Interior Designer Tips by Gail Doby

What advice do you have for someone with a new house to decorate and perhaps a limited budget? Start with the easy things - paint is the best option because you can make such a dramatic change. Restyle by moving items from different rooms and rearranging the furniture in new ways. Pick one or two treasured objects or rugs as the basis for your design, and keep your palette simple. Three colors at most. One dominant with 60% of the palette,...

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For The Flowers

I'm hanging onto summer by my fingernails and still clipping the roses to bring inside, even the tiny little dried up buds that never quite enjoyed their full blooming glory. What to do with the endless summer bouquet? Why, put it in a handmade vase, of course!This a Large Upcycled Glass Vase from Twofold Designs is handmade from recycled magazine pages and features a water resistant gloss finish and glass interior....bring in the sunflowers!This...

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Tracy Selmer Gordon, Etsy Artist from Virginia

Before she answered these questions for me, here's what I knew about Tracy Selmer Grodon: She made cool stuff out of stone; She was a member of Design Style Guide; She had a cool name for her business. Now I know a lot more, and so will you, after reading this...1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? My shop is called New Dominion Blues. I sell nature-inspired home décor with a pinch of vintage home décor items as well. I currently have...

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say it with words!

I have decided to explore the written word this month..... our Design Style Guide sellers on Etsy are full of bright ideas when it comes to ways to incorporate the written word into their designs. Here are a few of my personal favouritesEnjoy.... Jo Bradford @ Green Island Studios xoxo LOVE Letters - 8x10 Black and White Alphabet Photos (Unframed) by JavaJaneDesigns ------- eat it bowl (large size) by laurawallstaylor ----------- Live, Laugh and...

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It isn't easy being green

Lotus Vase by WhiteearthstudioSalad Bowl Set by dbabcock Lively Lidded Vessel by BarbdunsheeI've read in numerous books about civilizations being identified during excavations through the pottery shards found in the rubble of their buried buildings and homes. That means pottery has lasting power, and once fired, it doesn't return to the earth very well for reuse.As a result, I try to be very careful in making sure that what I create is worthwhile...

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Giveaway #4 featuring Joan from “thegifthutch”

What fun it was to look through thegifthutch, searching for items to show you. It made a little disappointed I couldn’t enter the contest !!!! Joan makes some beautiful pillows, along with sachets, sachets for men, and even a gorgeous sachet to be used as a curtain tieback! Here’s what Joan says about her work: “For many years I have been designing and crafting pillows for friends and family. One of the things that influenced this creativity...

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Get this LOOK for LESS...

How many times have you browsed through magazines and websites for inspiration? I do it all the time. With a tremendous amount of information at my fingertips it is really not difficult to do. The most difficult part comes when it is time to implement what I found on the Internet into reality. To find even similar looking items for a reasonable price is very time consuming and often frustrating...That is why Design Style Guide Team came up with a...

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Avoid Heatstroke and Just Bring the Outdoors In

August is that time of the year that you know you should be outside enjoying the summer, but it is often just too hot to do so. How, you may ask, can you enjoy the out of doors without risking heatstroke when the temperatures outside are boiling? Bring the outdoors in! You can easily accomplish this task by checking out some of these great shops below:This is the Sunshine Poppy Garden from Love Art Works. Not only will this vase brighten your day,...

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Decorating your child's room

When it comes to making a child's room bright and cheerful, there's no end to the decorating ideas you can find among the Designstyleguide artists on etsy. From furniture to bedding, toys and wall or window decorations, you can find unique, affordable, and well-crafted pieces perfect for a child's room. Here are just a few of the items available.One of my favorite etsy artists, glassnwood, created this whimsical duck that is perfect for a child's...

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All Things Skinny

We've all got a nook or cranny we'd like to fill with something beautiful, something handmade, something uniquely Design Style Guide. Long and narrow is what I'm talking about here, so let's see what I found for the nooks and crannies in your house that need a little spicing up, a little pi-zazz with a capital 'p'!First up, and admittedly the inspiration for this post, a 3-shelf Narrow Chimney Cabinet from Black Mountain Furniture. This lovely nook...

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One Step At A Time

In 1977, I ordered a "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt kit from a woman's magazine. I remember the color scheme was Harvest Gold and Avocado Green, like everything else those days! When the kit arrived I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of pre-cut hexagons. At the time I didn't know any quilters, had never heard of a quilt shop, and had never seen a quilting-how-to book. I put the kit in a drawer, thinking that "someday" I would...

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