Got Ugly Wall Texture? Something You Can Do

Getting bored of your wall texture? Here's some inspiration!

Article taken off home-decorating-made-easy.com

Got Ugly Wall Texture? Something You Can Do

Ugly wall texture is a pretty common headache for many homeowners. Both plaster and walls with drywall covering present their fair share of troubles.

Sometimes, it can just be a case of boredom. That old wall texture or ceiling texture no longer looks attractive to the jaded eye.

A lot of do-it-yourself homeowners are fairly adventurous when it comes to all kinds of home repair or renovation projects. But for some odd reason, they balk at plaster or drywall work.

The truth is, like many things, some instruction, practice and growing self confidence can take the mystery out of this.

If it is a case of wanting to get rid of texture completely, then that is accomplished by skim coating the whole area. Now, the new smooth wall or ceiling offers new options. Do I go with just a smooth finish, or would I like some new kind of texture?

Putting on a different kind of wall texture can be a fun challenge, a fresh adventure that creates attractive results to be enjoyed for years to come.

You’re not artistic? How do you know? I am not artistic, but I have been giving clients beautiful texture effects on walls and ceilings for many years. If you had told me when I was in my early 20s that I would be doing this kind of work for a living, I would have said you were crazy. But
I learned to do it under the instruction of a drywall master, and it wasn’t hard. It was fun.

And I have taught others to do the same.

Here’s the way I looked at it. I remembered my mom in the kitchen, pulling a homemade cake from the oven and while it cooled preparing the frosting mix.

It was fascinating watching her apply the cool creamy stuff over that cake, with deft strokes of the knife. Beautiful swirls and peaks or just about anything that she decided to try. If you had accused my mom of being “artistic,” she would have laughed in your face. But those cakes were almost too lovely to eat.

So I think of applying wall and ceiling textures as “frosting the cake.” You’ve got the cool creamy texture mix you have prepared, and now you can do anything you want to with it.

But, of course, like many things, some practice goes a long ways. I always encourage people to find a surface somewhere to practice on. Maybe a smooth garage wall? A sheet of drywall is cheap. Or maybe painted plywood or even cardboard. Don’t forget, you can erase and start over as many times as you need to.

When you arrive at a point where you can say - “Wow. That I like!”, then ask yourself - can I do this over an entire wall or ceiling and be consistent throughout? That may be the most challenging part. It is better to arrive at something simple, where you can break off at anytime you need to and know you can come back to it later without a seam or lap showing. Like a texture with an irregular open edge.

What about tools? There are lots of things that work to create textures. Brushes, drywall broad knives, rubber floats like tile setters use, plasterers trowels, paint rollers, even your hands (remember finger painting in grade school). You can even build pattern tools you can press into freshly applied texture compound to leave unique imprints.

Like fingerprints, what you do will be unique to some extent. You will always know - I did that!

What you could use is some instruction. See samples of different kinds of wall and ceiling textures. Or watch someone actually doing texture work. This can fire up your imagination and motivation, as you find yourself saying - Hey, I think I could do that.

Edwin Brown has almost 40 years experience doing plaster and drywall renovation work on the west coast of the US.

For some guidance regarding wall and ceiling texture work, and for pictures of various textures, check out his web page at http://www.plaster-wall-ceiling-solutions.com/wall-texture.html

Home Aquariums, living with fish

Marine life that will lead you to a healthy environment!

Article taken off homeinteriorsjunction.com

Home Aquariums, living with fish

An aquarium can be described as an artificial habitat for marine life. Normally we think of only tropical fish when we consider having an aquarium, but aquariums can house even aquatic mammals and amphibians. Now if you are thinking of an aquarium for home, there are a wide variety of fishes and aquarium plants you can choose from. Plants enhance beauty, offer shade to fish, serve as spawning nest and food. You van even use plastic plants. The best fish for home aquarium are butterfly fish, bicolor blenny, pseudochromis, clownfish, goby, firefish, fox lace etc.

Maintaining an aquarium is a hobby for many around the world. If you are a true lover of fish, you can have your own little private collection of marine life at your home. They in their own way provide some tranquility in a world full of stress and strain.

Home aquariums can be made to replicate marine environment like the Barrier Reef or even the Amazon River. However before getting an aquarium for the home you must know how to maintain it. Tropical fish tanks may be salt water or fresh water. Experts however suggest that one should start with fresh water home aquarium, as salt-water aquarium is expensive and difficult to maintain. You can always switch over to salt water aquarium or home reef aquarium later using most of the same available equipments. A home aquarium generally consists of glass panels bound with silicone. Because of lightweight and durability acrylic home aquariums are gaining popularity. They are readily available at pet shops.Where selection of fish and supplies is concerned, the pet shopkeeper is well trained to guide you in this matter.

A home reef aquarium is usually made of glass or acrylic. The acrylic ones are attractive but expensive. Fishes like centropyge, tangs, amphiprion, mandarin fish, and dragonnettes can be kept here. Filtration and lighting in home reef aquarium is important because of photosynthesis. In order to survive the corals must produce zooxanthella.Seaworld.org, you tube.com, fullhyde.com, sea.org, aqua-fish.net may be accessed for home aquarium tips and pictures of home aquariums.

Home aquarium care is essential for healthy environment for the entire family. It has to be kept clean both from outside as well as inside. The ideal temperature is 23 to 28 o Celsius. Where lighting is concerned, colour temperature ranging from 5000-7000 0 is ideal depending upon the variety of animals. Ph testing kits should be used to determine the acidity or alkalinity of the tank water.

If a beginner,get for yourself a small home aquarium and create your own little sea world at home.

Incredible Oscar Dress-Inspired Interiors

Need some inspiration for your home interior design?

Article taken off ivillage.com

Incredible Oscar Dress-Inspired Interiors


Red Hot
The Oscars have come and gone, but it's hard not to continue to be inspired by the gorgeous dresses of the red carpet. This year's selection of dresses did not disappoint, with many leading ladies showing up in fantastic red-oranges, jewel tones and sparkly metallics. Here we've paired some of our favorite dresses with some Oscar worthy interiors.



Midnight Blue
Amy Adams sparkled in her navy blue L’Wren Scott sequined dress with pretty cap sleeves. While Amy accessorized with a gorgeous silver and green emerald Cartier necklace, this handsome navy favorite from Domino magazine pops with hints of bright pink.


Silver Lining
Mandy Moore looked stunning on the red carpet in her sheer Monique Lhuillier sequined gown, embellished with gorgeous metallics. This delightfully neutral living room shines with metallic accents, grays and blush tones.



Purple Haze
Natalie Portman, who took home top honors for her performance in Black Swan, simply glowed in her purple Rodarte dress. This gorgeous purple looks equally as elegant as part of a sleek, modern kitchen.



Gold Dust
When Gwyneth Paltrow met up with Taylor Swift at the Vanity Fair Oscars After Party, the duo sparkled and shimmered in their chic gold metallic dresses. This Paco Rabanne gold curtain in room designed by Eric Hughes is equally as eye catching.