A FREE bi-monthly home decorating ezine!
published by KatieDid Design
February 2000
brought to you by:
KatieDid Design
www.katiediddesign.com
mailto:contact@katiediddesign.com
This free e-zine is published each month to all those who have asked to
receive it. Thanks for joining us! If you ever need to subscribe or
unsubscribe, simply drop an email to contact@katiediddesign.com
or use the online forms at http://www.katiediddesign.com/ezine.html
January 25th, 2000 - February issue
Hello Dear Readers!
How's your decorating going? Hopefully there will be some information here that will help! I also want to let you all know that I've put up some wonderful links on my 'Favorite Links' page. There some more wonderful designers there, as well as some links to great home Decorating Resources. Check them out!
And is there anything specific you'd like to read about? Tell me at mailto:katie@katiediddesign.com. Also, feel free to forward this on to your friends who may enjoy it. On with fun stuff!...
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. THIS MONTH'S SUBSCRIBER'S SPECIAL
- Potpourri-Filled Umbrellas
2. TIPS & TRICKS
- Hang your curtains and draperies like the pros!
3. GUIDELINES AND SUGGESTIONS - FEATURE ARTICLE
- Make your decorating personal
4. CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH
- Do something about it!
5. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- The Subscribers' Section
1. THIS MONTH'S SUBSCRIBER'S SPECIAL - Potpourri-Filled Umbrellas
This month's subscriber special is the Potpourri-Filled Umbrella, located at in the Fabric Accessories section of KatieDid Design. This is actually a KatieDid Design original! I have yet to find anyone else that makes these. When you take into account the fact that I can design one as a way to display your treasured materials... they are truly unique! I'll use the fabric or lace for the body, trim it with deluxe laces and trims, add a few flowers, and fill it with one of your favorite potpourris... french vanilla,
mulberry, lilac, roses, gardenia, and more!
So how about it? Would you like one? You can send me a material that you've held onto for years, or something new you've just found! Or I can go find something that fits your decor. And now through February 28th, I'll take $4.00 off! That's only $21.00 if you're sending your own material, or $26.00 if you'd like me to go find one for you! Tell me what you'd like! katie@katiediddesign.com
And don't forget, you still have a few days left to take advantage of the last Subscriber's Special on Grapevine Triple Wreaths through January 31, 2000. I will take $3.00 off any 4" set, $3.50 off any 6" set, and $4.00 off any 8" set!
These offers are available to anyone who is already a subscriber, or who subscribes when they place their order. Just tell me what you'd like and mention that you're a subscriber!
2. Tips and Tricks - Hang your curtains and draperies like the pros!
Ever wonder how the pros get their curtains and draperies to hang so perfectly? You know... the pleats and ruffles are all perfectly even, and they drape just the right way. Well here's some secrets that may help:
#1 Rule for all types... if you're hanging more than just one rod, start with the inner rod first! It's extremely difficult to get everything to look nice if you've got your head under one already-hung set of curtains of valances while you're trying to get that under rod up and hung properly! :-)
Rod-Pocket Curtains
1) First if you want perfectly smooth curtains, they'll have to be ironed perfectly smooth - even the ruffles (if they have them).
2) Second is putting them on the rod. First, just get them all on there, making sure that your rod is not extended too long. (It can be very difficult sometimes to slide it smaller with the curtains on... On the other hand, it is always easy to extend it longer.) The easiest way to put them on without wrinkling your just ironed curtains is to lay them across the bed while you're putting the rod in. Don't worry now about getting your gathers even.
3) Now put the rod up on the brackets. Put one end in, then extend the rod as needed and put the other end in.
4) Now is the time to even out those gathers. First find the center of your window and make sure your edges meet there. Then even out either side. To make sure your headers (the ruffle that's on top of the rod) stand up properly, start at one end of the curtains, pull up on the headers with one hand, and pull down on the curtains below with the other. Move along the rod and repeat every few inches.
5) Now for the bottom of your curtains. If they've got ruffles, pull them all out so they're hanging freely and evenly. Put the hooks for your tiebacks about 2/3 of the way down the curtains and just outside of where the outside edge of the curtains hang. Hang the inside end of the tieback.
6) Now for those neat and even pleats! Kneel down on the floor on the outside edge of one side of your curtains - let's start with the left side. (This is a little hard to describe, although it's easy to do. (-: ) Fan-fold the curtain into your hands like this: Hold the outside edge of the curtain panel - about a foot up from the floor - in your left hand between your thumb and palm with your fingers straight. (so the outside edge folds back) Create the first fold by folding the fabric around to the back of your left hand with your right hand. Pull your left hand out of the fold so you're holding the folds in your right hand between thumb and palm. Create the second fold by folding the fabric around to the back of your right hand with your left hand. And so forth. For each fold you make, pull down slightly on the new fold to help the fabric carry the fold to the top. What you will be doing is folding the fabric accordion-style from the outside in. Each time you make a new fold, the inside edge of the curtain will be drawn in and up a little. You will end up with the entire bottom of the curtain neatly folded in your hands. Check the folds up to the top once more and straighten any that need it. You're still holding those pleats in place. Now reach up to the folds near the tieback with your left hand, and gently draw the pleats farther back. Let go of the bottom and use your right hand to bring around the tieback and fasten it. Let your pleats gently fall into it. Your folds will bounce out a little at the bottom, hanging exactly as they should. Repeat with the right side, using the opposite hands.
7) One more thing... Lift the folds up a little on the inside just above the tieback giving them more of a drape. Lift the innermost fold up about four inches, and each next one a little less so that your folds continue to hang evenly.
Pinch-Pleated Draperies
1) First iron them smooth.
2) Second is putting the hooks in and hanging them. Make sure all your hooks are put in at the same point, so they'll all hang at the same level. Having one hook even a quarter of an inch higher or lower will prevent them from hanging neatly. To hang them on the rod, start in the center with the rods drawn closed. Put the first hook in the very end of the 'leaders' that overlap in the center of your rod. Put the second hook in whichever hole allows that first section of drape (between the pleats) to lay smooth and flat. Follow with the rest of the hooks in the individual sliders - up until the last three. Put those last three hooks through the holes in the end of the rod - one on the front, and two around the sides. While closed, your drapes should pull smooth and even... not tight, but not all bunched up. If you have just a few inches of extra drapery that's keeping them from closing smoothly, use the extra holes on the outside end of the rod bracket and pleat them together there.
3) Pinch-pleated draperies will naturally hang with even folds if step 2 is followed properly and your draperies are smooth when closed. Now, put your tieback hooks about 2/3 of the way down your draperies, just outside of where the outside edge of the drapery naturally hangs. Measure up from the floor to make sure that all the tiebacks in your room will be attached at the same height. Hang the inside end of the tieback on your hook.
4) To make those perfect pleats for pinch-pleats, follow the same procedures as above, but you'll need to match up the front edge of each fold with a pleat on top.
5) Do the tiebacks the same as above.
3. FEATURE ARTICLE - Make your Decorating Personal
What's unique about your decorating? What's different between your home and everyone else's? I mean, if you and someone else hired the same professional decorator, and he or she decorated both of your homes the same way, would you both like it? Probably not! We all want our home to be unique - an expression of ourselves and our families. How do we get it?
The first answer that comes to mind is that you both have different things in your homes - different photos, different clocks, different accessories, etc. But actually, that isn't it. You both COULD have those same things if you wanted, couldn't you? The difference is that you don't - each of you have chosen to bring different items into your home and display them in different ways. It's all in the accessories.
Now this is kind of obvious when you think about it, but the principle is what I want to talk about. The principle that our decorating is indeed an expression of ourselves. And the more involved we are in our decorating, the more unique it will be!
Let's take it down to a specific example - like the bed linens and pillows on your bed. You know that, if you bought a ready-made bed set, someone else, somewhere, has the same one. Actually hundreds, maybe thousands, of people have the same one. So what's to make it uniquely yours? The answer is in how you combine what you have, and what you add that didn't come with that ready-made set! So you bought a comforter, bedskirt, pillow shams, and curtains that all coordinate. Do they have sheets in the same print? Don't buy them! Instead go find a solid, stripe, or plaid that goes well, and use them! Did you get some of the coordinating throw pillows? Find another somewhere else... something beautiful and different to serve as the focal point of your bed. Something that you just fall in love with the moment you see it. Or have something made that's unique. That's the second big advantage to custom-made. The first is that you get exactly what you want. The second is that nobody else has one just like it.
Here's what I suggest you do to make your decorating personal... a unique reflection of the unique you. Go window-shopping at least once a month. Mind you, I said WINDOW-SHOPPING! This is the relaxed, I-have-plenty-of-time-and-it-doesn't-matter-if-I-don't-find-anything kind of shopping that is an enjoyable morning, afternoon, or evening off. We all need these breaks anyway! You're more likely to find that something special taking your time, then you are just keeping your eyes open while you rush about your weekly errands. (Although we can happen across wonderful finds that way sometimes too!) When you're window-shopping, you're not searching for just one specific thing - you're looking at everything. You're looking for something to jump out at you - something that feels like it was made just for you. When you find something, think back to your home. What room would it fit in? If it's a pillow, would it go with your bed set? Or would two of them look nice on the sofa? If it's a picture, which room's decor does it go with. No matter what, anything you find will probably fit somewhere. If you decorate your home with the style and colors you love, then any items you find will probably be in those same colors and style.
So, go on and have fun! Keep your eyes open! You never know what you may find.
_.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._
This article Copyright 1999-2003 - Kathleen Peters, KatieDid Design. Reproduced with permission.
Kathleen Peters - 'Katie' - is a custom window treatment and bedding designer, and owner of KatieDid Design, her online shop. She is also the editor-in-chief of Decor, Decorating, and Design, a free bi-monthly ezine filled with articles, tips, and guidelines to help with your home decorating.
http://www.katiediddesign.com
4. CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH - Do Something About it!
You know that place in your home that's 'not quite right'? Maybe it's a room or corner that's missing something, or maybe it's an item that clashes with your other decor. This is a great month to do something about it! After all, the Christmas rush is over, the kids are still in school, and the weeds aren't coming up and demanding attention yet! You've got extra time on your hands right? ;-)
Anyway, regardless of the amount of extra time you have, it is still probably a pretty good time to turn your attention to that problem area. Go ahead and start thinking! What specifically is the matter? What are your options? How many possibilities can you think of? If it's a color problem, maybe all you need is a few throw pillows and other accessories to tie it all together. If it's an empty spot, maybe you can find a great deal at a flea market or yard sale, or maybe I can design something for you.
One more note - don't overwhelm yourself if you've got more than one 'problem area;' just start with one! And always feel free to ask me for ideas! Even if it's something that I don't provide, I'm still more than willing to help you out. I'm always here at katie@katiediddesign.com
5. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - The Subscribers' Section
Well, I'm not really sure what to do with this section, since I've promised never to share e-mailed information. But I have an idea. Perhaps you all would like to share YOUR little tips, suggestions and finds with each other! Have you found a neat way to do something? Or perhaps and inexpensive way to get an expensive look? Share it! Just click here to send the e-mail, that way I'll know that you're sending this to share with others!
mailto:contact@katiediddesign.com?subject=Share-in-e-Zine
Well, that's all for this month! :-) I know it's quite a bit! Remember, if your decorating isn't fun, it isn't worth it! So enjoy it!
-Katie <><
KatieDid Design
www.katiediddesign.com
e-mail: katie@katiediddesign.com
Custom Home Decor Design and Giftware
PO Box 381235
Murdock, FL 33938-1235
Your FREE subscription to this e-Zine
is brought to you by www.katiediddesign.com
Don't hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates, but please ask for permission before reproducing the content in any form -- we would just like to know who you are that's all. Thanks!
© 1999-KatieDid Design All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part,
without the express written consent of the publisher.
Back to the Archives
|
