A few quick tips for displaying your vacation photos:

• Consider white frames and mats to frame summer vacation pictures. White looks crisp and classy all year round and fits any décor style.
• Picking identical frames and mats lets the viewer focus on the pictures rather than the frames.
• Holiday pictures can brighten up any room in your house:
  • If your pictures are from a vacation at the beach, the bathroom is the perfect spot for them because they’re bright, fun and related to water. Inexpensive frames are a good choice for the bathroom to prevent damage from the humidity.
  • Pictures of children can be hung in each child’s bedroom providing great memories for the children and an inexpensive, personal decoration alternative.
  • We often forget about the laundry room, but what better place to hang holiday pictures? Looking at pictures of your vacation will help the tedious chore go faster, and may just inspire you to plan your next getaway.
  • Maybe you’ve visited some cafés, or have some great shots of your children eating ice cream or watermelon? Pictures related in some way to food add a personal touch to the walls in the kitchen.
  • Have fun and display your pictures in the mudroom. It’s a room that gets used every day, and vacation photos are a great way to welcome you home when you’re back to your routine.
  • Start a holiday wall and add to it every year. Group photos in a hallway or in a stairway.

For more creative wall décor ideas and to watch a quick video for tips and tricks on picture hanging, visit www.utrdecorating.com

With summer right around the corner, it’s also time to freshen the décor on your walls! Why not bring some of the bright seasonal colors inside for a new look? Nothing says summer like crisp white frames and matts paired with photos of vivid blossoms from your garden. Here are three quick and easy looks you can try to bring the vibrant colors of the season right into your own home.

Look A – Horizontal Grouping

This grouping is very versatile and looks great on its own or hanging above a piece of furniture. Create a balanced look by leaving equal space between frames. Here we left 5 inches.

• Hang the middle picture first, then using the SpacerTape™, measure out identical space between frames and hang the pictures on either side.
• It’s important to hang your frames at the right height. Learn more about Which Eye Level is the Right Eye Level and hang your pictures perfectly every time.

Look B – Vertical Grouping

This look works great on a tall narrow wall or in between windows and has the advantage of making a ceiling look higher than it actually is. Create a column of artwork by keeping the spacing between frames identical. Here we left 8 inches.

• Always hang your favorite piece in the middle as it will be noticed first
• It’s important to start with the bottom piece first, working your way up so the handle of the Hang & Level will not interfere with the rest of the pictures and you will have perfect alignment.

Look C – Creative Grouping

You don’t have to group pictures in a line. Tell a story by grouping frames closer together to create a compact look. If you have a small square wall space, a triangular arrangement looks great. Here, we left 2 inches between frames.

• Hang the bottom piece first, so the handle of the Hang & Level will not interfere with the picture above
• Next, hang the one on top followed by the frame on the right.

No matter which grouping you choose, you will create a fresh new look for your walls and the great thing is it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We took these beautiful pictures ourselves. For more great, inexpensive ideas check out Wall Décor on a Dime. And when you’re ready for a change, simply swap out your photos for a whole new look.

That was exactly the situation when Jennifer Valentyne, host of Breakfast Television, Jim Caruk and I chatted during a Live Eye segment filmed at the opening of Jim’s new BiY Center in Toronto. I taught Jennifer, who is 5’4” and Jim, who tops out at 6’2”, that there is a proper way to hang a picture that will keep everyone happy. By using the HeightGuide, which is part of our new Picture Hanging Kit, we were able to easily determine the perfect height to hang the picture and keep everyone smiling.

Click to view the video segment…

Here’s a quick and easy wall décor project you can do just in time for Valentine’s Day. All the materials you need are available at your local grocery or art supply store. It can be completed and ready to hang within a few minutes. Have fun!

What you’ll need:

• heart-shaped / Valentine’s candies
• shadowbox type picture frame
• glue / a glue gun
• white card stock or foamcore

Step 1: Take apart the frame and install the glass at the front of the frame. Add the shadowbox liner into the frame.

Step 2: Using the backing as a template, cut a piece of card stock or foamcore of the same size. Make a grid or other creative design on your card stock and glue the hearts. Play with colours and love notes printed on the hearts to decorate your piece.

Step 3: Carefully place the decorated card stock into the frame, add the backing making sure the picture wire faces up so your frame sits correctly on the wall. Press the metal tabs down to secure your artwork.

Step 4: Place the frame on your Hang & Level and find the perfect spot on the wall to display your masterpiece. Hang and level your frame using the tool. View our step-by-step “How to” videos via the link below for more picture hanging tips. Use the same basic technique with other Valentine’s Day candy to create different displays.

Happy Valentine’s Day!.

In today’s challenging economic times, if you are like most people, you’re probably looking for ways to trim your spending and balance your budget. Home décor does not have to be expensive. In fact, some of the most beautiful pieces that have the biggest impression are often the most affordable.

Liette was featured recently on TELUS TV, showcasing some innovative ways that you can create huge impact on your walls – not your wallet.

Click to view the video…

Too many homeowners are overwhelmed when it comes to hanging pictures in their house. What should be a simple task becomes riddled with uncertainty. “What size of picture do I hang over my sofa?” “How high should I hang them?” “What would look good over my mantel?” “What about groups of pictures?”

In this segment, featured on TELUS TV, Liette answers all of your questions and takes the guess work out of hanging pictures. She also demonstrates how you can quickly and easily create a stunning grouping with the Hang & Level tool, so you will never be overwhelmed with picture hanging again.

Click to view the video…

We will admit that when we first came across Stoppy, we thought “oh that’s a nice little door stop” and left it at that. However, the more time we spent with it the more we realized that it comes in handy much more often, and in many more ways than you’d think:

• Liette travels a lot and uses the Stoppy as an added bit of security when she’s in her hotel room by making sure the front door can’t be opened – it also makes keeping a bathroom or patio door opened a breeze.
• Our friend Laura suggested that Stoppy can be used to baby-proof a room by keeping active toddlers from opening doors. This works great at home and you can pop it into a diaper bag when visiting friends without small children of their own.
• Another use for Stoppy is to temporarily keep that screen door open when you’re bringing groceries into the house, or for when you are barbequing and your hands are full trying to bring items to and from the house. No more struggling to keep the door open without dropping everything, or running to catch the screen door before it closes.
• Mike just got back from the cabin where Stoppy was a great way to keep the doors open to let in the cool air at nights, and to allow the dogs to come and go without having to open the door every time. You can also use Stoppy to keep doors partially open, so pets can be confined to a given area, but still see out of the room.
• Another friend has told us that she would use her Stoppy to keep the doors on her sailboat open or closed, and she was very excited that this soft tool wouldn’t damage the expensive deck of the boat.
• And finally, on those really trying days, Stoppy makes an excellent stress ball, as Kevin demonstrates in the picture above.

* OK these are only the first 6 uses, but we’re sure there are more! Email us and tell us how you use your Stoppy!

Another tip is to use 2 Deco Nails™ for each frame – not only will they move less on the wall, but you will be able to adjust their horizontal position on the wall much easier.

Inspiration for picture hanging can be found everywhere. A favorite retailer, Pottery Barn continues to create hanging ideas that are new and unique – check out the picture grouping up the stairwell.

The images are printed in black and white and themed around candid shots of children which creates a classic, nostalgic feeling that easily coordinates with many interiors styles.  By using the same picture frame profile but in different colors and wood finishes it creates a balanced and clean look.

 Hanging picture frames up a stairwell always seems to be a challenging area but can easily be accomplished with the aid of the Hang & Level tool.

1.       Start by laying out the frames on the floor to create a stacking pattern horizontally and vertically so that you have direction when you are hanging the frames on the wall. It is easiest to start with a few larger frames as the anchors and fit in the smaller frames around them.

2.       Begin hanging the picture frames starting with the largest frame and using Hang & Level to position the first frame at eye height on the wall.

3.       Continue hanging the remaining frames in the same pattern you created on the floor. Always begin with the lower or bottom frame and then hang the next frame above it.  As seen in this image the frames can sit flush to each other.

4.       Using Hang & Level with each frame will allow you to position the frames exactly where you want them without having to measure once!

Image source: www.Potterybarn.com

Before you start hammering, remember that art in a living room is enjoyed from a sitting position, so keep your wall arrangements hanging low.

Here are a few tips:

• Make sure your sofa is placed exactly where you want it before pounding your first nail in.
• Your artwork should be at least 2/3 of the length of your sofa to create balance between your wall arrangement and your couch.
• If your artwork or grouping is wider than the width of your sofa, it will overwhelm it instead of enhancing it.
• The bottom of your frame(s) should hang at approximately 8” to 10” above the back of your sofa. Of course there are exceptions depending on whether you are hanging 1 piece or a combination of 2, 3 or more. You might have to play with those measurements at bit.
• Hanging your artwork too high will look like it’s floating away from the couch instead of being connected to it.
• Have someone hold your artwork for you while you step back, sit down and have a look.
• Depending on the pieces you are hanging, it’s generally a good idea to leave 2” to 5” in between each frame.
• Hanging frames too far apart will look like you are trying to fill the wall instead of connecting each piece of art.

There are different ways to hang a group of pictures; picking the right approach depends on the number of pieces, their sizes and how much wall space you want to fill.

A foolproof approach that works exceptionally well with pieces of different sizes and shapes like we have here is to create an imaginary large square or rectangle.

Getting Started:

1. Lay all the pieces right in front of the wall where you will display them.
2. Line up the outside borders of the square or rectangle with big pieces then fill the inside with the leftovers.
3. Imagine a vertical line running through the middle of your square or rectangle and see that items on either side of it are visually equal in weight. Balance colored items, light and dark pieces, different shapes etc… Move them around until you find the right combination.
4. Keep the center of your arrangement at about 60” to 66” from the floor, standard standing eye level.
5. Hang pieces 2” to 4” from each other.
6. Take a picture of your walls to verify if you have created a successful wall arrangement or not. Pictures don’t lie!