Archive for April, 2009
Posted on April 30, 2009 - by admin
Dupioni Silk Video
I just learned how to make simple little videos, check out my handiwork!
Posted on April 29, 2009 - by admin
Topiaries - both real and “preserved”
WOW - I wish I had known about this site 10 or so years ago when I was making 20 or so topiaries for my wedding. At the time, there really weren’t that many good options on the market. They were either too fake or too cheap or too something. SO, we opted to make our own. A LOT of time and a LOT of money later we had 20 beautiful topiaries. It was a true family effort. My dad cut the wood from a fallen tree in our family’s yard, my mom painted the pots, grandma hot glued, uncle assembled… you get the picture.
Ivy Ball on Stem Topiary 14 inch
Well the point of my telling you this story is to stay that those topiaries are STILL in rotation. My best friend (and her sister) used them in their weddings, as did my sister and my brother. They have been used at countless parties and every year during the holidays. A well made topiary is a MUST HAVE for your decorating rich decor. Although there is something about a topiary that makes me want to have them in pairs. After all of these years I am still in love with those manicured balls. I now have two real ones outside my front door. I love them and get complimented all the time. Check out the great ones available at Fresh Topiary. Click on the link below and browse their site for ideas. I love that they sell topiaries in 2 and 4 packs - as I said, I like them in pairs.
Ivy Ball on Stem Topiary (pair)
Posted on April 27, 2009 - by admin
What is a Designer Show House?
WHAT:
The name Decorators’ Show House is generally associated with a fund-raising project for a charity organization where a house is donated (acquired, borrowed, offered), redecorated and open to the public for viewing. The organization’s committee selects numerous designers to participate in the redesign of the rooms in that house. Often the interior designers are required to conform to the architecture of the house and respect the time period, while other committees give the designers carte blanche for design. After a short period of time, the interior designers have transformed a slightly “loved” house into a showcase. That showcase is open to the public to make money for the charity.
WHO:
Interior designers and decorators are the primary participants in the show house. The occasional landscape architect is also invited as well. Depending on the prestige and geography of the show house, the list of participants can read like a Who’s Who of the design industry. Generally many designers vie for the opportunity to be chosen to participate. Room selection is often given to the biggest names in design. Once the designers solidify the concept, they pull in all of their top resources. Because of the extreme cost to the designer and their firm, they often showcase (and reveal) their best vendors, craftsmen, and resources who participate at a reduced or nominal cost. (It is for charity!) However, the exposure is enormous for the designers, and the press coverage is high. Many potential clients walk through these show houses to get an idea of which of the designers might fit their needs. (I once saw Oprah canvassing Kips Bay for ideas and a designer.)
WHERE:
These events are held around the country. Check our calendar continuously for updates. The most prominent events are in the bigger cities like New York, Washington, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, etc.However,Pasadena has one of the best, and prestigious communities like Greenwich and Darien, Connecticut, put together some pretty spectacular events. Some of the show houses like Kips Bay in New York and the NSO in Washington, D.C. are more than 25 years old and very worth marking on your calendar as must-do events.
WHEN:
The show houses are generally presented in the spring. However, clever fund-raising committees are now staggering these events throughout the year. The annual events are scheduled in the same general time frame (look at our calendar of last year’s events to make travel plans for next year). The show houses are generally open for about one month. Once the show house closes, the charity organization immediately begins the search for the next year’s property.
WHY:
These Decorators’ Show Houses are fundraising events but are also a prestigious way for the local and often national design community to show off their latest visions and trends in interior design. Designers spend tremendous amounts of their own money and time to create a finished space that exudes their talent and capabilities. With such compressed time schedules and great expense, it is really an undertaking for any designer to pull off remarkable results. Oh, but they do!
HOW:
Once the location is chosen, the charity committee invites designers to visit the house and submit a request for a room and a concept for that room. Through a private (and often very political) selection process, a designer is assigned a room. Once the rooms are assigned, the designers go to work. Generally the designers have about six weeks from selection time to the opening to the public. The houses are then opened up for house tours to the public, for a fee. Additionally, there are often auctions of the contents of some of the rooms, preview galas, raffles, great programs, and business cards galore to pick up. The proceeds go to the charity, usually with great results.
Posted on April 26, 2009 - by admin
Outdoor seating goes rural!
Decorating rich is so much more than fancy settees and puffy ottomans! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s a frame of mind - it’s a way of life. It’s about being different and having things in your home that reflect you and your history.
Well, even if you didn’t grow up on a farm…take a gander at this cool Tractor Seat garden stool. Made entirely of cast iron, the sucker weighs 25lbs. According to Gardeners.com “it looks authentic - like it was found in a field”. I can picture one nestled amoung a patch of daisies. Grab a glass of sweet tea and enjoy the butterflies.
Posted on April 23, 2009 - by admin
Decorating Rich goes outdoors
With beautiful weather right around the corner, try some of these fresh designs to bring a touch of class to your yard. All of these items is available at Pier 1
Stacking Chairs: It’s time to graduate from those horrible $4 plastic chairs that you can buy at your local grocery store. These beauties retail for $69.95 and come in a green, white, red & natural. Light enough to drag around your yard, yet sturdy enough to last for years to come. Bonus: they stack for easy storage
Terracotta Pot with Chalk: How cute is this?? I’m definitely buying a ton of these for Mother’s Day gifts (and end of the year teacher gifts). You can write the name of your herb, or maybe you buy a pot for each member of your family and let them test their green thumb. Regardless of what you do with it, I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t smile after seeing one of these.
Flower Garden Stool: Ok, I’m even more in love with these than I am with the Terracotta Pot. The color is perfect, the size is adorable, and the design is classic. A wonderful updated print applied to an old classic - the garden stool. I can picture it on the edge of a coy pond, nestled right up against a huge patriot hosta (or underneath a Magnolia tree). OR, if you have pond phobia (as I do) this stool would brighten up any sunroom. In fact, it could be a summer version of your Living room end table. So many uses!
Suzani Outdoor Pillow: What patio wouldn’t come alive with a cheery pillow like this one. I’m impressed by the bright colors and happy design. Historically it’s hard to find outdoor fabrics in bright colors (due to the sun’s fading effects). I’m interested to see if this pillow will hold up to the strong summer sun.
Posted on April 22, 2009 - by admin
HAPPY EARTH DAY - Eco-Wallcoverings: Not Your Parents’ Wallpaper
It’s common knowledge among remodelers and interior designers that the easiest way to transform the look of a home is by changing the wall color. Often the design element used is paint. Not so in my childhood home.
See, I had a wallpaper designer parent (Dad), and my other parent (Mom) was over the moon over wallpaper. My father’s flocks and my mom’s modern metallics were in full bloom all over the walls of the house. Along with the rolls of wallpaper samples and those thick, stumpy wallpaper books, there were tiny flecks of film that caught on all the textured surfaces of the house. My Dad’s handprinted silk-screening pieces from his graphic design process landed on more than just the walls. It gave new meaning to “wallpaper world” and let’s just say they had their share of wallpaper wonders and woes.
Now we know the lowdown on wallpaper is low. Traditional vinyl wallpaper leaks VOCs. The adhesives used in pre-pasted wallpaper emit vapors. The chemicals used in vinyl wallpaper have the potential to harbor mold. Mold growth behind wallpaper aggravates a plethora of health problems. No wonder wallpaper wallowed away from the home design scene.
But lately, wallpaper has been popping up all over the blogosphere.
There’s one basic credo about green home design: If it is eco-friendly, eco-chic and makes the homeowner happy, then bring it home. Wallpaper hasn’t seemed to fit this model … until now.
Think of these eco-friendly wallpapers as upholstery for your walls. Don’t forget the wallpaper paste. Care2’s got an excellent DIY green recipe for wallpaper paste that is free of pesticides and easy to make.
The most eco-friendly:
• At Madison and Grow, the wallpaper is hand silk-screened using water-based ink. The papers are clay coated for extra durability and can be wiped with a damp sponge. Their manufacturing process emits no VOC’s.
• Designer, Angela Adams’ Wallcoverings are known for their sense of timelessness, simplicity and balance, inspired by Maine’s natural beauty. The wallpaper is breathable, has no pvc, 100% post consumer recyclable, uses water based inks with no heavy metals and Greenguard certified for low-VOC emissions.
For the wallpaper commitment-phobic:
• If you just don’t want to make a permanent statement with wallpaper, try Blik Surface Graphics. These oversized, self-adhesive, removable decals and stickers allow anyone to quickly and easily create decorative patterns or custom wall murals at home.
• Marimekko makes a non-toxic product that you peal, stick and decorate on your wall called WallCandy (love it) that looks great for using in kid’s rooms.
• Ferm Living has absolutely beautiful wallpaper and wall stickers. They are quite pricey, but recently had a 60 percent off sale on their fun wall stickers. Here’s their popular kid-friendly paper and stickers. No statement about how green the company is, but worth a look for inspiration.
Ronnie Citron-Fink lives in New York with her husband, two children (when they come home to the nest), two dogs and a cat. Ronnie is a teacher and a writer. She has been a contributing writer for Family Fun magazine. She currently writes articles about education and home design. Her writings are in four books including Family Fun Home and Some Delights of the Hudson Valley.
More from Ronnie Citron-Fink (56 articles available)
Posted on April 21, 2009 - by admin
History of silk industry is recalled
The silk industry from the 1890s to the mid-1930s employed thousands of local women, according to Martha Capwell Fox, an industry researcher.
Fox spoke at the First Presbyterian Church in West Pittston on Sunday afternoon in a program titled “Silk Weaver for the World.” She described the history of local silk mills and their eventual demise.
Fox, of Catasaqua, Lehigh County, has a special tie to the industry, being a daughter of a silk mill owner.
She showed photos circa 1890s to 1970s of women working in local silk mills. During its height, there were more than 25 local mills, some big enough to house 1,500 employees. The industry was “huge” and now barely a trace remains, she said.
Several of those in attendance remembered their parents working in the mills. One man talked about the mill located in West Pittston on Philadelphia Avenue. It employed Polish and Lithuanian girls, he said. A woman told nostalgic stories of her mother who liked working in local silk mills.
During the contentious anthracite strikes in 1902, the silk mills kept food on the tables of local families, Fox said. That kept the coal barons from “starving the miners out.”
In the 1890s the mills employed girls age 10 to 18 at 10 cents per hour, she said. At the time it was good money, she added, because most mills added pay based on production.
Most girls wanted to develop a good relationship with the repairmen because the women could lose money if their machines were broken. Many romances started in the mills, she added.
Processing raw silk was a very intricate process that made young girls the best candidates for the job, she said. Around 1910, Pennsylvania started to enact labor laws to regulate the age of the workers and the amount of time they would have to work, she said.
However, the girls really liked the jobs, Fox said. Many returned to work after getting married and raising their children. Some worked into their 70s and 80s, she added. The local silk industry was very good to its employees compared to others of the time, she said.
In the 1920s the industry went through a surge in which mills were changing ownership frequently, Fox said. Silk was the bubble of the 1920s.
At that time there were seven mills in Pittston and two in West Pittston employing immigrant families, she said. They’ve all completely disappeared leaving a spotty paper trail, Fox said.
Today, there are only a few silk producers in India and Southeast Asia. She predicts silk will go back to being a fabric available only to the very wealthy as its supply dwindles.
But in its heyday, silk was so important it was transported in and out of Northeastern Pennsylvania in armored trucks.
Fox was invited to speak about by the West Pittston Historical Society.
RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent
Are you looking for that perfect final touch to your childs room? Think about using a personalized wall banner. A personalized wall banner is a customized piece of art that typically says your child’s name. However, it can say just about anything - something inspirational, a family tree, or perhaps just a monogram. Regardless of what you choose, your child will love seeing his or her own special piece of art. Here are some beautiful examples: What about this one for your perfect little princess?? I love the shaped edge on these Click on any of the above links to browse the website. You can do a search for “wall art” and they have something like 144 options! Everything from fancy scrolling over the top to clean and contemporary. I bought 2 for my daughters almost 5 years ago and they are still displayed proudly in their rooms.
1. SILK. Silk is a very high-end material that has recently become more readily available at the retail level. It’s shiny, soft and glamorous and can be used in a number of no-sew ways. Try a table runner or centerpiece. Simply buy enough yardage to cover the length of your table and to hang over by about 10 inches on either side. If you have them, cut the ends with pinking sheers (as silk tends to fray terribly!) and, if desired, hem the ends with no sew hem tape. If you’re like me and like to change your runner with each season and holiday, don’t even bother hemming! The silk runner in this photo was purchased for under $5 at my local fabric store. I simply cut the end with pinking sheers. Now, I pull it out to add that special touch to those impromptu get-togethers or a formal dinner party. 2. LIGHTING. Chandeliers, chandeliers, chandeliers. Add them now! You’ve seen it in every high-end magazine, a chandelier in the bathroom, over the kitchen island and even the walk-in closet. Luckily, you can afford this luxury as well. Most big box hardware stores carry chandeliers that are pre-wired with a plug. For a few extra dollars you can pay an electrician to hardwire the chandelier into an existing light source. 3. FUR. Mention fur (either real or faux) and most people immediately think rich. Almost every local fabric shop now sells great faux furs at bargain basement prices. This allows you to use fur in the most unexpected ways. How about getting some faux mink and tossing it over the arm of your sofa? Nothing looks more glamorous than the plush soft folds of a mink throw. You can back the fur with some inexpensive coat lining (acetate) or go without the lining and use the fur purely for decoration. 4. TASSELS & TRIM. Tassels & trim are like the icing on the cake. The difference between a nice pillow, curtain or lampshade and a STUNNING pillow, curtain or lampshade is usually the trim. Just like everything else, tassels and trims are now readily available at a retail level and offer quite a lot of “bang for the buck.” For example, to trim out a lampshade you usually need less than a yard. A lampshade is a great place to add trim because it’s often at eye level and acts as a secondary focal point of the room. If you have a few dollars more, try adding some fabulous trim to a pre-made set of drapes. Not sure how to attach it?? If the drapes are non-working and purely for decoration, simply pull out your trusty glue gun or nearest bottle of fabric glue. I’ve trimmed drapes in everything from glass beads to peacock feathers! Which leads us to………. 5. FEATHERS. Unexpected – YES! Expensive – NO! Again, here is a great way to get the most bang for your buck. Feathers of any kind make a huge design impact for not a lot of money. They’re also a great conversation piece. Try adding feathers to your living room lampshade. Stick a few pheasant feathers into a premade floral centerpiece. OR for those of you with sewing skills, trim out a silk throw with feather trim – now that’s pure glamour!! Here are a few photos of custom silk throws that we made for clients… trimmed with… you guessed it… FEATHERS!
Posted on April 20, 2009 - by admin
Silk flowers that don’t SCREAM “fake”!
Recently, I was looking for a new springlike centerpiece for my dining room. You know the feeling, the holidays are finally over and all of the heavy decorations are packed away. Well, this left my dining room feeling a little naked! Too many cold hard wood surfaces. I was reading one of my many decorating magazines and saw a dining room professionally set for the shoot and there was a beautiful vase of Casablanca Lilies right in the middle of the table. I was drawn to the elegant simplicity of the chunky clear glass vase (with a nice heavy bottom) and the bright cheeriness of the lilies. I was lucky enough to track down that arrangement, and at $139… I might buy two! They’ve got some really adorable Gerber Daisies for under $80!
Posted on April 19, 2009 - by admin
Customized wall banner
Airplane Hand painted Canvas
From: Dimples and Dandelions
“Il Etait Une Fois” Large Handpainted Wall Hanging
Little Wish Fairy Wall Hanging
Posted on April 17, 2009 - by admin
Five Beautiful Ways To Add Glamour To Your Decorating
