Archive for May, 2010

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How to Increase your Feng Shui Energy Flow

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

While Feng Shui can be terribly complicated, its basic practice is not. It simply seeks to draw positive energy towards you and encourage it to flow around you. This positive energy, or chi, helps you live a better life and simply feel better while you are doing it. Energy is flowing around you all the time, so why not draw only positive energy into your world?

Creating Pathways

If you realize that energy is an organic thing that is moving all of the time, they you will begin to understand the importance of its flow. As you design your spaces, you will want to reorient anything that creates an interruption to the flow. For example, if you have a piece of furniture blocking a pathway around your room, try moving it out of the way, or removing it from the room and see if that simple change makes the flow of the room feel better. This is the essence of Feng Shui.

The Mouth of Chi

Since the strongest energy enters your home through the front door, or the mouth of chi, you want this space in your home always to be open and inviting. To picture how energy will behave as it enters your home, picture water cascading through your open doors, and notice if it flows freely throughout your living spaces. Look for places where the water flow would be blocked causing water to pool and become stagnant. Then simply rearrange the furniture in that portion of your room to remove the blockage, and your room will have a better flow to it already.

Cleaning Out Clutter

One of the biggest positive energy killers in Feng Shui is clutter. Clutter interrupts the flow of positive energy in a room, causing it to splinter and become chaotic. Not only does this not create harmony, but it actually creates chaos. Look for places in the room where you have unnecessary things lying around. Look for any pieces of furniture that are not adding to the function of the room, and remove them. Do not just remove them from the room, remove them from your life by discarding them or giving them away. If your television is just sitting out in the room, while it is a functioning part of the room, it contributes to the clutter of a room. For this reason, keep it in a cabinet or armoire when it is not in use so that your room will feel peaceful.

When you make a trip to the wall art store, choose wall decorations that creates a serene feeling in your home; a few well placed pieces with impact are better than a lot of unrelated small pieces of wall art.

Designing in Circles

In Feng Shui everything moves in a circular motion, so corners and harsh angles simply interrupt anything flowing through your room. Try to round out harsh edges, and arrange your furniture in circular patterns. Place furniture where it faces the entryway to welcome visitors as well as positive energy to your space. By arranging your furniture in circular patterns, you are allowing people to move freely around your room without running into any obstructions, and already your space is more harmonious.

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Taking Some of the Bachelor Out of Bachelor Pad

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

There is a certain level of fear that bubbles to the surface when a woman thinks about entering a true “bachelor pad”.  While this is, of course, a stereotype, sadly it often rings true.  First, take a look at what makes a design either masculine or feminine.  Colors, patterns and textures can define a room for one gender or the other.  Typically a woman will be drawn to soft colors and shapes and floral patterns, and a man is drawn to bold colors and shapes and striped or plaid patterns.  There are always exceptions to this rule, but this is just a guideline.  Of course you will not be hanging flowered curtains in your kitchen, but you can find some gender-neutral designs to help balance your style a little.

Welcome the Outdoors. By adding some plants to your space, you can add a little life to the room.  You do not need to decorate with flowers, instead you can look for plants that are hearty and easy to maintain, such as a spider plant or a philadendrum.

Put a Frame on It. If you want to look like you are still living in a dorm room, then go ahead and plaster posters all over your wall.  Maybe you can even use thumbtacks to hang them.  So if you have some cool, graphic posters (and pin up girls do not count) get frames for them and hang them in a group on your wall.  You will be surprised at the instant difference that this makes in your room.

Pick Up. This does not mean come up with a clever line to meet women, it means pick up your stuff.  Is it really that hard to take those five more steps to drop your dirty clothes into the laundry hamper?  If you do not have a laundry hamper, then get one.  If the reason that your place is a mess is because you do not have enough storage, then invest in some storage bins.  If you have a place to put everything, it is much easier to keep you place neat and tidy.

The Magic of Three.  In designing a room you want to do everything in odd numbers, and three is usually enough without being too much.  For example, when you are picking colors to use in your room, only pick three.  When shopping for artwork at the contemporary wall art store, choose three coordinating framed prints.  If you are putting a collection on a shelf, again use three.  If you cannot decide how high to hang your pictures, divide the wall into three sections and hang your picture one third of the way down the wall.  Three is the magic behind a good design, and the great thing is that anyone can use this magical power successfully.

Image credit to drewfansler.

Soften It. You might want to add a couple of colorful pillows to your couch just to soften the edges.  You could throw a small blanket over the back of the couch, and maybe even hang some curtains and hang a unique candle wall sconce.  By softening some of the edges, you are making the room less masculine without making it overtly feminine.

Minimize Electronics. You can have all of the electronic components tha you want, just do not make them the centerpiece of your room design.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to house your electronics in a cabinet.  If you have a wall mount TV, you can balance it on the wall with a movie poster on either side (there’s that magic three again).

A Little Lemon.  Really nobody likes to clean, but it sure is nice living in a clean house.  You do not have to go crazy here, but every so often it is probably a good idea to break out the Lemon Pledge, clorox and vacuum cleaner, and give your home a good scrubbing.  Now that you are keeping everything picked up, the cleaning will actually not be too hard to do .

By picking up and cleaning up, you are taking the “ick” factor out of hanging out at your place. By using brighter lighter colors in your home and softening some of the harsh edges in your place, you are making your space more inviting to the woman in your life, and this can only lead to good things.

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Asbestos Home Test Kits Compared

Monday, May 24th, 2010

If you live in a home that was built in the seventies or eighties, then you may have asbestos products in your home.  Asbestos was used in many aspects of construction, because it was cost effective and sturdy.  You can find asbestos in everything from roofing tiles, to insulation.  It made building materials stronger, and it offered fire resistant and insulation properties as well.  Unfortunately, many years later asbestos proved to be a health hazard if handled improperly.

Home or Pro?

If you do live in an older home and you are planning on doing any remodeling, then it may be a good idea to test areas of your home before beginning any demolition.  You can use a home test kit to verify if you have asbestos in your home.  Of course if you do find asbestos you will want to call in a professional team to remove it, but if you do not find any trace of asbestos in your home, you may not want the scrutiny that testing will bring. By doing the testing yourself, you can find out if you have asbestos present in your home before calling in professionals to remove it.

Picking a Kit

When you are looking for an asbestos test kit, there are many different ones to choose from.  Typically they will contain a protective face covering, gloves and sample bags in which to put the material that you want tested.  The kit will also give you detailed instructions about gathering the material.  After taking the sample, make sure that it is securely sealed in the bag.  When you receive the results of your tests, if they are negative, you can continue with your demolition, and if they are positive you always want to call in a professional asbestos removal team.

There is a variety of options available in asbestos testing kits; make sure that you are comparing apples to apples as you price them.  Most specifically find out if the lab fees are included in the price of the kit before you compare prices.  Frequently the kit will simply include the material gathering portion of the process and the lab testing fees will run up to an additional twenty dollars on top of that price.

Image credit to armyenvironmental.

Going Solo

Of course you always have the option of testing without a kit as well, and you can find a list of labs where you can submit your materials for testing online.  Actually the U.S. government keeps a list of accredited labs where you can submit samples for asbestos testing.  The problem that you may run into, however, is that many labs do not like to deal with individuals.  Since they prefer to deal with institutions, they may increase their testing fees for an individual customer.  So rather than paying up to twenty dollars for a test from a kit, the cost may be doubled if you opt to test for asbestos on your own.

While dealing with asbestos is never as much fun as choosing new metal fish wall hanging at the art decor store, it is wise to deal with the problem in a safe and timely fashion to avoid causing long-term health problems.

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Ceramic Tiles Can Enhance Any Style

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Decorating with ceramic tiles is not just for the bathroom or kitchen any more.  They come in all shapes, sizes, finishes and colors, and can be used for any decorating task from updating a fireplace surround to customizing a Mediterranean style coffee table.  With a little creativity, you can fashion ceramic tiles into a myriad of designs for virtually any space in your home.

A Modern Look

If you are decorating a modern space with your ceramic tiles, you can find tiles that mimic other materials like alligator skin, metallic surfaces and even leather.  Geometric shapes or textured tiles are also popular choices for decorating a modern room in your home. Ceramic tile can be used to create a focal wall in any room in your home.

Using bold colors, shapes and textures, you can cover a wall with a tile mosaic or simply add a border to existing tile to make a dramatic impact on any room. By mixing ceramic tile with glass tiles, you can add a certain eclectic feel to your design.  When it comes to choosing your grout, you can blend it into the design, or you can use it to provide further contrast for your design.

A Traditional Look

In a more traditional setting you can use ceramic tile to welcome guests into your home.  By covering your foyer with natural stone tile, you can make a warm and inviting entryway to your home.  In your kitchen, you may choose to add a decorative backsplash behind your kitchen sink, and in your family room you might use tile to add some interest to your fireplace surround.  Of course a traditional home would make good use of tile in the bathroom, by neatly bordering shower and wall tile. Tiles with designs can coordinate with your favorite metal wall art fish or tropical wall hangings.

Ceramic tile can be used throughout the home for flooring, but it is most traditionally found in the kitchen and bathrooms.  Everything from organic stone to classic black and white checkerboard patterns, ceramic tile floors add the perfect finishing touch to any room in your home.

Rustic Decor

If your home has a more rustic aesthetic to it, then you can decorate with more hand made or artisan looking tiles like Mexican pavers tiles.  These tiles are sun dried, and frequently they will have little chicken footprints or dog footprints in the clay where an animal scampered across the tile as they baked in the Mexican sun to dry.  These tiles are interesting in their imperfections and are generally found in rich earth tones.  Rustic artisan tiles usually are set with a wider grout line to give them a real hand made feel.  Perfect for kitchens, family rooms and even dining rooms, artisan tiles add a homespun feel to any room in your home.

There are many interesting things that you can do with ceramic tile other than use them on walls and floors.  They are beautiful as inlays in a wooden coffee table.  They can be used as coasters or trivets for a kitchen counter.  They can be grouped together on a wall as wall decor, or they can be fashioned into a stunning mosaic.

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Using Feng Shui in the Workplace

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

You have just begun to embrace the practice of Feng Shui at home and now your office space is feeling a little off. You spend at least as many of your waking hours at work as you do at home, so why not add a little positive energy to this space as well?

Clear Out the Office

A pretty safe first step of making over a room using the Feng Shui basics is to clean it. Simply empty out your space, give it a good cleaning and then only put back the things that you need and use. This way you have not only cleaned your space, but you have removed all of the clutter as well. As you are placing objects back into your space, try to keep surface areas clear, and try to place things where they make sense in relation to how they are used. This way your space will be beautiful and functional, making your workspace pleasant and efficient.

Furniture Placement

If you work in a cubicle there may be huge constraints on how you can configure your office space. If you can move your desk to face your office door, then do so, because this is a position of power in your workspace. You will be facing the door welcoming visitors to your space as well as drawing in the positive energy instead of blocking it with your back. On the more practical side, you will be reducing the stress of having your back to the door. Now, if you simply cannot rearrange your office space, you can help to minimize the effect of facing away from your entryway by placing a mirror opposite the door, which will help attract positive energy and let you easily see who is entering your workspace.

Use Pictures in Place of Windows

Since most cubicles do not have windows, you can create the illusion of windows by hanging pictures and unique wall decor that depicts beautiful outdoor vistas to simulate the peaceful movement of nature. You can also choose nature-inspired wall art, such as a serene outdoor fish wall art or botanical print.

Add Plants and Water

To help incorporate a little bit of nature into your space, bring in green plants to decorate your cubicle. The plants not only help to freshen the air, but they also work to remove any negative chi, or energy. In the art of Feng Shui, vertical plants like bamboo are symbolic of currency. To pull the energy of prosperity into your cubicle, you may want to place a bamboo plant by the entrance. You can also add a desktop fountain to bring the abundance of prosperity to you as well. Not only are the elements of Feng Shui working for you, but you can enjoy the stress relieving effect of gurgling water.

Designing for Wealth

When facing your cube, the upper left corner of your office is the wealth area. Add water to this area of your office, either with a picture or a fountain, and it will help prosperity flow to you. Add a bookshelf with books on business, to continue building positive energy in the wealth center of your office.

Benefits

After applying the basics of Feng Shui to your office it should feel as good as your home, and as you continue to fine tune you will notice that you are simply happier to be at work all day.

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Walk-In Showers Have Many Benefits

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Image credit to jacbt.

Back in the days before indoor plumbing, you really did not have much of a choice other than to bathe in a tub.  However, those days are long gone, and now might be a good time to re-evaluate your bathing options.  Many homes, especially older ones, are outfitted with a shower/tub combination in the bathroom.  And while this solution fits a lot of function into a tiny space, it may not make for the most comfortable bathing experience.  Consider instead adding a walk in shower to your bathroom for looks and convenience.

Space Saver – Even though a walk in shower probably will take up the footprint of your old bathtub, it can create the illusion of much more space in your room by visually opening up the room.  The enclosure is generally made of glass, which lets a lot of open space and light into the room.  And if you are trying to reclaim some floor space in your bathroom, a shower can actually be installed in a smaller space than a tub, giving you more wall space for storage shelves or wall art, like a new unique candle wall sconces from your favorite art site.

Options – The great thing about a walk-in shower is that you can make it as small or as large as you like.  You can create a spa feeling by using natural elements like wood and stone.  You can add multiple showerheads to the space, and you can place them at any height or angle that works for you.  Add to this your soft, fluffy towels, a great mirror and some scented candles, and you have created a spa experience for your home.  There are many tiles, shapes, enclosures, and door styles from which to choose as you design your walk-in shower.

Up to Date – If a modern bathroom space, you can ditch your old, moldy shower curtain and make every surface in the room, crisp and sleek.  Bright tiles and clean lines make a beautifully, stylish modern bathroom space.

Installation – When you are getting ready to install your new walk-in shower, if you are at all handy, you can do it yourself, especially if you do not have to move any plumbing hook ups.  Always check the integrity of your floor to make sure that it is sturdy enough to hold up the new enclosure.

Maintenance – When it comes to cleaning your new built-in shower, you are going to pat yourself on the back for installing it in the first place.  All of the water drains to the center of the floor, and all you need to do is wipe down the glass.

Accessibility – A built in shower is a great solution for anyone with mobility problems.  Whether it is a small child, an elderly or a disabled person, adding a build in shower to your bathroom gives everyone easy access for their bathing needs.

Budget Friendly – A built in shower can be a friend to your wallet in a couple of ways.  In general, taking a shower uses far less water than taking a bath, which saves on utility bills, and installing a walk in shower increases the value of your home.

Image credit to seligmanwaite.

Saves Time – With everyone busy and in a hurry, showering is a much quicker way to bathe than drawing a bath.  So by adding a built in shower to your bathroom, not only do you save time and money, but it will look beautiful as well.

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How to Replace your own Bathtub Drain

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

When you need to replace your bathtub drain, your first instinct is probably to call a plumber because your thinking that installing a drain isn’t like changing unique wall decorations or changing a wall hanging candle holders. However, this project may present the perfect opportunity to learn a few plumbing basics and save yourself a little money at the same time. By learning to replace the drain yourself, you can not only save a little money, but you will have a new skill to add to your home repair arsenal as well.

Prepare the Space

Dropping a sharp tool in your bathtub can chip the finish, and then you just have another repair that you need to do, so cover the bathtub with a drop cloth and some towels.  Make sure that you have screwdrivers, pliers and a wrench handy, and you will also want to have a stack of rags or towels handy for any quick mop ups as well.

Photo credit to spierzchala.

Drain Styles

One of the most common drain styles is the lever style stopper, which comes in two different types: A pop up and a plunger.  If you have a plunger style drain, you will not actually see the plug moving when you adjust the lever to close the drain.  This is because the plug is down inside the drain itself.  If you are dealing with this type of drain, start by unscrewing the faceplate.  Then all you have to do is pull the whole drain out.  If the problem is simply a worn stopper, then you can simply replace it and reinstall the drain. Screw back on your faceplate, and your repair is complete.

If your bathroom drain is a pop up style instead, place the lever so that the stopper is at the highest level before removing it.  To get the drain assembly out, either pull it straight up or twist and lift.

Some bathroom drains do not have a lever at all, and these would be roller ball or foot lock style drains.  Both of these drain types can be removed by turning them clockwise and pulling straight up.  Other drains require a setscrew to be loosened before the drain can be removed.

Pulling out the Strainer

If you look down the drain you should see a set of crossbars.  This is the internal strainer. First try the most direct approach by grasping one of the crossbars with the pliers and pulling straight up. If that does not release the drain, then you want to turn everything counterclockwise to unscrew the drain before removing it.

Then there are drains that do not have the crossbars, so you will need a special tool to remove your drain.  This tool is placed in the flange, and then it spreads and tightens against the pipe walls so that you can turn and remove the drain.

Now Do It In Reverse

Purchase replacement parts for your drain or clean any parts that you are planning to reuse; a solution of vinegar and baking soda is an effective cleansing agent.  Then put a bead of plumber’s putty underneath the top edge of the strainer lip and screw it back into the bathtub drain. The putty will make this joint waterproof. Now simply put your new drain back in using the same technique that you used to remove the old one, and your repair is complete.

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Designs that Enlarge your Breezeway

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Photo credit to fotodawg.

If you have a small breezeway that connects the garage to your house, it is possible to make it feel a little more spacious just by changing how it is decorated.  The color selections, scale of its furnishings and choice of accessories can go a long way towards making a space appear larger that it actually is.

Raising the Roof

The first thing that you may want to do is to open up the ceiling space.  By painting the ceiling a light color, you can open the overhead space visually, which immediately makes the whole area expand.  Using a shade of white will add instant brightness up above and make the ceiling appear taller.  If you have crown molding in the space, paint it the same color as the ceiling.  If you also want to add interest to the ceiling you may want to choose an option like installing translucent, white ceiling tiles which are excellent for reflecting light into the room.  You also have the option of actually opening up the ceiling and installing a skylight which again will open up the space vertically.

Photo credit to bingregory.

Lighten the Walls

When you consider the walls of your space, again you want to make the room appear to be larger than it actually is.  To do this you want to keep contrast in the room to an absolute minimum.  So, choose a wall color within a few shades of your furnishings, and since you are keeping everything in the space light and bright, this means that you will also have light colored walls in the space.  By adorning your walls with horizontal stripes, you can add width to a room.  Wallpaper with vertical stripes will, as you would expect, offer some additional height to the room.  By making the best use of your windows, you can pull additional light into the room, and by hanging a mirror on the wall opposite your window you will pull natural light into the room which will help expand the look of the space.  If you are adding shades or curtains to the windows, again you want to keep your color palette fairly monochromatic, so choose light fabrics and colors to finish off the space.

Patterns on the Floor

Take advantage of floor coverings such as tile that features a vertical or horizontal pattern, depending on which way you feel your small breezeway needs visual enhancement. Vertical patterns will make the breezeway appear longer while horizontal patterns make the room appear wider. Stay clear of carpet as it tends to visually shrink the floor. Various light color tones of wood or laminated wood flooring are the best choice to make a small breezeway look larger as both allow for visual flow when installed in either vertical or horizontal positions.

Clutter Be Gone

As you think about how you want to furnish this space consider that you want to keep visual clutter to a minimum.  You also want to keep your floor area uncluttered, so rather than just adding a bench for changing footwear, add a storage bench that can store the shoes as well.  Instead of an open shelf for hats and gloves, consider using a wall mount cabinet, decorative storage bins or a narrow armoire.  By keeping clutter hidden behind doors and in bins, your breezeway will appear visually larger. Make the walls more interesting with fun wall art, like colorful marine fish wall art or tropical wall art, from a local or online wall art site.

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Sew a Straight Line to New Living Room Decor

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Personal touches give any room personality and designer flair and nothing can change up the look of a room or give it a fresh seasonal touch like fabric. Fabric can be used to create throw pillows, slipcovers, and table runners that can be swapped out when seasons change or whenever you’re hankering for something new. Choose fabrics with colors, designs and patterns that give your living room a decorative punch. You don’t have to be a sewing whiz to create these updates for your living room; you just need to be able to sew a straight line. A sewing machine will make the job quick and easy.

Photo credit to cauzinha.

Start with new throw pillows:

Changing the throw pillows on your living room couch and chairs is a great way to give your living room a fresh new look. Decide on the size of the pillows you’d like and choose your fabric; you can choose two complementary fabrics for the front and back of your pillows and mix fabrics from one pillow to another, choosing colors and patterns that accent and unify the room. For each pillow, cut two equal size squares or rectangles of fabric and place them on top of each other with the finish sides of the fabric facing. Sew up three sides of each pillow, leaving a seam allowance of about one half-inch.

On the fourth side of the pillow, sew along the edges, but leave the middle third of the seam open. Turn the pillow right side out and stuff it with chopped foam filling or polyester fiber, then simply hand stitch the opening and enjoy your new pillow!

Make a slip cover for an ottoman:

Start by measuring the width and length of your ottoman by stretching a measuring tape from the bottom of the ottoman, up the side, across the top and down the other side; do the same in the other direction. Add one inch to each measurement; this will give you the size of the piece of fabric you will need. A sturdy fabric is a good choice for an ottoman.

Arrange the fabric with the right side facing down on top of the ottoman and pin the four corners of the fabric together. Slit the flaps so that there is a seam allowance of one inch. Take the fabric off the ottoman and, using the sewing machine, sew four straight lines to create seams where the fabric is pinned. Turn the fabric right side out and place it over the ottoman to check the fit; remove the slip cover once again and sew a one inch hem along the bottom edge.

Sew a table runner and coasters:

Make a table runner by cutting two pieces of fabric at the length and width that you need. Lay the two pieces on top of each other, right sides facing each other, and sew three sides together, leaving one short end open. Turn the fabric right side out, iron flat and sew the fourth edge. Add tassels or fringe to each end.

Make coasters from two 5×5 inch squares and a piece of batting cut to the same size. Layer the pieces as follows:  Lay the back piece right side up, the front piece right side down and then the batting. Pin the pieces together and sew all the way around with a one-quarter inch allowance, leaving a two inch opening. Snip the corners, turn the coaster right side out and sew the opening closed.

Fabric is an inexpensive way to update your decor. You can even frame fabric and turn it into unique wall art decorations that coordinates perfectly with other accents in the room and invites your creativity. For example, mount two framed fabric panels balanced by a large unique wall candle holders.

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Easy Sewing Projects to Update Bedroom Decor

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

abric is one of the greatest decorating tools available; use it to unify colors in a room, create contrast with color and design and add texture and interest. In a bedroom, where your goal is to create a tranquil atmosphere, fabric can be used for all these decorative purposes and also create a sense of comfort and ease. If you can sew a straight line on a sewing machine, gather up bolts of your chosen fabrics and get busy making piles of throw pillows for the bed, new window treatments, bedding and accessories and give your bedroom a fresh dose of personality.

Photo credit to cedwardmoran.

Easy-to-Sew Window Treatments

New curtain panels can give your bedroom a totally new look; side curtain panels in your chosen style make a fabulous second layer over textured flat folding shades, traditional wooden blinds and roll-up or honeycomb shades. To determine how much fabric you’ll need measure the distance from the curtain rod to the floor and add the length you desire for the top pocket and bottom hem. If you want your curtains to puddle on the floor, allow for an additional 18 inches. Determine width by measuring the width of the window plus four inches; this equals the width of one curtain panel to cover half the window.

Once you have your fabric cut, sew the side hems on your panels. Place the fabric on a clean work surface, right side down; fold the fabric in from the long edge one-half inch then iron flat. Fold it another one-half inch, iron again and sew the hem in place. Now make the top pocket for the curtain rod by folding and pressing a one-half inch hem along the top edge of the fabric. Fold over the width needed for a pocket to accommodate the curtain rod, then iron and sew the seam. Finally, create the bottom hem using a half-inch fold that is pressed with an iron, then fold, press and sew the final seam. Bottom curtain hems are usually three to five inches. Repeat the process for the other curtain panel.

Make a Table Skirt for a Side Table.

If you have a side table in your bedroom that really doesn’t coordinate with your decor, a table skirt is a great way to disguise it and help it blend in. If you don’t have a side table and would like one, you can make an inexpensive round or square top table out of plywood then drape it in a gorgeous fabric skirt for an ultimately chic look at a bargain basement price. To make the skirt, just cut the fabric to size and sew a hem around the bottom edge.

Create a Bed Skirt

Create a finished look for your bed, or hide an unsightly box spring with a fresh bedskirt. Start by measuring the width and length of the box spring and add one inch to each of those measurements. Next, cut an old sheet in inexpensive fabric to match your measurements. Measure the height from the top of the box spring to the floor and add one inch; this is the ‘drop’ of the skirt. You’ll need three pieces of bed skirt fabric, with two pieces as long as the length of the box spring and the third piece as long as the width of the box spring.  Cut the width for each piece to equal the ‘drop’ measurement.  Now simply sew the three pieces together and sew them to the flat sheet. You may leave the side corners of the bed skirt open or sew them together.

Now, the money that you saved through your sewing projects leaves a little left over for a trip to the unique wall art store to choose beautiful new accessories for your room. From soothing metal fish sculptures, to Tuscan style vineyard paintings, tropical wall art or French country framed art, there are thousands of items that will give your bedroom a personalized look.

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