Posted
July 22, 2010 by
deb under
How to Looking for different and creative ways to make focal points out of your wall art? Here are a couple different variations you can use.
Symmetrical
A grid-like arrangement where the wall art is hung the same distance apart. Symmetrical displays are typically hung using matching frames.
{Apartment Therapy}
{Isabella and Max}
{Ohdeedoh}
Asymmetrical aka Art Gallery Layout
Don’t be afraid. This is actually one of the easier arrangements because it’s completely random.
{Princess Lasertron}
{Design Hole}
{ABC News}
{Young House Love}
Looking for help in hanging your wall art? Give this a try. Before committing with nails, hang up pieces of paper the same size as your pictures using painters tape. Painter’s tape will keep the paint on your walls safe. Doing a test run on your wall will give a great representation of how the arrangement will look once hung.
{Better Homes & Gardens}
Another way you can do it is by laying the picture on the floor before hanging them on the wall. You can also check out this handy tutorial full of tips from Design FormuLA on making a picture wall collage.
In previous posts, we showcased various wall art inspiration and offered a tutorial on how to hang your pictures.
Tags: art gallery, asymmetrical, Hanging a picture, Inspiration, symmetrical, wall art
Posted
July 5, 2010 by
deb under
DIY,
How to,
Tutorial In honor of my painting weekend, I thought I’d repost this painting tutorial for you. Enjoy and I hope your having a great 4th of July weekend!
Do you have a room that needs to be painted, but you don’t know where to start? Never fear, we are here and will show you how to paint a room step by step. We’ll start with the supplies needed and how to prep your room so it’s ready for paint.
Step 2: Paint a swatch (or two, or three!) to make sure you like the color before you invest time into painting the entire space. I usually paint about a 1′x1′ square on the wall and revisit it after it drys to make sure I like it.
Step 3: Remove all hardware from the room- i.e. light switches, vents and plugs, etc.
Step 4: Spackle holes that you no longer need and patch any repairs on the walls.
Step 5: Use the 1.5″ masking tape and tape to baseboards, door/closet trim. Use this to cover up any woodwork that you don’t want the paint to get on.
Step 6: Sand the entirety of the room. Not only the spackled areas, but the rest of the walls too. This ensures a smooth finish to your final paint job.
Step 7: Use a old towel to remove any dust left by the sanding.
Now that we have all of our supplies and have done all the prep work to our space, we are ready to paint. Do you have trouble painting with a brush and making sure your lines are straight? I will be giving some pointers on what works for me and how I keep my lines straight.
Steps 8 & 9: Open paint & stir. You want to be sure to stir the paint really good so it is consistent throughout.
Steps 10 & 11: Pour the paint into two different paint pans. I use a large paint pan for the roller and a small container for the brush- just make sure it’s wider than the brush.
Step 12: Start with your paint brush in one corner. Notice how I’m holding the brush and it’s at an angle {this is called cutting}. Angle the brush so it comes to a point and slowly work your way to the top of the corner where the ceiling and walls meet.
Step 13: Most ceilings have a slight lip which makes for slightly easier painting with your brush. Use this lip to guide you. Again, look how I am holding the brush. I angle it to make my way toward the ceiling lip.
Step 14: One I have the paint brush where I want it, I start dragging it along (but under) the ceiling lip. I usually drag the brush for about 12″-18″ depending on how loaded my brush is with paint.
Step 15: I go back over the section I painted in the previous steps to make sure my paint coverage is good and there aren’t any places I missed. I usually leave about a 2.5″-3″ paint line on the top and bottom of the wall to provide sufficient clearance for the roller.
Step 16: Paint along the baseboards in the same section that you painted the ceiling. The baseboards are a little more simple as there is tape there protecting the wood. However, don’t overload your brush with paint. If you have too much paint, it will start to bleed underneath the tape.
After you have gone along the wall with the paint brush for about 4′-5′, the roller can start rolling.
Steps 17 & 18: Start about half way down the wall with short rolling strokes in the letter of a N or M. Then start to straighten and lengthen your rolling strides. Be sure to watch for ridges that are coming from your paint roller and flatten them as you go. Get as close to the corners and ceilings as you can without scraping them.
Step 19: Remove all masking tape from the trim as soon as you are done painting.
Enjoy your new paint job, now it’s time to decorate!
Paint is by Behr and is called Mediterranean Blue.
Tags: cutting, how to paint, paint, prep
Posted
June 7, 2010 by
deb under
DIY,
How to 
So remember how I confessed a little while back that I don’t know how to sew? Well, I’m making an effort this year to learn how. I figured I’d start with an easy project to get me going. So here you have it, a step by step tutorial on how to sew your own pillows.
1. Gather your supplies: Scissors (straight & pinking for raveling fabrics), measuring tape, pins, pillow stuffing, and a seam ripper.
2. Cut your fabric {I did 21″x21″ square pillows for the green ones & 13″x19″ for the patterned pillow}
3. Pin the fabric together {Have the inside of the pillow fabric facing out}
4. Sew three sides completely {leaving about 1/3″ on the edge}
5. On the fourth side, leave enough room to flip the pillow inside out and stuff it {about 3″}
6. Tie off the ends near the opening.
7. Cut the corners diagonally so the corners will lay correctly.
8. Flip the pillow inside out.
9. I used a seam ripper to help the corners lay correctly.
10. I added the rosettes and then stuffed the pillow.
11. Close the pillow using the machine or a whip stitch.
For my first official sewing project, I’m feeling pretty good. And as a bonus, my bedroom is looking even more complete. I will keep sharing my progress of the room with you. Be patient with me as I hunt for accessories and wall hangings! {These last couple weeks have been a doozy}.
Hope you’re having a great Monday. Are you working on any fun sewing projects lately?
Tags: pillows, sewing
Posted
May 31, 2010 by
erin under
How to We’ll be taking time today to honor those that have served and continue to serve our country! We hope you’ll do the same! I’m loving these simple, inexpensive, party ideas from Mark Montano:
You can check out the tutorial at Mark’s blog.
and
Tags: memorial day, picnic
Posted
May 20, 2010 by
erin under
How to We get asked this question a lot: How do I decide what is the correct rug size I need for my space? Today we’ll help you out!
Rugs are usually specified to help pull a furniture arrangement together. Many times, without something visual to pull everything together, furniture can look like it is placed haphazardly around the room. (Even if there is some organization to it.) I find that when choosing a rug size you want one that will just cover the space underneath your furniture arrangement. Don’t worry about all of your furniture fitting on the rug, just make sure that the front of the sofa and chairs are on the rug and you’ll be fine! It’s always better to go larger than smaller if you’re unsure about the size.
Are you visual like me? Here are some examples of some good sized rugs and not-so-good sized rugs:
Notice how in the two examples above the rug really helps to make the arrangement feel like one large, well-placed, arrangement.
See how in the bad example the rug is too small? Instead of pulling the arrangement together you’ve added something else that just clutters up the visual space. A well sized rug will help to provide a more cohesive look.
Good luck with your rug hunting!
Tags: DIY, How to, rug
