Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Baltimore Maryland

There is something to be said for volunteering, and the impact you can have on lives.

The Extreme Makeover Home Edition surprised Boys Hope Girls Hope of Baltimore Maryland!

These 7 wonderful girls; Asia, Ajia, Milan, India, Destine, Lasha, and Shaolin now have a positive, supportive living situation thanks to thousands of Baltimore area residents who vollentereied their time.

Boys Hope Girls Hope helps academically capable and motivated children-in-need meet their full potential and become men and women for others by providing value centered, family-like homes, opportunities and education through college. Read More

Being asked to be involved in this, was an honor. A colleague through the Greater Maryland Decorative Artisans Group, had appointed me and another colleague as co-captains, heading up 15-18 other decorative artists. Our team was in charge of the 3 upstairs bedrooms.

Talk about a roller coaster of events! We were originally slated to start work on Wednesday, but due to weather and delays in the build, Friday at 9pm was our time to shine. Slept in, expecting to pull an all nighter, to an e-mail at 8:30am Friday morning that stated we were expected on site for 10:30am... Oops! I was in VA, and needed to hussle back. Through all the rushing back, we sat around till about 6pm before we could start, but this is the name of the game. I LOVED IT!

I really can't remember much while we were creating our portion. There were painters, painting ceilings above us. Tech guys under the ladders, installing wires and then everyone else piled into the room.

My experience on the Extreme Makeover, Home Edition was incredible. Every volunteer on the site had dedication, drive and passion for these 7 young ladies. Some volunteer's hadn't slept in over 3 days, but were committed to completing their portion of the job. We were all creating a space for opportunities for their future, making a difference that will last a life time.

If anything I would challenge you to volunteering once before the summer is out, I'm certain it'll change your life, and impact another. Go ahead Volunteer one day before the summers out!

House Paint Touch Up Tips

It's spring time and we're all getting our houses in order.

When you go to touch up your walls this spring follow these tips:
-Make sure the paint is at room temperature.
-Look for any separation in the paint, and smell. If this is present, than the paint is bad. Time to get a new quart for touch up.
-Try a magic eraser on walls first. I've had a client us a magic eraser on the ceiling to remove wine stains, and it saved her bundles of money.
-When applying the paint, 'feather' out the paint. Meaning, don't 'dab' it. You want to make sure that there's no distinct line. When it dries, it'll look seamless if you feather it.
-Don't use the roller! That's considered 'dabbed'! It'll look awful, so pick up the brush, instead and feather it out.

How to Paint the Perfect Little Girls Room

With a little imagination, you can create the perfect little girls room with paint in no time.

This themed room is suppose to look like the outside of a doll house. The walls are painted with a pale pink, then with a darker shade of Pink Folk Art Paint, that you can buy at Michael's or Jo-Anne Fabrics, horizontal free formed lines were created to appear as if they were siding on a building. Then with light green Leaves were applied, then tulips were sprinkled in to give a light delicate feel that will get any little girls imagination going long after she's asleep.

To top off this doll house room painting, hang watering cans, and umbrellas from the ceiling.

For a mininal cost, this painted room idea can go along way.

How to Remove Paint off Ladders Video

I'm sure you have a ladder that's covered in paint, or when your working on a project, paint drops on your ladder and you leave the paint to dry... well once you watch this, you'll see why its so important to remove paint off your ladder...

How to Get Paint out of Carpets

Materials:
Baby Wipes
Water Bottle
Razor Blade

We all make mistakes, and get paint on the carpet while painting. The best way to get paint out of carpets while it's still wet, is to use baby wipes. Yes, baby wipes, the same things you use on your precious little bums, will take paint out of your carpets... lets not even think if it can do that, what it could be doing their little bums.

This works great for the little drops and splatters of paint. I find it useful to always have baby wipes handy while painting.

Blotting, and massaging out the paint with baby wipes, then using water to flush out the rest of the paint works the best for getting paint out of the carpet while it's still wet.

If the paint has dried, a great way to get paint out, is to use a razor blade and gentle cut out the paint, then feather out the carpet fibers, and no one will ever notice!

Happy Paint removal!

How to Paint Wallpaper: Save Time & Get it DONE!

Don't remove that old dingy wallpaper of yours if you don't need to! Paint over that wallpaper to give your room a whole new look and feel. It's easier than you would think. Follow these steps:

Materials:
Wallpaper paste/Glue
Caulking
Vinyl Spackling
150 Grit Sandpaper
TSP
Oil primer-Like Sherwin-Williams ProBlock
Latex primer

1.Look over the wallpaper to see what condition it's in. Make sure that there's no lifting, or tears. If there are use the wallpaper paste or glue to paste down lifting spots.

2.Next look at the seams of the wallpaper. Make sure any noticeable gaps you fill in with the Vinyl Spackling. This will give you a great finish when you apply the paint.

3. Caulk the ceiling, base boards and corners. This gives you a polished look, and if there's any lifting in the wallpaper, the caulking will hold it down, and will minimize the seams in the wallpaper.

4. Now sand and rough up the patches. If there's any sort of raised pattern or shean, scuff it up now.

5. Wipe down the walls with TSP, to make sure all dirt and dust is off.

6. Prime the walls with your Oil primer-Like Sherwin-Williams ProBlock. Make sure this layer gets to dry fully. Once it's dried, make sure that the paper is not bubling or lifting. If you'll have any problems, with your finish project, it'll be here in the priming stage.

7. The step you have been waiting for, painting! Go ahead and apply your paint. A flat, eggshell or satin works great to give you the best final project. You can even do a faux finish for a whole new looking room.

The Many Colors of the 2010 Olympic Games

As we all sit eyes glued to the television watching these amazing athletes compete at an event of a lifetime, you may not realize how the strategic placement of color helps aid in your visual excitement of these 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

It's not mistake that from curling to biathlon, skiing and everything in between the colors above have been prominent. The colors that have been chosen are an interesting twist off the Olympic ring colors, and have been placed in a way to make even the most mundane sports visually stimulating.

As you can see of the athletes above, notice all the vibrant greens and blues in the banners, ice rings, etc., mixed in with the added vibrant uniforms of the countries. With all this combined it creates an energetic backdrop and focal point to make even you at home, visually stimulated and excited. This was by no means a mistake.

So next time your watching the Olympics, remember that some marketing geniuses spent hours on the color selections and placement of color to help aid in the you excitement of watching the games. Happy viewing!

Quilts, Patterns & Fabric, OH MY!

Stumbling upon a find like this, really NEVER happens, and when it does, you have to jump upon it.

Growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, around a seamstress and many quilters in the family, I started sewing and quilting before I really can remember. My grandmother decided that she HAD to teach me how to use the sewing machine, since I started to teach myself, and you know what could potentially happen there... fingers getting stuck! Yikes! That had to be around when I was 5. I can even remember the first quilt I made, it was the Ohio Star.

Needless to say I have a great appreciation for the time and passion that goes into each end every quilt. Every quilt carries a story with it, every quilt have a 'mistake from God' (there always ends up being a 'mistake' and it's acceptable, well that's what's been passed down through generations, that the mistake was a gift from God.). I can only imagine the stories that were told during the making of the quilts. I know for myself, summers were spent quilting and sewing around my Mom, Grandmother, Aunts and Cousins, laughing and sharing.

For me handmade quilts are so much more than 'just' an item, they carry a story, and with that being said, I came across this collection of quilts, and fell in love.

Imagine the stories behind them, the bond that women(or men) could have shared during and after the creation of these quilts.

Take a look!

Resturant Update | Adding a SPLASH of Color!

Today is the clam before the storm... energy's brewing, and things are moving. Tomorrow marks the day for the start of a restaurant re-do.

This once tiered, outdated restaurant is getting torn apart and thrown back together, with a vibrant splashes of color with touches of faux finishes and murals added in.

Here's a sneak peak of how the restaurant looks now, and some general color/design concepts that's going to take place.

Don't forget to follow us on twitter: @tremblaydesign for up to date progress!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We took painting skills from decorative painting on walls, and transferred it to cookie making... that's right. It was heaven. 2 little hands helping make valentine cookie perfection. What could be better?

Happy Valentine's Day... put down the paint brush today and make something sweet...

Stairwell Painting | Adding Color to Large Walls

Here's the perfect solution for adding a splash of color to a large stairwell. So many houses have an open floor plan that includes wide open spaces, that adding color and selecting the right painting can be a challenge.

One of the best ways to find the right size, is using a hollow door that you can purchase from Home Depot or Lowes.

Splash some color the the unfinished door after it's primed, attach hooks and WA LA! An instant splash of color on a large intimidating space.

Adding a Special Touch to an Open Floor Plan

Most homes now are faced with the challenge of planning colors for an open floor plan. The most common question then is "How do you add personality into different areas while having an open floor plan"? For this home, that has no clear division lines, to split up the straight painting, we turned to the ceiling to add personality.

To create personality for this dining room, we added a hand painted vine, in very faint neutral colors. It's important when adding decorative painting to an open floor plan, to keep in mind that the wall colors should appear in the decorative painting to keep the colors harmonized.

Now this dining room has it's own personality through a custom, hand painting vine.

Cabinets Re-Finishing | Easy Update

There are easy ways that you can cut corners when you are remodeling your home. One of the best ways is to salvage you old cabinets and give them a new updated look, with half the cost.

Here's the cabinets before they were painted. Still in good condition, solid wood, but the style of the counter top and fixtures really dated this bathroom.

My client loves hand painted furniture so I took clues from what she had around her home already, as inspiration for the bathroom vanity.

After a few coats of paint, some decorative painting, these once dated cabinets got a much needed update with a price tag that can't compete with re-finishing a vanity.

Stay tuned to more posts/tutorials on the very popular idea of using the cabinets that you already have.

SNOW Day FUN!

The one thing that's been tough living in the Mid-Atlantic region has been the lack of snow, which means a lack of playing in the snow, AND playing in the snow is the best thing in the world... so this decorative painter got her fill on playing in the snow.

Here's today's castle in the snow... now for a quick nap before another round of shoveling and playing in the snow.

22 FOOT Hand Painted Ceiling

Overcoming fears of heights, has to be done when you're attempting to paint a center piece in foyer... here's the ceiling...

Christmas Time = Present Time

I know, I know. Christmas is right around the corner... but I have to share one of the projects that I did for the $40.00 Christmas challenge... Painted wine glasses! Friends & family, cover your eyes ;)! How perfect! Bicycle wine glasses! Happy Holidays!

$40.00 Christmas Present Challenge

Who's up for the challenge? What is it you ask? For all you do-it-yourselvers, crafters and creatives alike why don't we use "stuff" we have to make Christmas Presents!

Rules: You have $40.00 to spend on all the materials, wrappings etc. The $40.00 is for ALL gifts. No matter if your making 1 or 100 gifts, that's the amount you can spend.

I'll post the gifts I've made after I've given them out, since most of my friends get notification of what I'm doing.

Keep us posted on what gifts you have been making for friends and family.

I'm off to screen print my Christmas cards on paper I already own!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day filled with friends, family and happiness... and maybe even on this Thanksgiving Day, there will be painting fun!

Wishing everyone the best!

Coffee Talk & The Perfect Color

Many of us have this problem, and it's not a bad one, of LOVING coffee! As I'm drinking my cup this morning, it hit me that the color of coffee, I drink mine with way more milk & sugar than coffee, is the perfect color for walls especially in the living room, family room or study!

My color pick is Diverse Beige from Sherwin Williams, as the best color match for the perfect cup of coffee. I've used it in many applications and it's worked like a charm every time. The neutral color suggests a casual elegance that's sophisticated and warm.

If you're a lover of off-white, white and gray paint, than give Diverse Beige from Sherwin Williams a try. It will be a neutral backdrop for your furnature, and it'll be visually interesting.

Good Morning, and happy coffee drinking!

Wallpaper vs. Painted Surfaces

It's a hot topic right now in the design world. Why would you use a decorative painter, when I can use wallpaper? The answer is really simple... you can't achieve the layers, effects, colors and custom design with wallpaper like you can't with paint.

Right now the trend with wallpaper is bringing back the mixed patterns and colors of the 70s. This trend has made the decorative painters shift their portfolio to add unique textures and patterns that can't be found with wallpapers.