For all of you that are more than ready for spring flowers, it’s almost here!

The 7th Annual Tulip Exhibition in Piedmont is this Friday through Sunday (3/23 – 3/25) from 10am to 4pm, at the Mtn. View Cemetary’s Tower Chapel.

This exhibit always has something new in floral arrangements, as well as a wide variety of arrangement styles and vignettes, and also features a free demonstration of flower arranging each day at 2pm.

Here are a few more photos of exhibits from prior years:

What would the Tulip Exhibition be without plenty of vibrantly colored tulips!

Calla lilies and tulips are the focal point of this striking arrangement

This variety of tulips with the somewhat wild arrangement of the foliage creates a lush look.

You can learn more here, at their web site and can also see more photos from previous years.  See you there!

The woven fabric with the basket weave is in the spotlight this month.

This woven fabric from Lee Jofa, In a Twist, utilizes a satin-stitch to create the  basket weave pattern.  It seems rather twig-like to me, which results in an organic and casual, almost playful effect.

This close-up will give you a better sense of  its texture:

A very tactile effect is created by the twig-like satin stitch used to create this pattern

It would be at home in many rooms and settings, ranging from traditional through to transitional and contemporary styles.  There are several colors available in addition to the ‘hibiscus’ color above:

In addition to the colors shown, it is available in a soft yellow.

Scale:  Each grid in the basket is about 2 1/2″ wide.

Uses:  This fabric is suitable for draperies and for valances and shades with a somewhat tailored style.  It would also work well for bedding and upholstered furnishings.  It may need a backing when used for upholstry.

5  Fun Home Décor Ideas for Kids’ Rooms

Spelling out your child's name on bunting is a festive way to decorate the room

◊ What could be a more pleasing to your child than using some of their own artwork as a decorative accessory for their room?  Here are 3 ideas that can readily incorporate art created by your child.

These 3 methods are all simple to do — and easy to update, whenever your child is ready for something new!

Information on a few of the supplies you’ll need is below at the end.

Method #1: 

Decorative Bunting

The perfect way to display your child’s small drawings, their illustrations of  the ABC’s –  or to spell out your child’s name.

Along with the basic shapes of squares, circles, triangles or diamonds, you can make them even more decorative by creating shapes such as flowers, trains, butterflies or fish, for example.

There are two basic methods to attach the art to the cord of the bunting:

Thread each piece of the bunting through the cord:  While the ribbon threaded through the hearts in the picture above looks very stylish, it makes it a little more difficult to change out the art.

Use binder clips or cloths pins to attach the art to the bunting cord:  This method makes it very easy to change out one or all of the elements on the cord.  In many cases, you won’t even have to take the bunting down.

In either case, you can secure each end of the bunting cord to the wall or ceiling with the type of hooks used to hang plants from the ceiling.

If you hang the bunting from the ceiling, these 3 areas are generally good places to display it:  across the wall above the bed, across a window, or across the corner of a room.

Other effective places to string the bunting are :  between the posts on the headboard of a bed (if the posts are tall) or across the posts at the foot of the bed (if they’re not), across the top of a bookcase or along the wall above closets and doors.

Method #2:

Create frames with a stencil, or use matte art frames  — either will allow you to easily change the art displayed

Using stencils to paint frames on the walls:

Using matte frames is more versatile than stenciling a virtual frame, as the frames themselves can easily be displayed in different places.

But stencils can be a fun option, as you can create more elaborate or whimsical frames.

There are two tricks to make displaying art in matte frames easy to change as often as you’d like.

First:  Mount the frames to the wall with either Con-Tact adhesive paper or with museum putty (sometimes referred to as ‘earthquake’ putty).  Either method works well to attach lightweight matte frames to the wall without damaging either the wall or the frame.

And unlike painter’s tape, which should not be left on the walls indefinitely, there is no time limit after which your walls will become damaged with these methods.

Second:  The art that will be displayed is also attached to the wall (or to matte frame, if it has a backing) with the museum putty or Con-Tact paper.  This makes it very easy to change out the art, again without causing damage to anything.

Tip:  If you decide to use the Con-Tact adhesive paper method, save the backing that peels off.  Then, if you want to take a piece of art down to store it safely, you can re-apply the backing to the sticky back side of that art.

Method #3:

Apply magnetic paint to a door or to painted furniture

If you treat just a small area in your child’s room, such as a door or a portion of a painted piece of furniture (such as the doors or side of an armoire), this is a quick and easy project.

There are pre-mixed magnetic paints available, but you can also buy a can of magnetic primer and paint any color over it.  You may also need extra strong magnets for larger works of art.  Magnets sold especially for this use are available.

The magnetic surface created can also be used as a bulletin board of sorts, as your child grows older.

Note:  If your child is very young, you may want to keep the use of the magnetic paint above the point where their hands reach.  Although this paint is supposed to be safe, it’s still a case of ‘better safe than sorry.’

Supplies You’ll Need

The picture below shows some of the supplies you will need.  The Earthquake Hold museum putty, the Con-Tact adhesive paper and the Krylon Magnetic Paint primer are usually available at hardware stores:  I found them all at the Ace Hardware store on Grand Avenue in Oakland.

Although I haven’t run across any extra strong magnets locally, I did see some available when I ran a recent search online.

This post is the first in the series of 5 articles:

  5  Fun Home Décor Ideas for Kids’ Rooms

They will be become available within a single pdf  to subscribers of my monthly e-newsletter, The Feathered Nest, at the end of the series.

If you’d like to receive your copy, please go to my contact page to sign up for my newsletter.

This year marks the 24th anniversary of the Children’s Support League’s (CSL) Heart of the Home Tour, which will feature five fabulous homes in Piedmont and the Oakland hills.

For the first time ever, the tour also includes a Designer Showcase in a beautiful Piedmont estate, with several rooms transformed by local designers.

Last year, the tour raised enough to donate over $186,000 to 25 organizations serving children in need.  Since the tour began, a total of more than $2.7 million has been donated.

The agencies funded by the tour focus on serving children who need homeless services, child abuse prevention services, domestic violence counseling, educational support and other critical services.

Join Us as a Docent This Year

As someone who recently joined this group, I’m now learning just how much work goes on behind the scenes to make this tour possible.

We need lots of volunteers to make it all happen:  More than 180 docents are needed to staff the homes during the two days of the tour!

Virtually all of the tour’s proceeds are donated to children’s charities:  With an all-volunteer staff and help from docent volunteers, CSL’s overhead is less than 3% of the gross revenue raised.

If you have volunteered before, you know how much fun it is.  If not, join us this year and find out!

Volunteering for the Tour

In addition to having the satisfaction of knowing you’ve played a part to help children through the agencies funded by the tour, you’ll also receive a few ‘perks’ to thank you for your support:

You’ll enjoy spending time in one of our five beautiful tour homes, and can purchase a discounted ticket for only $20 to tour the other four homes at your leisure.

You’ll also be entitled to tour the homes when the crowds have gone, after they’ve closed to the general public for the day.

In addition, docents are entered in a special drawing for volunteers only.

If You’d Like to Help

As I’m in charge of scheduling volunteers for the tour this year, please contact me if you’d like to be a docent.

Please include any preferences you have as to the date (Friday, 4/27 or Saturday, 4/28) or shift (morning, 9:30 to 1pm, or afternoon, 12:30 to 4pm) you’d like to sign up for.  You can sign up to volunteer here, or send an email to the address below.

More About the Tour

If you aren’t able to volunteer, but would like to attend the tour, please go to CSL’s web site at wehelpkids.org/ to purchase tickets.  If purchased in advance, they are $45, or $55 with lunch.

This year’s tour also has a new feature for lunch — it’s food-truck style!

VIP tickets, which include exclusive early admission to the Designer Showcase home and continental breakfast, are $85.

As a VIP guest, you will hear a local expert speak on the history of the home and surrounding Piedmont neighborhood.

You will also have exclusive access to the Showcase designers, each of whom is donating a design consultation to the VIP raffle.

The tour will, as always, feature the popular boutique at the Piedmont Community Center.  For a look at last year’s vendors, go to:  wehelpkids.org/boutique

Thanks in advance for your support!

Detail of the emboridery and appliqued embellishment in this fabric from Schumacher

This ogee-patterned fabric  has an unusual and very pleasing design combining embroidery with satin-stitched appliqued embellishment.

Although Schumacher classifies it as a modern woven, this pattern would be at home in a transitional setting, as well.

It’s available in a color palette of yellow-green &  soft, warm blue with a mid-tone green  — shown here –  and also in a palette of  red and oranges that ‘pop’ against a dark brown fabric ground.

I’ve included the detail above so you can really see how tactile this fabric is.  The overall pattern is shown here:

Overall pattern for Schumacher's woven ogee fabric in the 'chartreuse & sky' color

Use:  This fabric is suitable for soft furnishing like drapes, roman shades, valances or cornices and bedding.

From:  Schumacher’s Modern Wovens Collection

This spring's production is The Bluegrass Musicians of Bremen Flats, the premiere of an original musical by Ron Lytle

Last May,  I saw their production of  Beauty & the Beasty and was so impressed with the children’s enjoyment of the show that I decided to join the volunteers in the EBCT that make these shows possible.

Each spring, a few shows are presented to the general public to help raise the funds needed for the group’s mission:  to bring live musical shows to children in under served schools in Oakland — many who have never seen any live entertainment.

If you have young children — from pre-school up to 5th grade level — you won’t want to miss this year’s show!

For a synopsis of the show, go to:  ebctonline.org/productions/

A flyer for the show, with the date, times and ticket prices is below, if you’d like to print a copy.

When:  This spring’s  public performance  of  The Bluegrass Musicians of Bremen Flats will take place in Montclair on Saturday, March 24th, with two one-hour shows at 11am and 1:30pm.   Tickets will be available at the door.

Where:  Montclair Elementary School auditorium

Cost:  Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children

For more info:  Call 510-528-4057 or visit: ebctonline.org

Show Flyer:

Show flyer for The Bluegrass Musicians of Bremen Flats, an original musical by Ron Lytle

Trellis woven pattern in the 'pool' color from Duralee Fabrics

Like the way this pattern combines elements of a trellis and ogee pattern –  with what could be a leaf in the soft turquoise ground.

A nice fabric to brighten up a home;  it still has a nice relaxed feel to it.

From Duralee, in their Pavillion Collection of  Indoor/Outdoor fabrics.

Available in 3 colors, the embroidery work makes this one of  the most notable fabrics I’ve seen this spring.

The first color, ‘Orchard’ is my favorite, with its happy palette of reds, oranges and greens.  The inset photo near the bottom highlights an embroidered section of the pattern:

Emory Leaf embroidered fabric in the 'Orchard' color

Here’s a look at the 2 other colors in this pattern, which also have appealing  palettes:

Emory Leaf in the 'Stone' and 'Seaglass' colors

To give you an idea of the scale of the pattern:  The vertical repeat is 13″ and the horizontal repeat is 17.5.”

The overall width is 52″ and it is 100% cotton.

So it seems a good time to ask:  What does greening your home really mean when it comes to fabrics?

At one point, using organic or all natural materials was the standard used by most of us.

But today, I hear more talk about terms like sustainable and eco-friendly and the concept of the ‘carbon footprint.’   Which I believe is a change for the better.

Looking for products that are organic or all natural speaks to just the manufacturing process used.  And while that’s important, it leaves out two other equally important aspects to consider — the energy efficiency and the longevity of the materials in question.

Synthetic Fabrics

For instance, with draperies, polyester is often really the ‘greener’ fabric choice.  It will stand up to the sun 2 to 3 times longer than cotton, linens or (even longer) silk.  It’s also much more energy-efficient, as it doesn’t breathe.

Recycled Fabrics

Plus today, you can get recycled polyester drapery and upholstery fabrics.   For instance, Clodagh’s Global Passage Collection (pictured below) for Duralee Fabrics includes recycled polyester, renewable bamboo and organic cotton fabrics.

Fabrics from the Global Passage Collection

Fabrics from the Global Passage Collection

Next time around, I’ll go into some sustainable and outdoor-indoor fabric options.

Inaugural Greening Oakland Homes Green Fair

The fair is from 11am to 3pm, this Saturday, March 6^th at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club (at the corner of Thornhill Drive on Mountain Blvd).  For more info, visit:

http://www.greeningoakhomes.com/greening-oakland-homes-fair

I’ll be one of the exhibitors, so if you’d like to know more about which window treatments will help you save on your energy bill, please come by.

I’ll also have samples from the Clodagh Global Passage Collection on hand.