My Switch Cover: Do It Yourself Switchplate Makeover

_Many rooms today are plagued by boring switch plates and covers. Some of these worn-out plates are adding contrasting, interruptive colors into an otherwise well-decorated room. Look around--is the switchplate closest to you becoming an eyesore?

Until now you may not have realized the obvious disruption a switchplate can bring to an otherwise streamlined room design. Until now, you may not have known there were alternatives to the stale ivory plates that were idly hung in your kitchen more than fifteen years ago. Welcome to MySwitchCover.com: a decorative alternative to traditional switchplates.

At MySwitchCover.com you can learn an advanced decoupage technique to produce original, innovative switch plate design and purchase all the necessary supplies for your project.

_Casual style is comfortable, warm, inviting, and homey. Almost everyone loves it. But exactly what are the elements of a casual room? In general, casual rooms have simple details, textured elements in fabrics and accessories, restful horizontal lines, soft upholstery, low-luster surfaces, and arrangements that avoid perfect symmetry. Rectangular and softly curved elements contribute to a casual feel.

The casual room often includes a bit of whimsey, such as a child's sled remade into a coffee table, a birdhouse lamp base, or a basket filled with pinecones.
Decorating styles with a casual feel can include rustic, American country, French country, Adirondack, ethnic, cottage, Shabby Chic, and more. While many homes today are completely done in a casual style, most homes incorporate a bit of casual style somewhere -- in a family room, breakfast room, guest room, or country kitchen. Use these tips to enhance a casual feel in your home.

Furniture in casual settings can be arranged on diagonal lines within the room and avoids the use of perfectly matched sets. Wood furniture pieces and wood flooring are often made from lighter woods such as pine or oak, and are generally in a non-shiny matte or low luster finish.

Hardware materials include antiqued brass, wrought iron, ceramic, and wood. Theme rooms or collections are often arranged to enhance the mood of a casual room.

Common themes include nautical, rustic, sports, Americana, quilts, hobbies, regional, and more. Collections might be of decoys, birdhouses, teapots, posters, memorabelia, trophies, art prints, etc.

Window Coverings in a casual room are often layered, using simple fabric panels for color and under treatments of functional shutters, blinds, or shades for light control and privacy. Drapery hardware in a casual room can also be made of non-traditional items such as twigs, ski poles, pipes, nailheads, and other creative elements.

Flooring choices can include hardwood, tile, stone, carpeting, area rugs, vinyl, and concrete. Popular casual carpets are sisal, berber, and textured weaves in geometric designs such as diamonds or squares.

Curtain details are non-fussy, such as contrasting lining, welting or banding, tab tops, gathering, simple valances or swags, and tie-backs.

Casual style light fixtures are often seen in materials that include wood, iron, ceramic, pottery, and tin. Chandeliers are found in wrought iron or antiqued metals, and may use small fabric covered lampshades in a coordinating pattern. Sometimes chandeliers use real candles for a light source.

Accessories in casual rooms often include arrangements of baskets, pottery, books, pillows, collections, boxes, tins, trunks, wreaths, wood carvings, and dried flowers. Candles and plants add more texture, color, and interest in a casual room, as do put-your-feet-up ottomans. Artwork is simply framed and in casual themes that support the look of the room.
Casual tableware includes stoneware, textured placemats, loosely woven fabric napkins, sturdy glassware instead of crystal, stainless steel flatware, wooden bowls, iron or pewter look accessories. Casual table looks can be found in everything from neutrals and pastels to brighter floral colors.

Casual Details:  

• Homey, sturdy, and unpretentious interiors
• Low horizontal lines and soft curves
• Simple, unfussy details
• Asymmetrical arrangements of furniture and accessories
• Lighter woods, matte surfaces
• Textured fabrics, sometimes loosely woven
• Farmhouse or rustic antiques
• Collections, themed accessories
• Whimsical and unusual elements add interest
• Flooring of tile, wood, stone, brick, concrete, or textured carpet
• Accessories of stoneware, pottery, tin, wood, iron, quilts, candles, wreaths

Use a casual style wherever you want to create a warm, inviting atmosphere. For the opposite of casual style see these elements of formal style.

Article by Glenda J. Morton, http://www.about.com

_Making a place for the baby-to-be is one of the first ways you can make her/him seem real, months before she/he actually arrives. But before you do or buy anything, make a plan, and consider your lifestyle, your finances and your future.

The Place

Whether it be a corner of your room, alongside your other child or a nursery of her own, you will need to decide where she is going to sleep and where you can store all the baby paraphernalia. After you have chosen a place for the baby, spend time there at different times of day and night. Keep in mind where the sun shines brightly into the room, and where streetlights might be a problem after dark.

Budget and Schedule

List everything you think you will need and work out a budget and a schedule. As a rule, you should complete all major room renovation at least one month before your due date. This isn't just to give you peace of mind, but to allow your new room to air out and get rid of any dangerous fumes.

Theme

There are hundreds of different themes you can choose when decorating your baby's room - from warm and cozy, with wooden furniture and rich yellow hues yellow - to bright and bold, with white furnishings and bursts of vivid colors throughout. Have a good look around several different stores and through a few catalogs before buying anything. As you look, you'll probably find yourself attracted to variations of the same theme over and over. This gives you a place to begin, though keep in mind that personal attention, imagination and inspiration is far more important -- and often less expensive -- than having any one theme continued perfectly throughout the room.

Feel free to mix patterns and colors, and consider trying something new, like painting a mural on the wall or sponging or stenciling letters or animals on the wall in a contrasting shade. Also, remember that your newborn isn't going to be a baby forever - before you choose a pastel bunny motif for the entire nursery, think about how soon you're going to have to retire it. Similarly, fewer and fewer of today's parents are decorating the nursery pink for girls and blue for boys. Staying gender-neutral also ensures the setup will be reusable if another baby comes along.

Wallpaper and Wallpaper Borders

If you decide to use wallpaper instead of paint, vinyl-coated wallpapers are the best bet for the nursery. Ways to cut down your wallpaper bill: use wallpaper on only two walls or divide the wall with a paper border or wooden chair rail. Wallpaper borders can instead be used near the ceiling to add a splash of color. Self-adhesive removable borders and wall stickers are widely available, and feature a variety of familiar characters. There also are coordinating adhesive growth charts and other 'extras' in some product lines.

Flooring
 
Wall-to-wall carpeting is a popular choice for its look, warmth and comfort. Choose a carpet made with nylon fibers or another synthetic that has been treated with stain protectors. The most common alternative to carpeting is a wooden floor, though wood-based laminates like Pergo, ceramic tile, vinyl tile or linoleum are also used. If you use a rug over any of these finishes, make sure it is secured with a non-slip backing.

Window Coverings

The right window covering can "make" the room - choose something that will allow sunlight but avoid glare, give you privacy but will allow your baby to see the world outside. Consider curtains, mini blinds (do not allow your child to pull at gnaw on the blinds as some miniblind coatings may contain lead), roller blinds (you can make your own with any fabric and a kit available at most craft stores), a variety of fabric shades or and shutters. Whatever you put on the windows, be tremendously careful with any pull-cords. Cut the knots off the of multiple strands pulls, and securely loop up the slack far out of your baby's reach.

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_Contemporary interiors have a mantra: clean lines, sculptural furnishings, art, neutral elements and bold color. While some people dislike contemporary style for looking stark and cold, others find it exciting, urban, and fresh. It's a look that often appeals to artists and architects who love the underlying simplicity of line, shape, and form.

The color palette in a contemporary interior can be anything from a mix of neutrals, to black and white, to the use of bright and bold color. Black is often used to ground and define a contemporary room.

Line may be the single most important element of a contemporary interior.  Look for it in architectural shapes and curves, in the bold use of black or color, in background details such as soaring ceilings or tall windows, and in sculptural or geometric elements and art.

If you love the look of contemporary, here are some ideas for creating your own modern room.

• Think of museum interiors when planning a contemporary room: each element has its own space, and is set off to stand alone while contributing to the whole.
• Architectural and functional elements of a space are fully embraced in a contemporary interior, whether they are beautiful or simply structural. Ceiling pipes in loft spaces, broken brick walls in a former factory building, metal ductwork, etc. is often left exposed, adding textural interest and line.
• Learn to see the negative space (the areas around a particular object) and protect it.
• Make bold statements with both furniture and accessories. If you love red, put it up on an accent wall or choose a bright red sofa or chair.
• In both furnishings and accessories, skip the small, pastel, and cute. Avoid ruffles, florals, carved details, traditional shapes. Instead, go for the bold, artistic, and sculptural.
• Furniture generally exhibits clean, smooth lines. Cover it in a neutral, black, or bold fabric. Fabrics often have a natural look (wool, cotton, linen, silk, jute) and add textural appeal.
• Keep furniture details uncluttered. Skirts are often either flat or box pleated, and have no additional trimmings such as fringes or tassles. Legs are exposed and in chunky, solid shapes. Pillows add shots of color and texture in clean geometric shapes.
• Flooring is generally smooth and sleek in vinyl, wood, or low-pile commerical carpeting. Area rugs can add more color, texture, interest, and space definition.
• Plants will add a shot of life to a contemporary room. Make them big, place them in simple pots, and choose varieties that have interesting leaves. Uplight them from the back and underneath. Cover the dirt with smooth rocks or chunky bark chips.
• Dinnerware is available in a variety of contemporary shapes, colors, and styles. Keep it simple and add interest by combining a range colors. Introduce texture with fabrics and placemats, metal, twigs, and other "architectural" looking materials.

Article by Glenda J. Morton, http://www.about.com

_Wall plates are often overlooked during the renovation and redecorating process. Chances are that most of the switch plates in your home are standard white or ivory in color. They serve only a functional purpose and add nothing to the decor or beauty of each room.

The decorating process can be a timely, expensive endeavor.  Painting walls, investing in furniture and finishing floors are just a sample of the steps needed to refurbish a bedroom, bathroom or study. After laboring over minute, decorative details, should you reinstall the old wall plates?

A weathered wall plate on a freshly painted wall is a very visible decorating faux pas. Few home owners run out to the local hardware superstore and browse through the limited inventory of available plates. Even reputable supply stores only carry an inadequate line of pure and off-white plates.

You've already put so much effort into this renovation project, why not see it through to the end? By adding customized switch plates to your room, your design is seamless across all four walls. Artsy Switchplates provides original, creative wall plates to compliment any room or design theme, and Do It Yourself tools for successful switch plate makeover.

Visit www.artsyswitchplates.com to discover a new way of home decorating with designer artistic switch covers.

Article by Artsy Switchplates