Oh, how I love that song by the Rolling Stones. Have the Emo kids taken to using that as an anthem? Someone should really suggest it to them.

When it comes to decorating or redecorating, you don’t have to run yourself ragged by doing a lot to achieve your goal. Instead of replacing everything in the room, begin with the walls. They may be as far as you have to go. It is so true what the TV designers say. Well, at least this is. When they tell you to glue hay to your wall, ignore that sage advice.

Most walls in a home are white or eggshell as a standard color. These colors make it easier to paint and require no priming. When you are ready for a change add a bit of color to your rooms. Color has many benefits.

Some people are afraid of color because they don’t want to go too bright or too dark. The way to avoid this is to use the painting resources at your disposal. At paint stores and in the paint section of your local Home Depot or Lowe’s, there are displays with all kinds of paint swatches.

Within that display is also a light adjuster. Place your swatch under the light and move it from very bright to very dim to see how the shade of your paint swatch will change in different conditions. A room that gets full sun will make the color appear lighter and brighter than you might have intended. There are also online tools to help you find the perfect paint color for your every room of your house.

When trying to decide on a color, ask yourself one question:

What is the room being used for?

In the living room or great room, the family will gather for television watching, holidays or other special occasions. Keeping this room light and airy uplifts the spirit and the mood of the room and its occupants. Go from white walls to mint green or light brown.

Bedrooms

An adult bedroom is seen as a place of sanctuary and romance (hopefully). Here, using light to medium paint colors that fit with your tastes help the room “feel” the part. For a small bedroom where you want to be cozy but not claustrophobic, consider painting the room with a lighter color on the top half and the lower half a darker complementary color below a chair rail.

Windowless Rooms

Rooms without windows need lighter hues to give them the illusion of light streaming in. use light colors with wall accents for your kids and teenagers. Bathrooms are a prime example of a windowless room that would benefit from a neutral or even bright color.

The Kitchen

What about your kitchen? You spend a lot of time there and it is easy to get bored with the look. What are your favorite colors? Combine them to create an inviting kitchen that fits your style. If you have an eat-in kitchen, consider using one bright color on the half of the room that is the eating area and a lighter color on the kitchen side. Without using other equipment, you have divided the room and opened it up.

Paint can do wonders for your living spaces even with the same furniture inside. Before you start furniture shopping, visit the paint store and pick up a few of your favorite color swatches and see what you think. Get a few of the swatches so you can make a bigger swatch. Then tape it together and tape it to your wall. Then tape it to you wall and see how it changes throughout the day. I’m serious try it out first. You’ll thank me.

When you go looking for furniture, there are some key things to take into account when you’re out shopping. Sometimes you may think you have found a fabulous deal on a piece of furniture, but if it isn’t made well then that eventually be money thrown away.

You should figure out what your ideas for your furniture long term are. Is your living room going to have a sofa, coffee table and a chair or will it have a sofa, coffee table, a love seat, two chairs? Why? I hear you whining. I know, it is a lot more fun to shop, but if you don’t know what you need you may end up buying something else simply because you think you have found the deal of the year.

First, you need to figure out what are the sizes of furniture you need. I know you may not have a CAD program, but you can do this a couple other ways. One way is to mark out furniture using that blue painting tape. You can research online to find the typical furniture sizes to get you started and then tape those pieces off on your floor where you want to place that piece. This will help you see how much room you have in your space, if you have enough room to walk around or if you need to pare down your wish list. Don’t forget to make notes of how wide and tall your doorways are. If you won’t be able to get it through the door, then so sad for you.

So with list in hand, go to the stores. Oh, looky here, you found a gorgeous sofa for a great price! Where’s my credit card?? Hold up, there, buddy. Let’s look at this piece. What color is it? Fuchsia? Oh no no no no no. First, let’s not go there. I can almost guarantee you that you will be mad at yourself for buying it in less than a year, if not mad the first day when it gets in your home and sits there, mocking you. Go with a neutral color. They are so much easier to work with. You can dress them up with colorful pillows and throws.

Now, how is it made? Is the piece held together with staples? Glue? Bubblegum? Check out if it is a solid wood frame, not MDF. Is it sturdy? Now, don’t go into your full Hulk Hogan moves, but push on the piece. Pull on it. I want you to see if it is sturdy or does it creek? If it sounds like an old woman and it is brand new… watch out. It may be falling apart in short order.

Are you married? Do you have a significant other? No, I don’t want to date you! I want you to take your partner with you shopping. They may grumble, but when you bring home the perfect sofa for you and you are 5’1″, your significant other who is 6’2″ may not enjoy the couch at all. You need to try out the furniture as you would use it at home. If you are a lounger type of person, then don’t sit on the sofa like a prim and proper lady with perfect posture. You don’t really sit that way and when you do go to lounge on it later, you may be sorry.

If you are a bargain shopper, you have several options. Estate sales, yard sales, furniture outlets and even places that sell former model home furniture. All of these are great options, but make sure the piece is sturdy, in great condition (unless you are a crafty person and would like to invest the time and energy in to refurbish) and a good price. Just because it is at an estate sale, don’t think it automatically makes it a great price. Do your research.

Also, if you find furniture that was in a former model home, it may not be made of the best quality since most people walking into a model home are just looking at how the place is as a whole, not how well the sofa is made. It may be a cheapo sofa covered in a great fabric.

Custom furniture is also an option, when you know that this is a piece you want to keep for a long time and you want it to look a certain way. Now, with that said, don’t go blaming me when you look at your custom upholstered chair two years from now and see that selecting some trendy fabric, that is now out of style, was the wrong way to go. That’s how we ended up with a glut of 80s furniture on our hands. Now go shopping!

When decorating a room, the last thing to be considered (if ever) is the windows. I know, they cost a butt load if you want something nice. Well, Save up! They are a part of just about every room and require as much attention as the rest of the room. When you decorate, don’t forget to give the windows the royal treatment.

What is it about a window? They allow in light. They keep the insects and stupid teenage boys out (most of the time). They allow us to see the world beyond from the safety of our home. Windows do a lot and are an integral part of any room.

Privacy

Windows provide a barrier between you and prying eyes. During the day, curtains are thrown open to let in more light. At night, those same windows reveal all our activities. At night curtains are designed to protect our privacy.

For privacy, try curtains that let in light but are also dark at night. Light colored curtains don’t hinder the natural light as much as darker shades. At night, your privacy is intact.

If curtains are not your forte, try light filtering shades. These window treatments protect your furniture from harmful sun rays that fade and warp. At night, they allow you to turn on every light if you want without alerting anyone outside.

Function

Window treatments accent the room. The colors of your curtains valance or blinds don’t detract from the rest of the room. Wooden blinds present a neutral shade while controlling the light from outside and protecting privacy. The cords can be shortened so that kids and pets can’t get at them.

Special shade treatments are a less costly alternative for palladium windows and skinny windows. Fabric shades that can be cut to fit are perfect for irregular shapes.

Window treatments can be fitted inside the windows so there are no marks on your walls. Take your measurements on the inside of the wall to ensure the blinds or curtains will not be too wide.

Use curtains with back panels to prevent fading. The sun will eventually change the color of your curtains if they do not have any backing. The exception would be light colored sheer panels. Use them with the blinds of your choice to provide light, function and privacy.

Light

Most window treatments can be adapted to let in as little or as much light as you want. For rooms that get no sun, opening curtains and blinds lets in the maximum amount of light. Roman shades filter light and also provide a soft look to windows in any room.

Considering the amount of light in a room is important when choosing the shade of paint for your walls. If you are going for a low light effect, choose window treatments that allow in the smallest amount to light possible.

Like the eyes are the windows to your soul, your windows are the eyes into your home. Window treatments are meant to complement your room décor. Don’t leave them out of the equation.

You know me. You know I am not a snob and I tell you how it is. I have to tell you about last night.

My husband is a super computer nerd at a company. He had to work late last night/early this morning to do some important things there in the data center.

Me, being the dutiful and caring wife (unless you ask my in-laws, LOL), I thought it would be nice to wash and put these brand new satin sheets on the bed. I bought them last year for $12.50 at Target and never got around to taking them out of the package. So when it was 100° outside yesterday and about 85° inside, I thought these nice and cool satin sheets would be the way to go.

So, after I put the munchkin to bed, I get these sheets in the washer. After about half an hour I shift them over to the dryer. It gets to about 10 p.m. and Nancy Grace is coming on. Nancy Grace is the woman every man loves to hate and we women enjoy occasionally as our dirty pleasure.

So, off with the old sheets and on with the new sleeker and shiny satin sheets. Red, no less. So sexy and cool. It was like turning our bed into a new Ferrari.

Air conditioner on, fan on, lights off, Nancy on. I fall asleep after listening about Fantasia Barrino’s latest drama which always makes me giggle, because I love this picture someone made…and then it’s successor…

So, after my shits and giggles about Fantasia, I fell asleep… for a very short time. My head slipped off the pillow. Okay, maybe I fell asleep in some weird way. So, half asleep, I re-adjust.

It probably looked like I was some part of a “Tom and Jerry” episode inspired by the series “Ice Road Truckers” as I tried to find a way to fall asleep, let alone stay in one place on these effin sheets.

I’d move one way and feel myself falling back to whatever way the sheets thought I should be. My head fell off left and right and it was horrid.

My husband came home very early this morning. I hope he is finding a way to conquer these “Ice Road Trucker” sheets and get enough restful sleep.

As soon as he is up, the damn satin sheets are getting donated…. maybe that’s why they were $12.50?

*Pics from Here and Here