One Person's Trash...

In my ongoing attempts to make the world a prettier place, I am constantly on the look out for good deals and innovative ideas...and I found one that I have to share!

With the economy still struggling to turn around, our reluctance to spend money on "extras" like tchotckes, lamps and pictures is completely understandable! I mean, we're all buying the cheap toilet paper so we can save a few bucks right?

With that said, however, I am in the camp that firmly believes when times are tough, your home should be your sanctuary...a place that feels warm, cozy, safe...AND pretty. Are you buying any of this? Yeah, my husband didn't either, but hang with me...this is a really good idea!

Have you ever been to your friend's house and perhaps admired a pair of lamps or maybe a vase on her mantle, yet when you complimented her on it, she replied, "Oh, that ratty old thing? My mother-in-law gave it to me, and I've never liked it!"

Well, here's your chance to snag it and some other stuff too! All you have to do is host a Home Accessories Swap!

Here's how it works:

Invite a few friends over to your house (5 people is the recommended number to keep things managableble, but you could probably manage up to 10). Ask them each to bring five things from their house they don't want anymore...as long as they are (1) decorative and (2) clean and in good condition.

It can really be anything...pictures, clocks, flower arrangements, fabric, lamps, curtains, vases, frames...you name it!

As your friends walk into the door with their treasures, ask them to complete a "sales" tag for each of their items by writing something about it. (For example, if one of your items is a painting, you could write, "Original Oil Painting by W.W. Smith.)

Once everything has been tagged and set out for display, give each of your guests five clothespins with their names on them, pour everyone a glass of wine, and then go shopping!

Use the clothespins to mark the items that you want. If an item has more than one clothespin, drop them all in a hat and ask someone neutral (who doesn't want the item) to draw the winner.

Box up any items that don't get chosen and donate them to Goodwill.

Isn't this the best "Girls Night Out" party idea? Not only do you get to hang with some of your favorite people, have a little wine and catch up on the latest gossip, but you also get to get rid of some things you don't want anymore AND bring home some new things that you do want...and because all your new treasures were free, you can march triumphantly through the house and show your husband your new loot instead of having to hide it in the trunk of your car and sneak it in when he isn't looking. Come on...you know you do it! :o)

P.S. If you live in the Birmingham area, and want me to help you host a swap, call me at (205) 807-7434 to schedule your date.

Artistic Hang-Ups

Here's my opinion on artwork...

I can't count the number of times I have liked a print, bought it, took it home, hung it on the wall and then realized that like 5 gajillion other people did the same thing. Don't believe me?

Okay, admit it. Who had this one hanging somewhere in their house? Show of hands...come on, this is a judgement-free zone. I'll go first...this hung in my bedroom when I was in high school. Whew! It felt good to get that off my chest!

"The Kiss" by Gustav Klmit was standard dorm-room issue when I was in college and yep, I had it. In fact, it's followed me to about seven different houses since then. It went from the living room, to the hallway, to the guest room and then to a pile in the garage. Last year, when it didn't sell in my garage sale, I donated it to the Goodwill.

The first time I ever saw the "Cafe Scene in Paris," I had just moved into my first apartment. I wanted it so bad that I spent my entire week's grocery budget to buy it. Approximately six months later, it was everywhere...and on clearance too.

And what about this one? Do you know someone who has it? I do...my mom has it in her dining room.
And who didn't love the cartoon chef with a plate of spaghetti? I know I did and so did the lady who bought it from my yard sale last year.

I'm joking around, but in all seriousness, it doesn't matter if you like something that a million other people like too. As long as YOU like it and it makes you happy then it deserves a place in your home.

But let's face it, we'd all rather have artwork to hang in our home that is interesting, one-of-kind, affordable, and preferably not bought on clearance at K-mart.

Tall order, right? Well, it's not as difficult as I'm making it sound. I have found several good resources for original (or at least unique) artwork that you should check out for your upcoming projects.

Surface View is a company from the United Kingdom that has the rights to reproduce great works of art from British museums like the the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Maritime Museum. They will print them on canvases of all sizes...even large-scale murals. So even if you like the works of the masters, this presents them in a new and interesting way.

CutArts.com is a great site! Renowned silhouette artist, Karl Johnson, will take a standard photograph of you, your child(ren), even your pets and turn them into unique works of art! Each silhouette is an original, one-of-a-kind work of art, signed by the artist...and it's affordable too, around $25!

Photocrazed.com takes your favorite photographs and gives them the Andy Warhol treatment. It's a fun and unique way to show off your family!

Rtist.com and Etsy.com are both online marketplaces for artists to sell their work. Depending on the artist, you can find original works of art for pretty decent prices and just imagine what could happen if you stumble upon the next Pablo Picasso!! A girl can dream, right?

Art.com is another great website that offers a variety of visual art in just about every medium at very affordable prices. I like this site because it's very well-organized and easy to shop. Check it out!

And please share with us any resources you may have found! The best ideas are shared ideas!

Are you a 90 Percenter?

Well, that depends...what is a 90 Percenter?

A 90 Percenter is someone I define as a person who takes on a home improvement and/or decorating project, gets close to the end of the project and then runs out of steam...leaving the project almost, but not quite, finished.

Ninety Percenters are easily identified by the following tell-tale signs:

Their walls are sporting a fresh coat of paint, but they are devoid of any artwork or life. Let me just say, I get this one. I really do. I mean, after you go to all the work to re-paint a room, it's hard to put a bunch of new holes in the wall in order to hang art work you feel so-so about.

OR...

HALF their walls are sporting a fresh coat of paint and the other half isn't because about midway through the job, they decided the color was all wrong and were too afraid (or pooped!) to try again.

Some 90 Percenters start out with ambitious plans...like tearing down a wall or refinishing a floor only to find that life and it's uncanny ability to get in the way has prohibited them from completing the project, or maybe the job was simply bigger than they thought and they're not sure where to proceed from here.

Maybe it's something as seemingly simple as you've bought the furniture you like, it's paid for and been delivered, but you can't figure out how to place it in your room, or maybe you like the way it looks, but the room just needs something....more?

A lot of 90 Percenters I see have recently undergone an extensive renovation and are now enjoying their hard-earned new floors, new walls, new blinds and new light fixtures, but they're just so tired of home improvements that they want to give it a rest for awhile.

So when you put it like this, you'll see that most of us have been a 90 Percenter at one point or another, so I don't want you to think that I'm picking on 90 Percenters. I'm not. In fact, I live with a 90 Percenter (my beloved husband) and my experience with him tells me that 90 Percenters aren't bad people. They're human beings, just like you and me, so they deserve our love and pity more than our scorn...all they need is that last little bit of inspiration to help them cross the finish line!

So depending on where you fall on the Unfinished Project Spectrum (the 'ole UPS), I have some suggestions designed to help you go from tired, frustrated Ninety Percenter to triumphant, proud, and you can say it...a little bit cocky, 100 Percenter!

Which of these statements best reflects you and your 90% Situation:

"I like the changes I've made so far, but I don't want to mess up our newly patched and painted walls with artwork that we've had forever and I don't really care about."

This one is simple...it's time to go shopping for artwork that inspires you and makes you happy! The thing about art is it doesn't have to be trendy (in fact, it shouldn't be), expensive or one-of-a-kind...it just has to stir something in your soul when you look at it. Maybe it's a family photograph framed and hung over the mantle or a hand-me-down painting that used to hang in your grandmother's house and reminds you of fun visits to her house as a child. It's amazing what a new frame and a matte will do for something you cherish!

And remember, it's art because YOU say it is. Andy Warhol's "32 Cans of Campbell's Soup" sold for $11.7 million dollars and it was literally an image of 32 cans of Campbell's soup!

"I didn't like the paint I selected so now I'm afraid to try again."

Seriously...don't beat yourself up. Even the most knowledgable designers make mistakes in this area. As a matter of fact, my husband and I are planning to re-paint our bedroom this weekend in order to eradicate an ill-advised blue that instead of making our room feel cool and serene like I intended, makes our room feel dark and depressing.

In this area, the best advice I can give is the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again...and get one of those tester samples first." Okay, I added that last part, but the tester samples offered by most paint stores now can be a real life and wallet saver. I recommend painting a test patch in your room and living with it for a few days in order to see how it looks at every hour of the day.

"After watching HGTV one Sunday morning, I got inspired and knocked down the wall between our den and kitchen, but that's as far as I got. It's been six months and I still have a big hole in my wall."

In a situation like this, I like to quote the great Chinese militarian Sun Tzu who said, "Sometimes it's better to lose a battle so you can win the war."

Okay, I don't know if he really said that or not, but my point is that it's important to recognize when you've gotten in over your head and when it's time to call in a professional. The fact is, you can't live indefinitely with a hole in your wall, so you've either got to set aside a long weekend and fix it yourself or call in a professional and pay them to fix it. But hey, it happens. Don't beat yourself up, just pull out the Yellow Pages and make the call!

"I bought some furniture that I like, but I just can't figure out how to place it in my living room."

You can either call a professional (like me) for a couple hours of work, or there are some websites that can help you map out placement taking into account traffic flow, furniture size, etc. Just google "Furniture Arrangement" and see what comes up.

"The hard work is done. I just need help with the finishing touches. "

Again, a professional can do this in a couple of hours and nine times out of ten, use a lot of the things you already have.

OR...

One thing I recommend to hesitant homeowners is going out to a major discout retailer (like Target, HomeGoods, Garden Ridge Pottery, etc.) and just buy up whatever looks good to you, put it on your credit card and take it home. Then just fix yourself a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, put on some inspiring music and spend the afternoon moving stuff around until you like it. Once you get everything in a place that's pleasing to you, take the rest back and get your money back. Designers do it all the time!

One last tip that covers everything...

Make a list of everything that needs to happen in your room before you are ready to declare it "Done." For whatever reason, the act of breaking down a big project into an itemized list seems to make big goals feel more attainable...and let's face it. There are few things in this world more satisfying than marking something off of a "To Do" list.

Then tell yourself, "Whatever happens this weekend, I'm going to get #1 and #2 marked off my list." Build in a little motivation, but keep your goals reasonable and before you know it, you'll be kickin' back in your newly finished, perfectly appointed new room!

Good luck!

Cat-Scratch Fever!

Jerry Seinfeld once said that he wouldn't be surprised if one day aliens landed on Earth and mistakenly believed that dogs and cats were the true rulers of the planet and we humans, the ones down there scooping their poop, were their servants.

It's funny because it's true.

But what can I say? We love our pets! They're family, and for many, they are like our children...and just like children, it's important to take them into account when we are designing a room for the entire family.

I've been giving this topic a lot of thought lately because one of the key things I am considering with this latest design challenge is my client's cats. They have done a lot of damage to her existing furniture so it goes without saying that any new furniture she buys will need to be able to hold up to the loving affection of her cat-babies.

I'm sure my client is not the only person out there who has put off buying new furniture because of cats and their claws, so I've listed here some options to help you keep your furniture looking its very best...even with cats!

The biggest problem cats present to upholstered furniture is scratching. It's frustrating, I know, but really they are not doing it to make you mad. It's a natural instinct for cats to scratch. They do it to signal their presence to other cats and mark a territory as their own. They also do it in order to remove the dead cells from their claws.

So we can't fight 20 million years of animal instinct. Okay, that's cool, but what can we do to protect our furniture from our little furballs?

Well, if you're on the hunt for new furniture, like my client, there are certain fabric selections you can make from the onset that are less attractive to cats and will inhibit them from wanting to sharpen their claws on it.

Avoid fabrics with a cross-hatched weave, a nubby texture or other woven material that has looped ends. Cats like how these fabrics catch on their claws when they sharpen them.

Instead, look for fabrics with low or no-weave, such as micro-fiber, microsuede, mohair or velvet. Cats don't like these fabrics because their fibers are open-ended and feel much like hair. These fabrics do not provide the satisfaction of friction of woven fabrics.

And then there is the question of leather...

It's smooth in texture and not as attractive to cats as woven fabrics, yet many homeowners say the mere act of their cat walking across their leather furniture leaves marks. For some leathers, evidence of wear and tear only adds to the patina, but for others, it just looks like a bunch of cat scratches on your beautiful furniture. In this case, I would weigh the cost of the new furniture with your concern about your cat's ability to damage it.

And for those of you thinking, "Wow! This is great advice...wish I'd read this like, I don't know...TWO MONTHS AGO before I bought my new furniture!" I have some tips for you too...

My research has turned up a few tried-and-true methods for training indoor cats to bypass furniture and choose an owner-designated scratching post instead.

Veterinarians often tell clients to put double-stick or packing tape on the arms of chairs and around other areas that cats tend to target. Cats instinctively do not like anything that sticks to their fur, so they will avoid tape. Eventually, they will learn to by-pass the furniture in favor of a scratching post.

Booby trap your furniture with an empty soda can filled with pennies so that if your cat scratches the furniture, it will make an intolerable noise your cat won't like and she will move on.

Try taping balloons to problem areas. After your cat pops one of the balloons with her claw, she will avoid scratching there again. Just be sure to pick up the balloon pieces so your cat does not try to eat them. (You might want to skip this one if you have toddlers in the house, especially if your child is going through the phase where they want to put everything in their mouth.)

Keep your cats claws trimmed. This will alleviate some of their urge to scratch.

Some owners have had good luck vinyl nail caps. Created by a veterinarian, vinyl nail caps for cats are a safe, non-toxic alternative to de-clawing. I found this website for more information: http://www.softpaws.com/.

There are training devices that can be purchased at pet specialty stores that make annoying sounds when cats scratch somewhere they are not supposed to. They utilize a motion detector that sprays a deterrent mist when your cat comes within a certain distance of a "trouble spot." One product that seems to be recommended over and over by the cat experts is "Ssscat Automated Cat Deterrent."

And of course, there is the old tried and true method of the spray bottle filled with water, but if your cat is anything like mine, he sees it as a refreshing afternoon spa treatment rather than a deterrent of any kind...but then aren't cats so much like people? Everyone one of us is so different!

Recession Style: Living Room "BEFORE"

Meet our new room! This brave homeowner has agreed to let me re-decorate her living room using primarily hand-me-downs, yard sale finds, and items bought off of Craig's List!

I invite you to follow along with us as we undertake this challenge, and of course, your comments, suggestions and questions are always welcome!

Things to Keep in Mind:

This room is the primary living space for our homeowner and her family. They have two small children and a couple of cats so everything we do will have to take into consideration their needs.

They would like the furnishings in this room to be comfortable, durable and made of a fabric that can be cleaned easily.

This is a long, skinny room with a fireplace on one end and a picture window on the other. This limits our options for sofa and television placement and the homeowner has expressed some frustration with this.

What's We're Keeping:

The homeowner likes the rug in the middle of the room and likes the colors in it, so we're going to take our color scheme from it. They also recently bought this television stand which she said is indicative of the style of furniture she and her husband like.

To save money, we're also going to keep the window treatments which came with the house.




Right now, the homeowner says she feels so-so about the window treatments, but we've decided to keep them because the color closely matches the green in her area rug; they were custom-made for the windows and are on a good scale for the room so we're going to keep them and divert that money to other parts of our budget.

AND, just to make it interesting and to prove that it can be done, we're keeping the husband's comfy TV-watching recliner. I know...I know! I'm a miracle-worker. What can I say? :o)

What We're Losing:

Pretty much the rest of the furniture. The homeowners are ready for something new!

Our Budget? $1,500

Style Goal? This homeowner knows what she likes and has told me her tastes lean toward the traditional. My goal is to give her a traditional room that is still comfortable and durable enough to meet the needs of her young family.

Well, that's it for now. It looks like I have my marching orders, my budget and my color scheme, so I'm heading out to do some shopping. Don't forget to check back and follow our progress!

Coming Soon!

In these uncertain economic times, you may have decided to hold off on tackling those decorating dilemmas that have been waiting on your "To-Do" list.

For some projects, like renovating your kitchen or bathroom, this is a smart and practical thing to do, but in rooms that don't require a major gut/rehab, you can still make your decorating dreams come true WITHOUT breaking the bank...and I'm going to prove it!

Doable Designs is about to take on a room and decorate it entirely using hand-me-downs, garage sale finds and items bought off of Craig's List. I'll walk you through the entire process step-by-step and keep a running budget total. With a little imagination, thriftiness and flexibility, we can design a beautiful room for a substantially lower cost than you think!

Check back in soon for the "Before" picture aka "Our Clean Slate!"

Client Story: A Cozy, Comfortable Family Room

The client hired me to help her find an area rug for her family room...and depending on budget, maybe a new sofa and loveseat, as well.

She and her husband have a little boy who just started kindergarten and a newborn daughter. They wanted to create a more inviting family room that was conducive to hanging out, watching television, and doing homework. Her first priority was a rug because their daughter will be crawling and walking soon and she wanted a soft place for her to land.

Here are the "Before" pictures...




Things to keep in mind...

Normally, we would have taken into account the sofa when shopping for the rug, but the client was ready to replace hers and wanted me to consider the paint colors above anything else. She had recently had her family room, foyer and the adjacent dining room painted. She really liked the colors and didn't want to change them.

The dining room (which can be seen from the family room) is painted blue (somewhere between navy and royal blue). So this told us that our primary colors needed to be green and blue.

The client also prefers the "English Country" style...traditional, yet comfortable.

They also have this wonderful entertainment center that looks great in the room and offers a lot of much-needed storage, so it was staying. My recommendation was to remove the picture (on the right) and center the bookshelves on the wall, then spruce up the bookcases with books and pictures to tie everything together.

Here are the "AFTER" pictures...

After a lot of shopping, we found an area rug that met all of our criteria. The primary colors were green and blue, the design was traditional and the price was right!

Because we saved so much on the rug, we started shopping for a sofa. The client wanted it to have an attached back and deep cushions as she and her husband are both tall. We found this entire set for a steal and opted to buy the whole thing. Her husband wanted the ottoman, so we gave him his way! I like everyone to be happy.

As you can see from the picture, the sofas are brown and blue. Brown was our third accent color. The blue in the sofas pulled from the blue in the dining room nicely and also matched the matte in the picture hanging over the loveseat. We'll eventually add some throw pillows with a little bit of green in them to tie it all together, but for now, we turned to the entertainment center.

The client had a box of books in her basement, so we used the best ones. To make bookshelves look stylish and organized, it helps to remember this tip...1/3-1/3-1/3...meaning you want 1/3 of the shelves to contain books, 1/3 to contain pictures and accessories and 1/3 to be open space.

Here are some close-ups of each bookshelf. As you can see, you also want to try and use accessories that are similar in color, style and scale. It's easier than it looks, I promise. We did these bookshelves using only the homeowner's existing accessories and picture frames.




What's Next?


As you can see from this picture, the lamp in the corner is from the Arts & Crafts style and doesn't go with our new English Country look. It doesn't look bad, but it could look better, so we're currently shopping for another lamp that's more in keeping with the new style.

We're also looking for a new accent table. We'd like to find something round, but with four legs. A pedestal table would look great, but stability is going to be a big issue with a little one learning to walk soon and although pedestal tables look fabulous, they are easily turned over.

With the big items purchased, we're now going to work on accessorizing this foyer table. Check back to see how it turns out!

With this client, budget was of particular concern. She didn't want to spend more than $5,000. So far, we've spent approximately $3,000 and all we need to buy are accessories so I feel pretty confident that we'll be able to come in well under the client's budget and that makes the client (and me) very happy!