Exciting things are happening at Bel!

We’re only a few months in but 2014 is already proving to be a HUGE year for Bel Furniture. Our anniversary celebration is in full swing and we couldn’t be happier about celebrating 14 great years in business. We really owe it all to the wonderful people of Texas for choosing to buy local and supporting our family business since 2000. Thanks to you, we’ve grown from a single warehouse into a multi-location company throughout Houston, Beaumont, San Antonio and Del Rio. Which brings us to our first exciting update…

Bel has a new home in Clute, TX

We are pleased to announce that a new location will be joining the Bel family next month! Saturday, May 24 will mark the grand opening of our 11^thstore in Clute, TX. It is with great joy that we bring the Bel brand and its great savings to the Lake Jackson area. Now families in the Brazoria County area can enjoy all of the great deals Bel has to offer, without having to travel very far. We’re especially looking forward to partaking in the city’s infamous Great Texas Mosquito Festival in a couple of months. Our doors will open at 10 a.m. so be sure to stop by for Grand Opening festivities and, as always, great savings on quality furniture for your entire home!

New website design makes shopping easier for Bel customers

Earlier this month, we launched our new, state-of-the-art ecommerce website. The high-tech design replaces our old site with faster speed, an easier, smoother checkout process and fabulous new photos of our products. If you haven’t already, go ahead and check it out for yourself! Right now you can order from our Anniversary Sale and get your furniture delivered straight to your door. Go ahead and stay in your PJ’s!

Last chance to shop the Anniversary Sale

Speaking of the Anniversary Sale, time is running out to take advantage of great savings! The sale ends Tuesday, April 24, so be sure to stop by one of our locations or go online before it’s too late. Here are a few hints at what you’ll find in this sale…

3Pc Leather Living Room Set for $1244.99

 

3Pc King Canopy Bed

7Pc Dining Room Set

March Madness: Up Your Game with Healthy Snacks

NCAA March Madness is just around the corner, and we have our fingers crossed for all the Texas teams! But March is also the month when the last of the Valentine’s Day candy is out of the house, we’ve finally shed those extra holiday pounds, and we’re looking forward to summer trips to the beach.

Tasty, sure. Healthy? Umm…

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With the game on the TV, it’s too easy to overindulge in not-so-healthy food. What can you do to bring your best snack game to the tournament this year?

Veggie Party Platter, “Courtside” Edition

There will be plenty of chips, pizza, and soda to go around, so why not serve up some healthy game-time snacks? Even the most die-hard pizza aficionado needs a break from the grease at some point. This carrot-and-olive platter is an easy, fun way to get some vitamins and minerals into the basketball fans at your party. By halftime, they’ll appreciate the fresh crunch of a carrot or two.

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Make your mark on the court

Clementines are delicious and nutritious, and—oh my goodness, they look like tiny basketballs too! Use a permanent marker to draw the seams on each fruit (or recruit your kids to do this), and in no time, you’ve got a bowl of mini-basketballs. Put these easy-peel clementines within reach of your favorite sports fans, and you’ll be surprised how fast they disappear. Nothin’ but net! The images below are truly hard to tell apart!

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The Ultimate Sweet-’n-Savory Sixteen Veggie Bracket

If you really want to go for the championship this spring, get your family involved in a dinner-by-dinner playoff to determine which vegetable is the household favorite. Kids and parents fill out brackets beforehand, and over the course of a month, everyone tries two vegetables dishes with every meal (at least one bite of each!). The whole family votes on each dinner’s favorite, and the winning vegetable moves on to the next round. You can sweeten the contest by adding a healthy prize for the winning bracket, like a fresh fruit smoothie.

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It can be hard to keep the junk food at bay, but if you keep healthy options on hand, you really can make a difference in your family’s diet. Chop those veggies, cheer on your favorite men’s and women’s teams this spring, and feel good while doing it!

Citrus Centerpieces: Color, Taste, and Beauty

It’s citrus season! Seeing the grapefruit tree in my backyard fill with bright pink globes is a nice reminder that spring is on its way (and that this cold winter won’t last forever!). If you have citrus trees in your yard—or if a neighbor, family member, or coworker does—then you’re familiar with the seasonal citrus overload that can fill up a kitchen pretty quickly.

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Cooking is a great way to use all this fruit, and we can enjoy citrus in marmalades, salads, and desserts, and as delicious garnishes to main courses. But if you’ve already had broiled grapefruit every day this week (like I have), you might be wondering what else you can do with this beautiful bounty? The bright colors of citrus fruits have a particular visual appeal that compliments their tangy flavors, so a citrus centerpiece could make a great seasonal addition to your table!

Perk Up a Vase with Lemon Slices

A bowl of pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens can brighten a kitchen countertop, but what about using your favorite citrus fruit to accent a vase of flowers? Achieving an elegant fruity presentation is easier than you might think. Impress your guests—and yourself—by slicing a lemon and tucking the slices along the sides of a clear vase. Yellow lemon rinds can make a lovely accent for all sorts of flowers, from daisies to dahlias. The fruit is, of course, perishable, so after dinner, be sure to put your arrangement in the refrigerator overnight so you can enjoy it at breakfast, too.

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A Bowlful of Orange Delights

If you’d like to keep your oranges all in one piece (to eat later!), try this fun idea:  tuck a pad of floral foam and moss in the middle of a bowl of oranges. Insert real or artificial flowers into the moss, and voila! You have a mini citrus garden. This can be a fun centerpiece for children to add to—a little toy frog or fairy is a lovely touch. After a dinner with friends, treat your guests to a unique party favor! Invite them to pluck a flower and take an orange from the bowl at the end of the night. 

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Lay It All on the Table

What if your tangerine tree overfloweth? If you don’t have enough bowls and vases in the house for all your fruit, just pile it on the table. As they say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it! This simple, rustic but elegant centerpiece by Annie Campbell of Après Fête makes the most of an overload of tangerines and a simple wooden table. Whether you’re helping the kids with homework or having the neighbors over for mimosas, a pile of tangerines or oranges makes for a healthy and welcoming snack.  

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What’s your favorite, creative way to use citrus this time of year? Please tell us!

Brighten Your Yard with Spring DIY

It’s not too soon to start thinking about sprucing up your outdoor space for spring. Especially in Texas, warm weather and sunny days are just around the corner! There are tons of fun DIY projects you can do to get ready for the season and many of them are kid-friendly to boot. Try out some of these ideas and get ready to see your backyard transformed from a dried-out winter gray to a blossoming green oasis!

Start an Herb Garden

It’s very easy to start an herb garden with just a small patch of soil and a few seedling plants. Having fresh herbs on hand will also be a true joy when you have to throw a meal together in a hurry. You’ll save big bucks over time as you eliminate the need to buy herbs at the store, which ultimately go bad in your fridge waiting for their next use. Check out this site for tips on getting started. (Photo Credit)

Use Recycled Items to Create a Planter

If the weather isn’t quite warm enough yet, you can bring springtime indoors with small planters. As the plants outgrow their vessels, they can be replanted in your garden too. You can create fun and interesting-looking planters yourself with repurposed household items. This site has a whole bunch of creative ideas. (Photo Credit)

Make Your Own Seed Bombs

Wildflowers in the springtime are one of the most beautiful features of Texas. Making your own wildflower seed bombs is a fun way to add some excitement to your backyard (or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a random outdoor public space). Combine the ingredients listed on the site to make little seed balls that can be thrown into any patch of dirt and watch as they blossom. (Photo Credit)

Make Your Own Bird Feeder

One of the most vocal indicators of spring is the sound of birds chirping outside your window. You can be sure to attract those lovely songsters by placing bird feeders throughout your property. You can order a fancy expensive one from a catalog but they are actually quite simple and inexpensive to make yourself. Follow this link to see some recycled bird feeder ideas. (Photo Credit)

How do you like to get ready for spring? Let us know what fun DIY projects you have planned for  this year!