Tag Archives: art

How to Decorate Your Rooms in Tartan Plaids for the Holidays

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Tartan plaids are a perennial favorite when it comes to decorating for Christmas and the New Years and they always will be. That is because the decorations can stay in place for quite a few months into the winter and Spring to continue to give the home a cozy look.

One nice touch for Christmas is to add plaid ornaments to your tree. Canadian Tire makes a very nice black, green red and white set of points and balls that are available on line. Many designer ribbon stores also carry gorgeous tartan ribbon that you can use for decorating trees. Wired ribbon looks great tied on a bow and fastened to a Christmas tree branch.

You can also get gorgeous tartan plaid wallpaper that is designed by Vivienne Westwood. They are sold by Cole and Son and come in Red/Brown, Beige, Gray, Red/White and Blue/Brown.

Throw cushions in plaid also perk up the room and make it look more like it is in the spirit of the season. Snoa Rutan is a company that makes throw cushions in red plaid that can be buttoned over your existing pillows and then unbuttoned when you do not want your place to look so Christmas-like anymore.

A single tartan throw rug and a few tartan blankets in your living room can make the place much cozier. Of course nothing says tartan like a big beautiful armchair and footstool in the center of the room. Ralph Lauren makes great footstools. The most popular tartan combos for tartan furniture lately tend to be caramel, chocolate and pea green. The look is very fifties and very Norman Rockwell but the plaids are unobtrusive enough that they are a lovely addition to a room all year long.

You might not have ever thought of dressing up your kitchen in tartan but you can now buy tartan dishtowels, utensils with plastic tartan patterns and serving trays with tartan designs on them. Plaid placemats and tartan napkins also give a nice touch of Scottish Christmas to a holiday table.

Nowadays you can even get candles that have a tartan design on them. For a very Scottish looking spread consider getting a gelatin print of your favorite plaid and have it served as the icing on cake.

How to Decorate Your Room in the Cherry Blossom Girl Style

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The Cherry Blossom Girl style is a look that comes from a young Parisian blogger. Her simple, quirky clothing and room décor looks have become very hip and are influencing everyone from Lady Gaga to Anne Hathaway.

To make your bedroom look like hers you must first paint it all a light baby pink. This is a very girly look. Stencils in a whimsical Victorian or Art Deco style can then be added. Hand painted pink and gold pictures of goldfish embellish furniture and walls every now and then. This gives the look a bit of a shabby chic effect.

A collection of Teddy bears and Japanese cartoon character doors lined up with shells, bamboo fronds and a collection of old cassette tapes give this room an elegant look. Another nice touch is a collection of Lolita style heart shaped glasses pinned to the wall for an extra decorative effect.

The bamboo fronds can be placed in a tall ornate crystal vase. The bigger the bamboo stalks and the more curled and distorted they are, the better.

Stuff can be stored in hat boxes of all shapes and sizes as long as they are pink, silver or white in color. Cookie tins in pink, silver and white are also an option. Black antique lacquered Japanese jeweler boxes and hand held mirrors are also an option.

Above the bed must be the teenage effect of your favorite fashionable images ripped out of magazines and then mounted on pieces of textured watercolor paper. The main feature should be beautiful young women in repose wearing Victorian or Japanese clothing. The photos should have that pink, white and black theme to them. Pictures of novelties from the Victorian era also belong on this type of display of images.

On the bed white or dove grey line along with linens with tiny violet or rose floral best get across this shabby but very romantic and sexy look for a bedroom.

Lighting is very important if this look is going to succeed. One touch that is part of the overall enchantment of the style is round paper Chinese linters in pink and white lining the walls. The lamp shades themselves should be pink or white satin and the lamp stands should be knobs of crystal. An antique white Victorian chandelier is the crowning touch. A ceramic frame which you can also hang your necklaces and chains is also absolutely perfect for this look.