Making Your Home Life More Beautiful In Every Way
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Making Your Home Life More Beautiful In Every Way |
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TIPS ON DECORATING Take Note of the Little Things - They Can Make All the Difference! How many of us have little things that have become a part of our decor that are irritating? For example, do you try to hide that white plastic tag attached to an electrical cord that you're afraid of taking off because it's a warning? Go ahead! Take it off! You don't need it and it past time to lose it. How about that plastic wrap on your newest lamp? I just took mine off last week. For some strange reason, I wanted to keep it on the lamp for an unspecified length of time. Why? I don't know why, but I did! So off it finally came. Does your sofa have arm pads on it that have been there for the last 5 years? Why are you leaving them on? Take them off. Inevitably you're going to wind up with a sofa whose fabric has become faded and/or dirty over time, and you'll just wind up with arms that don't match. Loosen up. Take them off and enjoy your sofa to the fullest. You won't have to keep straightening up the arms either. Stop cheating yourself from the full enjoyment of your furniture. How about those spindly looking half dead plants you've got tucked here and there? Throw those things out! Dead leaves or sparse branches look terrible. Yeah, I know, maybe it's still alive and will bloom again. Well, if you can't bear to toss it yet, at least put it where no one will see it but you. How about the fine china or crystal on the shelf that still has the store label on the bottom or back? Take them off. Better for it to look used and a part of your family than to look like you just bought it. Then there are those pillows with the label tags. Believe me, it's ok to get rid of them so you can stop rearranging your pillow to hide them every time someone moves them around. Light all of your candles at least once. Again, we want our homes to look as if someone actually lives there and enjoys it. To make your candles last longer, after you have lit them once, pinch off half of the burned wick. You will thus get rid of the waxy pool that builds up in your wider candles and this will make your candles last twice as long. Remove all of the dust covers from your hardbound books (unless the book is a first edition or the dust cover is nicer than the book itself). You'd be amazed at how much nicer your bookcase looks when you remove all of the gawdy colors usually found on dust covers to help sell the book. Dust! I know it's a headache and a nuisance. But there's nothing that's a bigger turn off than to visit someone's home who hasn't bothered to dust in some while. Besides, it's not healthy to have all that dust and dirt piling up. It gets stirred into the air and then you're breathing it. Bad for your family. Remove clutter as much as possible. I collect Bombay boxes and other types of containers so that what I'm displaying is both decorative and functional. I've added quite a bit of storage capacity to my home by using trunks, chests and decorative boxes as part of my decor. Tip Categories A brief listing of some of the tip categories at this site:
NEW & EXCLUSIVE! The Secret Art of Hanging Art - Details here. Top 2002-03 Decorating Color Trends If you want to stay on top of the current color trends for this year and into 2003, you can get my "2002-03 Decorating Color Trends" report. Interior designers and product manufacturers pay over $600 per year to be members of the Color Board, the group that decides the color trends of the future. This is how they get the insider information in advance so that they can plan their product lines. Now you can receive online colors that are currently hot, trendy and defining the new millenium. Ordering your online copy is easy. After you place your order, you will receive an email within about 5 minutes with a special link. To order your online copy and get the special link to access these color trends, click here. |
NEW & EXCLUSIVE!"Rearrange It!" - A Home Based Business Primer that teaches you all the specific details of how to start your redecorating business from home earning top hourly fees. No experience is necessary when you acquire this Business Primer, along with our redecorating eBook, Decor Secrets Revealed. These two eBooks teach you everything you need to know. Written by a 16 year veteran decorator in the business of rearranging the furniture and accessories clients already own. Details here. 
NEW & EXCLUSIVE!"Decor Secrets Revealed" - How to rearrange your furniture and accessories just like professional interior designers do in those decorating magazines. Written by the West Coast pioneer in one-day-redecorating concepts. Details here. NEW & EXCLUSIVE! "The Secret Art of Hanging Art" - How to hang framed art, whether a single piece or a wall grouping or a gallery wall. Get it hung right the first time. Details here. Paint Tips Aren't all paints basically the same? No, different types of paints perform different functions. Some have better moisture resistance, some have better color and gloss retention, etc. Can the aerosol paints be applied to galvanized metal? No. The oil in the paint will react to the zinc and form a soapy gunk, which will result in poor adhesion of the paint. Can you paint aluminum? Yes. If you can rough-up the surface, you can probably paint it. The water-based acrylic Painter's Touch brush products are our best recommendation. Can you paint fiberglass? Yes. If you can rough-up the surface, you can most likely paint the fiberglass. But if the surface flexes a lot, the paint may crack off. Can you paint plastics? Yes. American Accents brush and Painter's Touch brush products can be used on some types of plastics. We recommend doing a test patch to ensure that the paint won’t soften the plastic. My can of oil based paint seems a little thick. Can I thin it? Yes. For brush or roller applications, use mineral spirits. For spray gun applications, use V.M.P. Naphtha. What do I thin water-based acrylics with? Water. What product should I use to paint galvanized steel? Any of the water-based acrylics, such as Painter's Touch brush products or the American Accents brush products. What product should I use to paint my cement yard statues? Any of the water-based acrylics, such as Painter's Touch brush products or the American Accents brush products. Can I use Rusty Metal Primer on clean metal? No. The fish oil in the primer needs to penetrate into rust to seal it from air and moisture. If there isn’t rust, the oil will rise to the surface making adhesion of the finish coat difficult Why do I have to wait between applying a second coat? To avoid wrinkling, which is when paint folds or crinkles, allow the paint to dry in between coats. If it’s too late and you need to repair your paint job, scrape or sand off wrinkles, wait the recoat time, and reapply a thin coat. What type of brush should I use if both oil and water base paints are being applied? Nylon & polyester blend paint brushes work well in both oil and water base paints. How should I care for my brush so that it maintains its performance level use after use? Clean it immediately after use with paint thinner or kerosene for bristle brushes; soap and water for nylon/polyester brushes. Use a brush comb to clean and straighten the bristles. Don’t soak your brushes for extended periods of time or they may loose their shape. If possible, store your brush by hanging it and don’t store a brush on its tips. When purchasing paint, I've been asked if I want flat, high gloss, satin and even an eggshell finish. What do these terms mean, and does it really make any difference what kind of finish I have? They refer to the sheen or gloss level of the paint, and, yes, it does make a difference which one you use. The sheen or gloss level simply means the degree of light reflectance of the paint. The terms you mention are ones that various manufacturers use to describe the shininess of their products. Your local independent paint retailer can recommend the type of gloss you need for your particular paint project. Does it matter what type of brush you use with any type of paint? Generally, there are two types of paint brushes, those made of natural-hair bristles and those made with synthetic materials (usually nylon or polyester). Natural bristle brushes are preferred for use with solvent-based (oil- or alkyd-based) paints, especially for enamel or finish work. Natural bristles are hollow and can absorb the water contained in a latex paint, causing them to swell and become soft and limp (like your own hair when it’s wet). Most synthetic brushes work well with both latex and solvent-based paints, but always check the manufacturer's recommendations on the brush. Some of the solvents used in solvent-based paints can break down the compensation of a synthetic bristle-once again check the label Is an expensive brush really that much better than a cheap one High quality or more expensive brushes have distinct advantages over the cheaper ones. First of all, a high quality brush will finish the job more quickly. This is because a top-quality brush has the ability to "hold" more paint in reservoir, which means you will spend less time "painting the can" than applying the paint to the surface. Also, a top-quality brush will have a tapered end, which means there are shorter bristles on the outside and longer bristles in the center. Tapered bristles give the painter more control over where and how much paint goes onto the surface. A top-quality brush will also not shed bristles like a cheaper brush, because of how firmly the bristles are seated in the ferrule (the metal band that attaches the bristles to the handle), and also determined by the material used as plugs (space plugs inside the ferrule that bond the bristles in the ferrule, add taper to the bristles, and finally create "wells" in the center of the bristles to hold paint) in the ferrule. -- Paint Ideas Tip from Barbara: PICKING THE RIGHT COLOR FOR A WALL -- Paint chips are great but they are deceiving. What looks great on a small piece of paper might just overpower a room when put on a wall. Stand back from the wall by several feet and hold the paint chip up close to your eye, blocking view of the wall you are considering. This will give you a better idea of how you're going to like that color if it were all over that wall. |
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Tips on How to Protect Yourself While this has nothing to do with decorating, I felt it was important enough to be included. I didn't think I needed to read this one until I read it. An attorney has given us some advice on what to do if your wallet is stolen, and even what you can do to prevent a disaster if it happens. GOOD ADVICE --- PASS THIS ALONG! The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of your first name) together with your last name on the checks. If someone takes your check book, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address; if you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# nor your driver's license printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary, but have it printed and anyone can get it. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, and make copies. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed in stealing a name, address, Social Security, credit cards, etc. Unfortunately here's what happened to this attorney. His wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change his driving record information online, and more. But here's the critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know: 1) You have been told you should cancel your credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them easily. 2) File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). 3) But here's what is perhaps most important (he never ever thought to do this): Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. He had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell him an application for credit was made over the Internet in his name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which he knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw his wallet away last weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them in their tracks. The numbers are: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742; Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289; Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271. Do think about passing this information along, too. It could really help someone you care about. Home Decorating/Redecorating Tips
Now you can get our FREE "Decorating Ezine" tips, ideas, secrets and tricks, like the one below, sent to you FREE and automatically
via email on a periodic basis to help you with your decorating projects. As readers of
my ebook send me their before and after photos, I'll be posting them to this page and
in the emails to show you some of their creativity to encourage you and give you
more ideas than I have in my ebook, Decor Secrets Revealed. |