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Ah! The joys of sleeping in your own bed! After staying away from my home for 2 days, there is but one thing I missed most (apart from my DH, of course) - my bed. I had hardly slept for those 2 nights and was glad to snuggle into my cozy, comfy bed at last when I came home last night. Just one night's good sleep and I am ready to face another busy week ahead. And the first thing that came to mind on this beautiful Monday morning was to add a much needed article on 'Making a Perfect Bed' to DCW website.

And here we are. We have a nice little bed-making tutorial, the link to which you will find in the 'What's Hot at DCW' section below.

 How to Make the Perfect Bed
Beds are definitely very important parts of our lives. A properly made bed gives you the precious gift of a good night's sleep. This tutorial will help you learn to make a basic bed for yourself and your family.

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 Host a Cornish Cream Tea Party
A lovely Tea on the Lawn with a delicious menu of Cornish recipes will bring back the nostalgia of Victorian times as you sip refreshing tea with traditional Cornish delicacies.

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Create an Art Gallery in Your Home

Summer parties mean more people viewing your d?cor and less time for you to spend on decorating your house. Creating an art gallery in your home is a great way to achieve high impact with modest effort. Your art selections will tell your guests a lot about your personal style. Plus, a home art gallery is easily changeable to suit the season, a special occasion or your mood.

The art preservation experts at Tru Vue, a Chicago company that makes preservation quality glass for the framing industry, offer these tips for creating your home art gallery:

* Choose your theme. Will your gallery consist of works by favorite artists? Shadowboxed mementoes from personal experiences or family history? A portrait gallery of family members? Or, a mix of all these styles? Practically anything you treasure – movie tickets, theater playbills, old record covers, sports memorabilia, musical instruments, clothing - can be framed and displayed in your art gallery.

* Select the location. You will want a spot where guests are sure to see – and admire – your gallery. It’s up to you if you want the gallery to be a focal point for a room, or a subtle compliment to an overall design theme. Avoid spots where your artwork will be exposed to direct sunlight, but also keep in mind that indirect light and artificial light can both damage artwork too. Never hang important pieces directly over a heat source or in an area with high humidity – such as a bathroom.

Consider creating a family portrait wall. Galleries also look great lining a staircase wall. Hang artwork at eye level for someone of average height. Place smaller, more detailed pieces in small spaces, like hallways, where impact is less important than content.

* When creating groupings, select frame styles that are compatible with the room d?cor, and mat styles and colors that coordinate well with each other. You might consider organizing pieces with a particular theme that compliment a specific room in the house. For example, you might frame pictures of family members cooking or sharing a meal to create a food-themed art gallery in your kitchen.

* Once you’ve chosen a theme and location, arrange your gallery pieces by laying everything out on the floor first. This will help determine adjustments, accurate measurements and the overall look of the collection. Whenever possible, align the tops or bottoms of various pieces in the group.

* To ensure you and your guests will enjoy your art gallery for years to come, be sure to properly frame and preserve each treasured piece. A custom framer can create display cases and frames to show off and protect each memento or piece of art.

“An independent custom framer can enhance your pieces through their design talent, creativity and knowledge of preservation products like acid-free mats and ultraviolet protection glass or acrylics,” says Kathy Carter McLin of Tru Vue. “Galleries and museums maintain a controlled environment so that light and humidity do not damage their artworks. Each piece in your home gallery is just as important to you.”

Courtesy of ARA Content

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