Chunky Centerpiece

With a little arm twisting I tried applying to HGTV's Design Star last year. I say "try" because after several days of uploading my audition video I gave up. To be really honest, after watching season 4 and season 5, I know I would get my butt kicked if I ever made it past the hundreds and hundreds of other applicants.

I've never shared this video with you until now because I think it is kind of embarrassing. It's a great idea I have to say! It's embarrassing to me because I'm watching myself on video. Watching yourself on video is eye opening--which I'm not used to. So, I've got over myself and decided to share it with you.

This is one of my design ideas.

Stain or Paint Concrete Floor

What is under that carpet? If the answer is concrete and you are ready for an easy, affordable solution to new flooring you can paint or stain your sub floor.

In the first example an acid stain was applied to new, clean concrete. I followed the manufacturer's directions and then topped it with three coats of an exterior gloss concrete sealer. DIY cost approximately $300.

The second example was accomplished by using latex paint. Because the floor continued into the kitchen area where 15 years of linoleum glue had sat, stain would not have taken evenly in the entire space. After the floor was faux painted I topped it with two coats of exterior gloss concrete sealer. This floor was cleaned 6 times a year using mop-n-glo to keep the shine. DIY cost approximately $100.

If you are wanting to stain or paint your floor and you are wondering which method is best for you, I suggest using latex paint. After doing both methods to accomplish a very similar look, I recommend paint because the cost is more affordable, the product is safer for your family, the process is much easier and the paint holds up to traffic just as well as the stain.

This post is my contribution to Watercooler Wednesday, where lots of creative ideas are shared.

Faux Fence with Paint

To pull the fruit stand/garden feel together in this child's bedroom, I painted the border in a zigzag effect to create the subtle illusion of a fence line.

The border was painted 3/4 of the way up the wall and was painted the darker shade not the lighter to help contrast against the furniture. The upper part of the wall and the ceiling were painted the same color which helps add height to the room rather than making it feel chopped in half from the border.

If you look closely, your eye may catch the zigzag border repeated in the valance and continues the feel of the fence.

Tins and Turnabouts

Tins for holding art embellishments is not a new idea. I thought I would share with you how I did it cheap. The magnet board is from Pottery Barn ... and yes, I picked it up at the PB outlet. I saved money by purchasing wedding favor tins and using a 40% off coupon at the craft store then stuck my own magnets on back. The three large tins are spice tins from Ikea and come with the magnet. Below is a Tool Turn About from the company that I work with. You know, that popular home Cooking Show company. (Legalities keep me from mentioning the name.) Turn Abouts are great for art rooms, baby supplies, garage tools, office supplies and kitchens.

Kids Art and Drying Rack

A six foot curtain rod was installed on one wall of my art studio to display the ever rotating art created by my children. The art is hanging from small curtain rings. This rack also works great when drying wet art before it is finished in an altered book or scrapbook.

Art Paper Storage

There are endless options for paper storage available at the craft store, but I found mine free in my storage area. This used to be a pot lid and cookie sheet storage unit. Recycle and reuse. This type of storage works great for me because it is out in view and I can easily see what I've got on hand. I like to keep large pieces of craft paper rolled loosely in a wicker plant container.

Ribbon Holder

This is a shelf and drawer unit I picked up at the Pottery Barn Outlet. I probably shouldn't tell you I purchased it for $10. But the point of this storage and display idea can be done on any shelf unit that uses a peg system for the shelving. Cut your dowel about an inch longer than you need it. To get the tip of the dowel to fit into the peg hole, sharpen it with a pencil sharpener. Careful--don't sharpen it too much or your dowel will end up too short. Paint the dowel to match your shelving unit.

Knife Magnet for Art Supplies

As mentioned when I showed off my art studio I would show you around and share with you some specific storage and display ideas.

This is my old farmhouse table. Yes, I was married in the 80’s so remember the farmhouse table? You may have one yourself. I don’t create my projects or scrapbooks sitting down. I’m always moving from the paper cutter to the die cuts to the ribbon to the embellishments. If you know me, I just don’t sit down anyway. (Try to get me to sit and watch a 2 hour movie.)

I wanted the table higher and I was going to rework the legs with new 4x4 lumber, but the solution was easier than that. I just put the table on bed risers I found in storage. Viola--the perfect height!

I am organized – yes. But if a supply or embellishment is stored away in a cute little box or in a drawer I may not remember that I’ve purchased it. Especially if it has been months since I’ve created a project.

I find I use all of my supplies much more when I can see them. If I come to a creative halt, then I can just stare at what I’ve got and maybe inspiration will pop out at me.

These are two knife magnets mounted next to each other. All those little do-dads such as tags, wire, rub offs and decorative staples are stored and easily viewed in small zip bags. I use a small binder clips to keep them stuck to the magnet. How easy is that?

My Art Studio

I have to admit I have just as much fun shopping and organizing my art supplies as I do physically creating. This last week I moved my art studio from a room in the basement to an empty bedroom on the main floor of the house.

I decided on the move because I wasn’t using the old space. This area was near the guitar hero, the PS3, the punching bag, treadmill, the DVD wall with 3 built in televisions. Many times in the old studio I would want to listen to jazz and sip wine while I worked on my altered book, made a card or worked on the years of photos I am behind in cropping -- but was competing with the media room next door.

In my new art studio, the morning sun streams in through the windows just barely missing my rows of paper. The carpet is soft on my bare feet and it is only steps to the coffee pot. I have already found myself wandering into the space dreaming of what project I want to begin next. Already Kasidy has completed a project and has moved on to her second. John spent a couple of hours in the studio the other night altering some pages in yet another book.

As mentioned, I enjoy the art of organization and I have some pretty creative storage and display ideas in my art studio. I’ll be sharing these with you over the next couple of days. Be sure come back and check them out.

Fire Pit to End Table

Just after the water fountain was complete I realized I didn’t have a place to set my coffee cup in the morning when I was sitting on the deck enjoying my new found gurgle and bubble. Being frugal I hunted the house for something I could use without having to run to Target.

I found my solution at the side of the house. This was my old metal bonfire tray. I cleaned it up, removed some of the rusting pieces and gave it a new coat of black spray paint. (My favorite redo medium!) After that I took an old piece of plywood I found in the garage scrap pile and received my first lesson with the skill saw. A coat of black paint on the plywood and I now have my outdoor coffee table.

Basic Design Rules

Thomas Edison once said, “What you need to invent is an imagination and a pile of junk.” This is good news because sometimes we want to or need to invent or design new spaces and a pile of junk is all we feel we have to work with.

When we lived in California, I owned and operated a small business called Acute Design. It started as a hobby—going to friends’ homes and helping them re-imagine their living space. After completely remodeling/redesigning numerous homes of our own, I would often have people visit our home and ask if I would mind giving them some advice. Acute Design was born out of helping those friends for fun.

I have had many opportunities to design living spaces over the years as well as working with my husband on designing spaces and worship interactive environments at church over the years. I have also had taught classes and workshops and worked as a design consultant on major projects.

Today, I read an interesting CNN post entitled, “7 Deadly Sins of Design.” While the article touches on some important problems in bad design, I don’t know that I would pick these things as the top 7 sins. Certainly worth a read though.

Here are the best concise design tips I have to offer as the general rules of engagement for any space. They most definitely work in the home scenario and many can and should be carried into the work place and/or place of worship:

Placing Furniture—furniture placement is one of the most important and most ignored rules of good design.
• Start your design from the point of entry—walk through your doorway/entryway into your room. The layout is most important from this point of view. Sometimes rooms have two entry points so pick the “most used” point as your first impression.
• Choose a classic neutral sofa—nothing will age your furniture faster than a print. You can change with trends by using throws and pillows. If you LOVE a colored sofa that is solid you may go with it but be forewarned (dusty rose was very cool in 1986).
• Arrange for conversation—pretend you have people in the room you are arranging. Put 18 inches between sofas and coffee tables.
• Choose a focal point—fireplaces, picture windows, accent walls, and coffee tables all make good focal points. T.V.’s do not—unless it is your home theatre setup.
• Your sofa is not designed to hold up your wall. Get that thing away from the wall and out into the room!

Accessorizing—good accessories can be really good for your space but when it’s bad it is usually really bad
• Remove all accessories from room—get rid of baskets with bows (use other containers), clear the clutter, donate anything you can categorize as a knickknack.
• Choose a “theme” based on either color/style/season or holiday or a combination of those things
• Always place accessories in groups of three and arrange them at different heights like a cityscape. If you have three candle holders all the same size, raise a couple with a small box or an upside-down bowl, etc.
• Group collections (candles, boxes, bottles, etc.) together on either a charger, a flat mirror, a corner table, a buffet, or the likes
• Bigger is usually better—make a statement with your accessories (large pots, large candles, large arrangements).
• Less is more—larger accessories will help you here as well. Clutter is bad. You never see clutter in a model home.
• Plants—you can immediately warm up a room a room and fill large blank spots with plants. Use real plants. Check places like Sam’s Club and Costco for good deals on large real plants.
• Pillows—have fun with your pillows. Change them seasonally. They are cheap so when they get old and flat and grungy either toss them or put them in the dog bed

Lighting—one of the biggest ways to make an impact in a space (and not just at night!)
• Install dimmers so you can control the amount of light day or night. If you need to install them one at a time start with the table, then the kitchen, then over the sink, the bedroom, the bathtub, and on to other spots. You can’t have too many.
• Use up-lighting in corners, behind large plants, above cabinetry
• Install down-lighting underneath your upper cabinetry

Use things you already have—you don’t have to spend a bunch to make your space better.
• Spray paint is your friend! Don’t be afraid to paint something to touch it up or change the color. Practice on something you don’t care about first. There is an art and technique to it but it is easy to learn.
• Put a new lampshade on an old lamp. In choosing lampshades, make sure you measure the height of the lamp from the base to the socket cap (the bottom of where the bulb screws in). The size of a lampshade is determined by the bottom diameter of the shade. Your lampshade should be no more than 2” smaller than this height and no more than 2” larger than this height. The height of your lampshade should be directly related to the height of the “harp” of the lamp. Your shade should be no more than ½ ‘ shorter than the harp and no more than ½” taller than the harp. Fringe is not included in the height of a shade. The “shape” of your lampshade should be close to the shape of the base of your lamp.
• Revitalize that old chandelier. Toss the leaded glass and paint the framework of the chandelier with a couple of coats of hammered spray paint.
• Cut out the inside of your cabinet doors and have glass cut for a see-through insert

Define your style—design on purpose.
• Look through magazines
• Subscribe to free catalogs such as Pottery Barn, West Elm, Ballard Design
• Walk through furniture stores and model homes and take notes on the vignettes
• When you find a room you like, ask yourself what draws you to it. Take notes. Emulate that style.
• Ask a friend to help. If you have a friend with a great space design, invite them to lunch and ask them to help you. They will be flattered and you will get some great ideas from another perspective.

Paint!—don’t be afraid. It’s only latex.
• Paint is an affordable way to change your space in no time at all. Keep your eye out for good boo-boo paint at Lowe’s and Home Depot. You can get this paint for EXTREMELY cheap.
• If you are afraid to do a whole room, start with an accent wall.
• It is a lie that dark colors make a room small—the space is still the same. Dark colors on an accent wall actually “move away from you” and can make a room appear larger. Painted ceilings can actually make a ceiling appear taller. White ceilings make a room feel shorter.
• Paint furniture. It’s okay. Really. Great Grandma will never know.
• Paint cabinets for an update. This is one of the best ways to transform a room. Good prep is key. Talk to someone who knows how to paint and prep before you get started.
• Spray hinges, knobs, and chandeliers for immediate updating—out with the shiny brass and in with the . . .
• Black ties things together. Black is a room’s exclamation point. Don’t be afraid of black.

Don’t go haphazard with wall hangings—This is somewhat subjective but if you can find a happy medium there are some general rules to go by
• Keep your hangings closer to rather than far away from furniture such as chair and sofa backs. Some say 10-12 inches from the top of furniture however . . .
• Try to keep a “line of sight” around the room when possible so art pieces and pictures are generally at the same height around the room. Of course, some pieces are huge and don’t allow for this rule but if you have two like-size smaller hangings and one huge hanging, make sure the like-size smaller hangings have the same line-of-sight at the top.
• Eye level is the “right” height for art pieces. If you have an artist in the house, they will believe this is important.
• Group or cluster miniature hangings with like things. Little pictures on the wall floating by themselves look silly unless you are hanging for a gallery.
• Measure twice. Hang once.
• Lay out art groupings on the floor to arrange them all before hanging them and/or sketch them up on graph paper first.

Use things for purposes other than their original purpose—be creative!
• Who says a wooden window frame is not a piece of art?
• Who says a bowl can’t be turned upside-down to lift a candle?
• Who says a fishing rod is not the same thing as a curtain rod?
• Who says concrete is for walkways and not counter tops?
• Who says stacking old suitcases is not a good end table?
• Who says you can’t rip up your yucky carpet and paint the floor?