Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Unique Wall Decorating Idea for Washrooms!

Quotes for the Bathroom Wall
The Washroom Quote We Featured

The Twitter Principle - I call these 'Mom's Visual Tweets'

A few years ago, we updated our main washroom, and one of the accessory items I wanted to place on the wall was a quotation that didn't relate to the room itself.
Typical washroom quotes normally involve something about brushing your teeth or maybe soaking in the tub. However, you don't have to limit your choices. You can easily select words usually reserved for a bedroom, kitchen, living room, or office.
I elected to go this route mainly because it's the one room I know I'll have the kids' undivided attention in! I'm using what I call 'The Twitter Principle' - I call these Mom's Visual Tweets. Especially since some of my boys are men now, reading a short, profound message is much more effective than mom (a.k.a ME) blurting out one-liners! Not to mention that short quotes qualify as NOT too much information!

I've also placed quotes on the fridge for the family to read, but since our washroom was recently updated, I used a small space on the wall to feature this lovely message:

Washroom with Wall Quote
Our Washroom with Wall Quote - Wall Quotes
However, don't feel you have to be limited to being profound and deep with your word choices; you can also choose fun quotes, especially if the washroom is deemed a 'kid space,' or you can have a quote personalized and simply select your own words. 
The above photo shows the canvas quote I put on our own washroom wall, as well as a photo that shows you how I used a small section of the wall to feature it. You can see that you only need a little wall area to find a space for a quote.

Reading and gathering quotes and sayings is one of my favorite hobbies, so much so that I've created quite an extensive Pinterest board about quotes: 

Follow Barbara Tremblay Cipak's board Favorite Quotes on Pinterest.
Have fun decorating!



Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, May 21, 2015

Decorating with Zazzle Posters

blue butterfly photo by mbgphoto

Places to Decorate with Posters

Posters can be a great way to decorate a room or add a bit of color to a dull space.  They are a more casual form of decorating but can really brighten up an area.  Consider posters for decorating in the following spots.

  • College Dorm Rooms
  • Laundry Rooms
  • Basement Rec Rooms
  • Downstairs Baths
  • Finished Garage Walls
  • Hallways

Using a Theme in your Poster Decorating

If you have an area where you want to put several posters, then picking a theme is a good idea.  You might want to use movie posters, hobby themes, nature themes, or perhaps photos from a favorite vacation.  The posters below are selections from lighthouses that I have visited and photographed.  These posters would make a great theme for the lighthouse enthusiast.  I can see a basement recreation room decorated with different lighthouse posters.
Lighthouse Posters
This next collection of posters is from flowers that I have photographed. Flower posters can add a bright spot to many dark or forgotten spots. How about adding one of these to your laundry room.
by mbgphoto
Tropical butterflies are always a welcome sight.  This collection of tropical butterflies comes from my photographs taken at The Butterfly House in Chesterfield, Missouri.  Put a few of these posters on a finished garage wall and it will delight you each time you enter your garage.

Zazzle Posters make Decorating Easy

Zazzle has a great collection of posters that you can order online.  You can also customize their posters with your own photographs or designs. 

If you are looking for a particular size Zazzle is the place to come.  They have a wide variety of sizes starting at 4"by 6" and going up to an extra large 40"x40".  You can also create your own custom size.

At Zazzle you can pick from five different types of materials for your posters.
  1. Value Cardstock Paper (Matte)
  2. Value Poster Paper (Matte)
  3. Poster Paper (Semi-Gloss)
  4. Archival Heavyweight paper (Matte)
  5. Premium Canvas (Gloss)
If you would like to add a frame to your poster their are custom frames available to an extra charge.



Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Sunday, April 19, 2015

Review of a Twin Bed King Connector

Turning Twin Beds into a King Size Bed is Easy and Affordable

This is a practical solution for a teen whose outgrown twin beds, or for a guest room where it's necessary to alternate between twin beds and a large single bed.

If you've ever pushed two twin beds together, you know exactly what the problem is; the gap in the middle.

Without a twin bed king converter, we've gotten around this problem by putting several toppers on the mattresses.

However, if you move around a lot when you sleep, the gap is still an issue. Movement slowly splits the twin beds apart.

So being the creative sort, I placed non-skid padding under the mattresses to prevent the mattresses from splitting apart. Although that was an affordable way to address the movement of the mattresses, it didn't solve the dip in the middle.

This is Where a Twin Bed Connector Comes In

The one featured below has straps that wrap around the twin beds. It keeps the beds together.

You may still feel a dip or gap, however, if you place a mattress cover and other toppers on before the sheet, it should be barely noticeable.

Overall this is an affordable solution to transitioning a kids room to a teens room. You can keep the twin beds and convert them into a king for the growing youngster.

Most teens want a bigger bed, and if their room is already furnished with twin beds, this is a viable solution. Best of all, you don't have to buy a king sized bed!

How to Make it Look Nice:

If the room you're making over isn't going to be switched back and forth between twin and king, then it's easy to dress up the bed so it looks like it's always been a king bed.

  • If you have two headboards and you're able to remove them, then you could either go with an improvised headboard attached to the wall that's the width of both mattresses, or elect to skip a headboard altogether and simply deck the bed out with many pillows.

  • If you opt for pillows as the backdrop, without a headboard, you can use a bolster at the head of the bed so the pillows don't appear to be resting directly on the wall. I've done this myself, and it looks really nice.

  • Use a king sized bed skirt. With one skirt going around both beds. Without the appearance of two headboards, nobody will notice the beds were once twin beds.

  • I can't stress enough how padding the mattress with various covers makes a difference; I've used a mattress cover as well as a thick foam mattress pad and it really gives the bed that one piece feel.

The Bed Sheets and the Bedding

Two twin beds, especially with extra padding on top, is a little bigger than a standard king size bed; not much bigger, but enough of an issue that you'll need over sized or deep pocket king sized bed sheets. We love Jersey Knit Bed Sheets because they're stretchable, and they'll work nicely to solve this problem. However, if you're not a fan of Jersey Knit Sheets, then be sure to get king sized bed sheets with deep pockets.


The Non-Slip Padding Mentioned Above 
Ultra Stop Non-Slip Indoor Rug Pad, Size: 4' x 6'Ultra Stop Non-Slip Indoor Rug Pad, Size: 4' x 6'
Above I talk about the non-slip padding I put between the box spring and mattress, well I actually used ones designed to hold area rugs in place.

For us they worked perfectly. This one measures 4 feet by 6 feet, so I just bought a couple for each twin bed, and positioned them on the box spring so as to cover a good portion. I would position them to go over the gap in the bed as well. The Grand Fitted Quilted Mattress Pad Cover Hypoallergenic (Stretches to 18The Grand Fitted Quilted Mattress Pad Cover Hypoallergenic (Stretches to 18

Mattress Pad Cover

Here's an example of a king sized mattress pad cover that you can put over the twin bed king connector and mattress.

This one has 20 inch deep pockets as well, so if you want to put a layer of foam underneath (for added comfort) you should have a enough room. I would say, if you had to choose between the non-slip pads above and this, choose this. It's the best way to pull the mattresses together after you've used the twin connector.


Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Monday, March 23, 2015

Sharpies - a Great Way to Personalize Easter Eggs

Eggs by A Pumpkin & a Princess
There is an easy way to make beautiful and personalized Easter eggs. In this review, you will see that using egg coloring and Sharpie brand markers is an inexpensive way to make your eggs unique.Whether you decorate Easter eggs as a great way to spend time with children or because you are an adult who loves to relive that childhood magic of coloring eggs, using a Sharpie marker is a great way to make your eggs your own.

I have always loved Easter eggs


I am not a very creative person. Nor do I do much decorating on the holidays. But I have always loved Easter egg decorating and hunting. Easter eggs bring back memories of the hunts at Grandma's house so many years ago.  Even the hunt that I remember few details of except looking down at my pretty new shoes in the snow, leading up to Grandma's house. We had the hunt in that house that year.  I must have been around kindegarten age but I sure do remember those black patent leather shoes and the excitement of trying to add eggs to my little basket. 

Coloring the eggs


Over the years I have tried different products to color eggs. But I always return to the familiar way with PAAS. I have the best luck with PAAS and it is inexpensive.  I find PAAS is reliable and the directions are simple to follow. 


PAAS Egg Decorating Kit

Some folks color their eggs with Kool-Aid.  I may try that this year. I like the colors and they say that it slightly scents your eggs. The directions for using Kool-Aid packs are as follows:

  • Pour 1 pack of Kool-Aid into a container suitable for coloring eggs
  • Add 2/3 cup water to container; stir until completely dissolved.
  • Place the egg into the container (with a spoon preferably)
  • Keep the egg, or section of egg, submerged until the desired color is achieved
  • Set egg aside and allow to dry completely

Cherry Kool Aid


Taking the decorating one step further


My friend's personal Easter Bunny
I have to say that I LOVE Sharpie brand markers. Always have and I always will.  I use them at work, at home, and every chance I get.  Sharpie makes a marker size and color for every project you could think of.  They are bright and permanent. There are a variety of tips and mediums. 

My friend likes Sharpie markers even more than I do. A few years ago he introduced me to the idea of decorating Easter Eggs with Sharpie markers. We colored our eggs as we normally do. After they cooled and dried, we drew on them with these simple, black, permanent markers.  I regret not having taken more photos of his artwork but I think you can get the idea. You can see that the marker ink is dark and bold.  I am not as artistic. Rather than drawing things such as bunny faces, I drew simple smiley faces on mine, and wrote words or messages. 

I never imagined that Minion eggs would be an easy and adorable Easter egg design. Crystal on A Pumpkin & a Princess shows us how to color the eggs with PAAS, then add googley eyes, a bit of string, and a hand-drawn face to make these holiday Minions (shown above).  There too, you can see how nice the Sharpie marker ink looks on the eggs. 


On Redefine Creativity Alisa Burke shows us how she creates gorgeous "doodle" Easter eggs by using a black Sharpie over a white egg.  She uses the empty egg shell after blowing out the contents.  There are a variety of designs in her article but they all remind me somewhat of beautiful henna tattoos. I'd like to try these with a hard-boiled egg and a base of pastel color. Thank you Alisa for this wonderful idea. 


Eggs by Obviously Sweet
The "doodle" eggs displayed on Obviously Sweet are also white eggs with black sharpie patterns. These have a slightly different look than the patterns mentioned earlier. To me they look more modern and geometric. They can be as easy or difficult as you care to make them.

I don't know how I didn't know, but there is a neon sharpie marker set that is fluorescent under black lights.  I can imagine using the neon colors for these patterned "doodle" eggs.  I think they would look great. 

Happy Easter to you. Whether you are helping a child discover the wonder of making beautiful things or whether you are an adult that still enjoys the fun of decorating eggs, I hope that you create some wonderful memories as you make your eggs this year. 









Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Most Recent Reviews on Review This Reviews






Search for Reviews by Subject, Author or Title

The Review This Reviews Contributors



SylvestermouseSylvestermouseDawn Rae BDawn Rae BMbgPhotoMbgPhotoBrite-IdeasBrite-IdeasWednesday ElfWednesday ElfOlivia MorrisOlivia MorrisTreasures by BrendaTreasures by BrendaThe Savvy AgeThe Savvy AgeMargaret SchindelMargaret SchindelRaintree AnnieRaintree AnnieLou16Lou16Sam MonacoSam MonacoTracey BoyerTracey BoyerRenaissance WomanRenaissance WomanBarbRadBarbRadBev OwensBev OwensBuckHawkBuckHawkDecorating for EventsDecorating for EventsHeather426Heather426Coletta TeskeColetta TeskeMissMerFaeryMissMerFaeryMickie_GMickie_G

 


Review This Reviews is Dedicated to the Memory of Our Beloved Friend and Fellow Contributor

Susan DeppnerSusan Deppner

We may be apart, but
You Are Not Forgotten





“As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and or Etsy (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from purchases.” Disclosure Statement

X