how to decorate guest towels

How to Decorate Guest Towels.

If you have house-guests, you want to welcome them by making your home as lovely as possible. This usually involves cleaning, meal-planning, and decorating the guest room. Add a little something extra to your guest bathroom by acquiring good towels and decorating them to match your style. With these directions, you will learn how to fold towels attractively, and add additional decorations or imagery, to make them complement the welcoming air of your home.

Method 1 Folding Towels Decoratively.

1. Start with high-quality towels. The best towels are 100% cotton and feel heavy when you pick them up. If it’s important to you, pick out towels that echo colors in your bathroom, or add a pleasing pop of color. For instance, if the bathroom has black and white tiling, a leaf-green towel would stand out in a pretty way.

2. Launder the towels before use. For all these projects, you want your towels to be as clean and stable as possible. Wash the towels to see if any fading or shrinkage occurs. Use warm water and mild detergent, and avoid fabric softener or dryer sheets.

3. Make a towel fan. If you’re just getting started with decorative folding, a hand towel fan on top of a plain bath towel is easy and pretty. To start, fold the bath towel in half lengthwise, then fold it into thirds in the opposite direction. It should make a plump square shape. Next, take the hand towel and fold it lengthwise into one-inch accordion pleats. Crease the pleated towel in half so it makes a v-shape, lay it on top of the bath towel, and tease the ends apart to it to create a fan shape.

4. Try a towel pocket. If you have a towel rack in the bathroom, you can level up. Combine a bath, hand, and face towel into one attractive package by folding the hand towel into a pocket shape and placing the washcloth inside it.

Start by folding a bath towel into thirds lengthwise.

Place it on the rack with the rod in the middle, so both sides hang down equally.

Lay a hand towel on the floor with the right side up and tag side down.

Fold the bottom up so it reaches halfway up the towel, then fold the bottom edge down again so it’s level with the first fold. This makes a kind of “shelf” shape.

Flip the hand towel over, so the shelf faces down.

Fold the hand towel into folds vertically. It should be in more of a sausage-shape now, with a pocket running along the bottom edge.

Lay the hand towel over the bath towel so the pocket hangs down in front.

Fold a face towel into a mini-fan, then tuck it into the pocket.

5. Make a swan. Are you feeling fancy? Use origami techniques to fold a big bath towel into a swan. This is especially nice if you have two guests in the same room, as you can set the swans on the bed so that they are looking at each other.

Lay a towel so the long side is horizontal.

Take the top two corners, and fold them towards each other. Now the towel will be in a pentagon shape, with a point at the top. The short sides should lay against each other.

Roll each of the top diagonal edges towards one another. This should turn the towel into a rolled arrow shape.

Take the head of the arrow and bend it back towards the tails of the arrow. Then bend the tip of it down. In profile, this will look like a Z-shape.

(Opt.) Fold a washcloth into a fan and put it between the “wings” for a tail.

Method 2 Adding Appliques and Accents.

1. Sew on decorative hems. If you have towels with plain indented borders (sometimes called a dobby weave), then you can stitch on a thin line of contrasting fabric. This makes a subtle and pretty decoration, uses up fabric scraps, and is easy to do.

Prewash the towels and the fabric you’re using. Otherwise, when you wash them, they might pucker strangely.

Cut two one-inch strips of fabric the width of a towel, adding an extra inch in length for seam allowance.

Using an iron, turn over a quarter-inch of fabric at the short sides of the rectangles. Then turn over another half-inch and iron again. This should give neat finished edges to the sides of the decorative strip.

Now turn over a quarter-inch of fabric along the length of both sides of a strip. This should result in a half-inch strip of folded fabric.

Pin the fabric to the plain border on one side of the towel with the right side be facing out. The fabric should be right in the middle of the plain border--probably a quarter inch from each edge, if it’s a standard one-inch border. Use a seam gauge to make sure the fabric is straight.

Whipstitch the cloth neatly to the towel along each edge.

2. Add pre-made decorative accents. If you don’t have any scrap fabric to add to the towel, you can go out and purchase decorative trims instead. When looking at trims, it’s best to choose ones that are sturdy and made of the same fabric composition as your towels, so the towels will be easy to wash. Of course, you still need to pre-wash trims and towels before application.

Cording is a simple, narrow trim. It should be easy to attach with a single whipstitch.

Rickrack is a zig-zagging trim that adds a retro or rural charm to towels.

Lace can be fancy or homey. Whatever style you choose, sturdy cotton lace, like eyelet or Cluny, is best. Avoid anything too delicate.

3. Embroider your towels. If you have a lot of experience with machine embroidery, you can apply this knowledge to your guest towels. If you don’t know how to machine embroider, towels are probably not the best medium to learn on. Cross-stitch is very doable, however.

Start with towels with an embroiderable inset, which are available at well-stocked craft or embroidery stores. Pick up a few colors of cotton embroidery thread and a pack of embroidery needles, as well.

Find a pattern you like. You can find patterns in books, but they’re also available on cross-stitch sites, or DIY and social media sites like Pinterest.

Transfer the pattern to the towel’s embroiderable section, and cross stitch away. Make sure to tie knots off securely, since you’ll be running the towels through the wash.

4. Apply an applique. If you want to monogram your towels, or customize them with a simple shape like a heart or star, think about applique. With this technique, you apply a contrasting fabric patch to the towel and stitch it down securely. It requires a bit more patience, but the results are worth it. You’ll need decorative cotton fabric, fusible interfacing, tailor’s chalk, and a needle and thread.

Prewash both the towel and the fabric you want to apply. This will save the finished design from weird bunching and puckering.

Find a stencil for a letter or shape that appeals to you.

Peel the backing off the interfacing, then lay the wrong side of the cotton fabric against the bumpy side of the interfacing. Run a hot iron along the right side of the cotton fabric. This should make the interfacing stick to the fabric, strengthening it.

Trace your chosen shape onto the right side of fabric, using the tailor’s chalk.

Using a sewing machine or a needle and thread, make a running stitch on top of the traced lines. This will help stabilize them.

Cut out the letter or shape, being careful to cut close to the stabilizing stitches.

Pin the shape to the towel in the correct place. Satin stitch around the edge to attach it.

Method 3 Bleaching and Dyeing.

1. Use bleach or dye to stencil. If you like the idea of a big simple shape to decorate the towel, but don’t want to sew, you can stencil a shape on instead. You’ll need a stencil, tape, spray bottle, and dye or bleach that will contrast with your towel’s color. (In general, use dye for light towels, and bleach for dark ones.)

Pick out a stencil you like. You can print shapes onto cardstock and then cut around the edge to make a stencil, if you don’t have a pre-made stencil that excites you.

Tape your stencil to the towel.

Fill a spray bottle with fabric dye or undiluted clothing bleach.

Spray bleach or dye through the stencil.

Wait a few minutes for the chemicals to develop on the towel. If you want a stronger color, spray more on.

Wash the towel after the stencil dries. Be careful not to wash it with anything that could be damaged by extra bleach or dye.

2. Bleach-paint an image. If you want even more control over the imagery on the towel, you can use clothing bleach to paint on a word or design. This creates a beautiful and artsy appearance, and it’s quite easy. You’ll need chalk, gloves, bleach, a paintbrush, and dark-colored towels.

Sketch out your design in chalk.

Put on your gloves. Now, using a paintbrush or foam brush, apply fabric bleach to the fabric on top of the chalk. You may have to wiggle the brush to drive the bleach into the pile of the towel.

Let the bleach develop, then wash the towel.

Breathe safe! If you’re working with bleach, make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area, wear gloves, and take breaks if you feel woozy.

3. Add an ombre border. You can achieve a trendy image by dip-dying the tips of a towel. You’ll need light-colored towels, RIT dye, gloves, salt, a hanger, newspapers, and a bucket or tub that you can stain with no repercussions.

Put on the gloves, so you don’t end up with purple hands.

Prepare a dye bath according to the package directions. This may require a surprising amount of table salt.

Wet the towel. Fold it in half and hang it over the hanger so that both ends are even.

Dip the tips of the towel into bath, and let them soak for 5-10 minutes.

Hang the towel to dry with its ends positioned over a pad of newspapers (to avoid staining the floor). Don’t let the dyed parts touch anything.

Wash the towel according to the dye’s package directions.

4. Tie-dye the towel. For extra fun for young guests, tie-dyed towels are great. This is a project with an improvisational flavor, so you can even invite kids to help. You will need light-colored towels, rubber bands, a tie-dye kit, newspapers, and a bucket or tarp.

Use the rubber bands to create a base pattern for the towel--there will be white stripes wherever the bands were. Bind the towel into sections for a striped design, or pull and tie off small corners to make starbursts.

Get the towel wet in the sink, then squeeze out excess water.

Place the towel in a bucket or on a tarp and squirt dye onto it. Don’t be dainty--it’s more fun if it’s colorful.

Carefully remove the bands from the towel (you might want to wear gloves for this step), and let the towel dry flat on a thick pad of newspapers.

Wash according to the kit’s directions.

Tips.

Recycle fabrics for this project.

Avoid metallic trims, as they do not launder well.

Use towels as gifts or for sale at a fundraisers.

Use the same techniques to decorate tea towels.

Towel folding is influenced by origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding, but the flexible, thick qualities of towels make them quite different from paper. There’s a bit of a learning curve, so don’t give up!

Warnings.

Use caution with hot or sharp tools, such as an irons, scissors, and needles.

Things You'll Need : Plain towels, Decorative fabric, Seam gauge, Tape Measure, Scissors, Needle, Matching thread.

Common pins, Sewi, Fusible interfacing, Bleach, Spray bottle, Paintbrush, Patterns and stencils.

Desember 03, 2019

how to choose rustic chic home decor

How to Choose Rustic Chic Home Decor.

Looking for an inexpensive way to spruce up your living space? Consider picking out furniture and other decorations with a rustic chic aesthetic. Things like wood, metal, burlap and natural materials can lend a rugged, time-worn look to any home. You can deck out whole rooms with rustic chic decor to create a sense of quiet coziness, or mix and match with modern pieces for a progressive look that defies the decades.







Method 1 Redesigning Your Living Space.



Make the best use of your space. Before you get too eager to shop for new pieces, scan the room you’re planning on decorating. Take note of its size, layout, flooring, walkways, doors, windows, cabinets and other features. The rustic furnishings you pick out should be appropriate for the specific look of each room so that the new atmosphere feels like a natural extension.

Some pieces will look better in certain places than others. Whenever you’re picking out your decor, trust your instincts when deciding where in your home or room it should go.

If you could use a fresh set of eyes, seek out the professional opinion of an interior designer.



Stick with a neutral color scheme. Rustic chic decor is by definition muted and minimal. Forget about bright colors, elaborate patterns or gleaming burnished fixtures. Instead, focus on monochromatic pieces in complementary hues and materials. This basic setting will act as a blank canvas so that you can add personality later by using smaller decorations.

Appliances and fixtures in dark, plain shades will go with a wider range of items.

Vary your tones between rooms. The sun room will benefit from light shades like pine and cream, while the bedroom or study can be done in dark grays, browns and blacks with splashes of color.



Keep furnishings simple. Simplistic items are wonderful on their own, but too many of them can easily start to look busy. Resist the urge to incorporate more and more into a room. Get a few essential pieces, like a maple coffee table or a rich brown leather loveseat, and let them speak for themselves.

Limiting the number of pieces in a given room also helps maximize your space.

A room full of items in all the same style or shade can quickly become monotonous.



Replace tired pieces. If you’re having trouble planning an updated layout for the room or deciding on the perfect spot for new decorations, one good place to start would be getting furniture and accessories that you don’t want anymore. Dull, uninteresting items can be sold, donated or discarded to make room for fresh finds. Assuming you’re not ready to part with a particular piece just yet, you could also have it reupholstered and appreciate it from a new perspective.

Sometimes even small changes can make a big difference. You might not have to totally overhaul your living space in order to breathe new life into it.

Give your old furniture a new home in another room, or store it until you find another use for it.







Method 2 Working with Different Materials.



Show off natural wood finishes. Wood is the ultimate staple of rustic chic style. It’s sturdy, idyllic and, best of all, goes with everything. Oak, cedar, mahogany and walnut are all excellent choices for wood furnishings. To complete the rustic aesthetic, look for pieces with attractive staining, irregular angles and other unique touches like bits of preserved bark.

You can find almost every major piece of furniture for your household in one type of wood or another.

Choose paints and stains that don’t distract from the innate beauty of the wood.



Accent with aged metals. On the flipside of sleek, contemporary styles, old-fashioned metals, such as wrought iron, copper and even artificially-rusted tin can instantly give your surroundings an air of dignified antiquity. Because of their shabby chic characteristics, raw and distressed metals are best used sparingly to offset woods and other finishes.

Lamps, bookends and table legs are good places to weave in metal accents.

Use vintage metal containers in the kitchen in place of traditional ceramic jars.



Incorporate elements of nature. When it comes time to cover the walls or fill up blank space, take cues from the great outdoors. Accentuate end tables and alcoves with decorations made from stone, fur or even faux ivory or tortoise shell. Your living space will have just the right amount of wildness while still looking like it leapt off the pages of a storybook.

If you live near scenic surroundings, switch to a more “exposed” layout with uncovered windows and natural lighting to bring a glimpse of the outside in.

Make sure you’re buying from humane sources. Imitation fur and other materials look like the real thing, but are both ethical and sustainable.



Finish with gorgeous quaint accessories. Put the finishing touches on a room with the same types of items you would ordinarily use to ornament your home, but with a twist—here is where unique fabrics and designs will come into play. Smaller accessories are also the best place to work fanciful designs into the room’s furnishings.

Instead of ordinary throw blankets and pillowcases, go with more eye-catching variations like Navajo or wove saddle blankets and beadwork pillows.

A beeswax candle or wind-up clock will make for a tasteful nightstand display, while blown glass bowls and vases can be substituted for a lifeless dining room centerpiece.







Method 3 Finding Rustic Chic Decor.



Visit your local furniture store. There’s no need to venture all the way to the Alaskan frontier or remote outposts of the Rockies in order to find good looking accoutrements. The rustic look is in, so it shouldn’t be hard to track down a few things that suit your preferences at major home goods stores. You’ll have the most luck when shopping for bigger items like tables, chairs and bedding in these places.

Chain stores like Crate and Barrel, Hobby Lobby and Pottery Barn specialize in rustic home decor.

Furniture outlets tend to charge more, so if you don’t like the idea of paying as much, thrift stores and DIY distressing techniques may be the way to go.



Go thrift shopping. It’s not uncommon to stumble upon forgotten treasures at secondhand stores and vintage boutiques. These are often items that you can’t find anywhere else, and you’re guaranteed a good deal. If you’re remodeling on a budget or looking for one-of-a-kind pieces, a thrift store may be your best bet.

Many old pieces will be ready to display in your home as-is.

Be sure to check beck regularly, as store inventories change constantly.



Distress plain pieces. Rather than scouring various stores and shops for wares with the right rustic vibe, buy furniture and accessories new and modify them yourself at home. Distressing furniture is fast, fun and could hardly be easier. All you need are a few basic tools like paint thinner, sandpaper and specialty paints and brushes. When you’re finished, you’ll have a collection of items that are truly one-of-a-kind.

Painted wood furniture can be weathered to expose the beautiful grain underneath, and metal objects can be strategically rusted or painted over with a matte finish.

Change out the hardware on any dressers or cabinets you happen to come across to customize their appearance.



Repurpose old items. For those little extra touches, look no further than your own attic or garage. Most homes are loaded with scraps of materials that are infinitely useful if applied correctly. For instance, you could use a roll of butcher’s twine to wrap drawer pulls and cabinet handles, wire lanterns for indoor lighting or frame an assortment of old fishing hooks to make wall art that’s anything but commonplace. With a few innovative ideas, you’ll start seeing your junk drawer in a whole new light!

If you have a certain item that you want to use but it doesn’t quite go with the rest of your furnishings, try painting, sanding or distressing it to make it a better visual fit.

Get creative! As your own personal interior decorator, you’re only limited by the scope of your imagination.





Tips.

No matter where you live, you can bring a sense of humble elegance and timelessness to your home by outfitting it in a rustic style.

Come up with an estimated budget that you’re willing and able to spend before you embark on your redecorating project.

Add to and take away bits of your current decor over time to let the look of your home gradually evolve.

Break up the neutral theme of rustic decor with fresh flowers, potted plants, hanging ferns and other greenery.

Head down to a superstore like Walmart and Target to pick up small, inexpensive odds and ends that help tie everything together.

Browse craft websites like Etsy and Pinterest for more ideas and inspiration on how to decorate your home.



Warnings.

Beware of lead-based paints on vintage finds. Lead paint has a tendency to flake off when it ages and can be dangerous to inhale or ingest.

November 18, 2019

How to Use Macrame in Home Decor.

How to Use Macrame in Home Decor.

Macrame, or the art of knotting lengths of cord into elaborate patterns, enjoys a rich history in household decorating. Its nearly endless variety of configurations makes it perfect for hanging, covering and draping, and it can easily be fashioned to complement the unique size and shape of other items. Whether you’re weaving macrame accessories yourself or just on the lookout for new ideas at the boutique, you have a vast number of options open to you. Here are just a few ways you might incorporate this timeless style into your home.





Hanging Macrame Wall Art.



Mount a macrame tapestry. A tapestry can add an element of hand-spun elegance to any room in your home. Use tapestries to make blank, uninteresting sections of wall more eye-catching. You could even hang one above the headboard of your bed or behind the sofa in the living room to tie the room together.

Attach the tapestry to a wooden dowel (or a slender tree limb, for more of a natural look) to make it easier to hang and keep it from sagging.

Make one-of-a-kind macrame wall art the focal point of your living room wall.





Design a unique dreamcatcher. The classic dreamcatcher is a staple of many homes, and represents peace, restfulness and positivity. Rather than displaying an ordinary dreamcatcher woven from wire, try out a softer approach with the macrame version. The gentle fabric braids will bring you even more of a sense of comfort when you stop to admire it.

Put the finishing touches on your dreamcatcher using beads, feathers and other decorative touches.

Dreamcatchers are one of the simpler projects you can start with if you’re just learning how to macrame.



Make macrame curtains. Replace boring window covers with floor-length macrame drapes. You could choose a dense weave for privacy, or go for a loose fringe to beautify your window space while still admitting a soft glow of light.

You could even rig your macrame curtains up to runners so that you can draw and open them as you please.



Put up a room divider. Hanging room dividers are typically made with noisy beads, but a macrame version can help create privacy without all that irritating clacking. Rather than keeping the doors in your home shut, simply tack the divider to the door frame to make your living space feel more open and inviting.

Tie a couple beads onto the end of each strand to give the cords some weight so that they’ll return to their original position.

Use partitions to cover entryways and create separation between rooms that are close together.







Decorating Furniture with Macrame.



Embellish ordinary lampshades. Take a dusty old lampshade from dull to delightful with a simple macrame cover. These covers can easily be knotted to fit shades of different shapes and sizes, meaning any light in your home can benefit from a custom fit.

Make your own DIY lampshades by knotting the cord around a wire frame that’s been shaped to fit over a lamp or ceiling light.

Incorporate shells, beads or tassels to add complexity to your lampshades.



Weave clever furniture covers. If you’re unhappy with the look of your loveseat or recliner but aren’t in a position to buy a new one, some macrame accents may be just what you need to make you fall in love with your seating situation again. Drape an enchanting pattern over the back of the piece to give it a whole new decorative appeal.

You could even resurface a worn out seat or foot stool with a new handmade finish.



Make your own pillows and blankets. Top your sofa or favorite easy chair with an assortment of throw pillows you designed yourself. Keep a cozy throw blanket or two handy for when you have company. Choose a softer fabric for your furniture accessories to ensure optimum comfort.

You can use ordinary macrame cord for these projects or draw on recycled materials, like old t-shirts.

Create themed sets of blankets and pillows using different knotting patterns and color combinations.



Lay out a macrame table runner. For long or spacious dining tables that look awfully empty, use a knit runner to break up negative space. You can then use the runner as a place to arrange flowers, candles or a centerpiece while leaving the place settings free for serving home cooked meals.

Leave a long fringe on both ends of the table runner for an elegant drape.

Bring out your macrame table runner for springtime events or whenever you need to inject a little brightness and ornamentation into your dining area.





Outline a mirror or portrait. Hide an uninspired frame with a tight macrame wrap. Textile frames provide a pleasant contrast to the focal point of the frame, and they go perfectly in homes decked out with rustic or vintage decor.

Be sure to remove the glass and backing from the frame before trying to tie the cord into place.







Creating Crafty Containers.



Make hanging planters. This bohemian gardening solution is a hit among contemporary interior designers. The macrame weaves are shaped into nets to nestle lightweight planters in, then suspended from the ceiling at various heights. Hanging planters are a wonderful method of presentation for home gardening projects, and can also free up valuable space around your porch or patio.

Hanging macrame containers aren’t just for plants—they can also be useful for tea lights, bird feeders, or even craft art and decorations.

Make sure the cord and knotting style you implement are strong enough to hold objects with a little weight.



Wrap a vase or candle holder. Give plain display pieces some much-needed flair by enveloping them in a web-like exterior. The macrame can cover the entire outside of the piece, or encircle the center in a sleek band. You’ll quickly turn old, outdated items into conversation starters.

Wrap and hang unused glass bottles or mason jars to convert them into minimalistic miniature flower vases.

The same thing can be done for bins, jars, kitchen storage canisters and any number of similarly shaped containers.



Create custom baskets. Fabric construction can make almost anything more charming, including simple storage containers. Wind sturdy cord around a premade basket frame to give it a tight structure, or make the whole thing from scratch. When you’re done, you’ll have a quaint carrier perfect for holding fresh fruit, bath accessories or the daily mail.

Use a firm type of cord that will be able to hold up to frequent handling while retaining its shape.

Include handles to make your baskets easier to tote from place to place.



Tips.

Stock up on cord in different colors and thicknesses to use in macrame projects.

Look for vintage-inspired macrame designs in home goods stores and thrift shops.

Handle macrame items delicately to avoid damaging or unraveling them.

Most finished pieces can be machine washed in warm water, then hung up to dry.

Check online craft resources like Pinterest and Etsy to collect ideas on how to work macrame into your home decor.



Warnings.

Don’t overdo it. While one or two macrame pieces will lend character and break up the uniformity of ordinary furniture and accessories, too much can start to look tacky.

November 12, 2019