Doorway Drapes & Silhouette Art

I've only ever used a door drape (I guess they're technically portieres but I'm a simple girl so door drape works for me) on a closet,but I've always been intrigued by them. I love that they're a little unexpected and work great for softening a doorway and adding texture. Depending on your fabric, of course, they can also add additional color and pattern to the room. Seeing the photo above from Better Homes and Garden's "Wool Projects To Warm Up Your Home" reminded me of the idea, so I decided to do a post on it.

Phoebe Howard

I wanted to include the example below from Better Homes and Garden's "Dress a Door In a Drape" so that you could see how, when hung this way, you still see the kitchen but the drape actually attracts your attention and stops your eye from really focusing on the room beyond.

Have you ever used door drapes? If not, do you like the idea? Where would use this type of treatment in your home?

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Did you noticed the dog silhouette art just beyond the drape in the photo at the beginning of this post? It can also be found at bhg.com.

Another great silhouette art example is from Karli at Rocky Bella. She recently created a silhouette art display in her entryway. The cute art that you see below is just one example. Didn't she do a great job? Go to her site to see the whole display and tutorial. More table posts (side/end tables and nightstands) coming next week but I wanted to mix it up a bit in between.

oh. and there's a giveaway here on Monday. :-)

If you're interested in creating a mood board for Mood Board Monday (happening on Nov 9th) click HERE for more information.

Happy Halloween! Hope you're all having a great weekend...

Coffee Table Ideas, Tips and Inspiration

Edited to add to The Nester's Linky Party, The Lettered Cottage Favorites of 2009 and The Inspired Room Best of 2009. Since this is a decorating blog, I do a wide variety of decorating posts, so it was hard to choose just one. It really depends on the person and what they're looking for at the time, but I liked the inspiration in this one and it seemed like others did too...

The post title pretty much sums this up, so I won't chatter on about it. If you're in need of a new coffee table or just looking to mix it up a bit, hopefully this post will provide some inspiration and helpful tips.

A large upholstered or leather ottoman is always an option.

Calico Corners

Trunks are great, especially if you need additional storage.

House Beautiful Photo Don Freeman

Add a glass table top to something. What? Use your imagination. :-)

House Beautiful Photo Michael Grimm

Use two (or three) small tables or ottomans.

Better Homes and Gardens

A small ottoman and a small table...

Better Homes and Gardens

Find something that you love, in the shape that you need, and use it as a coffee table. Having a table that's "mobile" can be a nice idea as well.

Country Living Photo Michael Weschler

Add a mirror to an existing table to make it larger or give it some sparkle.

diyideas.com

Use a bench. As many decorating styles as there are in the world, there's usually a bench style to go with it.

Image Pottery Barn

Cherry plywood table - Better Homes and Gardens.

Coffee table from a door - Kimba at ASPTL.

Ottman/coffee table from scratch - Tutorial here.

Vintage sign coffee table - Tutorial here.

Table base into an a coffee table/ottoman Britt at A Penny Saved.

A cute painted chalkboard table for the family room. diyideas.com.

If you like the table leg style shown in the photo below, you can find a very detailed tutorial for the entire table at diyideas.com .

What is your favorite type of coffee table? Have you ever used something really unexpected?

I'll be talking about side/end tables and bedside tables in upcoming posts. Have a good day!

Encouragement Board

I love this! It was made by Julia Pelton (The Pelton Family blog) and she said she wouldn't mind if I shared it with you.

I'm sure you may have seen many variations on this bulletin board theme, so it's not new, but two things about it really appealed to me: 1) the fact that it's beautifully made, and 2) it's not just any board. It's an encouragement board that she made for her mother for Mother's Day while she was going through treatment for an illness. She put things on it (more things than what you see here) that she thought would encourage her mother every time she looked at them.

Isn't this a great gift idea? Is there someone you know who could use an encouragement board? The complete tutorial is on Julia's blog.

I said my next post would be a decorating post. This isn't the one I was talking about (that's tomorrow), but I think it qualifies, don't you? Decorating and encouraging at the same time! Gotta love that.

Art Giveaway WINNER!

Southern Living

This image above has nothing to do with the giveaway winner. :-) I just thought it was an easy, quick arrangement if you're looking for something last minute. I'm sorry that the top is cut off, but that's the way it was.

The winner of the Willow Rosa Studio Art Giveaway is #10, Jennifer from The Craft House! Congratulations, Jennifer! Please e-mail Cynthia to let her know which art you are choosing and your mailing information.

Hope you're having an awesome day! If you're not, MAKE it awesome! :-)

A Chair Makeover

BEFORE

I thought I would share a chair makeover that I did. I searched high and low for a before photo and this was the only one I could find where someone wasn't sitting in it. It was taken in our old house right after I bought the chair and, as you can see by the date in the photo, I've had it for almost 11 years. It's hard to see the finish in this photo, but it was a dark gold color, and the cushions are floral (obviously).

Moving into a different house gave me an opportunity to finally create a completely new look and even though I couldn't buy a new chair, I knew I could at least substantially change the look of this one just by painting it and changing the fabric.

Now for the unorthodox painting method. It was impossible to use a brush and I didn't have a paint sprayer, so I just took a rag, dipped it in paint and started rubbing it on. No primer. Nothing. I just rubbed the paint on, let it sit for a day, rubbed more paint on, let it sit, and then took another rag and added antiquing glaze until it looked like I wanted it to. I probably wouldn't recommend this method but, luckily, it worked for me! :-)

AFTER

 For the cushions, I purchased some fabric at JoAnn Etc. with my 50% off coupon and had an upholsterer cover the cushions for me. I didn't trust my skills enough to do it and since they're just loose cushions, the cost wasn't too bad (definitely way better than the price of a new chair!). Just to add a little different spin, I had them use the reverse of the fabric for a center panel on the top cushion. (This obviously won't work with all fabrics, but I lucked out on this one.) Now that I look at this photo, it almost looks like the bottom cushion is the same color as the center panel on the top cushion. It's not. All of the cushions are the same color with the exception of that one center panel.

That's it! Here are the before and after together...

Bagging It - A Towel Idea

I "bagged" the towels in one of my bathrooms in my old house, but had forgotten about it until the other day. Not sure what actually made me remember it, but I thought I would do a sample one (apologize that it's not a great photo - not one of my strong points) and share it with you. Not sure that it's a "new" idea, but if it's new for one of you and you like it - mission accomplished! :-)

To bag, you fold the towel as you normally would to hang it over your towel bar and then just flip it upside down, keeping the towel bar in between, and tie it with whatever you wish. In this case, the tie is in the back because that just happened to be how this one worked. There are so many variations on the theme from sophisticated to cute, from master bath to kids bath - it all depends on the towels you use and what you use to tie them with.

edited 10/28/09 to add side view photo My husband likes to hunt and fish, so in my old house I did a bathroom downstairs in that theme. I had two bath towels hung side by side on the towel bar and used twine to tie the towels and hung large wooden bobbers from them.

A simple, inexpensive option if you're looking for a different look.

If you're interested in creating a mood board for Mood Board Monday (Nov 9th), you can find the inspiration HERE.

Edit 10/28/09: I'm adding this to the Works for Me Wednesday Blog Party! Hopefully the idea will work for one of you.

Mood Board Monday

I've asked Tracy at Comfort and Luxury to choose the inspiration and host the Mood Board Monday Party that's scheduled for November 9th (mark your calendars!). If you're interested in creating a mood board for the party, be sure to hop on over TODAY and check out the inspiration pieces she's chosen!

Another DIY Headboard Idea

Okay. I'm kind of a freak when it comes to getting excited about new DIY headboard ideas. I'm not sure why because I don't even need one right now, but this blog's all about you right? :-) This one seems both simple and inexpensive, and since I'm never sure who's looking for what or what will appeal to who (whom? - whatever) I thought I would share it just in case someone would find it helpful.

Just a little opinion - I think I would make the panels a tish longer so that the bottom would be hidden behind the mattress.

Okay. That's it. Sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing. You can go now.

Oh. Except there's a little instructional video. Gotta love that...

DIY: Hanging Headboard - More The Indianapolis Star Galleries

View this gallery at The Indianapolis Star: DIY: Hanging Headboard

Edited to link to DIY Day at ASTPL:
I hesitated about linking this to DIY day at ASTPL since I didn't make it myself, but I thought it may give someone inspiration for their own DIY project. I'd love to know if you use the idea!

Creative Decorating Ideas - 3

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm not sure what you have planned for this weekend but, if you're bored, you could always...

Stencil your stairwell and replace the newel post with a salvaged one.

Coastal Living Photo Tria Giovan

Add some decorative trim to your sofa.

Coastal Living Photo Tria Giovan

Perhaps some floor lamps in your dining room? Or cushy pillows on the dining chairs?

Better Homes and Gardens

If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the ART GIVEAWAY!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND!

One Rug - Two Rooms

Company C Dandelion Rug

I ran across these two rooms in my travels, and noticed that they both used the same Company C rug.

Better Homes and Gardens

Canadian House and Home

Which is your favorite?

Don't forget to enter the ART GIVEAWAY!

A Small Space Solution and An Award

I saw this Tobi Fairley design on House of Turquoise and was struck by this creative solution for dividing up a small space. It appears that the drapes are on a track so that they can be opened and closed easily. I've seen a lot of akward columns like this in the middle of spaces and this design makes great use of it rather than trying to ignore it, don't you think?

Don't forget to enter the awesome art GIVEAWAY!

A big thank you to Tiffany at Mine Are Spectacular for the Over The Top! Award. Pay her a visit, and if you're looking for some Halloween Tablescape inspiration, check out this post.

For this award I'm to list 5 other blogs that I view as Over The Top. This part is so hard because there are so many awesome blogs out there, but these are the ones I chose.

1. The DIY Showoff - I think I'm supposed to choose different blogs each time to pass awards on to so I tried to do that, BUT had to include Roeshel on this one because she's definitely over the top. :-) She's a blog party junkie and way too much fun. Check out her inspiring blog and you'll see...
2. Beneath My Heart - I discovered Traci's blog not too long ago and always find her posts so inspiring, whether personal or creative.
3. CraftyNest - You've seen some of her projects featured in my posts, and I never cease to be inspired by her over-the-top creativity!
4. House Of Turquoise - Erin provides TONS of turquoise inspiration here AND she's a Minnesota blogger, so what could be better?
5. Three Men and A Lady - Michelle. Designing her home on a budget and doing an awesome job of it!

Now YOU have a chance to be a winner too!

Remember my excitement earlier today about winning the cheerful yellow tulip art from Willow Rosa Studios? Well, that WAS exciting, but this is even better!

Artist Cynthia Louden has offered to give one Room Remix reader their own beautiful 16 x 16 Giclee Canvas Art Print! The 4 prints shown in this post are just a small sampling of what is available on her site, and the winner gets to choose their print AND customize it with their favorite quote. Slightly cool, don't you think?

Each entry requires a separate comment (pretty please!)

TO ENTER: Go to the Willow Rosa Studios website and choose your favorite print. Then come back and LEAVE A COMMENT telling us what it is.

Additional Entry: Become a new Follower (via the follower widget on my sidebar) of Room Remix. Then LEAVE A COMMENT letting me know.

Additional Entry: Blog about this giveaway and LEAVE A COMMENT letting me know that you've done so.

Entries will be accepted until midnight CST on Tuesday, October 27th! Good luck... :-)

Yellow Tulip Surprise!

Willow Rosa Studios

I won! I won! I won! :-)

I seriously never win anything. I'm not kidding. Sooo... When Cynthia from A Shimmy In My Spirit (don't you love that name?) e-mailed me yesterday to let me know that I won this 16 x16 canvas wrapped tulip print from her studio, I was beyond excited. Doesn't it just brighten your day?

She was kind enough to let me choose my own quote, so mine will say "Choose to be happy, it's a way of being wise." It just seemed to fit with this print.

Thanks again, Cynthia!

Laminated Fabrics

Amanda Nisbet Design via decorati.com

I was paging through the Fall 2008 BHG Decorating magazine and noticed a kitchen by Amanda Nisbet where the roman shade and banquette pillows were made out of laminated fabric so that they could be wiped clean. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the Decorating mag room photo online to show you, but she also used laminated fabric on the banquette in the above photo. Don't you think that's a great idea?

In the room that inspired this post (not shown), she used this David Hicks fabric for the pillows and roman shade (which does not come pre-laminated) and I'm assuming she had it laminated somewhere like this.
Since this blog is all about trying to find lower cost options, I did some research. It was discouraging, and I almost decided not to do the post because I hate giving ideas and not being able to give you budget-friendly options for implementing them. But. Decided to share what I found at least. These are cotton fabrics with a laminate overlay.

warmbiscuit.com . These are a few of their laminated options. They will also laminate other fabrics for you, but there is a 15 yard minimum.

freespiritfabric.com . A couple of their laminated fabrics. They do not laminate other fabrics.

fabric.com. A couple of their laminated fabrics. They do not laminate other fabrics.

Of course there are many other uses for laminated fabrics, but using it for window treatments or pillows was something I hadn't thought of before (maybe because I don't have children? :-)).

What do you think? Would you use or have you used this type of fabric in this way? Know of any more sources?

Creative Decorating Ideas - 2

These pillow shams were made from a tablecloth and the lamp shade was made from pieces of silk drapery and a bathrobe, which just goes to show you don't necessarily need to go to the fabric store when looking for fabric for a remix!

Source: Country Living

Pattern inside rather than outside of the shade.

via House of Turquoise Photographer Francesco Lagnese

I think I may have mentioned once or twice how much painted floors appeal to me AND the fact that I'll probably never have one. Don't get me wrong, I love the floors in my home and wouldn't trade them, but I would like to have just a little itsy bitsy space somewhere just waiting for me to paint the floor. :-) If you're interested in these paint colors, you can find them at Southern Living.

Southern Living

LOVE wallpaper bookcovers. More uses for leftover wallpaper at realsimple.com

realsimple.com Photo Ditte Isager

Using this many large pieces of art in a small space like this wouldn't be the first thing that would typically come to mind for me, but it's working for me here...

David H. Mitchell for Southern Accents 2005

via House of Turquoise

Happy Monday! Hope it's a great one for you...