Design Dazzler

Designer of the Month

November 2008

 Tracy Lynn

Style On A Shoestring

This room was designed for two little boys in the Carlsbad area. One of the biggest challenges I faced as designer while working on this room was how to fit two different age groups into a limited area while keeping the floor plan open and flowing. I chose a neutral color for the walls and let the bedding and extras do the rest for the room. The outcome is one of my favorites. It turned the room into a casual but well organized “beach-themed” room with plenty of room for the boys to grow and change. The colors and decor scheme leave plenty of room for the two boys to grow without having to make drastic changes to the overall color and design scheme. To me this is a very successful design plan. In this economy, most people don’t have the money to remodel their children’s rooms every other year.


As the mother of two little girls, I particularly enjoy designing and decorating children’s rooms. The client obtained bedding. The accessories and wall art were purchased from various local retail stores.
 
I started my design company about 6 years ago in the San Diego area after friends admired what I had done to my own home. Since 2003, we’ve added 6 design consultants. My husband left his job as a financial planner a couple years ago to work part-time at Style On a Shoestring and help raise our two daughters.
styleonashoestring.com

You guys rock.

We’re so geeked out about our new space — I want to leave work right now and just go sit in it for another hour. We LOVE it.

Thanks!!!

DAVID TRAINA DESIGN

You have the whole Thanksgiving feast planned, but now what in the world are you going to do for a centerpiece? Do you want a centerpiece that is creative, inexpensive, and most importantly, easy? Here are some ideas to help add that pizazz to your table that will have your family and friends admiring your creativity.

One of the easiest, is the Cornucopia Centerpiece. Go to your local craft store to purchase a simple wicker basket. With this you can do a variety of displays. You can overfill it with real fruits and gourds, or you can use plastic. Just fill your basket to overflow and let them spill out onto the table.

Also, a great way to decorate with your cornucopia is to use silk flowers and leaves. While at the craft store purchase a Styrofoam block or ball and silk flowers and leaves in fall colors with long stems. Push the Styrofoam in the wicker cornucopia basket so that it is firmly wedged inside. You may want to trim down the foam or add more as needed. Simply push the stems of the flowers and leaves into the foam so that they emerge in a decorative arrangement at the opening of the cornucopia.

Another creative way to use your cornucopia is to overflow it with different breads, such as, rolls and muffins, or whatever bread you may prefer. You can also add some silk leaves around the cornucopia and bread. This creates a marvelous edible centerpiece.

You can also use a beautiful wicker basket that you might have at home, instead of the cornucopia. Maybe add some ribbon in fall colors. It can still look just as beautiful with the three previous ideas.

If you want centerpiece that is a little different, then try using a large, hollowed-out pumpkin instead of a vase to display a fall floral arrangement. Scatter clusters of berries, nuts, and autumn leaves around the base of the pumpkin. Adding a couple of mini pumpkins to the table would also look nice.

Instead of hanging a wreath on your door, use it as the base of a centerpiece for your Christmas table. Use simple decorations to coordinate it with your home decor or tablesetting theme. You’ll see how simple it is to create this beautiful and traditional Christmas Wreath Centerpiece.Find a large tray or platter, or cut a piece of heavy plastic to place under the wreath. This will make it much easier to move the wreath centerpiece to change the tablecloth or rearrange the place settings. You’ll be protecting the finish on your table at the same time.

Materials for Christmas Wreath Centerpiece

• fresh pine wreath
• decorations                           
• bow

Follow these simple steps to make your wreath centerpiece:

• Place the wreath down on the table, tray, or platter.
• Decorate the wreath by sticking ornaments, pinecones, or floral picks into the wreath.
• Arrange ribbons or garlands around the wreath.
• Place one or several colorful bows around the wreath for added color.

Special tips for fine-tuning:

• Use decorations that have wires attached. They can easily be stuck into the greens of the wreath.
• When arranging the decorations on the wreath, be careful not to scratch your wood table. 
• For a different look, place several large pillar candles into the center of the wreath.
• Pile large pine cones neatly into the center of the wreath.
• Form a pyramid of colorful Christmas balls in the center of the wreath.