Make your teenagers happy with the look of their bedrooms - allow them to
decorate it themselves. Give your kids a sense of autonomy and watch them take
on responsibility - it may pleasantly surprise you. Here are some suggestions
that can change the look of a room with relatively little expense.
Painting a bedroom is an excellent way to change its entire appearance with
minimal cost. Add interest by using deeper and stronger colors rather than
neutral ones. Try painting the ceiling for a change. Stencils, rag-rolling and
sponge painting add texture. Ask your local paint shop about different
techniques.

Consider blackboard paint for a section of the wall - or all the way around the
room. This allows them to express their creativity (or do their homework) -
especially if your teenager enjoys drawing. If you have the time or inclination,
or if your teen is particularly good at painting, a mural might be something to
consider. A logo of a favorite sports team can take up an entire wall (go
Canucks!).

Some teenagers are pack-rats and accumulate a mountain of assorted treasures.
They may not have enough room in their closets for all their stuff, so it ends
up under the bed and all over the floor.

Shelves are one solution - and they don’t have to be expensive wooden ones
either. Get creative and think of different types of crates and cement bricks
that you can spray paint in neat patterns - just put a wooden board across the
top.

For teenage girls, fabric hung from the corner of the ceiling in loops can make
the room look classy. If it is secured well, it can also be used as a place for
arranging stuffed animals. Find colorful scarves at local thrift shops, or
perhaps stored in the attic.

For teenage boys, t-shirts that remind them of soccer teams or Disneyland can be
hung on the wall. A plain t-shirt signed by all of his friends will add a
personal touch. Add a group photo next to the shirt to attach names to faces.

Pillows can be made cheaply. Use them as decorations on the bed or for friends
to sit on. Sew your own pillows by cutting out logos from old shirts and sewing
them together, using an old sheet as a backing. Stuff the pillow full of cotton
and stitch it up. If you don’t have old shirts, buy end of stock cloth at any
fabric store.

No teenage bedroom is complete without posters of the newest band, favorite
sports team, or hot actor. Framed pictures of friends look nice if arranged in
an original way. Opened Oriental fans attached to the wall at different angles
add character.

Have your teenager’s favorite quotes, funny sayings, or pleasant reminders
plastered on their wall. Cut out comic strips and tack to the walls - this may
keep visitors in the room longer than your teen wants them there. But they say
laughter is the best medicine - so it can make your teen’s room a healthy place
to be!

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Usually, people who choose to build or buy a log home are unconventional souls-”free spirits.” The decor inside their homes is as unique as the outer appearance. Not long ago, decorating such a home was a challenge, since the pieces sold in a typical furniture store didn’t fit-either in size or style-the interior of a log cabin. However, as log cabin homes have become more popular, specialized furniture, as well as floor and window treatments have evolved to fit this decorating niche.

Simplicity and natural ambience are key factors in log home decorating. With an increasing number of choices in log cabin style today, it can be easy to go overboard with rustic pieces, resulting in a cluttered, busy look instead of the simple, peaceful feeling most homeowners want. Creating the right balance takes careful consideration of each purchase.

You will want to offset each intricate piece with a more plain counterpart. For example, if your wooden bed frame has exquisitely carved detail, a simple single or two-toned quilt will show off the handiwork better than a busy-patterned Native American blanket. Pay careful attention to the balance of plain and complex patterns in the living room, too. Often, log cabin homes have very large living areas, so they can handle a number of woven patterns. Offset them, however, with simple clay or carved wooden bowls on natural or distressed look tables and rusted-metal lampshades.

Windows treatments in a log cabin should be simple. Typically, log cabins in pioneer days had very plain window coverings. Their main purpose was to control the amount of light and heat/cold that came in. Because today’s log cabin homeowners usually hold nature in high esteem, and windows are ways of bringing the outdoors in. So, window treatments are simple so as not to distract from the natural light or view outside the window.

Natural fabrics are the most popular choices for decorating a log cabin home. They range from single-colored muslins to heavy-textured woven blankets and rugs. In between is a wide variety of coarseness of cloth, prints and grains of leather. Using one main type of fabric in a room allows you to accessorize simply by substituting a different texture, and maintains the simple feel so right for decorating a log cabin home.

Americana folk art fits the log cabin decorating theme perfectly. In addition to human-made art, many people make the most of Nature’s artwork. Birch wood frames for photo collections, leaf-prints and pressed flowers under glass blend with antler coat or mug racks to highlight living in harmony with the natural world, the spirit that lies at the heart of all log cabin home decorating.

Additional information, resources, and updates for this article can be found at:
http://www.diyhomedecorating.com/articles/2005-10/206/log-home-decorating/

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Visit The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network - http://www.diyhomedecorating.com - for more Decorating Ideas, Tips and Resources.

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Teen rooms can be a real challenge but they don’t have to be. The most important thing to remember when decorating or redecorating a teen room is to keep an open mind and listen to your teen’s thoughts regarding her own space.

You see, teens have their own style and in most cases desire a room the reflects their individuality. For parents sometimes it’s hard to accept that our teens decorating ideas may not match our own.

You also need to consider what end of the teenage scale your child is on. Chances are a teens taste and sense of self will change considerably between 13 and 17. Hence, the reason to tread lightly with fads and trends that may be here today and gone tomorrow.

Air on the side of caution and put a spending cap on major d

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