Decorating Tips & Home Decoration Ideas

When painting, place a thin layer of a moisturizer on any skin exposed that may get splattered with paint. It will be easier to remove the paint from your skin.

Warm colors are reds, yellows and oranges. They tend to grab the eye and fill space. They are soothing and warm.

Cool colors are blues, greens and violets. They tend to give the illusion of open space.

When using a patterned wallpaper, if the room is small use a small pattern. If the room is large, you can use a large pattern.

Decide on a focal point and decorate around it. Your focal point could be a piece of furniture, a fireplace, ect.

Pale pinks are serene and comforting. The closer pink gets to red, the more energetic it becomes.

Light colored walls and ceilings will make the room appear larger. The opposite for dark colors.

When selecting a solid carpet color, choose a shade of your upholstery or drapery fabric to add interest. Don't choose the exact color, it will be to rigid.

Tie a group of candles together in a cluster with raffia. Embellish with mini pine cones, acorns, etc.

When arranging flowers in a vase with a wide mouth, use tape to create a grid across the top of the vase. Flowers will remain upright and be evenly spaced.

A border will add interest to a room. Use sponges, stencils or wallpaper borders.

To add depth and texture to a smooth wall, apply liquid glazing with a sea sponge.

Put an aspirin in a vase full of water and it will make your flower bouquets last days longer- also trim the stems every other day will preserve the life of a flower arrangement.
Submitted by Debra V.

Use vertical stripes on walls for an illusion of height.

If you soak candles in salt water for an hour and then rinse lightly and dry them they will be dripless.
Submitted by Colleen S.

Natural shades of carpeting tend to hide soil and lint.

Painting the walls, ceiling, woodwork or all will add a fresh, new look.

Hang pictures at eye level, not too high.

Adding new hardware to cabinets will give a fresh new look.

To add depth to a small room, like a foyer, add mirrors.

If you are redecorating an entire room, choose your paint last.
Arrange furniture in conversational groups.

Use DecoArt Candle Painting Medium mixed with acrylic paint to paint a plain white candle to match your decorating.

Glass or brass antique door knobs can interest to a room. Mount door knobs on both sides of a window to use as a curtain tieback. In the bathroom, a knob can become a towel holder. A row of door knobs can be a clever way to hang coats and hats.

If your tablecloth is a little bit large for your table, pull the corners of the tablecloth up and using a beautiful wide ribbon, tie the ribbon around the corner of the tablecloth. This is also a quick way to dress-up your table very fast.

If you like a rustic look, place twigs and branches in a tall vase placed on the floor.

When painting, use a plastic shower cap on your head to protect your hair from the paint.

Use unusual items to hold flowers in your kitchen, such as old coffee pots, egg cups, tea pots, ect.

Buy an inexpensive, clear glass jar lamp and fill it with all kinds of collectibles. You can use marbles, spools of thread, gumballs, hair ribbons or anything you like. Use your imagination and work with the theme of the room.

During the summer, place candles in your fireplace. Use different sizes to add interest.

Use stencils on ceiling fan paddles to customize them to your decor.

To remove wallpaper, use equal parts of vinegar and hot water. Roll or sponge the solution on the paper and wet thoroughly. The paper should peel off in sheets after two applications of the solution.

When you begin decorating, start with one room and finish it. Remove all the furniture from the room, if possible. If you can't move all the furniture out, move it to the middle of the room and cover with cloths.

Place your everyday dishes in a wooden rack on the kitchen counter.

For a kitchen without a window, paint a scene on a wall and hang curtains. Add a frame and you have the look of a window.

To spruce up a country kitchen, add water and cutting from houseplants to mason jars.

To add some dimension to your walls, use textured wallpaper. Simply wallpaper the area with plain textured paper. Paint with your favorite color of ordinary latex wall paint right over the paper. This makes a wonderful finish on your walls.

When you have a room that you may need to have dark during the day, use shades instead of mini blinds. The shades will block more light than the blinds.
When painting walls, use a 2" trim brush to paint next to the ceiling and the woodwork. Then use a roller to roll the paint on the walls.

Light colors will give rooms a larger overall appearance. Whether you want to make a small room seem larger or make a large room feel even larger.

A mirror gives the illusion of space and depth. Use a nice frame on the mirror and position it to reflect something pleasing.

When choosing new carpet, consider the room that it will be used in. For example, a high traffic area will need a durable carpet.

To make a room appear more spacious, add a tall green plant. Fill empty spaces with attractive floor plants.

To update the look of a sofa or chair, you can use decorative pillows.

Do you want to change the look of your furniture in a hurry? Use slip covers on sofas and chairs. Change the look whenever you feel like it.

Display accessories in odd numbered groups. It's a matter of balance, odd numbers work better than even numbered groupings.

Paint the back of a bookcase in an accent color to show off your mementos.

Bring together a conversational area in your home with an area rug. Arranging your furniture around the rug will create a nice conversational area.

Make an easy and festive Thanksgiving centerpiece. Take a pumpkin and cut a wide hole in the top. Hollow out the inside and smooth a thin layer of Vaseline to the inside to help preserve the pumpkin. Place a floral foam block in the pumpkin and add flowers.

Make sure the candles and centerpiece on your dining room table are about two inches below the eye level of your guest. Light the candles just before the guests are seated and allow them to burn until everyone stands.

Need to add color to the living room, bedroom, or even an enclosed porch? Use throw pillows in a variety of colors. This is an inexpensive way to change the look of a room anytime.

Complementary colors, colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel, such as red and green will work well together.

When choosing furnishings for a room, keep in mind the size of the room. Although the size of furnishings can vary from one room to the next, pieces in one room should relate in size.

For a "princess" room, attach large bows in each top corner of the room with a staple gun. Attach sheer fabric or wide ribbon behind the bows and drape from corner to corner along the top of the wall.

When looking at a color paint card, remember that a light color will be brighter and stronger when painted on a wall and a dark color will appear deeper and darker.

Use an extra set of pillows in your pillow shams. Place the pillows you sleep on under the set of pillows with the pillow shams. No more removing the pillows from the shams each night and putting back each morning.