Do It Yourself Design

Nature Inspired Thanksgiving Table Settings

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, creating a beautiful tablescape is important. You want the table to be decorative, but not overbearing. Here are a few ideas you can play around with for this season and they all embrace the beauty of nature. Simple & Modern For a modern take on the holiday, use lots of white so the table feels clean and fresh. White plates and napkins will do the trick. Silver instead of gold will keep this theme looking just right. By placing a plant or flowers in the middle that has white in it is the cherry on top. See what Masters & Co. Florist on S. Village Avenue have on hand for flowers and plants. They could also have some nice decorate items to place them in.  Rustic & Warm There are a bunch of things you…

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Do It Yourself Design

Food Styling 101

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

I love when I get to host a dinner party or gathering. Putting smiles on people's faces makes it all worth it, but I find a lot of fun in decorating the space and styling the food. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, this is your chance to wow your guests with something fabulous. A thing to remember when you are serving food of any kind — it's all in the presentation. If you just throw stuff in a bowl and lay it out, it will look that way. It's nice to show you care and want everything to be special for your guests. So why not jazz it up a bit and really put on a show? The Crown Shoppe on Sunrise Highway carries a lot of really cute decorative items. It can’t hurt to look around and pick up a few extra items for your …

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RVC Boy Scout Rehabilitates Nature Walk to Smith Pond

Daniel O'Brien and RVC's Troop 163 led the cleanup of the underutilized path for his Eagle Scout project.

With the construction of Avalan Bay's three-story luxury rental units, more attention has been drawn to the area surrounding it — an area primarily known for having a dusty baseball field at Reverend Days and a bus terminal. Yet Rockville Centre’s Daniel O’Brien, 16, saw something different. He saw an opportunity for service to the community and revival for the area by cleaning the paved nature walk that leads to Smith Pond, a path that has long been neglected. “I began this with the help of Mr. Anthony Brunetta, who is Superintendent of Parks in RVC,” O'Brien said. “I didn’t even know about the nature walk before this.” With that, his Eagle Service project with RVC’s Troop 163 was born. The path behind Avalon Bay has been around for …

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Do It Yourself Design

Color Inspiration

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

Color is an essential part of life. From its importance in art and design to fashion, it helps if we all understood it a little better. The first step is to find inspiration and then analyze how the colors work within a particular scheme. Lastly, knowing how the colors make you feel will allow you to create something extraodinary. You can find inspiration everywhere you look. Don't take anything for granted. When you are running errands, stop and take in the architecture of the buildings around you. What colors do you see? Examine how the light affects the surface of the building. How do the tones reflect against the environment? Look for inspiration at home stores such as The Linen Closet on Sunrise Highway and Euro Pine Collection …

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Do It Yourself Design

Color in Your Home - The Natural Palette

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

I've been working with color expert Kate Smith and she has inspired me to think more about color. In a past article, I wrote about color theory. Today I'm going to focus on the color you already have in your home and introduce the natural palette. What makes you truly relax? For me, nature is my true love. So I take colors from Mother Earth and bring them inside my home. I find that most people feel the same. You can find some more inspiration at the New Leaf Garden Center where you can find tons of color palettes nature has to offer. Now, this natural palette isn't just an inspiration for color, but also how to use it. Trees have brown bark and many other lighter colors in their leaves. The sky is all sorts of gorgeous blues, whites and …

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Do It Yourself Design

Indoor Garden Display

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

Now that spring is here, what better time to take advantage of the sunny weather? Surround yourself with plants and create an indoor garden display. Not only will it bring a smile to your face, but it will brighten up any room in the house. First off, pick a sunny spot by a window so it's guaranteed your living lovelies will get enough light. Once you do that, decide on what you're going to use and what kind of plants you want. Take a step back and try to imagine what will look cool in the space. Get creative and have fun! While deciding on what plants to choose, pick ones that match your lifestyle. If you're busy and not home much of the day, I would suggest succulents. Cacti are great as well. They don't need to be watered daily and all …

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Do It Yourself Design

Easter Holiday Tree

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

Easter is right around the corner. I'm not a religious person, but I do love Easter. Ever since I was a little girl, it has been my favorite holiday. My mother always created a basket filled with goodies and treats, and hid it for me to find. So much fun! Even though I live on my own, we still carry on that tradition. Now that I'm older, I focus more on subtle ways to design my home for Easter. I came up with something really cute that is so easy to do, you can get your kids involved. Not only is it affordable, but it brings you closer to nature as well. Materials: Two large branches, pencil, glue, scissors, decorative paper & container, string or thread, hole puncher, paper punches and cloth. First, collect two large branches from your …

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Melissa O'Connor

6:21 pm on Wednesday, May 4, 2011

What a great idea Rita! So nice of you to share such a nice memory as well. I actually don't live in RVC but it's good to know there are groups such as the 4-H group that inspire people to be creative. Always good to hear :)   more ›

Do It Yourself Design

Nature Gift Tags

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

I love making my own tags and cards. Items that are handmade really show a sense of care and creativity. Now that it's fall, why not take advantage of what it has to offer? Leaves can be a great source of inspiration, and you can use them in a lot of different ways.   Here is a cute and easy way to incorporate a little bit of nature in a crafty project. Materials: card stock paper, decorative paper or construction paper, double sided tape or glue, a hole puncher, shipping tape, scissors and a couple of leaves First, decide how big you want the tags to be. Then gather some small leaves and make sure they fit within that size. I happen to have punchers that are set to a certain size.  If you don't have one, you can just cut it by hand.   …

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Do It Yourself Design

Decorating Tips for Your Home

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

Everyone has a room in their home that needs a little love. Why not jazz it up and add a sense of style that won't only look great, but completes the entire room? Here's some easy tips to create a more homey space and well-designed atmosphere. With a little guidance, anyone can do this. The main thing to remember is balance. You want to think of the bigger picture, so that the final result looks complete and well put together.   General Decorating A great tip for placing items is grouping them in threes. Sometimes when you put two things together, it feels like something is missing. Three is the perfect number! Keep this in mind when you're decorating any space in your home. If you want to shop around for some new items try the Crowne …

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Do It Yourself Design

The Branch Votive

Instruction and information for a do it yourself design that everyone can handle.

I 'm always thinking of ways to use natural elements in my designs. As you now know from my first article, I love the Earth! When I have a chance to bring its beauty inside my home, I jump on it right away. I must say that trees are one of my favorite living things. They're so important to the planet, and everyone living on it. In addition to being the best shade givers, they look amazing. For this project, I chose branches as my main inspiration. You can do so much with them; it's silly not to! Here's how to make a Branch Votive. It's quite simple really, it just takes a little bit of time. But I promise that the end result will have you smiling from ear to ear. The first thing you have to do is gather up some branches and sticks. You can…

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