Memorialize It

Memorial Day weekend is the kick off to summer for many, so why not ring in the next season with family and friends in tow?  If you haven’t done any celebrating so far, one trip to the grocery store can turn that around.

A summer menu is easy-prep comfort food all the way.  If you grill out, set up a burger and hotdog bar so everyone can have just what they want.  Use a series of trays and bowls to hold toppings galore.  For simple sides, keep the build-your-own theme going by providing paper cones, which you can purchase or roll and tape yourself using craft paper, along with paper cups or dessert plates.  Then pick your side or sides: French fries, sweet potato fries, tortilla chips, or kernel corn.  Offer up toppings like seasonings, grated cheese or cheese sauce, diced onions and tomatoes, hamburger meat, melted butter, sour cream, garlic mayo, and so forth.  Allow guests to pick and choose for an appetizing party meal, outdoors or in.

You don’t need to go overboard with trying to provide every iced down canned drink under the sun.   Try a different route and mix up a large batch of lemonade.  Serve it out of a glass drink dispenser with ice, mason jars, and paper straws at the ready. With a twist on a coffee house bar, line up flavored syrups and frozen or fresh fruit slices for custom drink flavors and additives. 

For dessert, skip the vast array of a fruit tray and serve summer-ready watermelon slices on ice.  Keep it simple with a big plate of chocolate chip cookies or brownies.  If you haven’t had your fill of options just yet, offer a dessert popcorn bar.  From candy and cookie pieces, nuts and seasonings, oils, and grated cheese, dropping your own choices into paper bags filled with popcorn can create custom mixes and sweet or salty treats.   

You can pull out any 4^th of July décor you have if you’d like to keep it patriotic with red, white, and blue.  Or grab bright summery shades of paper plates and napkins and straws.  This is also a good excuse to pull out those seasonal melamine serving dishes you have stashed away.  What really matters is spending some relaxed time together as we turn the page on the school year and welcome in those toasty months ahead, full of outdoor fun and adventures, even without leaving home.

Happy Memorial Day!     

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star May 25th.

Make It Your Own

There are so many creative people out there churning out goods and services that are readily available to us.  If you’re up for an online shopping experience beyond just “add to cart,” here are some options to get some unique items made just for you.

Google “custom house portrait,” and be amazed at what artists are rendering from photos of homes.  You send them a street view picture of your home, and they create a drawing or painting fit for framing and hanging proudly on your wall.  See the different artistic styles out there and pick one you’d like to have as a keepsake of the place you call home.  You can also find artists who will replicate a family photo, baby portrait, or picture of your pet in your chosen medium for a special work of art.    

Retain a special memento from a milestone event in custom wall art, jewelry, or a fabric keepsake.  Find an online designer who makes items you can customize with names, dates, and events like for a graduation, marriage, or birth.  Customizable signs and framed art can be fitted with your monogram, family crest, or wording you choose.  Necklaces and rings can be made with dates and initials for the day you got married or had a baby or added a new grandbaby to the family.  Have throw pillows made with your initials, wedding date, imprint of baby feet, or any silhouette that can be printed from an image you provide.    

Outdoor items like welcome mats and garden stepping stones can be customized for your home with your family name, initials, special saying, or scripture.  Serving pieces like acrylic trays can be monogrammed and make nice additions to your dining space or given as memorable gifts.  Items with family names that say “Established” with a date are great wedding keepsakes, like printed chalkboard, cutting boards, and framed art. 

Get a one-of-a-kind collage made with your chosen photos in a variety of options like on canvas, wooden letters, or shadowbox style.  Go beyond store bought to just-for-me with blankets, baby onesies, bracelets, and candles, cookies, and cups all customized to your specifications.  

You pick a material, and there’s likely someone out there turning it into something personalized - metalwork, wood, fabric, glass, and the list goes on.  A little detailed shopping can have you receiving a package you can’t wait to open when you’ve decided to truly make it your own.      

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star May 18th.

Wall of Wonderful

What else can we hang up on our walls to spruce up our décor and give our walls new life?  Let’s think outside the frame and see what pops . . .

You can turn a photo you’ve taken, whether of people or scenery, into more than one framed picture.  Make it artwork by using online sites to take your picture from snapshot to wall mural.  Google companies that transform photos into wall decals, a large mural in one piece or several frames that fit together like a gallery puzzle, or a 4 piece version of the same image in different colors or contrasts.  You’ll feel like an artist when you hang your own work (albeit upgraded) on your wall.

More and more wall decals are available in stores now beyond the slew of options you can find online.  Use lettering for custom monograms in kids’ rooms or sayings or scriptures in any room.  More recently, I’ve seen decals for things that before were only achievable through skilled custom paint jobs.  Find stripes, chevron patterns, and other prints in decal form and burnish them on for custom wall treatments for a feature wall, like in a bedroom, dining room, entry, or laundry room. 

Beyond frames, art, and mirrors, hang other items in groupings to create focal points for kitchens, dining rooms, or living rooms.  Use a mix of plates and platters hung with the proper hardware in a grouping or gallery style grid.  Gather interesting wooden cutting boards or cheese boards to mount as a collection. 

Mount floating shelves as display pieces for ceramics, framed art, or other accessories.  Instead of hanging framed photos or art pieces, rest them on floating shelves and let them lean against the wall in small clusters.  Hang the hardware you slip an actual book over to create a base for a stack of books that looks like it is just free floating on the wall. 

In a child’s room or play room, hang a row or two of wooden clipboards on the metal rings at the top for a place to display artwork that can be quickly changed out as the little artist keeps painting, coloring, or drawing.  Mount a long line of pretty ribbon and use clothespins along it for another art gallery option.       

To add a little architectural detail or added visual interest where it’s lacking, hang old doors or window frames as unique art pieces.  Hang expanding coat racks for jewelry storage that’s worth displaying as bathroom or bedroom wall art.

Grab a hammer and some hardware and hang something outside the norm as you dream up your own wall of wonderful.

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star May 11th.

Climbing the Ladder: Where to Place a Shelving System

The levels of a shelving system really stack up when it comes to vertical space to store supplies and showcase décor.  Here are some ideas for one system, 5 ways.

Place a shelving system in your front entryway.  A bench alongside is a great spot to stop and put shoes on or take them off, and a mirror over that can make a narrow space feel bigger.  Place a boot tray on the bottom shelf to hold pairs of shoes.  Use a row of bins to house accessories like scarves, dog leashes and balls, or sidewalk toys.  Place a tray on one level for incoming mail with a dish for keys and sunglasses.  Fix a line of hooks to the side for jackets and umbrellas. 

For that empty wall space in the kitchen or breakfast nook area, use a shelving system to extend your counter and pantry space.  Free the “pretty” storage pieces from behind closed doors and use a row of glass canisters or containers to hold staples like baking supplies, noodles, rice, and ground coffee.  Alternate cookbooks in short stacks and sections of standing books, keeping them at hand but off the countertop.  Fill a tray with those frequently used items like a glass bottle with pourer for olive oil and salt and pepper pots for cooking.  This is also a good spot to display dressier serving pieces instead of in a cabinet.  A decorative hook mounted on the side can hang up your favorite apron.

Shelving systems in the living room can be the go-to places for entertainment storage.  Use rows of bins to hold DVDs and video games, plus all the chords and controllers.  Stack up travel photo books for easy perusing.  Frame a few great vacation or family shots to display alongside them.  Have a spot for magazines and catalogs. 

When a bathroom could use some extra storage space, go vertical with a shelving system.  Some have open wall space, and some may only allow an over-the-toilet wall system.  Regardless, expand your counter and cabinet space.  Attach hooks to the side for hanging up towels.  Use bins like drawers for toiletries, extra toilet paper, tissues, and cotton swabs.  Roll hand towels or washcloths and stack them up for easy access.        

Add a shelving system to the laundry room to hold cleaning supplies, detergent, paper towels, and dryer sheets.  Affix a calendar or memo board to the side to stay on track and hold reminders.  For decorative touches, fill apothecary jars with clothespins or detergent pods. 

One piece can be used five ways to climb the ladder of household organization success and double as a decorative display.  Where could you put one to good use?

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star May 4th.