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!
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
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!
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!
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!
Thanks a bunch! I hope all the readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it..
ReplyDeleteLots of love to you Shannon!
Warmly,
Jessica x