Fun with Stripes

There are tons of different ways to use stripes in a room. Of course you can simply just paint two different colors or.....paint the same color but use different sheens like a flat or eggshell and a semi-gloss (tip: paint the whole room flat or eggshell and then tape off stripes and use the semigloss). Another variation of this idea would be to tape off stripes and then fill in with a clear latex urethane such as AquaPlastic. Do a faux finish on every other stripe or apply a glitter glaze. I did the glitter glaze on a horizontal stripe around my younger daughter's bedroom which turned out great, perfect for a princess room. Metallics are also fun, use them as a solid or more like a faux finish treatment, I love the metalllic collection from Modern Masters. Be warned that these dry really fast, you must add an extender. Some colors are sheer, some are semi-opaque, some are opaque.

If you don't enjoy taping, I would do horizontal stripes and make sure you are even all the way around your room, use a level. If you are really daring, paint a glow in the dark stripe.

Play around with the width of the stripes, they don't have to be uniform, just remember the more stripes you have the more taping you have to do. Use good quality tape, the paint store can recommend what you need. Before you even buy the paint experiment by cutting out different widths and placing them at different heights, try both vertical and horizontal.

What if your child wants to paint his/her room black?

So what if your child wants to paint his/her walls fire engine red, royal blue, hot pink, electric purple or, oh my goodness, black? If you can stand it, go for it. But what if you just can't let your child express him/herself quite that much? Well, you could paint just one wall, (I recommend the bed wall) or you could add these colors in other creative ways. I've already talked about using wallpaper as artwork so you could do that or you could buy a pack of artist canvases and paint those. Most paint stores sell color samples which are the perfect amount or you could buy quarts. You could paint nine 5 x 7 canvases and arrange them 3 across and 3 down above the bed or do 3 bigger ones side by side, be proportionate to bed size. You could leave them solid or decorate them with dots, lines, or swirls to add some whimsy. The beauty of doing this is that they can always be repainted fairly easily when your bundle of joy wants the express him/herself with a different color.

Another idea is to paint a horizontal stripe around the room or around windows and doors. Add a little color with a 2 inch stripe or be bold with 10-12 inches, although this wide is not recommended around windows and doors, it would be too heavy. If you have trouble visualizing, tape some construction paper around the room, try it a different heights/widths to see which is most pleasing to the eye.

Or, try Wall Pops from Brewster Home Fashions, which are like great big stickers. They come in fun colors and styles and there are even some really cool dry erase ones.

You can always add "the color" with bedding, try Pottery Barn for some fun styles. This is easier than painting, but not necessarily cheaper!



Most importantly remember, they are only young once so is this a battle you want to choose? Maybe so, if they want to paint all 4 walls black. Otherwise, you can always keep the door shut, chances are the room is a mess anyway.

Sprucing up walls

Do your walls need a quick sprucing up? Try wallies. They are similar to wallpaper and are great for kids rooms, bathrooms, playrooms or on furniture. My 13 year old has flip flops in her bathroom and my 10 year old has fun flowers. They are easy to put up and easy to come down. They not as big of a commitment as wallpaper and can really add some pop for not much money.

Quick tip: accessories

Have you ever found a bedding set that you just loved and wanted more of the fabric to use for pillows, window treatments, or other accessories? Buy an extra flat sheet or sheet set. The great thing about this is that it's already hemmed which is very handy for window treatments. You can drape them over a decorative rod, make a cornice board or panels.

Picking my own paint color

I am currently following my own advice on paint color. I'm trying to pick a color for my living room, hall and stairwell. We are getting new bamboo flooring, I'm so excited and it's a sustainable product, better for the environment, added bonus!! Anyway, I decided that I should paint before the floors go in, mostly because my husband loves it when I paint. He said he would bring the extension ladder home for me from the storage unit. This is the only involvement he wants in the project!

I tried 15 or so different colors and just couldn't find the right color that would look good with my lighting. I brought home big swatches and tried them on every wall of the room at different times of the day. Finally I decided on AF-135 (Interlude) from Benjamin Moore. I'm having the paint store shoot it at 75% of the formula so it is not quite as dark. I like full strength, but my family overruled me. They actually like 50% strength better, so we are compromising at 75%. I'm keeping the halls and stairwell the same color they are now, because it will be quite a feat to reach every spot, it's pretty tall and it's stairs, need I say more? This way if I happen to miss a spot it won't be as noticeable. I had the paint store match my current color in a Aura paint so that it will cover well and will touch up better later. I will post pictures of the finished product when I'm done.

Want to cut a hole in your wall?

Want to cut a hole in your wall to open up a space? I have friends who recently wanted to do this and this is the advice I offered them. Cut out the size and shape you want from brown paper or newspaper first, tape it to your wall and make sure you can rearrange your furniture around the opening. Move it around and make sure you get it in just the right spot and the right size. Don't forget to do it on both sides. The last thing you want to do is cut a hole in your wall and then not be able to arrange your furniture around the opening.

One of my new favorite things.

Check out the Manh Truc Woven Woods Collection from Lafayette Venetian Blind. They are super cool, I love the woven natural look. I'm typically not a fan of vertical blinds, but I really like the Panel Drape...the woven shade material is railroaded (run vertically instead of horizontally) so it's a contemporary version of a panel drapery. It's not your Grandma's vinyl vertical blind, that's for sure.