My daughter claims to have NO artistic talent whatsoever… at least compared to her boyfriend, who can draw, paint, sculpt and create just about anything. To prove that she too could produce a piece of art worthy of hanging on the wall, he brought a large canvas, along with 5-6 jars of acrylic paint to our back yard one day. Dressed in disposable painter coveralls, they spent the morning throwing paper plates full of paint at the canvas, and then at each other.  Awww… it was very cute…  so very “Princess Diaries!”

Yes… they had a blast, AND look at what they were able to create!  This work of art now follows her from apartment to apartment. It provides a focal point, instant color, and a reminder of the great time she had that day.

Need something big and dramatic for a wall in your home?  For under $100 you too can create your own personal work of art, complete with fun and fond memories.  Pick out your favorite colors and give it a try.  And don’t worry about the mess… it’s washable!

With no fireplace in this living room, it was in desperate need of some kind of focal point . Shelves would have worked well, as would a hutch or armoire, or even a very large piece of art.  But for this project our job was to use what was already in the house… nothing new.  None of the pieces alone would be big enough for this very tall wall, but in combination, they will work beautifully.

To start… a bamboo sofa table, the perfect base and grounding piece for the arrangement we are building above it.  The art and mirror go high on the wall, leaving room for other pieces to sit on the table.

Next, we kept layering art, leaning some of it on the table and against the wall. Accessories were added, providing color, texture and height.

One last layer under the table… 2 ottomans, ready to pull out and use for extra seating.

The final product… this wall has now become a beautiful focal point for the room!

The secret… layering.  Lots and lots of it, from high to low, front to back, and left to right… and all with items found around the house and in the garage. It’s always surprising, and rewarding, to see how great a room can look…. without spending a dime on new things!  Give it a try!!

Its always fun… waking up early, throwing on warm, comfy clothes, grabbing a handful of cash, my backpack, a steamy hot cup of coffee… and then heading off to the monthly flea market at the Great Park. Even though I wasn’t looking for anything specific this time around, I loved checking out all of the new stuff the vendors had for sale, and seeing all of the flea market regulars. This month was a good one… LOTS of temptations, but only one item had me pulling out my wallet: this basket… full of scarves in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and conditions. $20 for at least 25 scarves. Whooopppeee!!!

I admit, I’m a sucker for a cute scarf… wearing one is such an easy way to style up an outfit. But, I have a different plan for these scarves… to use them as gift wrap!

Yes…!  My 2012 resolution is to  wrap up all of the gifts I give in reusable fabrics, scarves, towels and ribbons.  No more piles of beautiful wrapping paper to tear off and trash after a quick look.  I will give a gift within a gift… a scarf that can be re-used in some way, even if it is just to rewrap another gift someday.

I have been experimenting, with ways to fold, twist, tie and wrap.

It’s fun! I especially like the way that wine bottles look when swaddled in silk.

I’d like to come up with more creative ways to wrap with fabric… does anyone have fabric folding/wrapping/tying/twisting techniques to share??