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Karen Hysell: Turn beautiful fabric into custom works in your home

August 14, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

2008/The Herald-Dispatch

Herald-Dispatch.com

QUESTION: When I see fabric on a remnant table I like, I usually buy it. The strange part of this obsession is I don’t ever do anything with it. I just like having it around. I recently found two yards of a decorator fabric that I love and really do want to use in my living room somehow. I don’t sew that well and don’t want to ruin this piece. Do you have any ideas on how to use it that would be simple to do? Thanks for any help. — Diane, Proctorville

ANSWER: I share your obsession for beautiful fabrics so I do understand, if that’s of any comfort to you. If you can sew a straight line, throw pillows are probably the easiest thing for you to make. If you don’t want to sew at all, think about covering a couple of lamp shades or even window shades if you only have a couple of smaller windows in your living room. These can both be done by using a spray adhesive on a plain lampshade or roller shade. You can cover any raw edges by gluing on your choice of trim. Custom! Consider using it to cover a round table by draping it and tucking the ends underneath. Unless you pointed it out, chances are nobody would ever know you didn’t sew it at all.

You can also have smaller pieces cut from different parts of the fabric, have them matted and framed, and then hang them all together for a gallery effect. I hope you can use one of these ideas.

QUESTION: I’m redoing my office space, and even though the room is not large, I want to use a shade of mocha brown for the walls. I’ve wanted to do a room with a darker shade, and this one is not highly visible from the rest of the house so I thought it would be a good place to start. My question is, what are some accent colors that would make the office look updated but not over the top? Missy, Barboursville

ANSWER: You have several choices, and I predict the hard part will be choosing which colors to use. I would consider using oranges or pumpkins, toasty reds, lime greens, cool aquamarines, whites or even different shades of the mocha you choose to paint the walls with. You’ll probably want to choose at least two accent colors, using one as the main accent and the other in smaller doses. An easy way to pick would be to find a piece of artwork you want in the room and take your cues from that.

Karen Hysell is the owner The Finished Room in South Point, Ohio. Her columns appear each Thursday in The Herald-Dispatch. E-mail her your decorating questions at decoratinggal1@aol.com.

Events

1940s Radio Hour
Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 4-6, and 11-13; matinee at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. A "live" radio show with seven performances. Complimentary tickets offered to...

J. Chris Newberg
7:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4-7. A refreshing smart and edgy humor, delivered with a streetwise sense of philosophical...

First Friday and Second Look Saturday
5-9 p.m. every first Friday, 2-6 p.m. every first Saturday. Visit with Pendleton artists in their studios. Questions, call 606-920-9863.

Lions Arts and Crafts Show
4-9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5-7. Hosted by the Lesage and Southeast Huntington Lions Clubs. The juried show is filled with...

"The Nutcracker"
school matinee begins at 9:30 a.m. and regular show at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5. Ashland Youth Ballet presents their annual presentation of The Nutcracker. Questions...

Christmas Tour of Homes
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 1-6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6-7. Tour six outstanding homes in the Bellefonte area dressed for the holidays. Questions, call 606-329-8888 or visit...

2nd annual Holiday Candlelight Tour
2-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7. A tour (inside and out) of eight prominent Huntington homes beautifully decorated for the holidays. Questions, call 304-733-ARTS.

Marshall Artists Series: "Wizard of Oz"
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9. A spectacular celebration of the iconic 1939 MGM film, "The Wizard of Oz." Tickets, call 304-696-3326 or visit www.marshallartistsseries.org.

16th annual Joy to the World Holiday Concert
8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11; doors open at 7:30 p.m. Featuring Bob Thompson with guest vocalist Dwight Lenox. Tickets, visit www.mountainstage.musictoday.com or call...

"Cowboy" Bill Martin
7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11-14. The Texas native, who has toured with some of the biggest names in country music,...

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Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust

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The Metropolitan Opera: La Damnation de Faust Encore

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Dining

GOOD EATS: Rocco's Ristorante serves up Italian faves

November 27, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

CEREDO -- Rocco's Ristorante has been a favorite of the Tri-State since 1977. The restaurant continues to serve delicious Italian meals, which have attracted people from miles around.

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