Archive for the ‘DIY’ Category

Orange Crush

Monday, June 10th, 2013

Orange is a vibrant color that brings out energy, stimulates emotion, conversation and even hunger.  When I visualize orange I see nature; the sunset, flowers in bloom and turning leaves. When I taste orange, it tastes like sweet citrus or spices.  It is a color that is alive, fun loving and expressive. The Color Orange is inspired by what the painter Kandinsky said when he stated that the color orange is in fact red that has been made more human by the color yellow. I do have a great love for orange. Some may even say that I am a little obsessed with it. It just makes me makes me feel so alive.  While not a good idea for a living room or for bedrooms, this color is great for an exercise room. It will bring out all the emotions that you need released during your fitness routine. In ancient cultures orange was believed to heal the lungs and increase energy levels. For the other rooms in the house, you will have much more success if it’s tinted, shaded or muted by adding another color.  Mixing white will create orange that is in peach or pastel range.  Adding black will create a rich, browner orange.  Blue, which is the complement to orange, will create shades of grey.

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Everything about orange sizzles, so pairing it with neutrals like grey or white will cool it down.

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Since orange pulls from yellow and red, it will always make for a spicy color pallet. These three colors together are called analogous.

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  Orange and green are truly harmonious.  They are both citrus colors that are found in nature.

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Blue is the direct complement to orange on the color wheel.  These two colors together are a winning combination.

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Orange is a great way to spice up any room.  Add some excitement with bright orange throw pillows, orange pottery or some orange flowers in a vase. Use orange wallpaper as a feature wall, create stripes, stencil in orange, etc. This way you can introduce bold color without feeling over powered.

Maybe some of you have developed a little crush too!

I See Red

Monday, February 11th, 2013

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While red and pink are considered essential colors for Valentine’s Day decorating, red is a perfect color to use in your home every day of the year. Genuine reds bring out sexual energy and stimulation. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?  Oh my,  Mr. Grey.

Red is the most potent of all of the warm colors. The body actually has physiological responses to the color red. It causes an increase in blood pressure; it makes the heart rate rise faster and releases adrenaline into the blood stream. The taste buds become sensitive and the sense if smell improves. Red is a great color for a dining room.

In some cultures red is associated with purity, joy, and celebration. It’s also the color of happiness and prosperity in China.

 

 

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Reds like candy apple and cherry are used to create a sense of adolescence, liveliness and cheerfulness. Jeweled tones are considered more elegant while rose and cabernet tones are more dignified.No mater what shade, red is definitely an authoritative color.

In truth most people are a little nervous to paint an entire room red. It isn’t a color for the faint hearted. If painting red walls are a little too aggressive for your taste, try using red as an accents color. Wherever you use it in your home, it will add warmth and energy.

Check out some beautiful rooms that use red to varying degrees, and see how different each of the rooms feels based on the volume, shade, and amount of red used.

 

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Tree House

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Tree House Foundation

At the moment I have quite a few projects on my plate but to my children the most important one is a tree house. My Great friend, Bob Garrow, has implemented some creative ideas on the construction. It goes without saying that it was a necessity for the tree house to be safe but  we also didn’t want to harm the trees. After doing extensive research we discovered that piercing the tree would be kindest to the tree, kinda like an ear piercing. Bob attached a large turnbuckle to the bolt and then a heavy duty L bracket to the turnbuckle so that the foundation of the tree house sits on the L bracket. There are many great things about this system, one being when the trees move so will the house, like a bridge does. Another is if one tree grows at a different pace the buckle can be adjusted to keep the house level.

 

This is just the start of my children’s dream house. I will post more photos as we progress.

 

In researching tree houses I came across these on the web.

This is a treehouse in Maui that my husband and I spent 3 days of our honeymoon in. That was enough, I needed the Grand Wailea.

My Favorite The Yellow Treehouse Restaurant.

Swedens' Treehouse Hotel. The Cabin was designed by Cyrén & Cyrén and is a prefabricated unit located on a steep site and accessed via a footbridge.

Cabin layout

Cabin interior

Treehouse Hotel: The Invisible

The Invisible: Interior

Treehouse hotel: The Nest

The spherical tree house hotel on Vancouver Island