Importance of House Plants

Caring for house plants is a source of joy and pleasure for many people. For others, it's a nightmare. Learning more about the different types of houseplants and what they need to survive and thrive can give you a greener thumb. Everything from pot size to water needs to sunshine can affect the way a plant grows.

1. Types of House Plants:
House plants have different needs for light exposure. Some plants, like baby tears, crown of thorns, English ivy and jade tree thrive in rooms where there's a lot of natural light; place these by a sunny window. Others, like white flag, heart leaf rhododendron, Boston fern and Chinese evergreen thrive with very little light. These go well in interior rooms, stairwells and other areas that might not get a lot of sunlight. Other plants aren't as finicky, and do well in areas with medium exposure to sunlight, such as begonias, asparagus ferns, coralberry, grape ivy and inch plant.

2. Selecting House Plants:
When you choose a house plant, keep in mind the amount of light that you have to offer and the amount of water the plant will need. If you have a hard time keeping plants watered, then you'll want one that doesn't require a lot of water, such as the Chinese jade tree. You may also want to opt for succulents or cacti. Indoor trees and hanging plants are also popular. The adventurous indoor gardener may want to nurture an orchid.

3. House Plant Needs:
In addition to specific light requirements, each variety of house plant also requires a certain amount of room for its roots to grow. Some plants, like certain fern varieties, prefer to have their roots crowded and cramped, growing greener and fuller when there's less room for their roots. Other plants are crippled by a cramped pot and fail to grow larger if they're not re-potted occasionally. Different plants have different watering requirements as well. Some need their soil to stay wet, others need their soil to stay dry for long periods between watering.

4. Caring for House Plants:
Most house plants can thrive for a long time with weekly watering. Learning the specific light requirements of your plant and placing it in an area with optimal sunlight is the best way to care for your houseplants. Since house plants are generally in potting soil with a fair amount of rich compost soil, they don't need to be fertilized very often. Knowing when the plant has outgrown its pot and then repotting it properly is also important. Remove dead leaves every few weeks and wipe dust from larger leaves with warm water so they look nicer.

5. House Plant Health:
If your house plant is droopy, leaves are yellowing or it fails to grow, then you may have a plant health problem. Failure to grow can be caused by soil mites. Mites in the soil can be killed by adding a small amount of vinegar to the water (1 teaspoon per quart), but some plants can't handle the acidity. Yellowing leaves can be caused by insufficient light or lack of water. Improving the situation may not save the dead leaves but will keep future leaves green. Droopiness is often caused by lack of water, and in most instances can be cured almost instantly just by watering.

6. Benefits of House Plants:
In addition to purifying the air of impurities and increasing the amount of oxygen in a room, house plants can bring psychological joy to many people. They're so important for mental health that in the Chinese system of feng shui, house plants are a required component of every room. Caring for a living thing that doesn't talk back, argue or make messes is joyful. Every time you notice new growth on your houseplant you may rejoice, and feel like a powerful part of the force of creation, knowing that your care and nurture has made a small difference in the world.

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How to Prepare Mexican Cookies For Christmas

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Blend the sugar and shortening in an electric mixer. Add the egg and milk.

3. Mix the flour, salt, hazelnuts, almond extract, ground cloves and cinnamon into the dough. Form into a ball, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead it with your hands. Sprinkle the dough with some flour to prevent it from sticking and roll out on a large flat surface.

5. Cut the dough using cookie cutters or a small knife (use whatever shapes you like). Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with colored powdered sugar while still warm, if desired.

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Christmas Party Decoration

1. Decorate several small trees with candy canes and popcorn strings, and scatter them around the house.

2. For a centerpiece, decorate a small tree with individually wrapped candy and party favors.

3. Use strings of lights, your fireplace and scented candles as your only lighting to create a more intimate and festive mood.

4. Print short Christmas carols, poems and stories on thick, good-quality parchment paper in a calligraphy font. Place four carols or poems on each page. Fold the pages and tear them apart to give them a rough look, and then decorate the edges with glitter.

5. Scatter these around on tabletops and hang them from doorknobs with ribbon. Guests can take them home as favors.

6. Hang stockings already filled with presents from the mantle to give the illusion that Santa just left.

7. Fill green and red coffee mugs with bunches of different colored candy canes, and scatter them around your home. Or fill the mugs with red and green M&Ms.

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How to Decorate Your Outdoor With Christmas Lights

1. Sketch the outside of your house, indicating its width and length. Include the locations of any available outlets in your sketch.
2. Figure out and measure where your lights will go - along the eaves, around the windows, on each tree branch? Add an extra 30 feet or so to allow for the pitch of the roof. Measure the height of bushes and the height of the sections of any trees you want to light.

3. Figure out how many strings of lights you'll need based on your measurements; strings come in lengths from 25 lights to 200 lights. (For trees and bushes, figure on about 50 lights per foot of height, or double that number if you're using miniature lights.)

4. Decide what style of lights you want to use: solid, chasing or blinking? Miniature or full-size (C-7 or C-9)? White or colored?

5. Shop for lights and test them before you start hanging them. (See "How to Buy Outdoor Christmas Lights" and "How to Test Outdoor Christmas Lights," under Related eHows.)

6. Make sure your ladder is long enough to reach and that you have a secure place to set it up. It's best to have a helper to hold the ladder for you.

7. Use plastic light clips to hang the strings from your gutters and eaves. They are safer for the wires than a staple gun and much easier to remove.

8. Light your trees by starting at the base of the trunk and wrapping the lights around in a spiral. Work your way to the end of each branch, wrapping the lights around each individual branch.

9. Use full-size C-9 bulbs on evergreens. Start at the top and zigzag the lights through the center of the tree or bush, getting wider with the tree's or bush's shape.

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Few Ideas to come into Christmas Spirit

1. Shop early. Nothing takes away the Christmas spirit like fighting for parking and struggling through crowds.

2. Wish people that you meet in stores and other casual environments a happy holiday. Say it with a smile.

3. Drop spare coins in the Salvation Army collection buckets.

4. Do something nice for someone. Offer to baby-sit so a friend can do her Christmas shopping, take cookies to your neighbors, or shovel an elderly neighbor's walk.

5. Volunteer your time to a worthy holiday cause. Even if you are busy, you can spare an hour or two to help people less fortunate than yourself.

6. Organize a drive at work or in your neighborhood. Collect food and personal items and donate them to a local shelter for the homeless or for battered women.

7. Play Christmas music.

8. Watch Christmas movies. "It's a Wonderful Life" is a good one for reviving a flagging Christmas spirit, as is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

9. Read "A Christmas Carol" and "A Child's Christmas in Wales."

10. Decorate your house for the holidays.

11. Don't spend more money than you have. Anxiety over after-Christmas bills can ruin your holiday.

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How to create a retro bedroom

When one thinks of the word “retro”, their mind automatically goes to the decorating styles of the 1960’s and 1970’s. For more and more people, however, the 1980’s is also considered retro. Here are some ideas you can use to create a retro bedroom for yourself. The 1960’s was the time of hippies, and free love. Even more than that, it was a time for people to discover love of their fellow man with the emergence of Martin Luther King, Kennedy, and war protests. Home décor was as bold and free as the youth of the generation.

Walls: Room décor did not necessarily come from wall colors. They came from what was hung on them. On your white or neutral wall colors, hang colorful bold flower print fabrics in two or three colors.

Fabrics: Use bold color blocked fabric for your bedding
and window treatment. For example, a white background with orange circles or uneven squares. Colors to look for are orange, brown, white, celadon green, and mustard.

Flooring: Floor tiles were very popular during this time. Purchase floor tiles in two colors and install like in a checkerboard pattern. Add several throw rugs to warm your feet in the morning.

Accessories: Accessorize the room with pop art reminiscent of Andy Warhol who was famous for his paintings of Campbell’s soup and Marilyn Monroe. Lava lamps and Hawaiian tiki carvings are also great room accessories of the time.As the baby boomers came of age in the 1970’s, free love, war protests, and overall cultural awareness faded as disco and nightclubs became the obsession of the generation who needed to work off steam as they worked themselves up the corporate ladder. Home décor and fashions evolved greatly during this time from wild and crazy to clean lines, but bold colors remained.

Walls: Paint the room in a two-toned design like a beige on top and brown on the bottom. Two tones of any color will work well.

Fabrics: Floral designs continued to remain dominant, but more colors were added to the color palate. For your bed, purchase a cozy chenille bedspread and matching sheer curtain panels for your windows.

Flooring: Shag carpet would look great in your 70’s inspired bedroom, but you do not need to stick with the mixed shades of brown that was used to camouflage spills. Purchase your shag carpet in solid colors instead, and stick to area rugs to save money because shag carpet does not have a long shelf life.

Accessories: Mirrors and glass became the main room accessories during this period. Cover a wall with mirrors and add a mirrored disco ball to reflect the light in your room.During the 1980’s the baby boomers became parents and so home décor became more grown up. Patterns became more subtle, subdued, and traditional. Victorian elements re-emerged during this time.

Walls: There was a return to white and neutral colored walls. You can paint your 1980's inspired bedroom walls white with pastel colored trim, or antique white with high gloss white trim.

Fabrics: Pastel colors became the popular color scheme during this period interspersed with subtle florals by designers like Ashley Stewart. For a more masculine room, stick with classic stripes and argyle patterns.

Flooring: During the 1980’s, carpet got colorful and shorter. Short twisted pile carpet in pinks, blues, and greens would work well in your room.

Accessories: Accessories during this period were also a bit more grown up. Glass figurines became popular for adults and hand made bunnies and stuffed animals were the main décor in children’s rooms. Photography became the wall hangings
of choice from candid pictures of family members to posters of rock stars, to black and white landscapes by photographers like Ansel Adams.

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Decorating Ideas for your bathroom with Mirror

When you think of bathroom mirrors, they hardly bring to mind the epitome of style. More often a functional necessity than a fanciful form, the mirror often gets lost or just forgotten in bathroom decorating endeavors. Decorating a bathroom mirror may be a little puzzling at first, but with endless possibilities it can provide the inspiration for the entire decorating theme in the bathroom or it can be the crowning glory of a magnificently decorated room. Whether you have a mirrored vanity or a flat mirror, following are a few suggestions that could make your looking glass a glass worth looking at. Obviously, when considering the decorating options for mirrors, you have to remember the purpose of the object and maintain enough viewing space to still use the mirror. You will also have to take into consideration opening ability if it’s a vanity or medicine cabinet, what type of lighting is above the mirror and how close the mirror’s edge is to any other objects. Now that you have those things in mind it’s time to browse through a few options.

This first suggestion is etching your mirror. This is a great idea because it can be used on either a flat mirror or a vanity and you don’t have to worry about whether it opens or where the lights are. The one drawback is that it is permanent, so be sure this is the look you want before beginning. You will need etching cream, a new craft paintbrush, a craft knife and clear contact paper. All of these items are easily found in most craft stores. Decide on the pattern you want etched into the glass and draw or trace it onto the contact paper. Choose an item from your shower curtain or wall border or a nice flower border that complements your design. The sky is the limit for etching patterns. You can even bring in leaves from your yard to trace if that’s the look you want. Once you have your pattern on the contact paper, cut the design out with the craft knife. Peel and stick the contact paper on the mirror with the cutout where you want your etching. Be sure the edges of the cutout are firmly adhered to the mirror’s surface by smoothing around them with your fingertip. Now, following the directions on the container, apply the etching cream to the mirror with the paintbrush. When it is finished, based on the time provided in the directions, wash with warm water and remove the contact paper. Now you have a custom mirror with very little money or effort!

A fun idea for dressing up a flat mirror is to frame it, either with a custom cut frame or rough-cut lumber, again depending on the look you want to achieve. This idea requires figuring out how much space you have between the mirror and any object, including light fixtures, mounted around or above it before you decide on the type of frame material you want. If you want to use a custom frame, call your local frame shop and ask them how to measure the dimensions. When you have your measurements, visit the frame shop and decide on the frame material you want. It may take a couple of hours or a couple of weeks to get your frame, depending on the shop. Once you have your frame, place it around your mirror (you might need an extra set of hands for this) and nail it in place with finishing nails (make sure the nails are long enough to go through the frame and into the wall). Cover the nail heads with matching putty or paint and presto – instant artwork! The process is pretty much the same if you are using rough-cut lumber except you will need to plan on staining or painting the wood. Or, if you have a lot of space around the sides of your mirror you can mount shutters to give the room an outdoorsy, spring window feeling. Old shutters can often be found at flea markets or antique stores. New shutters can be purchased from most building supply stores or hardware stores.Another look for your bathroom mirror is to finish it off with curtains. This is easier done with a flat mirror but can be used on a vanity, particularly if it is set into the wall. For a light, airy look use a floral or lace valance across the top with a hidden rod. For a more dramatic look drape a rich, heavy fabric across a decorative rod and let it hand down the sides of the mirror, framing it in elegance. Again, the sky is the limit with this idea. Keep in mind that due to the moisture in a bathroom, the fabric may need to be laundered more often than your living room drapes.

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Make you own inexpensive headboard

Is your bedroom crying out for a headboard for your bed? Have you searched the stores for headboards and found them to be too expensive? Here are some ideas you can use to make a quick, easy, inexpensive headboard. Create a headboard for a garden themed room by placing a section of picket fence at the top of the bed. You can use a distressed, found piece of fence that you have cleaned up, or purchase a brand new plastic length of fence from the hardware store. Have it cut to the width of the bed or have it cover the entire wall so you can put both the bed and side tables in front of it.

Use a wedding or garden gazebo as a canopy headboard. The piece will arch over the top part of the bed and you can hang fabric from it to form the headboard and canopy drape. Adorn it with flowers and place a picket fence bench at the foot of the bed to complete the look. A hockey goal is the perfect size and shape to use in the place of a headboard in a boys room. Just place it as-is at the top of the bed. With it facing inward, it will gently curve around the top of the bed. With it facing the wall, it will give you a somewhat sturdy headboard on which you can lean your pillows. You can add buttons with hockey sayings onto the netting to finish the look, or your child can borrow it to take outside and play and then put back in place when finished. Using hockey sticks for curtain rods would complete the look.

Bi-fold doors and standing screens also make excellent headboards. You can upholster them with fabric and batting or if they are see-through, you can staple (or glue of the item is metal) fabric to the backside. You can attach it to the wall with a couple of screws at the top. A cork wall would double as a great place to hang posters and notes as well as a neat headboard for a teen’s room. Just purchase cork squares or rolls and install according to the manufacturers instructions. You can then paint, stamp, or leave the cork wall in its natural state. Add special decorative pushpins in floral or sports shapes to finish off the look. You can also cut the corkboard into shapes before installing on the wall.

Shutters are also a great substitute for a headboard. You can transform it with a distressed paint finish and mount them on the wall. You will need two shutters for a twin bed, and four for a king sized bed.A fireplace mantel either found in the attic or purchased new, also makes a great headboard. Just attach fabric-covered plywood to the opening and place behind the head of the bed.For a quick headboard for a king sized bed, turn a door on its side and mount on the wall. Alternatively, you can choose to build a frame for it with legs so you can stand it on the floor. The door can be plain, painted, carved, or upholstered.

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How to design an oversized bedroom

While it can be a great joy to have an oversized bedroom, such room can be a huge challenge to decorate. It may be difficult give a large space the cozy feeling necessary in a bedroom. Here are some ideas to make your oversized bedroom more conducive to sleep, rest and relaxation. Keep it simple: Just because the room is large does not mean that you need to fill it with lots of things like exercise equipment computer systems. These things do not promote rest. All you really need in your bedroom is a bed, the bigger the better. All other items are expendable.

Get it off the wall: In a very large room, there is no reason to place your bed against the wall. Put it in the center of the room facing the windows with the best view. It is preferable for the bed to be facing a direction so someone entering the room would not be able to see the bed, but only the headboard. You can add to more privacy to the bed by placing a large armoire or dresser with the back of it to the headboard. If the back of the dresser shows through the headboard, you can upholster the back of the dresser with fabric, to coordinate with the bed. Sleigh beds adapt well to this placement because they have high headboards. Canopy beds would work as well because you can use fabric hanging from the bed poles as a screen. Folding floor screens can be placed at the head of the bed if you do not have a dresser or armoire that will fit in the space. For side tables, find pieces that look good from all sides like round tables instead of traditional nightstands. You can also choose to purchase a headboard unit designed for such a placement. Side tables are usually attached.

Break it up: Break the room into two or three zones, sleeping, lounging and dressing. Creating a sleeping area is obvious. Place the bed and side tables in one area of the room. For the lounging area, add sofas and chairs to the bedroom for an area to sit and talk, or even furnish an area where the children can feel comfortable. If you find you are sharing your bed with children, and want them to transition into their own beds, make sure that your bedroom sofa or lounge chair is comfortable. You may even want to add a day bed to your room. This way they can sleep in your room, but not in your bed. Once they can sleep without being next to you, transitioning them to their own bed will be easier. For your dressing areas, you can place your dressers, armoires and mirrors grouped together and add a bench or chaise that you can sit on when dressing. You can separate the room for more privacy if you wish. To do this, add a folding screen to block the view to your dressing area or use a two-sided bookshelf. The shelves can display beautiful items on the side facing the bed, and clothing related items on the other side.

Super-size it: Buy big furniture. A big room calls for big furniture. Get a California king bed with a double pillow top mattress that sits high off the floor. Add a set of bed steps or stools so you will not have to pole vault into the bed. Instead of traditional side tables, use three or four-drawer dressers on each side of the bed. Placed next to a large bed, they will look like night tables. You can use the drawers to eliminate clutter around the bed as well. Instead of a bench or regular chest at the foot of the bed, as they will tend to look like miniatures, place a low dresser without the mirror. You will have a super sized footlocker in which you can store spare bedding. Another option for the foot of the bed is a cabinet in which a television on a hydraulic system is housed. This way the TV is seen only when it is in use. Instead of traditional dressers in a room of this size, you might opt for a full wall unit or built in cabinets instead. Take advantage of the shape: Many large rooms are also odd shaped rooms. Use the shape of the room to your advantage. You can place one of your room zones, like your dressing area out of sight in an L-shaped room. Alternatively, you can tuck your sleeping area into the nook of a T-shaped room.

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Decorative wall to hold your speakers

Although home theatre speakers greatly enhance the sound quality of your movies and music, they can detract from the look of an otherwise well decorated room. Here are some ideas you can use to create innovative speaker shelves that will be a lot more attractive than seeing a black box stuck to the wall. If you have small speakers, you can camouflage them by painting the walls and the speaker mounts the color of the speakers. Of course, this seriously limits your decorating choices, but if you like the idea of a white, black, or gray wall, this will work. Simply cut a piece of plywood roughly the same size as the speaker that will sit on it. Screw a smaller supporting block into the wall just below where the speaker will sit. Then take your shelf, and screw it into your supporting block. Paint the wall and your homemade shelf to match the speaker.

You can use beautiful decorative wall sconces to hold your speakers. They come in many shapes sizes and styles. You can find wood or plaster sconces with details or cherubs and angels. You can find antique weathered sconces shaped as acanthus leaves. You can also use African motif carved sconces carved from rich ebony wood, or you can choose gilded floral sconces. Any of these will detract from the boring square speaker by drawing attention to it-self.

You can hide your entertainment center speakers. Install them into the wall by cutting out a piece of drywall the size of the speakers. Install a small’s shelf between the studs to hold the speakers. Then hang a lightweight sheer fabric painting over the speaker. You can make such a speaker cover yourself purchasing simple wooden picture frames without the glass and sheer pieces of fabric that can double as art. Staple the fabric into the frame making sure it is taut. You will have instant art and speaker covers at the same time. You may want to use a deep picture frame like a shadow box. You can also hide your speakers by purchasing wall mounted flower baskets and placing the speaker amongst the fake flowers. Just make sure no one tries to water the flowers.

You can show off your speakers by placing them on floating shelves
. They are available in many styles form a simple piece of glass, to a plate ledge, to a square block on the wall. There is an infinite number of finish choices that will go well with any design style. Another option for creating innovative shelving for your speakers is to make it a part of an art collage. It can be mounted on the wall in the midst of sculptures, pictures, and empty picture frames. It can even be mounted inside of an otherwise empty picture frame. A fun idea would be to place it on a shelf amongst a collection of different boxes. Choose wooden boxes, leather boxes and metal boxes to display your speakers along side. Even you will have trouble figuring out which item is your speaker from a distance.

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Decorate your wall for a New Home Theatre

Home theaters have quickly become a must-have for practically every family. From the simple family room setup to a much more elaborate stadium-seating wonder, today’s home theaters aren’t just for the wealthy anymore. What makes one home theater stand out from another is much more than just how it’s equipped, it’s also how it looks. The décor of a home theater is conducive to how well the room functions as an entertainment mecca for family and friends as well as how it shows when the lights are up. Creating a warm and inviting home theater is easy to do on any budget. Here are some ideas for creating a theater for all to enjoy.

Start with the basics. Paint the walls and ceiling black. For the flooring, choose an easy-to-clean surface or a dark-colored berber carpet. When it comes to lighting, choose recessed lighting and simple wall sconces. Add dimmer switches for a realistic ambiance. If your budget allows, consider building two levels of “stadium seating”. With some sturdy plywood and a few two-by-four blocks of wood, you can elevate one area of seating above another to ensure everyone has a great view.

Speaking of seating, a number of furniture stores now carry theater seating -- the equivalent of two to four recliner chairs linked together with cup-holder armrests. These pieces can be found in a multitude of colors and fabrics, with the most popular being leather and suede fabrics. If you have a smaller space or prefer a more intimate area, purchase two recliners in dark leather or other fabric. A simple end table can serve as a shared table between the two chairs. Drape blankets over each seat and add pillows for the ultimate in comfort.

Ready to accessorize? Old movie posters are a great compliment to any home theater. You can find them at a number of video, craft or art stores. For a larger selection, turn to the Internet where you’re sure to find the large 27x40 poster from your favorite classics. Oversized poster frames are relatively inexpensive and can be picked up at a variety of art, framing or crafts store. Check out a discount fabric store for rich, heavy red velvet that can be used to frame the television screen, to block light from windows or, in lieu of paint to cover the walls. Use excess fabric to create a red carpet path that leads from the door of the room to the seating areas.

No home theater is complete without refreshments. If space allows, install a built-in or freestanding bar. If creating a built-in bar, include a sink and cabinets for storing glassware and miscellaneous kitchen items. A complete home theater bar should include a microwave, mini refrigerator stocked with soda, juices and bottled water and for the nostalgic, an authentic popcorn popper guaranteed to fill your space with inviting aromas.

For the sake of convenience, you can purchase or build a media storage cabinet and/or entertainment system to house your audio/visual components as well as your DVD collection. If possible, choose pieces that are similar in color to your walls so they blend into the room rather than serving as a visual distraction.

Finally, when selecting the focal point of your home theater -- the equipment -- keep in mind that you can easily find speakers that are installed into the walls for a clean, less cumbersome appearance. The exteriors of these in-wall speakers can be painted and treated to blend seamlessly. If a drop-down projection screen isn’t in your budget, a large standard television with surround sound will do nicely. Add a tuner and some speakers for maximum sound quality. A home theater is a fun, relaxing place for families to spend time together as well as to entertain. The décor of the room should be about comfort and subtly allowing you to enjoy favorite movies or programs in the welcoming retreat of your own home.

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Decorate your kids bedroom yourself

Creating an undersea world for your child’s bedroom can be easy and fun. There are many ways to turn their personal space into an underwater world, complete with tropical fish and other sea life. This does not have to be expensive, either. Most things can be purchased cheaply or made and decorated by you. Make sure to have your child involved with the choices. It will help him/her feel like they contributed to the room and put their individual stamp on it.

The first place to start is with the walls. There are several options here, but a good place to begin is painting the walls a deep, sea blue. This does not have to be a dark blue; a lighter blue will work just fine. Have your child help choose the color. Paint the woodwork around the windows and doors a fresh, crisp white to contrast nicely with the blue. Some options for adding fish to the walls include buying a tropical fish border and placing it at chair level around the room, or using stencils to put brightly painted fish either at random all over the walls. Still another choice would to be painting sea life and vegetation all around the room, using the base of the wall as the bottom of you “sea.” If you can afford and want to add to the whimsy of the room buy grass green or dark blue carpet to accentuate the fish theme.

Furniture can be fun, too. Purchase a white painted wood bed, dresser and other pieces that your child will need. Again, you can stencil fish on the headboard, doors and drawers of the furniture to tie it in with the walls. Purchase fish shaped drawer and doorknobs that can be found at most larger hardware or home center stores and replace the plain knobs. Cute accessories, such as a wastebasket decorated with fish and a white wicker hamper shaped like a fish to hold dirty clothes will add to the décor. Buy a plain mirror with a wooden border and paint it white. Then, add three-dimensional plastic fish with your glue gun or using white craft glue and place them randomly around the edge of the mirror.

A bed in a bag set that features fish would be great for your child’s bedding. However, if you can’t find one locally or online, blue bedding that matches the walls could be substituted, or if you know how to sew, you can buy some cute fish fabric and make a comforter, toss pillows for the bed and floor and matching curtains. Since curtains can often be expensive, an inexpensive alternative is to use new sheets. Buy them with the design or color you want, using whatever size sheets will cover the window. Most windows can be covered nicely with two twin bed size sheets. The advantage to using sheets is that they already have a pocket sewn in that you can use to hang them from the rod. Cut them off at the desired length and hem up the bottom edge on your sewing machine.

For a few additional touches, add a fish shaped rug for their floor. In a corner, hang up a piece of fish net to hold their stuffed toys up and out of the way, or decorate it with all manner of sea life that has been “caught” in the net. Some cute fish prints can be matted and framed in white and hung on the walls. Find an old lamp and recover the shade with fish fabric and hanging beads, using your craft glue or glue gun. Purchase some glow in the dark fish from a novelty store and place them on the ceiling to give the room a “fishy” glow when they are lying in bed at night. Turn their plain old toy box into a treasure chest by painting it, and gluing on some gold coins, strings of beads and an old lock to the sides and front.Fish themes are so popular right now that it is very simple to find accents and accessories to decorate a child’s room. By using your imagination, you can turn their room into the room of their dreams.

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