How to Make Rose Edge Detail for Soft Furnishings

Hardware is for the birds

While in Atlanta, GA, just a few short months ago, I had the pleasure of taking a class from Susan Kostelecky. She is the owner of SK Designs in Houston, TX, and a very talented lady! Visit some of her work here

Susan presented a class titled, Susan's Latest and Greatest Things. Among her wares in which she presented was this fantastic detailed bird finial! Check it out!

Fantastic new fabric line

While in Atlanta I was extremely busy with numerous design and fabrication classes as well as networking and bonding with my peers. It was not until later on Friday that I was finally able to make it to the show floor to view the vendor booths. I had the pleasure of running into a great couple of gentleman who happened to be fabric vendors at the International Window Coverings Expo. There I stumbled upon some of the most exquisite fabrics I have ever seen. And beleive me these are some of the TOP brands in the industry, just not the over the top pricing. I could not help myself :) I now carry the line in my studio in Hastings, MN. Why not have your home stand out from your neighbors and look into cutomizing your home today. And if you would like to view this fantastic fabric just give me a call...you will not be sorry.

Hollywood Glam in the Bedroom~

One of the most popular ways to decorate a master bedroom is classic vintage luxury or Hollywood Glam! Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Paint- When painting your walls use bold jewel tones and classic neutrals for colors. You can pair this with graphic print wallpaper on one wall as a focal point.

Furniture- Luxurious fabrics (silks, faux furs, etc.) paired with gold-leaf, mirrored furniture, crystal chandeliers, and large tufted headboards. Small budget? No problem! Re-purposing an old piece to fit in with your design plan is a great way to make a statement and not invest a great deal of cash. Ralph Lauren came out with a great metallic paint line about 7 years ago and many of the other paint companies have done this as well. Your possibilities are endless!

Words of wisdom

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with a new client that wished to have a window treatment completed for her living room to go over an 8 foot wide patio door and existing vertical blinds. The product that we thought would look best was a large arched cornice made with the same upholstery material that she had some custom chairs done in about 7 years ago when she moved in. She already had the fabric which was absolutely beautiful, so we proceeded quite quickly in order to have it done before the holidays. When we arrived to install the treatment we were prepared to remove the existing vertical blinds and rehang after the cornice was installed. Upon further examination we noticed that the brackets were coming out of the wall and it appeared that not one bracket out of seven initially installed was secured properly...they did not drill into studs and did not use toggle bolts of any kind, even the brackets were improperly spaced apart. Because of all of this, the entire head rail had bent over the past 7 years and when we reinstalled the head rail the vertical blinds would no longer work properly. The client was mortified to find that the existing vertical blinds could have fallen at any time because of improper installation. Guess who she purchased them from? A big box home store that offers "free installation" with any window covering purchase. Upon doing a little research I found out that the manufacturer of the vertical blinds did not warranty the product because of improper installation. I called the manufacturer the very next day and advised the service representative of the issue. She was very nice and explained what I had feared, the product was not covered under warranty.

Moral of the story- Just because a company offers FREE installation...is it REALLY free??? Know the company you are purchasing any item from, just because it seems like a great deal from a big box store it more than likely is not!