make Getting the Mail More Fun

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Is getting the mail just another chore that you have to do? If you live in a home with a long driveway, it may feel like a pain to walk all the way down there to pick up what’s sure to be mostly bills and useless coupons. At Carriage House Furnishings, we think that getting the mail can be a fun part of the day! That’s because we offer unique mailboxes that will add a little whimsy to the chore of picking up the mail.

Lighthouse Mailbox

Do you live by the ocean or have you always wanted to? Why not bring a little bit of that seaside life to your home wherever you live? Check out Carriage House Furnishing’s Lighthouse Mailbox. This unique mailbox is shaped just like a real lighthouse, and even includes a solar panel that lights the top of the lighthouse, allowing it to serve as a navigation beacon when you come home at night.

MailboxesBarn-Style Mailbox

If you live on a farm, or it was always a dream of yours to have a farm, why not put one of our barn-style mailboxes at the end of your driveway? These adorable barn mailboxes come in beige, blue, brown and clay colors with your choice of white, red, black, blue, brown or green trim. Order a mailbox that matches the colors of your home and have a fun new place to pick up your post.

Cedar Barn-Style Mailbox

If you prefer a classic look, check out our Cedar Mailbox. This mailbox is carefully handmade with cedar siding, and would look great next to any style home. This mailbox also looks a bit like a country shed or a small barn and will add a bit of rustic charm to your property.

As you know, our products are all carefully handmade, so you can bet that all of our gorgeous mailboxes will last. We know that strong winds, heavy snows and punishing rains can take a toll on your mailbox, but these mailboxes, built with Amish craftsmanship and attention to detail, are sure to last years longer than the cookie-cutter ones you might pick up at the hardware store.

If you have any questions about our mailboxes or birdhouses or to place an order, call Carriage House Furnishings today at 717-768-8712 or stop in and see us in Ronks, Pennsylvania today.

Encourage Your Kids to Play Outside this Spring

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Spring has almost arrived, which means we will no longer be cooped up in our homes reading our books or staring at TV screens. Instead, we can finally spend some quality time outdoors without braving the bitter cold!

Kids these days are often so tethered to their smart devices that playing outside isn’t often their first choice, but rather than letting them stay inside playing videogames, encourage your kids to play outside this spring!

Since it’s been such a mild winter, we’re really lucky that we can crack open the windows and start to enjoy spring so early. Do your kids need a little incentive to get out of their indoor wintry mood? Add a new toy to their outdoor rotation from Carriage House Furnishings.

At Carriage House Furnishings, we don’t only have items to outfit your kitchen or living room. We can also provide a few new items to your driveway – but we’re not talking about cars! Instead, we’re talking about our handcrafted and well-made wagons and scooters that we know your kids will love.

If your kids love to be on the move, our medium scooter and a small scooter – both complete with baskets to tote their things – are the perfect choice. We’ve also got a larger scooter for older kids, which also comes with both a basket and a kickstand that makes it seem more like a bicycle.

If your kiddos prefer something with more pedal action, check out our Speedway Express 1200 Trike and our Speedway Express 1500 Trike. The 1200 model is great for young kids, and will get your tot comfortable on a bike while keeping them safe and stable with the two back wheels. The 1500 model is great for older kids, and can even be hitched to a mini cart trailer wagon if there are lots of outdoor toys to lug around!

Plus, we have a number of wagons, including some with brakes, and all available in classic red or green colors that will take you back to your own childhood playing out in the yard with these classic toys.

Get your kiddos inspired to play outside this spring with a few new driveway toys from Carriage Home Furnishing! And don’t forget to check out our outdoor furniture – perfect for relaxing and sipping some iced tea while your kids zoom around the driveway!

Stop in to our retail store on West Newport Road in Ronks today or call us at 717-768-8712 to learn more.