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Amy L. Milligan
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Joined EzineArticles on Mar 20, 2009 Understanding Color Schemes For Decorating - Color Harmony 101
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: January 15, 2010
To understand color schemes, you need to have an understanding of color harmony, which is the theory behind the development of color schemes. Similar to music theory, there is a basic understanding that certain colors act together in harmony, while others may create a clashing of tones.
African Women Earning Fair Wages Using Their Rich Heritage of Basket Weaving
Arts and Entertainment: Humanities • Published: January 4, 2010
Woven by hand with needle and thread, using natural materials indigenous to the area, the craft of basket weaving provides rural African women with jobs and the income necessary to support themselves and their children. Fair Wages for Gifted Generations African women have a rich heritage of basket weaving that has been passed down through the generations. Handmade baskets produced according to fair trade standards benefit women and families in rural regions of Africa who are coping with severe economic uncertainty.
Tired of Feeling Bored by Your Wall Colors? 6 Steps to Find Inspiration and Rejuvenate Your Walls
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: September 9, 2009
Are you tired of feeling bored by your wall colors? Did you have the perfect color, but now your room feels dated?
Does Your Dining Room Send the Right Message? 5 Questions You Should Ask Yourself
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: September 3, 2009
Is your dining area an informal space that you use daily, or is it a separate room intended for more formal use? Regardless of the area, your dining room should be functional and comfortable for you, your family, and your guests. You want your dining room decor to send the right message. Are you getting what you expect and need from yours? If you're not sure, ask yourself the following (5) questions:
Haitian Drum Art - Turning Trash Into Opportunities Where Majority Lives on Less Than $2 a Day
Arts and Entertainment: Humanities • Published: June 26, 2009
Did you know that 55-gallon steel oil drums are being recycled into art? Discover how craftspeople create the art that allows them to earn fair wages in the the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
What If Your Bedroom Could Talk?
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 23, 2009
If your bedroom could talk, do you think it would say and do what you expect? If you're not sure, ask yourself the following (5) questions.
Dining Room Decor 101 - 3 Key Considerations
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 16, 2009
Dining areas vary from large formal rooms to small alcoves, and a comfortable dining room is one that meets your daily needs, as well as those of your guests. Practical furniture and proper furniture arrangement with appropriate serving space are key essentials that you can use to create a functional dining space. Add your decorative style, and you can make the most of your dining room, creating a space that is functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Is Your Living Room As Comfortable As You Think? 6 Questions You Should Ask Yourself
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 11, 2009
You think your living room is comfortable. After all, it's the place where you, your family, and your guests get together. You talk, and you entertain. It should be comfortable. It is the place where everyone seems to be enjoying one another's company. But, you should ask yourself these (6) questions to make sure your living room is as comfortable as you think.
Looking to Create the Illusion of Space? Discover How to Use Color and Light to Your Advantage
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 9, 2009
When decorating a small room, the primary goals are often to maximize the space available and to create a feeling of spaciousness. Proper planning, furniture placement, and organized storage space can maximize the space you have, while color and lighting considerations can be used to emphasize the space available. Understanding the effects of color and light on the perception of space will help you to create a sense of spaciousness when you decorate a small room.
Tired of Feeling Restricted in Your Studio Apartment? 4 Tips to Optimize Your Space
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 8, 2009
Limited space can present unique challenges in decorating a small studio apartment. With proper planning, you can easily overcome those challenges and create an efficient use of your space by using a few basic design concepts. By following just a few simple steps, you can maximize your apartment space.
Are You Making the Most of Your Living Room?
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 5, 2009
Living areas vary from large, all purpose rooms to small studio apartments, and a comfortable living space is one that meets your daily needs, as well as those of your guests. A living room is primarily a gathering place, a room suitable for conversation and entertainment. Functional seating arrangements, proper furniture placement, organized storage areas, and decoration are key elements to creating a practical and comfortable living room.
Redecorating a Room? 4 Easy Steps to Maximize Your Space
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 4, 2009
No matter the size of the room, any solid design is based upon an evaluation of your space. Developing a concept or theme to guide your thought process will assist you in analyzing your space and completing your design. Knowing the space you have and your overriding concept allows you to assign areas to particular functions, therefore maximizing your space. After determining a layout for optimum utilization, you can decorate your space and complete your arrangement.
Home Decor Accessories Make Any Room Personal and Fashionable, Trendy Yet Practical
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: June 3, 2009
Home decor accessories are an integral part to any room's design, and their presence can be practical and useful, simply decorative, or even a combination of both. Although home accessories typically play a background role to larger focal points, accent pieces bring form and function into our daily spaces. Decorating your surroundings allows you to reflect your individual style. Whether practical, decorative, or both, home decor accessories are often the most personal reflections of individuality and style.
Decorative Handmade Pottery From Global Villages - Designs, Techniques, and Uses
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: May 28, 2009
It is believed that the earliest pottery wares were hand-built and fired in bonfires. Over the course of time, potters have continued to work with their hands, using similar techniques to those of the past. Today there are more elaborate designs and techniques than 500 years ago, but in many global villages pottery is still made by hand. With the diversity of techniques available and each individual potter's style, there is a wide variety of handmade pottery available for functional or decorative use.
Peruvian Pottery - Vessels Found in Burial Sites Lead to Distinguishing Technique of Making Pottery
Arts and Entertainment: Humanities • Published: May 27, 2009
Handmade pottery from Chulucanas, Peru is world renowned, as the potters have discovered an unusual technique of painting, burnishing, and firing their pottery wares. Pre-Columbian vessels found in the burial sites of the Vicus tribe were studied and found to have been created using a negative smoke resist technique. The technique was then revisited in the 1960's by the potters in Chulucanas. Their experimentation with the technique led to uniquely distinguishable pottery which is now sought after around the world. Now, the majority of the Chulucanas community is involved in making pottery, earning fair wages for their artwork.
African Home Decor and Accents - Decorating With a Natural, Eco-Friendly, and Sustainable Touch
Home Improvement: Interior Design and Decorating • Published: May 21, 2009
African home decor is more accessible than ever, and globalization has increased interest beyond that of a trend. African arts maintain a history and quality that cannot be replicated through modern means of mass production. Today, African home decor ranges from traditional ethnic arts to more contemporary designs. And, a significant amount of African decor is created from natural or recycled materials. Authentic African home decor and accents reflect established principles that are gaining resurgence in today's culture of social awareness.