When it comes to decorating, it helps to have a theme in mind because it
gives you something to focus on when purchasing accessories, paint, and window
treatments. For example, say you decide you like the sun/moon motifs and the
color purple, so you decide to do a theme based on these. You can then paint your
walls purple, do some decorative stamping with a sun/moon motif on walls or
curtains, purchase purple or gold accessories, and the list goes on. If you
haven't already found a theme, there are some creative ways to finding one that
would suit you. Here are some ideas:

~Browse through magazines and cut out any pictures that appeal to you. These
can be pictures of animals, rooms, accessories, garden, anything--don't limit
it. You can keep these pictures in a manilla file folder or paste them into a
scrapbook for use later. After you have a good collection of pictures and are
in the mood for some creativity, take them out and look at them and see if you
can come up with any theme ideas from some of these pictures. Be sure to have
a notepad and pen handy for anything that comes to mind. For example, if you
have cut out a picture of a cat laying in the grass with some flowers in the
background, take note of what colors appeal to you in the picture and why that
picture appealed to you in the first place. Was it the flowers in the
background that attracted you? Maybe it was their colors, and maybe it was the flowers
themselves. The point is to get an idea of what you like from these pictures.
If it were the flowers and the colors, a theme idea could be cottage garden
with whatever colors you liked in the picture. Maybe it was the cat that
attracted you. Or nature in general.

~Browsing through decorating books and taking note of what you like is
another good way to find a theme. Take note of colors, ornaments and styles you
like. Later, you can use this information to find a theme for your room. If you
don't own a decorating book, you can check them out at your local library or
purchase them through Amazon.com.

~When at a friends' or familys' houses, keep your eye out for ideas and be
sure to take note. Maybe you like how your friend always has fresh flowers, or
how they set up some pictures on a wall. If you don't have a notepad handy,
write it down when you get home.

~Surf the internet. You can do a search from a search engine on 'decorating'.
Visit the web pages and look for ideas there and as mentioned above take
note.

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