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Archive for the ‘Color’ Category

Make Your Own Tiki Wall Sconce

There’s nothing more romantic than a outdoor dinner by candlelight. Since patio tables can get filled quickly with plates, bottles of beer, and accouterments, you may find yourself wondering where to place your mood lighting. Well, here’s a great DIY project from the folks at CalFinder.

Their project turns an empty wine bottle into a wall mounted sconce, using pieces you can easily find at your local hardware store. Use citronella Tiki torch oil and you’ve got a DIY bug repellent that’s stylish to boot.

[Image: CalFinder]

DIY Painting Tips, Tricks, and a Step-By-Step Guide

4404023343_8c77f28f4eIt’s amazing, really. A twenty-five dollar can of paint can have the biggest of impacts, often more than that perfect sofa you just dropped $3,000 on. (Don’t worry, it’s still a sweet sofa). And unless your ceilings are forty feet tall, a perfect paint job is completely within the reach of the average DIYer.

Look, I’m sure you’ve already seen hundreds of wonderful painting tutorials on the internet, but they were usually written circa 1996, and the websites on which they’re hosted haven’t been updated since. Thankfully, Nicole from Pink Loves Brown offers a fresh, updated, and completely thorough guide to flawless painting on her home blog, Making It Lovely.

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From prep work and tools to paint selection and techniques, Nicole includes every tip I’ve heard of, and many I haven’t. See them all at Making It Lovely.

Living In Pantone’s 2010 Color of the Year: Turquoise

In December 2009, Pantone—the standard of color matching in the art and graphic design world—announced its 2010 Color of the Year to replace last year’s mimosa. The featured hue as we begin the new decade? 15-5519 TCX…straight-up turquoise.

selectism - Turquoise | Pantone's Color of the Year 2010

“Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing…Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that to many people, Turquoise represents an escape, taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting – even if it is only a fantasy.”

The excellent thing about such a bold but calming hue is twofold. Its ability to serve as a cooling background makes warmer colors pop, such as the yellow and red in this nursery:

Or, amped-up turquoise can serve as the punch itself with warmer base colors, particularly warm neutrals and chocolate browns:

Turquoise Inspiration Colorful Swedish Apartment

The serenity and escape-producing power works particularly well in rooms intended for rest, such as bedrooms or this bath:

http://www.thetile-store.co.uk/images/shop/categories/95Coralli_bathroom_small.jpg

And if you wanna stay hip, but aren’t ready to re-do an entire space based on a trend that may be “so 2010,” just grab one of these dutch ovens from Le Creuset in ‘caribbean.’ It’ll last. Promise.

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