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Frugal Floral-Themed Decorating Tips by Monica Resinger http://homemakersjournal.com Floral themes are so charming! I recently visited a friend who did her house in a floral theme and I was so impressed, I considered changing my decorating theme to floral. I've included some tips I learned on my visit. ~ Use a floral or ivy print material to swag around windows or sliding glass doors. My friend simply cut hers with pinking sheers, rather than hemming and it looked fine. You can cut the material any size or length you prefer. You could bunch the material up with rubber bands or pins at the points where the swag would attach to the wall above the window. I like to do things simple, so I would probably attach the swag by nailing or tacking it to the wall. To save money on this project, you could visit thrift stores and look for pretty floral sheets to cut up and use. ~ Collect pretty floral tins (can be found at thrift stores or yard sales for very reasonable prices), and line them on their sides atop cupboards. A bonus to tins is that you can use them for storage of small items, or even food (pasta, flour, trinkets, etc.) ~ Use a floral tablecloth and chair pads. Again, these can be found at thrift stores and yard sales, but also watch retail stores such as Wal-Mart or Target for their clearance sales. ~ Wicker furniture looks great in a floral themed room. My friend layered on various pillows; the pillows did not match, but all had either floral prints or shapes. One pillow was silk with silk roses sewed on. The pillows give a nice cozy feel and add to the charm (be sure to check the thrift stores and yard sales... hope I don't sound like a broken record!). Speaking of pillows, be sure to layer them on your bed! ~ Stencil an ivy or a floral border around the windows and/or near the ceiling on the walls. Craft stores have many stencils to choose from along with supplies and instructions. ~ You can find faux flower swags at the Dollar Store (if you don't have a Dollar Store nearby, your local craft store will have them, but they will be more expensive there). These are great for atop cupboards, around doorways and windows, winding around stair rails or affixed to lamp shades as a trim (cut to appropriate length first). ~ You can also find a lot of other floral-themed items at the dollar store... placques, art prints in frames, colorful glass flowers, cups, mugs, plates, bowls, hand towels, pot holders and more. Just take a walk through there and see how many items you'll find that will fit into a floral decorating theme! ~ Don't forget real plants! My hostess gift to my friend was a miniature rose plant which fit right in. But any type of plant will fit into a floral theme; they don't have to be flowering plants. If you don't have a green thumb then use silk arrangements they can be just as pretty. ~ Wicker baskets fit right into a floral theme and give you some storage space. They are great for holding anything that will fit into them... remote controls, books, bills, papers, keys. They also make great plant containers. You can dress up wicker baskets with floral material bows (just cut a strip of floral material and tie into a bow around the handle), or floral ribbon bows. You can also spray paint them if you desire a certain color. I hope this gives you some inspiration for decorating in a floral theme. To find other foral decorating ideas, check magazines, decorating books, on the Internet, or your friend's homes. Monica is the founder/editor of The Homemaker's Journal E-Publications. She invites you to visit The Homemaker's Journal website where you'll find information about 59 fun and informative Home and Garden E-books, her free weekly e-newsletter for homemakers, home and garden articles and more. Click here: http://homemakersjournal.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE USING ARTICLES POSTED ON THE GROUP: 1. Print the article in its entirety. Don't make any changes in the article . 2. Print the resource box with all articles in their entirety. 3. Send the Author a copy of the reprinted article or the URL where the articles was posted. Anything short of following these three rules is a violation of the Authors Copyright. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
