Decorating the Nursery

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Most parents-to-be today find out the sex of their baby before the baby’s arrival.  However, there is a strong minority who wait to know if they are having a boy or a girl until he or she arrives. Whatever camp parents-to-be fall into, decorating the nursery for baby is an exciting process.  And with all exciting projects, it can also be a little daunting.  Do you choose classic pink for a girl? Blue for a boy?  Or do you decorate in a more gender neutral color like yellow or green for future babies who may occupy the nursery? What if you have fraternal boy/girl twins?

While pink for girls and blue for boys continue to be the most popular choices for nurseries, there is a rise in gender neutral decorating in the nursery.  Princess pink can be replaced by yellow with gray and white accents.  Baseball blues might be exchanged for purple and apple green.  There is no limit to the colors you can choose for a baby’s room.  Keep in mind that it is easier to change paint color than replace flooring so you might want to stick to neutral carpet colors or wood floors for the nursery.

If you go neutral on the walls and floor, you can always bring in feminine and masculine touches with the crib bedding, curtains and accessories.  Toys and games as well as art are great ways to personalize a space to fit baby’s personality as well as gender. Neutral will also allow the room to grow as baby grows into a big kid.

Tips for Hanging Artwork

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  • Has the time come for you to hang artwork in your beautiful home? Maybe you have even been avoiding it. The process of hanging artwork can seem frustrating and very time-consuming. To help put you at ease while hanging your artwork, we have composed a few tips and tricks to assist you. Let’s take a look! 

Placement:

  • You may find yourself standing there staring at a blank wall and find yourself unsure of where to hang your artwork. If you have only one or two pieces to hang, stand back and visually place in your mind where you want the artwork to hang.  Often people hang art too high; experts recommend hanging your art pieces at eye level. To help, you can physically take the art piece and place it on the wall in your desired spot. With a pencil, draw a short, centered line on the wall at the top of the frame. If your frame has a wire on the back of the art, simply measure from the top of the wire in the center to the top of the frame. Go back to your line on the wall and measure down from the top line to the distance of the centered wire hanger and mark. Erase the original top line, so you do not get confused about the proper placement mark. 
  • If you have multiple pieces of art, start out by placing the pieces on the floor for a symmetrical or asymmetrical look, whichever fits your taste. As you stand back to look at the items on the floor, you can visualize how they will look once hung. You can also move and mix until you get your desired look. 

Techniques for Strength:

  • If possible, drive the nail into a wall stud for the most strength. If you do not already own one, experts recommend investing in a stud finder.  Although in most cases, where you want to hang the art, a stud will not be present. For small and medium artwork, a 1 ½ or 2-inch nail in the sheetrock will suffice and hold securely. Always drive the nail into the wall at a 45-degree angle. This technique ensures a stable and secure hold. 
  • For large pieces of art, purchase hollow-wall anchors with screws.  Anchor sets will match the weight of the artwork. Use a small drill and choose a drill size to match the size of the anchor. Once you drill the hole, tap the anchor into the sheetrock and screw the screw into the anchor.

Straightness:

  • If your artwork is not hanging level and straight, you can purchase some small plastic bumpers that attach to the back of the frame with self-stick tape. What a simple fix for a challenge that will arise now or in the future. 
  • We would love to hear from you regarding any ideas and tips you may have for hanging artwork. What tips and tricks have you learned over the years that could be helpful for other readers? You can leave your responses below in the comment section.

What do color choices say about your home? Part II

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Your color choices in your home can say a lot about you and the overall environment. Therefore, knowing when and where to use colors can help you master how each room feels. Combining colors can help influence different feelings as well. As we explored in five colors in part one, we saw how different colors can have significantly different impacts on an environment. Today, we will look at several more common colors used in design themes. Let’s get started!

Purple

Purple is known as a mysterious yet spiritual color. It is a compassionate color; however, it can make for a more calming atmosphere. Using purple is a perfect way to create a luxurious or imaginative environment while being very versatile.

White

This crisp color can make any room feel clean and spacious. White is a heavenly color that is pure and feels very refreshing. It pairs best with cool tones more than warm tones, which is vital to know when designing your space.

Green

If you are trying to add more life to a room, green is the color of choice. It can help revitalize and energize a space. Also, it subconsciously reminds us of plant life, which can help invigorate any atmosphere.

Gray

Gray can steal benefits from both white and black. While sophisticated and classy, it can also keep a room feeling more open and spacious. It is still neutral and leans toward black for more benefits, or you can go light to explore more white inspiration.

Yellow

Yellow is a creative color to use in a room. It is very eye-catching as it is used to capture attention. It will radiate throughout the room, making it feel more optimistic and charming. In essence, you can add more energy to a room by using yellow.

What colors do you use in your own design? There are so many ways we can add color to our homes to help give them life. Knowing these characteristics can help you tailor a room to your specific needs.

What do color choices say about your home? Part 1

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Today’s interior design is ever-changing. Many homeowners are being more expressive in their design by adding more personal touches to their homes. In fact, designers believe that our homes are an outlet in which we can express ourselves. The music we enjoy, the way we dress, and even our interior design styles can say a lot about us. However, did you know color has psychological references as well? The colors we are adding to our homes all have meaning. Today, we are going to take a look at some of the most popular colors in homes to analyze what they say about you.

Pink

This color is a compassionate tone. It can be associated with femininity but is slowly becoming more gender-neutral. It evokes kindness and empathy into the atmosphere, and it is known as an innocent color that does not feel aggressive in a room.

Brown

From walnut, coffee, mocha, and even woods, this earthy tone can be expressed through many shades. It feels organic, which makes a room feel more secure and grounded. Being a neutral-based color, brown feels approachable and wholesome in any room.

Red

Red is an extremely bold color! It can make a room feel warmer and add more energy to the space, making for a more exciting environment. However, if it is used too much in a room, it can feel aggressive. Using this color can be great for stimulating a passionate atmosphere or used in another area to make a daring and dynamic statement.

Black

Pure black can feel quite sophisticated. It makes for creating a strong and authoritative atmosphere. It can absorb light, making a room feel darker, which makes for a more mysterious-feeling environment as well.

Blue

Feel confident by adding blue to a room and make a cool-toned space. It is very soothing and evokes calmness and serenity. This peaceful color is perfect for reducing stress and makes for a great area to reflect and relax.

While color psychology is subjective, these expressions are general ideas. Did you know these colors’ psychologies before you read this article? If not, what do the colors in your home say about you? Remember that combing colors or using more versus less of specific colors can influence different thoughts or feelings about your environment. If you are looking to add more color to your home, consider some of these color psychologies. They can help you personalize your space and tailor it exactly how you want it to feel. Make sure to check out the second part of this series to explore even more colors!

Creating a Functional Closet Space

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When it comes to keeping your home organized, there’s a long list of items to take care of. While you may have a handle on all of the obvious spaces a guest will see when they enter your home, the closet may be a little neglected. It’s easy to understand why this part of your home would be put on the bottom of the priority list: no one is coming over to snoop around your storage space. That’s also why it’s so easy to just throw items in there when you’re cleaning up and just need to get on with your day. It’s time to stop hiding the mess and get it organized!

There are multiple reasons your closet may look the way it does: its size is too small, there is insufficient space for special occasion or seasonal items or you may just not have a good system for the items you currently own. No matter what the case is, take everything out and assess the empty space in front of you. You will be unable to visualize what is best for your closet space if you cannot see what you are working with.

Your first step is to de-clutter your current items. Create different piles for items you need to access often, special occasion items, seasonal items and items you no longer use but haven’t gotten around to removing from the space. You know what to do with your out-of-rotation items: can you say donation bag? Whether it’s clothing, shoes or assorted accessories, there is always someone in need who can benefit from your contribution, so delay no further! If you don’t love it, leave it out! For your remaining items, it’s time to come up with a game plan.

This is where your creativity comes in. Look at your remaining items and think about whether you would like them to be hung up, folded, placed on open shelving or racks. Now make the space work for the items you have. This may mean going to a home improvement store and purchasing closet organization units or removing and adding racks and shelves to customize the space to your specific needs. Or get creative and look around your home for small furniture pieces that could be used in your closet for storage and decoration. Why not make your closet look like a boutique that you get to shop in for free every day!

Your closet might not seem like an important space, but you generally start and sometimes end your day in your closet. If the space feels clean and organized, perhaps you might start out your day a little less frustrated because you can quickly and easily find what you’re looking for.

Be sure to place your heavily used items in the most easily accessed part of the closet and the rarely used pieces more out of your way. If you find that some things still do not fit the space, relocate some of the lesser used items into a different closet space or purchase storage bags to be used under the bed. Once finished, enjoy your beautifully organized closet and keep the space clean!

Creating a Focal Wall Behind the Bed

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Do you want your bedroom to make a statement? In a bedroom the focus should be on the bed as it is the feature of the room.  When designing a master bedroom, builders often create one long wall to accommodate a king size bed and nightstands. If you tour older homes there may not be such an obvious place for a bed in the room. This is also the case for standard bedrooms.  Creating a focal wall in a bedroom will anchor the bed in the room.

This bedroom has a decorative wall of wallpaper behind the bed. This creates visual interest for your eye to focus on. The pattern in the wallpaper behind the bed adds a design element that gives the room some interest and personality. Neutral bedding and carpeted floors keep the eye on the feature wall.

When it’s time to change the look and feel of the room, changing out the focal wall can be a lot less expensive than replacing the furniture in the room. If wallpaper is too strong of a design statement for you, consider using paint to create a focal wall behind the bed. You can coordinate the wall and linen colors or use a contrasting color for the walls to help it really stand out. Pattern, color, and texture can all be used to create a fantastic feature wall.

Sometimes the best place for a bed in a room is in front of a window. The old rules of design said you should put a bed in front of a window, but today’s design rules are more adaptable.  If you do put a bed in front of a window, use the curtains to frame out the bed and window to create a focal wall.

Organizing Your Home in the New Year

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The holidays are over and now it’s back to the daily grind. After the chaos of houseguests, parties and shopping have you overlooked dealing with basic housekeeping and clutter that has accumulated over the past month? Remember everything you shoved into a laundry basket and hid from view? You promised yourself you would deal with that in the New Year. Now is the time, my friend! Let’s get organized.

Don’t try to organize the entire house in one day. Instead focus on the rooms that need it the most. For right now let’s talk about your garage, home office and your closets.

Closets

If you haven’t worn something in a year get rid of it. Have a box or bag ready for charity as you go through your clothes, or host a clothes swap party with girlfriends. Your cast-off may be another’s treasure.

Group clothes together by color – now you won’t have to spend hours looking for that one white blouse. Consider grouping clothes together by season as well. Store seasonal items in garment bags and boxes that can be kept under the bed or in the guest bedroom closet if you are short on space.

Home Office

Only keep items on your desk that you use every day. Put everything else in a storage closet or filing cabinet. Sort through mail daily and immediately toss or recycle junk mail. Deal with bills and other correspondence right away. Don’t make a pile to deal with later, these tasks just add up. Shred anything that you don’t need and file everything else. Remember we want to avoid all kinds of piles – file piles, bill piles, documents to shred pile. You get the drift.

Garage

Invest in wall panels with hooks and baskets. Your goal here is to keep the floor of the garage as uncluttered as possible. Hang garden tools, bicycles, ladders and sports equipment. Buckets are another good organizational tool for the garage. Have one bucket for paintbrushes and rollers, one for rags, and sponges and car care products.

By taking time to focus on these three areas you can quickly and easily keep your home as organized as possible. After all, it is much less stressful to arrive to an organized home than one that is chaotic and cluttered.

Winter Crafts for Kids

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As the days start to get shorter, kids can start to feel bored and pent up indoors, particularly when the holidays end and schedules return to normal. When this happens, consider making some fun winter crafts that you can use to brighten up your house and make it a little more cheerful inside. Depending on when you start, you can even use a few of these as decorations over the holiday, or save them for next year to put them out and get some additional use out of them.

Painted Pinecones

Create some beautiful winter decorations with pinecones and some iridescent paint medium. Iridescent medium can be applied to the pinecone spines just like paint. When it dries, however, the medium becomes transparent, leaving behind only a sparkling shine that makes it look as though the pinecones have been left outside in the frost. You can also add the medium to any paint to make your blues, reds, and greens sparkle as well. Tie a ribbon onto the ends of your finished pinecones and use them as ornaments, or hang them in the windows to catch the light.

Salty Snow Scene

This is a fun craft for with children who enjoy the process of watching an almost magical change in their handiwork.  Have your kids draw a snowman or other winter picture on a piece of heavy construction paper. Make sure that they do not cover all the areas of the paper with crayon; some of the paper needs to stay bare for the effect to work.

Dissolve a cup of Epsom salts into two cups of warm water; this needs to be fairly thick and heavy when you are done mixing. Have your child paint the salt water over the finished drawing. When the water dries, it will leave behind salt crystals on the paper that will make it look as though it has been snowing in their scene. If you’d like, you can also add a drop or two of blue food coloring to the water to give the entire picture an icy blue sheen to it at the same time.

Thanksgiving with Style: Part 2

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Planning for Thanksgiving involves more than a trip to the grocery store. Many stressful holidays occur because only the food is planned. By taking the time the day before to handle the other aspects of the holiday, you can have more time for your last-minute food preparations.

Thanksgiving is often the one holiday when people bring out all their best china and silver. It’s also a day when you may have many dinner guests. The best way to plan for this is to set the table early. If you have silver that needs polishing or you can’t find Aunt Lavine’s cranberry compote dish, Thanksgiving morning is not the day to discover these problems. Spend today pulling out everything and setting the table. (You can eat in front of the TV tonight!)

Prepare for any potential problems or accidents. Your dining room floor and table linens are at risk with a Thanksgiving dinner. Pre-plan for spills with a good collection of white towels and your favorite spot remover if needed. Quick attention fo spilling protects your rugs and tablecloths without unduly embarrassing your guests.

You may want to serve food buffet-style, reducing the demands for passing everything and allowing more space at the table. Plan which serving pieces will be used, and layout your buffet ahead of time. Then just add the food on Thanksgiving day. This will leave room for decorative elements on the table itself.

Finally, plan ahead for the meal itself. Check your recipes when you make your shopping list and prepare anything you can today. Are there any bakeries or stores that make great pies? Consider buying them and saving yourself some time and trouble. Make a plan for Thanksgiving morning that factors in any oven or stove-top space limitations. Give yourself a spare half-hour to hour in your calculations to cover the unexpected.

With these plans you have a good chance of experiencing a fun and lower-stress holiday. Maybe you’ll even be able to watch a little football!

Thanksgiving with Style: Part 1

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If you want to decorate your home for Thanksgiving, your best resource is your local grocery store! Pumpkins – generally half price or less after Halloween – can join with pomegrantes gourds, squash and Indian corn to make your home inviting and seasonal.

Start by browsing through your collection of accessories. Do you have any antiques that would go well with autumn moods and colors? Baskets and pottery or metal bowls look inviting when filled with smaller fall products. If you purchase a nice selection of various squash, they will hold up throughout the season and are excellent roasted after their decorative use is over.

Once you’re finished rummaging through your home and local grocer, step outside and take full advantage of fall’s bounty. Do you have any trees with turning leaves? These can make for beautiful decorations on Thanksgiving day. Also look for dried grasses and berries on your property or along the roadside to add color and personality to your displays. With a little imagination and effort, you can create a fall environment in your home that will take your guest’s breath away.

Now, close your eyes and imagine how wonderful your house will look. Do you have any ideas or tips to make our vision of your home even better?