A Small Bit Today

Still talking about bathrooms, one easy thing you can do to give yourself a fresh look.  Buy some inexpensive fringe, I love to use Jo-Ann's as they always have a coupon.  Buy enough for either down the side, or across the bottom.  Sometimes two layers on the bottom is stunning if it shows well.  If not, as mine does, I put the fringe down the side and tied it back with the fringe.  I bought an inexpensive shower curtain in white and trimmed it in a beige fringe.  You can be as dramatic as you want, and get the look.  You don't even have to sew, they now make glues for fabrics.  Glue it on.  Another little trick is using a tassel on either the closet door, or a handle in the bath, it adds some charm, and gives your guests something to talk about.  Use things in different ways.  A small tray, can sit on the back of the commode and hold misc. items.

Change rug colors, depending on your color scheme.  Since I have blue and yellow stripes, I have a set of yellow rugs and blue rugs.  I like the blue rugs as they don't get as dirty as fast as the yellow ones.   They probably do, but you can't see it as quickly.  It is the same with towels.  I use a light color for my bath towels, and I like the oversize ones.  Then I buy different colored washcloths and hand towels.  I am a great fan of hand towels.

If you want to give your towels a stunning look, trim them with the same trim as you did on your shower curtain.

I seem to run out of time with all the things I want to do.  I make my to do list and I really need to finish one project then go to the next.

It is like the stack of paintings I need to start working on.  Teaching multiple classes a week and now I am adding more, I barely have time for preparation.  Commissions I do get done immediately, but they take me more time as I want them to be perfect.

I guess I am toooooo much of a perfectionist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pieces of a little bit of everything

Do some before and after shots of your bathrooms, hallways, or any room you are going to do.  I take pictures of things that have been done each day, to see my progress. Remember the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words", well that is what you have.  With the onset of I Phones, Droids, and whatever else there is, I am forever seeing people share pictures on their phones.  Just looking at a picture of your room, many times you can see the voids, the clutter, broken things, crooked lampshades, and so many minute things that you will wonder why you didn't see that before.  Share those with friends and ask their advice, some times it is worth it.  A pet peeve of mine is a crooked lampshade.  Here is a trick for cleaning lampshades.  Use a lint remover.  just run it up and down the lampshade and see how the dust comes right off, without having to drag out the vacuum.  If it is your day to vacuum, run the dusting tool over the lampshades, and the tops of your furniture.  Remember, they collect the same amount of dust as the tables.

I love the swifter duster, for doing baseboards, fans and almost everything.  It is the handiest item, that I use all the time.

See how I jump off on pieces of information.  I had no intention of this as I started this blog today, but there it is to read.  I always offer a little FYI ( For your information).

Let' do pieces of different baths today.  For instance, if it is  very small powder room or a bath where the commode sits facing the blank wall that is normally behind a door, here is a quick fix.  Hang something behind the door, it is wall space.  You may even find a narrow magazine rack that is very narrow, and put a few new magazines in it.  Painting work well, sometimes if you love abstract, use it as everyone finds something different in an abstract. 

Even though I save magazines for a different reason, have newer ones for the people who will use this bathroom.  If you have room,  use a free standing magazine rack.  I like to use magazine racks or even a basket with magazines in it.  There are wall mounted ones also out there to buy.

I will try and upload some pictures in this blog, but at the moment, it will not let me.  So let's go on.

If you can, it is great to have a chair, bench or an ottoman that opens up and doubles for storage.  This way, you have something to sit on as you dress.  I just happened to have a chair at the studio, that I brought home for my husband to sit on.  He has very little balance.

I again have tried to upload pictures and can't do it today, so we will talk about things you can do and tomorrow,  hopefully, after rebooting, I will be able to do it.


Every bathroom should be as comfortable as the next one.  Always have a rug or the new absorbent pads to lay own on the floor by the bathtub or the shower.  They used to have bathmats that matched your towels at JC Penney's, but I haven't seen any lately.  Regardless of what the stores have, I have reverted to order things online.  It is something I never really did until lately.  It is easier to use Google search and type in a word and find what I want.  I think today, I will search out bathmats. Towels also loose there great feeling after so many washings, once they start to show wear, use them for rags if you can afford to.  If not, sew a patch over the wear like a quilt, from another towel.  You not only get a new look, your towels won't show the wear.  I will say, they make the best rags.

I like to use white towels in a bathroom as they are bleachable.  Then they always look clean.  I do use colored towels, blue, yellow and pinks.  I like Navy Blue, but lately I can't find them in the color of navy I like.  Colors change from year to year on towels, and from company to company.  Look for the shade you like the best.  ALWAYS buy extra wash cloths as they are the first thing to wear out.  I usually buy, 2 washcloths to every towel.  If I love the color, I buy 4 bath towels, 8 hand towels, and 8 washcloths so I have many years of wear for that color.  also mix and match your colors.  If you use white towels, as I do, I buy different colors of hand towels and washcloths.  It's a different look every other day.

So today, I think I will surf the internet for bathmats and towels.  How easy is that.  Thank you Google Search!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bit about your home!

A house should be a reflection of the people who live there. 

If you want to feel a part of the tradition that you were brought up in or one you have seen, it is very easy.  Start your own tradition!!  Mix things from a lot of different periods.  If you have a lot of antiques, and feel you are stuck in the past, go beyond.  Color, Color, Color!

It is easier than ever to design with cultural treasures you have collected or are beginning to collect, from around the world. 

Take ideas from places you have visited or been to, it is so easy with cameras or smart phones.  Even in stores, TAKE A PICTURE of something you really like.  An old Cliché, "A picture is worth a thousand words".

Yesterday we talked about layer upon layer with a picture of pillows.  The following is another way to layer color, this time in a bathroom:

 

Notice, that plain old orange crates have been whitewashed and towels rolled up in them.  Imagination!  Texture and patterns are visually stimulating.  I think this is a great idea for a bath off of a pool area for pool towels.  Notice the compliments of color in each area.  This could be a garden of flowers in all colors.  Don't be afraid to experiment.

 

Look back on design in the past 50 years.  It is easy online or at the library.  There are what I will call Retro shops popping up all over and in magazines many pictures or reproductions of the retro look.  Many pictures of retro ideas, combined with things that are newer.

 

If you are not ready to redo something in your house, get a group of friends together, discuss ideas, help each other with their projects.  This is brainstorming. what a lot of large corporations do to come up with ideas.  One person can't possibly come up with all these ideas.  Look at a design magazine.  They are made up of  lot of design articles by many not just one person.  And believe it or not, many of these ideas have been around for a long time coming from greats like Carlton Varney or Sister Parrish.

 

Try something new each week, say for one year.  I started with fresh flowers.  Each week I buy a different color.  The next week, change throw pillows.  Now I have a habit doing these two things.  Each week, fresh flowers, and a change of throw pillows. Remember early on I told you about my grandchildren saying they will never buy a throw pillow because of me.  I have all colors of pillows and store the ones I am not using in the attic.  Make a list of what you own in a notebook, things that are put away, check it out from time to time, you may have something packed away that you can use.  Recently, it was a couple of light fixtures from my mothers house.  One crystal chandelier is in the master bathroom over the tub, and the other is going in the hallway.  Later, I will show you some pictures. I move accessories around each time I dust.  These things become habits and sometimes it is all you need to lift your spirits.  Make a wish list for each room of your house.  Try and check off one item each month.  It really will work.  Many times you can find these things on sale, or at Marshalls, Home Goods, T J Max, or Ross.  My favorite place to look besides these places is Dillard's and Macy's.  I have found that Hobby Lobby has some of the prettiest artificial flowers, so I add some here and there.  Today, I changed a vase on my Dining Room table to Pink and White tulips.  It was in my family room with just white tulips, and I found some pink ones on sale and added them to my whites.  Really looks pretty.

 

 

Just look at the beauty in nature.  This was clipped out of a magazine, I really don't know when but the combination of color just jumped at me.  I am going to do my pool area adding some purple and pink for fun.

 

This is how an idea starts. Feel free to ask me questions on how I can help you make some very small changes.

 

Tomorrow, back to the subject of light,  I jump around consistently.