Home decorating and design

Last night when he came home from work, he looks up and around the ceiling, says "very nice" put his briefcase down and walked out. Which translated for us would mean "OMG, It's amazing! I love it, how did you did ever you do this all by yourself? You are THE most incredible woman I have ever known" How, you ask, can she read all THAT into "very nice"? Because if he didn't like, He would have walked in looked up and around said "take it down" put his briefcase down and walked out! ROFLOL~Missy

Speaking of Cyber-gift exchanges, how many would be interested in a cyber-gift exchange, either at Christmas or some other time. I think that's a great idea, count me in. Christine

Speaking of Cyber-gift exchanges, how many would be interested in a cyber-gift exchange, either at Christmas or some other time. Hi - I really like the idea of avoiding the holidays for the exchange due to stress overload at that time. I for one would participate & vote "Yes". Patricia / Washinton state Riverbend Graphics

Eric, I don't have wood blinds---wish I did, because they don't attract the dirt the way the others do. As for the 12 foot ladder--well, I am afraid of heights, and a klutz besides. And my husband isn't well. So-------I will live with the dirt a bit longer, I'm afraid, and then have to get professional help. Am seriously thinking of selling the house, no more vaulted ceilings for me, or those fancy huge windows. I need a house that I can take care of more easily. I did have wood blinds in another house, and they were no problem. Also, once had shutters filled with fabric instead of slats and they were the easiest to care for. Thanks for the great advice, Marion

Hello I am new here I am Tamara a single mom to two boys, we live in So California, I just moved and I want a change, before it was just there nothing special, but now I want the house to look pretty and peaceful, I am just starting out, slowly but I am gunna get there :-) I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello and let you know that I am here I look forward togetting to know everyone. Hugs Tam ~~~~~~~~ If you want or need to get ahold of me my IMs are MSN mom2_2boys (@hotmail.com) or CaBnEyes (@hotmail.com) AOL IM CaBnEyes75

Hi, Arwen--where did you get the leopard statue?--I'm looking for something "leopardy"--but not a huge one. Haven't seen anything around here at all. I did a bathroom in leopard, and there's a spot on the window sill for something like that. (Just in case my guests aren't sure what the motif is). Marion

Arwen, I think that's wonderful--I bet this is what you had always wanted.to do. Actually, the more mature you are when you become an MD, the better a doctor you will be. Once I had dreams of medicine, but now I know they were just dreams. Because I was just a kid! I can't even watch E.R. or such a program, without it turning my stomach.. Anyway, I'm glad you're here---Marion

Shoooweeee! I JUST now finished touching up the green paint in here, the moulding is all caulked and painted, it looks really nice. I just hope to heck it doesn't start falling down from the ceiling, lol! Just vacuumed and need to dust and hang up his big map on the wall. I could kick myself for not grabbing some pictures Target had a while back that were of old antique radios. I saw a valance at Penny's that I really want for in here, it is a tapestry of library books, or if I can find that fabric, I'll make my own. The Penny's valance is in triangles with tassels hanging down. Well, all for now, back to cleaning the rest of this room and the rest of the house.~Missy

I am an expert in one thing---procrastination. Anyone in need of some instruction, just email me privately. Marion

It is supposed to freeze here tonight. I have been outside covering the plants. I have scrounged up every pot, pan, sheet, pillowcase, dropcloth, and WalMart bag I can find. Now I know why (other than painting) that you save those things. I have a climbing rose bush,in full bud, that is already to the top of the porch. I'm not about to loose those roses! I got on the roof and stapled a sheet to drop down over it. In addition to that I came in to find the bathroom flooded. It seems we have a cat that is nuts over water. He can turn the faucet on in the bathroom. We usually take the knobs off so he can't turn it on. Today the knobs were left on. The water was running over the cabinet and the bathroom was all fogged up. The culprit was asleep in the kitchen window looking angelic! Later, Jayne

I must confess I have absoulutely no talent when it comes to decorating or original ideas, my dd15 has dark green forest walls and white trim, she wants to do something with baby blue and clouds but keep the green ??? Any ideas out there? Also what is the easiest way to strip wallpaper? Thanks, Val

Sheesh! I had to read further on to find out that the "blind guy" was a person who sold blinds not one who was "sight challenged"!! LOL....I was just thinking that it wasnt very politically correct.....LOL... Brenda <who will read ALL her mail in sequence from now on

In a message dated 4/17/01 8:41:36 AM, artsyliz@... writes: << When I first moved into the BOH last year, I spend a couple of days washing vinyl mini-blinds in the bathtub. I did not finish all of them. It just came to me that perhaps I could take them to a carwash and lay them out and get them clean a lot easier and faster - they are really dirty and they are rather large, so I can't afford to just replace them. Is this a good idea? do you have another idea? or a better idea? Miniblinds have been the bain of my existence since I was a kid (cleaning them was MY job. Oh joy.) If you find a better way, I'm VERY interested; there's nothing as back-breaking as laboring over miniblinds in a bathtub! The best routine I've found to date: first, vacuum them off well while they're hanging up. The less dust you deal with in the bathtub, the less work. Next, put a cup or so of Clorox Clean-up in the tub and fill the wate up only enough to cover the blinds (you can usually put in two blinds at a time if the blinds aren't so long they can't lay in the tub properly.) Let them sit; the clean-up cleans all the strings and lightens the blinds. If you lucky and there's no grease or other junk binding the dust to the blinds, you can let them sit in the tub, stand them on end and rinse withe shower head, and they're done. The hard part is when you discover that there's still junk stuck to it. Then I know no substitute for individually going over every slat under water with your fingers - the worst part of the job. I usually lay out a few old towels after I rinse the blinds off, and lay the blinds out, long ways. Then I dry them off with another towel and put them up. They're clean, but what a pain! The only improvement I can think of is adding a good on-contact degreaser to the water (my experience is that the Clorox Clean Up takes care of everything but that.) The best degeaser in water I ever found that still works well is Ultra Strength Dawn (for dishes.) Maybe I'll try and add that to the water next time, and I've always meant to try Oxyclean. I still don't see a way of avoiding doing the slats by hand. Maybe that's why it's a miracle if I do this chore more than once a year! I'd love to hear any short cuts for blind cleaning myself! Debby

I had to go get a qt of RL's Victoria Falls to touch up the walls under the crown moulding because the leftover paint dried up in the can. When I got to Ho De, my new best pal Brad in the paint dept tells me that Ralph Lauren sold out to Glidden and now all the paint formulas are somewhat different because it's a different product. My old can was the original RL with the flag on the lid, the new glidden does not have that, and is completely different therefore, it would not match in the least. My only option, says Brad, is to get a whole new gallon and repaint the entire room. "Brad!" I say "Please! there must be something you can do! I know you have the talent and the power to help me!" "Well" Brad said, " MAYBE, we might *possibly* still have a qt of the old kind with the flag on the lid, but it means I may actually have to get up, walk over to the shelf and look" I said "Brad, I'll take that chance!" "A miracle!" he shouts! "Here it is. right here on the front of the shelf" And he mixed. And it matched. Ok, so, maybe it wasn't all that dramatic. But if you are in the middle of something that you need a certain kind of RL paint, I would go get it before the old stuff is all gone. OR if you are doing a job that requires 2 gals, make sure they are not using an old base paint with the flag and a new base from Glidden that doesn't have the flag, because they won't matchaq~Missy

Hi everyone, I currently put a contract on an old farm house. I found your group and would like to ask if anyone can suggest a book or web site were I can get infomation on paint colors etc, to fix this house up. (on a shoe string budget) The old part of the house is log cabin (age??)but covered with plaster and old peeling wall paper. The new part of the house was built in 1920. It has a kerosene heating system and spring feed water system. I would like to make this a charming true to old form but refreshed house. Thanks for you help Jan

Hi, I have a dilemma, I purchased a table from a used vendor a few months ago, at that point I loved it. It still like it but would like to do something to it. It is a cherry stained table, 2' x 3', the top is flat no planks of wood or relief (except for banged spots, thanks kids! :-P ) the edges have a fancy edge, hmmm sort of like a moulding ( I guess I could post a picture, huh? ) Anyways, I'll do that, I'll post a picture. I would like to make the table be able to withstand the abuse yet look more country/romantic/rustic. I was thinking putting glass and then under it put old pictures or postcards, something along those lines, also I thought of some type of decoupage with or without glass on the top, making a mosaic with tile or some other material along those lines. Allright, if anyone has other ideas they are most welcome. Something with cloth would be cool, I just havent seen anything that hits me yet. I'll post a picture soon, please let me know of any ideas. Maria Poteau, OK

Thank you for those links, I found a few things I liked, crackle finish has been added to the list. Maria , Poteau, OK

Two years ago this coming summer I redecorated our upstairs bathroom with the theme of birds. The room has a wainscoting and I painted that bright white along with the moldings and the wallboard above that, sky blue and sponge painted clouds. I purchased five those little wooden craft birdhouses (approx. 2 inches tall) from Wal-Mart. My daughters and I panted them bright colours or our choosing and then I added a couple of those mushroom birds to the tops I place them on the door molding above the door. I then added a simple A-framed birdhouse of typical size on top the the wainscoting and added a couple of almost life size cardinals to it. I bought fabric with a sky blue background and birds flying on it or resting in foliage branches and made a skirt to go around our sink which rests on the wall with no vanity. I also made a curtain for the window from he same fabric. Since the initial decorating I've added a three ceramic birdhouse and a shelf in the tub area for shampoo. Nothing big deal. So why am I telling you about a project I did almost two years ago. This morning I was inspired. I had purchased some more of those mushroom birds for another project and a few left over. They were muted colours and in the flying position. I hot glued them to the sky section of my bathroom and WOW! I love my bathroom all over again. Now I am going outside and look for some bare tree branches and use some of those silk leaves in my prop closet to make it look as though my bathroom is a tree house. Lilly

Well, I made a little "oopsie"! The walls in here where I put up the moulding are over 15 ft. long, the moulding comes in 14 ft length, so you have to cut them and join them in the center of the wall where there is a seam. They have these little corbels you can put over the seam and it just looks more decorative and covers the seam, they are about 1 1/2" wide so you have some room to screw up. I cut one side of the crown moulding a little too short, and had about a 2 1/2" gap <<<<gasp about this whole project, and I did not tell him about my goof. I didn't tell my neighbor the handy guy either, who didn't even notice they were extra wide, so I don't think anyone else will know either, except you guys, he he~Missy

I finally got finished looking at all of your pics. You are very creative and definately have a beautiful house to be so proud of! Chris

I don't have a problem with the mail because once you know what they say you don't even have to open them... lol. My sink hasn't been that shiny this past week because of painting. But at least I am doing something =) Chris

Liz, Thanks for showing all the new members, so many familiar names! Yay, Cinclo is here with us! I am looking forward to seeing what kinds of things all the people I don't know yet are working on! Hurry and SPILL IT!..... Missy

We spoke about Australian architect Glenn Murcott a couple of weeks ago. I just picked up the new issue of Dwell and there is an article about him. I've tucked it away in my suitcase and am anxiously awaiting my flight to Atlanta this morning so I may read it with rapt attention. I will be in Atlanta promoting my book. On Tuesday the 17th. I'll be demonstrating projects and talking about my centerpieces on WAGA-TV's Good Morning Atlanta during the 8:00am hour. I hope any Georgia locals will tune in. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

Jezzie, There actually is a cure for BFS. I once suffered from it as well, ocassionally I have relapses but I'm in remission. The therapy utilizes the concepts of FTF (First Things First). Do not waver from the first intention. You must steadfastly follow that rule. With blinders on, you must continue down the hall with the laundry basket--looking neither left nor right, but straight ahead with only one purpose in mind. After the first task is completed may you gather in your surroundings and decide the next step. By taking baby steps and completing small projects you will discover how easy it is to stay focused and actually by the end of the day you will see your accomplishments, not piles of work yet to be completed. Then you know you have succeeded and kicked BFS. Good luck

Hello all! Just had to post while I take a break in here! I colorwashed the ceiling here in the office and guess what I'm doing now, ALL BY MYSELF? I am putting up that crown moulding. Dh took big kid to see movie about Dirt, oh, Joe Dirt, So with the 2 little ones under my feet, I have gotten 1/2 way putting the long pieces up. the longer walls are in 7 1/2 ft sections which I secure in the center first then go back and nail the rest of the way, yes by hand! I couldn't even get my neighbor to find his air gun so I could shoot them in! (poor me)My neck and arms are gonna hurt tomorrow! I am using pre-cut corners and seam covers, so there is no mitering and my center cuts can be a little short or long, this is the way to go! Looks good so far~Missy

Well, I see you all agree with me too. Truthfully, CL's characters turn me off completely--I know he's a ham, but this is so silly. I have found that most of the programs on HGTV have become so darn commercial, and are geared mostly those with ultra-big pockets Only one that has remained the same (at least to me) is Carol Duvall. I always enjoyed "Room to Room", but not as much lately. Even "Small Spaces" has evolved into "Larger Spaces". What has happened to the programming for the average person who lives in a house or apartment and just wants to do inexpensive makeovers. I can remember that years ago, when we had very little money, painting the flowers in a floral wall paper with colors that matched my furnishings. I was being creative, but didn't know it then! I like things like that, don't you? Well, until the programming becomes more interesting, I won't tape too much. Marion

I knew I would eventually find out why I never get anything done. ha My sister sent this to me. It answers a lot of questions. Thought you might enjoy. Later, Jayne Subject: Fwd: But First Syndrome But First Syndrome I'm writing you to let you know that I have recently been diagnosed with a very serious condition and there's no hope I will ever recover. The scientific world is frantically searching for a cure. This is an ailment many of us suffer from and may not as yet have been diagnosed, however now you may be able to discuss it with your loved ones and try to explain what really happened to you all those times you tried so hard to accomplish something and didn't. I call it the "But First Syndrome." You know, it's when I decide to do the laundry. I start down the hall and notice the newspaper on the table. Okay, I'm going to do the laundry.... BUT FIRST I'm going to read the newspaper. After that, I notice the mail on the table. Okay, I'll just put the newspaper in the recycle stack.... BUT FIRST I'll look through that pile of mail and see if there are any bills to be paid. Yes, now where's the checkbook? Oops....there's the empty glass from yesterday on the coffee table. I'm going to look for that checkbook.... BUT FIRST I need to put the glass in the sink. I head for the kitchen, look out the window, notice my poor flowers need a drink of water. I put the glass in the sink, and darn it, there's the remote for the TV on the kitchen counter. What's it doing here? I'll just put it away.... BUT FIRST I need to water those plants. Head for door and.... Aaaagh! Stepped on the cat. Cat needs to be fed. Okay, I'll put that remote away and water the plants.... BUT FIRST I need to feed the cat.... AT the end of day: Laundry is not done, newspapers are still on the floor, glass is still in the sink, bills are unpaid, checkbook is still missing, and the cat ate the remote control.... AND, when I try to figure out how come nothing got done all day, I'm baffled, because I KNOW I was BUSY ALL DAY!! I realize this condition is serious....and I should get help! BUT FIRST....I think I'll check my Email!!

My brother called from the road after my post. He was thinking of an easy solution to fixing the panes and said that we should get some mirrors cut the shape of the pane to put inside the fixture with dabs of silicone. They would completely cover up the cracks and reflect the light out and make it even better, he said he has noticed that a lot of light fixtures come that way anyway. Good idea huh?~Missy

In a message dated 4/13/01 5:37:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time, artsyliz@... writes: Apparently there is a personality trait that hates "finished" projects and I have it BAD How nice to know that you have actually given a name to the personality trait that I have called my procrastination....actually getting a painting signed, and therefore finished, is a challenge. LOVE the floor cloth. What a neat idea. I have carpet and ceramic tile, but plan to make one for my back porch/haven. I had a remnant of beige carpet and outlined circles on the back with chalk....cut them with a razor knife and have round rugs which are kind of neat. By the way, I am Marilyn. another admirer of Liz and her clever ideas. First became involved with the discovery of Christopher Lowell and his "whimsical" ideas. We had one whole Christmas with "whimsical" as a theme that was lots of fun. Seriously, he is a very creative person and, as an artist, I admire that trait. Looking forward to sharing great and inexpensive ideas. Marilyn in Florida

My brother just dropped off those light fixtures, OH MY GOODNESS! They are unbelievably gorgeous, They are faux finished in copper with a purplish undertone, you all know my penchant for purple!!! They have a grape leaf motif with finials, they are huge too!!! The reason they were replaced and going to be discarded was because the previous installer had cracked a pane of the glass because he didn't know how to install them. But, they are small cracks in the panes that face the house and you don't even see them. The light company replaced them because they weren't perfect. So they fell into our laps! It is possible for me to replace the broken panes, my brother said it can be done carefully. But I don't know that I will because it doesn't really show. But it does bug me a little knowing they are there! I have time to decide, he won't be installing them until the Sunday after Easter when he comes over for a BD party. The only problem would be getting the glass cut correctly, because I have to bust out the pieces that are in there and if I can't get it done properly I won't have anything to put back in. I was wondering about that stuff they use to repair windshield cracks, you know they squirt it in with a syringe. I've seen it at the auto stores, do you think that might work, or at least stop it from getting worse? Missy

I'm sorry you stapled your hand, Liz... I can't exactly empathize with you, but I can sympathize!! I once sewed two of my fingers together in my sewing machine.. and once grabbed the 'business' end of a set of electric hedge clippers while they were running.. (17 stitches in two fingers--God ALLOWED me to keep the fingers, despite my stupidity--and a fun ambulance ride to the hospital with two cute EMT's.. ;)) So.. I know the staple must have been very painful!! Feeling better now? :) ~~~Bren...

ceiling. I want something that I can run along the joints between the sheetrock squares, I don't want to tape/compound them. What I'd like is something that is dimensional and about 1" - 1 1/2" wide so that it will cover any errors I make. ;o) Plaster would be okay. . .. and then put a rosette or something in each corner where the 4 pieces meet. Hi there, Liz.. :) Don't know how much you plan to spend on this project.. but.. I found wonderful embossed wood strips at Home Depot. They are bare wood, and you can paint/stain them any color you like. I would NOT recomment staining them with a regular wood stain. It seeps into the embossed areas, and messes up the embossing. However.. I did use one of Minwax's polyfinishes... the ones with the stain and polyurethane both inside. It worked great! It brought out the embossed design beautifully, without seepage. And the poly protects it, and made it shine nicely. The wood strips are flat... they call them 'panel moulding' if I remember correctly. :) I think mine are about 1 1/2 inches across. They come in strips about 8 or 10 feet long. Best of luck! ~~~Bren...

Could someone please send me the URL for that show house, I think it was in Atlanta. I accidently deleted it. Thanks. Christine catalora@...

When he had the old show I would schedule things so that I could watch. Now I very rarely watch. When he was here at the Home Show I was standing by the guy that schedules his appearances and has something to do with the production of his show. He asked me if I liked the new or old show best. I told him I like the old original best except for the dorky audience, I thought they seemed like they came from the bus station. He laughed and said I was mostly right, they did hire the audience! He also said the CL also liked the old show best and they had plans to start having more audience interaction again. Later, Jayne

Next time proceed with caution--I would have passed out! What surprised me is that you didn't need a tetanus shot, or have you had one lately? You really should fortify yourself with those shots, with all that you do. You do deserve a lot of sympathy, I cringe just thinking about it. Sympathetically , Marion

Liz, I couldn't find the tiles--where, oh where, are they? I do like your little note about visitors not being able to order prints or gifts from your pictures--I thought it was done "tongue in cheek"--or am I mistaken? Marion

Yes, they are like flies around here! Practically everyone on our street has done a built in BBQ. I want to do it so bad, it is definitely going to be something I try! What I see people doing, both pros and DIYer's is using slump block to create the base, and then stuccoing and painting it to match the house. One of the neighbors also did some counter top area, and across from the bbq did a curved bench along the curved edge of his patio, all they need is a coffee height table and they can chat to guests while they cook and the guests can sit around and enjoy a drink and appetizer. Otherwise, when you bbq for company you're sorta off to the side slaving while they are all hanging around the eating table you know? Also they sell kits at Ho De to do the built ins~Missy

Yesterday I met my friend over at the brand new Lowe's to check out the store and get some paint ideas for her guest bedroom. This is unbelievable. She picks up this rustic red/brown paint chip and says that is what she was looking for, and can you believe this? We are walking past the "mistake" shelf and spot this gal of a rusty red/brown that exactly matches the chip in her hand for $2!!!! Then she found a quart of really nice camel tan for $1, they are selling their mistakes for $2 per gal, and $1 per pint. Is that normal? I know Ho De is usually about $8 per gal and $4 per pint. I wonder if it's just because the store is new? Otherwise I'll be there every day looking at mistakes irregardless if I need to paint anything, lol!~Missy

Hi everyone. What a wonderful group! It is so interesting to hear about all the interior ideas...and even pictures! And thanks to all who responded to my question about wood floors and wood cabinets. Although all wood types do grow in the forest, I think I'm going with wood floors and white cabinets...that way I can do all sorts of other stuff without worrying about interrupting the look of the beautiful floor. Paper bag counters....where or where do you 'guys' come up with those ideas ;-) Kathy `````````````````````````````````````````````` Casecraft In-Wall Jewelry Case Voice: 720-320-7150 Fax: 509-691-1295 info@... www.inwalljewelrycase.com ```````````````````````````````````````````````

Before they are tossed can you use them for ANYTHING? Break them up and experiment, do a mosaic countertop somewhere? Got a bathroom you can experiment on? Showerstall? At the beach house we vacation at the owner had his handy man tile a regular old bath tub and it turned out amazing! The handy man told me he didn't want to do it because he'd never heard of such a thing, and it took him a few days, but it really worked great. Or tile the top of a potting bench? Cover the top of a concrete bench in your garden, do a mosaic table top on some old yard sale or hotel liquidation tables. Do you have a boring fireplace hearth? If you need artwork anywhere, get a poster you like, a sheet of 1/4 in plywood, decopauge the poster in the center and use the tile pieces to mat the picture, do an skinny inside frame with some shelf moulding and an outside with picture frame moulding. A while back on the bd list, there was a woman called "Lady" who used tile scraps and did the most awesome mosaic entry way into her house. It was beautiful. I know none of these things are what you wanted, but as long as you have the pieces, let's be creative and see what you can use them for so it isn't a complete loss! Any other ideas out there? Liz must have 101 ideas to use tile scraps for :-)~Missy

A 4 level split, you walk in you have 1 level up and 2 levels down. That's (Minnesotan's) what they call a 4 level split. I say it is 3 level, but what do I know. have a good day all Cindy

Oh brother, What can I say. You people. I mean what talent. I'm Cindy we bought our house in November in the snow (north of Minneapolis) haven't done a darn thing. It's a 4 level split. Coming from CA I never knew what the heck a 4 level split was. I am hanging my head, I'm still unpacking. I have come here to get idea's and boy I never knew. First off Liz tell us all about the paperbags. Brenda I love your fireplace and your paint in your hallway did you do that? And Missy do you work? If not you can come over and get started, the pay is cheap but, we are fun. I will some day get my stuff together and take pic's. There is lots of work here, first we have to finish the dungeon the fourth level before anything else. But for some reason I am so tired after work that just getting things organized is enough. Take Care Cindy

Ok, I need the link to Missy's cabinets. Can someone send it to me? Diana

Its me, Diana or Hapygrdner!! I didn't write much but I've switched too!!! Diana

Remember me, Marion in Nevada? I'm here too.

My brother just called me, he's an electrician. He just finished a job in an exclusive $$$$$ neighborhood (Phx Suns players) He had to remove some outside light fixtures, (they are brand new) and replace them with some other ones (don't know why, they work fine) He said they retail for between $250-300 each and there are 3 of them! He asked me if we would like them because the company told him to destroy or otherwise dispose of them! I said YES! Outside light fixtures are one thing that we have not gotten around to! We have the cheesy one from the builder by the front door and just the plates out in front of the garage. He said they look like they would be something we would like, they are metal in a brown and gold faux finish..... Can't wait to see them! Even if I didn't like the color (which I'm sure I will) I could always change the color!~Missy

Oh, Liz, you're my kind of girl! Well, I don't know if I would do 2000 ceiling tiles, but I love the Zebra chairs. Maybe I'll try that on one of those plastic patio chairs--seeing that I don't have anything else right now in need of painting. Marion

We're putting in an offer to buy the duplex/split level that we live in. If we get it, we're going to update the ancient kitchen. When I mentioned the nice cabinets and such at Home Depot to my dad, he said it was stupid to put something that cheap in. They don't look cheap to me! Dad says that we should call a cabinet maker and have custom cupboards put in. BUT - we don't intend to live here forever. If we upgrade this house beyond comparable houses in the neighbourhood, we'll never get our money back. So ... that long spiel leads to this question - what's the difference between custom cabinets built by a cabinetmaker especially for this kitchen, and stock cabinets from Home Depot that we pick out and install ourselves? Marie

Hi everyone, my name's Missy. I'm married, and we have 3 kids. We live in Az. I know at least one of you already (Hi Liz) Liz has the BOH. Since our house isn't very old, we'll just call it the BAH. I've done 12 rooms so far and have our master bedroom and office to finish decorating and need to add the finishing touches in our formal living room. At last we have a plan to finish it!:-) Lived here for 2 years now. I'll send the link to photopoint so you can see pics if you like. Nice to meet you all and look forward to sharing and fun! I hear this is a great group~Missy

Susan.... Lemme make sure I understand what you're asking: Spending time in the dental chair today, I was contemplating the perfect re-furbishment of a dental surgery. What is the most interesting, off-beat, colourful, friendly or ghastly dental surgery you've ever seen? Before I make an embarrassing faux pas & tell you all about my recent dental escapades (read: $$$$$$), you're asking about the *decor* of the office, yes? LOL My dental office, which I have been so blessed to have seen up close & personal on a regular basis lately, is as such: White walls, w/an marine theme...bunch of colorful, cartoon-like underwater sea life pictures & border. The staff all wear a non-descript shade of blue, adorned w/masks, so I don't know how their teeth compare w/the shade on the walls. <G At any rate, I am sure that my frequenting their establishment will undoubtedly help decorate my dentists' vacation home, (I'll have to ask him how he's enjoying all my money) or at the very least, purchase massive quantities of silk plants for the office. I'm just happy to know I'm doing *my* part. ;o) Now.... if you want to know about my dental *surgeries*..... LOL Sorry.... just a little cynical tonite. ;o) Ducking & running, Gina

Hello! I'm Maria. I signed up for this list for help with colors for our home. We just moved to a home in Oklahoma, its an older home, meaning 25+ years. I'm lucky that I have a very good Antique, Flea Market Shop in my area and have found lovely artifacts to decorate my home. My question to the list is in regards to colors. The carpet in our living area is green, forest green. It is my favorite color. My sofa and loveseat are rose, dark rose. We accented it with pillows in green and rose. This was because we used to live in a new home in Florida It was very airy, open and White! Our present home is homier, cozier, we have a fireplace with redish brick so even though it is the same size, it feels sort of smaller. My issue is that the actual living area has no windows and while this is not horrible the darkish colors of the sofa/loveseat seem to make it so dark. I have been brainstorming about changing the accent pillows to something with a light yellow to give it more light to the room. I have also considered a yellow color for the walls. I have also thought of a very light green or pink for the walls, I just don't want white or off white for the walls. This has been driving me insane. I lean towards a rustic, country, eclectic style of decorating. Mainly because we have 2 children under 4 years and 2 dogs, one is a pup and he feels it is god-given right to eat anything I put in our home.... I would love to hear ideas, if anyone has any suggestions, about my color issues. Thanks in advance for any ideas. Mariamailto:pmgor@...

Dear Susan, Can you please elaborate on the definitions of hues vs. tones? I'm unfamiliar how to differentiate btwn. the two & I hear these terms tossed around quite a bit. I'm sure knowing what the heck they're talking about would help me tremendously when I finally take the leap to paint! Much appreciated! ;o) Gina

Curious if anyone out there has used fabric as a wall covering. I have, what is called, horsehair plaster walls that have cracked. I tried repairing them with the drywall tape and the cracks came back with a vengence. Covering with wallpaper doesn't help. When we moved in the paper that was up was cracked as well. I cannot afford to have the plaster removed and replaced right now. So I was thinking fabric wouldn't, at least I hope, crack. Any insights on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Lilly

Lilly, When you tried to repair the cracks in the plaster, did you first enlarge the cracks, cleaning the debri out and then filling with new plaster to the top, THEN use the tape and feathering out the over-plaster? I tried to repair a crack once without enlarging it first to give space for the new plaster to take hold and it did not work at all well. It was an expensive mistake but one I will not make again!:) I hope this helps your problem. Jean timedreamer@...

Welcome, Chris, Rebecca and "myschyf@...." Thankyou for joining the Interior Motives groups. We look forward to you introducing yourselves to us and letting us in on Your Interior Motive. Have a colourful day. Regards Susan

Thanks! I've printed off your email. I hadn't thought about needing a large vehicle - for the time being, my old Ford Tempo is just going to have to do the job. Today was *wonderful*. A rep from Formo Linoleum came to the house and gave me a TON of information. Tile samples, cork samples, and obviously, linoleum samples. She promised to keep me up to date whenever they change colors. I wish I could find more manufacturers that were so helpful! Marie

I have just joined this list and would like to introduce myself. I live in Norway and we have an old house which is small, but full of character and charm. Having started about a year ago we are now in the final stages of redecorating the living room. We have taken things slowly, deliberately waiting until the days got longer and the light better before we start painting. Now that spring is officially here, we are eager to get started. Alyssa

When you have an L shaped LR/ DR combination, do you treat it as one room or two? Christine

To all of you who have offfered me suggestions...thank you! Those of you who are sharing your ideas with the group are inspirational to me. I'm off to look at wallpaper and paint swatches. Listening to your stories has really given me hope! Christine

that alot of us are redoing our homes this year. I to am on a quest to redecorate our home. So let me begin. As I wrote in an early post, I like really like Nancy's stance, "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without." So I am going to "TRY" very hard to stand by it. When we moved into the house I just wanted to change everything in a hurry to move out the old owners. So I wasn't as careful as I should have been. Now everything looks old and drab and put your choice for an adjective here

Good luck with your decorating project. You at least know your "style", I'm still trying to figure out what mine is. I spend hours going through books and magazines. Gosh I wish this was easier. Best of luck to you! Thank you, Christine... & good luck to you too. I think it's taken me a good 6 mos. or more to finally figure out a 'pattern' in my taste. Hopefully, it won't take you as long! :o) I also spent an entire (& I *do* mean 'entire') 2 weeks over the Christmas holidays, in bed w/the flu, pouring over all the decorating shows,non-stop, all hours of the day & nite. Once I was perpindicular to the floor <G I'm sure someone probably mentioned this to ya already, but have you started a scrapbook of pictures, paint chips, fabric swatches, etc. & things that you like? You'll probably see a pattern developing of what you love... & what you don't! ;o) I'm sure you'll find what you love... & when you do, please share it w/us! :o) Gina

Thank you to all the ladies who offered suggestions in an effort to get me off dead center. It worked. I have been lurking and cogitating. And--- I give up. I cannot choose any known style! That is to say that I do not relate to any of the styles being currently illustrated in magazines and books. HOWEVER, I have figured out what to do to make my house more enjoyable. I found a cross-stitch sampler my sister sent to me several years ago and an insight illuminated the wondering recesses where I was searching for inspiration. The needlework says, "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without." Exactly! Everything fell into place. To begin--I already own many pieces of oak furniture because there is an oak furniture outlet store in town. I would be silly to adopt something hard to get just because it is illustrated in a magazine. Really nice oak pieces are available and I can afford whatever I want in oak. So that is what I will have in my house. I will "use up" oak and "do without" cherry wood. I have a Costco membership and can sometimes buy very attractive things there at nearly wholesale prices, so that is where I will watch for bedroom lamps and a new torche' lamp for the living room and silk plants. I will "make do" with Costco. Since I have decided to be content with oak wood, choosing colors is pretty cut and dried. It follows that my choice of colors will have to be things that "agree" with oak. Like dark blue and forest green. Well, if I have "yellow" (the oak) and blue, then a touch of red quite naturally makes a triad color scheme of Red, yellow, and blue. (The mustard yellow of my long polished oak together with blue and red and a touch of green (my silk ficus tree) and black suggests a rather mellow old ambiance and perfectly matches my favorite quilting projects. (I have a few black iron objects I intend to "make do with.") It occurs to me that many of the magazine suggestions and the cheap chic decorating articles are based on the availablility of flea markets and "tag" sales and antiques. Where I live on the West Coast was, within my lifetime, just a wilderness and the habitations were shacks and shanties and tent houses. There is nothing much here from previous generations except for items in shops that have been shipped in from the east coast or from Europe. These things can be very spendy. I will just have to "do without." I can't say that nothing is left, because I still have my mother's two gallon "tea kettle" and my father's eight foot two-man saw. So, I suppose, given my background, my personal style will involve simply painting the interior of the closets white, so I can see what is in them and lightening up the walls so I can see to quilt. I think I will bring Mama's tea kettle upstairs from the basement and put a Boston Fern in it. I can set it on the old ice cream parlor stool she used for my high chair. What the heck can I do with an eight foot saw? I think I have seen old buck saws used decoratively. Seems rather odd to bring one inside from the woodshed, but perhaps the time has come. That way, I will be "using it up and making it do." Another thing that will "Use it up" is to use some of the muslin I keep on hand for quilt backs as valances and curtains. Or the wide Osnaburg strips left from all the costumes I've made over the years for the boys when they were sheperds or knights or Boy Scout Indians. I am very excited about this concept, because I know that throughout my life, whenever I have been challenged to create from next to nothing, something kicks in that generates truly original and wonderful ideas. Invariably, I end up with a creation far superior to any possible store bought solution. I hunted through boxes today and found several squares of Baltimore Album quilt blocks that I had appliqued several years ago. There are five of them. I do need some decorative pillows for the sofa. And maybe the reverse applique heart block would look nice mounted and hung on the wall beside the bedroom lamp. My sister's cross stitch can be backed and hung on a little dowel in the kitchen. It will remind me to think up new decorating ideas every day. And if I am going to call back memories of my childhood "home in the woods" then the pen and ink drawings of saw mill burners that were gifts from an artist friend will fit right in. I can make them do. Now that I have written this, I wonder why I was struggling so hard to decide how to "decorate" my retirement home. I guess it was just that my rustic experiences didn't seem worthy of adopting as a style. The idea of deliberately decorating to commemorate that way of life and calling it a style seemed somehow silly once one has managed to acquire central heating and electric lights and indoor plumbing!! But, of course, I can use up and make do and have my memories and be cosy and warm all at the same time now. People wax nostalgic about Nebraska farms and I suspect that life there wasn't much different than my lumber camp childhood. I think there is only one outrageous thing that I want for my house. I want a Singer red-eye treadle sewing machine. Then when the lights go out in the West, I can light the oil lamp, keep on quilting and wait for a Roosevelt to return to office. Nancy

Hello Liz & all~ :o) Christine's post motivated me to come out of lurkdom & stand shoulder to shoulder w/her & admit that I too, don't know how to pick colors.... more specifically, I don't know *where* to begin! My name is Gina & I'm from currently overcast So. Ca. I'm a married, SAHM of 3 lil' ones & am looking forward to redecorating the house all over again, starting w/the dining room. After pouring over bazillions of magazines, I believe I've found my 'style'(s)... I'm absolutely pulled to the eclectic styles of English Country French/Coastal, beach-y, Shabby Chic/Romantic Cottage type of decor. Right now, my home is looking more shabby than chic, but I know I'm headed in the right direction, now that I know my taste. For right now, I have a few questions that I hope all of you talented ppl. out there can help me w/: 1. Dining Room: Very small, w/dark, hardwood floor. It's quasi-attatched to the kitchen, w/a bay window & very bad walls, so just painting is out of the question. We *need* wallpaper. I want to put white wainscoting (sp?) around the entire room, 1/2 way up. Now.... the dining room seats *desperately* need reupholstering, we need window coverings & wallpaper. What do I start w/? The wallpaper? The fabric on the chairs w/the coordinating window treatments, or w/a color? I'm not good @ matching printed fabrics (but love the look).....I've wasted a lot of time & $$ trying to "match" things myself. :o( My ignorance has kept me @ a standstill w/decorating..... can someone help? With much appreciation, Gina

Susan, I spent some time walking about on the new property yesterday, checking wind direction, views, light, topography. Since it is in the virgin state, there is a tremendous number of decisions to weigh. We will have to put in a road or driveway--depending how far up the mountain we go. There is also the drain field for the septic tank to consider. I took copious amounts of photographs and devised a story pole ( and eight foot high 1x2 painted in alternating red and white stripes of 12") This allows me to photograph areas where we could potentially put the house and have a scale on which to work. I can enlarge the photograph and superimpose elevations of the house in scale. I have already worked up two floor plans, but after this trip, a new location has been discovered. This may mean they will scraped and I'll start again. This is what site specific building is all about. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

Susan, Yes, we do export. I just sent out a shipment to Switzerland. Shipping and handling to Australia would be $11.95 US. As far as tips, the segments included samples of centerpieces from my book. I demonstrated how easy the fabrication of one centerpieces was, yet it is quite stylish. Then I talked about some others that I had made and brought onto the set. We discussed how the book is a springboard for ideas. You can make the centerpieces by the book, or there may be a couple projects that spark your imagination and inspire you to create something that is entirely new. Most people think of centerpieces for special occasions only. The projects in my book are simple and easy, and what I think is important--seasonal. Centerpieces can be used to dress up all types of tables, not just dining ones. Sideboards, consoles, large coffee or cocktail tables many times need a little extra something. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

, I just joined the group. I am pretty new at all of this. We just bought our first house in June. A couple of weeks ago, we finished sponge painting our master bed and bath. It looks wonderful. I painted the ceiling of our vaulted bedroom almond, and it makes a huge difference in how the room feels. Before I felt like I was in an auditorium, now it feels cozy and warm. The next project will be the nursery since I am expecting. Any ideas? Thanks. Kimberly

The Christopher Lowell Show just sent me the numbers of the shows I taped for him. They won't air until after September, but if you are interested I will be on shows #328 and #344. The first episode deals with throwing parties and gatherings and showcased my new book on centerpieces(available on my website). The next deals with designers and how we approach clients, jobs, etc. When I get the precise dates, I will post them to the list. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

I don't have any books on Glenn Murcutt, though he has been included in a book I do have, The Modern Steel House. I have also been quite capitivated by a house by Penelope Collins and Huw Turner and work by Engelen Moore. All the above mentioned architects or firms are resolutely modernists and in the case of the last two--Miesian. I have been studying modern design for most my life and the time has come to actually build. We have just purchased a 3.5 acre view lot in the high desert above Palm Springs, California. This is where the rubber hits the road. I did design a house for my parents a few years ago. But this is to be for us. A weekend retreat tucked up among the rocks. It is in a development so there is a minimum square footage requirement of 1800 feet. Our original intention was to create an architectural moment--now it will need to be a little bigger. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

Wow! is right. Thanks Sue. I have often told my husband if we could move I want to move to Texas or Australia...Australia is now winning out over Texas. Of course it would be cheaper to move to Texas. : ) Aveline

I have just purchased a new home, built in 1959, 3350 square feet, 5 level split. The living room has cathedral ceilings with the back wall full of windows all the way up. Unfortunately, the dear owner painted the entire inside of the home MINT GREEN. Its just awful. I have hired a painter to get rid of the green before we move in. Now I just have to choose a color! Because of the cathedral ceilings, and the way the hallway winds upstairs to a balcony that looks down into the living room, the living room and hallway must be the same color. Thus, whatever color we choose will dominate most of the house. I would like the trim to stay white. The floors are hardwood. Keep in mind the back wall full of windows and also a very large brick fireplace in the living room as well. Any suggestions???? Many thanks in advance, Caroline

Someone has recommended that I apply a paint wash (of a slightly darker color) over my off-white bead board latex-painted walls. I'd like to try it. What exactly is a paint wash technique? How do I make the wash? With latex paint, glaze medium and/or water? And, how much do you dilute? How do I apply it? And then do I remove some of it? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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Hi Susan, Yeah, I am still lurking around out here. Actually, I am making progress, at least intellectually. I used my gift certificate from Barnes and Noble (left from Xmas) to purchase the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book. That was revealing. I took the little test and came up mostly "casual" with just a tad bit of "slick" (their term for simple). It is a good thing because my house is forever littered with my latest quilting project and all of that wouldn't fit into a formal atmosphere. I think I am frozen in place after too many years of thinking about the needs of other people. (Grubby little boys). I keep asking myself, "Where was I when I was last seen?" I followed the suggestion given by Marla and looked in my closet. Most everything I wear is neutral tan or gray or soft blue. All the quilts that have won blue ribbons have had paper bag-colored backgrounds and that seems to be my favorite color to step out from. If the background is paper bag colored, I can design around that. So I am making progress! I am tired of the barracks look. So far I have added a seven foot tall ficus tree to the living room. Now it looks like a doctor's waiting room! (Everything else is ivory except the sofa) Thanks for your interest and suggestions. I am reading my new book and will see where it leads me. Nancy in Oregon

Hi Listers, I just clicked "join the group" and hope that lurking around you folks will get me off dead center in the interior decorating department. I retired last year and am still standing around looking at the mess. The last son left home three months ago and except for providing mini-storage services (big time), I can do whatever I like (within financial reason). Now--what do I like--beats me. ??? Nancy

Liz, Is that you? I guess I hadn't been reading the posts too carefully. You are the list owner? I'm impressed. I was looking over your bathroom floor plan. Which door are you referring to? Is it to the right or left of the fireplace? If I may suggest, looking at your bathroom I see the door swings into the room at the vanity. Have you considered alternate locations for the fixtures. I only point this out because I have experienced a similar situation where the door is constantly being opened onto the vanity--which can be terribly distracting and a nuisance when one is trying to get pretty. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

door - should I center it in that wall, or put it as close to the corner as possible so I have more useable wall space in the bedroom? I like the idea of getting rid of the door going directly into the bedroom. Maybe an archway from the foyer into the bedroom to give it a grander feel and make the bedroom a more defined space from the foyer/dressing area? Is that a dresser right at the entryway from the foyer? If you had more usable wall space then you could move that down the wall a bit. Just my two cents. Lilly

Any one seen any sites on making slip covers? Any book recommedations? I've gone to JoAnn Etc. and other local stores of the like, the books they carry are not very helpful. I am a very visual person and along with how to do it I also need detailed pictures, step by step as it were. When asking for help at JoAnn's and the other stores they are not to forth coming with advice. Primarily because they do reupholstering themselves. They are quick to say there is a alot of money to be made making custom slipcovers but they never seem to know of any classes or anyone willing to teach me how. I have a general idea how it is done, just need a good visual perspective. Thanks for any help. Lilly

Hi! I would suggest going to the library to find some books on decorative painting and stenciling. You can find lots of ideas for floors there. The library is my best friend. I like the idea of painting a trompe l'oile (sp?) rug on the floor. Complete with fringe and everything. I got a great book on stenciling at the library called "Stenciling on the Grand Scale". I can't tell you who the author is, because my mom's borrowing it. Or maybe just stencil or free hand a border around the whole room. I like tone on tone things. Just some ideas....Take care. Kim in AZ

Help, again. We have a house that is about 60 years old. When it was 50 years old there was a breakfast area added on to the kitchen. The original kitchen floors must have been hardwood and the addition was a sub flooring then luan or 1/8th inch plywood laid on top the sub-flooring. Then the old dark green institutional tile floor on top of that. We moved into our house in November of 1997. After doing so we found out that underneath the indoor-outdoor carpeting were floor tiles that were coming up. And to this day they have continued to come up. The main reason we haven't replaced the flooring was because the kitchen needs a complete overhaul. I've done some cosmetic fixes but the kitchen/breakfast area is, to put it politely, a real stinker. Anyway, pricing floors, as I am sure many of you have, is not encouraging, and the least to say expensive. As I was pulling up more tiles yesterday it occurred to me, if we pulled up the old luan that is already coming up and replace it with new we could try a decorative floor painting. Hey, at this point anything is a drastic improvement. In the kitchen cooking area I was planning on just a solid color, any ideas, because that is the original hardwood flooring. I don't think they can be brought back to life with stain and sealer, so painting is the best route. As for the breakfast area that will have the luan and I will have place to conceal joining boards. So a decorative approach needs to be done there. Maybe a harlequin pattern or stenciled tiles. The room is red walls and white trim and I want to put a faux brick on one wall so I even though about stenciling brick. I've seen beautiful floors that look like Victorian rugs. So help! All ideas will be given enthusiastic consideration. Just so you know the kitchen is currently ugly white but will eventually have white bead board walls. I want cabinets with doors that would have glass in them. I will take leave the glass out and opt for chicken wire and put fabric panels behind the chicken wire that I will change out seasonally. (I am in to seasonal decorating...You should see my front door, it gets a new change monthly. But that is for another time. What does Christopher call it? Oh yeah it is the "drama" for my entryway.) Well I have bent your ear for far to long. Oops. I mean bent your eyes for far to long. Again any help would be enthusiastically appreciated. Lilly

Lilly, I had a similar situation to yours. An outdoor porch was later included to our living/dining area. The floors were very distressed hardwood, but the addition was plywood. When they installed the plywood they did so it was flush with the hardwood and then carpeted the whole. That was fine, but when I wanted a hard surface, that posed a problem. So, I painted the whole floor in an exotic wood grain called macassar ebony. The seam for the sill joist between the old hardwood and new plywood marked my border detail. So now we are left with gigantic 8'-0" square parquet floors with 4" wide borders around each. Since each square is so large I cut diagonal lines from opposite corners and quarter-turned the graining. The floor is the first thing guests notice. And they love it. They readily admit they could have never imagined such pattern on the floor. The point is if you don't do it, most people can never see it in their mind's eye. When Christopher Lowell saw our floor, he asked me to produce the same technique on a pair of doors in his showcase house last year. You can see the finished product in his book, but I have included the paint finish directions in my new book available on my website. Happy Decorating Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

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Hi guys Did you see the paint line on Christopher's site? Named for fruits and vegetables. I had such a good laugh. Like usual Christopher brightened my day. Carol Ewers

I just looked at Liz's photo album and she used brown paper to put on her countertops, painted them then polyed over it. I was wondering if you could use the papers that you use for scrapbooking instead of the brown wrapping kind? Thanks Carol

I have seen computer print outs of botanicals, tea stained for age, and then used as wallpaper wains coating with yellow walls above. Very beautiful. Lilly ebay - I have posted them to a photopoint album - yes, all 133 of them! It's the one called "Botanical Prints" (how coincidental) Let me know if anyone uses them for anything.

I was watching the christopher lowell show i believe on 2/16. he was doing a segment on ocean and decorating your home. I was trying to find out how to get to his website so i can get the info. i am decorating my home w/ seashore , and i loved his ideas. if you can help it would be very appreciated. thanks. please email me @ littleredhead_nc@.... thank you!!!

hello everyone, I am a new member and need your advise to decorate my daughter's bedroom. She is three and likes any kind of colours so I was thinking of painting a huge rainbow on one of the walls (and maybe a sun on another one and clouds on the third one) but I am not very good at drawing/painting ! Any ideas ? Thanks Vinciane (from Belgium and moving to Luxembourg soon)

Hi, I just joined the group. My name is Kurt Cyr and I'm an interior designer based in Los Angeles. Yesterday I taped my second appearance on the Christopher Lowell Show. This time I was promoting my new book, Centerpieces Through the Year. Christopher was so encouraging about it. He said he thought it was fabulous and loved the ideas. I have such a great time doing his show. As always, Christopher was very nice and quite witty. It is amazing the number of people behind the scenes. There must have been at least 50 people on set during my shoot. In between I got blotted down by the Gabrielle the make-up gal because I began to shine. I love Hollywood! I was able to see part of my appearance because of a noisy shirt! Too much starch, it crackled in the microphone. I don't know when the show is scheduled to air, but I will keep you posted. Kurt P.S. For more information about the book, check out my Website: www.kurtcyr.com

Carol, If you pick a paint that matches your fringe & combine it with one or two darker shades, using a sponging technique you could really highlight the texture of the walls. Because of the low light in the room, I would start with the darkest & layer up to the lighest. Jean DeSavage Michigan, USA timedreamer@...

Carol, What kind of feel do you want to give to the room? A soft blue, a lavendar, peach, a very light yellow? Maybe one wall of color and one wall similar to your cream pillows? Did you paint the ceiling, too? Sponging is nice and rag rolling on a textured surface might be neat, too. Let us know! Love, Marla

Hi evrybody!!! I'm new but need help and suggestions. Loved this couch color so bought it. A huge thing (bug sectional). A medium green. The livingroom doesn't have a lot of light and dark walls would be yuk. The pollows have a cream color fringe but have to admit I'm getting sick of green. Does anyone have suggestions to paint the walls to liven it up without darkening too much? The walls have a textured finish and am thinking of maybe sponging them but what colors? Please help!! Carol

hi, new here. my name is brooke & i live in KS. my husband, daughter, & i just moved into a 2-story rental w/ full basement. here's ? #1: 1/2 the basement is laundry/storage & the other is sort of finished but it has cement walls (which are painted white). how do i decorate this? can i hang pictures w/ out a drill hammer (my dh loves the thought of getting his hands on one, though i'm cringing)? ? #3: i bought some nice, flowing fabric for curtains. is there anything that i can use to hang the scarves other than expensive scarf fixtures? i like the look of sconces but cannot afford them at $15-30 each. i have 3 window to outfit & sconces would cost me $90. thanks, brooke

Hello, I am looking to redo my kitchen theme and i would love to do it in a Greek/Italian theme (as in on the water). But, I really don't know where to start. Like the Jars of pickeled Spices (oregeno, basil, parsley) etc. What should I do for a border? Should I use copper wall hangings? Or can anyone direct me to a website that may be able to give me a decorator's idea or two? Thank you so much... Justine.

I am interested to know if anyone has tried the linen technique. We are building a new house and am thinking of painting one wall in this. if anyone has done this and has any suggestions i would love to hear from you.

Hello! I just moved into a house about 3 months ago. I'm trying to get some ideas on decorating the bath. I'd like everyone's input or ideas on color combos, themes for the bath and anything else. I live in Tucson. The house was built in 82. It's a guest bath. Only my husband and I live here. We don't have any kids or guests on a regular basis. I'd like to incorporate some decorative painting in it since that is my hobby. I'll either do a painted border or perhaps a small mural. But, I need a jumping off point for ideas. Please feel free to let the ideas come! I've hit a wall with this. Thank you! Kim in AZ kimnnick96@...

Did you every watch the HGTV show Decorating Cents? Where they redo a room for under $500.00. I just took a spare room and turned it into an Old English Study for under $50.00. My husband needed a study and had been using the our old classroom as his computer/study room. He recently start back to school and got a new position with the company he has worked with for21 years. So I decided he needed a manly man room. :) A couple of years ago I found a off white paisly print wallcovering at a local hardware store. Cost $2.00 a roll, total $6.00. Put it way thinking I'd get around to it and forgot it. So it is the top portion of the walls in the study. Careful cutting and I just had enough. No kidding I have a piece measuring 4 x 6 left. When we lived in St. Louis, MO I redid his study there and had some marble looking dark blue left over. Can't recall the price on that and since it was left overs it is considered a freebie. (In my mind anyway.) It is the bottom of the wall. Our local Ace hardware had a wonderful "Old Book Shelf" border. $12.00 a roll total $24.00. Okay the really creative part is coming. After Christmas I hit Wal-Marts clearance isles. This year gold brocade tableclothes must have been the big table item they had 5 of them left in varying sizes at $2.50 each. So I bought all five total $12.50. The two middle sized table cloths became curtians. I sews wooden rings to the top narrower edges (wooden rings rummage sale 10 cents). Slipped on the curtain rod. (Old decorative rod from another window, recycled, freebie). They look great! I took one of the longest table cloths and split it down the middle longways. Then I sewed each piece to either side of the remaining whole cloth. I used that for a chair throw. It sits inthe corner opposite the window so there is some balance there. Not to much gold on gold. I found what looked like an old dressing table stool on a tree lawn and it became a foot stool. I just covered a couple of old pillows with some upholstry fabric I had and he has a cozy study corner. Lastly, I put an area rug, deep red with a floral pattern in the room a few of my husbands guy things on the walls and the room is complete. It looks so cool. I try to get some pix and let you all see. Thanks for letting me crow. Aveline

Claire, I also like oriental design. There is a very good place on the net called GoodOrient.com. They have lots of great items at very good prices. I found the site when searching out items for feng shui. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art of placement allowing for the best flow of energy in your surroundings and life. It is pronounced "fung schway" which translated means "wind and water". There are several other good feng shui "stores on the net, these include : The Feng Shui Emporium at www.luckycat.com, Feng Shui Essentials at fengshuiessentials.com, Urban Merchant at urbanmerchant.net and the Feng Shui Original Shop at fengshuioriginalshop.com. If your interested in learning more about feng shui there are several good books out. These include Feng Shui for Dummies, and the Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui. Don't let the names put you off, these books are the best I have found for giving you the basics of feng shui. There are several "schools" of feng shui and these two books each represent a different one. Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui follows the more ancient traditional form which requires many calculations of when you were born, when the house was made, etc. Feng Shui for Dummies follows the Black Hat Style which is based on where things are in your home and surroundings. It is more westernized and I find much easier to use and understand. There are very many books on the subject, covering all the different schools. I suggest trying one of these two books first rather than just buying any book you find on the subject like I did. Save yourself some money and get a basic understanding before buying other books, also it will help you to pick from the true feng shui books and the other types of books that put feng shui in their titles to try to ride the feng shui popularity wave. I hope this helps some, sorry for the long note. Good hunting! Jean DeSavage timedreamer@...

Hi! I want to homeschool my 6 year old but he wants to go to school (usually) but when he is not at school, he spends all his time asking to watch TV or be on the computer and it drives me crazy!! We have a set amount of time for these activivites, but he likes to hound me about it. Should I just make them off limits totally? Any advice would be great! Feel free to e-mail me privately if this is too off topic for this list. Thanks! Love, Marla

Mary Anne, I would think if you lightly sanded the parts of your fan you could use primer, tinted the shade of your ceiling paint and then paint them with the ceiling paint as a finishing coat. It would definately help them to disappear. Jean DeSavage timedreamer@...

Has any one used any of the suede paints on the market? I understand they are very thick and difficult to deal with. Here is why I am asking: I have a room that was wallpapered with permabond, at least that is waht it seems. I tried like the dickens to get the stuff off but just made a mess of the walls. So now the old stuff is off in patches and on in patches. I finally used wallpaper to make the room livable. I want to redo the room into an office/computer room for my DH. I would like to give the room a military flavour. ( Former Marine Corp) And I thought if I take down the current wallpaper and use the suede paint that would really set the room off. I was hoping the suede paint was thick enough that it would hide the partially on partically off wallpaper underneath. I am very open to other suggestions. Thanks Aveline

I am in the process of painting my ceilings colors. I live in the south and ceiling fans are a big plus during the summer. The problem I'm having is that the ceiling fans really look out of place against the colored ceilings. I've looked at buying new ones - but nothing matches. Is it possible to paint a white ceiling fan (say the color of the ceiling) so it fades away? Does anyone have any experience with this? Do I paint the motor and fan blades with different types of paint? Will the paint flake off? Is paint maintenance a problem? Mary Ann Pastene

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Hi everyone, I'm new around here. I have a new apartment and a new city. Recently moved to Hollywood--no I'm not an actress. My fav place for buying home stuff is Ikea. My taste runs toward bright and modern. For example my couch which is from Ikea is bright red. This is my dilemma, I love my apartment but my bathroom is small. When I say small I mean it. The bathroom consists of a tub with shower doors and a toilet, the sink is in the hall. What do I do with it, its so bland. I cant even use a shower curtain to liven it up. I've actually thought of putting one up over the doors but I thought this might look really odd. By the way, Liz--the house looks FANTASTIC!!! I love what you did with the counters. Thank you--April

Powder Room My powder room turned out great. First I did a three step glazing process on the crown molding, the chair rail, the base board and the panel door and trim. First I painted on a taupe color, then a golden glaze, then a white glaze. The wallpaper is a sage green background with big cabbage roses in pinks, creams and cranberry with darker green leaves and golden branches, there is also a pomegranate and a cluster of grapes. I put the wallpaper on the walls above the chair rail, then painted under the chair rail the background color of the wallpaper. The ceiling I papered in a geometric embossed design, that I will leave white (you are supposed to paint it), to repeat the white tile floor, and of course the toilet is white and there is a white pedestal sink. I covered the face plates in the wallpaper so everything looks professional. The mirror has a cherry wood frame that picks up the color of the grapes in the wallpaper, and on both sides of the mirror are brass williamsburg sconces with cream silk shades. There is one can light in the ceiling with gold on the inside. I still may do some stenciling on the green under the chair rail.

Wow Liz, those paintings are great! I can't believe it was free hand! Looks like a decal or something. I'm sure she's quite happy with it. I had a roommate in college who just loved Betty boop. I haven't posted much. My husband and I just bought a house. We've been really busy painting it and working and packing. I am looking forward to it all being done. Just so I can relax. Anyway, I am doing a faux finish on the walls in beige colors. Then I painted the ceiling a slightly darker beige-y color. I love it! It will look neat when all the furniture is in. I want to paint some freehand borders and accents in parts of the house. I'm looking forward to that. Take care. Kim in AZ kimnnick96@...

In a message dated 10/12/2000 12:53:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time, paintyliz@... writes: << I also have plans to do the bathroom and kitchen floors . ... . I'll just have a paper mache house when I'm done . .. . Wow....sounds great...are you referring to an CL episode? I must've missed it....maybe I could try that on the old formica counter kitchen counter tops in the basement. When we bought the house 3 years ago we tore into it, roof off, some outside walls down...we went up and out...and we put the old kitchen in the basement, where I have been cooking for 3 years now!. Finally we are getting the new kitchen for the new space, should be done next month, thank you God!!! lol. I did do a feax finnish on the old cabinets which were too ugly for me to live with even in the basement(dark fake wood grain on fake formica eek!). I painted them in amed yellow green paint, then a med blue green glaze, then a white glaze ( I saw a picture of a kitchen in a magazine and the article told of the technique and I copied it)... over that I drew on, with colored pencils, Lines for fake or feax raised panels, so they look like real raised panel doors even close up. Then coated them in polyurethane. I ragged the cinder block walls in mellow yellow tones, hung some neat folk art, I primed the floor, but never got around to finishing it... but had all my oriental rugs all over it, while the roof and walls were down, in the main house.... I never redid the counter tops, but have thought of just doing a painted finish over the formica or doing a cheap tile. The paper may by nice, let me know how it turns out in your bathroom with all varnished. Sounds like a quick and easy project, 'specially for a trained wallpaper hanger hehe. But anyway it was much better going down to the basement to cook and live for a while, with even just that little bit of decorating cheer. I just hate "Ugly" lol. Before it was a moldy mess, with some of the cinder block walls painted a yucky mustard baby vomit gold, some were unpainted, some of the floor was painted red, some was unpainted. Slow but sure the house is getting done. Kathy

In a message dated 10/8/2000 6:37:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, tcarson@... writes: << Now, if someone can just do something about this silly illness, I sure would like to get it all done! No, I don't expect you guys to do that! One thing that really bugs me is for relatives and acquaintances to give broad hints about the things that need doing or could be done.....If they only knew how much I want to do it all. No, I can't give up on doing it myself....that's half the fun! Hi, I am new to the group too and I feel exactly as the above writer does. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I guess the modern day Rheumatism.....anyway guess what I did for a living, and made quite a good living doing it. Can't guess? A professional wallpaper hanger....and you will never guess what my husband is LOL....a general contractor...what a team heh? Well we both had our own separate businesses, I had one full time assistant.....he usually had two or three. But like the writer above states doing it is half the fun. We have redone several homes ourselves and have enjoyed every minute. Now not only did I have to give up my business, but it takes me 100 times longer to do a project than it used to. And like Terry, I will stop calling her "writer above", hehe.....I feel the pressure of the inlaws judging me, my own husband even has a hard time with my low productivity....all that gets internalized and is difficult to deal with in addition to the illness itself. But I have to be patient with my self and not push myself, it is so frustrating, when I used to wallpaper professionally, with my assistant, we could do two rooms a day, no problem, including prep..... and now, including the prep... well, the powder room I am doing right now is turning into weeks. I have finished with the painting and hoping to start the wallpaper today. I experimented with a faux finish on the woodwork, crown, base, chair rail, paneled door and trim. So it was several days with many steps, and I mix my own color, but still it is taking me forever. Then I had to mud and sand the walls smooth. I will continue on my next post with , this is getting long, what the wallpaper looks like, the color of the glazes for the wood work and what I plan to do with the ceiling. Like Terry I have all these ideas, but not the energy or the body anymore to do them. Kathy Mae

I have enjoyed Christopher's show for quite some time now. I watch a lot of decorator shows,but none beat his for originality and charisma! Due to chronic illness, I have to pace my activity and it is pretty frustrating since I have numerous projects in mind. My home is an original to the founding of our town in the days of the great Cherokee Landrush. It has its own distinct style and I have many ideas. Now,if someone can just do something about this silly illness, I sure would like to get it all done! No, I don't expect you guys to do that! One thing that really bugs me is for relatives and acquaintances to give broad hints about the things that need doing or could be done.....If they only knew how much I want to do it all. No, I can't give up on doing it myself....that's half the fun! Since I was an Art teacher, I have some background in design. I am hoping to get better motivated to stay on task and complete projects by checking in here daily. Oh, I guess I forgot to say, I am ADHD,too.Found that out after teaching for 25 years. ( Isn't that a hoot? ) So,you can see why I must work on that. I will keep pluggin' away at it and look forward to reading posts here. Terry C

Hi everyone. I have just joined the group. I am a huge CL fan. Thought I would share how well one of Christopher's projects went. My sister's birthday was this week and she has just started a new job. I thought what a perfect opportunity to give her some new things for her new desk. I made the fabric covered mouse and wrist pads in addition to some other things. This was a project I had seen on IM ages ago. I bought cotton fabric and wonder under at the fabric store. Ironed the wonder under onto the mouse and wrist pads and then peeled off the plastic, then ironed the fabric on all according to the wonder under directions. I trimmed the fabric and