By Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff "Swish!" Was that Kobe? Not this time. That's the sound of your son or daughter making a shot from the bed. You've got the over-the-door setup covered. But she wants more items to show off her favorite sport. You can create a fun basketball themed bedroom for your child without going too commercial or spending too much cash. Go homemade with this simple DIY basketball bedroom décor for kids.
Easy No-Sew Basketball Throw Pillows To make some simple basketball throw pillows, you'll need orange fleece, black piping, fabric glue, and filler material. How much material you need will depend on how big or small you want the pillows and how many you will be making. Basically, look at the fabric and imagine cutting out two circles per pillow that are slightly wider than your desired size. Take those two circles and glue them together just around the edges outside in. Leave a small opening to put the filler into. Once the glue is dry, turn the material inside out. Fill it with the material to the desire fullness. Now fold the open edges down and glue them together to line up with the already-glued edges. Once that's dry, take your piping and cut in appropriate lengths to glue basketball stripes on the outside of the pillow. Let those dry and you're done. Hanging Basketball Lanterns For these, simply purchase the desired number of round paper lanterns in orange. You'll also need some heat-safe black paint. Hobby paint used for model cars works great for this type of project because it can be purchased in very small amounts or large containers. This way you only need to buy what you need. Take a paintbrush and paint the stripes onto the lanterns to make them look like a basketball. Basketball Scoreboard To create a basketball scoreboard, you'll need a chalkboard in the desired size, some chalk, white acrylic paint, and a paintbrush. Paint the scoreboard template onto the chalkboard and let it dry. Now whenever the kids shoot hoops on the over-the-door net or with paper balls into the trash can, they can use the chalk to keep score. Basketball Wall Décor For wall décor, collect any odds and ends related to basketball and frame them. This could be tickets, hats, jerseys, deflated basketballs, and more. Frame each item separately and hang them all around the room. Make it like your child's personal hall of fame if he or she plays the sport. If not, just make it about the game, in general. Basketball Bed Post Décor Want to create a basketball bed for your child that doesn't cost you a fortune? You can use your child's bed posts and four basketballs to create this look. In addition to four basketballs, you'll need an air pump and some household glue, such as Goop or E-6000. Deflate each ball about ¼ of the way. Place them over the bed posts. If they don't fit quite right, inflate or deflate until the size is right. Now take some of the household glue and secure the basketballs to the post. Be sure to leave the side with the air hole accessible in case air needs to be replaced at a later date. Allow the balls to dry on the posts 24 hours before disturbing them.
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Adding Curb Appeal is Fairly Simple
Adding curb appeal to your home doesn't have to be hard. It can actually be quite fun. Whether you're dressing it up for a showing, just want your home to look the way it makes you feel, or just want to show off to your friends and neighbors, there are many things you can do to add curb appeal to your front steps and landing.
Why Should I Worry About Curb Appeal? Curb appeal is important to a home for a variety of reasons. Your home should feel inviting to you. It should also be something you are proud of and should show your personality. Adding curb appeal could help you feel that before you even step foot in your door. If you are selling your home, curb appeal can help make sale. If a home is not attractive on the outside, buyers instantly get a bad impression before stepping foot in the door and may expect (and look for) the worst. Another reason for curb appeal is that you don't want your home to stand out as the eyesore of the neighborhood. Using Potted Trees Appropriately One simple way to add some curb appeal to your front steps and landing areas is to use potted trees. Potted trees can make attractive scenery and there are many styles to choose from. Try to choose trees that will do well in your climate, as well as accent the area. For instance, you don't want to put a tall palm tree in the middle of a small walkway in the dead of winter. Walkway Gardens For More Style Gardens can be created just about anywhere. A walkway garden is another way to create curb appeal. This can be done right into the ground. However, if there is already cement or stone in place that you'd rather not dig up, you may want to take another approach by using potted plants and other scenery along the border of the walkway. A raised bed garden also works great as a walkway garden. The container for one of these can be created with wood, stone, brick, or other materials. You can purchase these and other necessary materials, as well as the plants at the local home improvement center. Flowers and shrubbery both work well for raised bed gardens that will be along a walkway. The garden can be centered or created along the sides of the walkway, leading up to the landing. Placement should depend upon your individual taste, as well as your exterior layout and available space. Accenting Your Landing Decorative planters are another great way to accent your stairs and landing. They come in many sizes and a variety of plant choices can be used to match your scenery and effectively draw positive attention to your home. Garden centers and home improvement warehouses generally have a big selection of planters, as well as plants and flowers. Choosing containers with nontraditional shapes and placing them along the stairs is one way to add curb appeal with decorative planters. Another way could be to plant some flowers in a fountain or other non-traditional item that can be used as a planter. Decorative pedestals can also create curb appeal. Placing them at the landing of the stairs can create an elegant look, depending upon the layout of your home. Try painting the pedestals with textured or marbleized paints. Go for colors that blend in with the look of your home, as well as the outdoor scenery. Making a Splash With Water Features Another great way to add curb appeal is by using water features. Above, there was an example of using a fountain as a planter. That's one idea. Another could be to create a tropical or forest scene inside a water feature. Water is calming and soothing and can make you and your guests feel welcome before even setting foot inside. Set up this water feature on your landing, being sure to still leave room for accessing the stairs and the home. If your landing is small, water features can be created on walls as well. There are many ways to add curb appeal. It's all about adding accents to your existing features. Everyone has their own individual taste and style. No matter which options you choose, be sure it not only makes your home look attractive, but makes you feel at home as well. At the end of the day, it is still your home and the main curb appeal should be catered to your own preferences.
Creating a room to grow for your child has many benefits. Not only is it generally an economical approach, but it also can be fun, as well as simple. You don't have to be an expert to get the job done, just willing to dedicate a little bit of time and effort to the project.
One scenario is hypothetical child Trina, who is turning 10 in a week, but her room makes her feel like a toddler. That's because that was the last time she had a theme change for her room. There is heavy wallpaper that she no longer likes, babyish furniture, and pink, pink, pink everywhere. The furniture, the walls, the carpets - everything's pink! She used to like pink, but not so much anymore. Had her mom designed her a room to grow, the task ahead of them would not be so difficult. Follow the tips below to help prevent something similar from happening with your child. Choosing Colors and Theme The first step to designing a child's room to grow is deciding what colors and theme to use. Choosing solid colors that go with the theme you have in mind can make for an easier transition as a child gets older. By choosing neutral solid colors, themes can be switched around more easily. For instance, if your child wants a dinosaur theme, you can use primary colors. If that same child later wants a sports theme, the primary colors can still be used. Only the decorations, and possibly the bedding, will need to be switched. If your child wants something wild, like stripes, on the walls, try using fabric or removable wall stickers to create that look rather than painting. This way, if your child changes his or her mind later, it will not be difficult to remove the look and add another. Beds There are so many different bed options, it's often hard to choose. Did you know that there are even beds that start out as cribs, convert to toddler beds, all the way up to a queen or king size? These convertible crib beds offer plenty of room to grow. Most come with everything you need, except the mattresses. Some of these transitional beds can hit the wallet hard, but if you add up the costs of purchasing each bed separately, a transitional bed is usually a money saver. There are many options for these types of beds, and they are not all outrageously priced. Be sure to shop around. If you cannot afford the option that gives you every bed size, try opting for a crib that converts at least to a daybed or toddler bed. Some of these options are comparable in price to many cribs. Convertible Changing Area Using a traditional student desk as a changing table can save you some money and make for an easy way to ensure this piece of furniture has room to grow. At the diapering stage, purchase a traditional student desk with a drawer. Also purchase a thick, strap-on changing table pad. Safely secure it to the desk. There are also inexpensive diapering supply racks that can be attached to the sides of a changing table. Many also will attach to a desk. One of those will hold all the items you'll need, and what won't fit there can go into the desk drawer. When your child gets too big for a changing area, simply detach the diapering rack and changing pad and purchase a chair. Your toddler or preschooler now has a desk area that will last as he or she grows. As your child gets older, you may also wish to add a hutch atop the desk for extra storage or a new look. Another idea is to purchase a changing table dresser. With these, the changing area comes off later when you no longer need it. You can use this type of dresser from babyhood throughout childhood, as the styles and colors are generally neutral. Furniture Accents A lamp is a useful item for the dresser top that can grow with a child. If the base is a solid color and decorations are added to the lampshade, the lampshade can be traded out as the child grows and changes styles and patterns in the room. Lampshades are fairly inexpensive, as are many things that can be used to decorate them, such as ribbon, plastic cars and sequins. As for the dresser itself, choosing a roomy and unfinished design can help to ensure that a child will not outgrow it. To add style, instead of painting the dresser, try accenting it with decorative knobs or handles. These are easily replaceable and many are a very reasonable price at home improvement stores. As with the dresser, keep it simple with other furniture. Try decorating the accents instead of the item and dressing it up with items that can easily be added or taken away as desired. Using decorative fabrics is a great way to dress up bed posts, dresser tops, desktops, the back of a comfy chair, and just about any piece of furniture. Window Treatments and Bedding This is an area where many people have trouble deciding what to use. If you go for flashy designs that match your child's theme, it will certainly look good, but it may not allow much room to grow. Instead, go for a more simple approach. Feel free to blend colors, but be sure each piece is one solid color. For instance, in a dinosaur-themed room with primary colors, one pillowcase could be blue, while another may be red. Another example is having one white drapery panel, one silver panel and one gold panel in a room with an angel theme. Mixing two or three colors is a great way to accent the theme while still leaving room to grow. Later, the colors can be switched around, taken away, or added to, creating a simple option for creating room to grow.
Pumpkins, scarecrows, black cats, and cornucopias...what do all those symbolize? Fall. But, not early fall. All of those are for later on in the season. Fresh fall flowers are a great item to decorate an early fall party table with, as they're so versatile. Here are several ideas.
Which Fall Flowers Should I Choose? Some favorite fall flowers include marigolds, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, and fall roses. Annuals can also make great fall flowers, if they are the right colors. Fall colors are generally shades of red, gold, brown, green, and yellow. Decorating Containers For Fresh Fall Flowers One way to decorate with fall flowers is to add a vase of freshly cut fall flowers to the table in a fall-themed container. If you opt for a more plain container, but want to dress it up, try gluing a strip of fall-colored ribbon around the rim and base. To finish it off, place some grapes around the base of the container. Using Fall Flower Heads For Decor Another way to use fall flowers as early fall party decorations is to use just the heads of the flowers. One way to do this is to place a container of water on the table and allow the fall flower heads to float atop the water. For more accent, add floating candles and maybe some pine-cones or acorns as well. Fall flower heads can also be sprinkled around the table. Creating Fall Flower Wreaths Fall flowers, pine-cones, and acorns can be used together to create fresh fall table wreaths. Simply intertwine the flower stems with one another to create the rings. Then, add the pine cones and acorns using ribbon. The ribbon will also be a part of the wreath table decorations. To use these wreaths, place decorative containers or candles in the center of them. Small table wreaths can also be made to encircle the glasses of the guests. Fall Flower Garlands For The Table Another fall table decoration could be a garland. The goal is to create a long string of flowers, pine-cones, and acorns. The strand should be long enough that when made into a circle (or applicable table shape), it fits exactly around your table. This is done in the same manner as the wreaths above. Creating fall party table decorations from fresh flowers can be a fun activity and as you can see from above, it is fairly simple, with easy to obtain supplies.
When entertaining guests for a fall party, paying attention to the table decor and settings can be a great way to show your guests you care. Table settings for fall entertaining should be appropriate to the season, as well as interesting and unique. The ideas below could help you set the mood to entertain your guests in a fun and festive new way.
Napkin Rings Part of a nice fall table setting includes having interesting napkin rings. Instead of plain napkin rings, try re-purposing other items that are the right size to create unique napkin rings. Who says napkin rings have to actually be rings? Try other shapes. For instance, heart-shaped mini grapevine wreaths work very well. For even more effect, tie on some raffia or attach some silk floral stems. Speaking of floral stems, they can make great napkin rings by themselves. Take a silk flower bud and insert a 3-inch piece of covered floral wire inside with some craft glue. Once that dries, create a circle by twisting the dangling wire to the top part that is right outside the flower bud. Placemats Fall placemats for table settings can be made from fabric or other materials. To accent fabric placemats, attach a fall silk flower bud to each of the corners or all the way around the edge. Sunflowers, marigolds, and daisies are common fall flowers. Bamboo placemats are also great to go along with other fall table settings. Dinnerware Fall dinnerware can be in traditional fall colors, such as yellow, red, and orange. Other colors to consider are gold and purple. These two colors go well with the other fall colors, but if you are going for a more elegant fall look, these will help. Layering different-sized plates is one way to add layers of color. To draw attention to the items low down on the table, make the largest plate on the bottom the one with the most design or color. To draw attention to taller items, save the patterned or colorful design for the bowl that is placed atop the layer of plates. Candle Holders Candle holders can be made from many different things and can be a simple way to brighten up a fall table for entertaining. One simple way to create a fall candle ring is to gather some sticks from outdoors and a piece of twine. Cut or break the sticks into pieces about 3 inches long. Place them around each candle in a circle. Tie the twine around the center of the sticks to secure them. The same thing can be achieved with bamboo sticks, raffia, and even fresh flowers. Drinkware Goblets make great drinkware for fall table settings. Golden colors enhance the effect. To accent them further, put decorations around the bottom, just as with the candles above. Interesting drinkware can be a great conversation piece when entertaining guests. Sometimes drinkware can be found in interesting fall colors and shapes or have designs on them, such as 3d grape shapes. |
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