Creative Living: Quilting, doll house tips to air

Information on making tilework quilt blocks and constructing a doll house with lightweight plastic will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Laura Murray is the owner of Laura Murray Designs and is also an author. She’s going to demonstrate making tilework quilt blocks which can expand the possibilities of other painted quilt block techniques. She’s from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Designer Jana Beus knows that PVC pipe is not just for plumbing. She’s going to show how to construct a doll house using this lightweight but sturdy plastic. She’ll also show a product called “Magic Foam” which can become instant upholstery. Beus’ company is Doll Stuff by Jana and she lives in Ogden, Utah.

Information on challenging windows and doors, decorating with accent pieces, and reducing laundry loads will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

link Sheryl Borden

Latriece Brooks is an interior decorator, and she’s going to show some solutions for challenging windows and doors. Her business is Brooks Interiors in Clovis.

If you like to decorate for each season, but don't want to change the entire décor or pack away boxes of holiday decorations in the attic, Rita Fuentes will show how a few smart accent pieces can do double and triple decorating duty by changing how they are displayed. Fuentes is with PartyLite in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Laura Dellutri says she can help reduce the laundry load by 50 percent — and reduce our frustration level at the same time. Her company is Healthy Housekeeper, Inc. and she lives in Overland Park, Kansas.

Creative solutions for challenging windows

The masking effect — Tall windows beside a fireplace sometimes appear out of proportion with the overall scale of the room. Solution: To provide the illusion of added width and weight, put a solid panel on the outer side of the window and add a full swag above the window, or build a valance/cornice board.

Privacy while keeping a view — Solution: Roman shades are a great way to provide light window coverings that can be pulled almost to the top of the window which allows a sweep of fabric to showcase the view. When lowered, they do not add visual weight or distract from the rest of the room.

Treating doors — French or patio doors provide some of the bigger obstacles because many times there is not enough room on the sides for drapery panels to stack back. Solution: Roman shades, Woven woods, blinds, or a stationary panel. Solution: Install a rod that can provide a stack-back on one side or both. Solution: Install a pulley type treatment that can be completely raised above the door to rest between the actual door frame and the ceiling. You can even add a cornice right beneath the crown molding so that a shade can roll up under it.

Bay windows — Many times windows are not the same shape. Solution: Create an illusion of matching windows with fixed-length roman or balloon style shades. Consider placing a roller blind behind the fixed-length if privacy is a concern. Solution: To unify a series of windows that don’t start evenly at the top, hang window treatments from the highest point to create an illusion of matched windows.

“Creative Living" is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.