Excellent book for fun painting (esp ceilings!)

Hi all -

I've been chatting on another thread and came upon a book (that I've had...duh) that has fabulous solutions for painting a room creatively. It's called Debbie Travis' Decorating Solutions and some of you may have seen her on Oprah and her show called Debbie Travis Painted House on TV.

In the book she has some amazing transformations of just plain rooms with creative uses of JUST paint. This includes ceilings - a cloudy sky, starry night, moroccan stripes (which is amazing!), leopard print (would be so fun for a jungle theme!), and just painted or ragged. It also shows you had to paint little trees on walls, vine twisting around a doorframe, a french country border (if you have no molding - it creates the appearance of that with pretty leaves wrapped around it), other borders, big and small diamonds on walls, big curlicues that run along some pretty faux linen block panels on the wall (and then she painted the dresser beneath it with the same pattern), plaid beneath a chair rail molding, even how to make a door have panels (with fun bright colors) if it has none!

I've been flipping through it as I type and really think there are some amazing ideas here. She goes through how to the special techniques, but I also got her book that really walks you through sponging, ragging, stipling etc. which is called Debbie Travis' Painted House.

It has so many ideas that I'm already scheming for #2 who is only going to be conceived in about a year and a half (those who are on the other thread now that this is something I do often as well as live vicariously through other mom's who are creating nurseries!)

Just thought folks might want to check into for inspiration. I'm sure libraries might have it as well...!

Have fun decorating!

Alexa

Debbie Travis is AWESOME!!!! when I saw what she did on Oprah and what she does on her show...she is the most talented of the talented!!!! I can't believe she has a book out...I'll be looking for it tomorrow!!!

Thanks Alexa...

Alexa,

Thanks for posting this information! You need to be out there designing nurseries!

Is Debbie Travis' show on the Oxygen network at about 9:00 a.m. or 9:30 a.m.? I think I have seen it a couple of times and really liked it. Of course, it is hard to watch what I want, especially during the daytime.

Are the projects in these books fairly easy? Let's just say that I am artistic challenged!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)

Hi there,

Yes, her show is on Oxygen in the USA. I'm not sure what time - probably varies from city to city. We have a TIVO (a digital video recorder) so sometimes I've taped it.

I would say that projects range from easy to more difficult (and the latter are usually a project that it something more drastic for a main room of a house), but she has step-by-step directions (including materials, how to mix things, timing, etc.) in the book. The Painted House book has like 3 pages per painting technique - sponging, ragging, stenciling, etc - as well as how to mix them. I have found that in some cases when I was inspired by the books I used her directions exactly (I colorwashed our guest bedroom in a terracotta color to make it feel like one was in Tuscany and followed the directions she gave - turned out wonderful) and, in other cases, I got the idea and sort of put it together a little differently (you get the confidence to "wing it") b/c I had a different paint, different challenge, etc.

If you ever get a chance to go the bookstore or the library (I do try to get out with Maeve to do those b/c she's still young enough and won't raise a ruckus now like she will in about 6 months!), you could flip through it. It just gives you so many ideas!

Alexa

Oh, my gosh! I'm replying to myself!

She has a new book out on kids rooms - Debbie Travis' Kids Rooms! It looks really fabulous so I might have to get it!

I've included the covers and content to a couple of her books in attachments. That includes two pics from the cover and back cover of the kids book and the table on contents! These ideas are precious!

Also have the cover of decorating solutions (with big diamonds on the walls) and a few pages of the Painted House book.

Happy painting! :)

Alexa