warm colors

It’s a fact that colors affect us psychologically and can actually affect our mood. You want to choose colors for your home that best suite you and make you feel good. A great way to bring color into your home is by painting your walls. But first find out what colors you are drawn to and how they make your feel. You can start by looking around your home and seeing how the colors in your furniture, fabrics, and rugs make you feel. You can also take a color personality quiz that will help you decide on paint colors.

How do colors affect your mood

First decide on the mood you want to set for each room you’re going to paint. Do you want it to be warm and inviting, cool and relaxing, or rich and romantic? Warm colors work great for areas of the house where your family and friends gather regularly.

cool colors

Yellow is said to promote harmony so it would be a good color for a kitchen. But you’ll need to be careful what color of yellow you choose. Yellow can also create feelings of frustration. While it is considered a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms. If you want to bring a feeling of warmth to a room then brighter colors would be a good choice.

Medium greens usually are some reminders of nature and create feelings of peace and calmness. This would be a great color for a home office.

green is related to nature

Red is a bright, warm color that evokes strong emotion and associated with love, warmth, and comfort. It’s a great color do paint an accent wall or to use as an accent color when decorating.

Orange is a combination of yellow and red and is considered an energetic color. It creates feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth. It’s a great color to get attention.

I came across this article that I thought had great ideas for decorating your bedroom without spending too much money. Also ideas that will allow you to easily change your decor and color scheme without breaking your bank.

Neutral Bedding

1) Choose neutral bedding and bed skirt- this is a great idea because it’s a blank canvas for you to decorate on. You can get brighter colored pillows and fabrics for spring and summer and then darker more earth tone colors for fall and winter. You can also buy bedding that is reversible, so you get two for one.

2) Go crazy with pillows- choosing different colors and materials will allow a lot of versatility. You can also make your own pillows by going to fabric stores and looking thru remnant bins.

use lots of decorative pillows

3) Accessories- You can buy decorative bowls, vases and candles very inexpensively and they really can add a lot of character to a room. I like to buy tall clear glasses and fill them with inexpensive things like beans or rocks. I also buy decorative bowls and put lemons, limes, and apples in them. It looks very cool, even in a bedroom.

4) Bench for the foot of the bed- They can be expensive, but you can find an old coffee table at a yard sale that you can repaint to match   your decor and then top it with a cushion.

clear glasses make inexpensive accessories for a room

5) Wall art- you can find art and pictures at stores like Homegoods, TJ Maxx, and Bed Bath and Beyond fairly reasonably. There are also a lot of online artist to buy from. They have more reasonable prices than galleries because they sell directly to the collector.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A few years ago, going green was hailed as one of the hottest trends. Now it is becoming a standard throughout the design industry. The new trends to expect in 2010…

"In with Color"

1) Palette Gray also continues to figure largely as well – in particular purple and gray, yellow and gray, and matte and shiny gray together are great combinations. Interior designer Kimberly Ayres concurred: “Gray is the new beige.”

2) Bolder design decisions- In with color!”

3) Layering flooring- layering floor coverings adds richness and warmth. Overlapping several smaller, lightweight rugs with patterns and colors that are complementary – a striped runner on top of a larger geometric rug – or overlapping multiples of the same rug in a variety of colors. Those with wall-to-wall carpeting can still get in on this trend. Place a rug over existing carpet for an instant splash of color or pattern.

4) Keep it real- A  movement toward the natural patina of woods, metals and other materials.

5) Artisanal work will continue to be strong,” said interior designer Benjamin Dhong. “Even modernists want to see natural materials or the hand of the craftsman brought into their homes.”

"Layered Flooring"

6) Texture will be big in 2010… texture natural materials and unusual techniques with a lot of rich, textural interest.

7) Well traveled look- Whether you’re scouring the stalls in Paris or browsing shops during a quick weekend getaway, incorporating souvenirs in a space can give it a bit of personality.

8) Mix it Up- carefully edited  ’anything goes’ approach Graphic modern print textiles work and modern paintings with traditional chairs and sofas.”

9) Old is new again- “Antiques and vintage pieces add soul to any space,” explained interior designer Jay Jeffers.

"Mix it Up"

10) Wall papered ceilings- create a visual impact in a room and will be hot in 2010.

Where to begin…

If you would like to paint an abstract painting and you don’t know where to begin, here are a few tips.The first thing you will need to do is go to your local art/craft store and purchase some supplies. You can start by picking out your canvas. I recommend buying canvas that is 1.5″ thick so your painting doesn’t warp over time. 

art supplies

For your first painting I would recommend picking up a standard, inexpensive  paint brush. You can even buy a multi-pack of different sizes that are under $15.  Here is a link that will help you decide which paint brush to buy and also how to properly use a paint brush. When it comes to your paint you will have to decide if you want to use oil or acrylics. Acrylic is my paint of choice because it dries very quickly and cleans up easily with water. Most craft stores sell starter kits of paint as well.

Set the mood…

The next thing you’ll want to do is set the mood. For most artist they are very effected by their environment. Play music that gets you motivated to paint. It can be a variety of music depending on the style of painting you are going to paint. If your going to paint a tranquil painting I would recommend music that is peaceful and makes you feel good. Use colors of paint that you are drawn to. If you like bold colorful paintings use more primary bright colors. Earth Tone colors create more of a tranquil painting, while dark colors create the opposite.There is no right or wrong way to paint or create art. You’ll need to let your  imagination take over and paint from feeling. When I first started painting I mindlessly put paint on the canvas until I started to feel the painting. That can happen sooner than you think. It’s a good idea to stand back and get a good perspective of your painting. Once you know what direction your painting is going the fun begins and your painting begins to take shape.

Find inspiration

Find Inspiration…

It’s very important to study art that you admire and are drawn to for inspiration. You can also turn to art magazines or interior design magazines for color inspiration. Have fun with it and you might just discover your inner artist.

Artist Painting Eric Crabtree

Buying a painting un-stretched can be a great way to purchase a very large painting for a reasonable price. When you buy a painting un-stretched it will be shipped to you rolled in a shipping tube. You can save a lot of money on shipping costs considering how expensive it is to ship large paintings. It is also very cost effective if you decide to stretch the painting yourself. If you can wrap a present, you can stretch a painting.

How to stretch a painting? 

First you will need to build your frame. You can use materials from your local home improvement store. Once you’ve decided on what size to create the canvas, cut four pieces of 1×2s with 45 degree angles at each end.  The most important thing is to make equal, 45 degree cuts at each end so that the wood fits together properly at the corners. Once the frame is assembled you can begin stretching the painting.  

First thing you’ll want to do is lay the stretcher bar frame face down on the canvas, and fold up each edge to make sure you have plenty of canvas to go over the bars. Use scissors or a utility knife to cut out an appropriately sized piece.

Fold the canvas over the stretcher bar on one side and put in your first staple. Then spin the canvas around and do the opposite side. We highly recommend using canvas stretching pliers. They can be purchased at your local art and craft store for around $8.  They make stretching a lot easier. Now that you’ve got two opposite sides stapled, rotate the canvas and do the exact same thing for the third and forth side. Staple the canvas every two inches.  

 Once you reach the corners, you’re almost done—basically you just need to fold the corner flaps to one side or the other. You’ll want to fold the canvas like a present and use several staples to secure it. 

 Stretching your own painting can save you a lot of money when buying an original painting.