How To Create Art And Reuse And Recycle Home Décor

When you think of original art and décor, what comes to mind? Is it painting, photography, multimedia, digital, or sculpture? Is it created from, painted onto, carved into, engraved onto, etched into, transferred from, sewn together, or added to by multiple techniques on wood, paper, fabric, clay, stone, ceramic, glass, or metal?

Original artwork and décor design is unique, one of a kind creations by you the artist-designer. The choice is then there for you to duplicate the artwork or décor as prints taken from the original.

Your prints or designs become originals again when you add drawing, painting, appliqué, collage or by multiple methods, and they make great gifts for friends and family, or to sell.

Is your décor style contemporary, traditional, country, cottage, classic, eclectic, retro, shabby chic or a combination?

Just as you choose adding artwork to your walls, your furniture, fabrics, accessories and colors are all about you. Your personal touch makes your home comfortable and inviting to all, inside and out.

Going green by re-purposing, reusing and recycling finds you have or gathered from yard sales not only updates your décor, it frees your creative expression, boosts your self-esteem, and adds to your home's value.

Planning to use three main colors per room is restful to the eye and offers you the best option for a focal point. Using warm light colors on walls and ceilings adds light and airy feelings to rooms and gives the illusion they're larger than they are. You also might like to add a brighter coordinating accent color for a focal wall. And planning on paper where you might like to place room furnishings is a good idea. I like to roughly draw the outline of the room size including any permanent fixtures on a piece of paper. Then I draw outlines of the furnishings on another piece of paper and cut them out to place and move around in the paper room until I'm satisfied.

When your room space is large or combines rooms such as kitchen, dining and living room, one wall color throughout works well, and you can still plan to add an accent wall color for a focal point.

Now is the time to look at little used paint in cans stored away, unused drapery, sheets, towels, fabric, accessories, or now may be the time to visit yard sales, flea markets or other traditional sources for finds. Tip. When shopping for paint, low to no VOC is the best option.

An example bedroom could have light warm white, gray, green, blue, yellow, orange or other airy color painted walls with white or lighter tone trim and ceiling to make the room feel larger. And, often dark floors and trim work well together. Add white, honey, brown tone, or mixed color furnishings with your favorite coordinating accent color paint, wallpaper, fabric or paintings to the focal wall where you place the bed. Then, repeat your accent color and tones of it in your fabrics and accessories. My tip? Bed coverings, drapes and pillows are easily made from sheets, blankets, throws, toweling or fabric finds.

Lighting the bedroom or any other room depends upon the ambience you want. By moving your lighting accessories around a room after dark, you'll find the lighting you're comfortable with. Older lights or lamps with shades can be covered inside or out with fabric, rice or other papers, or painted inside or out to coordinate with your new room.

"Have a Burning desire."
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

"If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint" then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced."
Vincent van Gogh

"Nothing makes me so happy as to observe nature and to paint what I see"
Henri Rousseau