Timeless Home Decor Trends – Is There Such a Thing?

Today, I’ve got a bit of an unusual post for this blog: a guest contributor!

Over the last 7 years of blogging, I have let maybe 3 or 4 contributors come and share something about themselves on the blog. And it’s not because there aren’t other amazing DIYers out there, or that I wouldn’t love to have a regular contributor or two sharing their cool DIY projects with you guys (I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, so more on that later). It’s because working alone on this blog has always been a juggling act — planning and actually doing the projects on my to-do list, writing about them, editing photos, getting the behind-the-blog business to operate smoothly, maintaining the site, managing the finances of it, and of course, dealing with lots of emails — it’s minutes here and minutes there, and then there’s no more time in the day for new stuff (and duh, Charlie needs a walk or two).

And for those of you who aren’t familiar with the behind-the-scenes stuff with blogs, “guest post” requests are WAY TOO OFTEN nothing more than thinly veiled attempts for spamming you guys with marketing content. And since all of us are smarter than that, I got annoyed, frustrated at sorting through them, and just stopped taking guest post requests altogether. But here’s the not-so-fun-part of that: any blogger could easily tell you that my policy has solved nothing, because spammers love to follow up on emails no one wanted to even read the first time. My inbox still stays full, unless I pen a response somewhere along the lines of “to be 100% honest, I would rather eat rusty nails than publish this for you.”

But then, on a very rare day when just the right sunlight comes through the window and I’ve had enough coffee to not hate email, I will find a real post worth sharing. And this is one of those things. A reader-slash-interior-designer named Ruth Stolerman reached out about a recent project she did for a children’s bedroom. She does really fun, custom murals for her clients, and offered to share some of her secrets for a DIY tutorial, for no other reason than you guys might enjoy seeing how they’re made.

And, it got me thinking that I’d love to see more posts like this from readers who are proud of their work. So, I said yes. And she was super nice and sent me everything in a neat little package, and I managed to still get bogged down for months before getting it onto the blog. So I’m finally sharing it (with apologies to Ruth, of course). I hope you guys enjoy! *Affiliate links may be used in this post.*

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An Interior Designer’s Guide to Painting a Mural

I love painting murals for my clients – they’re great above a bed because lots of people worry about heavy artwork falling on them in their sleep. The key to a successful mural is planning. Before you get started, make sure you have a clear vision in your mind. Even if you would like to freestyle it, look at images that will help formulate an idea. I will walk you through a mural I just finished (see above) where we had a clear vision from the start. This mural is in a children’s bedroom and we decided I would paint a scene from the amazing Roald Dahl book, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.

Materials Needed:

• pencil
• paint brushes of various sizes
• a water glass to clean your brushes
• a palette or makeshift palette (plate, etc.)
• a kitchen towel
• cling wrap
• acrylic paint

I like to use acrylic paints because they dry quickly and are water resistant. If you make a mistake before the paint has dried, you can dab it with a damp towel and completely remove the error.

If you’re nervous then I would recommend sketching your ideas on pieces of paper in the size you want, which you can then use as a 1:1 guide. I just dove straight in but I have done quite a lot of these!

When you have finished planning, start off by painting your wall in the color you would like it to be, using the paint brand of your choice. Alternatively, just work with the wall color you’ve got!

Let any paint dry and wipe down the wall thoroughly so that you have a clean surface. If you have to use a little water for this, make sure the walls are dry before you begin. Don’t forget to move any furniture out of your way, or cover anything you might drip paint on.

Now, using a light pencil, mark out the rough area you would like to paint within to make sure your drawing doesn’t get too large or small. If you have done sketches, stick them on the wall using masking tape in the position that you would like them to be in, to make sure you like the layout. Copy or trace them on to the wall.

If you are copying an image, have it in front of you and start drawing. I started this mural in the bottom left hand corner because I wanted to be sure the image sat just above the duvet. Keep stepping back from your drawing throughout to make sure your dimensions are correct and that you are filling the allocated space in the right proportions.

Once you have finished drawing, it’s time to get your paint ready. I like to put kitchen towel on my palette and wet it slightly with water. This means that the acrylic paint doesn’t dry out too quickly and if you want to keep painting the next day you can Clingfilm the palette and it will stay damp. I then work round the edge of the palette with paints, going from light to dark, leaving as much of the palette untouched as possible. This way you can mix colors below easily to get the perfect shade. Don’t have your paints too close to each other or they will inevitably get muddled together as you go. Try to use a good range of colors; I decided I wanted a bit of blue in my painting so instead of using black to make the grey areas, I mixed blue and a little brown with some white.

It’s time to paint! If your image suits an outline, paint it in your color of choice using a thin brush. I like to paint from left to right as I use the wall to steady my painting hand and this avoids smudging.

Now it’s just painting by numbers. Pick one color to start with, I like picking a light color here because if your brushes aren’t 100% clean when you switch colors, there is less contamination going from light to dark. Paint all the areas in your color of choice first.

For your second color, just move to the next darkest color and do the same as you go on. If there are small details in your painting, wait until the paint is dry and add these last.

Keep adding colors one by one until your image is complete. Good luck, and happy painting!

Before

After

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Image credits: www.ruthstolerman.com

Thank you so, so much to Ruth for sharing her amazing work! And if you’d like to follow her, you can check out her work on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

P.S. If you’re a regular reader of this blog and want to show off your work, feel free to email me. I’m a sucker for a good before and after, and I’d be happy to share your story! (but if you spam me… see the rusty nail thing above…)

The post An Interior Designer’s Guide to Painting a Mural appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/an-interior-designers-guide-to-painting-a-wall-mural/

Storing Things Safely In Your Garden

No matter what the size of your garden, it is handy to have a shed which gives you a place to store all manner of items, including tools, furniture, and maybe even bicycles. However, you will want to make sure that your shed is secure and you can find some excellent information on the safewise.com website on how you can secureyour shed properly. With just a little effort and investment, you can create a safe storage area for your garden and also deter any would-be burglars.

Purchase A Sturdy Shed

There are plenty of suppliers of garden sheds in the UK, so finding one will not be a problem. Whichever company you decide to purchase your shed from, make sure that you buy one that is sturdy with a strong frame around the door. The stronger your shed is, the less of an easy target it will be, and there are also other measures that you can take to keep your property safe.

Security Lights

An excellent addition to your garden’s security is to install a floodlight that has a motion sensor that will light up when movement is detected. The light does not have to be too bright as it will be a massive deterrent to any late night prowlers. The light is also handy for when you need to open the shed at night, and can be used as a source of light.

A Solid Lock

You should always keep your shed locked, and it is important to invest in a lock of high-quality. An average garden shed will come with one position where you can use a padlock, but you can also add some more if you wanted that extra piece of mind. If someone does steal from your shed and it was not locked, you may find that your house insurance may not cover your stolen items.

A Security Camera

Another excellent deterrent to stop thieves is to add CCTV to your home which can be done relatively cheaply. You can install one or two units that work using wireless technology, and with modern software and applications, you can check the stream using your computer or Smartphone. There are floodlight systems with motion detectors that also have built-in cameras, so you can purchase a complete system to keep your possessions safe and secure.

Do Not Advertise

Most thieves are opportunists, so if you present them with the possibility of stealing something of high value with ease, they will usually take it. If your garden shed has a window, install a net curtain, or even a non-transparent material, across it to prevent people from seeing what is inside when it is dark. Keep your shed door closed, and always keep it locked when you are not using it. Place stickers on the front of your property showing that a security system is being used, and also remain vigilant. By not presenting yourself as an easy target and investing a small amount in the safety and protection of your family, thieves may just pass you by and choose a much easier target.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/05/storing-things-safely-in-your-garden.html

Why You Can See Water Coming Out Of Your Boiler

If you are looking for a boiler for your home, you can get some excellent product reviews on the goodhousekeeping.com website to help you decide which model is best for your house. However, if you already have a boiler and you are experiencing problems with it leaking water, there are four main reasons as to why this may happen. Rather than going through the expense of a new boiler, you may be able to repair the problem which will cost a lot less than a whole new system.

A Problem With The Pressure

It is very common for a boiler to have drips of water that come from the pressure outlet pipe which allows pressure to escape from it and prevent it from blowing up. Although it is common to have the occasional drip of water coming from this pipe, if you see water underneath the boiler on a daily basis, you may have a problem with the internal pressure of the boiler being too high. You will need to check the pressure gauge on the tank and take an accurate reading. If you are not qualified to work on your boiler, you will need to consult a specialist. You can type Worcester Bosch Boiler Repair in your internet browser, or whatever manufacturer your boiler is, and you will find some different companies that will be able to assist you with problems with your system.

Loose Joints

Another issue which can cause water to leak from your boiler and hot water system is loose joints. The biggest cause of loose joints is the climate, as the cooling down and warming up through the seasons can cause the metal to contract and expand, loosening the joints. Take a look at the blowdown valve making sure that it is not loose, and check all the other joints are secure. If you do find any issues, you will need to call your local service company to take a look at the problem for you.

Faulty Or Damaged Seals

Your boiler may also have worn or broken seals, which can also lead to water leaking out of it. As the water pump works, the water is pushed through the system, as well as also leaking out of the broken seals causing a puddle of water to build up. If you are experiencing this sort of issue, then you will have to replace the seals, as well as also potentially replacing the pump to solve the problem. Make sure that you fix the problem quickly as leaving it for a while could cause the problem to get bigger, causing more damage to your home and increasing the repair bill.

An Old Boiler

If your boiler has seen better days and is pretty old, you may find that the water tank can crack over time due to age and fatigue. The problem is the heating and cooling down of the system which over time can fatigue metals causing them to crack and allowing water to escape. When this problem occurs, you need to replace the whole unit, rather than attempt a repair, as it will be likely that it will fail again in the not too distant future.

Whenever you have any issues with your water boiler, do not take any chances at attempting to fix it yourself if you are not qualified. Have a registered engineer inspect and assess your boiler, and carry out any necessary repairs.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/05/water-coming-out-of-BOILER.html

So Clever! A DIY Garden Trellis Made From Repurposed Materials

I’ve got a quick DIY idea for you guys today: a garden trellis made from a repurposed wooden bed frame!

These photos aren’t taken at my house, but rather when I was visiting a friend. With so many outdoor gardening projects on my to-do list lately, I guess my brain is just wired to look for them (kind of like whenever I work on molding projects; I find myself staring at people’s ceilings and windows to brainstorm!).

I spotted this on the side of the house and asked to take a few quick pics. Honestly, I think it’s pretty clever. I like how it repurposes something that would have likely been heading for a landfill. Clearly these are just getting started, but can you imagine them covered in flowering clematis?

This trellis looked like it was made from parts of a twin-size bed, but I think children’s bed frames would also be a good choice. A simple coat of opaque deck stain (it matches their front porch and rear deck stain) ties it together nicely and protects from the elements (when doing anything that leans against your siding like this, waterproofing is a wise move).

I guess it just goes to prove that I need to take more strolls around my neighborhood (and crash my friends’ places more often, too). Have you ever spied a clever repurpose project while out & about?

P.S. Don’t forget, there’s still a giveaway going on this week. Click here for the latest on my backyard garden and enter with a comment on the post for the chance to score some freebies!

The post So Clever! A DIY Garden Trellis Made From Repurposed Materials appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/diy-repurposed-garden-trellis/

Fight back against hackers during the smart home revolution

Engineers and innovators everywhere are building new ways to make our lives at home less demanding, more efficient, and more secure. Smart home devices have created a new market that is growing at a mind-bending pace. Today, the average household has 10 connected smart devices. By 2022, experts believe the average household will eclipse 50 connected smart devices.

There are obvious benefits to this growth. Advancements in data bandwidth and technology now allow homeowners to manage their house from anywhere on the planet.By using a video doorbell camera and smartdoor lock, users can open, lock, and answer their front door all from a remote device, wherever they may be.

However, this also opens the door for unwanted intruders. More (digital) doors and locks for a homeowner create more (digital) opportunities for hackers to enter a home. Each smart home gadget in a household essentially functions as another door or window that can be broken into. Growth in the market of smart home devices has outpaced growth in the market of home security, creating a gap that thieves and intruders will happily exploit.

The threat can come from anywhere. Security specialists showed during a demonstration at an exhibit that they could take control of the lights of an entire office complex by hacking into a smart lightbulb in a single room of the building. That video doorbell and smart lock used to let in guests in? It can also be used by hackers to monitor activity in the house and break in while you’re away. 

Click here to see enlarged version.

In the meantime, there are simple ways to protect your home. While the security industry catches up with the advancements in smart home devices, you can use basic yet effectives methods to secure your home, family, and gadgets. Check out the accompanying infographic to see how you can protect yourself.

This is a guest post and infographic is by Joseph Mack from smart homeSAGE, a blog that analyzes the impact that smart home technology has on home life.

from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2017/05/fight-back-against-hackers-during-smart.html

The Start of a Beautiful Before and After (+ Giveaway)

I’ve had a sad little corner of my back yard for too long. And, it’s time to fix it. I’ve already done a few improvements here and there, like replacing the front side of the chain link fence with a wooden one, but I’ve been working on a new corner garden lately, and I’m finally far enough along to share the first few glimpses with you this week!

It all started with a gift card. Like most DIY budgeters, I can really stretch a dollar when I need to, and an opportunity popped up for me to take care of this little nook thanks to a sponsor who just so happened to be a brand I’ve used in the yard before.

I love it when lucky coincidences like this happen, because it means that I get to do something I was pretty much going to do anyway, only I have an actual timeline that forces me to get my butt in gear as opposed to procrastinating indefinitely. Enter: Endless Summer® Hydrangeas.

If you’re a fan of the blog already, you might have seen me mention them before. I’ve had some of their Original variety in various parts of the house for several years now, and I absolutely love the color they add to both the front and back yard. If you’ve missed those posts where I show them off, here’s just a small sample of their gorgeousness:

*sponsored and affiliate links may be used in this post*

I could say that I get credit for any of that, but I really can’t. They’re just really easy plants for people who are bad at growing things (ahem, me) to build up their gardening confidence. I think my favorite part is that instead of blooming once, Endless Summer® varieties bloom over and over again, on both new growth and old (during the winter, the old stems on typical hydrangeas die off and you trim them back, but with these you can be super lazy like I am and let them be, because after August 1st don’t want to wind up cutting off the new buds that will come the next year). When they bloom and re-bloom through the fall, the color is absolutely stunning and totally different than how it looks in spring and summer:

With the new garden bed I wanted to plant, however, I was after a variety called BloomStruck®. From the images I’ve seen online, these bloom from pink to blue just like the ones I already have, but the color of the looks like they’ll be a deeper, moodier color.

I can’t wait to surround a petite blooming tree with these, with a spot in front for gravel and a small bench. In my head, I’m basically looking at this:

And thinking of a gorgeous little garden nook, with a small white-flowering tree, with just enough room to sit and read on a bench, surrounded by deep, purpley-pink flowers. Plus, as they bloom, they’ll make for excellent bouquets inside (especially when I mix them with their other variety counterparts).

When shopping at the local nursery (you can find a retailer here), I asked the clerk where I could find the BloomStruck® hydrangeas, but I probably didn’t even need to; this brand specifically puts all of their plants in a big blue pot, which is easy to spot when shopping around.

I loaded up a cart and headed for the checkout. To my surprise, they offered me a bag of ladybugs (yes, living ladybugs) to take with me and put in my new garden. Ha!

I loved the novelty of it, but promptly forgot about them*; it was time to plant!

*don’t worry, I later remembered.

With supplies filling the truck I borrowed, it took about a day and a half to get everything into the ground (and I’m still not done!). It’s not that planting them is all that difficult, but the prep and finish work: planning out an entirely new garden, making sure I’ve spaced things correctly, dealing with the frustration that is landscaping fabric, mulching, and cleaning up surrounding areas takes time.

I also want to cover over the chain link with fence panels (thus why you see them here), but with rain interrupting the project for the last few days, this is still on the to-do list. To be honest, one of the fence panels fell over and almost squashed all of the progress I’d made (thankfully the hydrangeas bounced back quickly), so I’m safely storing them away from the new garden until the shrubs have a chance to get established, and then I’ll go back in with the fence upgrade.

Planting the hydrangeas themselves was far easier; all I had to do was space them evenly, dig a hole (you can get planting soil if you’re starting a new bed, but the soil quality in my yard is pretty good on its own right now), and plop it in. I like to rub on the root ball a little to get it loose so that it takes to the new soil quickly, and then I put a little fertilizer on top once they’re in (Osmocote is my go-to for all of my plants, but I’ll talk more about color-changing fertilizer for hydrangeas in a future post).

For garden beds that I change up a lot, I don’t like to use landscaping fabric. It’s pricey per square foot and figuring out where the holes are each year is annoying, so I tend to use a thick layer of newspaper for beds like the mailbox and front garden because it breaks down over the season. But since I plan to let these BloomStruck® hydrangeas be the sole star of the corner garden, landscaping fabric is an excellent weed blocker to cover over all of the other areas (unfortunately, my back yard has weeds in abundance).

Next, I surrounded the new tree (it’s a tea olive, which is a shrub, but you can trim it to be like a tree as it grows bigger) with some leftover edging from another spot in the yard, and filled in the entire area with a thick layer of mulch. Good thing I did, too — the temps have been fluctuating a lot in the last couple of weeks because of rain, so the new beds have been kept very happy until I have a few more dry days to take next steps. But, as summer rolls on, I’m hopeful that this will be one stunning before and after!

One side of the house already has a few Original varieties in place, so I bought a few more with the gift card I was provided to help balance out both sides of the patio. Doing so will give a nice variety of color, even though they are the same plant (which is nice, because then it’s the same in terms of care).

As you can see from the growth on the biggest one that I planted a few years ago, they need lots of space to fan out as they mature. Even though they haven’t really taken up much time for me in the past, I really want all of the new ones to grow in as quickly as possible, so I’ll need to keep them fertilized in a timely manner (FYI, it turns out there’s a text program — text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 — that is designed to provide timely reminders to make sure I’m doing the upkeep correctly).

I’m not quite done yet, but this area is already looking incredible for spring! I’ll have more posts to share during the summer as I give this area more updates, and you can already see that I have some plans for the fence too. I honestly think this is going to be one of my favorite spots in the entire yard once it’s all finished.

And as you might have seen from the title of this post: there’s a giveaway for you, too! Here are all of the details:

Endless Summer® Bloomstruck Hydrangeas Giveaway!

• Prize: One (1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves and one (1) Picnic Time ‘Gardener’ 5-Piece Garden Tool Set With Tote And Folding Seat
• Number of winners: one
• Giveaway ends: Friday, May 19th at 11:59pm
• Geographical restrictions: U.S. only
• To enter: Leave a comment on this post answering the giveaway question below. Yes, you have to leave a comment. Or don’t, but if you don’t, you probably won’t win. I check them because I’d much rather reward a regular reader (usually giveaway jumpers don’t stop to leave a comment, so that seems to help your chances!).
• Please update the Rafflecopter widget to confirm you’ve left a comment. Winner will be chosen at random via the widget auto-generator.
• Giveaway question to answer (many of you know how this goes): Have you ever gotten a weird gift with purchase? What was it?

Ready, and… GO! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The post The Start of a Beautiful Before and After (+ Giveaway) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/corner-garden-makeover-endless-summer-bloomstruck-hydrangea/