Decorating With Class

Exciting Home Decor Uses for a Cake Decorating Set

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for more great ideas to improve the looks of your home along with the latest and greatest in Raised Plaster Stencils, Mural Stencils and Decorative Plaster Molds for Decor Applications.

Exciting Home Decor Uses for a Cake Decorating Set

You know me by now. I LOVE plaster. I LOVE decorating with plaster and I love finding new, exciting ways to apply it.

I have found that my kitchen junk drawer held one of the most exciting plaster tools imaginable! My cake decorating set!

Instead of using the set with frosting, simply fill the decorating bag or press container with common joint compound and have a blast!

*Create scroll work on your walls then attach plaster leaves from one of our plaster leaf molds!

*Add further detail to Raised Plaster Stencil designs

*Add more dimension to Raised Plaster Stones or bricks.

I just developed a new Raised Plaster Stone Tile design (available soon) and started playing with the decorating tip and tinted joint compound. What a kick in the pants!

I first applied tinted compound to the stencil and let it dry.

I then mixed two colors of craft paint with joint compound and filled my cake decorating press container with the mixture.

I then started adding further raise and dimension to the plaster stone work. This is certainly the fun part and you can get just as crazy as you want to!

By tinting the joint compound, you never have to worry if an accidental chip takes place because the color runs through out the stone.

The result was cool! Now I'll let it dry most of the way then do just a bit of a "knock down" with my plastic scraper.

The great thing is that with this technique, an original back splash or wall design with stone tiles becomes an easy project!

Be sure to seal with clear, non-yellowing polyurethane to protect.

Remember that this easy technique can be done to any of our stone or brick designs, to add veining on leaf designs or to create raises around the edges of many designs. Let your imagination take you to a whole new level of Raised Plaster Stenciling!

The Tuscan Decorating You have Always Wanted

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for lots of Tuscan styled stencils than range from Raised Plaster Column Stencils to beautiful design for walls, back splashes, bathrooms and more.

The Tuscan Decorating You Have Always Wanted

Every now and then I will read a post where some designer says Tuscan decorating is going out of style. I say; "Hogwash!". If that were so, why am I still seeing prominent features of the beautiful style in today's top decorating magazines, in "Street of Dreams Homes", and why is it still being used by many of today's top interior decorators?

One of my favorite websites for Tuscan decorating is TuscanHome101.

What's so great about TuscanHome101? The entire website is not only filled with great Tuscan ideas, but explains in detail the elements used in common Tuscan decorating so that you can re-create those beautiful look in your own home yourself.

Sure, they "sell" on their site, but the focus seems to be more about teaching you about Tuscan Decorating and what sets it apart from other styles of decorating. They also feature Tuscan "life" which is cool.

The site features Tuscan Architecture, Tuscan Getaways, Tuscan Wines and so on.

It's an adventure all in itself with everything "Under the Tuscan Sun".

So visit today and enjoy a trip to Italy via this wonderful site, all while learning a great deal you might have never known!

And remember that we can help you with some of the elements you might want or need to give your Tuscan theme true beauty! Visit VictoriaLarsen.com today

More Open Shelving Ideas

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for great wall painting stencils, mural stencils, raised stencils and plaster molds to decorate your home with class!


More Open Shelving Ideas

This one is from Tammy:

"Another idea for open shelving is to replace your wooden shelves with thick, beveled glass and then install under-cabinet lighting in the tops of your cabinets.  Use a dimmer switch to adjust the lighting.  You'll end up with a very airy feeling, and the soft lighting will enhance your items.  This look is especially beautiful at night."

Now I can really envision this and it's really right up my alley.
Being a lover of the Traditional decorating style, where everything is elegant and pristine, this shelving idea would be great in my home, not only in the kitchen, but the bath as well.

And what a great way to display just about anything.

So what if you are dealing with a room where no cabinets exist and you want to try this idea? (Like our kitchen in our forest home in Idaho).

Simple! Build a box out of finish grade plywood. Rather than construction grade, finish grade is much smoother and ready for finishing.
All you need is the sides, top and bottom.
Apply wood strips to the inside of the sides to hold glass shelving.
Paint and seal.

The glass can be custom cut for you at Lowe's or Home Depot in the glass department. They can even bevel the edges for you if you like and it's not that expensive.

The lighting can be purchased in the lighting department. The dimmer switch can be found over on the electrical aisle.

Finish your new cabinet with molding (pre-paint it to save time and effort) and mount it to the wall. Brackets work great for mounting and can be added to the cabinet box before you put it up. Ask your local hardware guy for the best bracket for the weight.

What fun!


Thanks for the post Tammy! I love it!

More on Open Shelving in the Kitchen

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for beautiful wall stencils, ceiling mural stencils, plaster molds and more great decorating ideas than you thought might exist!

More on Open Shelving in the Kitchen

When Theresa read my post on open shelving, she commented with a GREAT idea!

"I have a great collection of white dinner/serving wares...I wanted access to those items quickly and I like the look of some open storage.  My solution was to remove the cabinet doors and paint the back of that cabinet in the same wall color.  They look great and the pop of color behind the white dishes adds some interest to my space". 

Here's what that might look like but now imagine it with a slightly different wall color behind.

Remember to display dishes neatly, but try creative displays as well. Think about shorter stacks of plates with one of the plates standing up behind the stack.

Replace a few rows of cups or glasses with decorative items such as a pineapple finial, framed photo or artwork or totally cool wrought iron piece you found at the flea market.

Remember too, that in "merchandising" a space (your display format), that space itself is just as important as the items you place on the shelves. So leave open spaces. This shows off your items better and creates more visual appeal. Besides, it just look neater and cleaner.

But what if you like a more ornamental cabinet style? That's EASY! Apply small plaster ornaments from one of our Plaster Molds to the corners or junctions between support boards.

Consider small  leave plaster mold in the corners,

possibly an Acanthus Droplet plaster mold,

or maybe a our  Victorian Triangle Plaster Mold design.

Simply cast little ornamental pieces with Plaster of Paris, let them dry completely (so that they are light in weight), use joint compound to adhere them to the outside edges of the cabinet. Fill the space between the cabinet and the plaster piece with plaster of paris and let it dry. Now paint those pieces the same color as the cabinet.

To bring out the detail even further, simply wipe a color wash (water mixed or wall glaze with a darker version of the paint color) over the top of the ornamental plaster then wipe off any excess. That little peice will now become a detailed portion of your cabinets. And if you ever want to remove them in the future, you can.

To remove them, score the area between the plaster piece and the cabinet with a box cutter. Spray the opening with water and let it set. The water then begins to dissolve the joint compound and the plaster and the piece can then be pried off a little at a time.

"Ah....THAT'S that reason we apply them with joint compound!". Yes!

Thank you for your post Theresa!

The New Trend in Kitchen Design~Open Shelving

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for beautiful Raised Plaster Stencil designs that give your walls elegant and dramatic texture that is as easy as frosting a cake!

The New Trend in Kitchen Design~Open Shelving

I am constantly keeping up with today's decorating trends via the most popular magazines, blogs and internet websites. It's a chore I absolutely love since home decorating is a passion of mine.

What I am seeing more and more of in kitchen decorating is "Open Shelving".
The concept of replacing upper cabinets (Or at least some of them) with open shelving tends to give your kitchen a more open and airy feel.

Open shelving doesn't seem to take away from the amount of storage available, but you truly must become a "neatnik" when utilizing the space.

Rather than to simply stack dishes haphazardly as you might in a closed cupboard, think about your arrangement as you would arrange a "display shelf" instead.

As I perused images on the web, I found it difficult to find photos of very lovely arrangements. Ones I would consider using as part of my kitchen decorating.

But alas, I did find an interesting photo that depicted more of what I would consider a useful, yet decorative use of the shelf space.

Look at the creativity used with this display. Shelves are offset and separated, with artwork, dish collections, plants and vinegar bottles used as "merchandising" rather than simple storage.

I loved this idea!

Our kitchen in our Idaho home is enormous which is just wonderful. But being that it is part of a "great room" design, I actually prefer not to take away from that wonderful "open" feel.

My thought now leans toward open shelving as the solution.

I envision matching baskets, my collection of decorative urns, candles and specialty plates amongst the standard dishes and china I would want to store on the shelves.

By separating dishes or glassware with art, collection pieces or beautiful candle holders, the space begins to appear less "utilitarian" and more decorative.

Group items together instead of spacing them out on the shelves to achieve this look.

What about adding flair to the background wall as well! My idea is to paint the background a soft, warm tone and then stenciling a wallpaper style design in gold, silver or copper. It will give the area a soft elegance you will just love.

So if you are remodeling or if you currently have no upper cabinets, consider this great alternative to not only save thousands of dollars in cabinet costs, but to also add a feeling of open comfort to your kitchen.

The Faux Finisher Magazine

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for more tips, tricks, techniques and awesome designs than you bargained for!

The Faux Finisher Magazine

If you have not yet subscribed to "The Faux Finisher" magazine, you are missing a lot!

Not only is it chocked full of fabulous stenciled and faux finished rooms, interesting techniques and products, it also is a constant source of inspiration!

So many times, as I've perused the magazine, I've come across an article that dealt with an issue I was facing right that moment. Or saw a photo that sparked another new design in my own line of stencils or molds.

With the helpful "Ask Mike & Mickie" section, you get fabulous advice ranging in subjects from finishes to business issues, there are sections that help the faux finish artist with marketing tactics that help to keep them ahead of the pack.

There's always some great project being talked about in detail and scads of photos to draw your own creative ideas from.

But what if you aren't a faux finish artist? It doesn't matter. The ideas and information are well suited to the Do It Yourself Homeowner as well!

Check out "The Faux Finisher" magazine and I'll bet you become like me; savoring every issue and never throwing one away!

Subscribe