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8.20.2013

guest post: small decor projects for the home

Hi I am Jessica Christian and I am really thankful to Shannon for letting me do this guest-post. It is all about creating small home decor projects which will brighten up your home. Enjoy!

We all want a beautiful home, but few of us can afford to walk into a furniture store and simply order a full room's worth of furniture; soft furnishings and accessories all in one go. However, with a little forethought and planning, not to mention a significant input of time and a reasonable budget; it is possible to have beautifully put together rooms. The following small projects do not cost a lot, and can help you get the rooms your desire.

Learn to Upholster

Upholster your plain furniture with leftover curtain fabric to bring it into harmony with the room as a whole. A plain wooden bedside cabinet can be improved very simply. First of all, measure the area that you want to cover. It does not have to be the entire cupboard door, sometimes there are panels that make a 'ready-to-use' space, otherwise you can simply measure an area in the middle of the door or panel. Experiment a little until you find a look that works for the room. Then carefully cut a piece of thin foam and glue it in place. Next cut and hem the fabric that will go over the panel, taking great care to make the corners exact right angles – any variation will show glaringly and make the piece of furniture look 'home-made' and awkward. Finally glue or staple the fabric cover in place, starting at the top and smoothing it tightly over the foam as you work for a fabulous padded motif. If you add these marvellous panels to your bedroom furniture, you can match it to the wonderful bedding available from yorkshirelinen.com – they have such a wide variety that you are sure to find the perfect bedding set for your ideal bedroom!

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You Can Never Have Too Many Cushions…

Use remnants of curtain fabric or buy contrasting or toning fabric to make a set of cushions. If you are not a brave seamstress use the simplest possible design, if you are skilled at sewing you could try something a bit more daring! Cut out large squares – slightly bigger than the size cushions you want. Place two squares, right sides together and sew around three sides. The fourth side needs to be left just open enough for you to get your hand, filled with stuffing, inside. Fill the cushion to the desired size – more stuffing makes a firm rounded cushion, less makes a floppier, less rigid one – then carefully hand-sew the opening shut, using invisible stitching. You will be amazed at the difference that perfectly matching cushions can make in drawing the décor of the room together – and at how little it cost to make them! A lot of variety of cushions is available at:  cushionsonline.co.uk

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Put up Some Defenses!

If you have a large open, but clutter-filled unit do not be afraid to literally draw a veil over it! Use curtains to hide clutter and create serenity in any room. It is a simple matter to screw in an eyelet at each end of the top of a bookcase, wall unit or similar piece of furniture (even a table, if you have lots of things tucked underneath it!) and run a piece of curtain wire between the two. Choose the fabric for the curtain to go with the general décor, perhaps even using fabric that is leftover from the curtains, or go for something different to create a focal point in the room! You can use many yards of light fabric gathered to create a pretty frilly look, or you can opt for an elegance heavy fabric that will fall straight, without any pleats or gathers. Once your cluttered shelves and half-completed projects are hidden from view the room will immediately look cool and well put-together – perfect for impressing guests!

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When in Doubt – Go Up!

Use the full height of the walls in every room, to free up the maximum amount of floor space. When choosing a wall unit or bookcase, always pick the tallest one that you can. Be sure to use the wall fixings for tall furniture as you do not want it to topple onto the floor, or worse, a person passing by… If you furniture is standard height and you have over a metre of 'wasted' space between the top of the unit and the ceiling, you can install some shelves. If you have an idea of what you want to store up there you can measure the distance between the shelves to suit. Once you have installed the shelves and have packed away items that are seldom used, but that are still necessary, you will be amazed at the transformation 'on ground level' so to speak!

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These four projects require some time and patience, but can help you to transform your house into a thing of beauty and elegance with a place for everything. Once you begin to enjoy using your hands to create useful objects for the home you will find it hard to stop until your home is the haven of beauty that you have always wanted!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks a bunch! I hope all the readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it..

    Lots of love to you Shannon!
    Warmly,
    Jessica x

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