I, too, am trying to learn about painting on muslin and have questions if someone would be so kind as to answer. I have searched on the internet but with little luck. I understand that you just paint directly on the fabric. I read that you should wash and dry the fabric but not use fabric softener or sheets. Do you pre-treat the fabric otherwise - like with a primer or acrylic base coat?? Do you seal afterwards? Do you use regular acrylic paint? I have fabric paint but it gives a "puff" look which I don't want. I'm trying to achieve what I call a primitive "leather" look. I've seen this on dolls and other primitive things (animals, ornaments, etc.). I appreciate any help anyone can offer! Kammie

I personally would not suggest that technique for a DIYer. It can get messy, depending on the size of the wall, you may loose interest half-way through the project. Choosing the wrong color combo can be disastrous, as well. I can think of so may other solutions that will take an 11-yr-old well into his teens. How about really bold stripes, maybe the colors of his favorite team. Others suggested a stencil pattern -- choose two funky colors and you have yourself a winner. Do you have a color scheme or a theme? What kind of furniture. Maybe that can be painted, too. With that said, imagine if Jackson Pollock didn't make his splatter paintings...Maybe you can do the splatter on a giant canvas and hang it in the center of that wall. I always encourage artistic expressions from my kids, but hate when it makes more work for me :) Good Luck!!

I've always struggled to figure out what "style" I liked. I tried shabby chic as well but it just wasn't right. Even though I liked the rustic and shabby portion, all that white and pink made me want to scream. I tried French country, which was much better, at least I could have my beloved blacks and reds, but it wasn't quite right either. I took all those "what style are you" quizzes and they''d always say either traditional or cottage, which I guess makes sense now. This didn't really all click until I went to a moving/estate sale that had a farmhouse table advertised. I was still trying to do the country french thing but when I got there and she took me inside to see the table (she had half the stuff out, half inside). I walked in and it was YES, I'm at home!! Maybe a little too heavy on the Americana for me but still, it all felt so cozy and comfortable. I love antiques (and boy did she have some!) but never knew how I wanted it all to feel. I bought the table and a grocery bag of stuff - knick knacky stuff and left a happy camper. I would have loved to grab a couple of cabinets and dry sinks but alas, way out of my budget. The table is so cool. It's not a table made to look farmhouse / barn style, it's actually a table from a really old farmhouse. No faux distressing, this baby has seen some hard days. I love it. Since then I've made 3 trips to the thrift store, each time spending $20 or so, and have a huge stash of cool stuff. I haven't put anything together though because I've been stripping paper and getting ready to paint. It's all piled in my garage just waiting to come inside.

I went to Fortunoff tonight and found crystal lamps I liked but they were not in stock. The lamp I went there for had a nice cream shade (was off-white with a touch of yellow that would have been perfect if the shape was not so big and square in person)but the lamp itself looked too bulky. So I bought three other crystal lamps home with white shades in different styles that I was not in love but were in stock but thought I would try them out for color and size. The two big ones were too bulky just like I thought they would be despite being crystal and the lamps shades were too white. One of them had a chrome base that I did not like near my headboard or Ivory comforter. The small 22" high crystal lamp I loved but it was too small for my junior chest next to my bed and if I used it on the night stand, then I can not find a floor lamp to be that size and I found out that I really like lamps about the same height on both sides of my bed. I tried the lamp on my double dresser but there is not much room on both sides of the mirror and it made the dresser look too crowded. I decided to try it out in my storage/exercise room and it looks wonderful in that room. I am going to buy another one at 60% off since it came to less than $60 a piece and it is what that room needed so now I can return my friend's table lamps I had in that room. It only has a 60 watt bulb but it seems to work in that room due to the white Shangri-la on the windows and the mirrored doors and the small size fits perfectly on top of my big speakers on my two door file cabinets in that room that hold personal papers. I hate the big speakers and I wish I could buy a new stereo set but I have to many other expenses so at least they look good with the lamps on them. The style of the lamp I am keeping was what one of the lamps I wanted looked like but was the 28" height I wanted with a 150 watt bulb. It was out of stock and I would have to order it and then I can't find a floor lamp that would be that height on the other side of my bed. It would be too tall on the Junior chest at 32.5" + 28" 60.5" tall while my headboard is 60" tall. I seem to like the lamps a little less in height than my headboard in my room I am finding out. I would then need a tall floor lamp on the other side or a wall lamp too high up for my reading in bed to read the switch. Restoration Hardware also has a lamp I like but now I wonder if it will be too tall at 31.5" high based on my sample of lamps today and I would have to get the expensive matching floor lamp that I can see a lot of silver come through the glass in the pictures so I am not sure in person that would make me happy and the store is a farther away trip. I found I did not like having lamps that were more than a 1" height difference. I also like a white wall type of lamp but my two friends do not want to install it for me and feel I should stick with lamps I can move around in case I have to move my bed. It comes with no shade or a shade I do not like. I am finding out bright white near my bed does not look that great probably because nothing is white in my bedroom but the doors and ceiling and trim. I would have to add white decorative pillows to my bed to make a white shade go better. I could get a wall brass plate with an extendable arm but again I am not handy and I am thinking I will stay with the table lamps despite the room it is taking up room on my table. I am finding out that I really love the two chains on my two lamps in my bedroom. I like the 60 watt bulbs they take making each lamp 120 watts. I like the way both are around the same height. I like the rich satin brass color. I like how the top of the lamp's brass knob does not get hot since the bulbs are on the sides. The lamps I bought today that had 150 3-way bulbs got so hot on the top connector crystal piece. But I wish the shades were less wide and less gold. I am not liking silver near my headboard that is bringing out a grayish color instead of the creamy color my brass lamps are bring out. I did love the pure crystal against my headboard when the silver was hidden so if there were too floor lamps that were all crystal with not much silver showing and were dainty with off-white/eggshell shades, I would prefer this but so far I am not finding anything like this but in very expensive prices over $400 a piece. I either may go take a look at the Restoration Hardware lamps or I may work with what I have and just know that my honeycomb blinds already make the room not pure shabby chic but close (and thanks to all of you, I now like the color of my blinds in my bedroom) and the satin brass is rich looking and pretty. I can always get a satin brass decorative rod to put some sheers on. I think I just need different lamp shades but even with the ones I have, it is not a bad look. I guess nothing is perfect in life and I wish now I just bought two Junior Chests (equivalent to bachelor chests that are oversized night stands) so I could have lamps match on both sides but I wanted more drawer space so I bought the chest of drawers and I was kind of stuck with the little Iron table that I had already bought from the store that sold me the damaged Stanley Furniture that I returned. So I could go with crystal and have the lamps different size heights or I could go with what I have and get less wide shades in a less golden color or keep what I have and get back to work. :) I'll see if I can send in some pictures I took when I have more time. Maybe I just need cream or eggshell or off-white shades similar to what I have now. Square shades looked terrible in my bedroom I found out but the tiny square shade in white looks wonderful in my spare room and so does the silver and crystal colors. If I can't find anything, I will live with my ivory shade that comes across golden and darker than I imagined it. It is padded, made well, and gives a nice glow but I still think a little bit lighter cream would look nicer in my bedroom. The shade does match the lamps very well. I have more to say but I must get some sleep. I really love my bedroom in how it is so peaceful to sleep in.