Thursday, March 13, 2008

Elegant Personality for Your Walls

Adding style and charm to an area as large as your walls isn’t always as easy as it sounds! There are so many options in painting, papering, faux finishes and paint treatments it can be hard to know what might be a good choice for your family. Right now a really hot technique is adding quotes, words or sayings to your walls that might be meaningful for those who live there, and it is very easy and inexpensive to do!

Adding meaningful words to your walls is inspirational, unique, and easy! You can do it yourself (which I am about to show you!) or you can order your words from online sources such as WallWords.com. (Tip: Online quote sources are a great place to get ideas for quotes and sayings as well.)

I like to place my quotes or sayings over a doorway or mantel, along a wallborder, or I use single words centered on doors or small, awkward wall sections. As soon as you have chosen your quotes or sayings, you are ready to get started!

Open a word processing program on your computer such as Word, and type in your saying. Experiment with starting each word with a capital, or all words lower case to see which looks best for your room. Now change and experiment with the fonts on your computer. If you highlight the entire passage first, every time you choose a new font, you will be able to preview how it looks. Keep in mind elaborate script looks better in a more formal or romantic setting. Choose a style that fits you and your room. Make sure you choose the font size to represent the size you would like on your walls. When you have chosen your font and size, print out the passage. Using a pair of scissors, cut apart each section of the quote as it will be painted onto the wall.

I like to use paint pens to draw the quotes onto the wall, but thick tipped permanent markers work as well, they come in many colors. Using scotch tape, tape the quote to the wall just above the area you will be drawing. Now use the computer printout as a guide, copy the words onto the wall with the paint pen. A strip of masking tape placed on the wall below the words will help keep you in a straight line. If you are not comfortable copying the letters, or if you have chosen a difficult font, place a piece of carbon behind the printout, and trace over the letters with a pen or pencil, leaving a pattern directly over the wall instead. Now go over the tracing with your paint pen.

This technique brings daily joy and inspiration to those who frequent your home, and is a meaningful way to express yourself in just an afternoon! Feel free to borrow a couple of my favorite quotes or words below, or try these sites for inspiration…

http://www.wallwords.com
http://www.quotationspage.com/
http://www.heartsandminds.org/quotes/quotes.htm

Or borrow some of my favorites… “I Can Do All Things…” –Philippians 4:13
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail.” –Emerson
Live, Love, Laugh
Believe
Dream

Find your own, and give your loved ones a gift of inspiration every time they walk in a room!

About Author:
Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist, and editor of several popular home and garden websites. For hundreds of free do it yourself home and garden ideas, please visit her websites now at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and
http://www.TheGardenGlove.com Also visit her work at home site at http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathleen_Wilson

WallDreams Paint Ideas!

Quotes I have used for my clients have included Scriptures (one as you are in the foyer looking into the dining area), great quotes over the front door, a reminder for a great lady when she woke up first thing in the morning of "I Believe", as well as simply block letters for children's rooms.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" - Joshua 24:15
"I Believe"
"Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much"
"We're off to see the Wizard"
"Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!)
"Eat, Drink and Be Merry" OR "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy", "Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous"

Think of where your favorite quote will work best. Is it a quote just for you or something you want to share with visitors to your home? Is it just for fun? What room or space will it be best viewed from?

Have frequent guests and they need help with directions to the Loo? (This one will bring out the water works of inspiration.)
Movie quotes are great too for media rooms.

Whimsy in decorating is fun - don't take everything too seriously, a simple word or line on a wall in our homes can bring a smile to our faces just when we need it.

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