The Fifth Wall

I want everyone to start looking up. To the ceiling that is! For years we have come up with color schemes for the 4 side walls in our homes. We have agonized over using the right shade of beige or blue. Many sample paints have been put on our walls to be stared at and pondered about. I have done it too! My friends and family have seen many paint cards taped up to my walls over the years. I am willing to bet that there is a can of “Ceiling White” paint gathering dust in the dark recesses of your garage. That color was a staple for our home for years. Are you ready for a change? I want to get you thinking about putting the same efforts into ceiling color decisions that you put into the rest of your walls.
If you are building or remodeling, there are architectural details available for the ceiling. A tray ceiling is easy to add during home construction. It can be contrast painted to highlight its features. I have seen rectangle and octagon styles that definitely make a statement. Paint a strong accent color on the angled sides of the tray for a great look. Also, a decorative painter can create the “look” of a tray on any ceiling. It is lovely!
Decorative crown moldings can be added into the tray ceiling. They also go nicely along the top edges of any room. It creates a level of interest wherever you want to add to the look of your home... The different shapes of the moldings can be layered for a more dramatic look. Painted or stained, it is a dimensional detail for your décor.
Decorative medallions can be added to the center of a ceiling alone or around a light fixture. You can “fake it” by faux painting the “look” of a medallion or center design on any ceiling They can be painted in just about any color and could be made like the design on an oriental rug you may have in that room. How about making the ceiling look like you are inside a luxurious tent for a little girl’s room? If you can dream it, I know the perfect person to create it for you.
Even just a coat of paint in a color other than white makes for a great look. In a sunroom, you could paint the ceiling a soft blue, like the sky and feel more like you are outdoors. Dark paints used on the ceiling can add a great bit of drama to a room. Any wall color can be mixed with white to create a tint for the ceiling that is low risk.
Well there you have it. I hope that I have sparked your imagination to think about your ceilings and enhance your interior décor style. If nothing else, at least

give your ceiling a fresh coat of that “Ceiling White “paint and the whole room will brighten. Just in time for spring!

My Top Organization Tips for You

They are everywhere this time of year, those colorful storage bins. They are the promise of an organized life and all we have to do is neatly pile our stuff inside, close the lid and put a label on the outside. That would be nice but it is not reality! It takes training to be organized and stay that way. It goes hand in hand with interior decorating and can help create spaciousness in your living space. So I have some great organization tips to pass along to you.
Create a desk/bill paying area in your home. Keep all your important and time sensitive mail and bills together there for ease of locating. You will find that if you have a designated area for those important things, you will not spend time searching around the house and risk losing your paperwork. If you can have a file cabinet with manila folders to hold all important documents in alphabetical order in the desk area, all the better for organizing. You can put a hook there for your house keys and never search for them again!
Everyone can find a small wall area in their home for organizing coats, hats and backpacks. You don’t need much space. Coat hooks are available at your local home improvement store and are very inexpensive. So, there is no excuse for not having your family’s coats, hats and etc. hanging neat and organized!
Don’t you just hate trying to find the right suitcase/travel totes when you need them? I got you covered. Store your suitcases one inside of the other when not in use. They will be easy to find all together and take up less space in your home. While you are at it, put your jewelry travel cases and other carry-on travel items with your luggage. Everything will be at your fingertips when you need travel.
This is one I love. Instead of throwing all your laundry together and waiting for laundry day to sort the wash, buy a hamper with divided bins. Then every time you add a piece of laundry to the appropriate bin of the hamper, your sorting is automatically done. Laundry day just got a whole lot easier!
Now, as ambitious as all this organization stuff may sound, I have a greater reason for doing this neatnik kind of work. The unseen benefits for me are a simpler, easier lifestyle with less work in a home that is definitely easy to care for. That is the ticket for me! Maybe the idea of less work sounds appealing to you too. As someone once said, life can be messy- let’s clean it up!

The Best Vintage Christmas Tree for a baby boomer

You will love this video on my tree and the history of some of the ornaments and decorations we all grew up with in the 50's and 60's. The smell of the pine is just an added bonus. Enjoy

Create your own Rug

You can design your own area rugs for a very reasonable price. Flor rug tiles fit together with sticky dots that can be repositioned for unlimited styles. Complement your decor with ease. Individual carpet tiles lift out of the rug and can be washed or replaced as needed. What is better than that? I love the versatility of these rug tiles. Be your own rug designer. Here is just one example for you. Give me your needs and I can create a rug for your home!