In each episode of Pure Design, host Samantha Pynn provides an endless supply of simple, pretty projects you can incorporate into your own home. We've included many of those ideas in article and video form on the Pure Design site. Today I want to share a couple of ideas that you may have missed.
First, a fantastic way to brighten your home and combat the blues that go along with the season's dreary weather is with floral arrangments. Here are Samantha's tips:
- Small groupings of vases work well
- Look for small vases or glasses, decanters or pitchers at garage and antique stores
- It’s better if your vases are different heights, but for a group display, keep the palette monochromatic — clear glass is easy to find
- When arranging your flowers, start by measuring the height you want — ideally you want the head of the flower to be superior
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Trim the stem to length, taking off most of the foliage. It not only looks better, but it makes for a longer shelf-life for your flowers
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Place one flower or several of one type of flower in each vase or glass and group all of them together on your dining table or side table for a fabulously fresh look
Samantha Pynn is crafty in a very classy way. Her DIYs always look professional and polished. Here, her ideas for dressing up naked windows with inexpensive store-bought drapes and ribbon or accent fabric are simple and make a big impact.
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One way to dress up drapery is to add a little ribbon along the leading edge of the drape from top to bottom. This will draw the eye up and accentuate the height of your ceilings
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Grosgrain ribbon works especially well because it doesn’t fray and the ribbing on it ups the sophistication factor
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If you really want to do something extra special, sew another band of ribbon along the bottom of the drape, for a more finished look
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If you have high ceilings, many store-bought drapes will be too short for your windows. Adding a panel of fabulous fabric to the bottom will make them work
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When making this new skirt, choose a fabric that ties into one of your other room colours or into the colour of the rest of the drape
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For the finishing touch, sew a piece of grosgrain ribbon over the seam between the drapes and the new panel to really complete your custom look