2013 DIY Project #2 - Fabric Wreath

For DIY project #2, the lovely Rachel made a fabric wreath and since Valentines Day is just around the corner we thought why not use some cute Valentines Day inspired fabrics.

Click on the link for step-by-step instructions and video.

Check out all of our projects here and don't forget to come back next month for a new one!

Be sure to check out the sale on Jellybean Rugs! Select styles, 20% off. This is a limited time offer and is only while supplies last so you better hurry!

Jonathan Adler for Kravet

Jonathan Adler in all his fabulousness has designed a line of fabrics for Kravet. Starting in the design industry with a pottery line almost 20 years ago, Jonathan Adler has really made a name for himself
 as a leading designer.

His Utopia collection designed for Kravet is a fantastic blend of bright, eye catching color as well as muted neutrals for a modern twist with a global feel that really brings style, craft and joy to your home.

Be sure check out the entire Utopia collection by Jonathan Adler at InteriorMall.com

2013 DIY Project #1 - Fabric Wall Art

The staff at InteriorMall.com has decided to take 2013 and use it as the year of DIY. Every month we will post a new DIY project containing written step-by-step instructions and pictures as well as video.

 January:
Fabric Wall Art 

Be sure to check back every month for a new project.

InteriorMall.com is having a sale on ALL IN-STOCK Premier Prints fabric! Check out all that we have to offer while stock remains.

Ceiling Fans for Winter?

A ceiling fan can help lower energy consumption in the winter by up to 15%. The temperature of the air in a heated room varies in layers; the air near the ceiling is warmer than the air near the floor, because warm air rises. A ceiling fan can help push the warmer air that is trapped near the ceiling back down into the room, thus de-stratifying the layers of warm air. As a result, the warm air is circulated where it is needed, and the heating system does not overwork to warm the room. To properly de-stratify a warmed room, the ceiling fan should be run in a clockwise direction. This pushes the air up against the ceilings and down the walls, to gently re-circulate the warm air without creating a cooling wind chill effect.

Whether you're looking to warm up a room for winter or cool down an indoor or outdoor space for summer, Interior Mall has the Hunter, Casablanca and DecoBreeze fan for you!    

(Data and information provided by Hunter Ceiling Fan Co.)



 

Pinterest

What in the world did we do before Pinterest? Well, I know I didn't know how to make no sew curtain panels or get the idea to make custom drawer pulls for my son's bedroom.

Pinterest has opened up a whole world of DIY ideas that have taken even the uncraftiest of people and made them Martha Stewart. People are more creative and more into DIY than ever before. We feel a sense of accomplishment when we complete a project that we did all on our own. Not to mention we want everything custom but don't always have the money for it. Buying custom items are double sometimes triple what it costs if you were to do the project yourself. (Keep in mind there are a few projects that should not be attempted at home.)
Items have also become more personable. Pinterest also gives us great gift, cards and invitation ideas that allows us to send something more personable to others which people find so refreshing.
So keep Pinning everyone and if you come across a Pin that you would like to see us try, let us know!

Wall decals not just for walls.....

Being that this weekend was supposed to be our last warm weekend for quite a while I decided it was time I finally worked on the table that I have in my son's room. This table was a $20.00 Wal-Mart special from when I was in college. I graduated college in 2005 if that tells you anything.

As you can see the table was nothing special. It had a light oak veneer top and gray metal legs. Since his room is superheroes and I have extra, what he calls "Hulk Smash Green" paint from painting his walls I decided I would paint the top the same color and then put peel and stick wall appliques on top. Inexpensive and easy...right up my ally. He has a gray metal castle bed in his room the same color as the table base so I decided to just leave the base the same color. He chose Spiderman appliques for the top so I purchased those as well as some water based polyurethane.

After sanding the top I painted, placed the appliques and then sprayed my polyurethane on top (I did 3 coats just to be safe) and voila!

Disclaimer: Please ignore all the toys in the floor. He's 5, his room can go from clean to messy in a matter of seconds!

As an added bonus I had left over wall appliques so now I can either use them on his dresser that I plan on refinishing or put them on his walls.

Pantone 2013 Color of the Year

Yes, ladies and gentlemen Pantone has just announced the 2013 color of year. Drum roll please.....Emerald!

I personally love this color. It's vibrant, luminous, sophisticated and timeless.

Wallpaper Stripped

Wallpaper. Just hearing the word makes most people shutter. I often hear, 'Why would anyone put wallpaper in their home?' but keep in mind the wallpapers of today aren't the same as the wallpapers of yonder years. With the exception of a few types of wallpaper (i.e. Grasscloth, linen, silk, etc), it is easier than ever to hang and strip. The majority of wallpaper comes pre-pasted and strippable so all you have to do is dip the paper in water and hang it on the wall; no messy paste to deal with and when you are ready to take it down start tearing or get the paper a little wet and then go to town.

They have also started making borders, appliques and murals that are removable and reusable. These are great for kids rooms especially since they seem to change their interests and minds about as often as they change their clothes.

Just remember, wallpaper isn't all bad. I know when you just purchased a home that hasn't had renovations since the 70s and you are beginning the process of stripping the old wallpaper, you really begin to form a disliking to the stuff but just remember, as in anything else, products evolve and get better with age and they have made great strides in making wallpaper a lot more user friendly. Plus, they have come out with some really gorgeous and home decor forward wallpapers.

If you are looking to remove old wallpaper, here are some tips and tricks you might find helpful:

1. Test an area of the paper to see how easily it will remove from the wall before doing any prep work. Find a corner of the paper and pull. If it removes easily you are in luck, if not it's time to get out the perforating tool.

2. Take a perforating tool (can be found at your local home improvement or hardware store) and run it all over your walls. This puts tiny holes in the paper so that your stripping agent can seep through to the glue easier.

3. Spread your stripping agent liberally on your walls. Let that sit and soak in for as long as the directions say. The longer it sits and does its magic, the easier it will be for you in the end.

4. Starting at a corner take a metal wallboard knife (putty knife) and begin stripping the wallpaper away from the wall. Once removed make sure all glue residue is removed from the wall by taking a sponge and using the stripping agent going over the walls. Once all the residue has been removed, go over the walls once more with a sponge and warm water and let dry completely.

Our New Helper

Our owner David has recently acquired a new puppy.

Bree is the newest addition to the Interior Mall family and we enjoyed having her in the office today!

Bree spent the first hour getting acquainted with the staff.

(Carrie bent down to pet her and she found a good spot to play shy.)

 

Bree then spent the rest of the morning overseeing our shipping department. 

 

Then it was time for hide and go seek... I mean... "paperwork".

 

 Bree spent the afternoon making sure Purchasing stayed on their toes! 

 Work Hard Nap Harder!

SAMPLES SAMPLES SAMPLES!!!

I've recently taken on re-decorating my bedroom again (for those of you counting this makes 6). I really wanted to commit this time though so I changed the wall color, put up some wainscoting, really fell in love with the bedding and even began picking out a fabric for drapes. I work in the home decor business... how hard could it be?

After well over a dozen samples and an equal number of disappointed heartaches, I realized how hard this really was for me. If picking out a fabric to match a room was this hard for someone in the design business, I can't possibly imagine how hard it would be for someone who didn't have a design background at all! So here I am, sharing a few things I've learned about picking fabrics and the importance of SAMPLES SAMPLES SAMPLES!

LIGHTING

Now, I knew how different lighting can affect wall paint but never imagined how badly it would affect fabric! Typically, you will look at a fabric in a showroom. Showrooms usually have fluorescent lighting. Then you bring it home, to a room with home lighting and maybe even some outdoor lighting that filters in from a window or doorway. Lighting makes a HUGE difference. I did an experiment to show what one fabric looks like in 3 different lighting scenarios.

These images HAVE NOT been altered and were all taken with a soft flash using the same camera. How disappointed would you be if you saw an ivory/sage fabric in a showroom and brought it home to discover it was blue!?!

COLOR NAMES

What's in a name? Well, when choosing a fabric, names can be both helpful and EXTREMELY deceiving. What might be red to one person may come across more as a pink to another. Black and white are no longer black and white. Instead, black can be noir, onyx, jet, black, midnight or storm and white can be ice white, snow white, true white, off white or blanco. Don't always go by just a color name of a fabric. Get the samples so that you can go by what they look like rather than what they're called.

 

COLOR HUES

Just like calling a color by a zillion different names colors can actually come in a zillion different hues as well. While trying to pick out a blue fabric for my bedroom, I found out that I actually didn't want a true blue. Instead, I found I needed a blue with a more purple hue.

 

 

This color card is a good example of just how many different "blues" or "oranges" there are out there. Notice on the last two lines how all the colors would be considered blue but notice how many different hues there are. Some look more green or more aqua, while the first and last ones on the bottom row look white and black! Make sure when choosing fabrics to pay attention to those hues and undertones to ensure you get a perfect color match.

 

DYE LOT VARIATIONS

So let's say you've decided on a fabric. You've taken it home and it matches perfectly! Once the fabric arrives from the manufacturer though, it doesn't seem to match quite as perfectly as before. Why does this happen? Two words, dye lots. Every time a fabric gets reprinted at a manufacturers warehouse a different dye is used. Now, most of the time any differences aren't even noticeable but occasionally, a dye will become unavailable or a manufacturer has to switch machines or printers and the dye lot can vary.

Look here at the difference in color of the bird. The one of the left appears to be a muted brown while the one on the right is clearly grey in color. Although the yellow print is identical this small difference in the bird could make quite a big difference if you had already matched one up to your existing decor.

 

So how do you avoid a dye lot debacle? Choose a CFA (Cutting For Approval) whenever you are needing an exact dye match. Most manufacturers and retailers offer these at no charge. CFAs can be especially important if you are choosing a silk, velvet or faux silk fabric as these fabrics are the worst about changing dye lots.

 

 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

Samples samples samples and more samples! Most companies won't allow returns under a certain amount of yardage or dollar amount so if you order a fabric without having ordered a sample you can get stuck with fabric you can't use or, if you can return the fabric, you'll often times be out a restocking fee or handling fee. Most companies charge small fees for ordering samples but most companies will allow you to receive a refund or a store credit that you can use toward the purchase of actual yardage. Even if you have to pay... ordering samples can save you big!