Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Decorative Accents For Windows and Glass Doors By Randy Walker
When it comes to decorating your home, there are many inexpensive ways to enhance a room. Currently popular are decorative accents for windows and glass doors using adhesive-free window films that look like etched or stained glass. In less than 15 minutes an ordinary window, glass door or mirror can be made to look as if it cost hundreds of dollars.
Adhesive-free static films are the best to use as they are easy to apply, look good and when its time to redecorate, are very easy to remove. EtchArt's Wallpaper For Windows has decorative Centerpiece, Corner and Border designs in a versatile assortment of etched glass and stained glass looks. In addition to windows and glass doors, they can be used on mirrors, glass dining and coffee tables, entertainment center doors, shower enclosures and many other glass surfaces around home or office. (Always try to avoid using decorative window films with adhesive, they are often cheap, can be difficult to apply and are definitely difficult to remove when it is time to redecorate.)
As the name implies, "Centerpiece" designs are used to create a central focal point. Stained Glass "Centerpieces" are primarily used on windows and glass doors. Etched Glass Centerpieces have a timeless look that is subtle and goes with all room decors.
It's easy to find places to use "Corners". Corners can be used to "frame" a Centerpiece or to give a decorative accent to the corners of windows, glass doors, glass dining and coffee tables, mirrors and many other glass surfaces around the home or office.
Etched Glass "Borders" are another way to upgrade the ordinary to the extraordinary. The most common use of "Borders" is across a window or mirror (static films are unaffected by steam and moisture and can be used on bathroom mirrors and shower enclosures). Placed across the middle of the glass, "Borders" are a decorative way to help avoid walking into sliding glass doors.
Decorating your windows, glass doors and mirrors with these decorative window film accents, is an inexpensive way to dress up a room without using table, shelf or wall space. An assortment of decorative accents can be found at www.WallpaperForWindows.com
Permissions to reproduce this article are granted only to publishers who also publish the author information and link below. Visit the authors website, http://www.decoratingwithwindowfilm.com for more information about using decorative window films to decorate, improve privacy and solve decorating problems. Article references: View designs and find a local retailer for EtchArt's Wallpaper For Windows at the Wallpaper For Windows website. To illustrate the article with images contact the website and receive either web or print quality images. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randy_Walker |
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Decorate Your Interior With Stained-glass Windows By Yana Mikheeva
When you install stained-glass windows, you will feel like you are living in another world. Air of your house will be kaleidoscopically colorful, when sun will glance at your place. There will be no grey sky and sad mood already!
Any room requires its own color filling. We are used that as a rule carpets, wall-papers, pictures, posters fulfill this function. But even our ancestors knew that stained glass could make the most modest interior fascinating. It turns out, that these “colorful glasses”, attributes of Gothic cathedrals and art exhibitions, are quite appropriate in our houses and apartments.
Fine art fine arts inform: stained glass window is a decorative composition of color glass or other materials, which let pass light. Stained glass art – is one of the most conservative. A beautiful toy made of pieces of color glass, braided with metal, still charms us, although it was invented centuries ago.
There are several stained glass techniques
In classic stained glass window pieces of color glasses, cut according to a certain drawing, are combined with a lead, copper or brass profile between each other.
In these stained glass windows plot is on the second place. The main in them is material, i.e. glasses, which are chosen the way they would give that very colour spectrum while peek-a-boo. And then sun beams, being refracted, make glass burning with bright sun colors.
Typesetting stained glass window will really serve you during whole life. While draw one (varnished pseudo-stained glass window) will last much less, as even most persistent colors become fading in 6-7 years. But there are situation, when typesetting stained glass window looks heavy and bulky and suits not every room or furniture. Thus, instead of boring transparent glasses you can insert those draw stained glass windows in doors of your sideboards and cupboards, they will look lighter by sight.
In the end of a century before last a new technology in style “Tiffany” was invented, named in honor of its creator (a jeweler, who is also known for his wonderful stained glass table lamps). According to this technology, every glass plate was set in foil and glasses were soldered together. Refusal of a hard frame allows using these items not only as elements of décor in embrasures, but also as shades for lamps or decoration for ceilings.
Besides classic, there are several modern techniques of making stained glass windows. One of them is according to American technology SGO. A steadfast surface is applied on a transparent sheet silicate glass, this surface adds color and structure to a future stained glass window. This technology has several pluses, which contribute to its popularity.
Firstly, application of sheet glass makes possible using of such stained glass windows in insulating glass units with observation of all technological norms. Agree, sometimes it is just vitally important to close unattractive view.
Secondly, not only silicate, but also acrylic glass can be a base for such stained glass window, and this reduces its weight significantly, and thus widens opportunities of usage.
And, thirdly, such stained glass window is twice cheaper, than a classic one.
Technology of making “fusing” stained glass windows in home conditions is complicated, as this process means fusing of a future stained glass window, composed on pieces of color glass, glass granules, charge, in a special stove at the temperature up to 850 C. Such stained glass windows have different form, thickness and texture. And this allows using them as effective elements of interior: in the form of partitions, blocks in wall, as tabletop.
There is also “casting” technology. In this technology they use metallic forms with relief hollows, in which melted color glass is poured.
But, unlike stained-glass windows in “fusing” style, draw and texture on stained-glass window in “casting” style are restricted by that metallic form, of which it is produced.
If doors, windows, ceilings of color glasses are not appropriate for you at all, you can limit yourself with a small mini-stained-glass window on your window.
The way stained-glass windows are made
Materials, necessary in work:
Stained glass
Soldering tin
Leaden profile
Chopping-knife
Steel-wheel glass cutter
Soldering iron
Scale
Base-support (you can use veneer)
You can buy stained glass and profile in artistic shops, specializing in selling materials for making stained glass windows.
Let’s examine production of stained glass window of bought stained glass.
Firstly you should make a full-scale draft of a future stained glass window.
Then choose glasses, considering thickness of profile, and cut fragments of necessary form.
Cut glass is broken off without tension. Put glass under rib of a bar and then you can break it off accurately and precisely with two fingers.
Put T-shaped profile between glass fragments, and frame a window with P-shape profile, which serves also as frame.
Leaded profile can be cut off with a knife easily.
Another variant, when instead of profile they use soldering tin (stannic wire
2-3 mm thick in diameter).
Tabs for scaffolding are made of thin wire and soldered – your stained-glass window is ready.
Yana Mikheeva is the creator of All about women site, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others. She also has Blog for women. |
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Art and Design By Lise Richards
Maybe you’ve faced it before – a new house with an empty room or two. This room is just crying out for some furniture. So off you go to purchase a sofa you admire - then a chair. Or perhaps you purchase a full living room set complete with tables and rugs. With delivery a few weeks off you can just picture your living room (and not surprisingly, it looks just like the showroom). The delivery day arrives and you can’t wait to cut the tags off of your new furnishings. You may have to position the sofa a few times to get it just so, but all in all, you’re pretty satisfied – until you notice there’s no art on the wall. And so you decide to buy some art that matches the sofa. I cringe a little while I write this, but in reality that is how many of us choose art. In fact, little confession, I still have art in my house that I bought because the frames matched!
If you have also considered buying art in an afterthought, you’re not alone. We have all been taught that accessories finish off a room. In fact, if you’ve ever watched a design show, you’ll notice that some professional designers decide on the art once fabric, furniture and rugs have been selected. So maybe we’ve all been brainwashed to believe that filling our space with art doesn’t require much planning – just the ability to carry a swatch of fabric to a store. Well, just for a moment, I’d like you to think about your art and why you might acquire it sooner rather than later.
Art inspires creativity. First choose art that appeals to you, and then let your furniture and accessory purchases be influenced by the art you have selected. This shift in viewpoint allows for freedom of expression. Through the process of seeking out new art, and finding something you’d like to live with, you open your mind to all the new possibilities. Perhaps an abstract piece of art inspires you to consider an eclectic collection of furniture instead of a uniform suite. Maybe art with cool beach tones allows you to consider that slip covered furniture with a nautical appeal. Or a tropical print encourages you to use a hand-painted floorcloth in vivid hues in your new artistically inspired room.
Consider also the structural elements in your room. Many living areas have unique architectural details that historically have been used to display important art. By only focusing on furniture placement or accessorizing, you may lose sight of some of your home’s great details. If the architectural details are not what they once were, before you rip it out, liven it up. Apply a mosaic design or faux finish to your fireplace surround. When you’re thinking about changing things break out of the familiar and experiment with your creativity.
For some creative inspiration, find the nearest child. Generally, young children are much more free to express themselves than some adults, and when it comes to design, I can say from experience that they’ll have their own unique opinions on what goes in their rooms. Take a cue from your child’s artwork when you design their rooms. This way they are more inclined to love it when you’re done. Gather together several of their favorite paintings or sketches, and note their favorite color, or emerging themes. You can copy these same themes through painted fabric, a wall mural, unique stained glass for the window, a floorcloth or even a quilted wall hanging. Don’t forget to frame and hang the original artwork that inspired their new design.
So set out to design your living spaces with art as forethought. You will appreciate the art for what it adds to the overall project as well as the positive feeling you experience when you see it. And then you may begin to wonder why you ever tried to buy art that matches that pillow with the odd purple color. Happy art collecting!
About The Author
Lise Richards is an Artistic Lifestylist and owner of The Creativity Center, Inc and Red Door Gallery. Her Artistic Lifestyling program helps all people live more creatively in artistically designed spaces. Visit the company online at http://www.ArtisticLifestyling.com
information@artisticlifestyling.com
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