Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Design Clues by Cole- The right size rug, how much paint to use, and other helpful design tips

 

I love keeping up with design trends and news, sharing what inspires me with my Facebook fans.  A designer I love is Sabrina Soto who sometimes posts little tidbits of design advice.  I decided to make some design rule visuals to share that are easy to pin or print so that you can reference them whenever you need to.


This version of "Design Clues by Cole" covers what the ideal size for a dining room rug is, how large of a round table you should buy, how much paint you should buy to cover your space, and what size of TV will look best in your room. 


Enjoy!



Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pumpkin Carving/Decorating Ideas


Images from Home Made Simple.


Lace Patterned Pumpkins

Find a fabulous pair of lace stockings or material with an intricate pattern and tightly stretch over your pumpkin. A twist tie can help hold them in place. Then, spray paint your pumpkin—lace and all—allow it to dry, and remove the lace to reveal a stunning design.



Glow in the Dark Pumpkins

Give your pumpkins an eerie effect with glow in the dark paints. Try painting on faces, stenciled designs or repeating patterns. When your pumpkins sit outside during the day, or even near any light, they’ll be charged and ready to glow by nighttime!



Embossed-Effect Pumpkins

With puffy paints of any color, create designs on your pumpkin that add dimension once dry. Paint over your raised accents with a light color like gray or baby blue, and your details will appear to naturally pop from the pumpkin’s rind.


Masked Pumpkins

Give your pumpkins personality by adorning them with homemade masks. Creating your own is simple; just turn to our personalized masks slideshow. We love dressing up a whole family of veiled pumpkins, letting each one take on its own personality.



Dipped Pumpkins

Try decorating pumpkins with bold colors and patterns. By dipping just the tops or bottoms of pumpkins in paint or by taping off sections, you can create unique, contemporary looks in no time.



Decoupaged Pumpkins

Decorate pumpkins by collecting fallen leaves or make your own cut outs, then use decoupage glue to affix them to your pumpkins for a simple and festive look that’s appropriate for the entire season.




Studded Pumpkins

Take sharp-tipped materials like studs, nails or pushpins and press or tap them into your pumpkin, forming your design. Instead of a spooky design, consider writing your home’s address, perhaps even on multiple pumpkins.

Produce Accented Pumpkins

Browse the range of produce at your grocery store and consider how various fruits and veggies could team up with your pumpkin. By cutting nature’s bounty into fun shapes, you can use toothpicks or dowel rods to attach them and create your own creatures!


Glitter Pumpkins

Make your pumpkins sparkle this season by crafting glitter pumpkins. Simply apply a coat of decoupage glue, then sprinkle glitter over pumpkins until they shimmer. You can also use a variety of colored glitter to create different designs.


Chalkboard Pumpkins

By painting pumpkins with chalkboard paint, you can customize them as often as you like. It’s a great way to let kids decorate and redecorate pumpkins, and for the more serious artist, it creates a re-workable surface for sketches.