Disney Babies, Elmo and friends, little ducklings, Beatrix Potter, Noah’s Ark, Candyland jungles, sailboats and stars and moons and teddy bears and choo-choo trains – and those are just a few of the thousands of wallpaper patterns that are available for the single most precious room in your house. Decorating a nursery for your soon-to-be bundle of joy is a joyful task, but the choices can be overwhelming. If you’re choosing wallpaper for your nursery, there are some guidelines and advice that will help you choose nursery wallpaper that he’ll love just as much when he’s five as you do on the day you bring him home from the hospital.

Decide on a motif.
If you’ve already chosen some of the furnishings or bedding for your baby’s room, you may have a pretty good idea of the sort of nursery you want to create. Whether you opt for Disney characters, sailboats and fishes, fantasy castles or frolicking lambs, you’ll find nursery wallpaper that supports the theme. Keep in mind though that your child is going to grow faster than you can imagine, and it won’t be long before she’s got some very definite tastes of her own. By all means, indulge your fantasies if the motif you want is cutesy nursery with fluffy lambs, bunnies and teddy bears – but opt for wallpaper that’s easily strippable when she’s ready for Barbie and Hello Kitty.

Keep it simple and bright.
Babies distinguish bright colors and simple shapes long before they can discern anything else. Those puffy clouds and smiling stars are there for YOUR benefit, not your baby’s. If you’re looking for something that will stimulate your new munchkin’s brain, pick wallpaper with bright primary colors and simple shapes. One of the neat wallpaper tricks is to opt for a simple striped pattern accented with a strippable wallpaper border in complementary colors. It’s a simple matter to replace the ABC nursery blocks wallpaper border with Crayola crayons when he’s two, and Elmo and Friends nursery wallpaper border when he’s four and bats, balls and gloves when he’s six.

Make it FUN.
If you do decide to opt for a busy style wallpaper, choose one that will be fun as she grows older. Wallpaper murals can become a ‘toy’ of sorts, a background to imagination as your child grows older and starts to notice the world around her. Try three ‘simple’ walls with a repeating pattern, and wallpaper the fourth wall with a jungle nursery wall mural, or – if you can find one – Where’s Waldo?

Pick wallpaper that’s easy to clean.
Trust me on this one. Your adorable cooing bundle will grow into a curious toddler who’ll finger paint on the walls with Mommy’s lipsticks and practice her letters on the ABC blocks. Whatever pattern or style of nursery wallpaper you choose, make certain that it’s washable!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Home Improvement Website and Majon’s Home Improvement directory.

Upholstered armchairs and sofas are comfortable and attractive additions to any home. When neglected, however, upholstery can quickly turn into next year’s yard sale’s featured item. Help the upholstered furniture in your dining room, living room, family room and bedroom last for years and years, by getting to know the ABC’s of upholstery preventative and corrective care.

Stop Damage Before it Occurs

Protect Upholstery from: SUNLIGHT, NEWSPAPER INK, FABRIC DYES, PAINTS & POLISHES

Allow common sense to dictate what you should keep from harming your upholstered furniture. Sunlight will fade upholstery, so keep your upholstered couches, armchairs and ottomans away from the window, or else well-shaded. Put your newspaper on a coffee table or side table, to avoid ink damage to your upholstered furniture.

Other items that can cause permanent damage include dark-colored sheets and blankets, for when damp or wet, the dark dyes on these fabrics can rub off and ruin your upholstery. Finally, paints and polishes, such as nail or shoe polish, should never be used on upholstery. Make sure to cover your upholstered furniture when painting your living room, dining room, or bedrooms!

Keep it Clean!

1: Vacuum, 2: Damp-Dust, 3: Professionally Clean

Cleaning upholstered furniture is easy as 1, 2, 3. First, Vacuum as often as possible. Second, damp-dust arms and headrest areas with cleaning solution recommended by the manufacturer. Third, indulge occasionally in professional cleaning for maximum dirt and dust particle removal.

Here’s a tip for keeping your favorite chairs & couches clean: Don’t be fooled by the zippers on those cushions: the cushion covers are NOT meant to be removed and washed separately! Before you vacuum, remove the cushions. Beat them, rotate them, then vacuum them.

911 Emergency Care

Blot, scrape, vacuum. Read label, match spill with remedy.

Spills happen. The key to avoiding a permanent stain is to react in the manner most appropriate to the type of spill. For liquid spills, don’t rub the spot, BLOT. Use a fresh, clean paper towel. For food or solid spills, first lift as much of the spill as possible with a dull knife or a spoon, scraping gently towards the center. For powder or cigarette ash spills, don’t add a liquid or rub. Instead, vacuum up the spill.

When remnants of the spill still remain, use a fabric cleaner. Here are some guidelines:

Check manufacturer’s label for cleaning instructions and recommendations. Codes on the labels are as follows:

W=water based cleaning agent;

S=water-free solvent;

WS=water based or water-free agent okay;

X=clean only by vacuuming or light brushing.

Test water or cleaning agent in a hidden area of the upholstered furniture before applying to the stain.

Be patient when applying cleaning agent. Go slowly to avoid causing a ring or spreading the stain. You may need to use several doses, blotting each time with a clean paper towel. Only blot, never rub.

Use a fan or cool blow dryer to speed up drying process, working from outer edge of spill to inner. If velvet, use a brush on fabric before it dries. If a stain remains, call a professional cleaner.

A-Z Home Stain Removal Chart:

Look it up. And remember, don’t rub, BLOT!

Dry Cleaning Solvent (Energine®, Carbona®, K2r®): Protein/Enzyme Laundry Detergent (Era®) – Dilute with 30 parts water: Distilled White Wine Vinegar – Dilute with 9 parts rubbing alcohol

Ashes/Soot Alcoholic Drinks Alcoholic Drinks
Butter/Margarine Ashes/Soot Candy
Cake/Frosting/Margarine Blood Felt-Tip Marker
Candle Wax/Margarine Cake/Frosting Fruit Juice
Chewing Gum Candy Ink
Chocolate Ketchup Jam/Jelly
Coffee Chocolate Lipstick
Cosmetics Coffee Shoe Polish
Crayon Cosmetics Wine/Kool-Aide
Dairy Products Dairy Products
Gravy Egg
Grease Feces
Ink Fruit Juice
Lipstick Gravy
Mayonnaise Ice Cream
Milk/Formula Jam/Jelly
Oil Mayonnaise
Salad Dressing Milk/Formula
Shoe Polish Mud
Tar Mustard
Vegetable Salad Dressing:
Sauces
Soft Drinks
Syrup
Tea
Urine
Vegetable
Vomit
Wine/Kool-Aid

Protect, clean and care for your upholstered sofas, chairs and loveseats using these tips and guidelines. With a little attention, the upholstery in your living room, dining room, family room and bedrooms will look fantastic for a long, long time.

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=UpholsteryCare

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the url of the posted article by emailing the url to batsheva@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link.

Find great home furniture online at http://www.homeandliving.com

Think back to a room that you loved and felt comfortable in. Picture it in your mind, and remember all the things you loved about it. Chances are that when you start remembering, you can vividly picture the walls, the pictures on it, the furniture – how about the flooring? Surprisingly enough, the flooring in a room is often one of the first things people recall when they remember a room. I can vividly recall stepping into a quaint old house when we were house-hunting a few years back and feeling immediately as if I’d come home. It wasn’t until later, analyzing my reaction, that I realized the reason: the flooring in the kitchen was the exact same pattern and color linoleum that had been on my grandmother’s kitchen floor almost thirty years ago.

When you’re redecorating, the flooring choices you make can set the tone and the mood for the entire room. Imagine your Mission style living room against a solid black floor of stone quarry tile. The solid color and contrast of wood and stone is dramatic, highlighting the functional simplicity and beauty of the design. The feeling of the room is serene and cool – a polished perfection of form and function.

Now imagine that same furniture set against wood flooring in soft, warm maple. Rather than contrast, you now have blending that softens the definitive lines of classic Mission furniture styling. Add a woven rag rug to accent the colors of the upholstery and pick up the tint of the wall and the same furniture and accessories take on an upscale country feeling – open airy space and casual comfort.

Dramatic flooring styles have their place as well. Imagine a pieced parquet wood floor in your front entry hall, or a buffed expanse of terracotta tile flooring inset with stone parquetry around the borders. Replace that flooring in your mind’s eye with a thick, Oriental runner over bare wood and see how it changes the look and feel of the room.

When you choose flooring for a room that you’re decorating, keep in mind the following things:

1. Function

Choose a floor that suits the function of the room. White carpeting is probably impractical for your kitchen, but perfect for your bedroom. Natural wood, while beautiful and warm, is generally not the best choice for a bathroom.

2. Mood

Different flooring materials set very definite moods and tones. Natural materials tend to soften the ambience in a room. Stone quarry tiles with a rough finish set a rustic mood. Solid linoleum, with its soft feel underfoot and bright colors can warm a kitchen or set a dramatic style with a single solid color. The flooring choice you make can dramatically enhance every other aspect of your decorating scheme.

3. Maintenance and Care

While you’re considering, don’t forget to take into account the amount of maintenance and care that a floor will require. A busy lifestyle may not have time in it for the kind of maintenance that some floors require. Can you imagine spending hours every week waxing your floor? Low maintenance options include pre-sealed wood floors, stone tiles and acrylic flooring tiles.

With literally thousands of combinations of materials, colors and styles of flooring available, you’re sure to find something that’s just perfect for your home. A little research and judicious use of visualization will help you choose a flooring option that you’ll love for years.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Home Furnishings Website and Majon’s Home Furnishings directory.

Would your child’s room benefit from some fresh design ideas and reorganization? Most could, but it can be hard to know where to begin and what concepts to use. Obviously, the age and personality of your child, not to mention your budget, will dictate much of the design concept. But where and how to begin? With these easy-to-follow tips, you will be ready to dive right in and decorate.

A room with a viewpoint

Every piece of furniture, wall-hanging and accessory in a child’s room contributes to an overall feeling conveyed by the room. A sports theme conveys excitement, while soft white clouds against a light blue sky add a relaxing, inspirational touch. Choose the design that is right for your child by having a conversation with each object and piece of furniture before you place it in the room, asking what it could contribute and where it would like to be placed. Ask the room what color it would like to be painted, or the walls what they would like hanging on them. Stay open-minded and you will realize the answer to each question is within you.

Give your child the room of his or her dreams - literally Did you know that children sleep for up to sixteen hours a day and sometimes more, depending on their age? For child development, sleep is as vital for health and well-being as food. So your first consideration when designing your child’s bedroom should be to create a space that feels comfortable, warm and safe. Keep this in mind when planning to decorate, since creating an atmosphere where your child can sleep peacefully is more important than adapting the latest hot design trend.

Minimize distractions, maximize peace of mind

Messy, cluttered rooms add a subtle layer of stress to the inhabitant, and can inhibit proper relaxation. Keep your child’s room well-organized, with as few distractions as possible. Before you begin to decorate your child’s room, remove all furniture, toys, clothes, and wall-hangings. Clean the entire room, using natural cleaners that won’t irritate your child’s sensitive nostrils and lungs.

Color me beautiful

Paint can transform an ordinary room into a world of your child’s own. Color will influence how your child feels, so choose shades or combinations that promote relaxation, security, happiness and love. Green, blue, pink, pastel orange, and beige are all good choices. Let your child help pick the color, but stay away from bright reds and yellows which can be overly vibrant, making it hard for your child to relax, and from dreary grays, browns or black, which can be depressing and may affect your child’s mood. Paint should be freshened every two to four years, and should provide a nice backdrop for the rest of the room.

Bed sheets, blankets and bumpers should also be soothing to the eye, so steer clear of bright, dominant colors. Pastels of any color work fine here, as does plain white or cream. When it comes to room accents, you can be creative with colors. A child’s chair or step stool can be painted in bright primary colors, eliciting feelings of excitement, while a large soft teddy bear or rug can be light blue or pink, enveloping your child in comfort and love.

Clear that clutter!

Once the paint is dry, bring back in the bed. Place the bed in its ideal location, then one by one, fill out the room with the other furniture pieces (see Feng Shui Tips, below). If the room starts to look cluttered, do not feel you must fit in everything. Trade the chest of drawers for a closet organizer, wire or wood systems.

Clothes that no longer fit should be donated, passed to a friend in need, or stored in waterproof storage boxes in a garage or storage space, along with clothes that are out of season. (Make sure if you are storing these clothes to clearly mark the outside of the boxes for easy identification.) Limit toys and books to those the child makes use of daily and weekly. Give away unused toys, or store them in waterproof boxes in a garage or storage space. The more clothes and toys you get rid of, the more room you will have for future fashions and fun activities.

Feng Shui tips

You may have heard or read about Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of object and furniture placement. Feng Shui explains that each area of a room attracts a different type of energy from the other areas. Implementing Feng Shui in your child’s bedroom design can maximize the effectiveness of the furniture and art you are already planning to use. For example, Feng Shui teaches that a bed should be placed in the corner of the room farthest from the door. Your child’s head should be at the end of the bed where the door can be easily viewed, and there is no chance of getting startled by an unexpected visitor.

The northern section of your child’s room promotes stillness, so this would be an example of an ideal placement for the bed. The desk should be placed far from the door, in the Northeast part of the room if possible, since this is the Knowledge/Education Sector. This area is also a great place for educational posters, such as letters of the alphabet or a picture of Einstein. Select artwork carefully, taking time to notice any hidden messages. Each image gives off a specific vibration, so only choose the most positive pictures for the walls.

Of all the activities your child will do in his or her room - including grooming, relaxing, studying, and playing - in mind that sleep is most important and must be supported by the design of the room. Take your child’s personality into consideration, as well as his or her hobbies and special interests. Still, keep all décor in check so that it does not overwhelm or clutter the space. And finally, have fun! The energy, love and care you bring to this project will permeate every object’s placement, adding an invisible yet invaluable element to whatever design you choose to implement.

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=KidsRoom

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the url of the posted article by emailing the url to batsheva@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link.

Find great home furniture online at http://www.homeandliving.com

The right rawhide lamp shade can make a perfect lamp. But the wrong size shade can make a beautiful lamp look out of balance. And ordering the wrong size lampshade is inconvenient and expensive. Make the right choice the first time.

Our specialty is rustic lighting and southwestern rawhide lamp shades but the technique we use will work with any lamp shade, rawhide or otherwise. Give it a try to help choose the right shade for your lamp even before you order. Follow this simple procedure to help make the right choice the first time.

First, we need to understand how lampshades are measured. You will need three measurements, bottom diameter, top diameter and height. The height of a shade should be measured straight up and down vertically…not along the slant.

Measuring Tip #1: The reason we measure height up and down, "vertically" is that the height measurement of your lamp from bulb socket base to top of harp is probably the minimum vertical height you will want to cover with your shade.

Measuring Tip #2: The height of your lamp can be adjusted with a shorter or taller harp to be able to use a standard shade rather than ordering a custom lampshade in many cases.

Now, here is the trick to ordering the right shade. You probably have an idea of the approximate size, so simply consult a list of rawhide lamp shades and select the one you are considering. Each shade’s measurements should be listed as described above.

Next, make a simple two-dimensional "flat" pattern the size of the shade out of paper or cardboard. For example, use the lower edge of the cardboard for the base line. Measure up the height of the shade and draw a horizontal line parallel to the base line which will represent the top edge of the shade. Now draw a vertical line straight up and down from the base line to the top edge line. If you imagine the base line, vertical line and top edge line as the capital letter "I" you are on the right track.

The next step is to mark the top and bottom dimensions of the shade on your pattern so that you get the correct slant for the edge of the shade. From the center line measure and mark the top diameter of the shade. If the top diameter is 5" then measure to the left and right of the center line along the top edge line 2.5" on both sides and make a mark. Those points are the top corners of your pattern. Repeat along the baseline using the shade’s bottom diameter. If it seems confusing, it’s really not, but very simple and quick. See our full color shade measuring graphic for a visual aid.

Finally, cut out the pattern and have someone hold it in place over the lamp, while you step back and look. Even though it is flat, you will be able to get a feel for how the shade will look on your lamp and order with confidence. It’s not full proof but it is a quick and easy way to make sure that you are on the right track in your shade size selection. This simple idea has helped our clients save a lot of aggravation and money over the years and we trust it will benefit you too.

Craig Chambers, is the President of Mission Del Rey, an Arizona non profit organization preserving and advancing the culture of the Tarahumara Indians through traditional skills. Please use this article with a live html link to our Rustic Lighting and Rawhide Lamp Shades so others may find additional useful information.

Parlez-vous Françes? Don’t worry - you don’t need to speak French in order to enjoy the bright, comfortable and classic style of French Country in your home. From weathered walls to wide wooden tables, it is not hard to achieve the French Country look using the following guidelines.

French Country style is all about well-used, worn-in, imperfect but beautiful architectural elements, furniture and accessories. Forget sleek lines, fine china, and black, white and gray color combos. Instead, fill your house with chunky wood tables, dozens of sweet-smelling flowers, and brightly patterned couches, curtains and pillows styled after the look of Provence, the southeast region in France that borders the Mediterranean Sea.

When choosing a French Country style home, think along the lines of cracked wood beams, curved panels, hand-carved decorations and raw material flooring and walls, like stone or exposed brick. Raw or distressed wood also can be used to cultivate a French Country atmosphere, as do uneven plaster walls.

Don’t worry about that spider crack in the paint in your kitchen, or the slight discoloration of the paint in your bedroom or living room. In French Country "speak", these imperfections simply add character.

Other French Country architectural features include shutters for your windows, narrow, deeply cut window sills, and striped fabric awnings over windows to afford the home dweller extra protect from the heat.

But what if you just want to add some French Country flair to the home you already have, without changing its walls, floors and windows? No sweat. Rustic furniture is a key element to the French Country style. Think oversized rectangle or round wooden dining room tables, with a dull waxed or natural finish.

Chairs and occasional tables of the French Country style can be curved or boast carved designs in the woodwork. Dining room chairs can have a ladderback style or vertical slats. Also, large armoires are well-suited to the French Country look, giving the owner a nice cool place to store dishes, linens, or even clothing.

Finally, achieve that French Country style with the perfect fabrics and accessories that have that certain je ne sais quoi. Use toile material, a gauzy linen or cotton, in white, cream or yellow with bright contrasting colors. Choose themes such as monkeys, Chinese patterns, and eighteenth century courting scenes, all of which are predominant in French Country design.

Large, thickly woven baskets, chunky clay or old metal pitchers, Chinoiserie pottery, and iron garden shelving units all fit in nicely with the French Country look. So do ceramic plates, tiles, tablecloths and curtains sporting motifs of roosters, sunflowers, beetles or lavender. Save money by hunting for these and other accessories at flea markets and antique stores.

The final touch needed to makeover your home in the style of French Country is the addition of flowers. Fresh sunflowers, lavender, and geraniums especially all say "French Country", and the more the better!

Put flowers in old pitchers or copper pots, in window boxes, and glass vases. Use a variety of colors, and make sure the arrangements don’t look too tame or stylized. Natural grasses are another way to bring the French Country look into you home.

Whether you decide to go full out, adding wood beams and stone flooring to your home, or whether you just add a nice chunky wooden dining room table, carved chairs, or a roomy armoire to your existing furniture, the French Country look can be achieved by anyone who wants to bring a little of the Provence countryside into his or her everyday life.

http://www.homeandliving.com

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=FrenchCountry

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the url of the posted article by emailing the url to batsheva@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link.

Find great home furniture online at http://www.homeandliving.com

You’ve heard of flying carpets of course but have you ever heard of a talking rug? I’ve been in the rug business for a number of years and my statement is, was and always will be, that a really good rug talks. This is a hand-made woven piece of art sometimes taking hundreds of hours to make that is often endowed with the creative insight of the weavers and the skill of the dyers.

I made the above statement once to an Interior Designer and she asked me, “What was the rug saying?” We laughed together but I do believe she was being slightly facetious. This was fine as I have been known to get pretty excited about this subject in general. I then proceeded to answer her question promptly and with such certainty she did in fact listen attentively. Here were a few of my answers.

I’ve always referred to a “good rug” as a rug that is so breathtaking that 9 out of 10 people that see it must comment on it, admire it, notice it or show some kind of desire to own it! This is not a rug you see every day, but find here and there and behold! It speaks out.

“There is happiness here, please come and see me”

“I will make you feel better if you just stay with me for a while.”

“Your heart is clear and so is mine.”

“Beauty is for everyone, just look this way.”

“When you look at me you will see the thoughts of your dreams”

“The colors of the Earth are beautiful and I am here to remind you of that.”

“We are calm together and you can relax now”

I have seen thousands and thousands of rugs from countries all over the world, but I am speaking here in terms of hand-woven works of art.

Sigmund Freud had a beautiful Persian Qashqai (a tribal rug woven in Southern Iran) covering the couch in his office. He also had pillows made from rugs and other textiles which created a mood of safety and comfort.

When you find the talking rug, there will be no doubt in your mind!

And I thought coffee was addicting!

© Penny Krieger 2005

Penny Krieger is the owner of Paradise Oriental Rugs, Inc., formerly located Santa Rosa, CA. Specializing in vegetable dyed handmade rugs from Iran and Afghanistan, she now sells rugs on an appointmnet basis in Sonoma County, CA.

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com

Attention Publishers: Please adhere strictly to the TERMS OF SERVICE FOR PUBLISHERS, with the article unaltered in any way and all links remaining live.

There is nothing like wood furniture to add elegance and beauty to a home. Whether it is a thick, all-natural butchers block table, an Art Deco wooden dresser, a simple mahogany dining room table or a sleek, modern coffee table, wood furniture is a staple in homes across America and the world. Make sure your wood tables, vanities and dressers stay gorgeous for generations to come with these simple solutions and guidelines.

Stain, Stain, Go Away!

Ever gasped after a child inadvertently left a giant scratch in the surface of your dining room table? Or cringed when a well-meaning adult accidentally knocked over a drink onto your beautiful wood coffee table? Well, fear not. One of the best attributes of wood furniture is that it is simple to touch up or renew its original luster.

Small nicks and scratches can usually be disguised with the help of a store-bought scratch cover product. For larger scratches, try using a felt tip pen or shoe polish in a color closely matched to the finish of the furniture piece. Shoe polish applicator bottles filled with the stain work well for the cover-up job, as do Sharpie markers. Coloring in the scratch is easy and surprisingly effective.

Get rid of pesky water spots on your wood furniture by allowing the spots to dry completely, then rubbing real mayonnaise onto it with a soft cloth, until the spots disappear. Erase color rings left on tables by cups and glasses with a homemade mixture of cigarette ashes and cooking oil. Prep the stain first by scrubbing it with an abrasive pad or sandpaper. Then, rub the oil and ash concoction into the wood.

And what about candle wax, marring the beautiful finish of your wood dining room table? Wait until the wax cools, then apply ice. Once the wax becomes extremely hard and brittle, gently scrape it off with a plastic spatula. Finally, polish the table with a rich cream polish, and buff away any residue.

Remove or Disguise Scratches and Stains

Problem: Solution:
Nicks, Scratches Magic Marker or Shoe Polish
Water Spots Mayonnaise
Color Rings Sandpaper, Ashes and Oil
Wax Ice

An Ounce of Prevention, a Lifetime of Protection

Prevent serious damage to your wood furniture by taking care not to position it in direct sunlight. Unless you are going for the weathered picnic table look, shield all wood furniture from the drying influence of the sun. Also, protect your dining room table’s finish using an inexpensive table pad when the table is not in use.

When eating a meal or entertaining guests, use a tablecloth or placemats to protect the finish of a wood table, especially when serving hot food. Place hot serving dishes atop a hot pad and candle holders over a large felt protector with a plastic top, since plastic prevents wax from running.

Use coasters beneath all glasses and mugs to protect your coffee table, dining room table and wood dressers from unsightly rings and water spots. Beware, because not all coasters are created equal. Metal coasters can sweat onto the wood, and plastic coasters can react with certain finishes on some wood furniture pieces. So consider choosing wooden coasters with felt backing and a waterproof material on top to further ensure the longevity of your wood table tops. The best coasters are those that taper up on the sides, preventing leakage.

Protect Your Wood Tables from Damage

Protect From: With:
General Harm Table Pad (when not in use)
Sun Damage Location out of Direct line of Sun
Heat Damage Tablecloths, Placemats, Hot Pads
Wax Felt Protector with Plastic Top
Water Damage Wood Coasters with Felt Bottom and Waterproof top

Proper Care and Cleaning

Polishing wood furniture every week goes a long way toward protecting the finish from damage and helping your wood tables, chairs and dressers look their best. Beware, though, of cheap polishes, or any polish that contains silicone or alcohol. Alcohol can do permanent damage to a wood surface, as can any household cleaner that contains ammonia. An excellent polish can be easily made at home, by combining lemon oil with 3 parts olive oil.

Now that you know about polishes, don’t forget to clean your wood furniture as well. Regular cleaning is especially important for coffee tables and dining room tables where food and drink are daily staples. Use a very mild soap, such as a diluted mixture of hand soap and water, as a cleaning agent for your wood furniture. And if you really want to ensure your dining room table or heirloom wood desk stays beautiful, have your wood furniture buffed and polished by a professional service once or twice a year.

Make Your Own Polish and Cleaning Agents

Type: Mixture:
Homemade Wood Furniture Polish = 1 part Lemon Oil + 3 parts Olive Oil
Homemade Wood Furniture Cleaner = Hand Soap + Water

*Stay away from Alcohols and Ammonias

Now you are fully armed to properly care for your wood furniture. And don’t be disheartened if you are unable to make a nick or small stain disappear completely. Signs of use can add character to a piece of wood furniture, and are often barely noticeable. Whether it is a dresser, coffee table, bookshelf, desk, or dining room table, wood furniture is the perfect addition to any home.

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=WoodCare

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the url of the posted article by emailing the url to batsheva@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link.

Find great home furniture online at http://www.homeandliving.com

I think decorative and faux painting techniques look great, are fun to do, and add a personal statement to a room. I’ve been adding my personal look to the walls in my homes ever since my husband and I purchased our first “fixer-upper.”

When I first starting using faux and decorative painting techniques on the walls in our home it was a financially motivated action. We didn’t have a lot of extra money. I couldn’t afford new furniture or flooring for a room but I could afford to buy some paint. But just painting the walls a solid color seemed boring to me so I started exploring faux and decorative painting. It didn’t take me long to get hooked. Why do I like faux and decorative painting on walls so much?

1) It’s an inexpensive way to change the look of an entire room. Paint is the most economical way to change the look of a room.

2) A painting technique on the walls minimizes and hides cosmetic flaws such as surface cracks and less than perfect patching jobs.

3) It’s easy to change when you’re sick of it. Repainting a room that has paint on the walls is a whole lot easier and much less time consuming than stripping wallpaper off walls and preparing those walls for paint.

4) It adds your own personal look and style to a space. Color and texture are fun and interesting. An entire home painted the same off-white color is dull and boring to me. A faux painting technique can evoke any mood you want in a room whether it’s a Tuscan look, retro 70’s look, a country look, something elegant, a cheery bright look for a child’s room, or any other look you want.

5) The choices of techniques and paints are nearly endless. Some of the more popular technique choices include: sponging, ragging, dragging, color washing, stenciling, crackling, marbling, gilding, wood-graining, spattering, feather-dusting, and stippling. You could also use one of the specialty paint products on the market today such as Venetian plaster to create the look you want or buy a faux painting kit such as a Woolie painting kit to help make your project as fun and easy as possible.

While I highly recommend faux or decorative painting, there are a few things I’ve learned since I’ve started faux painting that I’d like to share with you. Some of these items are things to “not do” that I’ve learned the hard way. Others are tips and suggestions that were helpful to me.

1) Go to your local paint store or decorative painting store and look at the samples they have. For example, Home Depot has lots of different booklets and paint chips with faux paint finishes on them for you to look at and even take home to look at in your lighting. That pretty metallic finish on a paint chip in the store make look garish when you get it home and look at it in your home’s natural lighting.

2) Consider taking a class before doing your first project. Some paint stores and home improvement stores, such as Home Depot, offer free faux painting clinics and workshops. You can also find some very good faux painting classes for a reasonable fee by looking in your local paper or doing an Internet search.

3 Practice your technique on a piece of scrap wallboard before doing it on your wall. This is especially important if you are blending colors. A few years ago my son wanted his bedroom painted. He wanted me to use a Woolie (a great faux painting tool available at most paint supply stores) to blend together a burgundy and a caramel color. Each color looked great by itself, but when they got blended together too much a dark fuchsia color emerged. And anything resembling pink was not something my son wanted on his wall!

Because I had been faux painting for years I didn’t listen to my own advice about trying the technique on a piece of scrap board first nor did I buy sample sizes of paint to try out. I bought gallons because I wanted to save time. Luckily the store agreed to exchange the paint for me free of charge but we did have to paint over a wall and wait for it to dry before starting over with new colors.

4) Remember that the texture of your walls will dictate, to some extent, what faux painting techniques you can and cannot use. If your walls are smooth you can do just about any technique you want. But textured walls are very common, especially in newer homes. You may see striped walls in a brochure or on a sample wall and decide that’s what you want to do in your home; but if your walls are textured it’s going to be nearly impossible to achieve straight lines for your stripes. Keep in mind that faux finishes on paint chips from a store are done on a smooth surface. They will look a little different (but may still look very nice) if you do that same technique with the same colors on a textured wall.

5) If you’re going to do a faux technique in an entire room don’t start on the wall that people will first look at when they walk into the room. That means don’t start on the wall directly across from the doorway. Unless you’re a professional, it takes a little while for you to get your technique perfected in a room. Put that less than perfect start in the least noticeable part of the room.

6) If you get tired while painting and need a break, don’t stop in the middle of a wall. Stop at a corner. If you stop in the middle of the wall and don’t come back to work on the project again until after the paint is dry, you’re going to have a noticeable line on the wall. It won’t be pretty.

7) Think twice about mixing your own color with paint you have at home unless you are absolutely positive you’re going to have enough paint to do the entire job. If you mix your own color and run out of paint before you finish it will be time-consuming and challenging to match that color. You might be able to match it because many paint stores have specialty machines that can match a paint chip you take in, but if you’ve mixed together two different sheens of paint (for example let’s say you mixed a flat paint and a satin paint together) you’re going to have a hard time reproducing that same sheen. In some cases it may not be noticeable; but in other cases it will.

Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured writer for http://www.decorativepaintingzone.com Visit the web site for more information on decorative painting and faux painting.

Ahhh, the sumptuous days of summer. Clear skies, green lawns, barbeques and trips to the beach. Who wouldn’t want to capture that feeling year-round?

Believe it or not, it is easy to bring the style of summer into your own home. Follow these simple, inexpensive tips, and be on your way to enjoying a summer home in your own home… any time of the year!

Color is Key

Paint is a simple tool that can be used to create a summery atmosphere in any room of your home. Brighten up a living room with lime green walls, a dining room with canary yellow, or a playroom with creamsicle orange.

Lighten up dark wood coffee tables, side tables or bookshelves with salmon pink or eggshell blue. Even painting the inside of a dark bookshelf a bright, summery color can freshen up a room considerably.

Store or cover darker colored items, such as maroon pillows and brown couches, replacing them or covering them with lighter, brighter covers. Floral patterns are nice and summery, as is a beach motif. Hang white or see-through curtains over dark drapes to quickly achieve a summery feel.

White is the perennial summery non-color. Repainting walls, bookshelves, coffee tables, and even framed mirrors a cool, crisp white will transform any room. With all that white, don’t be surprised if you and your family feel like you’ve been instantly transported to Miami Beach! Fabric of Life Store or cover wintry wares like velvet drapes and pillows, wool throws, and dark leather couches, ottomans and chairs. Don’t worry, you can always rotate them back out again when you are ready to return from your summer retreat!

Add summery fabrics, like linen table cloths, cotton flower-print curtains, and gauzy bed skirts.

Cover couches and armchairs with bright or floral patterned slipcovers… nothing says summer like light, bright fabrics.

Feel Like Flowers

Fresh Flowers will give your house a fresh summer look and scent. Keep water in vases clean by changing it often, and throw out flowers as soon as they begin to wilt, replacing them with a different bright selection.

Floral patterns also spell summer. Flowers look great embedded in the embroidery of a throw blanket, covering the upholstery of a couch or armchair, or gracing the surface of a decorative plate, bowl or hanging print.

Decorative floral accessories can be set atop bookshelves, entertainment centers, desks and dining room tables to "summer-ize" a room. Flowers, greenery or a small fountain can also be placed inside an unused fireplace for a more summery feel.

Odds and End Tables

Choose a theme that represents summer to you, then decorate a room around that theme. Beach and seaside items, flowers, fruits and birds are just a few themes that lend a summery feeling to any room.

Choose furniture for its summery feel, and dot these items around the house. Add a couple of wicker chairs, a wrought iron and glass coffee table, a white bookshelf or desk, or even a new floral couch (or an old couch with a new floral slipcover!), and transform any room in your house.

However you decide to add a touch of summer to your home, do so with happiness and joy… the energy of summer! Then, make yourself a lemonade, cuddle into your couch or loveseat, and bask in the warmth of your bright, summery home.

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=SummerSeasons

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

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