Real Decorating for Real People
You can be any favorite pet or even a non pet for Halloween this year as long as you have a great close-up photo of it’s face! My friend Jennifer is a dog lover and she was devastated when she lost her sweet puppy of 13 years. In honor of her favorite pet, she helped…
This daffodil costume is adorable at Halloween but it can also be used for school plays and just dress up fun. This idea was born out of the blueberries or grapes costume idea because of the use of the sweat suit. So, if a child were to wear a green sweat suit, couldn’t they be…
With a little extra effort you can create fall table settings that look like they are on display in a store front window or in a designer showhouse. I think we get extra interested in decorating our homes in the fall because we’ve just finished the summer season where we’ve spent so much time outdoors. …
Felt Halloween pillows are inexzpensive to make and anyone can cut the shapes out of felt and stitch them together – I mean it! If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times, decorative pillows are easy to make! Especially when they are made for a specific holiday and they won’t really get…
This Halloween wreath goes together with four easy pieces, a twig wreath, black leaf garland, candy corn garland and ribbon – it’s a snap! Last year when I was making a wreath for our Halloween party, I ran out of materials and had just enough to create one wreath. Unfortunately, I have a double front…
This project creates a very nice looking no-sew valance, that few people will recognize as no-sew. I think the look of a pleat at the corner helps add some detail, making it look more difficult than it really is. What’s best is it is made out of 5 easy pieces. There is the front, two…
You know that you can take a beautiful photo because you’ve done it before, so why not print them out on photo paper and frame them for your home? Recently, Matt and I added a grouping of framed photographs of tropical flowers to an entry we were working on to help support the tropical theme…
Hand made appliqued kitchen towels are something you don’t see too often, but they can be great additions to your kitchen and even nicer if you make them for a friend! Matt and I showed off another cute project for the kitchen: appliquéd kitchen towels. To make one that looks just like the one pictured,…
Even if you think you have a lovely foyer in your home, your entry also extends to the outside of your home. It all depends on which direction you are going! So it pays to take a look at the front of your home, or at least at the entrance that most people use when…
No one wants to make a decorating mistake, but decorating is a pretty tough project and mistakes can happen, so start your projects with a little help from your friends, Matt and Shari, then check out the latest decorating faux pas! What I’d like to do is point out 20 of the most common mistakes…
If you want to see quickly if you have any of these decorating fauz pas in your home, run down this list and make a few quick changes! The full article about the 20 common decorating mistakes is so long, I decided to put together just a simple running list. Keep in mind that you should…
Potato bags that go in the microwave are the key to making your potatoes taste like they came from a restaurant and you can use the bags for rolls, tortillas and more. Here’s another interesting project from our friends and sponsors at The Warm Company that I can’t wait to try mainly because I LOVE baked potatoes…
There is a product out there that allows you to make projects that are insulated to protect you from the heat so now oven mitts and pot holders can be sewn to coordinate with your kitchen. When Matt and I tape a show, or a whole season of show for that matter, we depend on sponsors…
Most rooms don’t require an entire makeover, if you simply fix up a few glaring issues, some rooms can be wonderful! Matt and I always talk about the kitchen being the heart of the home and I know I’ve experienced that in my home and I’ll bet you have too. It is the place that…
Everyone thinks they need to have a certain well known style for their homes, and those homes that do really come together beautifully, however, what you really want to figure out is what is YOUR style! I would have to say one of the most common “basic” questions I get is “What Style am I?” …
Traditional style is a good place to start when we are talking about style because it’s easy to understand. It’s about everything classic, like classic themes, colors and all the classic furniture styles you’ve heard of over the years. This side table is an excellent example of traditional detailing. It is in the familiar Queen…
Transitional is a style that is very popular today because it lies somewhere between traditional and contemporary. That sounds like a tall order, but basically it’s a less detailed traditional and a softer, more detailed contemporary. However, like contemporary style, it often uses neutrals and textures so the finished look is about comfort and practicality. …
True contemporary design is all about the lines, whether they are organic or geometric, and more often than not the color is solid. So, in stark contrast to traditional is contemporary style. Where traditional styles have been around for hundreds of years, contemporary furnishings have only been around since about the 1940’s. Many see the…
This is an adorable flat panel topper that can work over blinds and draperies and the added embellishments make it that much nicer, and no one has to know that it was no-sew! One of the first no-sew treatments I ever made was this simple flat panel topper. I was in my home office hung…
Looking for an inexpensive and easy window treatment idea? Well, a cornice out of styrofoam fits the bill. Another great treatment for any window is a cornice. This is an upholstered stiff board that covers the top portion of the window often placed over a blind or draperies. A cornice can stand alone as well…
There are always rooms in your home that don’t require expensive pieces of art, and for those spaces, let’s get creative. For instance, guest bedrooms, bathrooms, basements and children’s rooms can benefit from adding something interesting to the walls, it just doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg! Calendar Art Calendars can provide…
Most homes actually do need a storm door because it gives such great protection for your entry doors and it is another line of defense in your family’s security. Well, if that’s the situation, now what do you do? The answer is easy if like Matt and I, you know the folks at ProVia Door. I…
Having lunch at school is very convenient but there are days when the cost of lunch makes me think my son needs to start packing his lunch! Here are some tips to stretch your lunch dollars. Lunch this year at our school costs $5.00. I decided that although there will be days when buying is preferred,…
Duvet covers offer so many options from the added warmth of the actual insert to the comfort of using the light duvet cover alone. Plus, make several so you can change up your bedroom for the seasons! A bedroom should be a retreat, a place to let daytime worries fade away. One way to create a warm and inviting…
No color adds as much drama and sophistication as the color black. Try adding touches of it to bring depth to any scheme. When I get started on a room, if the homeowners mention they are looking for drama, I know right where to start. A recent kitchen redecoration is a good example. As with any decorating…
There are so many rules when you live in an apartment it can be difficult to experss your personality without the help of paint or wallpaper, but fabric can help! Decorating an apartment is possible despite popular belief. I know that more often than not, you aren’t allowed to do any painting. Often times, putting holes…
Instead of putting those great vacation photos into an album in the bookcase, how about framing the best ones and making a vacation memory wall for all to see! Boy was I into scrapbooking a couple of years ago. I think I’d still be into it if I had the time. Let’s hope those days…
Who doesn’t want to spend time learning all about food and how to plan meals, prepare and preserve the foods we’ve made? Probably our kids, but too bad, they need to learn it sometime and we’re the ones to teach them! This article is the third in a series that talks a little bit about…
Meatless meatloaf gets it’s meaty flavor from vegetable protein crumbles, walnuts and mushrooms and it’s not too bad! Well, it’s been about two years now that my husband and I, along with the kids on occasion became vegetarian. My husband leans towards vegan, and I do the best I can at mealtime. I have sorted…
Learn a unique technique for adding family photos to your quilts to hand down through generations of your family. I am certainly not the best person to write this particular article, because it isn’t about me or even a project that I created. This story is about a long time fan that created a one of…
Chair back covers are a great solution for wooden chairs that could use a little softening. The additional fabric will brighten up any dining room as well. I think sometimes dining chairs don’t seem very welcoming or comfortable. In fact, often, the wood back chairs aren’t very comfy and can cause a lovely dinner to…
A specially selected collection of four new paint colors changed a weary looking bungalow into the show house on this cute little neighborhood street! Now I know that there aren’t too many of you out there who get excited about house painting season, aside from Matt! Because, let’s face it, it’s golfing, bike riding and…
Don’t just put your furniture out for the summer and walk away, spend a little time making your deck an outdoor room that you will wnat to spend time in and invite friends over to enjoy! I have to admit that it didn’t take long for me to convince Matt that actually decorating an outdoor…
To some this is a crazy idea but to the adventurous, it’s brilliant. Give it a try for a special event, I guarantee you’ll do it again! There are several ways to “charge up” your exterior spaces for the season and this year you should try it at least once! Instead of cleaning off the…
Now don’t just paint a mural anywhere outside, choose your spot judiciously so that it looks like it was meant to be there! My favorite painting partner, Matt, and I have painted nearly everything you could possibly paint in our 20 years of working together. Everything from furniture to fabrics, walls, floors, window coverings, and…
Check out this before and after which shows a boring teen bedroom with many issues transformed into a sophisticated yet fun tropical paradise! This teen’s room wasn’t the greatest. It had many issues including the fact that it was extremely narrow as you can see from the photo. The end wall was so marred, this…
So many people I know went to summer camp between school years. I never did that but I’m making up for it now! We are lucky enough to have friends who live on a large piece of property with hills and fields, a vegetable garden, some wooded areas and a lake. And now, we have…
Add style to your summer table settings by gathering up flowers of the season and putting them in single center vases or using a variety of small ones together in a grouping. Summer is a great time for entertaining. Somehow food just seems to taste better when it is served outdoors. But you don’t have to…
We dare you to make just one of these adorable felt bean bag sweeties – we promise they’re addicting! I would be in crafter’s heaven if one of the felt companies would give me a job creating crafts out of felt! I love sewing and crafting with the bright fun colors and am thrilled that the…
This is an Easter project that will get attention and the easy step by step instructions allow anyone to be successful. Easter eggs are a mainstay of Easter decorations. They can be decorated and displayed in a variety of ways, but one of my favorites is to hang them on an Easter egg tree. My family…
