Home Decorating Stencil

Wherever you live, chances are there are a few things about your home you'd like to change. As best-selling author and television host Debbie Travis points out in her introduction, "Decorating is an ongoing process. Each time you change your address, or even if you stay in the same place, the process of adapting your home to suit your changing moods and needs is constant, because, in truth, no room is perfect." But often we look around at a new home with large expanses of white walls, or someone else's color scheme, or an apartment that hasn't been painted in years, and we simply don't know where to start. In Debbie Travis' Decorating Solutions, Travis has gathered together her best ideas for solving the most common decorating dilemmas plaguing homeowners and renters alike. The book begins with a valuable outline of the proper steps for preparing a variety of surfaces and gives a complete rundown on paints, glazes, plaster, sealants, and materials, including helpful descriptions of different tools and basic instructions on stenciling, block painting, and plastering. Next, because working with color can be intimidating at first, a section on color will help you choose the right one for your needs. Then, taking the commonsense approach of accentuating the positive and camouflaging the negative, Travis offers imaginative solutions to problems ranging from cracked walls to damaged floors, from outdated kitchen cabinetry to dreary bathroom tiles. Included are ideas and complete step-by-step instructions for more than 65 different paint, plaster, and paper finishes for transforming walls, floors, ceilings, doors, fireplaces, bathrooms, kitchens, hallways, and staircases, all without thefuss of major renovation. Lavishly illustrated with more than 400 full-color photographs and packed with practical information, Debbie Travis' Decorating Solutions is an inspiration for anyone who wants to bring out the best in a home.

Great style does not require an over-the-top budget. With a little ingenuity, basic skills, and use of supplies from crafts and home improvement stores, you can achieve custom looks at bargain prices. "Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Ideas Under $100 offers a wealth of information -- 101 creative projects with complete materials lists and detailed step-by-step instructions. Inspiring photographs illustrate how finished projects fit into room settings. The first chapter focuses on walls, floors, and other surfaces punched up with paint finishes, wallpaper, stock molding, stenciling, stamping, and decoupage. Another chapter reveals the secrets of dressing up furniture, even garage sale finds, with slipcovers, upholstery, and trim. Freshening up the bed and bath is a breeze with color, unusual headboards, painted linens, and ribbon-trimmed towels. The second half of "Decorating Ideas Under $100 delves into details that make a difference, from one-of-a-kind pillows and lampshades to window treatments that give plain panels a lot of personality. Style also goes outdoors with projects for perking up patios and decks.