Give-a-ways and Answers!!!!!!

OMG, the reason I've been MIA, FYI is because I've been playing around with some new scrap booking software called My Memories Suite. I'm not a scrapbooker, having always been one of those people that don't bother taking pictures of events or people. (Just rooms and still lifes). (My brothers and sisters take pictures, and I'm always standing around, bored, just wanting them to hurry up and finish, already)!

ANYWAY.....

The company contacted me and asked if I would be interested in doing a give-a-way.

Welllllll.....I had to think about it, because this is MY FIRST GIVE-A-WAY!!!!! and I didn't want it to be something that was silly, and that no one would want.

So I thought about it, and realized no one else was exactly knocking down my door with offers  probably a lot of my readers (all two of you) might enjoy the @#$ software, so I agreed to try it out.

Welllllll.......

I have been swallowed up in a black hole of time. The @#$ program is an absolute joy to work with.

I'm just learning how to do it, started yesterday, but here are some of my efforts.

I started out sweet (just like me)

Then I tried a couple of pictures on a page.

I played around with a different background paper.

Started getting the hang of it, and then I got a little crazy and trashy and goth!!!!

I elongated my picture, and I magically lost 10 pounds!!!

I need to figure out how to do the give-a-way, so I will let you know in the next couple of days. If you don't win the give-a-way, I will also have a code that if you enter it, (I will also figure this out) you will get a discount on the software.

Now, down to the rest of the questions from tuesday.....

Question #1

Ellis is freaking out that I didn't answer her question on Tuesday, so I will try to help here.

She asked: I think my dining room could really be improved by changing the fabric on the chairs.  However, I have no idea what to pick.  The room is not used very much (Christmas, Thanksgiving, other large family dinners...) but it is seen when someone walks in the front door.  I am including lots of pictures to show what I am working with. Any and all suggestions welcome!  I think I am pretty tied to the paint color since we have that dark trim all over the house, but if you have ideas....please tell.

I think this paisley is just fine. BUT if this were my house, I would change the paint color of the wood work to white and get some color on the walls. 

If you picked out the red from the paisley, and softened it to a deep dusty rose to paint over the chair rail, then painted below the chair rail in the same white as the wood work, it would give this effect.

 You would be amazed at how the room would change. The window shutters would look like a million dollars and the paneling details under the chair rail would pop.

Another BIG advantage, is at night the light would bounce off the walls and bathe every old fart in the room in a lovely youthful glow.

As to it not matching the woodwork in the rest of the house, 

WELLLLLL.....

That makes a nice segway into the next question 

Question #2

She asked: Betsy,

Thank you SO much for hosting this fun and informative Q & A party! My thumbnail pic to my post is #4 "Painting Woodwork". I have hated our dining room since we moved into our house 8 years ago, but have been busy with things like plumbing, wiring, etc. I want to paint the windows and trim a creamy white (and change the wall color to something lighter and more cheerful) but here is where I'm stuck. Can I leave the dark trim in the living room? The foyer separates the living room from the dining room, but I'm afraid it will be unbalanced. What do you think?

Your Color & Pattern book is one of my favorite design books in my collection and I would truly value your opinion. I could keep you busy for years!


To paint or not to paint...that is the question. :@

Thanks for your time, Vickie   Vickie @ Ranger 911

view into her dining room

view into her living room

 If you make sure the two rooms relate visually, then you can have different trim colors in each room. HOWEVER!!!!!!!

What's with the baseboard being a different color from the rest of the trim in the room. You're worried about the trim in the two rooms being different, but not about THIS !!!!!!!!!????????

OY!!!!!

(and your question was so nice, and here I am being so mean. What can I say.....after all the advice is free!)

Question #3

Carlene @ Organized ClutterJan 20, 2012 07:24 PM

Hi Betsy, I'm no 7 in your linky. I am thinking about repainting the yellow and going to a creamy white? I have lots of gold framed art and plates on the wall?

Potato...Patado, Tomato...Tomado.

Question #4

One of my 12 Projects for 2012 is to finish redecorating the main guest room. One of the things I really need to do is place some type of window treatments on the bank of french doors and flanking windows. The doors and windows are heavily trimmed out and I love the way they came out thanks to one of my heroes, Brian the great carpenter. Anyway, I have toyed with the thought of just placing a decorative rod all the way across the top the of header with just enough panels to cover the windows. I cannot use many panels as the space at each end of the bank of windows and doors are not even. One side is wider than the other..

I really do not want to cover the trim…so what do I do? I thought about hanging woven blinds, but then it would cover most of the header trim. I thought about pleated shades, but really do not like the look of that. We live on a golf course and there are no homes that are in close range directly behind us. In all of the seasons except the winter and late fall, there is plenty of privacy from the trees. Well, with the exception of the nosey deer. In the winter, you can see faint lights from the houses beyond. So, I really want my guests to be comfortable with a real sense of privacy. So, that is my dilemma..What type of treatments do I place on those windows and doors?

Okey Dokey, this is a really good question. (Not that the others weren't) (well, some were better than others)

THERE IS NO GOOD SOLUTION!

OK, I'm just kidding. I'm getting punchy. Oy.

I had this same dilemma in my Sunapee cabin. Here's a picture of what I did.

These draperies are lined linen panels hung from rings without any pinch pleats at the top of the curtains. This  way they can gather in a tighter smaller area when opened. It looks like you have enough room on either side of your windows to do this. I sewed a wooden wand to the lead ring that I used to pull them open and closed. These were my bedroom window treatments, giving me plenty of privacy from the bears.
I will be sharing the pictures and story of this cabin in a future post. OY there is so much to write about and share with you guys. How did I ever spend my days before I started blogging?????


Betsy


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