There are thousands of decorating themes in use around the world but only a handful have found there way into the mainstream of our part of the world. Here are the ones you�ll want to know about�
Clear or frosted glass balls in assorted shapes and sizesPreparing the base of the glass ornaments:After one year I moved to Paris, France. Not much scope for
home decorating there. I lived in a tiny furnished room, where the home decor consisted of a narrow bed, a pine wood chair, a wardrobe and a wood cabinet with a washbowl. A bare light bulb hung from the ceiling. All I added was a decorative mirror, a reading lamp and a crystal vase, which I kept filled with fresh flowers from the market.Oriental:Most oriental decor is sparsely furnished with dark wooden pieces standing out against light walls. Simplicity, balance and practicality are the words most used when describing Oriental decor. There is a colorful array of accessories that can be used to compliment, of course beautiful oriental rugs, jade, ivory, coral and onyx pieces, elephants and dragons, silk kimono, fans, teak and lacquered wooden pieces, delicate tea sets and silk prints.Aside from decorating a traditional Christmas tree, ball ornaments make distinguished decorations to beautify an entrance, a hallway, or to grace a mantel. Mixtures of solid colours or striped balls are simply splendid displayed in tall vases, large bowls or incorporated into a spectacular centerpiece.Classical:Paint the surfaces of the glass balls with a soft bristle paintbrush using Vitrail paints in your choice of colours from emerald, red violet to turquoise blues. I used a rich palette of crimson, brown, and burnt amber. Since these are decorative items only, I used Vitrail solvent based paints because the colours are brilliant and they don�t need to be heat set. Once painted hang the balls to air-dry. They will dry within hours and be ready to decorate within a 48 hour period. Use a solvent base cleaner to clean your brushes well.
http://www.maddylane.comEclectic paper collage; Painted glass balls are garlanded with assorted scraps of colourful and white rice papers. Use paper bits and pieces leftover from other holiday projects. Apply a coat of Mod Podge over the surface of the ball. Randomly apply and layer tiny paper pieces around the ball, leaving some areas exposed in order to see its colour. To secure the paper composition into place, apply a top coat of Mod Podge and let dry. Once dry apply a coat of sparkle glaze to make them glitter and glow.Baroque: Apply narrow painter�s tape to create two stripes on the bottom half of a glass ball. Apply adhesive sizing with soft paintbrush to the area between the tape stripes. Set the ball a side to allow the adhesive to become dry and tacky to the touch (15-60 minutes). Place and press copper leaf over the adhesive medium to adhere to the ball. Use a clean soft brush to secure the leafing into place and to remove excess pieces. Top off with a wire length fastened around the cap, bead the ends and add a tassel.A year later my husband decided to go back to college for his Masters Degree. We loaded what we could into our Volkswagen Bus, sold the rest of our belongings and headed for Austin, Texas, accompanied by two babies and a cat. Money was tight and home decor took a back seat to all else. Like so many student accommodations, ours had a lot of make-do furnishings. The bricks and boards book shelve, the milk crate and plywood tables and second hand sofas and beds. Our newborn slept in what used to be a packing box for toilet paper, nicely lined with colorful fabric. It didn't seem to matter. I devoted my time to my children. My husband devoted his time to his studies .Iridescent flakes, rhinestones, tassels, gold string and Fun wool for decorative accentsWe were supposed to go back to the United States after my husbands contract was up but even before that, his boss wanted him to transfer to Madras, India. By good fortune we found an almost new bungalow which had been build on stilts so as to not disturb the roots of a huge holy tree in front of it. The house was built in a square around a courtyard with a mango tree in the middle and all rooms had big glass double doors opening out to it. When I saw the place, I could immediately envision a garden theme and was glad to find fabrics with a lattice and bamboo design for the curtains and matching green upholstery for the sofas and chairs we had made. Even though it took many trips to the bazaar, and frequent reminders to the carpenters, eventually all the home decor complimented the garden feeling I had wanted to achieve. It was like living outdoors.Copyright MaddyLane Designs © 2006Belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development, crude and rudimentary. Items in this category would include old wooden hay rakes, antique handmade rag dolls, and any other handcrafted antique items. This is a style that I particularly love: when I buy a primitive piece, I think of the hands that had lovingly crafted it, and the other hands that used it for whatever it was meant for. These things are not perfect or uniform, they are worn or stained.Characterized by rich brocades and velvets, both in furniture, walls and window dressings. Mauves, burgundies, rich blues and greens, along with lace and fringe compliment Victorian furnishings. Porcelain dolls, wicker, old high button shoes, hats and hat boxes, buttons and dried flowers are wonderful accent pieces to a Victorian Decor.
http://www.maddylane.com/project9.htmlThis is an interesting variety of pastel colors such as mauve, pinks, pale greens, peaches and blues in a floral or fruit patterned fabrics. Painted wicker, and most definitely cottage type flowers and herbsTotal time: Plus 48 hours for paint to cure.Use colors such as terracotta, warm yellows and other earth tones. Distressed finishes and simple patterns will suit this style best. Blue and gold accents will really set this style off. Accent pieces here should include pottery and aquatic pieces.Few people move as much as I did. For them it is even more important, right at the beginning, to decorate their home to suit it's character. Having chosen what looks right then will still look right years later.This style has classic elegance, created by using light, natural colors such as, gray, off white and beige together with dark blues, greens and burgundy. Florals, stripes, plaids and damasks are noted fabrics. With this style I see crystal candlesticks, china, framed landscapes and other more elegant pieces.Art Deco:Of course I was very sad about the loss, yet I was excited.After that we moved fourteen more times, always to different countries, all over the world, without ever bringing any furnishings with us. Each time I went through the same process of sitting in the empty rooms, envisioning the results I wanted to create, then finding the right home decor. The look was always perfect for that particular house.French Country:Victorian:Shabby Chic:Ribbons and fabric remnants make fabulous ornament embellishments. For a dazzling look use sequins, glitter glues, and old jewellery odds and ends. Modern and minimalist styles of ornaments can be made utilizing materials such as clay, foils, tinsel, wire, and mesh. For special effects make basic geometric shapes using textured or snow paints. For fine details or to inscribe your dinner guests names onto a personalized ornament use Porcelaine liners or markers by P�b�o.Mod Podge by PlaidModern- futurist looking, concrete, stone, metal and glass. High tech comes to mind when thinking of this type of decor. Lots of open space, bright lighting, and square lines. The main colors are basic and cool, with splashes of bright colors. Abstract artwork will combine well with this decor as well as usual hand blown glass pieces.Contemporary:Primitive:Assorted colourful and white rice papersLight and fanciful. Bright colors and unusual patterns. Such as pink spotted fish, a wooden chair painted in several different colors and with several different patterns. I would consider Mary Engelbreit�s designs whimsical. Her use of different colors and different patterns on one piece are definitelyWhimsical and full of imagination.Think desert when thinking of this style. Adobe, leather, bold colors such as orange, burgundy, purple, bright turquoise, rustic furniture will mix well with this style also. Be sure to include silver items, lasso�s, cactus and maybe even a saddle.
In all honesty this has to be the way my home is decorated. Here we are talking a mix of flea market finds, redone to suit the new owner. Comfortable, inviting, with character, are a few words to describe this new/old decorating style. Worn but comfy chairs covered with a old faded quilt, old trunks remade into coffee tables, baskets holding magazines and worn lace hung as a curtain.
Author: Simon Lewis
