Invitation

            I was just practicing my new Microsoft Word skills that I learned in my previous assignment (I passed the class with a 94%). This is what I came up with. It was all made with Microsoft Word.

 

(This is NOT a real invitation, although I wish it was!)

Microsoft Word Graded Project

  When I quit the Art Institute and started attending Penn Foster, there were some credits that did and didn't transfer over to my desired degree. So I have to retake the love 'Information Literacy' class again. This course is not as in depth as the course I took at the Art Institute. I know, not very lovely and interesting but a necessity. The upswing is that I get to take 'The Essentials of Psychology', next, which I am pretty jazzed about.

Anyways here is yours truly has learned in this course (which I can now add to my stellar business card making skills)

 

Project/Inspiration

     As a fledgling student of Interior Design, I am trying to find my own style and flare. I am continually looking for inspiration and growing my understanding of this wonderful field. My tastes and ideas right now jump from one side of the spectrum to the other; one day I could be drawing a super mod flat or the great hall of a castle (which would be fun!)

  Currently, I am on a Victorian Gothic kick; with an obvious twist of my own. I do love dark Gothic interiors, I think they are neat. Dark corners appear to hold thousands of secrets. To counterbalance that,I also like the sense of freedom from a light airy space. The style that I am working on would be strong, light, infused, Gothic. There is also a Craftsman influence; the crisp lines keep it modern. 

  My inspiration for this came from the architect Richard Coad. He played a big part in the Arts and Crafts architecture in England.

     There is still quite a bit that I need to do before I am finished with this sketch. I want to add a chandelier over the dining table. Some sort of dinner service storage on either side of the pocket doors. The back wall is solely devoted for a large picture window, from which a maze of a beautiful English Garden can be viewed.

  Something that I feel strongly about as a future Interior Designer is that the three main elements: Architecture, Landscaping and Interior Design must flow and work together. It is one of my main principles that I know I will carry with me as an Interior Designer. One day I would like to have a Masters in Interior Design, Bachelors in Architecture, and some sort of degree in Landscaping. 

  The discerning eye will know that this is just a sampler for me to practice different textures. :) At any rate this is what I have so far, I will be posting pictures of the finished product. 

  

Rearranging My Living Room/Quilt

    I have not rearranged my living room for a whole year, which is quite an accomplishment for me (those who know me well know that I am always trying out new layouts and don't leave sit in one spot for too long). So yesterday I got the itch and off to Ikea I went. 

  When I originally designed my living room last year I purposefully choose neutral colors because I KNEW at some point; no matter how much I loved the design, I would want to change it. The only items that I replaced were the curtains, rug, and pillow covers. As you can see with just a change in the primary focus color (and a one man moving team: me) the room looks quite a bit different. I just have a bit more tweaking to do. 

  (Before)

(After)

   Now for the matter of the quilt. I had intended this quilt to go in this room. The reds match perfectly. However the more I thought about it, the more greedy I felt. I have a comfortable home,food, clothes, my health. So I have decided to donate my quilt to a charity raising awareness and research money for ALS- Lou Gehrig's disease, and my buddy Tuvan has been so kind to help me :) 

Wallpaper Sample Project

   For my Interior Decorating final,we had to collect various samples and come up with a living room scheme. Because I wanted a large selection to choose from before I started my project; I started collecting samples. Now I have an over abundance of samples; especially wallpaper samples. So what to do with them all? I don't like to waste. I went to Ikea and bought frames and now my wallpapers samples are wall art in my bedroom.

What you will need to complete this project:

-Wallpaper samples (Farrow & Ball offer up to three free samples)

-Picture frames (From Ikea) 

-Hammer and nails

-Measuring tape

-Pen


   Taking my measuring tape, I measured the height I wanted the pictures frames to hang from my headboard. I also measured for the spaces that would be between each picture frame. 

 OK, the moment of truth. I believe it is no secret that I don't like Math; it has never been my strong suit. I used a combination of tape measure and eyeballing. I know my pictures are not hung perfectly, but they are as near to perfect as I could get using my method.I am satisfied. Anyways, moving on.

 When I managed to find the estimated width and height, I made a tick on the wall with my pen. Then I hammered my nails in place and hung my pictures.  

 

 

 

Burlap Curtains

Burlap Curtain Project

My favorite coffee shop (Fair Grounds Coffee Shop located in the Ghent district of Norfolk VA) was the inspiration for this project.

What you will need:

-Burlap. I bought mine from Fabric.com 
      -Measure your windows. Windows in Europe are an odd size, so I ended up using more yardage then usual. I measured the height of my window (door), which ended up being 96 inches long. The width of the burlap I bought was about 50 inches wide (My window measured 84 inches wide) I bought 6 yards of this. I took the length of the burlap and cut it in half; allowing a little less than 3 yards for each panel, with some salvage left over. I made a pocket for the curtain rod and hemmed the bottom of the curtains.

-Paint (I chose a Burgundy Red, I think this would also look sharp in turquoise as well)

-Small Paint Brush

-Painter's Tape (to help keep your lines straight) 
 -Run the tape the length of the curtain, leave a space and then run another length of tape. You will do this four times for each panel (makes two stripes) . This is not very technical, you can eyeball it if you want to. 

-Place a drop cloth under each panel (because of the weave of the burlap the paint will bleed through). 

-Paint stripe(s). You will leave the finished panel to dry for about 4-5 hours, longer if necessary.(The white curtains are from IKEA)

   

Homemade Chalkboard

   This is a very easy project that anyone can do. What you will need:

-Paint Brush. You can use whatever you have or you can buy a cheap paint brush. You will be throwing it away afterwards, so whatever you decide.

-A picture frame, large or small; depending on how big you want your chalkboard to be.

-Black paint.

- Small container of Spackle.  

-Painters tape.

Step 1: Run the painters tape all around the edge of your picture frame. 

Step 2: Mix 1/2 the small container of Spackle with about 1/4 mixture of black paint. The mixture should not be too thick or too runny. Mix Spackle and paint until you get a smooth consistency. You want to make sure you mix any large lumps of Spackle. 

Step 3: Apply chalkboard mixture directly to the glass surface of the picture frame. You will apply the chalkboard paint in three coats, the first being the base coat. You can add more paint as the previous layers dry.

Allow to dry, then hang and you are ready to rock and roll. 

Here are pictures of my chalkboard: