Create a Beach Theme Bedroom Yourself and Save Money

Vacations at the beach don’t have to only exist in childhood memories. With a bit of creativity and some basic tools, anyone can create a beach theme bedroom. This will provide a place of year–long solitude that one need not even get out of his or her pajamas to enjoy.

Many of the materials required to complete this redecorating project may be found online. There are an abundance of Web sites that contain ideas and provide tips and tutorials on creating a beach theme within the bedroom. The same sites usually sell the materials used in the tutorials, so the Internet is basically a one-stop shop for all things needed.

Any beach decor how-to guide will tell you that the floors and walls are the initial areas to be re-done. Make the floors a light colored wood or purchase a tan carpet, to mirror the appearance of sand. If going with hardwood floors, purchase area rugs that contain a beach scene. These can be found in many online retail sites. For the walls of the room, a light blue color is a must. This will give the walls the appearance of open sky and clear blue ocean. The more creative redecorators may want to purchase a wall border to compliment the look. Keep the colors cool and muted and try to find a border with a beach scene or shells on it.

When purchasing bedding and window treatments, the knowledgeable decorator knows to keep the colors in line with the walls and floor. Everything should blend together and the eye should not be drawn to any specific item in the room. Shell-shaped accent pillows add a nice design touch to the bed.

The walls should be sparsely decorated, so as not to appear cluttered. Pictures containing simple beach or ocean scenes are perfect. Many stores sell real shells that could be put into a shadow box on the wall or strung together and hung throughout the room. The furniture in the room should be light-colored and should not clash with the floor and walls. Light wood or white furniture with small inlaid designs provide the room with a casual yet classy look.

For added accent to the walls, try stenciling a beach scene onto one area, or go with vinyl adhesive words that correspond with the beach theme. The key is to keep the colors and the designs coherent.

The bedroom walls, decorations, and furniture should tie together the room. Once those are completed, accent decorations may be added to small tables and furniture within the room. Fill the bottom of a hurricane glass with sand and shells and place a candle in it. Some stores sell accent lamps with clear bowls that can be filled with shells. The options are only limited by one’s creativity.

It does not take a designer’s eye and price tag to create a beach theme bedroom. Most of the items can be purchased online and the room can be redecorated in a snap. Once finished, your new tropical decor will provide its incumbent with a relaxing retreat every day of the year without having to travel away from home.

Tropical Wall Decor Can Turn Any Room Into An Island Paradise

No matter the room and no matter the furniture, the addition of the right tropical wall decor can change the entire mood completely. This type of decor will bring to the occupant’s mind thoughts of vacation and relaxation. In doing this, the decorator creates a feeling of well being for the occupant by properly choosing the right pieces to convey these thoughts and images.

The walls are the most obvious place to start when choosing this type of decorating scheme. There are a wide variety of paintings, plaques, and wall hanging available with this type of theme as the center. The wall hangings can be as small as a set of plaques to as large as a full sized tapestry that can cover up to a three-foot by five-foot area.

The themes for many of these wall hangings are palm trees and island landscape scenes. These will help to convey thoughts of a tranquil setting such as the beach at sunset or a rain forest backdrop. There are also many backdrops that include the colorful birds often associated with the tropics such as parrots.

The wall hangings come in other forms such as paintings and even 3-panel wall art pieces that go side by side on a wall to create an even more interesting effect. The wall art selections are normally quite intricate and all very stunning to behold. Just because they are so intricate does not mean that they are not also very affordable.

These wall decorations are widely available by simply going on the Internet and doing a brief search. The search will reveal all of the manufacturers and suppliers of this type of artwork and their very competitive prices. This is one way to add a touch of the tropics to any home without the expense of actually going there to experience it firsthand.

This type of decoration is by no means limited to paintings or tapestries either. There are many small sculptures of birds, fish and palm trees that will help produce the same effect in a room that may not contain the wall space necessary for some of the larger pieces. This can allow the decorator to place a tropic touch almost anywhere in a home, no matter how limited the decorating area.

There is yet another option for this type of room decor, but it does require a custom touch. Many people will take a favorite photograph and commission an artist to come in and create a custom wall mural representing this. This allows a lasting memory to be created on a wall in a room of a favorite vacation spot.

Tropical wall decor is a great theme for any room in a home as either an everyday look or that unique touch for guests or loved ones. There are multitudes of websites that may be browsed containing the entire scope of these art selections for sale. The custom painters may also be found online and contacted to review the possibility of creating that unique tropical decor room for you.

Coastal Decorating With Style

What is considered coastal decorating varies depending on what area of the country one references when thinking of the coast. The United States contains rocky shores, smooth beachfronts, mountainous areas, and a combination of all on some coastlines.  Whatever the homeowner’s preference, these areas can provide inspiration when decorating.

The color schemes found in most coastal areas are white, blue, green, and brown.  All are present in varying degrees in shorelines throughout the country. They can be separated or combined throughout the home according to the decorator’s preferences.

Using light colors on the walls of rooms will lend the home an airy look.  Some prefer stark white walls throughout, but that is not necessary.  While a neutral color, white can lend an institutional look to the home, so that should be kept in mind when decorating.  Whatever color is chosen, it can always be painted over if it doesn’t come out as desired. However, making the right color choice from the start is recommended.

When selecting pieces of furniture for each of the rooms, decorators should not be afraid to use their creativity.  Some prefer the “shabby chic” look of mismatched furniture, while others like the consistency of matching pieces. The main idea is to match sure that the colors in the furniture don’t strongly clash with each other or the walls and floors.  The eye should not be drawn to a specific item in the room as an “eyesore” whenever viewing a room.  If the room will be utilized often, it is important to fill it with comfortable furniture.

Some decorators like to purchase furniture containing nautical stripes. All furniture in one room should contain stripes that go in the same direction. Too many stripes can provide a dizzying “zebra-like” effect, so that should be taking into consideration before purchasing any furniture.

If window coverings are desired, they should be kept simple and use muted colors.  Blinds fashioned from bamboo, rattan, or light-colored wood are a nice choice.  If fabric blinds are desired, they should be either white or another light neutral color.  Tropical rugs made from fabric or bamboo may be spaced throughout the room.  Many area rugs may be hand or machine-washed for easy maintenance.

Potted plants add a nice touch to any coastal-themed room.  Plants in the palm family provide that beach-like feeling.  Simply flowering plants such as orchids also add a nice touch when placed in the proper lighting.  Designer magazines frequently showcase cattails in a large jar in many featured homes. Garden stores can recommend additional foliage that will look appropriate and follow the coastal theme. 

As far as room accents go, select those that correspond with the room’s theme.  Small row boats, ship’s wheels, and ship lights are appropriate for nautical-themed rooms.  Rooms with beach themes may be accented by shells, sand dollars, or coral.  The possibilities are endless and vary with the decorator’s style, but all will yield an end result that is pleasing to the eye and creates a relaxed atmosphere in any home.

Bring A Taste Of The Islands To Any Bedroom With Tropical Bedding

The best way to convey the theme of a bedroom is to select the right type of bedding. This takes up a large portion of the occupant or visitor’s eye when they enter a room and should make a statement. Tropical bedding makes the statement that, whether it is just the end of a long workday or the start of the weekend, it is time to relax.

This style of bedclothes can be found in a wide variety of colors and patterns to suit any room’s décor. Depending on the mood that is trying to be set, along with the existing furniture in the area, the right color combination is easily found. The colors and patterns displayed on the bedcovers should accent the walls and flooring while still adding that touch of the tropics to the room.

For those looking for a more sedate look, but still attempting to transfer the image of the tropics, there are many sets available in a light tan or sand color. These come with muted patterns such as seashells or palm trees printed on them. These sets go particularly well with some of the more traditional wood furniture found in most homes.

For those looking for the room to scream tropic island getaway, there are some brightly colored sets with sunsets and palm trees on them. These have brilliant blues, yellows, and greens that stand out like no other bed set on the market today. These sets are not for the timid as they are an instant attraction to the eye the minute someone steps in the room.

The more brilliant of these sets goes great with more modern furniture favored by some decorators. Metal frame or even chrome will look outstanding as an accent to these sheet and comforter sets. This also allows the rest of the room to lean slightly towards the modern touch with the use of accents and bright colors on the walls, as well as other furniture pieces.

The majority of these sets come complete with a top sheet, a fitted sheet, and two pillowcases. The matching comforter is normally sold separately, but there are cases where it may all be found as a complete set. Many of the manufacturers will also have matching accent pillows that may be found to go with some of the sets.

The best way to search for these is to go online and do a brief search. The Internet holds a wealth of manufacturers and supplier’s websites that deal specifically in this style of bed set. These websites will also have all of the specials and discontinued styles at greatly reduced prices from their original offering.

Tropical bedding can be a brilliant accessory to any bedroom beach decor in either the main home or the family’s beach house. These sheet and comforter sets say as much about the homeowner as they do about themselves. They allow a homeowner to show their family and guests just how much they want them to relax when entering into one of the bedrooms in a home.

Transform Any Room In Your Home With Beach Decor

Whether it is fond memories of a summer vacation spot or just the need to create a unique look in one or more rooms in a home, beach decor can dramatically alter any room. This can be accomplished by something as simple as small accent decorations to full-blown paint. Carpet and furniture will create a look that is both attractive and functional. The majority of people that choose this particular style tend to begin with one room in particular, the bathroom.

Inevitably, the bathroom takes the brunt of this type of decorating and there are more accessories available for this room than virtually any other room in the home. These accessories can easily be found by going online and conducting a brief search. The largest and brightest beginning to any bathroom is the shower curtain.

The shower curtain is seen by everyone upon entering the room and can help set the tone and theme for the rest of the area. These are available in a wide range of colors and patterns that should be selected to accent the already existing items such as the floor and wall coverings. Once this portion is set, the accent colors of window curtains and other items may be chosen to work off the shower curtain.

The accessories available for this room can range from figurines of all types to some more functional items that are also just as beautiful. There are shell-encrusted mirrors along with bath accessories such as soap dishes to help bring this theme to life. By simply placing the right color and sized conch shells on a shelf space or toilet tank cover, one can bring a bit of the shore right to their home.

Beach decor is in no way limited to the bathroom. The living area and bedrooms can benefits greatly from a few ocean side touches. There are table lamps available with shells as accents along with statuettes and figurines that remind people of a summer day at the shore. Lighthouses factor in greatly in designing this type of look for a home.

The lighthouse is the universal symbol for seaside and this may be utilized in the form either of figurines or, for those looking for a larger statement to be made, an oil painting of a seascape on the wall. The oil painting as a backdrop will bring that dockside feel to any room. This goes the same for any beachscape painting that may be found.

The full effect of these accents can only be enhanced by painting the room in colors that tend towards the theme. A light coral color on the wall of a bathroom will accent the accessories therein by adding a simple but elegant undertone. The same goes for the living areas, but the colors should tend more a light tan or sand color to accent the wood furniture already in place.

Beach decor is only limited to an individual's imagination and, of course, budget. The Internet can take care of the budget issues by offering a multitude of websites that carry all of these accessories. By taking some time to explore all of the different coastal decorating items online, you are sure to find exactly what you need to spark those favorite memories. You can check out lots of great beach decor items at OceanStyles.com.

Set Up A Paradise In Your Backyard By Constructing A Gazebo

Should you want to construct a gazebo inside your backyard, there are loads of gazebo ideas available that will show you how to construct a conventional style. A gazebo is not an overly large structure nevertheless it can easily accommodate a nice patio set to allow protection from bugs during a family dinner. Even though gazebos are not particularly big in size, a conventional gazebo style is really a fairly complicated woodworking project. Prior woodworking skills would be helpful prior to taking on this project. But should you get yourself a number of detailed but simple wood building plans, you should be able to construct a traditional gazebo within a few weekends.

The conventional gazebo was usually built out of wood, although sometimes individuals used stone or even bricks for the walls. Today cedar wood is a well-liked choice. The gazebo roof is a steep pitch and looks best with cedar shingles. Several gazebos might have had even a thatched roof. 1 of the features of any gazebo is that air is allowed to circulate. Even in case there are solid walls you will still have at least 1 door opening & can certainly have windows. Traditional gazebos have been square as properly as hexagon shaped, but more often then not they were octagonal.

Modern gazebo ideas frequently follow the original gazebo tradition, even though these kind of days you can easily furthermore get easy woodworking projects that will show you how to build a gazebo in the simplest possible method. A typical design will have waist-high walls around many of the structure, with an opening for people to walk in and out of.

Lattice work is frequently a part of conventional gazebo styles, and therefore it is useful should you understand how to construct a trellis. Different gazebo designs might have wood decking for a floor, or can certainly have outdoor carpet. Some styles will not demand a floor, therefore they can certainly just be on gravel or a number of other sort of material.

It is best to get a few detailed woodworking plans for this project, as a gazebo may not be the easiest thing to construct. Alternatively you might look at acquiring a gazebo kit and assembling it according to the woodworking project ideas that are included with the kit. Another tip is to be sure that you have all the necessary tools and materials on hand before you get started building your own conventional gazebo structure. it isn't fun whenever you find you do not have the right screws, bolts or even a good sheet of sandpaper.

How To Make Crab Cakes

Crab cakes are so wonderful, but I think good ones tend to be hard to come by. Check out this video recipe I found (foodwishes.com) to try making these good, old-fashioned Maryland Crab Cakes at home.

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh crabmeat, the lumpier the better, well drained
8 saltine crackers
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
salt to taste
cayenne pepper, optional
butter for frying

Spring Is Almost Here. Are You Ready Yet?

Spring is the season of rebirth. This is the season that people all over the world start to shake off the last signs of winter, unlocking their windows and putting clothes outside to dry. This time of year a lot of people think about cleaning however not too many think about decorating. Be honest, for many people, spring is the only season of the year that we really enjoy cleaning.

There is nothing like a freshly cleaned home! The smell, and the feeling of a new beginning, it is just wonderful. I personally love the summer when you can bring in fresh picked flowers to set on the table beside the freshly brewed iced tea. It is also a great time of year to search yard sales and flea markets to pick up inexpensive accessories for your home. It is amazing how uplifting adding a new accessory to a room makes you feel. It is also a sense of accomplishment to look around and see the atmosphere that you have "recreated" with a little bit of imagination and some elbow grease!

One of the unwelcome tasks of the holiday season is housecleaning. When playing the season's host or hostess, our homes must be impeccably set up for family and friends. And, as much as we begrudge this huge chore we do it, then we put on our cheery faces for our guests.

Its amazing that as much as we like cleaning in spring, we are totally uninspired when it comes to decorating. This could be due to the conventional thoughts that this is time for cleaning which leaves us with no time or strength to decorate. If this happens to be the case for you, then its my hope that the ideas below will be inspirational.

1) Floral Accents - Is there any better time for flowers than the Spring? They start popping up everywhere. Some fresh cut flowers and a few candles can become an eye pleasing centerpiece or cheery decoration in every room of your house.

2) Candles - Although previously discussed, they should be a least be highlighted on their own within the top five. Candles can soothe, relax, invigorate, inspire, look beautiful, but also, they just plain and simple have a nice smell. Candles are very good regardless of the time of the year, but if you pick candles with shining spring colors and perfumes you may be surprised at how much these candles can uplift your mood.

3) Towels - Bright, cheerful colors that represent spring, being born, and reborn. These small accents can make a big difference in how you feel about cleaning and decorating including how you feel about cooking as well.

4) Fragrance - Decor can come in many types. One of them is the fragrance in our homes. The difference that can be brought about by placing fragrance balls, dried fruits and other delights in a bowl is very surprising. Candles and potpourri add to the glamor of the room. Despite being relatively inexpensive and readily available in gift and fragrance shops, gourmet potpourri greatly adds to the home's decoration and fragrance.

5) Fresh Fruit - Put bowls of fresh fruit around the house. Many fruits have a very pleasing scent, and on top of that they are appealing to the eye. They do have to be replaced regularly before they become overripe, but they're not expensive and you get to eat them. That's a lot of points in their favor.

For people who desire ideas to decorate their home in the spring I expect this has been helpful. If you still didn't find any special advice to use from what was previously mentioned at least I hope you have been encouraged to look deep within yourself to find your personal ideas to decorate for the spring.

For more great spring and summer decorating ideas, visit us over at www.oceanstyles.com.

Get Exotic In Your Bedroom With Hawaiian Bedding

By decorating your bedroom with Hawaiian bedding you can create a wonderful feeling of the sun, surf and sand of a luxurious Hawaiian beach. In most instances, Hawaiian bedding involves the use of colors and images that evoke thoughts of the wonders of island culture. And so, this means that you may want to incorporate items that feature swaying palm trees, exotic blossoms and ocean waves.

You can even create a scene from the typical landscape of Hawaii and then translate this scene on to your bedding items and accessories including the comforter. As a matter of fact, using such landscapes you can also create suitable accents that will heighten the overall effect. To succeed in this requires only that you allow your imagination to take flight.

Consider adding inexpensive bamboo matting on the floors and you can transform your ceiling fan by adding palm leaf paddles which will create a wonderfully perfect Hawaiian atmosphere. It is important to focus on picking the right colors. In fact, all you need to do in this regard is pick the right palette for your tastes and which is typically Hawaiian as well.

On your shelves as well as on the headboard you can make use of surfboards which will augment the effect of your Hawaiian bedding items. And instead of using tiki torches you ought to use candles that can create the effect of a Hawaiian beach at sunset. Also it helps to make use of silken palm trees that can be placed in a corner in your bedroom and a wind chime can also be used in order to create melodious sounds.

Such tips are very easy to follow and will help in creating your perfect Hawaiian bedding set. Be sure to also allow your imagination to take free flight as this will help you in picking the right items. After that, your vision for island decor all depends on your ability to make your dreams come alive.