If you read this post you'll see I started to re-share an article the the 7th issue of the zine I used to publish, Mysterium. It's amazing how much I had forgotten about. Here are some decorating tips I'll share again.
Home Sweet Home: Embellish it! Part 2 of 2
By Megan Noel, 2004, 2011
* Someday I am going to break down and take an upholstery class. In the meantime at least some things are easy to redo: Some chairs have seats that just pop out for recovering (use a staple gun) and so do some footstools. If you can sew even a reasonably straight line you can make new tablecloths, place mats, and curtains. If you can't sew a straight line make the edges wavy on purpose or cover with fringe or trim
* Decorate with maps. If they are old or valuable, make sure to use color copies. You can line drawers or cupboards with them, hang them on the wall, etc. I've always wanted to make my own globe. I reckon the best way to do this would be to buy an inexpensive school globe, gesso it, and then paint my own stuff over top. Do not do this with an old globe without checking to see if it is valuable. Do use old valuable globe to enhance your decor, but don't alter them!
* Hang beads off random items of furniture. This is easy to do. Just drill tiny holes or attach tiny eye hooks. Then you can hang beads off shelves, chairs, tables, you name it. You can never have too many beads.
* I had this idea for a bubble wrap shower curtain. You can buy it in rolls. Simply piece together with clear packing tape and hang. (It is even better if you can get a tall enough piece so that no piecing is involved.) When stressed out, pop the bubbles. When the bubbles are used up, make a new one.
* Do paint scenes on the back of your bookshelves (or collage them) and paint or collage the insides of closest or cupboard doors. We all need a little more excitement in life. Use acrylic paint for this.
* Decorate with your collections, whatever they are. I have decorated with jewelry and evening purses, scarves, and even a beaded velvet jacket hanging on my wall. One of my cousins has her vintage rolling pin collection hanging on her kitchen wall.
* On those days when you have an urge to nest but no extra funds you can still go outside and collect leaves, flowers, twigs, shells, and whatever it is that you can find in your neck of the woods, and make a table arrangement. Be creative and use things in unusual ways!
* If you can find, beg, borrow or steal and old decrepit dresser you can do interesting things with the drawers. Remove the hardware, paint and embellish, add partitions and hang on the wall for curious. Or you can add little shelves going across and them and use to store small items like thread, containers of beads, and mounted rubber stamps. You can even add a glass top, fill with art of curious, and add legs to make an unusual coffee table or end table.
* Things can go together without matching. Pick a color scheme and collect tableware, linens, etc. in those colors. You don't have to spend a lot. You can buy from open stock or thrift stores. I like the little bowls and things you can get in Japanese stores. Next time you entertain mix and match! Or even make each place setting a different color. This would brighten up any winter day.
* As may be clear by now, I am crazy about crows. I like to get those little crow figures in flower shops -- the ones with the real feathers -- and perch them on nails on my wall. They look good over doors and windows. You can scatter tiny fake nests around too. I have some on my window sill. Also, blow out eggs or dye or paint them to look like natural birds' eggs. Some eggs are amazingly pretty and would be fun to copy. I always like to have some leaves, feathers, shells, beach glass, and maple whorls scattered around too, in little bowls on sills and ledges. They are handy for instant art fodder and look homey too.
The End! Enjoy!
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