Archive for September, 2008
Peoples have a passion for fragrance, and scented candles are the number one choice of U.S. consumers for home fragrance. Candle manufacturers work closely with fragrance companies to develop scents that can create a special atmosphere to any room in the home.
Scented candles are great for any room in the house, but unscented candles are best for dining. Scented candles can conflict with the aroma and enjoyment of your food.
Whether grouped for drama in the living room, paired in candlesticks on the dining table, or snuggled in colored glass votives on the mantel, candles add elegance and style to homes.
Large pillar candles placed in clear glass hurricanes make a bold decorating statement during the day, and enhance a room with subtle warmth and drama when lit.
By placing one or more pillar candles on a pillar plate and surrounding the candle base with flat gray or black stones you will add an Asian influence. This looks best with neutral colored or deeply hued candles and pillar plates made of metal.
Candlelight can transform the patio into one of your home’s most enchanting areas. Bring a shimmer of candlelight to your patio dining with groupings of white or cream candles protected from the wind by hurricanes or votive holders.
Turn you bathroom into a spa. Using candles with heavy or overpowering scents could overwhelm the small space of your bathroom. Decorate with candles that make your bathroom smell fresh and clean. Opt for citrus scents or some of the candles that are made to smell like the ocean, clean linen or freshly cut grass.
If your bathroom has a contemporary style, you can use contemporary soy scented candles that have a modern style.
Kids love to have a buddy that comes along for a car ride. At homedecorbylulu.com we found just the perfect take along pal.
I am very excited about this collection in stuffed animal pillows. They are very soft and colorful and you don’t have to worry that they will stay stuffed away in the bedroom.
Children can have a favorite stuffed animal that they can also lie around with and use as a pillow. These versatile stuffed animal pillows also can take center stage at both naptime and playtime. You could start a fun zoo with our animal pillow collection.
They are very huggable and cuddly and make great gifts for all ages!
Thinking of decorating your child’s room and don’t know where to start?
It’s simple!
Your kid’s decor should be a mixture of what your child wants and what they might need later on.
1. Paint: If your child has two favorite colors, you could use these shades in compliment of one another.
2. Borders and wall papers: If you want to use only one neutral color, then you should use fun and theme wall papers and borders that later on can be remove to replace them with new ones.
3. Wall stickers could bring a unique touch and add so much to your child’s room. They are very simple to peel off when you want them gone.
4. Wall art: To add a personal touch, hang their favorite artwork around the room.
5. Choose the right fun fabrics to add a punch to the room.
Use that neon pink, aqua or the lime green that you see everywhere in decorative kids pillows, bedding and curtains.
These are just a few ideas for how to decorate your kid’s room.
Consumers should know that not all cotton is created equal. There are a few important factors involved in ensuring a smart cotton purchase. When shopping for cotton throw blankets, sheets and clothing, buyers should pay attention to three key factors:
First, they should check the softness of the fabric. The material should feel smooth and supple when rubbed between the fingers. Next, they should check for durability. Cotton fabric should last through several years of washing, so if the fabric being considered is already frayed or ragged it should be put back on the shelf. Cotton material has long been touted for its breathability, and this can be checked by the labeling. If the label lists %100 as a quality of the fabric a customer can be assured their cotton purchase will not trap heat.
Decorative glass in the form of vases, perfume bottles and paperweights has long been used by interior decorators to spice up a normally dull room. Many of these items, however, must be painstakingly designed by professional artists and glass blowers. Hand-crafted glass perfume bottles must go through several steps before they are ready to be sold.
- Preparing glass in accordance with the specified design size.
- Glass blowers heat the glass and start shaping the different pieces.
- First quality check to insure size matches the targeted design.
- Artist etch pieces in accordance to the specified design.
- Pieces are painted then prepared to be heated for 5–6 hours in a high-temperature oven to fix colors.
- Once the pieces are done they are left for 3–4 hours. Next, painted and prepared pieces to go into the oven again for 5–6 hours.
- A second quality check is made for color matches, gold degree, and any air in the glass.
Before buying a brand-name perfume from a department store as a gift for a loved one, consider purchasing a hand-made glass perfume bottle. These bottles are works of arts and can be filled with many favorite fragrances.
Decorating with accent pillows is lots of fun. Decorative pillows add interest to any decor and can soften the space bringing out warmth and coziness. These days, throw pillows come in a variety of colors and fabrics to make it relatively easy to match to your paint colors, wall art, window treatments or anything else in your room.
Here are some general rules:
1. Choosing accent pillows with a mix of warm white and oatmeal hues creates a soothing feeling.
2. Bold striped toss pillows add graphic interest.
3. The botanical silk decorative pillows lend drama.
4. Use accent pillows in palettes inspired by autumn for warm, inviting rooms with all season appeal.
5. Pillows in Aqua hues infuse the room with a sense of calm and serenity.
Crewel embroidery is most often used to decorate cushions, curtains, clothing and wall hangings.
At homedecorbylulu.com, we featured a variety of unique decorative pillows with crewel embroidery. Many of us don’t know about crewel embroidery… that’s why we thought that it would be a good idea to post this article about this traditional technique.
Crewel Embroidery is a decorative form of surface embroidery using wool and a variety of different embroidery stitches to follow a design outline applied to the fabric. The technique is at least a thousand years old. It was used in the Bayeux Tapestry, in Jacobean embroidery and in the Quaker tapestry.
The origin of the word crewel is unknown but is thought to come from an ancient word describing the curl in the staple, the single hair of the wool. Crewel wool has a long staple; it is fine and can be strongly twisted. Modern crewel wool is a fine, 2-ply or 1-ply yarn available in many different colors.
Description of the technique
The crewel technique is not a counted-thread embroidery (like canvas work), but a style of free embroidery. It is usually worked on a closely woven ground fabric, typically linen or cotton. More recently crewel is being made on Matka Silk, Cotton Velvet, Rayon Velvet, Silk Organza, Net Fabric and also Jute. A firm fabric is required to support the weight of the stitching. Special Crewel needles or Chenille needles are required, with large eyes and sharp points.
The outlines of the design to be worked are often screen printed onto the fabric or can be transferred to plain fabric using modern transfer pens, containing water soluble ink, or iron-on designs applied using transfer sheets. The old fashioned “pinprick and chalk” or “prick and pounce” methods also work well. This is where the design outlines on paper are pricked with a needle to produce perforations along the lines. Powdered chalk or pounce material is then forced through the holes onto the fabric using a felt pad in order to replicate the design on the material.
Designs range from the traditional to more contemporary patterns. The traditional design styles are often referred to as Jacobean embroidery featuring highly stylized floral and animal designs with flowing vines and leaves.
Many different embroidery stitches are used in crewelwork to create a textured and colourful effect. Unlike silk or cotton embroidery threads, crewel wool is thicker and creates a raised, dimensional feel to the work. Some of the techniques and stitches include:
· Outlining stitches such as Stem stitch, Chain stitch and Split stitch
· Satin stitches to create flat, filled areas within a design
· Couched stitches, where one thread is laid on the surface of the fabric and another thread is used to tie it down. Couching is often used to create a trellis effect within an area of the design.
· Seed stitches, applied randomly in an area to give a lightly shaded effect
· French knots are commonly used in floral and fruit motifs for additional texture
Unlike canvass work, Crewel embroidery requires the use of an embroidery hoop or frame on which the material is stretched taut and secured prior to stitching. This ensures an even amount of tension in the stitches, so that designs do not become distorted. Although nowadays, crewel and free embroidery is generally executed with a small portable hoop, early embroidery was executed on large free standing frames. Such free standing frames were common parlor furniture in most homes. The rectangular canvas mount could tilt and pivot over so that the needle worker could also access the back of the canvas with ease.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Crewel Embroidery”.
By grouping wall art together you will bring style and personality to any space. You can create a big impact and a focal point by geometrically hanging pieces of wall art together. Try to tell a story or capture someone’s attention each time they enter your home.
1. Three images of a similar theme hung together in a row will add drama and a gallery feel.
2. Symmetrical arrangements are often used to also create gallery effects. You can enhance their effect by hanging them above large pieces of furniture.
3. Grouping smaller and similarly sized pieces together creates the illusion of a larger work of art.
4. Always hang pictures at eye level of the average person where they can be comfortably viewed. The standard distance is about 60 inches off the floor.
5. Standard spacing between prints is 4” to 6″.
6. When hanging something above a sofa, or any large piece of furniture, leave no less than three, and no more than six inches between the two objects.
7. The eye is more attracted to an odd number of grouped items rather than to an even number.
8. Visually, dark colored pieces should go below light colored pieces and heavier pieces should go below visually lighter pieces.