Decorating inspiration, architecture, renovation ideas and more.

How To Make Designer Votive Holders (VIDEO)

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by
These designer votive candle holders are surprisingly simple to make. Brendan Power shows you how. (VIDEO)

Brendan-Powers-Votive-Candle-Holders-Paul-JosephTHE CREATIVE SOLUTION | These decorative votive candleholders are an easy-to-make, inexpensive Christmas gift that is both beautiful and useful. Brendan Power, our D.I.Y. columnist, got the idea after he saw something similar in a high-end gift shop. “The patterns on the votive holders I saw were probably either applied as decals or printed directly onto the glass,” he says. “My adaptation is made with photocopy paper, but the look and the translucence is no different from the original.”  Read more

Candles In The Snow - Martin Tessler

How To Light Snowy Pathways With Candles

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

 

Make light outdoors on a winter’s night by planting candles in the snow.

CREATIVE SOLUTION | Sometimes the most stunningly beautiful solution to a problem is also the most elementary one—like using candlelight rather than electricity to illuminate a snowy walkway.

Read more

Marmoleum Placemats - John Sinal

How To Make Marmoleum Placemats And Coasters

/4 Comments/in , , , , /by
This tough, classic linoleum that resists grease, acid and heat takes its place at the table.

Marmoleum Placemats - John Sinal

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION  | Eco-friendly Marmoleum is a fashionable finishing material that doesn’t end up only on the floor. I’ve seen innovative applications on kitchen countertops and work surfaces such as desks and coffee tables. It’s extremely durable, non allergenic and comes in every colour imaginable. Here I’ve used it for placemats in simple patterns. Read more

Chinese Lanterns On Mini'lights - Martin Tessler

Make A Lantern Plant & Mini-Light Display

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by
Harvest Chinese lantern plant pods to create the perfect, illuminated holiday display.

Chinese Lanterns On Mini'lights - Martin Tessler

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION | I first spotted brilliant orange Chinese lanterns fitted over mini-lights on an organically decorated Christmas tree. This is one way to use them for sure, though I like them better when they are used to create an original Thanksgiving or Halloween display. I love them threaded through a tangle of branches on the front porch or on top of the mantel or on a dinner table. I also love mini-lanterns strung around doorways for a punch of spot-on seasonal colour. Read more

Fall Leaves In A Cut Glass Vase

Great Decorating Ideas With Fall Leaves

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by
What’s more beautiful than fall foliage? Here are a few understated ways to use it to decorate your home.

 

Fall Leaves In A Cut Glass Vase

 

FREE & EASY | Whether it’s branches in vases or individual leaves strewn along a dining table or on top of a napkin or plate, nothing looks more striking than nature brought indoors and left in its beautiful, natural state. Around here, we subscribe to a natural, casual approach when it comes to arranging botanical materials, and a less is more strategy for tabletop décor. Read more

Metal Gift Wrap-Martin Tessler

Make Bedazzling Window Screen Wrap

/1 Comment/in , , , , , , , /by
Knock your present out of the park with pedestrian materials from ye olde hardware store.

Metal Gift Wrap-Martin Tessler

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION | If you’re looking for an easy, dramatic and glamorous way to wrap a very special gift, nothing has the power to bedazzle like ordinary window screen and wire. Read more

Votive Candle Holders - John Sinal

Make These Window Screen Candleholders

/6 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by
Sure it’s great for keeping out bugs, but metal window screen also shines as a candleholder.

Votive Candle Holders - John SinalRegular hardware store metal window screening, with its nostalgic cottage connotations, has obvious uses—and some that are less apparent. Here I’ve folded it into holders for votive candles that are straightforward to make. Read more

The Ideal Way To Store Your Magazines

/1 Comment/in , , , , , , , /by
Finally, a systematic way to keep magazines together yet separate in an attractive {and unobtrusive} arrangement.

 

THE CREATIVE SOLUTION | When you have large numbers of magazines, quick reference is not always easy. The standard way to keep periodicals organized is to store them in magazine file boxes, but these containers, which are often made of flimsy cardboard, hold only a minimal number of copies. As your magazine collection grows, so does your need for file boxes, which can end up looking like an unattractive, mashed-up mess when you can’t find more to match the style you started out with.

Faced with this very problem awhile back, I came up with a flexible yet consistent-looking way to sort and store my favourite mags. Read more

Soap Dish by Brendan Power- Heather Ross

How To Make A More Effective Soap Dish

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by
Here’s an attractive and easy way to address a perpetually slippery problem.

Soap Dish by Brendan Power- Heather Ross

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION | It may not be the biggest problem of our time, but how do you keep a bar of soap from turning into sludge—or sliding all over the place? Read more

Leaf Bookmarks- Martin Tessler

How To Preserve Leaves And Branches

/7 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by
Who knew the garden could be an endless, free source of gorgeous bookmarks and gift tags.

Leaf Bookmarks- Martin Tessler

 

CREATIVE SOLUTION | We’ve all seen dried or preserved foliage—tired, dusty, brittle arrangements begging to thrown out. Preserving leaves in glycerin not only keeps them supple but makes them as tough as leather. Keep a bunch on hand for ready bookmarks or, if you now read all your novels on an electronic device, label them with metallic ink to use as place cards or gift tags. Read more