Look up!

OK, I have to admit, "one blustery day" (as "Pooh" would say) is enough!

My good friend Marsha (who is visiting from Omaha this week) and I are ready to find something fun to do on the other side of the door! According to the weather man things are looking up, so join me for a moment and let's "look up" too!

This tin ceiling is in the dining room of a home from the Grand Tour of Homes in Heath. It creates a cozy feel in an otherwise lofty room. In new construction today, the ceilings are getting higher and higher. I love the feeling of grandeur, however a dining room needs to be warm and inviting; an intimate place to share food and fellowship with family and friends. As decorators we accomplish this feeling of warmth and seclusion (in this case) by using a deep terracotta glaze over the tin. This color was used as the main accent color throughout the house.

The addition of carved molding spaced well below the crown molding and stained dark also helps to visually lower the ceiling. MEOW! You have a much more comfortable, cozy space that is enjoyable to be in.

So the only thing left to do is to set the table, invite over your best friend and "Excuse me, would you please pass the Grey Poupon!"


That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Hey Diddle Diddle

Brrr...It's can be so much fun to be frozen in occasionally! I did not post yesterday because we did not have Internet Service (due to the weather they say.) Being shut in the house is extra fun today, because my dear friend Marsha from Omaha is here visiting with me. We are doing all the "girl stuff" and we are also going to paint my guest room. Then I will get to share the pictures of our creation with you! Marsha is the artist that Murals & Design takes to assist with all the out of state murals.

If you refer to my post "Rooms to Grow", I mentioned that we do our share of "Hey Diddle Diddle", so the posted pictures today are an example of just that!

So off for some hot chocolate to sip as we create a cool room!


That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Shine on!

Contrary to popular belief, painting the focal wall different from the other three is OK. For a more monochromatic look like this bedroom, the base color on the focal wall was the same color. We used Sherwin Williams, Burlap in a satin finish.

The wall paper look was created by rolling metallic paint over an 18"x 18" stencil. Metallics are widely used for a lot of finishes. They can be used alone or mixed with wall paint or craft acrylics to create different looks.

The trick to using a stencil is to start in the middle of the wall. That way the corners of both sides of the wall will end with the same pattern. Also, something Murals & Design figured out the hard way is to use a water color pencil when marking the registration marks. They can be wiped away with a damp cloth and do not have to be retouched with the base paint!

Stenciling an entire wall is very labor intensive. This one took me two full days!

This bedroom is the master in one of the Grand Tour Of Homes that we did. Notice how the metallic is a nice contrast to the more rustic leather headboard. The metallic was brought out in some of the pillows in the bedding and carried to the mirror on the wall, then to the lamp on the opposing table. The flooring was a hand scraped wood in a dark stain also from Sherwin Williams in Jaccobean.

Don't be afraid to experiment with metallics. They can bring a glimmer to a Princess room, enhance a Contemporary, add a touch of class to a Traditional or some "bling" wherever you may need it.

So...shine on!

That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Reflections of you my Queen!

Ahh choo! Bless me! As you can probably tell, I am under the weather, but I still wanted to give you something to "reflect" upon today...

The pictures are of two bathrooms from the 2008 Grand Tour Of Homes in Heath that Murals & Design did in conjunction with Lee Interiors. I will be sharing many pictures from this tour in the future. We spent almost an entire year working on two of the four homes in the tour. Well, enough of that for now.

What's the first thing that we all do when we enter a bathroom? We look in the mirror. Some of us just glance and others stop to ask, "mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all..." So, with that said, if you would like to make a small change, with a big impact, change the mirror!

The beautiful framing around these mirrors were done custom, (a service that Murals & Design offers) however, pre-made framed mirrors can be an option for those of us on a lesser budget. If you have two separate vanities in one bathroom, don't be afraid to add an oval frame with a rectangle. Create some interest and try not to be so "matchy, matchy" as we say!

So... who's the fairest of them all? "You, my Queen are the fairest of them all!"

That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

The $2,400.00 chair!

This week, Lee and I have been working on Paislee Addison's room and it is looking quite scrumptious. I will post pictures once we are finished.

I don't claim to be the most colorful crayon in the box, but gee, this one takes the cake! Trying to find room in the budget to add a new chair to my living room, I paused when I came to the entry for A-1 Storage. Hmmmm... "what's in there that is so precious that I am paying $50.00 a month to store, and how long have I been doing this?" The answers are: some old camping gear, a tire for Rachel's Bug that we sold two years ago and two pink wing back chairs. The time frame is four years, times $50.00 per month and we come up with $2,400.00! Pick me up off of the floor! I could have a King Louis for that price!

Needless to say, the unit was closed and one of the chairs was shipped off to the wonderful upholsterer that Murals & Design uses. Notice in the picture how he was able to perfectly "book match" the pattern of the fabric on every part of the chair. The seat cushion can be turned over to reveal an ostrich quill leather seat for a different look.

Well, I am loving my new chair, but $2,400.00 worth? I don't think so, but when you add a precious "fur kid", the answer is, YES!

I had to add the second snapshot because I have two "fur kids" and would not want one to get jealous. Riley Jane (in the expensive chair) was named after my mother, and Riley's brother, in the fur collar, is Rubin James.

Now what else is in this budget that I am not aware of...


That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

You CAN take it with you!

I know, the sentence in the title goes against all the we were taught and believe....but, Murals & Design has come up with a way to make that happen, at least when it comes to murals!

Have you heard the expression from your spouse "honey, we're moving again?" Are you a young couple living in an apartment, or a senior living in a retirement complex? You could even be a college student or a family who rents their home.

More than likely, all those who fall into the categories above have probably given up the thought of obtaining custom painted murals at this stage in their life. Most people who commission a mural from us have something in mind for the subject of the painting that is meaningful, specifically to them. Also, because of the investment made, they just can't bear the thought of leaving it behind.

Murals can be painted on canvas to be applied like wall paper then removed to take to Kalamazoo with you. The photo in this post is an example of another way that Murals & Design has created so you can "take it with you." We removed the beautiful picture frame doors and replaced them with smooth hollow core doors (very affordable) that we purchased from Home Depot. The original doors were stored in the attic and the new doors were painted with the precious daddy bunny, pushing his daughter on a swing, mural. Needless to say, after about a year in the nursery, the doors were loaded onto the moving van to make their trek from Arlington, Texas to St.Louis, Missouri.

This idea can also work for those of you who seem to stay in one place. When your child out grows the door mural, it could be stored and maybe handed down to a grandchild one day!


See, you CAN take it with you!



That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Change

Today we witness the Historic Inauguration of our new President. I am wondering how I, a decorator who finds change a challenging adventure, will be affected by the change that begins on this day?...

The photo is from the high school graduation sitting that we did with Jordan Horvath and the other is a snap shot done at Christmas in his uniform.

When Jordan was 10 years old, his mother and my dear friend of 23 years asked me to paint the United States flag flying proudly on his bed room wall with the inscription: "America, Land of the Free and Home of the Brave." Who would know that nine years later we would be waving goodbye as he left for boot camp with the United States Army to defend those very words.

"Aunt" Trudy has been privileged to be a part of Jordan's life from the day he was born. I made him the cutest little smocked knicker outfit when he was a toddler, and now he dons the uniform of a soldier.

Jordan will begin Air Borne training at Fort Benning soon. Our prayers and gratefulness will go with him.

So it seems that change, is life...


That's all for now but as always...


Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Creating Memories

Creating memories was paramount on my list of must dos in the raising of my daughter Rachel. “Things” in this life are so temporal and eventually all pass away. I wanted Rachel to have a full gamut of memories to carry with her for the rest of her life, and to draw upon when she needed a laugh, some inspiration, comfort or strength. Now that she is married, (almost one year already on February 2nd) I am looking forward to making memories with a grandchild or two in a few years!

This morning as I walked by the grouping on my living room wall, I was flooded with memories of Kevin and I, that made me smile and linger a moment.

The three photographs were a result of a wonderful day that Kevin and I spent in the mountains of Pennsylvania. We came across this beautiful old church and decided to photograph close up elements of it. We did it just for fun as well as an opportunity for Kevin to share some of his knowledge and talent with me; quite a memorable day.

On another road trip we must have stopped at every antique shop along the way in search of the perfect antiquated door knobs and hinges to accent our photography. The joy of the “hunt” is still fresh on my mind.

The frames were acquired at a photographic convention that we turned into a weekend, cherished, together time, get-a-way.

We added the scripture from Revelations that says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock…” to complete the grouping.

I guess I said all this to urge you to not just hang things on your walls for the sake of filling a space. Put some thought and time into creating a haven of memories that cause you to slow down for a moment, recollect and smile. Because, just outside your door, life is moving very fast!


That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

A bugs eye view

I guess by now you can tell that I have a passion for children’s rooms.

These pictures are of a church nursery in Richardson, Texas. Murals & Design likes to incorporate three dimensional objects within the murals whenever possible. The magnifying glass is from Pottery Barn and is about four feet long. The flowers adjacent to it are cut out of wood and made so the teacher can change the photos of the children in the center of the flower. We painted the insects and flowers in the mural larger than life so the children could imagine themselves sitting in the green grass with a “bugs eye view”. The background color was chosen to add that touch of the unexpected and a calming effect to our insect world. FYI: Green is the most calming in the color palette. Typically green would not be used in a dining room. You want your guests to enjoy the gourmet meal that you toiled over for them, not snooze!
Now, I am straying from the subject a bit…

Today is Saturday and I will be antique shopping with a friend. I am on the hunt for some furniture to paint on. Wish me luck!


That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

More from Paris...

If you refer to the post entitled Dresser on Dresser, I promised to show you some of the other elements of the Paris room.

We used two beautiful shades of a "Tiffany s" style blue for the base painting of the room. The focal wall behind the bed was the darker tone with an all over fleur de leis pattern painted in the lighter shade. (no, it is not wall paper)

The garden gate iron headboard was chosen to contrast the wall color and compliment the 10' Eiffel Tower that we painted on the adjacent wall.

Murals & Design also provides custom drapery and bedding.


That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

color + fun = WOW!

Does it look like Murals & Design had fun creating this colorful, wow, room?!

This bright and happy room was created for a very energetic and full of life, little girl we call, Miss Caroline. She and her Mom picked out the bedding, then we took care of the rest and the fun began! The room was very large for a little girl, so we decided to use some tricks to make it feel more cozy. We divided the room horizontally into three sections. The top band and the ceiling are the same color. This gives the feeling of a lower ceiling. (stripes going vertically give the appearance of height) Other than paint brushes, metal mixing bowls were the tools of choice for creating all the circles and flowers. This gave us a consistent look and made the job go faster.

Murals & Design likes to include the child in the planning of the room as much as possible. It not only makes them feel special, but it helps them take ownership of their room. Usually, the results produce a child that is proud of our creation and bring all their friends to see, who, in turn, all want a Wow room too. But, the most important thing is that typically, they desire to keep it neat and clean, respecting and appreciating what their parents have provided for them.

Miss Caroline and I worked together coming up with the perfect expressions for her room to "say". The sentence that does not show in the photographs is, "Families are cool."

So the equation for this room is correct:
color + fun = WOW!
(I wish math was that easy in school!)

That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Fighting Giants!

Do you ever have an occasional day like I do, where you feel like your "to do" list equates to something like fighting a giant?

Some days I question whether I am strong enough to fight that giant. Then I remember God has armed me with all the power that I will ever need, to be all the women He created me to be! And when I think there are not enough hours in the day, I am reminded that He, the perfect Creator, has created all the time that I'll ever need.

On days when I am ready to hang the "Martha Stewart Doesn't Live Here" sign in the window, I am reminded that she employs lots of help! So, before I leave today for a long day of faux finishing, (item #6 on the to-do list) I will take a moment to fine-tune my heart to His... and listen as He directs my steps...

This large wall mural of David and Goliath was painted at First Church, Nashville, Tennessee.


That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Questions, Secrets, Art and Announcements

Ever since my post on January 6 entitled “Fine China,” I have been bombarded with The most asked question was, “Is that a real live baby, or a doll?” Well, it is a real live baby that was just a doll to work with! After a long afternoon of shooting, the parents were very obliging, but a bit skeptical when we asked them to put their precious new born baby girl in the china cabinet. Many of you asked how we got her to lay so still. Between you and I, here is our secret.We made sure that her tummy was full. She was wrapped up snug in her blanket (and a heating pad) till she went to sleep and up until the moment she was put on the shelf. The light in the cabinet then kept her warm and cozy. We were able to “mold” her into any pose we wanted and she just slept like a baby! Something that Kevin, (my awesome photographer / husband) and I ask each client is if we can do one photo of them, just for us after the agreed upon sitting. This gives us the opportunity to explore creativity for the sake of art.Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. With every idea, we strive to produce an image that is conceived beyond what is visible and one that evokes wonder in the eyes of the viewer. I say this with humility because we know we are creations under constant construction by the One that created the light.

The image that I post below is the final outcome for the front side of the birth announcement card that we created. The china cabinet had significance because it belonged to the baby’s great grandparents. Of course we know where the baby fits in here… something old, something new, something cherished, like "Fine China."

That's all for now but as always...

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Rooms to Grow...All aboard!

This was a great weekend. Murals & Design specializes in designing and creating one of a kind children's rooms. I met with a new client in North Dallas and designed a room for a new baby girl named Paislee Addison. The meaning of the name is: "patterned in the image of God." How awesome is that?! Just give us an inspiration piece, like this name and meaning, and we take off running with it to create that unique, "Wow" room.

The picture that I have posted today is from a little "engineers room." We teamed with Frost Interiors to create this 20'x9' mural in a West Plano home. Murals & Design feels like a room should be able to "grow" with the child. By changing a few minor things, like fabrics and age appropriate accessories, the client does not have to spend money redoing the paint finish or mural work. Then they can take the family to Disneyland :v)

We have done rooms that can go from infant to teen. With the example of the train, this room was for a toddler boy and will serve him for many years. The room could also be turned into a study or guest room.

Don't get me wrong, we do our share of "Hey Diddle Diddle," but first we educate the client on our "rooms to grow." The dish can still "run away with the spoon" but not their pocket book!

That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Dresser on Dresser

Murals & Design paints on a good many furniture pieces, but this is the first time that I painted a dresser on a dresser!

This was the "piesta resistance" on a French themed room for a darling “American” mademoiselle. Murals & Design teamed up with Lee Interiors to transform a room in Heath, Texas to a “chic Paris boudoir.” The dresser was custom built to perfectly fit the space. I hand painted the image of the dresser on it in a "sketch fashion" with high gloss black paint.

The result was a whimsical and unique piece that has opened the "drawer" to new merchandise for our business! I will post some images of the room at a later date.

That's all for now but as always...adieu, and...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Melancholy Morning

This morning as I pack away the last remnants of our Christmas decor, I am feeling somewhat melancholy. Why is it that when it is time to decorate our homes for the holidays, we exuberantly, Deck the Halls? Then, when the New Year arrives we consider it more like a chore to pack it all away. I have discovered that in my case it is not so much the physical work that it takes, but it is a desire to hold fast to the memories of this Christmas and not knowing what the next year may hold. I was blessed to be able to spend a week in Alabama with my parents and treasured every moment that I had with them. Family grows more precious as the years go by...

Since today is the final day that there will be anything left that is a "visible" component of the 2008 Christmas in the Williams' house, I thought I would share this picture with you.

Murals & Design starts to to get into the Christmas mode every Halloween. We decorate many trees both commercial and residential from then through the middle of December. This was my favorite tree of this season. It was for a long time client and special friend.

Have you ever decorated your tree with what seems like a hundred ornaments and stood back and thought that it still does not look full enough or complete? Well, about three years ago I discovered a product at the floral supply house that solved the dilemma. It comes in all colors and on a roll with a few yards on it. It resembles a light weight screen material that can be molded and also cut with scissors. The best thing about it is that it is a great bang for the buck, as they say!

So as the last stanza of "I'll be home for Christmas" resonates through the house and I begin the trek to the attic, I say:


That's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Lessons Learned

Yesterday I was talking about our re-merchandising service, and I was going through my files this morning and came across this formal living room. This is the finished product of a traditional style re-merchandising. I am sorry to say that I do not have a before picture to show you. When I walked into this home I thought it looked great just how she had it and knew that I could not make any dramatic changes, so I did not take a before photo. That's why I have titled today's blog, Lessons Learned. Needless to say, this room preformed a metamorphosis. All furniture found a new location to rest and many accessories were removed to bring attention to the pieces that we decided to keep. "Less is more," is the saying that we have adopted. Most people over do accessories. We work close with the client to make sure that we use the pieces that are most meaningful to them, and we merchandise them to showcase their beauty. This client took the re-merchandising to the next level and added the hardwood floors and color on the walls. The tone of the floors were chosen to compliment the wood tones in the furniture, and the wall colors were chosen to accent the fabrics and enhance the accessories. Notice the finish on the top portion of the walls. It is a tone on tone finish that Murals & Design specializes in. It adds the look of another texture in the room without looking too busy. We chose the width of the stripe to compliment the very traditional styling of the room. This finish resembles wall paper. I have watched people touch the wall expecting to feel paper, and to their surprise, it's just paint! Ahh, the unexpected. I love it!

So, the lesson learned is: EVERY space can make a change enough to make the client say, "Wow!"

Enough looking in the past Trudy, learn the lessons that will make you a better person and learn to enjoy THIS moment, for this moment is your LIFE!

So that's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Inspiration

I like to consider myself as an "out of the box" thinker. I love it when a client says, "Wow, I would have never thought of doing that!" I hear this a lot when we do re-merchandising.

A completely new space emerges using your existing furniture and accessories. These elements are re-staged to create a unique and fresh look without spending a fortune on new decor. Giving my clients a WOW room is the goal of Murals & Design. January is the perfect time to consider this service. The tree is packed away for another year and what will you do with the empty space it created in the living room? It's time for a "WOW" look for the New Year!

Creating something unique and unexpected is exhilarating to me, and I gleen inspiration from other artists. Today I came across this chalk artist, Julian Beever. So amazing, and to think it's only temporal...So that's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856

Happy New Year 2009 !

Murals & Design is off to a rousing start in 2009.

As many of you know I do a lot of room designs for children and young teens. I also do quite a few color consultations per year. I paint walls and walls of murals. I am also very active with new church construction on the final build-out design and interior finishing. Yes I am often looking for an occasional "easy button" or a few "25 hour days" here and there to get me through to the next project. I never seem to have enough time to do everything I have racing around in my head. But I love every minute of it!!!

Well here is a new one you may not know about me (us). My husband and I have done photography for years. It started out right after we got married (29 years ago taking wedding photographs. We did that for several years but finally because of Kevin's job situation we were transferred to Dallas where time did not allow our part time wedding business.

Fast forward 20+ years and here we are dabbling again with Kevin's passion, photography. Because of all the work I was doing, I needed photographs of the many before and after scenes when designing and painting for my clients. It only seemed natural that an occasional family portrait or senior session would drop into our schedule.

So to start the new year off right Kevin and I did a little project last weekend and I want to share it with you. Hope you enjoy what we came up with.

This is entitled:

Fine China...






















This little darling 2 week old baby girl is Jadyn Flowers. She was a wonderful, perfect, little angel to work with. Her lucky mommy and daddy are pretty pleased with her Christmas arrival and so are we.

So that's all for now but as always...

Have a colorful day!

Murals & Design
Trudy
972-814-5856