| Congratulations! If you are reading this article then you | | | | 4. Mix the top coat with the glaze. Three parts paint to |
| more than likely already have purchased a cabin. You | | | | one part glaze. Apply mix over the dried bottom coat. |
| probably have terrific views of the forest, mountains, | | | | 5. Once it is dry, take the sandpaper and sand the top |
| lakes or streams. The beauty of your property and | | | | coat off in selected areas so that the bottom coat |
| the surrounding environment probably compels you to | | | | shows through. Get creative! This is your work of art. |
| spend much of your time outdoors, surrounded in the | | | | You have now distressed a piece of furniture and |
| peace and tranquility of nature. Alas, you will have to | | | | made it perfectly rustic! |
| venture indoors every now and then, and if the | | | | Now it is time to take a walk in the woods. Take a |
| weather turns nasty then you will be spending a lot of | | | | basket and gather pine-cones, twigs, moss, and |
| time inside your cabin. Once indoors you still want to | | | | anything else you might find that is interesting. Using a |
| feel the tranquility and connectedness to nature that | | | | glue gun, you can apply your new found treasures to |
| you felt while enjoying the outdoors, so what you do | | | | many things around your house to add instant |
| with your interior is very important. | | | | personality and rustic appeal. For instance, using a hot |
| You do not want suburban or urban influences | | | | glue gun, apply moss, bark and pine-cones to the |
| impinging on your rural retreat so you must be careful | | | | frame of an otherwise boring mirror to instantly |
| how you decorate your cabin. Everybody knows that | | | | transform it into a visually interesting focal point. Here is |
| paint can be the easiest and most cost effective way | | | | another trick; take some twigs and paint them to |
| of changing the look of a room. When you are | | | | match your dining room chandelier. If your chandelier is |
| decorating a cabin, you want to make sure that you | | | | black then paint them black, if it is rust then paint them |
| are using colors found in your natural surroundings. This | | | | with a rust paint. Speckled spray paint can be bought |
| does not mean dull or neutral, it means natural. | | | | at any home improvement store and even at |
| Repeating the colors found in nature will help your | | | | Wal-Mart. Take some short lengths of small diameter, |
| house flow between indoors and outdoors, as if your | | | | rough rope and paint them also. Once dry, use the |
| cabin is part of nature itself. Visit your local overstock | | | | rope to tie the twigs onto the arms of the chandelier |
| store (TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Marshalls) for excellent | | | | and it now looks as if the chandelier was custom |
| buys on throw pillows which in the vibrant colors of | | | | made. Lighting companies use iron to fashion twigs and |
| red, burnt orange, and golden yellow, will add a lot of | | | | rope for their chandeliers and they can be expensive. |
| interest and pizzaz to a room. What else can you do | | | | Here we have taken items that we found outside our |
| with paint besides paint your walls and ceilings? Here is | | | | homes and made them look like they were fashioned |
| an easy and small project for you to try. Find a piece | | | | as part of the chandelier for very little money. |
| of old, wooden furniture that you feel may not be | | | | Using textural elements is important when decorating |
| appropriate for your cabin. It can be a mirror frame, | | | | your cabin. Stone, wood and iron all play very |
| dresser, or headboard. To easily transform this piece | | | | important roles in bringing nature indoors. Search for old |
| of furniture into a charming rustic accent piece, follow | | | | metal pieces at flea markets and garage sales. Usually |
| these steps: | | | | they can be refinished or even used as is but in a |
| 1. Select 2 complementary paint colors (in matte finish), | | | | manner they were not intended for. Use an old garden |
| one for a bottom coat which will show in places, and | | | | gate for a headboard or even wall art. Use beautiful |
| one for a top coat which will be the primary color. Also | | | | stones as a base for an occasional table or as |
| buy one small can of glaze. | | | | bookends. The possibilities are endless, and with a little |
| 2. Sand the selected piece of furniture to remove any | | | | creativity and and a little bit of work you can do |
| old finish. | | | | amazing things with your cabin without spending a |
| 3. Apply the bottom coat of paint and let it dry. | | | | fortune. |