RETRO PEACE SIGN WALL DECORATING IDEAS

After finding several cool, retro comforter sets I began to wonder how to build more retro peace sign presence in my decorating projects. As I have mentioned before, there is more and more evidence that a slightly modern 60s flower power frame of mind is creeping into this decade.

While I’m not wild about tie dyed fabrics or psychedelic black light posters of Jimi Hendrix decorating the walls of my own bedroom, I would be crazy not to enjoy jumping in the time machine and looking through vintage decorating magazines at the pictures and reading the articles filled with the funky decorating ideas from the days when hippies were having their heyday.

One theme that repeats itself in practically every photo is all of the different varieties of retro peace signs on the walls. A few stood out because of their unique design and method of display. For instance, one colorful decoration I plan to file in my flower power bedroom decorating folder for use later is so GROOVY!

First I will cut the heads off of large silk daisies (think Gerbera) and then I will stick the daisy blossoms on the wall of the bedroom in the shape of a large peace sign using adhesive. The cool thing about this is that I can hand pick the colors according to the retro peace sign comforter sets that my customer has selected to decorate her room.

I could easily find some vinyl flower power and tie-dyed peace sign wall stickers but I would not have as much control over the color scheme plus the decals are one dimensional rather then the eye popping 3D look that the artificial flowers give me. I’m beginning to really get why flower children loved those flowers and peace signs! To see more Tween and Teenage Girl Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas that will take you back to the fun and carefree days of peace, love and rock and roll.

PEACE SIGN BEDDING SETS

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Teenage girls that are throwbacks to the flower power age of the 60s are using peace sign bedding sets to get the message that the modern generation wants the world to settle their problems,

PEACE SIGN WALL DECALS

end the war and settle down to the business of environmentally friendly lifestyles and of course, love and rock and roll fit in there somewhere.
What once was touted as the greeting of the American chicken is now recognized as a universal symbol of moving past our differences to focus on the bigger issues of hand like global warming and saving endangered species of animals that are disappearing from our planet at a rate that should alarm the most shallow human. Guess who might be at risk in line right after the polar bears, tropical birds and the northwestern barn owl? Do you really need for me to spell it out for you? Surely the threat of your own extinction should make you want to pull out your granny's vintage peace sign bedding set and bring yourself up to speed on retro peace signs and flower child bedroom decorating ideas.

Back to the business of decorating a bedroom with retro peace sign comforter sets; you have to pick a style be it tie dye or flowers. Take your bedroom on a psychedelic trip back to the Summer of Love and fill it with love beads, black light posters and a funky tie dye comforter set with a bold, medallion of peace right in the center. Peace sign comforter sets a few decades ago would have driven moms and dads wild with fear that the neighbors might see them and realize that you were not raising your teenage girl to be a card carrying conservative that would be up to their standards. Chances are that today, your cool, tree hugging friends would offer to throw a party in honor of your household's colorful, liberal values.

Return to Tween and Teenage Girl Peace Sign Bedding Sets and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to see more groovy peace sign comforters and bedding sets.

GIRLS HAWAIIAN BEDDING SETS

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Teenage girls Hawaiian bedding sets and bedroom decorations have come a long way from comforters covered in tropical hibiscus flowers and hula girls in grass skirts. Please don’t take that statement to imply that that particular style of Hawaiian bedroom decor is not fashionable; there is always a place for vintage hula girls when decorating a bedroom in an island theme.



In fact, some of the more trendy Hawaiian print bedding sets gives more than a casual nod to hula girls, their floral leis and most of all, their grass hula skirts.
Modern Hawaiian bed in a bag sets are known to be the least expensive way to dress up a girl’s bed with a comforter that brings to mind memories of a day spent on one of the island’s many secluded beaches.

These teenage girls Hawaiian bedding and comforter sets offer great value and eliminate the need to spend time shopping for bedroom curtains, sheets and the bed skirt separately. For the tween or teen girl that likes to change her bedroom’s décor at the drop of a hat, buying a bed in a bag may be the best way to go.

If you can find a girls Hawaiian bedding set that you like at a deep discount I’m certainly on board. To keep the room from looking like a copy of the pictures on the package that the comforter set came in, you should keep a watchful eye out for some unique, Hawaiian bedroom decorations to use to dress up the comforter set and window treatments that give the bedroom a personalized look.

Some ideas include replacing the bedskirt that came with your Hawaiian bed in a bag set with a fun and funky grass bed skirt. You can even buy raffia window toppers to match. Layer some floral leis over the top of your homemade valance to give it an authentic island look and your collection of hula girl figurines on the top of the cornice shelf and your Hawaiian bedroom décor will be so perfect that you can almost hear the waves splashing on the beach and the locals calling, Aloha! Return to Tween and Teenage Girls Hawaiian Bedding Sets and Bedroom Decorating Ideas for more Hawaiian bedroom decorating ideas for teens or Hawaiian baby nursery themes.

FRENCH TEEN BEDROOM IDEAS

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We have recently picked up some chic, French teen bedroom ideas that any mother will love for several reasons. The first reason that these tips are so attractive and appealing is that they are so cute.

FRENCH BEDROOM DOOR SIGN

GIGI FRENCH POODLE LAMP SHADE

The second reason is that they are in the preferred Paris bedroom color palette of pink and black with a smattering of aged white thrown in for good measure. The third and perhaps the best reason of all is that our suggested items in bedroom decor perfect for a French theme are CHEAP!

It's a sad fact of life that many moms learn only after buying expensive French bedroom furniture for teens that their teenage girls haven't quite gotten around to appreciating the finer things in life and can't understand why French Provincial decor and nail polish remover don't mix. This is why our French teen bedroom ideas focus either on inexpensive pieces that won't break a mother's heart or decorating with shabby chic furniture and decor that are already distressed to the point that a little more abuse won't make a bit of difference.

We have discovered that the teens and tweens in our decorating experience showed a distinct preference for French bistro decor. Imagine a room decorated in pink French poodles, images of the Eiffel Tower and furniture that might have come from a sidewalk cafe or ice cream shop and you will get an idea of how to decorate a French bistro theme bedroom.

French teen bedroom ideas for this style won't require that you throw out the shabby chic Parisian apartment furnishings and decor. Instead, just dress it up with funky lampshades, drawer pulls and vintage pictures of French poodles and Eiffel Tower posters. If your teenage girl accidentally finds out how little you paid for her French bedroom decor and feels cheated because her bedroom makeover was so cheap, C'est la vie!

Don't leave Tween and Teenage Girls Bedding Sets, French Teen Bedroom Ideas and Decor without taking a look at our many recommendations for decorating in a pink French Poodle theme.

GIRLS BEACH BEDROOM IDEAS

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No matter where you live, in a month the water temps will be super. Until then, it’s time for girls’ beach bedroom ideas to set the stage for the sun, surf and sand that are no doubt your teenage girl’s reason for existence in the summer.

Kicking off a successful beach theme decorating project in your daughter’s room is as easy as finding the perfect surf bedding set, flip flop bedding or Hawaiian bedding covered in hula girls or vintage Hawaiian scenes filled with images of palm trees and volcanoes in the background that seem threatening but would never dare to erupt and ruin a perfect day when playing in the ocean’s waves is the only occupation on a young lady’s mind.


WALL DECORATIONS

When thinking of what to use to decorate the walls that will match your teenage girl’s beach print comforter set, think cheap and colorful. Teens are given to changing their minds as often as they change their outfits. Avoid the temptation to buy expensive limited edition art prints or designer, beach theme teenage girls bedding sets and instead look for cheap flip flip prints, Hawaiian travel posters or buy some wall hangers and use her surfboard as part of the decor.

ACCESSORIES AND WINDOW TREATMENTS

Remember the beach with a tiki hut that your daughter and her teenage friends raved about? Use their description of that magical place in your plans for girls’ beach bedroom ideas. You can buy bed canopies, window treatments and bedskirts made out of raffia that resembles both hula skirt material and the thatch on the tiki hut’s roof. This material has a tropical feel to it that won’t clash with any color scheme and will coordinate beautifully with any beach theme comforter set that your tween or teenage girl fell in love with.

PAINTING

The first color that may pop into your mind for the best paint color to use as a foundation for your girls’ beach bedroom ideas may be your favorite shade of blue. Whether that is turquoise, teal blue or a deep azure, my advice is to save it for an accent color and focus instead on choosing a good neutral color. Imagine the color of the sand on your favorite beach where you spent your island vacation.

FLOOR COVERING

Never fear, I won’t take our girls’ beach bedroom ideas as far as to sprinkle sand on the floor of the room. But I do recommend replacing the existing carpet with woven sisal rugs, bamboo rugs or flooring.

Those tips should put you on your way to forming your own teenage girls beach bedroom ideas and Hawaiian surf decorating plans that will please any beach bunny beyond her wildest dreams.

CHANDELIER BEDDING - COMFORTER SETS THAT WILL LIGHT UP YOUR BEDROOM

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Your teenage girls may laugh if I made the recommendation that a set of chandelier bedding would be helpful in designing an elegant yet fun atmosphere for her bedroom. The phrasing does seem to suggest a resting spot for a light fixture rather than what it actually is. What it actually is would be a comforter with a unique print that brings to mind the image of a chandelier.

To refer to it as a chandelier comforter may be a stretch. To be more accurate the fabric’s print has a French toile or damask look and feel to it only with larger patterns than you normally find in most black and white damask bedding fabrics.

Decorative applications for chandelier bedding might vary from using it as a centerpiece in a bedroom that is the ultimate in luxury to surrounding it with chipped furniture and crockery you found in a thrift store for a shabby chic, Parisian apartment style of decor. Frankly, it shines without fail in either of the above mentioned surroundings. If you are fortunate enough to find a black and white chandelier bedding set with pillow shams and a bed skirt that has been decorated with hot pink French pom pom trim how could a teenage girl resist the urge to say, Oooh La La?

Return to Tween and Teenage Girl Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to find bedroom decorations and tips for how to best display your chandelier comforter set.

Fairy Bedroom Headboard

My headboard is made of green alder branches. They were cut green and no more than 1-2" around. Strip them of their leaves. These small branches need to be up to 12' in length. Depending on your location, you can usually find branches or small trees near streams. Get the landowners permission. I have never had any person say no. Cut your 2x12 the width you want the headboard. Mine is 6'6" wide. Start with your largest in diameter and longest twig. Nail it to the outside of the 2x12" width wise. Keep adding you twigs toward the center of the 2x12". Cover your twig ends and the nails with the metal mesh (small diameter chicken wire).

With someone standing on the 2x12, bend your outside twig toward the opposite side of the 2x12 base and nail securely in place. Continue with all your twigs toward the center.



With all your branches nailed securely in place cover the nails with your metal mesh. This just help to keep the branches in place as they dry. Don't get to finicky. However it turns out it will be unique and fun to decorate.



Have fun with this. It's pretty for a child's twin size too. Twine silk greens into the branches. You can also mix in netting and little fairies for your little fairy princess.



I try to cut more branches than I will actually need. You can visit my website and see the other stuff I do...http://www.sksartell.com and http://www.yourhomedesigntutorial.com

PURPLE ZEBRA PRINT BEDDING WITH A TWIST

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A short while ago I shared some decorating ideas for using purple zebra print bedding to give the modern teenage girl's bedroom a retro look with deco possibilities. The bedding set that was used in that example consisted of a comforter, shams and curtains with zebra stripes in black and purple with a coordinating leopard or cheetah print on the sheets bedskirt and pillow cases.

At the time that I wrote that article, I was tickled pink with the pictures of this bedroom design. The pics proved my theory that there were many more applications for animal prints than a safari theme bedroom filled with woven wood and tropical decorations in shades of green. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I was THRILLED.

If that unique find tickled my fancy and titillated this decorator's imagination, you can just imagine what an even more sophisticated set would do for my day! I adore the concept of purple zebra print bedding where the fabric with stripes is alternated with neon purple and solid black as dark as the most mysterious ebony.
And wonder of wonders; there may even be some fabrics in shades of lavender for a designer to work with.

Stay tuned to Tween and Teenage Girls Purple Zebra Print Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas as I believe that this purple zebra comforter has much more to offer in the way of rugs, decor and window treatments. What fun we will having experimenting with mixing and matching the various prints and patterns of the fabrics and purple zebra bedroom decorations.

CRAZY DAISY BEDDING ENSEMBLE

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Purple girls bedding is a favorite, so let’s explore options for a cute, daisy bedding ensemble with pretty bed linens as the showpiece of a space full of sunshine for a princess who believes that she is far too mature for pastel pink. For that young lady we have some yellow and purple bedroom ideas where the walls as well as the bed is scattered with daisies with their white petals as well as lime green stems used to accent and brighten the room for spring.

The color scheme of our daisy bedroom design will focus on creating the perfect balance of purple and yellow using varying shades of lavender to highlight the bright purple portions in the bedding, sheets and bedroom accessories. White is used to bridge the gaps between the bold colors and provide the daisy bedding ensemble’s neutral background if necessary.

WOULD A DAISY BEDSPREAD or COMFORTER BE BEST?
Daisy comforter sets with polyfill batting that come in inexpensive bed in a bag sets will be much easier to locate than a lightweight daisy bedspread. However, quilts and comforters can be too warm in summer. I recommend that moms who dislike the idea of the comforter to the pretty purple girls bedding set that they agonized over being thrown on the floor buy a coverlet or pretty sheets that match their daisy print bedding set for use in spring and summer. It’s a better idea to store the quilt or comforter in the closet than to risk it being stained and having to toss the entire daisy bedding ensemble because of one nasty spot.

DAISY BEDROOM DECORATING IDEAS
Once you have the daisy bedding ensemble set in place, you will need wall and bedroom decorations. Daisy wall stickers are an excellent place to start. The decals can be arranged and re-arranged to your heart’s content and they are less expensive than wallpaper. You might also consider stenciling your daisies on the walls if you are having problems finding daisy wall decals that are a close color match to your purple girls’ bedding set. You could even make your own daisy stencils, but the vinyl wall stickers are so easy to use that your teenage girl can decorate the walls herself and put her own personalized, decorative touches on her bedroom.

Tween and teenage girls love purple and moms are crazy for daisies, so a purple daisy bedding ensemble and our collection of bedroom decorating ideas may be the perfect thing to kick off a successful plan for your teenage girl's bedroom.

Return to Tween and Teenage Girl Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to find more decorating ideas for daisy bedrooms for girls.

DOLPHIN BEDDING SETS for GIRLS

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After a lifetime of lounging in a pink room, your little mermaid might enjoy a set of dolphin bedding for girls. Moms are making the necessary adjustments for bedrooms and shopping for decor and bedding sets that present a pretty picture in shades of ocean blue.

I have been amazed recently at the maturity as well as the large number of eco-minded young ladies who appreciate the beauty of these gentle creatures to the point that they have a wish not only to swim with them when on vacation but to commune with them on a daily basis in their rooms. And if the fish themed decorating trends that I have observed stay the course; sea creatures don’t stop with the dolphin bedding sets.

Once the girls have their hearts set on a dolphin bedroom theme, there is no such thing as too much or too many. To see dolphin area rugs, lamps and wall decorations in addition to whichever set of dolphin bedding for girls they choose are not out of the question. As a decorator, even I might think that decorating with this many dolphins would set my teeth on edge. But rather than coming across as confusing, somehow the combination of dolphin bedspread and decor comes together in a serene and peaceful fashion that seems natural. So, when your teenage girl issues a request for a dolphin bed in a bag, get ready for the house to be overrun with sea creatures and fish for a while. The good news is that it may serve to help settle your nerves and lower your blood pressure.

Return to Tween and Teenage Girls Dolphin Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas for more tips on decorating your daughter's bedroom with creatures from the sea.

SK's Orange Chicken

Good Morning!

I have been asked to post my Orange Chicken recipe. Yum. We use this recipe constantly because it's easy and fast and seems to be a fancy dinner.

SK's Orange Chicken

I buy my chicken breast without skins or bones. You can buy it by the bag at Costco, as if you didn't know that. These breasts are considered half a breast. One is plenty per person.
Thaw the chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Don't try to "fast" thaw chicken. In my opinion it changes texture when it has been thawed to quickly, by water or microwave. They seem to be drier.

I place plastic wrap on my counter top. Place a half chicken breast with the sinew down. In other words place the smooth side up. Place another piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and using a meat tenderizer, use the smooth side to pound the chicken into a thin layer. Continue to the next piece. I place my pounded pieces of chicken in the refrigerator until I'm done pounding all the pieces.

With a piece of plastic wrap on the counter, I begin to make the chicken rolls. With the sinew side up, I place a thin piece of ham on the chicken,(sandwich ham works great) then add a slice of Swiss cheese. Sprinkle in a few bits of freshly chopped parsley for color. Fold the ends of the chicken in and then roll the sides over one another. Pin together with a toothpick or skewer. Your trying to seal the rolled chicken. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't
For six breasts, I use a square glass baking dish.

350 Degree Oven

SAUCE FOR SIX BREASTS: 1 large can of frozen concentrated orange juice,
1 Stick non-salted butter
½ C Cream (Optional)
A small pinch of red pepper flakes (Optional)
In a small sauce pan melt the frozen orange juice and butter together. Stir in the cream and pepper flakes. heat through, do not boil.
Using ½ of the sauce, pour over your stuffed and rolled chicken breasts. Save the remainder ½ of your sauce for later. Place a small piece of Swiss cheese on each individual rolled breast. Cover with tin foil for first 40 minutes. Uncover for the remainder of time till done. Bake for just under 1 hour.

Presentation: The tops of the chicken rolls should be golden brown and bubbly. I use a pretty platter to place all my rolled chicken breasts on. Drizzle on a portion of your saved orange sauce. Then serve the remainder of the sauce in a gravy boat. Small new red potatoes, cooked in salted water with parsley and lemon make a great side dish. Put fresh parsley and your little red potatoes around the chicken and serve hot.

Smile, take care and invent something new today!

Visit SK's site for her newest recipe: Interior Design Books

http://www.yourhomedesigntutorial.com

SK's Home Sweet Home

Most of you know how I think. I would like to believe I have a right to choose what and who, surround me on a daily basis.

I like my clients and MOST like me in return. Hmmm... I'll have to check on the validity of that statement. Maybe some of you will respond?

Anyway, I love gathering stuff which makes me smile. Laughing cheers the saddest of hearts.

If I'm having hot chocolate, I serve myself from an old and beautiful china cup. The chip on the edge is a nostalgic memory or question as to what the past held for this sweet china cup.

As I enter a room or our home, I want to smell something wonderful.

I make a date with myself. A time to pamper myself. You have to make and take time for yourself.

Make it a point today to do something special. Even if it's only to stand in front of a mirror and smile at yourself.

The little things we choose to surround ourselves with make a difference in the joy of life. It keeps us young.

Make a choice with little things that make you smile. It lightens your world for a moment. We need these moments in times of stress and concern. Think of it as filling your cup for the times when things are a bit parched.

SK
Check out SK's interior design books and tutorials at:
http://www.YourHomeDesignTutorial.com
http://www.sksartell.com

You can follow SK on her Ehow posts and Twitter

Nature-friendly home improvement

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