Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Stair Runner Inspiration

Painted Stair Runners


Grain Sack Stair Runner




Back in Black!




Pantone Stairs





Stair Runner Made from Carpet Scraps




Stair Runner Alternatives











Friday, August 20, 2010

How To Set a Proper Table

A- Serviette (Napkin)
B - Service Plate
C - Soup Bowl on Plate
D - Bread and Butter Plate with Butter Knife
E - Water Glass
F - White Wine
G - Red Wine
H - Fish Fork
I - Dinner Fork
J - Salad Fork
K - Service Knife
L - Fish Knife
M - Soup Spoon
N - Dessert Spoon and Cake Fork

Note: It is often recommended that the salad fork (J) is placed to the left of the dinner fork (I). However, in this formal setting the dinner fork is placed before the salad fork because it is suggested that the guest waits for the main meal before helping him/herself to the salad.

a. Water: full body glass with short stem. Hold the glass by the stem to preserve its chill.
b. Brandy: brandy snifter. Roll the snifter between both hands and then cup it in one hand – warming the glass brings out the bouquet in brandy.
c. White wine: slightly smaller glass with wider bowl to capture the bouquet. Hold the glass by the stem to preserve its chill.
d. Burgundy Reds and Pinot Noirs: a wide bowl to bring out their complexity. The glass is slightly taller than the white wine glass.
e. Champagne: a narrow fluted glass, which reduces the wine’s surface area and keep the bubbles from dissipating.
f. Red wine: the bigger of the wine glasses. Hold the glass at the bottom of the bowl where it meets the stem.

As I was diging, I also came across an easy way for your own personal butler to set your table online. This is the coolest thing I've ever found for helping me know what goes where on my table without having to memorize a bunch of rules and diagrams. You can check it out and use it yourself at http://www.wholesale-table-linens.com/setup-tableware.html.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

How To: Fit the Space

Buying large furniture, like a sofa or a bed, is a mix of art and science. The ‘art’ part is usually the fun and easier part: Do you simply love it and does it coordinate with existing pieces? But the ‘science’ part is more calculating: Does it functionally meet your needs? Is the price right? Will it fit in the space—and through all the entryways?

1. For all doors and hallways the item will have to travel thru, measure the heights and widths (A,B) and the entry clearance (C). Don’t forget any other obstacles, such as ceilings, unremovable lighting fixtures, stairwell banisters and tight turns.

2. Make sure that the width of the furniture piece is less than the entry dimensions A or C and the diagonal depth is less than B. Hint: CB2 specs dimensions in this order: width x depth x height. For example, the movie sofa shown above is 88” wide x 40” in depth x 26” high.

3. To determine diagonal depth, place a straight edge from the highest point of the back frame to the front of the piece. Then measure from the bottom rear corner up to the point that bisects the straight edge. Example: The sofa shown below has a diagonal depth of 25.5”.
Think about the idiosyncracies of the space and “live” with a new item before buying. Make sure the opening and closing of doors will clear sofas and that you don’t lose access to windows over bedroom furniture.

To help you decide if the footprint of a piece fits the floor space, try one of these three options:
—sketch the room onto graph paper and include existing pieces that will also be in the room.
—use blue painter’s tape and mark the floor space using provided dimensions.
—tape newspaper together to create a full-size footprint of the piece, position it in the room, on the floor. Lastly, “build” it in 3-D by placing objects to fill in the height such as plastic storage boxes, etc.

These suggestions are to be used as a guide to measurement and do not guarantee your furniture purchase will fit. For the smoothest move, consider every scenario and size constraint that may occur from the delivery truck to the item’s final room placement.

This great article provided by CB2 In the Loop
http://blog.cb2.com/

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Back to schoooool, back to schoooool.........

School is starting back this month. University of Arkansas students have already started moving in and school supplies are being purchased. Not to mention the opening of football season! =) I wanted to focus this blog post on back to school decorating ideas. Anyone who has spent any time in a dorm room knows that space is limited and the floors at 7:45 a.m. as you are getting up for that 8:00 a.m. class are super cold. To fix this problem and cheer on your alma mater at the same time consider using carpet tiles.These are really cool because you can mix and match and you can cover just the amount of space needed to cover and you can get them in all your favorite college, NFL, MLB and NHL teams.
To complete the look grab a matching bedding set also!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Time to Bust Out the Mason Jars!

Mason Jars are making a come back. Other than drinking out of them, here are a few interesting ways to make your mason jars feel loved.

- Fill with candy or wrapped treats to give as a present for a teacher or as party favors.
- Mason Jars make excellent flower vases
- Use to hold utensils, napkins or small finger foods for daily use or to jazz up a party.
- You can also use them to hold crafting supplies like buttons, pens, markers, stickers and ribbons.

For more crafty ideas check out Some What Simple
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/2000/01/somewhat-simple-and-opensky.html

Sherwin-Williams Bees Animated TV Commercial




Doesn't this commercial just make you want to paint every room in your house?? What a creatively-inspiring commercial!

A Beatnik in Bohemia: Ready for Back to School? Here's a cool idea!

A Beatnik in Bohemia: Ready for Back to School? Here's a cool idea!: "Check out these handmade fabric-covered binders! This is a great tutorial on how to make these yourself! Fabric Covered 3-Ring Binder Tuto..."

How to Make Wall Art with Vintage Fabric and Buttons - CraftStylish

How to Make Wall Art with Vintage Fabric and Buttons - CraftStylish

I *LOVE* this idea! What a great use for your scraps and remnants!

Thanks to CraftStylish for the idea and picture!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Has the Retail Recession Finally Lifted?

From Kids Today Online (Dallas market reports increase in attendance, 7/2/2010) the Dallas Market Center reported an increase in attendance over last June, with double-digit increases in buyers from the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and West.

The market also reported that approximately one out of five buyers attending June market was new to Dallas; more than 30 new permanent exhibitors were added to the marketplace; and almost a dozen major buying groups participated in the show.

"We are pleased that attendance remained strong and are fortunate that our solid regional economy positively affects our markets," said Bill Winsor, president and CEO, Dallas Market Center. "In addition to continuing to serve our long-standing customers, our continued goal is to introduce new buyers and exhibitors to our marketplace and offer them the best market experience and best value possible."

According to the International Council of Shopping Centers sales have been growing by around 4% each month - the best it's been since 2006.

The world revolves and runs off money and we're all glad to see a brighter future ahead for our economy.