Decorating for a New Year's Eve Party – Part Two

There are plenty of banners available at party stores that you could hang near the entry way of your home or even outside the front door. You can make a banner too, if you are the artistic type. A metallic banner can match a more sophisticated theme. If you are having a party where there will be lots of kids, consider having them make the banner as well as the noise makers. All they will need to make a fun banner is a large piece of construction paper, stencils, and markers.

Centerpieces on the tables are a nice touch that can really make your decorating stand out. There is no need to buy one already put together, because there are plenty of ways you can put together a cheap centerpiece yourself that will look great. Floating candles shaped like flower blossoms in glass bowls can look great, just add some glass rocks to the bottom of the bowl in a color that matches your theme. You could also just use a simple bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece in colors that match your theme. Or, place several pillar candles on a pretty plate and fill the gaps in the plate with small clear Christmas ornaments with the hooks removed. The idea is that the clear ornaments will look like bubbles. You can vary this idea by using champagne bottles in place of the candles, or you can mix the two up.



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Decorating for a New Year's Eve Party – Part Two

There are plenty of banners available at party stores that you could hang near the entry way of your home or even outside the front door. You can make a banner too, if you are the artistic type. A metallic banner can match a more sophisticated theme. If you are having a party where there will be lots of kids, consider having them make the banner as well as the noise makers. All they will need to make a fun banner is a large piece of construction paper, stencils, and markers.

Centerpieces on the tables are a nice touch that can really make your decorating stand out. There is no need to buy one already put together, because there are plenty of ways you can put together a cheap centerpiece yourself that will look great. Floating candles shaped like flower blossoms in glass bowls can look great, just add some glass rocks to the bottom of the bowl in a color that matches your theme. You could also just use a simple bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece in colors that match your theme. Or, place several pillar candles on a pretty plate and fill the gaps in the plate with small clear Christmas ornaments with the hooks removed. The idea is that the clear ornaments will look like bubbles. You can vary this idea by using champagne bottles in place of the candles, or you can mix the two up.



This blog is brought to you by nursing jobs.

Decorating for a New Year's Eve Party – Part One

Hosting a New Year's Eve party often includes decorating for the night. Decorating doesn't have to be a huge deal, there are several ways you can decorate easily and quickly without having to spend too much money.

First you should pick a theme to go with. Many New Year's Eve parties are adults only, in which case you may want to choose a different theme than if the party is going to be a neighborhood party including children. Fun hats and noisemakers are pretty much a must for either type of party, since kids and adults both get a kick out of these items.

However, especially if you are going to have a lot of kids at your party, you might not want to hand out the noise makers until a few minutes before midnight unless you don't mind all of the racket kids will make with them. Another option if there are going to be lots of children at your party is to recruit them to make the noisemakers as a craft. Have them fill coffee cans with uncooked rice or change. Then they can cover the coffee cans with construction paper with designs drawn on. Hats you should hand out right away. Masks can add a sophisticated air to your party.

Balloons are a cheap way to add some color to your decorating. You can always find balloons in colors that will match your theme. Silver balloons will look classier, colorful balloons will look good for a neighborhood party.

Check back tomorrow for part two of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by rehab jobs.

Decorating for a New Year's Eve Party – Part One

Hosting a New Year's Eve party often includes decorating for the night. Decorating doesn't have to be a huge deal, there are several ways you can decorate easily and quickly without having to spend too much money.

First you should pick a theme to go with. Many New Year's Eve parties are adults only, in which case you may want to choose a different theme than if the party is going to be a neighborhood party including children. Fun hats and noisemakers are pretty much a must for either type of party, since kids and adults both get a kick out of these items.

However, especially if you are going to have a lot of kids at your party, you might not want to hand out the noise makers until a few minutes before midnight unless you don't mind all of the racket kids will make with them. Another option if there are going to be lots of children at your party is to recruit them to make the noisemakers as a craft. Have them fill coffee cans with uncooked rice or change. Then they can cover the coffee cans with construction paper with designs drawn on. Hats you should hand out right away. Masks can add a sophisticated air to your party.

Balloons are a cheap way to add some color to your decorating. You can always find balloons in colors that will match your theme. Silver balloons will look classier, colorful balloons will look good for a neighborhood party.

Check back tomorrow for part two of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by rehab jobs.

Design Influence for the 2009 Southern Accents Showhouse





When I first met with Larry Boerder to discuss the design of the 2009 Southern Accents Showhouse, I explained my love of Cotswold architecture and how I would like to incorporate it into the Showhouse.  


After traveling to England years ago and spending time in the countryside of the Cotswolds region I was hooked on the design.  One of my favorite buildings of all was The Lords of the Manor inn in Upper Slaughter (the picture with the car in the motor court) which was originally a manor house.  Village after village was full of the architecture that has stood the test of time.  Buildings and homes are mostly all built of Cotswold stone which is a yellow oolitic limestone and the roofs are made of a slate stone.

For the Southern Accents Showhouse, Larry did an outstanding job of designing the house to appear as if it had been added on to over the years (see the rendering in my original post).  The stone we are using, while not yellow, is a close resemblance to a weathered stone and the closest I have found in the U.S. for the proper look.  Ours will be more of a cream and gray color and will have a gray slate roof similar to some of the pictures.

The pictures here are from the Cotswold area.  I hope you enjoy.




Interior in Progress...













Last Minute Christmas Decorations – Part Two

Greeting cards are something that you already have on hand that can easily be used for decorating. You can even use cards from past holiday seasons if you don’t have enough for decorating from this season. Display them on your mantle among sprigs of greenery. Use a hole punch in the corner of each card and string them along a wall.

Gifts that are already wrapped make great decorations. Spend a little extra time wrapping your gifts nicely, and you can use them for decorating also. Make sure to use bows and ribbon if you want to go the extra mile. Place some gifts under the tree as usual, but display others around the house in different places too.


Stack a couple of gifts on an end table, or place a few along your mantle. Place a stack of gifts near your entry way or place a few above your kitchen cabinets.

If you like the idea of decorating with gifts, but don’t have enough around, you can always wrap a few empty boxes. If you want to diversify the theme a little more, you can wrap ribbon around your throw pillows and place a bow in the center to make your pillows look like gifts.

Place a few candy canes in a simple clear glass cup or a small vase. Tie small red ribbons around the necks of the candy canes and display them on your mantle or end table.

This blog is brought to you by occupational therapy jobs.

Last Minute Christmas Decorations – Part Two

Greeting cards are something that you already have on hand that can easily be used for decorating. You can even use cards from past holiday seasons if you don’t have enough for decorating from this season. Display them on your mantle among sprigs of greenery. Use a hole punch in the corner of each card and string them along a wall.

Gifts that are already wrapped make great decorations. Spend a little extra time wrapping your gifts nicely, and you can use them for decorating also. Make sure to use bows and ribbon if you want to go the extra mile. Place some gifts under the tree as usual, but display others around the house in different places too.


Stack a couple of gifts on an end table, or place a few along your mantle. Place a stack of gifts near your entry way or place a few above your kitchen cabinets.

If you like the idea of decorating with gifts, but don’t have enough around, you can always wrap a few empty boxes. If you want to diversify the theme a little more, you can wrap ribbon around your throw pillows and place a bow in the center to make your pillows look like gifts.

Place a few candy canes in a simple clear glass cup or a small vase. Tie small red ribbons around the necks of the candy canes and display them on your mantle or end table.

This blog is brought to you by occupational therapy jobs.

Furniture for the French House

While the main focus of my blog is the design of period revival houses, from time to time I'll offer insight into what would be appropriate for the interior of these houses as well.  When I come across "finds" for a house I'll make you aware of them.


Here I am giving some pictures of reproduction French furniture that would look great in any French styled house.  While the settee is a Swedish design, I love it for a French look as well.  All of these pieces can be finished in at least two colors.  I have also included a picture of a antique French Trumeau mirror that my wife fell in love with.  The problem is that it is $12,500.  So, I am working on reproducing one that is similar that is about 4' wide by 8' tall.  Once I have built, painted, gold leafed and glazed the reproduction mirror I am going to decide if I want to make more to sell.  I'll let you know.  For now, if you would like to buy any of the pieces above please email me for more information.  Merry Christmas.









French Village: An Inspiration for Development

In the 1920's a developer by the name George Woodward was a busy man building and developing in the area of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia.  Woodward began developing very modest homes years earlier, but after travels to England and France (and working with the famed architect Wilson Eyre) he developed Cotswold Village.  The houses were created from Woodward's love of the Cotswold country side.  They were all built around 1915-18 and were built with chiseled local cut stone and steep roofs.  


In the 1920's, Woodward decided to create a development that mimicked his love of the old stone farmhouses he had seen while traveling in the Normandy region of France.  These houses are beautiful examples of French Normandy architecture in the United States.  It is examples like this that inspired me to do what I do.  If it could have been built in the 1920's, it can certainly be done today in my city of Fort Worth or anywhere.  Woodward obviously had a very keen eye for details and a true understanding of scale.  The houses posted here are located on Gate Lane and the pictures come from the George Woodward Co. which is still in existence today as a real estate company in Philadelphia.  I will cover more of the Philadelphia area in other posts as there are great examples of period revival architecture from architects like Mellor, Meigs and Howe.  I hope you enjoy these photographs.



Last Minute Christmas Decorations – Part One

There isn’t very much time to finish decorating for Christmas. If you are hosting a Christmas get together at your house, you may want to do some speedy and cheap decorating. Never fear, there are several things you could do very quickly.


For Christmas dinner if you don’t have any Christmas plates or settings, you can use plain white plates. Use a red or white tablecloth, or use red or white place mats. Then, place one round glass ornament on each plate. This looks classier if you use just one color for all of the ornaments, and it looks more fun and happy if you use several colors. You can even use a variety of ornament types for a more sentimental look. If you want to get more elaborate, you can use small ornaments along with the large ornaments and even add seasonal greenery or colored tinsel.
Next, place a glass or silver pedestal cake stand in the center of the table and fill it with ornaments that match the ornaments you have on the plates.

If you want a more fancy centerpiece for your kitchen table, try placing cream or white colored pillar candles and tapered candles in a ceramic or metal bowl. Fill the spaces between them in the bottom half of the bowl with newspaper. On top of the newspaper place shiny ornaments in the bowl until it is overflowing with them. Silver ornaments and beads look really nice. Then, right when your guests sit down to dinner you can light the candles. Just make sure to blow them out when you’re done, since this display of candles might not be totally steady.
Check back soon for part two of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by nephrology jobs.

Last Minute Christmas Decorations – Part One

There isn’t very much time to finish decorating for Christmas. If you are hosting a Christmas get together at your house, you may want to do some speedy and cheap decorating. Never fear, there are several things you could do very quickly.


For Christmas dinner if you don’t have any Christmas plates or settings, you can use plain white plates. Use a red or white tablecloth, or use red or white place mats. Then, place one round glass ornament on each plate. This looks classier if you use just one color for all of the ornaments, and it looks more fun and happy if you use several colors. You can even use a variety of ornament types for a more sentimental look. If you want to get more elaborate, you can use small ornaments along with the large ornaments and even add seasonal greenery or colored tinsel.
Next, place a glass or silver pedestal cake stand in the center of the table and fill it with ornaments that match the ornaments you have on the plates.

If you want a more fancy centerpiece for your kitchen table, try placing cream or white colored pillar candles and tapered candles in a ceramic or metal bowl. Fill the spaces between them in the bottom half of the bowl with newspaper. On top of the newspaper place shiny ornaments in the bowl until it is overflowing with them. Silver ornaments and beads look really nice. Then, right when your guests sit down to dinner you can light the candles. Just make sure to blow them out when you’re done, since this display of candles might not be totally steady.
Check back soon for part two of this blog.

This blog is brought to you by nephrology jobs.

Sconces for an English House


























While we are in the framing stage of building the 2009 Southern Accents magazine Showhouse, we are working on all of the details: door hardware, lighting, beams, kitchen design, tile selections, plumbing fixtures, etc.

One of my favorite building products to find is lighting.  As I've discussed in a previous post, lighting is not an easy selection to make.  At least, the correct lighting is not easy.  If you are going to build or remodel a house in a particular style, the lighting is one component that should match the design of the house.  Careful attention to the correct style can make the design of your house cohesive and beautiful.

The pictures I have included today are of interior and exterior sconces that I am considering using for the 2009 Southern Accents magazine Showhouse.  As I noted in the post on Spanish Colonial lighting, some of these could be used for Spanish Colonial houses but most of these today are exact reproductions of sconces that came out of English styled houses from the 1920's and 1930's.  I hope you enjoy seeing these and if you would like more information on buying any of these please send me an email for pricing, sizing, etc.

Interior Ruang Tamu