All About Decorating

Are you seeing the world in Technicolor?

I rand across this great article about sleep and the clarity of colors, before you determine the hue of depth of color think about the amount of sleep you had the night before.

Sleep disorders include a range of problems -- from insomnia to narcolepsy -- and affect millions of Americans. Dr. Michael Breus shares information and advice on sleep disorder and insomnia treatments and causes.

Read more from the WebMD Expert Blog

Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Better Sleep for a Technicolor World
 

Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Purple.

Look around and pay attention to the color you see. Is it bright and vivid? Better or worse than yesterday? Now think about how well you slept last night. Or the night before. Could it be that your ability to see colors depends on a good night’s sleep?  Read More

Creating Your Authentic Home

Are you Ready for Your Dream Home?

Kathy Banak, interior designer and founder of Authentic Home uses her “color visionary” skills to provide homeowners interior design and home décor guidance that results in homes that reflect their own family and lifestyle – their authentic home.

Together with her premium eco-friendly Authentic Home COLOR Paint™ line and corresponding fine-tuned fabrics, Kathy masterfully works with colors to make dream rooms a reality.

Here is the link to listen to the show.

Place in your browser if need be: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/home-fashions-u/2010/07/16/authenic-home--paint-and-dream-rooms

Pelmets and Soft Cornices made of chipboard

We just finished a 2-Day workshop with Donna Skufis in Peoria, AZ.  The workshop on Saturday was about making soft cornices and pelmets with chipboard, we use many of the techniques taught by Joanna Braxton combined with Donna's techniques using Sealah Tape in place of glue.

Chipboard: A type of paperboard generally made from reclaimed paper stock (definition in ASTM D996); the term generally used in the US.  Larger sizes can be found at your local upholstery supply business.

Sealah Tape:  A double sided industrial strength machine washable adhesive tape.

Pelmet:  A pelmet is a framework placed above a window, used to conceal curtain fixtures. These can be used decoratively (to hide the curtain rod) and also help insulate the window by preventing convection currents[1]. It is similar in appearance to a valance, which performs the same function but is made of fabric. A pelmet can be made of plywood or chipboard, and may be painted, or fabric covered.

Order your Pelmet Making DVD Today!

Learn how to quickly and easily create a pelmet from start to finish using Joanna's chipboard method.

Outdoor Interiors - A Passion for Outdoor Living

Meet Marcia Blake - Design Consultant

Marcia's collection, Outdoor Couture, has garnered rave reviews and is a favorite of customers who favor dramatic, yet comfortable outdoor accessories. Marcia has been a contributor for such publications as Casual Living Magazine, Coast Magazine, Water Garden News and Southern Home & Outdoor Magazine.

Click here to listen to Home Fashions U Blog Talk Radio as we talked with Marcia about how she got started in business, what she loves about it, and best fabrics to use outdoors. http://outdoorinteriors.com

National Educator Donna Skufis Teaching in AZ

Donna Skufis is currently operating a one person fabrication studio in Walton, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, Ohio, Donna started her business in 1983. Serving retail clients on a part time basis, she offered design, fabrication and installation services convinced she could provide better service if she handled it all. After 5-6 years, it became apparent she was well suited for the fabricating and installation end of the business but not so much the designing. It was clear what she enjoyed was fabricating the treatments.

Teaching was a dream that had found it's time. Cheryl Strickland had instructed Donna years earlier at Cheryl's first workroom school. In 2000 Cheryl invited Donna to teach at her Custom Home Furnishing Conference in Greenville SC. Donna continues teaching every year at conferences and added teaching at the CHF School in 2003.
Still teaching for the CHF Academy and WCWA weekend academy and Vision09, she has added WCAA speaker, video instructor, Vice President of her local Kentucky Workroom Association and future book author to her list of ventures.

We are so excited that Donna will be sharring her talented ideas with Workroom Professionals in Arizona.   To sign up for her classes today!  Limited to 15 students.

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Challenging Windows Bays, Bows & Corner's

How to make these challenging and difficult treatments. From the planning, analyzing and calculating the most efficient methods of construction, all the way to completion.
June 11, 2010 9am-5pm Cost: $105

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Semi and Soft Cornices Using New Methods with Chip Board

Learn what products make the best soft or semi soft cornices. Hands on step by step methods are shared for the best soft cornices. How to achieve that hard cornice looking using flat aluminum bar or other products.

June 12,2010 9am-5pm Cost:$105

Contact Claudia at 623-878-7350 with any questions and for the best place to stay in sunny Arizona.

New Fair Trade Hand Crafted Silk Pillows

Shop Today for Fair Trade Silk Pillows.

18x18 inch square pillows in Silver, Pearls, and Black Embroidery. 100% Silk.

Reversible with same color silk on back, hidden zipper and decorative welting.

Down Feather or Poly Fill inside.

ECO IMPACT
At One Thread Fair Trade, we are doing our best to minimize the effect we have on our environment.

Our products are made using hand loom silks. Hand loom weaving is tremendously better for the environment as the weaving is done by human hands and does not involve any machinery. As a result, hand loom fabrics produce ZERO energy impact and release 1 TON LESS CO2 in a year than the same job produced on a power loom. Power loom fabrics contribute large amounts of carbon emissions into our environment and one job on a power loom sucks up as much energy as 20 vacuum cleaners running all day.

Also, by using hand loom we support the rural hand loom weaving villages which are struggling to survive due to the increasing usage of power looms. Hand loom weaving uses nine times more labor than required by a power loom, thus providing many more people with a livelihood and means of survival.

Mayura Kona: Designer and Founder

Mayura wanted to use her education, privilege, and design talents to do something good for humanity, to improve the world in which we all live in. From this desire, One Thread Fair Trade was created. She works directly with the artisans not only to produce beautiful products but also to improve the confidence and self-worth of the women involved. She says she will never forget the day when she paid the women their first round of fair wages. “I walked into the workroom and was met with eyes overflowing with tears and hearts brimming with hope. My life was forever changed.” Her deep passion and commitment to women’s empowerment is the soul of the organization.

As a designer, she is inspired by patterns, whether it is the arrangement of roof tiles on a house or the veins of a maple leaf.  She believes that great design must start with a pencil and paper. “There is an intangible quality that you achieve when you begin the design process with your own hand drawings, without any use of technology.”

Mayura believes the path to true happiness lies in bringing joy to the lives and hearts of others.

She holds a BA in Design/Media Arts from UCLA and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
MISSION

At One Thread Fair Trade, we believe that every one of us has a responsibility to improve the state of our global community, the state of mankind.

We work with communities of marginalized female artisans worldwide to produce beautiful hand-crafted accents for your home. Our work enables battered and impoverished women to become self-sufficient and improve the quality of life for both themselves and their children. One Thread Fair Trade is a vehicle through which individuals, like you, can positively affect the lives of poverty-stricken women thousands of miles away.

IT’S SIMPLE: Empower individuals to lift themselves out of poverty and live the life that every member of mankind deserves to live.

Together, we can change lives one thread at a time...

Drapery Fabrics: Pros and Cons

Drapery Fabrics: Pros and Cons

Fabrics come in three basic types: natural, synthetic (man-made) and blends. Natural fabrics tend to be more breathable, while synthetic fabrics tend to be more durable. The fabric you choose for your new window treatments can impact a lot more than just the look of your home. All drapery fabrics have advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to know what those are before you make your choice. Here are the pros and cons of some of the most common drapery fabrics.

Cotton – The strongest of the natural fabrics. Cotton is very commonly used as drapery fabric because of its versatility. It dyes well, comes in a wide range of color choices and allows air to pass through it. Unfortunately, because cotton is a natural fabric, it is not very durable. It is best to use a cotton-synthetic blend to get the “breath ability” cotton, but with the durability of a synthetic fabric.

Silk – Silk is a beautiful fabric for window drapes. It comes in a variety of weights and is long wearing and durable. Some of the finest oriental rugs that have lasted for several hundreds of years are made of silk. Considering rugs are constantly walked on, silk draperies should last for even longer. However, silk is generally expensive, damaged easily by the sun and prone to water spots. Linen – Linen is light, casual and has a fine luster. It is also a very strong fabric and is stain-resistant. But, linen also wrinkles easily so it is best to use some sort of lining material when using this type of fabric for draperies. Linen can also be stiff and prone to shrinking unless treated. And, like silk, linen can also be expensive. So, if you’re on a tight budget this may not be the best route to go for your draperies.

Acrylic – This is a great synthetic fabric to blend with a natural fabric like cotton to increase durability. It is also colorfast (color will not run or fade with washing or wear), stain-resistant and has sun-resistant qualities not found in natural fabrics like cotton and linen. The main negative aspect of acrylic is that it tends to pill (come off in flakes or scales) if rubbed up against. However, window drapes are not rubbed against as much as other furniture like couches and chairs, so this shouldn’t cause too much of a problem. These are just a few of the many fabrics you can choose for your new window treatments.

Generally, it is best to blend natural and synthetic fabrics to reap the benefits of both types, but depending on the window’s location, it may be best to go 100% one way or the other. More often than not, if you are shopping for custom treatments, your dealer will be able to help in figuring out your best fabric option. But, with this information, you have a head start on deciding which fabric is ideal for your new curtains.

Guest Blogger:

Richard Moyle
Horizon Window Treatments
212.463.0369
www.horizonyc.com

Slipcover Summit - Nashville, Tenn - June, 2010

Watch for Classes and the new website:  Karen is putting together the finial touches on the Slipcover Summit.  

Stay in touch!  Stay Posted at AllAboutDecorating.com  and the new Slipcover Summit Website

Need Slipcover Supplies check out  www.shophome4u.com   Celouse non shrinking weltcord, Slipcover like a Pro Dvd's and how to make cushions.

DIY Window Cornice - Create It Decor - NO SEW

Create it Decor window cornice, light weight, fast to decorate and hang. Give your room in minutes.

Light weight product made from Expanded Polystyrene requires No Sewing to Decorate!!

1. measure window

2. order cornice kit

3. select fabric and decorate

4. hang cornice

5. invite friends over to see your new project

Free Instructions with kit at http://homefashionsu-store.com/

Forever Redwood

Save $175 on any furniture purchase of $1,000 or more at FOREVER REDWOOD! Enter REDWOOD175 at checkout. Expires 12/31/09

Gorgeous Outdoor Redwood Furniture that Lasts Forever & Helps Save Forests When being ecologically sound is as important to you as good looks and durability, the Forever Redwood collection delivers. Through a heritage of seasoned workmanship, we offer an extensive selection of solid wooden picnic tables, benches, chaise loungers, planter boxes, swings and gliders, gazebos, pergolas, and much more -- all guaranteed never to rot or decay. All Forever Redwood furniture is made from wood collected from our own forestlands and milled by hand. We do it the old fashioned way cutting 2x6's that really are 2 inches by 6 inches. The extra thickness and girth significantly increases the feel, appearance, sturdiness, and durability of our furniture. This makes for redwood furniture that is beautiful, heavyweight and gives you, your family, and friends a lifetime of comfort and enjoyment. And feel good knowing that your purchase helps fund forest restoration.

Watch the Video - ForeverRedwood reclaims and protects the land in Northern California.