wilkes

In the basement add a board of peg board and hang hammers, bags of nails and screws and odd things.

Need to find a stud in a wall. Just roll a magnetic across the wall and you will find it without measuring. Used this trick many times. Easy.

To remove deep indentations left in your carpet by furniture, lay a damp bath towel over the depression and press lightly with an iron. When the towel is dry, the indentation will be gone.

Decorating Tip

Arranging flowers

Instead of that grassy stuff the florists use to arrange flowers, put a bunch of colored glass marbles into a net bag and set the bag in the bottom of a vase or bowl to hold the flowers.

Odd Tip.

Foggy Windshields.

Buy a chalkboard eraser. Rub window with eraser. Better than a Cloth.

Always keep in glove box of car.

Have a piece of wood furniture that has a few blister on it. To fix or remove small blister with heat and an iron. It will reactive the glue and settle the blister.

Cover the damage with a piece of flat smooth cardboard. Lay a hand towel over the cardboard then press the iron on the towel. Repeat if needed. This does work for small blister on furniture.

Odd Tip.

I broke a glass on the kitchen floor and got most of the glass up but could not get the tiny little slivers up and I use several cotton balls and the little pieces came up. It does work.

Odd Tip

With earrings and chains I would use a ice tray and nothing ever got tangled up.Kept the ice tray inside my dresser drawer.

Remove Water Stains from wood Furniture- Miracle Whip.

Remove Wallpaper with Heinz white Vinegar. It works

If your house has big beams in the ceiling that put large handmade basket on them. Some sitting on the beams and some handing from the beams. Use dark and light baskets.

I like to use large basket on the floor in each room. Great to pile magazines and yarn and stuff like that.

I love baskets.

QUACK, i love your ideas, you are talented! thanks.

Thinking about it more, I guess my home is "eccecentric". I mean who else has a real cobra picked in a bottle of Vietnamese wine in their hutch with their grandma's Haviland china? I do need help with the window treatments, though. I'm getting sick of the lacy curtains, and the dark living room has to be painted something else. Paintings and pictures? I have lots and all kinds. Some antique furniture and do dads. Few tchochkis, though, as I don't like nicknacks much unless they have some meaning. They just collect dust and I hate to dust. I just need someone to come over and say, "Hey, you know what might be nice...." I love plants but I'm not allowed to have them in the house. No my husband isn't a dictator, my cats are. The three are good company, but when it comes to plants they knock them over, pee in the pots, chew up the leaves and throw them up on the floor. So I keep plants outside.

To add color to a dull room add a wild art picture.

bonnie you should start studying magazine pictures.

start looking at the colors and how they mix and match them.

look at the architecture in the pic.... try to find something that looks like where you live. if you have large windows, look at pictures of rooms with large windows.

try to see what makes you feel good. what is pleasing to your eye.

take what is pleasing to your eye, adapt a color from another picture, throw in some artwork or architecture from another picture and you will have something that is your own.

you mentioned victorian. sometimes that can be kind of "busy" but it's beautiful. if you have busy wallpaper or even in the bed linens ... trade them out for something more modern that is plain and simple. use a current paint color like a light gray or honey mustard. leave what is good but just update it

I am REALLY decorating challenged! We moved into a house that was already very nicely painted and the former owners left the window treatments. However, now it is a year and a half later and I'm tired of it. I am afraid to paint the livingroom even tho the dark walls are very dramatic, but "eat" the light. I'm afraid that anything I try to do will end up looking terrible. Friends say the house looks "adorable". Family praise it as "a perfect Grandma's House" (not exactly the image I was hoping for) I like the "country" look, but would like to update a little and downplay the victorian aspects in the bedroom. Are there any decorators in the area?

Another Tip

A Man and Wife share a bedroom and it has wallpaper with flowers. Wrong.

Solid colors and shades of brown or beige with straight lines.

No pink flowers and girly stuff. Remember 2 people share the room.

Another Tip.

If a room is large enough for more than 1 pictures have one pictures of a certain period of time and then hang a picture of modern art in the same room.

Another tip.

I had a big brass lamp and used a Black Shade with it.

Pewter lamp I used a Stain Glass Shade.

I personally don't like white or cream lamp shades.

Another Tip

Use Copper, Pewter and Brass in the same room. It is stunning.