Ready to be a little wild in your decorating?

The secret to good decorating is to be bold and creative without ever being tasteless. Here’s an idea which is unique enough to get attention, yet will never be out of place.

Instead of just flowers in a silk arrangement, use feathers! Feathers bring an added bit of texture and life to the standard silk flower display. Pheasant and peacock feathers will add height and drama. Bright colored feathers will make your display eye-catching and unique. To add softness to a bouquet, try ostrich plumes..

You may want to leave the flowers out and make your arrangement entirely out of feathers. An interesting container can serve as a wonderful starting point. Search for one with an animal skin motif. Duck feathers in a leather container will add a manly feel to any office or gameroom. Short feathers at the base, with spikes of pheasant plumes, create an attention drawing piece for a buffet or hall table.

Exotic feathers can add spice to a bedroom. Put them out with candles for a special night, and create a very romantic mood. You might even try a boa for yourself!

Look outdoors for feathers of local birds from your area. You can use these to make a statement about your love of where you’ve chosen to live. Take a walk in a nearby wooded park and soon you’ll have a collection from local birds. Typically these are small feathers, yet they’ll say “home” in a cute display on an end table.

Search the floral section of your favorite craft store for interesting natural items such as moss, twigs and dried seeds to add to your design. A skilled florist will help you change these elements into a stunning display for your home.
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Spring is here and decorating is in the air. We all love putting out fresh new looks in our homes this time of year, but have you thought recently about the outside? Often we’re so busy decorating or redecorating inside, we forget to do the same outside as well. So here are a few quick and easy outdoor decorating tips that will help spruce up the curb appeal of your home:

1. Paint: You can paint the entire house and trim, or simply touch up the trim alone… either way will make a huge impact on how your home looks to the passing public.

2. Porch or Patio: If you already have a porch or patio, simply putting new furniture out can make a wonderful difference in the presentation of your home. Alternatively, you can simply buy new cushions or covers for your existing patio furniture. Other quick patio spruce ups can be as simple as putting out a few flowering potted plants, adding gnomes or statues, or putting a small water fountain into the space.

3. Walkways: Having walkways outside your home add a cozy, homey and inviting feel to the overall outdoor presentation. Just a straight concrete walkway can be spruced up by putting a bit of garden bed edging along each side… putting small solar walkway lights on each side… or planting colorful annual flowers such as petunias on each side. If you don’t already have a walkway and want to create one, I think the prettiest are those made of stone. Add an extra decorative touch by making the walkway curve or wind a bit to your front door instead of leading straight there.
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How you style a bathroom depends on a number of factors. First, there is the general style of your home. If everything in your home has a classic country sort of feel, having an ocean theme in your bathroom may seem out of place. Second, there’s the concept of the feel you want to create with the bathroom. For kids, you may choose a fun, cartoon theme; for those who are looking for a relaxing atmosphere, a place where it’s possible to fully unwind at the end of a long day, peaceful colors like those in a spa would be ideal.

Similarly, the types of colors that you’re like – along with the overall brightness of your bathroom – can determine whether you look for brightly colored accessories or those that are muted in color. Finally, there’s your personality, or the personality of the person who will be using the bathroom the most.

In general, there are four styles that are commonly used when accessorizing the bathroom – classy, muted, bright and fun.

In a classy bathroom, you may find yourself choosing bath accessories in muted colors, perhaps with a subtle floral tone. Toilet seat covers, towels, bath mats as wall as bath accessories for the counter – a soap dish or soap pump, a toothbrush holder and such – can all be coordinated with the shower curtain. You may start with a shower curtain that is a neutral color like beige with a rose colored embellishment and match the other bath accessories to the rose shade.

If instead you were trying to create a muted look in your bathroom, you’re likely to choose soft tones as well, but rather than a floral look, you may choose slightly more modern bath accessories like those that you might find at a spa retreat. Muted shades of green or blue, natural colors that resemble stone or clay are all good base colors for your bathroom. Consider a solid color shower curtain or one that is patchwork – squares of complementary colors. Choose a matching bath rug, bath towels, a toilet seat to match and simple chrome plated bath accessories.
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How you style a bathroom depends on a number of factors. First, there is the general style of your home. If everything in your home has a classic country sort of feel, having an ocean theme in your bathroom may seem out of place. Second, there’s the concept of the feel you want to create with the bathroom. For kids, you may choose a fun, cartoon theme; for those who are looking for a relaxing atmosphere, a place where it’s possible to fully unwind at the end of a long day, peaceful colors like those in a spa would be ideal.

Similarly, the types of colors that you’re like – along with the overall brightness of your bathroom – can determine whether you look for brightly colored accessories or those that are muted in color. Finally, there’s your personality, or the personality of the person who will be using the bathroom the most.

In general, there are four styles that are commonly used when accessorizing the bathroom – classy, muted, bright and fun.
(more…)