Dining Room Decor – Stenciling Instead of Wallpaper

Article by Jeanelle Deppner
The next time you get the urge to hang wallpaper, stop and minute and consider stenciling your space instead. Stenciling your walls is an easy way to add some interest and design to the space without the hassle of hanging wallpaper.
Simple and Affordable
Wallpaper in a room can look fantastic, but it is much more labor intensive than stenciling. You can get a pretty similar effect by stenciling your wall: You can also add custom design combinations to your wall whether you are adding a border or stenciling the entire wall. Stencils allow you to simply add an accent to the wall, or they allow you to cover the wall in pattern. Both ways yield an attractive result, and they are much quicker and easier to do than handing wallpaper.
Buy or Make
When you first start stenciling, it is probably easier to buy your stencils, but as you become a little more experienced you can easily create stencil designs of your own. To make your own stencils you simply draw or trace your design on plastic or acetate and cut it out.Practice
The first time that you stencil you may want to try a few practice stencils on an old piece of paper or wallboard. Then once you get the hang of how much paint to load on your brush, you can take your newfound skill to the walls. As you experiment, notice which effects you prefer, and then replicate those on your walls.
Stencil Ideas
When you are stenciling a border around the edge of a room, or maybe adding a chair rail accent stencil, you need to lay down a guideline to make sure that you stay straight. You can measure and draw a light line with a pencil, or you can snap a chalk line. Then you have a reference point to position your stencil as you work your way around the room. You will be painting your stencil design and then removing your stencil while the paint is still wet. So be careful not to smudge the design as you remove the stencil. Then just move your stencil to the next spot along your line, and stencil the next segment. If you are doing more than one color in your stencil, you should lay down the stencil for the first color, and then when it is dry, you can go back and stencil in your second color.
One of the great advantages of stenciling over wallpaper is that you can easily paint over it later. With wallpaper, you would have to remove all of the wallpaper and all of the wallpaper glue before you could even think of painting your wall. Stenciling is a very forgiving process as well. If you make a mistake, you can simply paint over it and do it again. By the same token, if you do not like your border when you are done, a simple coat of paint fixes the problem. Stenciling is just easier to update than wallpapers.
Finding Tuscan Style Kitchen Decor

Article by Clifford S. Magno
There are some great options when it comes to Tuscan kitchen wall decor, because the Tuscan style kitchen decor is so incredibly popular. Whether you want some paint, wallpaper, or wall decor to add decoration, there are a few places that you are definitely going to want to check out if you are looking for decor to create a Tuscan feel to your own home.Linda Paul
Visiting the Linda Paul site will definitely be worth it for you if you want to get some Tuscan style kitchen decor. They specialize in Tuscan styled wallpaper, and have stretched canvas prints that are perfect for Tuscany style decorating. They have one that features a landscape of lavender fields and a Tuscan farm that is truly beautiful.
This canvas would work well to cover the entire walls, just one wall, or even just put in a frame as the centerpiece of a room. Their Tuscan style kitchen decor is completely beautiful and will help your home look authentically Tuscan.Dream Home Decorating
Or for Tuscan style kitchen decor you could go through here, Dream Home Decorating. Not only do they offer some great Tuscan style decor, but as well valuable information that is going make sure that the look comes off authentic and doesn’t look as though you are trying too hard. They offer some incredible Tuscan pieces that are going to make your kitchen or other room in the home look fantastic.
Hints
There are some hints when you are using Tuscan style kitchen decor that you are going to want to keep in mind. One is to make sure that you are using lots of yellow tones. These are the base, primary colors for Tuscany, and really help to bring that old world theme to your home. You want to make sure that you are using a riot of colors however, and not just yellow.
The Tuscan theme is all about bright, bold colors. Gold and burnt terracotta on the walls and floor will be great, and kitchen accents in flaming red and luminous blue will always do the trick.
For the floors, laying stone or quarry tiles is going to work best, and make sure that you stick to enigmatic earthy shades to be sure that it comes off as antique looking. Area rugs are also great, but you will probably only want to use these in the kitchen if you have an especially large kitchen so you have an area for baking and cooking.
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Living Room Decor: The Basics Of Minimalist Design

Article by Bill McNeil
If you are looking for a living room that is calm, serene and clutter-free, you might want to consider designing in the minimalist style.
You will feel much more relaxed and comfortable in a living room that is designed in the minimalistic style. Because of its streamlined look and aversion to clutter, this style will make cleaning your new living room a breeze. You will absolutely love the look and feel of your new living room. There are some basic elements that you should include when redecorating a living room: * Select pieces of furniture that are very basic and simple in their look and construction. Make sure to only purchase pieces that are required, leaving out extra elements such as occasional tables or chairs, footstools and plant stands. * Choose chairs and couches that are plain that embrace a basic traditional rectangular shape or classic curved Chippendale style for this new room. Ignore your tendencies to choose throw pillow that are fringed, lacy, embellished or covered in flounces or just skip the pillows all together. * Choose end tables and coffee tables that are basic and understated as well. Metal tables that are topped with stone or glass, basic wood cubes or subdued tables made of clear acrylic or laminate will work well here. * Use designer wall treatments and decorative floor coverings sparingly. You best bet is a basic Berber-style or sisal area rug thrown over a hard-surface floor such as wood or tile – never layer a rug over carpeting. * Walls should be painted a single, soothing neutral color – remember to think minimally. * Forget fancy crystal or Tiffany-style lamps, choose instead lamps and shades that are basic and simple in design. Wrought iron or basic ceramic lamp bases that are designed in a simple contemporary style will work best in this situation. * Indirect or ambient lighting that comes from canister or other types of recessed fixtures is a good choice. This eliminates the addition of fussy or over-designed shades and chandeliers that can detract from the minimalistic design. * Leave windows bare or hang basic coverings over them. Roman shades, wooden blinds that are 2-inches apart, plantation shutters or a basic wrought-iron rod with neutral tab-topped curtains are all excellent choices.
Stone Coasters Add Extra Glamor to Your Living Room Decor

Stone coasters can play an active part in your homes decor. They primarily serve as the protective materials that sit between hot liquids and furniture surfaces, and protect the former from heat but they can also add glamour to your tables.
The long term effect of hot objects such as a cup of hot coffee on unprotected furniture surface can be profound. Over time, heat can cause discoloration on furniture surfaces. It can also cause warping. Leather surfaces can have scratches or cracks if they are not protected from the hard bases of glasses or cups. Sofas can be stained or damaged with heat from hot cups or dripping water from condensing lemon juice glasses. So stone coasters serve fundamentally protective functions for the home. But they need to be bought with care because the color, design and shape can impact on the decor of the room.
Every home has a fixed decor.
The furniture, the color of the walls, the color of the ceiling and the type of rug used need to be matched with complementary colors or materials. Anything odd will diminish the beauty of the already existing furnishings.
Stone coasters are small objects but they are very conspicuous. They are placed on tables so they easily add to the decor of the room. One cannot easily dismiss the design or shape of the stone coaster in a living room. For these reasons, it is essential that you take particular note of the type of coaster you are buying.
Try to buy stone coasters that match the decor of your living room. Look at complementary colors so that the room furniture or the coaster fits right. Again, take note of the material from which the coaster is made. For an elegantly decorated room, single colored stone coasters will be suitable.
A room with fanciful or casual theme will require colorful stone coasters to complement the furnishing.
Great Bathroom Decorative Accessory Ideas

When it comes to decorating your bathroom, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. There are many ideas for bathroom decorative accessories out there that are inexpensive, as well as places to get accessories for less than you think.
Start with the Big Stuff
First, think about your walls. The most inexpensive way to change your wall coverings is to use paint. It’s also the easiest to change when the muse strikes you.
As for your flooring, if currently have carpeting, it will be more expensive to change. Maybe you can just learn to like the carpet that you have in order to save the big bucks! If it is something other than carpet, however, one idea for decorating your bathroom with accessories is to first use vinyl squares on your floor. They are self-adhesive and very easy to install.
Best of all, they can go over whatever flooring you have currently! Just clean the floor off well, let it dry, then put in your new floor! If you choose your flooring with the color of the room in mind (as you should) you can tie in the accessory ideas for your decorative bathroom to be attractive.
Other Large Items
After the big stuff is in, think next of the other larger accessory ideas for your decorative bathroom.
Things like towels are easy to coordinate with the colors you choose for the walls and flooring. Take a swatch of the pain with you to the store where you buy your towels, and see which work best!
Remember, there are many places to buy towels – you don’t have to go to the specialty store that charges full price. On the other hand, if you get towels with big loops that aren’t securely woven in and are made much more cheaply, you will likely be unsatisfied with your purchase quickly.
Keep quality in mind – and keep your eyes open.
If you need a shower curtain, check various discount stores for the type you want. If you have a theme for your bathroom there’s a good chance you can find a coordinating shower curtain. You might prefer a plain curtain that ties in well with your colors rather than spending extra for that “perfect” shower curtain.
What about curtains or blinds for the window? It’s worth looking around for a lower prices curtain – the quality on curtains is not nearly as noticeable as it is on things like towels. Be sure to measure your window before you go shopping!
Extra Ideas for Accessories for Your Decorative Bathroom
When decorating your bathroom with accessories, plants and flowers are a great finishing touch. Plants are a real bargain for decorating. They can be found inexpensively – as cuttings from other plants you or a friend have or even bought at a dollar store! They bring a touch of nature inside, and help to freshen the air, too!
There are many other items that you can get for not too much money to tie in with the theme of your bathroom. Think about getting decorative soaps. They aren’t expensive, yet can lend a special “finished” look to any bathroom. If it is a beach themed bathroom, find shell soaps.
Also, look for inexpensive pieces of art for your bathroom walls. There are many sources, even your own or your children’s art!
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Tub Time Is Fun Time: Kids Bathroom Decor

Article by Gene B. Pineda
There are many different bathroom decor ideas for changing the look and style of any bathroom. Kids’ bathroom decor is especially fun because there is usually a theme to the bathroom that makes it fun and exciting for the children to be in. Depending on the age of the child, the child’s bathroom decor can range from action figures to Sesame Street characters, favorite animals or favorite colors.
Choices and StylesOne of the first things to look at when deciding on kid’s bathroom decor is to observe the size of the bathroom and the current furniture and cabinetry in it. This is always the starting place for any home decor, to look at what an individual has and then build on that. The next thing to think about is the child’s tastes and how much the parent wants the bathroom to look like a child’s bathroom.
Sometimes the child’s bathroom doubles as the guest bathroom and the parents may not want it to have tigers or ducks all over it. In other cases, the bathroom may be tied to the child’s room so the decor in the kid’s bathroom is not an issue when company is over. If the bathroom is a smaller one, as is usually the case in kid’s bathroom decor, the colors that are used should be light and not too bold. This allows the bathroom space to feel larger and also allows cute accents to be used without having much of a problem matching them to the color of the room.
There are many varieties of wallpaper trims that have cute designs on them that can add a fun touch to a child’s bathroom decor. Stenciling is another option in child’s bathroom decor that can be used on white cabinets or around the top of the wall to give a fun accent to the room. Another fun way to add to a theme in a child’s bathroom decor is to buy towels in the colors that the child likes and to find some that have pictures or other designs that fit the child’s tastes and the theme of the room.
In addition, there are toothbrush holders, soap dishes, soap dispensers, and other counter items that can be bought with certain patterns or characters on them for kid’s bathroom decor. Bath mats and toilet covers are other ways to add small accents to the bathroom for a minimal price. If storage is an issue, over the toilet cabinets, corner shelving, and small floor cabinets are ways to add storage to a small bathroom space to create more options for the child.



