Ceiling's To Coordinate With Tile

I plastered a leaf motif to match
the leaf tile motif in the bath. I also
but a chandelier in the bath to add
elegance. Everyone that comes in
looks up and admires the ceilings.
Just remember the ceiling is your
5th wall!

Coordinating Paintng Techniques

I used this harlequin painting technique in 4 shades of yellow and gold tones on the same paint chip. I made a template for the large diamonds that go up the stairway and it gives alot of drama. I made a smaller template to coordinate the diamonds in the family so that everything you see blends very well!

Italian Pitina Wall Treatment

I took this picture so you could see the wall treatment I used in my family room. I used two shaded of paint off the paint chips. I skipped two shades. I added one of quart glaze to one gallon of paint. I took the paint gauze mixture and dabbed the lighter color on the walls and then I took the darker mixture and dabbed it on the walls. With the darker gauze I used a swirling motion. I did about 3 foot sections at a time. It give an Italian

pitina look. I love it.

Don't Be Boring

This is my entertainment center. Some people like Oprah's Nate says not to use artifical greenery. But Nate's own mother uses it. It is your own perference. I like it. Don't waste an opportunity to decorate!

Group Like Pictures

Grouping like pictures at more character to a wall. These pictures were bought as a set. The mat matches the color on the walls beautifully. Matting is very inportant when choosing a paint color for your walls.

Let Storebought Help You Out

This is an antique fireplace but when we built it in
we bought bookshelves and used them instead of
building them from scratch. That saved us time
and money. It looks great. We topped it off with
crown molding and no one is the wiser.

Family Crest

For a Christmas gift I had my husband's family crest mounted and framed. I hung it in the dining room. I could not think of a more appropriate place to hang it. That is where most families gather to eat and spend alot of time.

Sewing Curtains and Making Valances

I saw these valances in the JCPenney catalog so I decided to make them myself. I got the material for $2.00 a yard. The panels are a strip and match perfect. Under the strip panels my mom helped me make roman shades. Everthings coordinates perfectly. I have very little money in these curtains and they match my decor just right...

Grandma's Table

This is the only thing I have of my grandmother's. No one in our family had anything that was worth passing down. They all grew up in the depression and after raising 10 children food was the most important thing to them. I can appreciate that because they had enough love to save the world. I did acquire this table and it sits proudly in my family room.

Sentimental Things

This is a small marble topped table I was given when my
aunt passed away. I was named after her and she was a
very special lady whom I loved very much.
The flower arrangement on top of the table was sent to me
when my mother-in-law passed away. She is another woman
who meant more than words can express. These are things
in my house that mean so much to me!

Entry Chandelier

My entry isn't very
large so I had to be very selective in
choosing a chandelier.
I felt this was the
perfect size for the space!

Special Touches with Crown Molding

We added this special outset to our entry so we
could add these antique columns. Just adding the crown molding made a huge difference. Crown molding adds elegance to any room!

White Is a Neutral Color

We had wood country style railing
around our front porch. I was tired
of that look and the post needed re-
placed also. We decided to add these
columns to the house. Since they
were white we decided to add these
white fences at the end of the drive-
way. It just brings all the white
together. I painted my forch furni-
ture white also. This just blended everything together.

Cobblestone Sidewalk

If your front yard needs a little ump try adding a little winding cobblestone walk. We added different sizes of brick to give it character. We like it and it look great from the road!

Staining Sidewalks and Porches

We had wood country looking railing
on our front porch. Not only was I
tired of that look but the treated
4X4's started twisting and needed
replaced. We decided on these columns.
I used a darker stain on the inside
and taped it off to give the appearance
of tile. On the outside I added a lighter
stain and taped it off to give the
appearance of brick. I them taped
off the grout lines and painted them
white to accentuate the white. Our
house is brown and tan so I needed
some way to bring out the white!
This was a tremendous amount of
work but I feel it was worth it...

Garbage Diving Bench

My neighbors were throwing away
this metal and wood bench. The wood
was all rotted and the bench was
laying on it side looking like it had
seen its last day. I persuaded my
son and husband to drag it across
the street. They were not happy.
It was very heavy. My husband
replaced the wood slats and we
painted it black sit it under the
wisteria bush and it looks great!

Outside Cabinets

My parents just put in a new
kitchen so I used some of their
old cabinet and painted them out
to match our grill. I used the stick-
on stainless steelon some of the cabinet front.
This photo does not show the stainless knobs
but we did add those.
The top is made of scraps of granite
a contractor had left over after jobs
he had done. The granite all matches. We
added old red brick tile and instead
of using grout we used black silicone
to give more protection from water. We also
added several coats of polyurethane
to protect the wood. I sprayed the
sides and back with a flecked paint
and it looks great. We used it for food
prep and storage during parties. The
cabinets later can be used to store
cushions.

Coordinating Kitchen and Laundry

I just a purchased new stainless steel washer and dryer set. Since, everyone walks through the laundry room back door through the house and never uses the front door I wanted the appliances to match the ones in the kitchen. I gave the walls a paint treatment to add some character. The room looks good and is fun to work in!

Antique Columns

We had an archway here and found these antique columns that were

in an old church so we replaced the archway with these columns. I love

the look. It opened up the opening also and gave us more room in the

entry.

Remodeled Bath

When we remodeled our bath I decided not to use the typical bath cabinetry. I bought this bombay chest with a marble and a bowl and pitcher. We off set the bowl to allow more room for primping.

I chose an armoire instead of the ordinary cabinetry. We have recessed lighting and a beautiful chandelier. The tile climbs half-
way up the wall and is topped by a leaf

tile motif.

The Summer Look

Since I have leather furniture I have had cushion
covers made for my leather furniture to use in
the summer months. My couch and my chair
both have the cushions covered. It gives a fresh
look for the summer. I also put new pillows out
and place a light colored rug down. In the winter I have a brown rug, in the summer, I use an ivory rug. I chang my drapes out also. I use off white drapes in the summer and in the winter I used gold colored. This just cheers up the room.

Using Old Chandelier

This is an old chandelier that I took out of the dining room. It

was oak and I spray painted it gold. There was the typical

ceiling fixture here and I took it down and replace it with this

chandelier. I hung this mirror to reflect the chandelier and

when it is lit the image is awesome.

The Grandkids Table

My mother had this old cement piece out in her

driveway. I brought it home, painted it up, placed

a piece of glass on it and now the grandchildren

eat off of it! FROM TRASH TO TREASURE!!!

My Kitchen My Way

When my husband and I remodeled our kitchen I saw a
picture in a magazine whick looked similar to this shot
over the window. I revamped it to my liking and took a
thin sheet of plywood and made a template and had my
husband cut it out with his saw. We painted it and placed
the ornament on it.



The light fixture was made of 1x1's.
Then we covered them with
beadboard so it would not be too heavy
to hang from the ceiling. I made this
up myself. It has 2 recessed lights in
it which hangs over my island.

Enhancing Your Kitchen With Brick

My husband and I decided to remodel our kitchen. I had him to build this box over the stove. We added sand to plaster and troweled it on the top to give it a rough like look. I then measured the size of a brick and taped off the back and sides of the stove area and over the round part. I then put a heavy coat of plaster over the tape. I pulled the tape off and let the plaster dry. I faux finished the plaster to look like brick. I placed some brick on the top also. Everyone that comes in the house thinks it is brick! I saved alot of money and enjoyed myself in the process...

Don't Forget the Ceiling

I got this idea from Lowe's. But, I did mine different. I taped my ceiling off in 12" squares and since my ceiling were textured I have to use the plaster and smoothe the ceiling first. Then I used a fleur-d-lei stencil and plastered the opposite corners, let them dry. Then did the other corners, let them dry. Lastly I did the center. When I was done plastering I painted the ceiling a mauve color. Then I used a raw umber and cinnamon colors mixed with glazed and rubbed over the ceiling with gauze. It was a

tremendous amount of work but the ceiling look gorgeous!

Put Things Together

The bottom half of this cabinet I bought at a yard sale

for $40.00. The top half my husband made in shop in

high school. It was a book shelf with sliding doors on

the front. I had my husband put beadboad on the

back of the shelves and put some molding on the top

and it looks great. It looks likeI bought it this way! I love it

especially since my husband is 57 years old and and I have

something he made that many years ago. I guess its a

sentimental thing.. I painted it out , put some legs on it

and added a touch of gold to it!

The Leaded Glass Window

I wanted to add some lighting

to the room so I decided to add

a leaded glass window from the

stairway to the dining room. Not

only does it let in light but it looks

great. It adds character to both

rooms.

Add Elegance To YOur Bath

I have added columns and a chandelier to my bath.

There are also large mirrors on each side of the

tub. When you take a bath in my tub you feel like

you are in sheer elegance! I feel their should be a

chandelier anywhere you can put one. The

columns just an ambiance that you cannot

describe. There is nothing like a long, soothing, luxurious bath with candles lite...

Bedroom Fireplace

To add a little romance to our bedroom we built a
fake fireplace. In the upper section was a TV/bookself. But we recently purchased a flat screen TV and placed it on the wall so we turned the upper section into a complete bookself. The top of our bed post has pineapples on it so we purchased a solid wood pineapple and cut it in half and placed it on the fireplace. We also got two extra pineapples and used them on the curtain rods to tie everything in. The bottom section is painted to resemble marble. Put a little romance back in the bedroom!!!

Save Money On Art

You can save money on artwork by finding prints

you like and having them matted and framed at

your local craft store. I found these prints at a

Hobby Lobby store and I had them to mat them

and then got the frames half price with a coupon.

They look great on my walls and look like I paid

and very high price for them!

Antique Grand Piano

When I bought this piano it was literally in pieces.

I spent many hours on it refinishing it. It was

mahogany wood so I thought it was worth the

effort! I had to used some veneer on the top but

all in all it turned out looking good. I found a date

on it of 1924. I have it in a room with an antique

mantel and a curved desk. It looks really pretty.