Did you know that they last Monday in January is said to be the most depressing day of the year?

Need a lift?

Go and splurge on fresh flowers! It instantly makes the room feel bright and cheery. It will help chase the winter blahs away!

A week or two before Christmas, The Buffalo News published a great article on the latest trend in wall art. Vinyl graphics easily peel and stick and are a fun way to add punch to your home but can be peel off too.

In this article Home & Style editor Susan Martin quoted The Home Stylist.  Ms. Martin mentioned the last Junior League Decorators House where I had decorating a teen room using vinyl frames too.

Here are two rooms where I have used vinyl graphics:
 

 http://www.thehomestylist.com/slider-2/

http://www.thehomestylist.com/slider-3/

 Here is the article:

Just Peel and Stick

by Susan Martin, Buffalo News (12/11/09)

Remember when your mom yelled at you for plastering your walls, windows and possibly the living-room furniture with tiny superhero stickers?

Sticky, stubborn, unable-to-remove stickers?

Well, welcome to a very different world of creative wall art, where peel-and-stick and other wall graphics make decorating a snap and changing your mind even easier.While you can still have your superhero — a 5-foot-10 Spider- Man from Fathead, for example — today’s vinyl wall options range from sassy to sophisticated, and everything in-between.From wall decals to life-size graphics, these products offer an alternative to traditional wallpaper, faux finishes and stencils for jazzing up your walls.

The benefits?

*They are removable, with many repositionable and even reusable.

*They are designed to not damage walls (good for dorm rooms and rentals).

*They’re good for kids, who can help with the design. And since many decals and large graphics are relatively inexpensive, parents won’t mind replacing them when a child has outgrown them.

Local interior designer Sandy Nelson is a big fan.”I love them. There are so many designs and styles you can use. What I like about them is that you can make a space your own very easily,” said Nelson, who runs Designs of the Times.Cable home shows often feature vinyl wall art, and it has been spotted in magazines such as Dwell and Metropolitan Home.And no wonder.

“People have been getting into a more modern, architectural design style. They are getting away from the overdone, overly ornate,” Nelson said.

“People are so busy, they really need to simplify. They like to be surrounded by a clean, serene atmosphere. These vinyl wall graphics are wonderful because one big graphic can create a focal point and make a strong statement — relatively inexpensively. And you can change it up,” she said.

In addition to patterns, lettering and words also are available, so you can create any phrase or poem on a wall, added Nelson, citing www.wallwords.com and www.wonderfulgraffiti.com as two online resources.Dry-erase and chalkboard peel-and-stick sheets and panels are other popular options — especially for playrooms or kitchens.

Locally, Julie Dana also sees a place for these products in today’s home.

“They are great for placing art where you don’t have a lot of physical room, such as a hallway. They don’t take up a lot of room, like a frame would,” said Dana, owner of the Home Stylist and an interior “redesigner.”

“They also are removable so you can use holiday ones this time of year and then take them off,” she said.

Some are reusable; some are not, Dana noted, so it pays to read the directions.

(At Decorators’ Show House 2009 last spring — E.B. Green’s Wallace Estate in Eggertsville — Dana covered the walls of the Teen Girl’s Bedroom with vinyl picture frames she made herself, using a crafting machine called the Cricut, which is manufactured by Provo Craft. Like many other other vinyl wall products, the frames were repositionable.)

“The trend, for the most part, is the bigger the better,” Dana said. “Small little doodads can look like clutter, but a big, statement-making piece can bring the room together,” she said.

To apply, a clean, dry and smooth wall is recommended,but depending on the size and design, vinyls also can be applied to furniture and ceilings.

A peek at what’s out there:

*WallPops, a popular line of peel-and-stick wall art from Brewster Home Fashions, includes dots, stripes, paisleys, hearts and zoo animals in its collection. Dry-erase sheets also are available. Check it out at www.wall-pops.com, where you will find retailers from whom you can buy or order.

*Target sells packages of self-adhesive, removable and repositionable wall decals for children’s rooms that coordinate with its bedding, priced $12.99 to $14.99 for a package of about 50 decals (hearts, flowers, robots, etc.).

*Jo-Ann fabric and craft stores and its Web site sells a line of “Hip in a Hurry” vinyl wall graphics in an assortment of sizes and designs, including words and phrases. A 35-inch high faux chandelier is regularly priced at $39.99. A 4 1/2-inch butterfly is less that $3.

Michael’s, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, college bookstores and other retailers sell various products as well.

Besides stores, there are many, many online resources for vinyl wall decals and graphics.

Photo wall murals are another option. You can see photomurals, which you paste on walls, at www.brewsterhomefashions.com, for example.

Another Web site to check out: www.muralsyourway.com, which sells vinyl or canvas photo murals in various sizes, priced per square foot. Prices begin at about $175 for a 4-foot by 6-foot vinyl mural.

Especially popular for 2010, according to one trend forecast: bold geometric patterns, edgy, urban graphics and Asian-inspired prints, as well as nature and travel scenes.

Still curious?

Here are some other Web sites to check out for wall graphics: www.whatisblik.com (billed as “wall graphics for the commitment- phobic,” also sold online at Barnes & Noble, Urban Outfitters and elsewhere); fermlivingshop.us (options include big wall stickers designed to look like a bar code, housefly or fingerprint — and that’s just for starters); www.pbteen.com; www.urbanoutfitters.com (decals and murals as well as cloth tapestries, etc., with some sold in stores as well).

Other sites worth checking out include www.mycurlycue.com, where you will find stickers and graphics for kids, college students and others, and www.fathead.com, a popular line of vinyl life-size sports stars and superheroes.

But the options go beyond that.

You have to love the faux fireplace from Fathead, which you just peel off the sheet and stick on the wall. Write the folks at Fathead: “The visual warmth of this fire will be the focal point of any room. You can get the beauty of a fire without all the work and mess!”

Again, you can even move it and reuse it. Way to confuse your guests!

I have recently been working on the Model homes within the senior community of Fox Run of Orchard Park. The two projects turned out beautiful.

I try to praise my children often. Don’t you? But no matter how old you are – isn’t nice to get praises too (let’s be honest now). I recently received this note from a client who used my online decorating consultation for her large family room.

Thank you so much Julie! The packet I received truly exceeded my expectations. My initial impression was “Wow, what a professional looking packet.” As I read through the pages and studied all the pictures and diagrams, I appreciated your personal attention to all the details as well as your friendliness. Even though my home is a log cabin, a little on the unique and different side, you were able to customize to my tastes and needs perfectly. You recognized my “little bit of country” and “little bit of rustic” and rolled it all together. Thanks again. I highly recommend your services and look forward to working with you again on my next project. Donna, in Texas.

Remember to praise your kids and it is nice to praise others who do good work too. (no matter how old)




Here is a link to The Home Stylist’s online consultations. Maybe your room could use a makeover too.

Do you ever feel like Goldilocks when you retail shop for armoires, desks, or bookcases – some are too small and some too big? Custom built furnishings can be the answer.

Recently I turned to a New York company, Aurora Custom Cabinets, to custom build an armoire and folding station for my room in a Decorator’s Show House. They turned out simply beautiful and not too big, not too small but “just right”

Now don’t jump to the conclusion that it is too expensive. That is not always the case. Aurora Custom Cabinets are about the same price as a higher-end kitchen cabinet at Lowes or Home Depot but the craftsmanship and quality is so much better.

In your area, look for a woodworker to make a perfect “just right’ piece for you. Or Aurora Custom Cabinets can even ship some items to you.

Here are some photos of other work that Aurora Custom Cabinets has done:

Look into custom built pieces, it may not be as expensive as you may think.

visit Aurora Custom Cabinets

The Home Stylist has offered online decorating consultation for several years now. It is so easy and convenient for both the client and myself (I get to work in my jammies).