Home decorating and design

has anyone noticed on Trading Spaces that the borders, edges, etc.. are just so many sloppy paint areas --- the walls that the adults painted for the two young girls were just horrible ... I need to make a brown wooden picture frame the color of black for a large space ... could someone kindly give me step # one and # step two ... does the brown get a kaz treatment prior to painting it black or just a sanding ? many thanks, Sierra

I have been a lurker for a long time just to chicken to try anything. Looking for some ideas, we live in Tampa so have decided to make our small bathroom (powder room) a Bucs bath or maybe I should say Pewter Powder lol. Their colors are red and pewter. I need to strip off ugly wallpaper and paint any suggestions? cabinets are dark brown and counter tops are beige but, I am not adverse to painting these too. Next my family room...fireplace is the main focal point it is made of stone I guess I would call it flagstone beige, terra cotta colored. Floor is white ceramic tile with a hint of gray. The previous owners have the walls a gross sky blue color (she had the country ducky thing going on ) hubby hates the country look, likes the contemporary modern feel. there is a wooden oak colored chair rail. Getting ready for a change in there too again any suggestions on colors or ideas. Hope this makes sense. Thank-you and give me courage to DO SOMETHING!!! Val

I have been thinking about the same project of mosiac for the patio --- as we just had a friend install a mosiac border of black and white broken tiles to separate our kitchen from the TV room ... even tho it was his first mosiac tile -- he just followed a colored picture that I found in a tile book that was using green and yellow .... 5 inches were allowed for the floor border of mosiacs and it looks so professional .... the estimates for my patio is almost $2,000 --- so I must coger up a dream of my own that works... I know one lady who made a gecko from broken tiles and laid them on her patio -- it was really neat ..... what success has anyone had in just concrete paint and then maybe a design ??? Sierra / Las Vegas ( still sunny and warm ) dove.gif Sierra

I will be finishing the our kitchen shortly-a partial redo. Just think, it was only 3 years ago we started it...we are repainting the beaded board we installed with it's 3rd, yes 3rd color. This time crown molding will go up and the gap will be gone! Anyhow, I painted my chairs awhile back, black they looked great but they got chippy and the paint rubbed up against the walls of the nook-so there is a line, no problem...I'm painting Monday. Here is what I'm wondering...should I strip them...3 coats of black paint and stain them or will stain rub and mark the paint. I don't want a chair rail...the beaded board is all over the walls so it would look off....HELP! Lara

Missy, My little girl has a wooden kitchen playset like your little girl's that is 3 pieces (we got it for free but w/o the doors) Is that plexi in the oven door? We need to make her some doors and I thought that was wonderful...well the whole room is wonderful! I never thought to put a design on the toy kitchen but yours is darling! Lara

Hi Liz, I'm new to the list and was just looking at your albums of pictures. I love the faux frosted glass! Any secrets? Did you use a kit? Can it ever be removed? Thanks, Gwen gwen@...

All of the weaved cane on the backs of my dinning room chairs has torn loose again. I've repaired them myself before but it didnt last very long. Anyone have an idea on a way to fix them? Maybe even without using cane. Thanks.

We are finally doing our landscaping. Having a concrete patio slab with patio cover done. Just wondering if it would be easy to do a mosaic medallion in the middle of the concrete ourselves. The ready ones cost about $1000. Anyone know about this? Dont know where to start looking for a good kit or something. Thanks. Daisy

I have a refrigerator with that vinyl type coating on it, the kind that is not supposed to show fingerprints. It has come of in spots and the fridge is rusting. I have a couple friends with the same problem. Any ideas on painting this? I do not want to cover it with contact paper. I have heard that you can have new "skins" installed on the fridge, but that it is almost as expensive as buying a new one and mine is only a few years old. Thanks!

Fabrications This is a great book with how-to guides and drawings for simple and advanved sewing projects. You can get it at Half.com in paperback for under $20, a used one for under $10. Try making one out of simple muslin fabric first to test your skills and to see if you want to go the distance to make four of them with your fabric.

I am getting a 24x30 large portrait enlarge of my wedding 10 years ago for an anniversary gift and newly redecorated living room. It has a yellow gold frame. I am looking for ideas of what to put on either side of the picture for decoration. Thanks in advance for the ideas. Jane

I'm of the sewing impaired but I would like to try my hand at sewing some dining slipcovers (they're straight back, mission style 41 inches high) Is this difficult-about how much fabric for each? Lara

I'm back up and running. Viva la technology! The hacker has been put at bay! If you visited my website when it was hacked, you may have to clear your brower's cache in order to view my site. Kurt www.kurtcyr.com

Hi! My first post here..I love the ideas shared. I have a question I'm hoping you can give me ideas on. I have 2 plugin sconces on the wall, (couldn't afford to hire an electrician for install). The light bulb wattage suggested is only 25 watts..any suggestions on how I can tweak them to make them safe for higher wattage? I'm not clear on why some lights can only have low wattage and others I can put 60 watt light bulbs in... They have a frosted glass wrap around the small light bulb and I wanted to remove the frosted glass, put a regular light bulb in with higher wattage and a clipon lamp shade. Sorry I don't have the equipment to take a picture to show you. Hope this is clear enough for a visual. Thanks!

Our living room has no pictures or wall hangings at all. As part of our redecorating the living room process and for our 10th wedding anniversary my husband and I want to get one of our wedding portraits enlarged and framed. It is a mostly a foliage picture (85%) with the bride and groom (us). How big should we go? 20 x 24? 24 x 30? Any advice? Jane

Does anyone have any ideas on what I could use for a buffet in my dining room? My room is small, but I'd like the look of a buffet. The picture on the wall is 44 inches wide, so I think the piece I get will need to be about that long. It can only be 12 inches or less deep. I looked at sofa tables today, but mose are 18" deep and were pretty expensive. 250.00+. I really don't want to spend that much! I have a small buffet lamp already and am anxious to get this room finished. Thanks, Kathy

Hi, Julie! I would suggest any mottled treatment, like the sponge paint technique you were considering, in a pale color but not white would be best. I have a sunken living room painted in a yellow green called relish" and use the wall for balance when walking down the steps, and it doesn't show the fingerprints that the tan color we had before did. HTH. Gaye

Hi, I'm brand new to the group and have a question I hope some of you can make suggestions for. Oh, first, I'm Julie from southern IL. I live in a rather...odd house. lol! More on that another time maybe. Anyway, it *is* one odd aspect of the house that has me stumped. When we moved into the house, it had off-white dry-walled walls throughout. The entire house is carpeted in shades of green--spruce green in the living room, bedrooms and upstairs bath, and off-white thru spruce kitchen Berber in the dining room, kitchen, downstairs bath, and back entry. Because of budget constraints and a dh with a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" attitude, I have been very slow in making any changes. But now I'm to a point where I have to do something with this one...*thing*. The thing is what I call a "cube wall". Let's see if I can draw a mental image... Our dining room and kitchen area would basically be one large rectangle except for this cube wall...it contains the void return for our heating/a.c. It divides the dining room from the kitchen and walk-thru area. The problem is this wall is in a very high-traffic area, and with three kids, this translates into fingerprints, scuffs, nicks, etc in the paint. It needs attention but I don't know what to do to it! I don't want to re-paint it off-white (and if I did, it would definitely be something scrubbable this time!). You can see two sides of the cube from almost every position in the house. But one wall is right outside the doorway to the living room, which I have done (at least currently) in burgandy and green, one wall faces the dining room which has oak furniture and green accents, one wall faces the kitchen, where I've used a jewel-toned fruits theme, and one way faces the archway between the dining room and kitchen. I want to do something that will not show fingerprints, etc. so easily, but is not expensive to do. I am thinking something along the line of sponge painting the bottom part, and then putting up a border about waist high. But if I do that, what type of border do I use? Roses to go with the living room, fruit to go with the kitchen, *what*??? Or is there something else that I'm not considering? TIA, Julie

You could mask out a square ( or rectangle or whatever shape the mirror is) on the wall where you are hanging the mirror and paint it a coordinating or contrasting color, then hang the mirror on the square. The idea is to frame the mirror to make it look bigger. I have an archway between my livingroom and diningroom. It was pretty big when there was no trim around it, but now that we added a 4 inch stained-wood trim around the whole thing it now looks HUGE.

I've wanted to do something about the bed in the camper as long as we've owned it. QS, walk around 3 sides but it's a tight fit and the mattress fits snug between the two night stands. It came with a traditional bedspread that folds back up over the pillows, and it is SUCH a pain to make! I'd figured that a comforter over just the fitted sheet would be the answer, as opposed to top sheet, blanket, bedspread, throw, all of which have to be maneuvered just "so". Fluff the pillos, shake out the comforter, and boom bed is made. Welllll.... then I priced things. First of all, comfortor is out. We take the dog and she gets it dirty. Additionally, with no top sheet I'd feel like the comforter should be washed more often and in all it would go flat in no time. So it needs to be a duvet and comfortor. eeeeps. That much money for the camper bed?? I thought about making a duvet but still big $$ for the fabric, even if I made it of sheets. Well yesterday I was at Big Lots and they had some real cute sheet sets- the sheets were coordinated instead of matched and that made them real cute. But I was just needing 2 flat sheets for the duvet, right? Not a whole set with pillowcases and a fitted sheet. Then inspiration hit. Now I'm going to buy the sheet set - $30. Use the coordinated bottom sheet and matching pillow cases, use the flat sheet ( a print) for one side of the duvet and buy one extra flat sheet in a matching solid for the other side of the duvet. I'll just put the old comfortor that we both like inside the duvet. I don't suppose there's a law that only a down comfortor can go in a duvet, is there? Now, not only will I have the easy-to-make bed, but for the same price ( about $50 total ), a whole bedding ensemble all decorator-coordinated. Yippee!

Help? Have any of you sewn linings for window coverings using blackout material? (It's a little bit rubbery-feeling, but very flexible & insulating.) I've done plenty of window treatments, and other home interior projects, but never used this material. I'm wondering about threads, needles, etc., as well as any special tips you can offer? I did a search of the message archives here first, and didn't come up with anything. This project is for a wide roman shade, which I know about, but just not the blackout material. Thank you, Donna H. Central CA

I don't know how this happened, and maybe it didn't actually go through the list - but DO NOT OPEN THE EMAIL "GM.DLS file contains the Roland SoudnCanvas" THAT IS A VIRUS - DO NOT EVER EVER EVER OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS THAT COME FROM INTERIOR MOTIVES - THERE ARE NO ATTACHMENTS ON THE LIST, so if an email has an attachment it is NOT from Interior Motives!!

From a short thread on another list - thought someone else might find this helpful. Well if it's not too late I saw something on TV the other day that was the way neatest idea - sewing even I might think of doing! Ok: Think shower cap. What you're going to do is a drawstring cushion cover ( you would probably want to put some more padding over that spring tho first Rachie LOL) If you want it reversible ( a nice touch ) you need 3 pcs of fabric that coordinate with each other and your chair or whatever. Prewash, lay two of them flat -right sides together- on a table. Place the cushion on top, and draw the outline of the cushion except it needs to be several inches bigger. Big enough to go around the sides and overlap several inches around to the back. Cut out the outline. The third piece doesn't need to be as big as the first two. Lay the cushion on top of it and just cut out the outline. Serge finish or pink the edges, or turn under and hem if you're real ambitious. Serge or sew the two pcs together, leaving a fist-sized opening because you'll have to turn it right side out. Don't forget to notch the curves so that they will lay nice and flat. Turn it right side out and close up all but about 1" of the hole with a slipstitch. About 1" inside the first seam, do a topstitch all the way around- this will create a channel. Thread a drawstring through the channel, and pull it up a bit. Then fit the cover over the cushion, just as if you were covering it with one of those Saran Quick Covers. Pull the drawstring tight. Tuck the smaller third piece under the drawn edges and smooth it down flat, so that the underside looks finished, too. If anything about this makes no sense, just write and I'll try to explain it better. It would sure be a quick way to brighten up some chair cushions. I don't suppose it would work for L- or T-shaped cushions, just square or round ones. We have a wing-back recliner whose seat is going bad - the pad over the springs has slid backward until there is a part of the seat that has nothing between the fabric and springs. Maybe I can put a not- too-deep cushion on top so that it sits comfortably again and get some more use out of it before we have to toss it. Denise

Sorry, Jane, forgot to sign that red room, I think, Gaye

Hi, Jane! From the way you describe the room, I would say use a midtone rose color, it's still in the red range but will reflect whatever amount of light the room has, rather than absorbing it as a true red would. You could use white as an accent; look for one in the warm range. HTH!

Hi Lisanne! I think that color scheme will be wonderful! And thegold will add an exotic/ellegant touch. I can see it in my mind's eye now. I think you'll be very happy, and so will your guests! Good luck, Gaye

Hey, everyone! Well, this list means a LOT more to me now that we're in the process of building our first house! Yay! :-) Before, I really couldn't contribute much because we didn't have our house yet ... but now we can say that we'll be homeowners in a few months! :-) They've made great progress ... the foundation has been capped, and now they're going to start framing it very soon. Thanks to everyone for your good wishes. We're still jotting down ideas as we think of them ... we have a three-ring binder with clippings, information, etc. We've pretty much narrowed it down to doing a sage green-colored guest bedroom with white (maybe some white mouldings) and a touch of gold mixed in there, too. I think it will be very pretty, and everyone we've talked to about it says that they think it sounds great. We want our guests to be comfortable and to have all the luxuries of home! :-) Anyway, thanks again for all of your input. ~Lisanne in upstate NY

This was already snipped before I saw it, so I can't give proper credit: TODAY'S eTIP(TM): Give Paint the Touch Test Want to know how good a paint is? Give it the finger -- the finger test, that is. Open a thoroughly mixed can and dip your thumb and finger into the paint far enough to rub the paint between your thumb and fingertips. If the paint feels smooth, you have good stuff. If it feels gritty, the quality probably isn't so good. Poor-quality paint often contains clay as filler, giving it that gritty feeling.

I have been keeping very silent on this topic....I was born and raised in California and have special warm feelings about "home" and get a little upset when folks talk a bit "bad" about it. * I am also a native Californian and love living here which is why I still live here even with the recent high prices of things. I live near L.A. and the real estate prices have risen quite high in the last 5 yrs. We do have $255.00 electric bills a month but we do have 7 people living here, 3 fridgs, 3 computers, many tv's, and we are home 24/7 because my dh has his business out of our home. I have had met many people who have moved here and with the high cost of living and no job end up going home broke. It is difficult to live someplace that $400.00 rents you a big house, with lots of property to a place that for $800.00 you get a 2 bedroom apt. that is in gang territory and is tiny to boot. I have friends that work at K-mart (both) full time and qualify for food stamps. They have 2 kids and thier 2 bd. apt. is $1200.00 a month (it is small but the area and the schools are ok). My mom's house went from a value of $220,000 about 5 yrs. ago to $320,000 value now. I love living here and if you have a great job all set up and can afford it , I would recommend no other state.

Match the walls, or go a shade or two lighter.

I am looking for a multitude of lamps for the house. Lamps for the kids' room, lamps for the living room, sconses (sp?) - I would like to even experiment with those lights that you can put on the floor or on a table that would flash light up. Where is a good place to look and shop? Jane

OK - another thing I am looking for is a classy type of storage for the living room for toys. I have a picture in my mind but have yet to find what I am looking for with the exception of $$$$ Pottery Barn. I would like to have it in the style of a table that would go behind a love seat so you can put pictures or vase on it. But it really not be a table but on the other side of the couch find out that it has shelves and neat containers for toys. The closest cheap thing that I have found is an unfinished bar. The bar was at the height of the couch but a little too tall and then on the other side where you can store liquor would be where the toys go. Does anyone know of any type of thing that is a little taller than waist high and kind of deep for lots of storage? Jane

Wanted to get you guys' opinions on painting my living room red. It is a front to back living room with 5 windows though quite dark. The room has wall-to-wall dark green rug and lite funiture and a brick fireplace. I have found these nice curtains that are sheer gold panels. The valance is gold with red berries and dark green leaves that is not a busy pattern. Would an off white look better than some sort of red? jane

Hi Everyone....... Just a note to let you know that I'm going special notices until I get back on Thursday or Friday. Thank you for all your prayers! Love, Suesan

What fabric do you recommend for the upholstery on a couch? There are so many options out there and I want to choose the longest-wearing material available, something attractive that wears well. Any suggestions?

Good morning, everyone! I'm not sure about actually distressing a fireplace, but I read somewhere that you can distress wood by hitting it with a chain, this might work on brick as well, HTH, Gaye The old has gone, the new has come

Hello, again everyone! I am currently working on my website and I'm looking for contributions of decorating sites that you have found help on or like so that I can maybe add them to my page. I can put a "reviewed by" and your name beside it if you would like. Any contributions or suggestions will be appreciated. TIA Gaye The old has gone, the new has come

When my kids moved out, they too with them all my furniture!!!! Recently I purchased a new couch for the living room moving the old couch to the den. I absolutely love light and my den is SO dark. It's paneled and you know how that can be. Has anyone ever painted over paneling? I want to make my den lighter. We recently recapreted the entire house in beige (not a really smart move, I must say). I have the window treatment I want and plan to change out the wooden blinds to a lighter blind. Any help is greatly appreciated. Ginny pages.ivillage.com/alexanderginny

In a message dated 1/8/2003 8:17:18 AM Pacific Standard Time, dawnc1965@... writes: We are leaving California because of all of the above. We have a 2400 square foot home, our December gas and electric bill was $580! Gasoline is 1.74 per gallon, taxes are high, our property taxes at $8000 per year. We are NOT rich. Heading for Tennessee as soon as we can. Loni

David, I was also going to say don't worry about being in fashion. Like beauty, fashion is in the eye of the beholder, and a home filled with peace is much more important than anything else anyway. Gaye The old has gone, the new has come

Hi, David! your very welcome. If your curiosity gets the better of you you can use crayons to color "swatches" of burgundy on a piece of paper and color a band around them in the colors you're thinking of using! Gaye

Sorry for this off topic post, but it does relate to the inside of my house, LOL. We recently moved and now find out it is a high wind area. I have never dealt with the amount of dust in the house before. The builder says nothing more can be done. I find a lot of dust under most of the windows and doors. How do people who live in such conditions prepare for this? I have lived in California for about 20 years since we moved to USA, and this is the first for me. Still in California by the way. We also have Dishnetwork and it loses the signal every now and then. Very annoying. Have to call the technician out and they charge per visit. Thanks. Daisy

I also did a web search and the only thing I found was on another posting board and they made mention of this. "Add some opal Sparkles (0.20 particle) (available at most craft stores) to some acrylic varnish and apply this to all your walls." I don't know if this is glitter or some other product, but sounds interesting. Zandra

Hi Debbie, Good for you! I have seen paint effects paint at our hardware store, but didn't think that was it. Glad you found it! Gaye The old has gone, the new has come

In a message dated 1/5/2003 11:21:55 PM Pacific Standard Time, windrose@... writes: Hi Heidi, It sounds like a wonderful room! The bowed windows sound great, the entire room sounds really interesting. Regarding the bricks for the fireplace. Are there any loose bricks around from the fireplace? If so, you can experiment on those for the color wash you want to try. I would also suggest you ask the experts at Lowe's or Home Depot, how to get the finish you want. They will know the right materials and techniques. As far as model houses go, not many people on this list have homes like that, so don't think you're alone. <g Enjoy the process and the end result will work itself out. You're on the right list, there are so many talented and helpful people here. I'll enjoy hearing your progress as you proceed. Loni

That is a really neat idea! Thanks! =) ~Michele~ Michele, I have my bedroom done in a nautical theme, however my walls are green but even that shouldn't matter. The biggest impact piece in my room is the window. I went looking for boat oars. I found a pair of antique ones from the 20's in an antique store for $50. But if they had been much more than that I wouldn't have been able to afford them and I was already considering "antiqueing" some cheap ones from Wal-mart. I hung them up using drapery rod holders (1 on each end and one in the middle) then I took some jute cord and tied the oars together with the wide ends on the outside of the windows. So the handles meet in the middle of the window. Then I bought some fish net from a novelty store, but I have seen pretty much the same thing at Hobby Lobby, and strung it over the oars. It made a very dramatic window valence. Then I hung up pleated shades (for privacy...it is my bedroom!) in a hunter green. The walls are a sagey type of green. But you could pick any color for the shades, maybe even red with a blue room! Hope this spawns some ideas for you. Have fun. Terri

Ginny - Could you mount the air conditioner through the wall, or would that be cost prohibitive for you

I have a beautiful antique walnut bed in my guest room that needs a dust-ruffle. The mattress/box springs are supported on bed slats so I can't buy a dust ruffle with a platform. Besides that, I don't want to cover up the beautiful wood side rails. I have tried an adjustable curtain rod with a ruffle on it of my own making. However, the footboard is curved and the rod drops off the underside of the bed and I can't make it stay up. I need suggestions please.

Man it seems like forever since I have even TYPED an email! Well I guess it is close to forever! I think November 20th or 21st...something about that, my computer locked up and it all went downhill from there. The CMOS chip on the board went bad...and Michael wound up building me a whole new system. That was the good part! hehe I am now driving a Pentium 4 with a new keyboard, new optical mouse, new video card, and several other goodies ! Merry Christmas to me :-) I pray everyone's Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's was SPECTACULAR! So...did I miss anything big?? :o) Kathie in Maryland

History of our bedroom: It's the last project for this house, put off because we put our money and time into rooms that people actually saw. We painted the walls a creamy yellow when we moved in and the furniture was a hodge podge of just "stuff." We had a king sized bed, low, walnut Thomasville Louis-number something nightstands. We were using the old country French dining room server for a dresser.... all stuff that was too big for the room. I also had a pretty settee in a rose damask fabric, the fabric was dated but the settee was pretty. So far: Since the room isn't large 16 X 12, we scrapped almost everything. Bought a queen bed, the nightstands are in the basement, I've replaced them with a round table (to be skirted..... working on it) and a beautiful antique hand carved round table for Gene's side of the bed. I had the settee recovered in a pretty pale green, tone on tone stripe, inherited a small, very pretty, VERY Frenchy ladies desk. The server turned dresser is headed for the basement this weekend when we paint. I hope to replace it with an armoire soon, to hide the TV. Oh BTW, I should mention the headboard...... I originally wanted an upholstered headboard with some pretty botanical prints over the bed. I kept looking for fabric with that WOW factor, but never really found it. One day I was roaming through Expo and saw a four paneled, lacquered screen. I thought hmmmmmm..... maybe that would go behind the bed. It worked GREAT, I'm thrilled, looks beautiful and I saved myself a bundle because the screen cost half of what the headboard would have cost me and I don't have to buy botanical prints. Plus, it's unusual and interesting. I scrapped our old lamps to put really nice wall mounted swing-arm lamps on either side of the screen. Also Expo..... (I haunt that place.) <g The screen is a focal point, it's matte, black lacquer, Asian in style but the decoration on the screen is a muted set of topiaries (European in style).... one topiary per panel. Very pretty. Oh..... did I mention my paintings? LOL I have some gorgeous, impressionist paintings by the late Eva Sikorsky (a friend of my mother's). They're fabulous, the colors are heavenly, think Monet. So far so good, right? Well, not quite. The problem: Everything fits, it's an interesting, eclectic mix, but I'm having problems tying the colors together. I'm so tired of hunting for fabric for the right dust skirt, I got on Ebay and bought a pretty, interim dust skirt. Looks wonderful with the screen and desk, but really doesn't work with the paintings. I'm going to use it until I can find the right thing, 'cuz I'm tired of seeing under the bed, but I don't really know what the right thing is. If I go too light and gardeny, the screen, carved table and desk look heavy. If I use the more muted and deep tones, the paintings look like they will float off the walls. I need help. BTW, I can post some photos after this weekend, when we have most of this put back. Right now I have boxes all over the room and stripes painted on all the walls.... it's a mess. After all the wait on this room, I want to love it. I love elements of it, but it's missing something. Help! Loni

In a message dated 1/2/2003 5:00:56 AM Pacific Standard Time, lvjensen@... writes: Hi Lisanne, A new house! How exciting..... I must admit, I'm just a tiny bit jealous. <g when Gene retires. I'm really looking forward to your updates and progress. Your lot looks fantastic, all those trees! Loni

Hi Lisanne! I think berries and cream would make a great combination! You could even put the green with them. I have some suggestions: Before you paint your walls a wine color, you might want to consider how much light will enter the room, and the size of the room, too dark a color will make it feel claustrophobic.(I've had experience with this--we once painted the window wall of our living room in a bright wine fuchia. Because it was the long wall, it closed in rapidly, lol!) Even though this is a night time room if your guests are not morning people waking up to a very dark wine would not necessarily be a good idea! You might consider reversing the color and putting the cream on the walls,and using a wine colored border with cream, green and accent color like pink. This would also be a neutral background with the wine and green masculine. Add feminine touches with pink, and yellow, or ruffles on dust ruffle and pillows etc. HTH, Gaye The old has gone, the new has come

my name is Kim Cherrine .........I have joined the group in hopes of talk about home decor and to get ideas...........My husband and I are always on the lookout for new ideas as we make and sell Country, Shabby chic and other types of home decor items and my house is always in a continuing state of redecoration as we make one thing fall in love with it have to keep it and then sell something else...........Good thing we have a small home and no money for more floor space or we would never make a living at what we do...........looking forward to making new cyber friends........Oh we live in Utah and I am 36 ......We have one DD who is 12 and keeps us on our toes..........Kim Cherrine

Hi everybody. I saw something on TV about a month or so ago and can't remember what show. I put up wood bead board half way in my living room and love it so much I want to do it 3/4 way up in my bedroom. The problem is I can't afford that because my bedroom is large. I saw a new painting tool on TV that you could use to drag down the wall and create the lines like in bead board. Did anybody else see that on TV or does anybody know where I could buy one? Thanks so much, Zandra

I saw a home improvement/remodeling show on HGTV a while back that had sparkles that you can add to paint. They were like clear things/powder that you add to paint and it will reflect the light from it. I want to do this to my cathedral ceilings in my cabin that is dark to brighten things up a bit. This is just a beginning of what we need to do to this room -and the whole cabin for that matter. Does anyone know what I am taking about and where I can find such thing? Thanks, Debbie Allen

Hello, again, David. I'm glad you mentioned that your room had little natural light. And when I read about the drapes I remembered that you had said that, it had just slipped my mind. You could use the taupe material, and again, painting the walls darker would depend on whether you wanted to emphazise or detract from the doors. If you painted the walls darker this would make them stand out. Since you do get little natural light, I wouldn't go too dark. Take a paint chip sample (the kind that has 3-6 different shades and tints of the same color) and look at the lightest color. I wouldn't go any darker than the second or third down from that. In order to maximize the little light you do have you need to keep the walls as light as possible. However, if you don't mind really mellow lighting, you mentioned you see the apartment as a night time place, you could go a little darker than suggested above. It would depend on how dark the paint chip is to start with. I once had an apartment with red brick walls and the ceiling was painted a medium fawn color which made the room very dark at night. The apartment also faced north. For example, I use selections from Glidden, CIL and 1R6 has a little more red and 1R7 a little more blue in the violet ranges, but you couldn't tell unless you held the two cards together. I would try to find the lightest chip in the color range of beiges you like and then if you wanted to go a little darker choose the next card and use one of the first three colors. Then, depending on the color you choose, go to the next darker on the chosen card for the trim. Burgundy sounds like an excellent choice for the cushions. You might even choose one with a mix of beige and burgundy or black for one of them, if you want a change from solid burgundy. You might also try burgundy for the doors as a change at some point. A tip: Get a sample of each of the materials used in the room paint chip, rug, etc. and put them on a sample board to see how the colors will look together. If you can't get an exact sample of the piece draw out a square and put the colors on with watercolor or crayon in the aproximate proportions that they will be used in the room. I hope this isn't too confusing! As I always say to my husband, I know what I mean even if nobody else does! So ask me to clarify anything you don't understand. HTH. Gaye The old has gone, the new has come (well almost!)

Yes, greens do go with anything, don't they! Is it your DH or DS that doesn't think it's masculine? May I suggest that a purple/yellow combination won't feel too masculine? IMHO! Aubergine is a good choice, but depending on how much light the room gets I wouldn't go too terribly dark. If you can find the Glidden chips I told David about, look at the Razz Berries on card #1L2 with the True Teal on card #5R5. I think this would give a masculine flavor to the room as would darker wood tones in the desk, shelves, etc. For an added touch of yellow, you might choose a vase of yellow flowers, real or silk, or a painting with touches of yellow. HTH, Gaye The old has gone, the new has come (well almost!)

Hello and thanks to everyone for their replies. I feel a little bit closer to a solution. Regarding Diane's comment on an "inspiration piece", I suppose that would be the rug. I also have a slight African/savannah theme going on and seek some inspiration from colors like that ( such as taupe, amber, greens, stone, etc...). To Loni, hello neighbour ! I feel for your husband but also understand the need to get things just right. And of course, one just can't paint a little area to get a feel for how it would all fit together. Unfortunately, my apartment has no view and has little natural light coming in. However, I tend to be there at night mostly and see the apartment as a night-time place.(When I go out of the apartment I do have a great view of the east Bay from my front stoop). To Gaye, great advice. To clarify, the drapes are the doors. Certainly, the lichen is not working ( not to mention the Kilim Red ). Another option is the PB taupe colored drapes. If I choose those, should I paint the wall darker than the drapes and what should I do about the trim ? I also have been coming to the conclusion that burgundy throw pillows on the sofa would be a good idea. However, I can always change the slip cover. Now, tying the other part of the apartment in may be better tackled after I become satisfied with the living room. My eyes kind of glazed over when you mentioned that. This is all a big help. More advice is really welcome. Thanks all and wishing you a great new year. David.

Has anyone made their own valences? I'm trying to get up the nerve. We have 8 over 8, double hung windows with shutters. I need some softening on top. I thought I might try one, over the stairs in the upstairs hall for the first one and to practice. I don't need anything fancy, just some color and softening for all the hard surfaces. Thanks, Loni

Happy New Year Hello, David, I am also new here. My name is Gaye (Gaynor) Baker. Here is my solution to your problem: My solution would be to choose you color scheme from the sofa, chair and rug, I would suggest the beige, burgundy and black combination. Use the beige as your wall color and the burgundy and black for accents. Your green drapes need not be changed if you do not want. Are your doors stained or painted? If painted, decide if you want them to blend in with the wall or to become a feature in the room. If stained they will be played up as a feature by the beige wall. You will want to keep the same color throughout the two rooms to unify the space but you could use a trim color from the living room's accent colors to deliniate the different use of the second room. I hope this helps! The old has gone, the new has come (well almost!)

We're converting a bedroom into a home office for DH. Well, we've more or less emptied the bedroom and DH painted it, on my orders, the color of a yellow butter mint. DS16 took one glance and immediately made a derogatory comment- this from the boy who demanded med and midnight blue and black in his bedroom. (Ok, so it didn't turn out too bad after all - but you'd never have convinced me till I saw it.) But I think he thinks that it can never be masculine enough- and that comment landed right on Dad's head. It is kind of baby yellow in there now, but the trim still hasn't been painted white. the carpet will stay and it is a very dark teal - works surprisingly well with a good number of other colors. I shouldn't be surprised, most greens really seem to blend with just about everything. That said, I gave him a choice of colors to work with from there: red, blue, or aubergine. Honestly, I figured that he'd go for red and we're trying for an upscale excutive look in there. I'd do blue and go with a provence motif, but the testosterone level is just too high around here. He nixed the red and said if that was all he had to choose from, he'd go with the aubergine. Well, I am just ecstatic. I love purple and yellow! In my heart, the name of our little cottage here is "Heart's-ease", which is an old fashioned name for pansies. Just for good measure, although carrying no real weight at all, they are our school colors in this small one-school town. Upon further thought, I think that an executive look is going to have to go heavy on dark purples and greens, with the yellow walls fading to the background and more yellow limited to a stripe in a plaid or a pillow here or there. If it's any help, he has a good bit of golf motif stuff from his old office, and he's into fine wines- which it turns out will look really smashing with the purples, right? I don't know if using both some golf motif stuff and some wine motif stuff is too much in the room or not. One thing about it - his office had too darn much STUFF anyway so some of that stuff has got to go - odds are that none of the people who gave him that stuff will ever be coming to our home and thus won't know he isn't using it. I'm also tempted to try to talk him into a damask stripe on that yellow wall - masking it off and painting a hi-gloss, same-yellow stripe over the satin finish already there. If a picture would be any help, I can do that in short order. Otherwise, does anyone have any suggestions? It is a corner room with one window, quite wide - about 42" but short, not full length. I'd love to put an outside entrance on the other wall and build a deck going on to a pond off of that.... As you can see, I can get off into "overwhelm" pretty fast - how about some real basic, down to earth, do-it-now suggestions? (we're still living on severence). Riverside has a factory here and we have gotten some awesome deals before when they have factory sales every year or two. Eventually we'll put cherry office furniture in there - but what about some nice faux treatments for now on the desk (which will probably be a table for now), credenza, and file cabinet? It's not a big room, either, about 10 x 12, and we've decided to put a futon (for now) in there to use as a guest bed. I'm also interested in looking at links for home office floor plans and designs if anyone has them saved. Denise

Hello ! My name is David and I just joined the group. I joined because I'm having a decorating nightmare where every time I do something lately I seem to make things worse. My story is a long one, but I'll try to give the abridged version. I live in a 2-room studio apartment in San Francisco. Of the 2 rooms, one is a living room, which is what I am focussing on. The room is open on one side to the bedroom/study area as the 2 rooms form a rectangle. Opposite the open side is a wall with 2 doors leading to A) the kitchen and bathroom and B) a large closet. Above the closet are 2 small doors leading to extra storage and between the doors is a low-lying gas heater that takes the space of a 2 foot cube and cannot be removed. For the doors I use swinging curtain rods with Pottery Barn velvet drapes. I just painted the apartment in August in Ralph Lauren natural white with a brighter white trim in the study/bedroom area. In the living room area I decided to paint the trim in a contrasting dark color. I tried 4 colors and hated each after it was done and settled on Ralph Lauren kilim red ( like black raspberry ) which I painted about 3 weeks ago. I just got the Lichen color velvet PB drapes for the doors which are really dark green ( but I can exchange them for a different color within the month ). It all looks kind of odd right now and did not turn out how I thought it would. I first need advice on how to deal with this wall. I can re-paint the trim and the wall ( Ugggh ). I also have a sofa with a very light taupe slipcover ( from Surefit ), a leopard print chair, glass top coffee table ( that is too large ) and the Pottery Barn Zoe rug ( 5X8 with a tea-stained tint, some burgundy, amber, green, brown and a grey-blue ). Plus a bookcase and knicknacks. Of the other 2 walls one has a window with trim that is also painted kilim red. I seem to be having the most trouble with a color combination for the central wall. All advice is welcome. Thanks.

Since I've been offline, I haven't heard if my gift was received, anyone hear anything? I sure hope she got it, I sent it out almost 2 weeks go...Missy

Hey all, So Glad to be back, been out of comission. Our old computer finally layed down and died a few weeks ago, got the new Dell today! It's SUPER! Anyway, my cyber gift is a TRUE gift! It is a handpainted floor cloth from Kimi our very own cyber gift Queen! IT's a BEAUT! Fits perfectly inside our front door, size and looks! I will take a pic to show how it looks here as soon as I can. (hoping Santa brings me a digital camera for Christmas), lol! Kimi I know I thanked you on the phone but I wanted everyone on the list to know how much we love it! Gotten compliments from all who have seen it! No one wants to step on it! lol! Thnaks again! Missy

A week ago, I asked for help to moderate the list - and of course wonderful people came through! Kimi, Suesan, Jen, Terri and Denise all volunteered - and it has been so wonderful to relax and have one less thing to think about this week - the messages are going through and I am very grateful - what a great gift! THANK YOU !!!! Liz

Greetings everyone from Central Arkansas. I saw this group and with the remodel I'm in the process of doing I thought I could possibly get some tips and suggestions from the group. I have a 1962 ranch style home that my parents purchased new. After my mother took ill my wife and I moved in with her to care for her, built an addition on the back of the house, bringing it to 2010 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath. The biggest question I have right now is something I heard over the weekend. I'm doing the living room in two colors on the walls to match some colors in the living room furniture..and a friend said he saw something where when painting the walls, you took the wall color about six inches onto the ceiling??? Has anyone ever heard of that before? And if so, what kind of effect does it offer a room? Thanks in advance for your help and tips, Woody

Food Garden House & Home Holidays Crafts Health Family Store Decorating Newsletter Dear Beth, Thanksgiving weekend kicks off major shopping and cookie baking. The days just before Dec. 25 are filled with entertaining. Sometime in between, like this week, you put up the Christmas lights and get a tree. For unique tree and lighting ideas, plus helpful tips you didn't even know you were missing, check out the Christmas section on BHG.com's Holidays channel. Until next week, happy decorating. Kristine Kennedy, for BHG.com Decorating P.S. Holiday shopping is easier this year! Check out these gorgeous gifts at the BHG.com store. More Great Info · Decorating Center · Fireplace Guide · Arrange-a-Room · Roofing Guide · Home Cleaning Guide Slide Shows · Small Spaces · Building · Hearth Styles · Exteriors · Christmas Join the Discussion · Decorating · Color · Simplify · Home Hints · The Home Forum 1. Take It Outside Every neighborhood has the house with the sleigh on the roof and so many lights you could land a plane on the lawn. If that style is a little much for your tastes, focus on enhancing -- not overtaking -- your outdoor environment. This outdoor decorating slideshow features several tasteful examples of lighting. Basically, you want your home to be inviting to guests, so focus your efforts near the front door. For a funky idea that still blends with the environment, take a look at these icicles made from window screen (these are gorgeous in person). Just mold wire window screen into a cone, and fill with crumpled plastic wrap, white lights, and reflective baubles. This more practical light guide offers information on special clips to attach lights to gutters and little light stakes that will help you illuminate a pathway. 2. Tree Choices Galore It's tree time, and everything you need to know about them can be found in the information-packed Christmas Trees section. Refresh your memory about getting a tree with these general tips. For example, measure the diameter of available floor space before going to the lot; it seems simple, but I always forget. In the upper left-hand corner of this article, click to see a helpful short video. When buying your tree, you'll likely have a few regional species to choose from. I always aim for a good value (i.e. cheap), but there are other considerations. For example, tree with short needles make ornaments show up best, but tees with long needles tend to be more fragrant. To see pictures and read descriptions of common tree species, click here to see the first eight, then click here to see eight more. 3. Themes And Things Think of tree trimming in layers. First do the lights, then the garlands, then the ornaments. Lighting, however, is not as straightforward as you may think. Tree Lighting 101 offers safety information I did not know. For example, you can only plug a certain number of strings into each other, and you should never plug two extension cords into each other (instead, go out and buy the length you need). Theme trees are often the ones you present to company, either in the foyer or living room (saving the family ornament tree for the family room). In the Themes and Lighting section, you'll find several ideas. This Christmas tree slideshow features a wide variety of themes to choose from. The key to themes is repetition of similar elements in a limited color scheme. If you don't have room for two full-size trees, consider doing a miniature second tree, placed on the kitchen island or in the kids' room. Find small-tree ideas in Just For Fun trees. In addition to the article's examples of a colorful retro look, decorations made from office products, and ornaments made from food, also consider themes relating to pets or collectibles. 4. DIY Ornamentation Handmade ornaments can be a special gift for friends or just a good excuse to do a crafts project with your kids. The ornaments section has 19 different ornaments you can make, with step-by-step instructions included. Styles and skill levels vary, so you're bound to find something interesting. In the easy department, simply use metallic paint pens to jazz up purchased balls. There are some traditional sewn projects, but I'm drawn to the more graphic projects, such as these snowflakes made from beads and corsage pins. Another great snowflake design is made by fusing two layers of white wool with fusible webbing then hand-tacking sparkly beads in place. Advertisement BHG.com Member Services Your Profile Your Email: [beth-bhg@...] is on the mailing list. Click here to update your email address. Forgotten your password? Click here. Technical Issues If you have any technical questions or concerns, please E-mail us. Newsletter Subscription Click here to Subscribe Click here to Unsubscribe If you prefer to unsubscribe offline, please send a letter or postcard with your name, complete mailing address, e-mail address, and the names of the newsletters from which you wish to unsubscribe to: Newsletter Unsubscribe c/o Meredith Corporation LS 025 1716 Locust St. Des Moines, Iowa 50309-3023 Advertisement Copyright © 2002, Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. View our Privacy Policy

WAH!!! My dumb ol' AOL won't open the pictures of the house for me. It says I have to download JAVA which I tried but it wouldn't complete the download. Nancy

Hi, Yes, folks, it's your chance to play "help the moderator" - a rousing game of approving posts by new members, it gives you the chance to be the first in your neighborhood to see spam and wield power over the other members of the group - you will be able to approve messages, ban members, be all-round top dog on the list. Would anyone like to help approve messages? I am so busy right now, that I am not able to get to them as quickly as I would like. It is not a big job, there are only one or two messages per day that have to be approved. If you'd be able to help out, please let me know - artsyliz@... I have the group set to moderate new members' messages so we don't get all that spam crap that hits all the other lists, but it would be nice if there were a couple other people who would like to help me out - 5 minutes a day tops! Kimmi has been helping me out and I really appreciate it, but it would be nice to have a few people involved so nobody had to do it all the time. thanks! Liz lurking moderator

Hello I've just joined. I need ideas or suggestions. I hope I can give a good description of what I am asking about. Well here goes. When you walk into our house through the front door all of our walls are white. I'll try to describe our walls the best I can. They are NOT smooth and do NOT have a shiny or glossy look. The walls have a texture to them, I'm not sure if you want to call it succo? My question is the wall next to the front door is white and is starting to look pretty dirty. Anys suggestions for cleaning white textured walls or some type of suggestions of using some type of wall paper or panel probably from the bottom to about quarters ways up? Thank you lelakumi

My parent's just signed over their cabin to us and we are going to be transforming it into a year round residence. We just had someone box in the bottom of the cabin so the water pipes wouldn't freeze and we got a new coat of paint on the exterior and the deck. The inside has vaulted ceilings. My father didn't put too much work into this project because it was just a vacation home. Now we have to make all the necessary remodelings. While we are doing this I might be inclined to post messages asking for help on doing the interior part of the house just to make it livable(sp) for the time-being. Our finances are very tight right now (part of the reason why my parent's helped us out in this way. I just wanted to introduce myself and later I will upload some pictures that I have for you to view. The cabin--house is located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and we are in the woods on the side of a mountain. Take care, Debbie

hi im new here... my name is frank. im moving into an apartment this week with tons of rules about what can go on the walls. the rooms have mini blinds but no curtains or drapes. they said you can hang anything you want on the walls providing 1) no drilling 2) no screws 3) the side of the curtain that faces the window must be white. the problem is that i work nights and even a hint of daylight keeps me up. short of wearing a blindfold are there any draperies or curtains that can be hung , keep out light, yet still not violate all these ridiculous rules? thanks for any help

Frank shower curtain ---, explore some of the dark navy or black fabric shower curtains ( some are nice solid colors and some have patterns that might compliment your bed spread--- --- these fabric shower curtains often have a valance also

happy holidays! i just moved into an apartment complex apparently run by facists. (the list of rules they have is rather long. ) i work 3rd shift and need total dark in my bedroom to sleep, and they only put up mini blinds. they said you can hang anything you want provided you 1) dont drill 2) dont use screws and 3) the side facing the window MUST BE WHITE. geez....anyway, can anyone suggest a drapery or shade related product that can blacken the room while not offending the establishment? id really appreciate any help. thanks

I created this small gift bag for a swap I was in. Rose Cisneros -- Rose@...

Another experiment. Rose Cisneros -- Rose@...

Thank you all for the great sends! I will be busy playing with them this 4-day weekend of mine! Hope you all have a fun and safe Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much though, we don't want all that food clogging up your creativity brain cells. Than what will we do? HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Rose Cisneros -- Rose@...

I am just playing around tonight. Not too much into the crafty mood, but just can't stay away from the puter. Rose Cisneros -- Rose@...

This is somewhat on topic, I guess but more sewing related. I am making pinch pleated drapes for the sliding door. I bought some drapery weights, and am wondering how to use them. How many would you use per width? I have two and a half widths in one panel. Thanks. Daisy

Hi Dawn, Thanks you have some great ideas. We can only paint in white, no other color the landlord wants to stick with strictly white. Which is boring!!!! But as you said concentrate on bold colors. Im hoping we can put some curtain rods up so I can put up curtains. Im so tired of white walls.... I will have to talk to the landlord on Friday and see if it would be okay to put things like that up. Im out to make the place look nice... Yeah we have the old undesirable color carpet its brown and tan, I don't much like it but I can't rip it out. I'll do my best to make it look cute... Thanks again for your ideas I'll really use em! Missy. ===== Its better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

Hello Everyone! Im so glad to be here. First of all about myself Im 26 yrs old from California Im a Hospital Employee I work as a enviromental aide. I am soon to move into my apartment I'm having problems of what kinds of colors to decide on like curtains and wall hangings etc... I really want to make both bedrooms, living room and kitchen look nice I never have really decorated before so I don't know where I should really start any ideas would be appericiated!! I want the bedroom to be romantic and relaxing... Im not sure of anything else again any ideas would be appericated! Thanks Missy.

i have oak cupboards that are stained that yellowy dark color. i can't tell you how much i hate it. i love the look of the frosted maple. is there a way to change these cupboards without dismantling and stripping them?

This one is of my 3 kids on my middle son's 10th birthday. Rose Cisneros -- Rose@...

Hi everyone, I wanted to make a bill organizer (for my millions of dept) out of a coupon organizer template (or anything you guys have). I don't know how difficult that would be to make, nor if it's possible to be made easily. If anyone has made one before and wouldn't mind sharing the template as well as the resulting picture, I would really appreciate it. Rose Cisneros -- Rose@...

We are in the midst of redecorating our family room. We have removed a wallpaper border that was on the walls when we bought the house. Initially we thought we would replace the wallpaper border with something that better matches our decor, but after the hassle involved in getting it down, we have decided against that. I like the higher ceiling look without the border anyway. My husband wants to put up a moulding in its place. I was unsure at first, but after visiting Home Depot and looking at the moulding choices I am starting come around to his idea. I have looked online at different moulding company websites and seen lots of before and after pictures and I do like the look, so I am ready to get started. Here's where I would like some advice; we have painted our baseboards white, walls cream and ceiling white. The hubby suggests we paint the moulding white and sponge paint over that a red color that matches the new couch and love seat then install it. We are going with a plain, smooth moulding. Have any of you had any experience with this? Should the moulding just be white like the baseboards? What do you think about applying some color over the white on it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone, I've just started doing Venetian faux plaster to my walls and am having a problem. The walls are orange-peel texutred drywall covered with flat latex, but since paint was old, I wiped with liquid sandpaper. Let dry throughly. Started applying joint compound in thin layer. Brand spankin' new joint compound. After a minute or two, the surface becomes covered with lots of (convex) micro bubbles. If I don't go back and smudge them out, they pop leaving a surface of tiny pores. Have tested on wall without liquid sandpaper, and have tested different thicknesses of joint compound. Everything bubbles except the thinnest of layers...like a transparent film of joint compound doesn't bubble, but that's useless toward retexturing! :-) Any ideas? Would sure appreciate some tips! Thanks, Renée -- "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell

I have just completely emptied out a 9 x 9 bedroom. Currently it's painted blue, with one wall composed of ugly oak panneling. I have oak trim, closet doors, woodwork. The carpeting is 70s, white and light blue, in good shape. (Will be replaced in a year or so with oak floors.) This room is going to be my family history room. I am planning on framing old photos for the walls, maybe hanging up my huge family tree. Also will contain one ugly rusty-orange chair and stool (family heirlooms), with three old trunks; one navy blue, one green, and one 120+ year old trunk that was leather, looks extremely antique and cozy. I need help figuring out what color to paint the room. My decorating style is cottage. I prefer pastels. I do have an old pastel yellow quilt I could hang on the wall. I will have lace curtains. I tested some colors on the wall: a light peach, a light green, and white. I didn't like any of them. I am open to ideas, as I know there are some very creative people on this list. I want the room to feel soft, comfortable, and have an old- time feel to it. Help me with my blank canvass! Lyn

Hope you don't mind that I posted this to the group, It's such a good article. Kenny Getting In Touch With A Different Style By Pat Stelzer www.RusticDecorating.com Let's talk about a place where a different decorating style can be experienced without first bringing that style into your home. Pleasant Hill, a restored Shaker Village near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, is a step back in time. The Shakers, a religious sect that believed in complete equality and was devoted to a peaceful life, came to this beautiful piece of Kentucky in 1805. They established a community based on those beliefs, and they practiced celibacy, even if they had been married prior to joining the order. The population dwindled as the ability to draw in new members waned, and by the early 1900s very few Shakers remained, forcing the village to be closed. Fifty years later, a nonprofit group set out to preserve its heritage. There are now thirty-three original buildings that have undergone restoration, and are open to the public, providing both lodgings and meals. More importantly, the craftsmanship of the Shakers has been preserved and is now part of daily life in the village. The Shakers were believers in plain, unadorned furniture, the quality evident in the workmanship and fine woods used by the artisans. Trained in the Shaker methods and style, craftspeople today create fine reproductions of Shaker furniture and household items, including brooms, lanterns and wooden buckets. Shaker style is one of simplicity, clean lines and utilitarian functionality. A visit to Pleasant Hill affords the opportunity to watch these craftspeople work, as well as provide the opportunity to take a piece of Shaker style home. Touring the village is truly a relaxing way to spend an afternoon, and the stroll provides a window into a very comfortable decorating nuance that blends well with those who love rustic touches. Each guest room is done in the traditional Shaker style, and standing in one of the main buildings is akin to being transported back to another time. Straight back chairs, cherry candle tables, and Shaker boxes are but a few of the items that are used throughout the lodgings and are also available in the craft shop. "We Make You Kindly Welcome" is the traditional greeting of the Shakers and is the feeling that permeates the place. One of the most attractive designs offered by the Shakers is their Tree of Life needlepoint, one of my prize possessions. It blends well with any décor, but goes especially well with the rustic ambiance. The village is another example of decorating simplicity, one favored by so many of the early settlers, and one that never goes out of style. Pieces that reflect Shaker or rustic economy in style last forever and give a home that special feeling of stability and permanence. A visit to the village gives a chance to sample another type of decorating without committing to it, unless it wins your heart. For a truly enjoyable getaway, spend a few days, but be sure to make reservations. Sample a meal cooked in the same tradition and using the same recipes developed by the original Shakers, and sample another taste of rustic decorating. Pat Stelzer is a former writer, columnist, reporter, and retired school teacher. She is the decorating consultant for www.RusticDecorating.com

it looks like changing rooms is going to be on TLC on thanksgiving for several hours if anyone is interested that can't get it otherwise.

A young friend created this and it's just so cute - every time someone sees it they just talk about how cute it is. Not just cute; easy too. Orange tissue paper brown crepe or tissue paper green chenille stem one proper size silk leaf balloon plastic disposable communion cup white glue- thinned w/water to half consistency. Blow up and tie the balloon. Using regular paper mache techniques, dip orange tissue paper in white glue, squeegee it between your fingers, and cover the balloon in several layers. Allow to dry overnight Cover the communion cup in brown crepe paper or paper twist. Turn upside down and glue over the tied end of the balloon to create a stem. Wrap the chenille stem around a pill bottle and pull it off for a bit of a tendril. Poke it and the stem of the silk leaf under the communion cup. Allow glue to dry and use in an arrangement. Denise

A few weeks ago someone posted a site that you can order magazines at very discounted prices. Anyone still have that info? Thanks! Jen

Hi all. If you have a Michaels craft store in your area, head on in there if you think you might be able to use some fall-oriented items. At my local Michaels last night, I got fall-colored floral picks for *9 cents apiece*. These can be so useful for centerpieces and wreaths -- and most of them have several leaves, a couple of flowers, and some other sort of doo-dad on them. In fact, most of their fall stuff is 90% off at the moment, including fake autumn fruit, little pumpkin-shaped things, etc. Kathy

i have faux etching and stain glass flowers on the front door and i have tried everything to get it off. i have had it for two years and i'm tired of it. Am I stuck with it?

someone probably already said this but i can't remember. i scraped the texture stuff off the bathroom ceiling and i'm wondering what so i do next. it looks to me that i need to put a thin layer of mud on it. am i right or am i making to much work of it?

Speaking of faux finishes, I have a question. Does the wall surface have to be flat, or does any technique work on an orangepeel texture, which is what I have in my house now. Daisy

In a message dated 11/18/02 7:13:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, sseifts@... writes: Thanks Sandi- My color scheme in the rest of the house is barn red and a mustard yellow, We painted the bathroom blue when we moved in to match the fixtures. Now the decor is Americana, red white and blue. Easy and cheap. The pale blue walls are so wishy washy. I don't think I have too many options but I put it out there hoping someone could give me a miracle. Thanks- Susan

can anyone suggest a good color to sponge over light blue? My bathroom is a very light blue, typical "bathroom blue" same with tiolet and tiles. Thanks! Susan

Hi everyone, Does anyone know of a good source of inspiration for wall finishes? I'm getting ready to resurface the walls of a room and would like to do some kind of faux effect, but am badly in need of inspiration (and probably instruction). Would appreciate suggestions for ideas...books, magazines, online, whatever. Thanks a lot, Renée

I thought of another idea I have used --- it is country, but with a twise. I used an old dough trough as a 'bowl'. I filled it with oranges, apples and lemons. I then placed a pineapple in the center of it. The pineapple is the symbol of hospitality. It is used more in decorating along the coastal areas --- but I actually got the idea out of a country magazine. Cat

The first thing that came to mind was something I did several years ago on the fireplace hearth. I got several one large clay pot and two smaller ones. You turn these upside down and place the bottom peice (plate that catches the water) on top of the pots. You then put two or three big candles on them and place pine branches or holly branches around them. If candles aren't an option --- I have used a wood bowl filled with oranges that I poked cloves into. I then placed them into the bowl with some apples for a bit of contrast in color. You can then once again surround this with pine branches and/or holly branches. If your in the south --- Magnolia branches work well too! Hope this helps- Cat

I hate to admit this --- but "TS" had an episode in which Hildi (who's ideas I usually hate) did a night sky. She used a dark,dark blue and then got some of those glow in the dark stars and planets to put on it --- it looked VERY cool when it was finished. Cat

We are painting the house (professionally of course, the house is too big for our reach). Anyway, last night we were putting up the wallpaper border I bought and had the hardest time putting it up. This morning I found places where it has not stuck to the wall, especially at the lower edge, and at one joint. How do I remedy this situation? It is very obvious as it is at the top of the wall touching the ceiling. Daisy

Hello Everyone, I'm new to this group as of 5 minutes ago. I'm excited to be here. Looks like a large knowledgable group from reading your posts. I was wondering if you could help me. I was invited to go to a christmas gathering at my friend's church and she's in charge of decorating a table. The problem is we have no idea as to what to make as a centerpiece. We have the country style theme chosen because it's so beautiful. Can anyone help me with some centerpiece ideas, pictures, etc...? I would really appreciate it. I'm looking forward to meeting you all. Thank you, Rose

Marge, dd21 just moved out and ds 16 cobbed onto her room in a heartbeat. He wanted that room a med and dk blue and black. BLEH. The ceiling is midnight blue. The walls are medium blue, and the carpet is a dark teal ( we couldn't afford to change the carpet) The trim is white. It looks WAY better than I'd have thought. All of the furniture is black and there is a single window in the room. Yes, it's dark, but he really likes it. It's not so dark you have to have a lamp on a sunny day, but it's darker than I'd want. However, I think that's a personal preference. Oh, and adding his posters to the wall really broke up all that intense color and set off the posters besides. It actually looks way better than I'd have thought. I will share one thing that is nothing more than a word to the wise. If the ceiling is blown acoustic (popcorn) ceiling and has never been primed or painted, prime it first. Actually, I made him scrape the popcorn off and leave the texture. But because it had never been sealed, as soon as the clay texturizer got wet it started falling off in chunks and sticking to the roller. I think it would have been better to do a couple of really light coats of tinted primer to seal and hold that clay in place becuase once it got damp, it was a mess that took DAYS to cover. Denise

Hi, So many good ideas! What a great group. I'll be using so many of the ideas. Can't wait til move in day on the 13th December. Days always seem to move so slowly when you are keenly waiting for an event. Happy home decorating girls, Sharon

Sharon wrote: I have my heart set on a rich burgundy for the formal sitting lounge room but I am terrified of making a blunder as it is a bold colour. I seen the colour used on a various home-decorating magazines for my period of home and it looks lovely. MY QUESTION: Has anyone any advice on painting in such a bold colour. There are so many burgundies - when put together some look purplish, some brownish, and others pinkish. I'm worried that the paint will look flat and harsh. Any ideas on techniques or finishes to get a luxurious effect? I'm reluctant to use wallpaper as it is more expensive and if I wish to change my scheme in a few years it may be difficult to remove? [Fallin, Terri] Sharon, I painted my entry a burgundy color. I can't remember the exact color...hmm...it was a Behr paint, I'm thinking it was called Crimson. Anyway, once I had the burgundy up, I made a glaze with half paint half water with a terracotta color and did a ragging off technique over the burgundy. The effect is absolutely fabulous. It is still very burgundy but there is a great depth to it with that technique. One thing about the burgundy and probably any rich dark color...be prepared to put on lots of coats to get the color even. I did 3 coats of the burgundy and had I not done a technique over it, it would have required an additional coat. It was fine since I put the terracotta color over it (sort of smoothed out some of the rough spots) but it took 3 gallons of paint to do a 10 X 18 room! That didn't include ceilings either, just the walls. Also, this is my entry so one wall is all doors and the other wall is a doorway into the rest of the house so really there was only 2 long walls and it took that much paint. Just be prepared and be ready to do lots of coats. It will be so worth it when your done though. I get more compliments on my entry than any other room in my house. I have pictures posted on the webphotos site...sometimes they show up and sometimes they don't. I'll send an invite to the list to view the album. Hopefully if you decide to look, you will get to see the pics. I just tried and I can't see them so I don't know what's up. Liz, are you there? Do you have this happen too, when sometimes you can see the pics and sometimes you can't? Terri Confidentiality Notice: This message and the accompanying documents or attachments may contain information which is privileged and/or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, discuss, disclose, copy, or distribute the contents of this message. If you have received this information in error, please immediately contact the sender of this message and destroy all evidence of this correspondence.

Hi all, I live in an old home (90+years) with lots of great characher and woodwork. However, the people we bought the home from favoured TOTALLY different colours than we do...When we bought it it was decorated in all baby pinks and baby blues. Our colours are golds, olives, and burgundy's...so we are slowly redecorating it room by room. Anyway, my question is...has anyone ever heard of a paint or a stain (or even a dye) that could be used on an area rug? Our living room is 48x24 and has great hardwood floors. The former owners left their wool area rug, as it was too big for their new home...it is older, but still in good shape, and I can't afford to replace something that size at this point. The problem is....the rug is navy, cream, baby blue and baby pink. I would like to put something over it to mask these colours...but haven't a clue where to start. Help !!!! K.

Hi all, As I've already said I currently live in a tiny townhouse so the move to a period early 1900s house means I need lot of ideas -- and furniture ;-) My plan is to do one room at a time starting with the lounge and this leads to my first question. I have my heart set on a rich burgundy for the formal sitting lounge room but I am terrified of making a blunder as it is a bold colour. I seen the colour used on a various home-decorating magazines for my period of home and it looks lovely. MY QUESTION: Has anyone any advice on painting in such a bold colour. There are so many burgundies - when put together some look purplish, some brownish, and others pinkish. I'm worried that the paint will look flat and harsh. Any ideas on techniques or finishes to get a luxurious effect? I'm reluctant to use wallpaper as it is more expensive and if I wish to change my scheme in a few years it may be difficult to remove? ABOUT THE ROOM: It has 9-foot ceilings with a picture rail -- 2/3 below the rail and 1/3 above the rail. The window is a large bay one with lead light glass at the top. The room is large. I was thinking cream above the picture rail? Room is currently cream. ABOUT THE FURNTIURE: Lounge will be rich brown leather that has a reddish sheen - I've saved for this and will purchase once the messy jobs are done. The carpet is cream but I could remove this and polish the floorboards. My home, the island of Tasmania, is famed for its antiques and old furniture that is cheap. I will hunt in the second-hand stores, garage sales, reproduction stores and auction houses for other furniture. I am thinking coffee table and dresser etc in a deep coloured wood that has a reddish sheen. Large pictures with gilt frames? Love suggestions. Cheers, Sharon

Hi all again, I've added my photos. Naturally all the furniture belongs to the current owneer of the house. Cheers, Sharon

Hi all, Just joined your group as I have bought a home! I currently live in a tiny townhouse so the move to a period early 1900s house means I need lot of ideas -- and furniture ;-) My plan is to do one room at a time starting with the lounge and this leads to my first question. I have my heart set on a rich burgundy for the formal sitting lounge room but I am terrified of making a blunder as it is a bold colour. I seen the colour used on a various home-decorating magazines for my period of home and it looks lovely. MY QUESTION: Has anyone any advice on painting in such a bold colour. There are so many burgundies - when put together some look purplish, some brownish, and others pinkish. I'm worried that the paint will look flat and harsh. Any ideas on techniques or finishes to get a luxurious effect? I'm reluctant to use wallpaper as it is more expensive and if I wish to change my scheme in a few years it may be difficult to remove? ABOUT THE ROOM: It has 9-foot ceilings with a picture rail -- 2/3 below the rail and 1/3 above the rail. The window is a large bay one with lead light glass at the top. The room is large. I was thinking cream above the picture rail? Room is currently cream. ABOUT THE FURNTIURE: Lounge will be rich brown leather that has a reddish sheen - I've saved for this and will purchase once the messy jobs are done. The carpet is cream but I could remove this and polish the floorboards. My home, the island of Tasmania, is famed for its antiques and old furniture that is cheap. I will hunt in the second-hand stores, garage sales, reproduction stores and auction houses for other furniture. I am thinking coffee table and dresser etc in a deep coloured wood that has a reddish sheen. Large pictures with gilt frames? Love suggestions. Cheers, Sharon

Porn mail -- not today , but lately some offensive porn crap .. .. sheech !!! " Believe, Sierra

Hi All, Our fireplace is a mess and we would love some suggestions on how to fix it! It's pretty rough brick and has been painted at least twice. The first coat was probably a fairly well applied alkyd. Second coat was a fairly badly applied latex, a little chipping but no peeling. There's some candle wax dripped on it too. After shooting whoever designed this house :-) I'd like to repaint the fireplace. It's one of those corner things with the huge rounded hearth that takes up half the floor space. If anyone has tips on how to minimize the appearance of this monstrosity that would be greatly appreciated too. It's currently the same flat dark color as the walls, but the room is so dark I'm hoping to maybe do it in a lighter and/or higher-gloss shade. But don't want to call attention to it. The paint needs to be a very durable surface. I'm not afraid of hard work so am willing to do whatever it takes to get it "right". Suggestions are very welcome indeed! Thanks, Renée -- Thos