My wife and I try to keep our home clutter-free, but it’s confession time. There are just some items we don’t immediately purge. Admittedly, we are junkies for magazines, catalogs, and some bric-a-brac.
So what to do? Figure out a way to organize them. To solve our problem (and yours), I designed a shelf piece you can build in only a couple of hours for about $20. All you need is one 8-foot 1 x 8 board, dowel rods, nails, glue, simple hand tools, and paint. For instructions, mail a check for $4 with a self-addressed, stamped (two first-class, letter-rate stamps), business-size envelope to Southern Living Projects, P.O. Box 11407, Lockbox 1014, Birmingham, AL 35246-1014.
Build It: The Easy Display Shelf
The corners on each shelf have been nicked off to give them added visual interest. If you like a simpler style, leave the corners on. If you want a softer look, simply round off the corners.
Check out all of our project plans at southernliving.com/projectplans
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THE ABC’s OF COLOR
It pulls a look together and turns the ordinary into extraordinary. Shop for flowers with these thoughts in mind.
Take a close look at your home’s palette. Notice house and trim shades, and decide which color family dominates. Here’s a guide, using brick for an example, to get you started.
a. Brownish brick plays well with red, orange, and yellow flowers. Think warm, rich tones. Blue and purple act as neutral colors and pull the others together.
b. Choose rose, blue, and soft yellow when your base goes into the pink family. Complement your paint or brick color with flowers; don’t try to match it.
c. Does your home have a blue-gray thing going? In that case, go bold with strong colors such as bright yellow and purple. Add a softer version of yellow to avoid the common shopping mall combination.
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This article is from our 2005 Weekend Living special issue.
