Updating your front door

Looking at your home from the outside, do you feel like there needs to be more color?  Have you ever considered brightening the color of your front door?  Here are some tips to quickly transform your entrance way:


The door:

When choosing a new door color, choose a contrasting, bright accent color.  Do not paint the door the same color as the surrounding trim.  Try a warm color like a deep red.

What you'll need:
* one quart of primer
* one quart of oil-based paint

Apply three coats of paint for durability & best color.


The knob & knocker:

To brighten your door, polish your doorknob & knocker with a bottle of brass polish.


Accents:

Try adding a planter or two to add accents to your entrance.  Your planter should be at least two feet high & its color should not match the door.  For a wonderful fragrance, every time you pass by, consider planting rosemary. 

~~ Color inspiration for 2011 ~~

Did you know.....?

Every year the predicted color combinations in home decor and fashion are selected.  Usually the colors for each season stay the same for that entire year but are just muted (fall & winter) and brightened (spring & summer).

Throughout this week I will bring you a different color combination for home decor that was selected.
Gray, is all the talk right now with color combinations ranging from white, black, stone & brown-gray.





 
The use of a gray palette works well in a modern setting.  Try using gray as a neutral along with bolder or busier color schemes.  The reverse could work as well.  Use gray as your main color and accent with brighter "pops" of colors.
 
 
Would you choose this color scheme?
 
 
 
I will be adding a pillow, cushion collection in gray and white and a cream collection.  Look for it soon on my website:  http://www.sewninspirations.com/    

~~~Nature Inspired~~~

Looking to make a quick change in your decor?  Be inspired by nature.

Look around your home for anything that can hold water.  I used some antique milk glass bowls and a dainty tea cup.  How about that gorgeous vase you haven't used in awhile or even an ice bucket?

By using these inherited pieces they provoke a sense of purpose, bringing your eye to them. 

Step outside with garden clippers in hand and see what's in bloom.  

By adding petite flowers to my dainty tea cup, it brought a special touch to a powder room.

Hydrangeas floating in this antique milk glass bowl created a relaxed atmosphere.  By adding the doily it gave it a romantic southern feeling.

An entry table with a simple vase of tiny flowers welcomes everyone that comes to visit. 

Bringing nature indoors is a free makeover for your rooms.  Have fun, be creative and be inspired!

~~~ Animal Prints, the new neutral? ~~~

Have you have ever thought of using animal prints as a neutral background?  I never did until I started taking pillows from various collections and putting them into different combinations.

I am using a tan leopard print as an example.  (Using a tan background wasn't the best choice for the photos, but you will see the idea.) 

Here the leopard print is used in the background with the accent pillows in front.

Since the tan color tones were close, mixing a traditional type of decor with the leopard print brings more interest to this setting. 

Along with using the leopard print for a backdrop, I mixed the two collections, Congo animal  print with the leopard print, to bring more drama and focus to the elephant.

Here the leopard print soothes the eye from the busy print and bright colors of this beautiful fabric.

Have you "dared" to use an animal print as a neutral?  I would love to hear what you have done.

~~ Tile Inspiration ~~

I would like to introduce you to an artist I recently met who does beautiful painting on ceramic tiles.  I interviewed her so you can get to know her too.  Perhaps you'll pick-up some new decorating ideas or find a solution to a decorating dilema......

(To view more of her artwork, please visit her website listed below.)

1) Briefly describe what you make:

Custom acrylic paintings—each one new and unique, with optional calligraphy, on 6”x6” ceramic tiles. They are glazed multiple times, with a glossy, heat-resistant finish and backed with cushioning cork, through which has been woven a soft wall hanger. My tile paintings can be custom ordered from a diverse gallery of original copyrighted images (http://www.stjudesquareartworks.com/) that include floral close-ups, distant landscapes and seascapes, tropical scenes, lemons or other fruit, farm animals or sheds, or childhood themes, such as Mother Goose art. I will paint an entirely new picture based on the theme you choose, and will sign it, as your own one-of-a-kind designer tile. In addition, you can custom order a picture to be painted by me from your own photo, for an additional cost. I will even use your fabric swatches or wallpaper samples to make a tile trivet or wall hanging that coordinates with your decorating schemes.

You can direct me to add calligraphy to your tile, if you like. I will generally “soften” or adjust the picture I paint to allow the lettering to be dominant. A passage from Scripture or other quote you would like to display, a name, a message, a house number, a wedding date, or birth details of a new baby—are only a few examples of how a tile can be personalized for a specific use or occasion, with lettering.

2) What mediums do you enjoy working with?

I truly enjoy color, and highlighting memorable information with harmonizing images, pleases me. I also love the subtle “cottage” and “green” themes suggested by use of the humble tile as a work of art… My choice of tiles as an art medium came about originally because I had a large, partially used box of ceramic tiles that needed “re-imagining” to avoid being tossed into a landfill!

3) Do you have any advice on how to decorate with your tiles?

The options are wide open, really…imagination is the only limiting factor… Here are a few ideas:

…My daughter uses a bright trio of fruit—two lemons and a pear—hung diagonally above her kitchen sink.

…One customer orders a “birth announcement” tile whenever a grandchild is born, to hang in her family room. Quite the conversation piece, she says!

…Use as décor on a wall in any room in the house, or place on any tabletop where furniture needs protection from glasses, candles, or vases.

…In an outdoor living space, they are durable, and add color, function, and civility.

…With a family name or house number inscribed, they can adorn a doorway.

…When special ordered (without cork on the back), they could even be carefully grouted into place as a backsplash. Several of them together can be painted as a large mural.

…In a child’s room, they can illustrate a child’s name or cute, made-up word. Even a footprint can be sent in and transformed into a tile.