Tag Archives: home decorating tips


Colour Palette of The Month: October

“I’m so glad I live in a world with Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it?” -Anne Shirley.

The month of scarves and pumpkin spice lattes has “fallen” upon us! With temperatures cooling off outside, warm interior hues are a must! October couldn’t be a better month to incorporate this spicy palette! When looking for timeless decor, it’s important to balance bright colours with trend-setting neutrals. This warm palette does just that by incorporating both grey and brown with savory cinnamon, pumpkin, and vanilla.

We think these colours work well together to make an inviting common space. A warm backdrop will make guests feel welcome, while you will love spending down time cozying up with an exotic tea and book!

An alternative space for this palette is the Master bedroom. We are loving the idea of pairing a wooden wall with grey bedding and warm accents. This look artistically combines both modern style and classic comfort. Would you choose a spicy autumn palette for your living space or would you rather keep the cozy colours in the bedroom?

Christmas Gifts for Your Home

Photogrpah of a gift wrapped houseImage credit: Howard Dickins on Flickr

With the beginning of December comes the beginning of Christmas Shopping season. In addition to shopping for the special people in your life this year, why not also shop for that special place as well—your house! We don’t mean the seasonal decorations that spend 11 months in a box. Rather, we are thinking of thoughtful upgrades that will make your house look better and year long.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

  • Ho-Ho-Hardware: Replacing your cabinet pulls or even your door knobs can made a big difference. A quick visit to your local hardware store will open your eyes to the multitude of choices out there. Find something the reflects the houses’ style or, better yet-your personality and you’ll smile each time you open a door or drawer!
  • Deck the Windows: Most of us fret over finding a perfect outfit for the Christmas office party or neighbours New Years Party.  But what about you house?  Adding simple window treatments or replacing dated blinds will help ensure your house looks its best long after the holidays are over.
  • De-clutter and Deep Clean: You may be thinking of using a spa date for that somebody special on your list. Why not give your house the equivalent? Hire a home organizer to come in and help you streamline your possessions, get your carpets steam cleaned, or hire a housekeeping service to spend a day cleaning out the various nooks and crannies of you house that you’ve never had the chance to get around to doing yourself.
  • Pass the Paint:  Paint is often the simplest, yet most effective way to update your home. A few coats of paint can refresh any home. If you’re not up to repainting an entire room, start with an accent wall. A bold colour on a single wall can give the entire room a new look and help you appreciate your existing furnishings in a new light.
  • Season of Light (Fixtures):  Some of us spend a lot of time thinking of the perfect holiday lighting scheme to wow our neighbours for the next few weeks. With illumination on your mind, think about how to update the light fixtures you will be living with for the rest of the year. Consider a new bedside lamp, a new bathroom vanity light or even a dining room chandelier  to show off on Christmas dinner. After all, we all love getting a gift that  we can show off on Christmas day, even your house!

15 Halloween Costume Ideas for 2011

Halloween house decorations in Port Norfolk By formatted_dad on Flickr

Photograph by  formatted_dad on Flickr

Halloween is just around the corner. If you don’t already have your costume put together here are 15 ideas to inspire you (and a bonus 5 ideas for your home). If you want to be really creative, be sure to refer back to last years post on homemade Halloween costumes.

Women

  • Alice in Wonderland: Tim Burton’s reinterpretation of this childhood classic provides several costume choice for adults. If the title character isn’t ‘your cup of tea,’ consider the Queen of Hearts.
  • Katy Perry: A great alternative to the Lady Gaga overload
  • Pan Am Flight Attendant: A fun spin on the vintage trend inspired by the hit new TV series.  Would make a great group costume.
  • Princess Beatrice or Eugeni: Creating your own wacky wedding hats is a great DIY costume option
  • Black Swan: Bring out your inner ballerina

Men

  • Disgraced Celebrities: Lots to chose from this year, including Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenegger , Tiger Woods and Anthony Weiner
  • Lord Voldemort: A great way for adults to show their love for the Harry Potter series and scare a few people while you are at it!
  • Don Draper: The Mad Men Show fan-site has a guide to creating the perfect Don Draper—or any of your favourite characters—costume.
  • Green Man: though made popular by the Canuck’ the spandex unseat has created it’s own meme… If you want to stand out from the pack, consider a Red Man or Gold Man ensemble.
  • Superheros: Lots to chose from this yer: Captain America, Thor, Green Lantern, Iron Man
  • Steve Jobs: A easy, DIY way to pay tribute to an icon.

Kids

  • Princess Kate: What better costume than a a real life princess!
  • Angry Birds: These costumes are literally flying off the shelves. Would make a fun family or group costume idea… Here’s some handy DIY instructions to make your own.
  • Harry Potter: The movies may be over, but the magic lives on
  • Zombies: A perennial classic and great way to get one last wear out of old or ripped clothing.
  • Smurfs: There ill be a lot of little blue people out this Halloween

Bonus: Haunted Home Ideas

Being a home-builder site, we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer some ideas for dressing up your home:

  • Creepy Centrepiece: Adding some spray paint or glitter to a small pumpkin or gourd makes a great focus point for your table or entryway. Attach some plastic spiders to complete the creepy effect.
  • Black is Back: If you are bored with the traditional carved jack-o-lantern, grab some black and white paint and create a ghost-o’-lanterns.
  • Spooky Silhouettes: Cut black construction paper into bat, witch or black cat silhouettes to hide in corners or place on doors and windows.
  • Terror Tunes: Prepare a spooky soundtrack of your favourite scary sounds and songs to greet your party guests or trick-o-treaters.
  • Fearsome Fog: Dry ice available at most grocery stores and  is a cheap yet effective way to creature a ghostly atmosphere.

20 Cool Wall Decorations To Impress Your Friends

Sure, framed family photos can look good hanging on your wall, but how unoriginal is that? If you want to really impress your friends with some cool wall decorations, check these out!

(Note that clicking on the image will bring you to the source)

Wall Decorations for the Living Room

Not sure how the following will impress, it’s just cool is all. Nice moosh-tash meester!

Mustache Wall Decor

Who wouldn’t love to have a giant tulip in their living room?

Tulip wall decor

The next one uses your own lip prints!

kiss wall decor

Wall Decorations for the Kitchen

Oink…

pig-animal-wall-decor-art

Hmm. Not sure if this next one is my style, though it is a cool concept. What do you think?

Wall_Decor-Cake_Pan-Main

Brilliant…

modern bright interior

Wall Decorations for the Bathroom

Okay, so this next one might not have been designed for the bathroom, but don’t you think it would look fantastic hanging above your toilet?

Never never never give up

3D dragonflies. Gotta’ love ’em.

Dragonflies wall decor

Wall Decorations for the Bedroom

Mirror stickers are great for those who love shiny things.

butterflies-mirror-stickers-wall-decor-elegant-bedroom

Like the lips shown above, these next two wall decorations are created using your very own DNA. Now that’s one-of-a-kind art that will surely impress your friends!

Fingerprint art

DNA portraits

Wall Decorations for the Kids Room

Awww…

Dog Plug Wall Sticker

…and for those who aren’t into the cutesy-wootsey wall decorations:

Cow Butt Wall Plug Sticker

This next one doubles as a chalkboard. How cool is that?

chalkboard skateboarders

These shelves look way better than standard shelves and would look good in any room:

LagoLINEA

Peek-a-boo! Brings a whole new meaning to the monster in the closet, doesn’t it?

Peeking Guy wall decor

This next one was found on a website called newhouseofart.com. Is it just me, or should they have thought of a better name for their website address? Sometimes it’s difficult to determine where the break in words should be, no? New House O’ Fart has some great wall decor (it doesn’t stink, I swear)…

mirror-stickers-kid-bedroom-wall-decor

The next one speaks for itself.

Princess wall decor

Wall Decorations for Elsewhere

Not sure what room this could go in, but if you can make it work…

No_Shirt_No_Shoes

The swords in the next one double as letter openers. Who doesn’t love it when they find a human skull that is also practical?

skull

Which of these is your favourite wall decoration? Could you see yourself using any of these in your house?

Home Decorating Tips By Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

From the kitchen to the garden, Martha Stewart is an icon when it comes to creative and money-saving tips. Here are some of her top home decorating tips.

Front foyer/mudroom decorating tips

Martha Stewart’s website has some fantastic ideas for decorating the front foyer which will not only help make your foyer look great but are also very practical. For example, consider making a boot/shoe tray that is filled with decorative stones. This looks pretty cool and will also prevent puddles and dirt from collecting on the floor.

Boot Tray by Martha Stewart

Custom curtains and shades decorating tips

Finding the perfect curtains or shades which match your home decor can be expensive or extremely difficult. To help you save money or to create the perfect shades to compliment other accents in the room, Martha Stewart has several DIY projects that are super easy to follow.

Decorating tips for displaying photos

Get those family photos off your computer’s hard drive and out into the open where they can get the attention they deserve. From picture frames and photo cubes to picture pillows and baby face clocks, Martha Stewart has some terrific decorating tips when it comes to displaying photos.  

Martha Stewart decorating tips by color

If you already know the colors you want to include in your home decorating project but are struggling to find inspiration, check out Martha Stewart’s 232 Rooms by Color.

MarthaStewart.com 232 Rooms by Color

Decorating tips for the bedroom

“The key to enlivening a neutral room is to brighten it with several shades of the same color.”  This is just one of several bedroom decor tips Martha Stewart offers her readers. Another: “Nothing completes your boudoir like a headboard — it provides a focal point and makes the whole room more inviting. The store-bought kind can be expensive and bulky, so try this shortcut: Using the lines in a graphic wallpaper as your guide, cut out a silhouette that serves as a virtual headboard.”  And taking it one tip further, an idea I love (and may consider making it myself) is: “A solid old door, refinished and hung sideways, becomes a perfect — and perfectly inexpensive — headboard for a bed.” This looks awesome, as far as I’m concerned.

Door Headboard by Martha Stewart

Are you the next Martha Stewart?

Do you have some home decorating tips and ideas that would put Martha Stewart to shame? Make sure to leave a comment below to let us know!