April 2008

Monthly Archive

Make Wall Art from Black and White Photos

admin 30 Apr 2008 | : accents, bedroom, photos

Our master bedroom needed a huge makeover. The paint was old, the curtains were dusty and the artwork was outdated. I didn’t want to spend a fortune re-doing everything so I looked for inexpensive solutions to give the room a whole new look without breaking the bank.

Obviously, new paint was in order so we picked out a color called “Happy Trails” by Pittsburgh Paint which is a really warm tan like the color of a great cup of coffee with a lot of cream in it.

Next, I knew those old curtains had to be changed out, so I found an inexpensive curtain rod and bought two different scarves and draped those over the rod. Done.

I needed to bring in some color, so I made a couple of arrangements out of silk and dried flowers. A nice pop against the warm tan of the walls.

Now, what to do about the wall art? I wanted to have family photos in the room but I didn’t want a bunch of mismatched frames sitting around. I was going for a cleaner look.

We recently became empty nesters so I wanted to showcase the transition my family has undergone over the past 22 years. An idea was born to make a photo collage for the wall with black and white photos and matching frames.

How I made it

Pick the photos. I chose one of my family when the two kids were very young and one of my family now. Then I found my favorite picture of just the kids when they were little and another one of them now.

Fix the photos. After selecting the four photos, some had to be scanned into my computer while the more recent ones were taken with my digital camera and were already in my computer. I have Adobe Photoshop which I used to fix the photos. They were all different sizes and colors so the first thing I had to do was make them all uniform.

I made them all 5 x 7’s by using the function “Image-Size” and then the function “Image-Mode-Grayscale” to discard color. I ended up with four, 5 x 7, black and white photos. This is an important step, in my opinion, because you want them all to match.

Buy the frames. In order to accomplish the uniform look, I also selected four identical frames.

Hang them. Once the four black and white photos were in the frames, I had to decide how I wanted to hang them. The orientation of the photos (portrait or landscape) will help you decide the configuration (across in a straight line, down in a straight line, in a perfect square…).

Two of my photos were landscape and 2 were portrait so I decided to put them in a square with an irregular edge to create visual interest. We hung up the photo collage yesterday and my husband helped to ensure that the frames were all perfectly spaced.

I am quite proud of the end result. Not only do we have inexpensive wall art, but we have something to look at that is so very meaningful and will be cherished for years to come.


To see a picture of the photo wall art I made for our master bedroom, go to the bottom of my Memories page. Author: Sandee Lembke from Theme-Party-Queen.com Whether you are looking for savory appetizer and tempting dessert recipes or tips on preserving party memories, Theme Party Queen.com has it.

Kitchen Furniture Adds Elegance Into Kitchen

admin 29 Apr 2008 | : kitchen

There are number of families that basically consider kitchen as heart of the home. Kitchen is a place where loads of food preparation is done before the members of family gather around at the dining table in order to have dinner, lunch and breakfast as well. Generally this is much beloved place of the mothers because at this place they prepare food in order to serve the whole family. Thus, kitchen remodeling is the most wanted thing to do these days.

While remodeling your kitchen it is necessary for you to keep each and every aspect in your mind that would make cooking very pleasurable. One can make use of kitchen furniture in order to make it elegant and add beauty to it. You can simply enclose your kitchen by divine flooring and kitchen furniture which is basically much more than the cabinets, tables as well as chairs.

In present days these mainly include an intact gamut of side boards, breakfast nooks, racks, counter stools, benches as well as very attention-grabbing baker’s racks. Obviously, massive amount of tables and chairs continue to instigate loads of people an immense deal of approbation even today. Each and every furniture piece for kitchen is designing along with singular objective to add immense value onto the décor of kitchen and home.

There are several points to consider in order ensuring that the furniture installed by you is coordinated perfectly with your kitchen. This includes:

* Decide on the furniture according to the space accessible to put them after assigning space for some other essential appliances such as dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave.

* Kitchen Island is one of the most important elements of the kitchen that almost doubles up like dining table. The kitchen furniture is imperfect without its presence.

* For all the time place the biggest furniture item initially subsequent to the remaining order of diminishing size.

* Kitchen foldable exertion tables, stools and carts are tremendously handy in kitchens, which are guarded by the space.

* It is necessary to completely blend the kitchen furniture with kitchen’s overall décor

When we are looking out for kitchen furniture, we are left with number of choices like adding up some antique furniture. You can make use of county kitchen furniture as well as sunny picture in order to make your kitchen capturing Tuscan Countryside’s magic.

Purchasing furniture for kitchen is not a simple thing to perform. The potentials are endless with an assortment of obtainable kitchen furniture. There are many people who basically love to spend their more of time in kitchen and thus they want the room to be serviceable, welcoming and comfortable. You must keep in mind number of things while going to purchase kitchen furniture, which are as follows:

* The first and foremost thing is to employ kitchen furniture which is very inviting, warm and beautiful since it is the functional room of your home.

* You can install kitchen carts as well as microwave carts depending upon the requirements as well as needs of your kitchen.

Thus, by making use of kitchen furniture you would not only add beauty, but would also reflect your own individual style.


Author’s Websites: Kitchen Remodel Cookware

How To Hire An Interior Designer

admin 28 Apr 2008 | : interior design

If you’ve decided you want to re-design your home or office and would like to enlist the help of a professional interior designer to do it but you don’t know where to start or even where to look then these guidelines will help.

It may be that you are quite happy to let a particular designer have carte blanche to design and create something special for you or perhaps you have very definite ideas about what you want and need an empathetic designer that will involve you in the whole process. Regardless of what your particular requirements are, it helps to be informed about what you can expect from a designer, what you have to consider when choosing one and finally, what is expected from you.

What can you expect from a designer?

Interior designers are trained professionals who will be able to plan and supervise the development of your interior design project from its initial conception right through to its final glory, regardless of whether you want to redesign your entire home or would just like to revamp your bathroom.

Good interior designers will have spent a great deal of time studying and cultivating their particular art so not only will you get the benefit of their expertise, they are also likely to be well aware of the common pitfalls and mistakes made by those less experienced so in the long run they may actually save you money.

They will assess the size and purpose of the space that is going to be designed and will need to know who is likely to be using it, they will take account of safety and practical aspects of any existing features or alterations that may be required, they will consider the light, colour, fabrics and materials, fixtures and fittings, furniture, wall, floor and ceiling coverings, the desired mood and ambience of the room and will even take care of the finishing touches. Sounds like a costly operation doesn’t it?

Hiring a designer can be expensive, particularly if you want one that is renowned for their particular style or brand, as this sort of professionalism comes at a price. However, getting results needn’t be as costly as you might think because a good designer can make a significant difference to a space even on a very limited budget.

What you have to consider when choosing a designer

The first step of course is to have an idea of what it is you want to achieve and how much you’re prepared to spend to get it. If you have your heart set on a specific look then this could influence your choice of designer as some designers specialise in various styles and techniques.

If you have already seen a particular room or style that you like, perhaps in a magazine, on the internet or at an exhibition, then it is relatively easy to find out who designed it and you can approach them for an initial consultation.

Every designer is different and each will work in their own particular way, of course their fees will vary considerably too so it’s worth checking out several before making a final decision and it’s important to be absolutely clear about what you are getting for your money.

Some questions you need to be asking before making a decision to hire any particular designer include:

  • What sort of training, qualifications or experience do they have?
  • How are the fees charged? Do they charge by the hour or by the project?
  • What do their fees include? For example are there expenses on top such as telephone calls etc.?
  • What sort of insurance or indemnity is offered if something goes wrong?
  • Is the designer just going to design the project or will they implement it too?
  • If the designer is going to implement the project, will they be responsible for enlisting the services of any contractors that might be required?

What is expected from you?

Even the most talented and efficient of designers will be unable to deliver exactly what you want if you don’t tell them what that is. The more information you can give to a prospective designer, the easier it will be for both of you. For example, if you absolutely detest a particular colour or must have that leather sofa then your designer should know about it. No matter how insignificant a detail it may seem, it is vital that you make your designer aware of your likes and dislikes.

If both you and the designer are crystal clear about the way forward and what it entails, the whole operation is likely to proceed with the minimum of fuss and inconvenience so be open and communicative with your designer. They need to know what makes you tick.

Finally, you have to set your budget. Many people have unrealistic expectations of the cost involved in achieving their desired look, so defining your budget and how much you’re prepared to spend on each area will save a lot of stress and misunderstandings later.


David McEvoy is an expert in interior design. If you are looking for a Red leather sofa to give the finishing touches to a newly decorated room then please come and visit our site.

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