by Fünchkins
Sometimes it’s hard to find the right way to decorate your entryway. It has so much traffic so nothing too delicate can be placed there, but it still needs to look good. Portuguese blog, Gecko has a wonderful solution, how about painting the decorative bottom of an end table bellow a shelf.
This way you get the pretty storage space without the expense of buying a new table. And it takes less space too.
* You can get the full how to on Gecko’s blog, the original blog is all in Portuguese
Some of the best gifts are the simplest. Do you know anyone that is moving into a new apartments? A funky set of one of a kind coasters would be a great house warming gift.
Or perhaps you know someone having a themed party? Decorate your coasters to suit your theme!
*For some really simple instructions on how to make your own personalised cork coasters, go to Popular Pix
This is great way to get rid of those plastic animal that every child seems to collect. They might be gathered from all corners of your little darling’s world, but they all end up in the toy box.
The idea here is to cut the plastic toys, paint them and attach them to either bits of wood painted the same colour or to attach them directly to your wall where they can be used to hang hats and coats.
* Mike from Blue Velvet Chair has all sorts of ways to re-purpose discarded toys on her blog
A major trend right now is Ombre, I’ve seen it from hairstyles to furniture paint projects and it’s a trend that’s growing on me. I found these two beautiful examples of ombre for your home that are really quite simple to do yourself.
One is a mirror surrounded by painted plastic spoons, a relatively inexpensive project that can be completed with just a few supplies, and the other is a chest of drawers from IKEA that got a major peach makeover.
These great projects are available through Addicted2Decorating and SF Girl By Bay
To study the effect of colour on people’s mood, Comex paint partnered with Ace Hotel in Palm Springs and Arkitip to treat five journalists to stay in five rooms painted in colours from the Comex Trend Colours book. The effect of colour on a person’s mood is more noticeable when someone travels somewhere that colour is embraced wholeheartedly, or when someone enters a room where the walls are painted something besides white.
It has been well documented that even a slight variance in colour can change the a person’s mood positively, making you more productive, relaxed and even happier.
As you regular readers know, I personally love a handmade gift. And this would be just up my alley, it’s a great idea for a housewarming gift or a hostess gift. And the best thing about this chalkboard platter, it requires very little skill and only a little bit of patience to create.
The DIY requires a cheap (don’t tell the receiver it was cheap) porcelain platter that you can get from any number of thrift or secondhand stores, a paintbrush, porcelain chalkboard paint. If you are an absolute stickler, you can use painters tape to keep the edges neat and straight, but it’s not necessary.
I have a whiteboard here at the office and I have to say I would be lost without it. I use it for reminding me of events, things to do or just plain old brain storming notes. What I really would love is that I could perhaps make the board bigger, I mean really bigger! So enter Whiteyboard, a paint that allows you to paint whiteboards anywhere. You can imagine what the potential and the possible uses could be.
Have you ever struggled to find the perfect rug to fit an area in your home? Have you been to what feels like hundreds of carpet & rug shops or decorating stores and all you came away with was sore feet and enough frustration to start you drinking?
Here’s an idea, why don’t you make your own? It’s way cheaper than rehab, I can guarantee you that. That is what this lovely lady at Design Share did.
Laura Hayestone has several different DIY methods of making her floor cloths, which she shares on her blog, here is the one I found that sounds the easiest. All her methods are really simple, all you need are imagination, and a little time on your hands; but it’s summer holidays so there’s plenty of that hanging around.
