FSBO Jane

Recently, I visited a local farmers’ market, planning to come home with bags of fresh produce to stock my fridge with. Instead, I carried away an unexpected find. Numerous local artists had set up booths with original artwork. And when I say original, I mean it! We’re talking paintings on framed slabs of glass, patterned cloth material stretched around pieces of wood, woodcarvings of decorative chairs and yard signs, wind chimes, bird houses, molded candles, and objects that have no name but that looked aesthetically interesting. Was I alone in not knowing that you could find original artwork at a farmer’s market? I went home with a painting of bunnies on glass that I plan on displaying outside on my front porch. Bunnies just love my yard.

It got me thinking, where else can people find original artwork without knowing it? Craft fairs are always a good place to start. At craft fairs, you can collect artist’s cards, websites or phone numbers so that you can contact them at a later date or find out where they’ll be going next. From this, I found out that artists travel to farmer’s markets, seasonal festivals, local events, community garage sales and more! Sometimes, they’ll even set up a time and day to just display their work on the side of a busy street.

There’s also websites where you can find original artwork. OriginalArtOnline.com is a website that allows artists to promote their work in a professional manner while allowing buyers to search for original art from artists and emerging artists. ArtistRising.com categorizes original art by subject, style and medium, such as photography, painting or digital. Best part? The prices are completely reasonable!

You can find individual artists by using social networking sites. For example, search Twitter for a certain subject or for artists in general. Numerous artists advertise their work that way and lead you to their website where you can check out more work and contact them for a purchase. Some artists will even offer to create a piece of art specific to your desires, such as a painting of your beloved puppy.

Don’t get me wrong, I can stand in Bed, Bath & Beyond or Target for hours staring at the beautiful artwork that they sell. It’s everywhere! But there’s just something rewarding about buying it right from its source. I was proud of my new find.

Know of somewhere else that is ideal for finding original artwork? Let us know!

Not sure what to cover your bare walls with? Not happy with your wallpaper or paint? Looking for something unique that’ll really wow your guests? This is for you. It is 3D wallpaper, and though it sounds bizarre, it’s actually a cinch to hang, it hides wall cracks, water spots, blemishes, etc., and it looks unique and classy all at the same time!

Design.SpotCoolStuff.com posts all sorts of original trends on their design blog, and this is one of them that sparked my attention. These walls flats are made by Inhabit, and they contain adhesive on one side so that all you do is peel off the protective paper on the back and stick it on your wall! They cut easily so that you can cut around light switches, windows and doors, they are made from bamboo pulp and 100 percent biodegradable and eco-friendly, and you can purchase a cheap sample pack to help you decide if this is right for you. The different available designs can be viewed on the website here. I may just be trying this out in one of my own rooms.

I thought it might be fun to start a new feature here, where I showcase a few design or home-decorating styles that I particularly enjoy. Sometimes that’s all it takes to be inspired towards renovations at home!

Today, let’s start with bedrooms!

• I always love hotel bedding, but check out this bedroom from the inside of a yacht!

  Image source: yachtfan

I like how tranquil and inviting it seems, with the fairly monochromatic color scheme of neutrals and with a huge bed covered with luxurious bedding. The combination of white bedding and loads of pillows with warm wall sconces and recessed lighting in the ceiling creates incredible ambiance.

I’d never want to leave the room! Would you?

• The name of the game with this bedroom is sleek and modern.

Image source: jinkazamah
What makes this room stand out to me are its really clean lines, again neutral color scheme, plus enormous windows with floor-to-ceiling treatments. Not crazy about the rug, but mostly because it needs to be flattened down.

Also, notice the bench at the foot of the bed - great way to add some seating and visual interest!

• A very IKEA feel and our first pop of color are the highlights in this third room

Image source: Channel4.com

Bright, clean and organized: those are the feelings I come away with here. A few small pops of color add interest to the room, most noticeably with the red blanket on the bed but also with the yellow vase on the dresser and the striped pillow in the neighboring room. So you can see here some options you have for accessorizing.

Every potential home buyer unconsciously looks for a house that feels like a home. As a home seller, you’re duty is to make your home feel like a home to all those who enter it. To do this, focus on creating a homey ambiance for open houses. Ways to accomplish this feeling through the five senses:

• Smell: Light scented candles, such as a soothing lavender or a delicious birthday cake. Allow the scents to coincide with the time of year and upcoming holidays. In the mornings, brew a fresh pot of coffee. In the afternoons, bake a batch of homemade cookies.
• Flavor: Offer the freshly brewed coffees and freshly baked cookies to your potential homebuyers. Provide flavored coffee creamers, and include a backup, healthier alternative for those who deny a cookie.
• Sight: Use the time of year to help decorate your home. Add odds and ends to your neutral décor when a holiday is coming up, but otherwise, keep it simple. Use warm colors, declutter tables and bookshelves, and store away any personal items, such as family photos.
• Sound: Feel free to have some soft music playing in the background, but nothing that will make people feel uncomfortable. Choose a soft-rock radio station over a heavy metal station, for example.
• Touch: Incorporate appealing fabrics into your décor, such as a soft fleece blanket on the back of a couch, or satin curtains around a window. Though these aspects aren’t staying with the home, they still allow the buyer to imagine living there and enjoying the homey aspects.

If you’re looking to spruce up your FSBO photos without spending a load of money, rework your window treatments! Windows naturally brighten a home’s interior, which naturally adds visual appeal to the home’s photos. Window treatments add a personal touch to what could be considered a visually appealing décor, if you play your cards right. By mid-summer, your window treatments should not be the same as your winter treatments.

This summer, switch to bright, light and minimal! According to this article from HGTV.com, as long as you follow their latest six tips, your windows will radiate the image of perfection.

These tips include:

1. Replace heavy curtains with simple shades, because no one wants to see a bunch of material.
2. Don’t block the natural light from streaming in. Shades or glass-block windows allow light to shine through while still providing privacy.
3. Choose the correct contemporary hues. Light, cool hues make a room appear larger, and dark, warm colors make a large room appear more inviting.
4. Add textured shades or blinds to the window. Textures add visual appeal while still rolling up smoothly.
5. Wooden blinds appear light and attractive, but they actually block access light. While light can still shine through, no one ends up blinded from direct light.
6. Curvature adds interest to a room full of straight cabinets or shelves. Arching a valence over the window is one option.

To read the article from HGTV.com in its entirety, click here.

Whether you are cooking a meal on the stove, washing the dishes in the sink, or loading up that handy dishwasher, you’re going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, facing the wall. Adding a backsplash not only makes your kitchen appealing to others, but it gives you something to look at, as well, instead of staring at a boring, neutral-colored wall.

Forget installing high-end granite, stainless steel or glass tile backsplashes! Try something affordable. You don’t even to install a faux backsplash. All you have to do to create a unique feature to your kitchen is grab some paint, along with a few tools, and get to work. Some of the most desired options for faux painting including tile, stone and wood.

Tile

You can easily achieve the look of a tiled backsplash by using stencils or by measuring/taping off sections of the wall. Either way, you want to make sure that your stencil/tape is at least 1/4 inches, as that is the width of most grout lines between wall tiles. The height depends entirely upon how big you want your faux tiles to be.

To achieve a sparkling tile look, mix three parts clear glaze with one part of the paint color of your choice. Once applied to the wall, the mixture can be dabbed with a sponge if you want to create a different texture other than a flat finish. Remove the tape when you are done, and let everything dry. Boom! You’re done!

Stone

Start with a base coat of white latex enamel, and apply it with a sponge brush. Let it dry, and then coat half of the wall with an earth-toned or neutral-colored glaze (with a different sponge brush) in random spots on the wall. Repeat this step with an even darker glaze, applying it to the rest of the wall, on the places in which you skipped over when you applied the neutral glaze.

After everything has dried, the next step is to wash. Use whitewash in some areas and another earth-tone wash in other, the same way you applied the glaze. The more random the pattern, the more natural your wall will look.

Before the wash dries, crumple up a piece of newspaper and dab the wall, like you would with a sponge. Repeat this process until you achieve your desired look.

Wood

Apply a yellow base coat, preferably mustard or ocher, and let it dry. To create a glaze, mix one part white vinegar with six parts burnt umber/sienna water color paint. Apply the glaze to the wall.

If you want a grainy type of look, drag a comb across the glaze before it dries. You could also dab the wet glaze with a sponge. Each object gives the wood-like wall a different finish. Experiment! You can always change your mind.

After the glaze dries, apply one coat of oil-based varnish so that your faux wood backsplash shines as if it were the real thing.

Picture this: You had a long Friday night. You crash, in the wee hours of the morning, and you plan on sleeping as late as possible. It is the weekend after all! But… oh no! You just moved into a new house, and you have yet to install any coverings on your window. The sun is pouring in and you just can’t sleep. Now what?

Consider installing window blinds. Vertical or horizontal, it’s your preference.

I personally prefer blinds to curtains. Here’s why:

• Curtains can be stained, while blinds can easily be wiped down.
• Heavy-duty curtains are bulky and difficult to install/maintain.
• Installing specific curtains makes it hard to change the style of your room. For example, you once has a blue living room, complete with royal blue draperies. What do you do when you want to change the color scheme to… red?
• Curtains can be more expensive than blinds.

Now, let’s compare the type of blinds: vertical vs. horizontal.

Vertical blinds can come attached only at the top or at top and bottom. Verticals have typically two manual mechanisms that operate movement of the blinds. A rope cord opens the blinds completely, either shifting all of them to one side or parting them in the middle, with even halves separating ways to reveal an open window. If you only want a little light to shine through, you would pull the chain, which operates the slats to turn in place. Lots of colors are available to match the decor of any room!

Horizontal blinds are only attached at the top. Like verticals, horizontal blinds also posses two manual mechanisms to operate movement. A cord, usually on the right, moves the blinds up and down as you pull. A rod, usually on the left, moves the slats (in place), as you turn it.

Cord attached on left or right and a rod on the other side. Some horizontals can come with mosaic designs! A friend of mine is a huge Star Wars fan, so he bought horizontal blinds to display his adoration of the epic films.

Take it from me, the woman who has seen one too many rooms painted jet-black or hideously purple: when you’re selling your home, paint the walls neutral colors!

Why?

1. Neutral Colors Are Less Personal: It’s true that you want your house to feel like a home when you’re living in it, and that could be why you choose dark or bold colors - that’s fine. But when it comes to sell, you’re not trying to please yourself; you’re trying to please potential buyers. If you make very specific color choices, you immediately limit the pool of buyers you can attract.

2. Neutral Colors Are Soothing: There’s a reason they call them neutral - they are soothing, easy-to-please, the colors that the most people will be able to imagine their furniture set against.

3. Light Neutrals Enlarge Space: A room painted with light neutral colors will appear larger than the same room painted with dark blues or black. In selling you are trying to maximize the appeal of your home!

Many design trends come in and out of fashion in the world of home decorating. There are no real limits to what can or cannot be done to a room, and those willing to try new things usually end up with the most visually interesting, must-see rooms.

A trend that’s recently caught on is incorporating animal prints, zebra stripes in particular seem to be the most popular, into the decorating of any and all rooms around the house.

If overdone, it may feel as though you are taking a trip on an actual safari, surrounded by friendly giraffes, peaceful zebras and curious leopards. But when used correctly, these animal prints can become great conversation pieces and interesting details.

The safari room craze began in the early 1900s when President Teddy Roosevelt went on an African safari. Since then, animal prints have been showing up in homes throughout the years.
The current animal print trend goes along with the recent trend in natural eco-friendly decorating. Homeowners are using natural materials such as bamboo, burlap and cork in home remodels. It makes sense that animal prints can further the natural, earthy feel for a room.

If you’re looking to do an animal print makeover, start with the basics as you would with any home decorating or remodeling project. When you choose the room to get the update, decide on how you want the room to feel. That is, do you want it to feel warm and cozy, open and inviting, intimate and romantic? Once you know the feel, you can choose a color palette to suit it.

The color palette will help you decide what animal prints to use. If you’ve chosen black and red, black and white, or even black and pink then zebra stripes would be an excellent match to add some flair. If you’ve chosen earthier tones- yellows, greens and browns- then leopard, giraffe and tiger prints will make interesting accents.

Recently, animal prints have been appearing in a variety of colors. You will be sure to see zebra stripes in colors other than black and white. Same goes for the other prints. This means you can really do as you wish and choose any print to complement any room. If you really want to be daring, you can even mix prints, coordinating patterns and textures to create a totally unique room just for you.

You don’t have to travel to foreign countries for prints. Faux and painted décor works just fine and is much less detrimental to these animals! They come in the form of rugs, bedding, throw pillows and blankets, furniture, statues, figurines and art. Add just a little or go crazy with it. It all just depends on how wild you are!

Whatever you choose to do, it will be sure to stand out. When guests come over, your unique room will surely make for interesting conversations because animal prints are not only trendy right now, but they are also sophisticated and a step up from the traditional.

So choose a room and start your own safari adventure today!