All of the severe weather lately has been disconcerting for many of us, particularly in the aftermath of the New Year’s Eve tornadoes in the St. Louis area. We would all like to think something like that won’t happen to us. And, if it did, we would like to think we’d know what to do.

However, when the sirens go off, how many of us sit and debate whether to go to the basement? Do we have a plan in place for reconnecting if the family is not together? For working parents, what will we do if we are at work and our kids are at school or daycare? Are we familiar with the school’s emergency procedures if they had to evacuate or shelter in place? If we are affected, do we have enough emergency supplies packed and ready to go – prescriptions, sanitary supplies, insurance papers, etc.? And just where is that flashlight?

Think about those in your family that depend on you and what items they literally would need to survive. As a mother of a 6 month old, I think about how long it takes me now to pack up for a weekend trip to visit grandma and can’t imagine trying to evacuate on a moment’s notice in the event of an emergency. Diapers? Bottles? Pacifiers? Blankets? Formula and/or batteries for my breast pump? And as a breastfeeding mom, I need more water per day than the average person; have I accounted for this? This is a lot to think about now, but I know I will feel more at ease by having these essential items in my kit and ready to go.

As some of you may have heard, last week was Severe Weather Week in Missouri. Take this reminder as an opportunity to make sure your family is prepared for emergencies where you should feel the safest: your home. And we’re talking tornadoes today, but the importance of being prepared applies to all sorts of emergency situations. The earthquake in Japan no doubt has many of wondering about our own earthquake risk. For access to a host of tips and tools to help you be ready for tornadoes, earthquakes and anything else, visit AllReadySTL.com.

All Ready is a new initiative for residents of the St. Louis region to take it upon themselves to prepare today for what may happen tomorrow. It is meant to inspire all of us to take the three steps to emergency preparedness: 1) Make a plan 2) Get a kit 3) Be informed.

Visit the website and look around. You’ll find resources for every step of the process, as well as specific information for handling special circumstances, such as disabilities or pets. Plus, as an incentive to get your family prepared, the American Red Cross is offering a 15 percent discount at its online store with the code AllReady2011.

Preparing for the worst isn’t something most of us like to think about. But preparing for the worst is the way we can protect our family the best.

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One thing I wanted to do was give one of them a couple shelves to hold some books. But when I found what I wanted at Pottery Barn, I was put off by the price – $47 on sale!

So my very handy husband and I decided we could do better. The result is at right. We made our version of the Pottery Barn Collector’s Shelf for roughly $17 and I couldn’t be happier with it.

I always intended this shelf to be semi-DIY project because I planned to buy a couple shelf brackets and flip them upside down to serve as the sides of my shelf.

But while looking for the brackets at Michaels, I saw the unfinished shelf below. Of course, it’s meant to have the brackets on the bottom with the long shelf on top but I kept imagining it flipped upside down. I thought it would be great.

Plus, it was $12.99 and with a 40 percent Michaels coupon, I got it for only about $7.80!

So the shelf made this project pretty easy. We only needed a few more materials to make it complete:

• 1 3/8-inch dowel road – at least 36 inches long
• Bag of 3/8-inch dowel plugs
• 1 can of spray primer – white
• 1 can of white spray paint
• 1 1×3 inch board – at least 36 inches

Here’s what we did next:

First, we cut the dowel rod down to about 30.5 inches, which is the distance between the two brackets of our premade shelf plus a half-inch.

Next, Jeff drilled a hole in each bracket and slid the dowel through. We decided where to place the dowel by flipping the shelf upside down, with the shelf sitting on the workbench, the way it will be hung when we’re done. Then we imagined books or other items sitting on it. The dowel is meant to keep items from sliding off so it should be forward enough to allow space for items and low enough to keep items from falling beneath it.

Then we plugged each of the holes on the outside of the brackets using one of our wood plugs, just to make it look a little nicer.

Next, we cut the 1×3 inch board down to 30 inches, the length between the two brackets. Then, Jeff sent it through his planer (at right), a power tool that shaves down wood, so that it was the same thickness as the existing brace.

(We did this because Jeff likes to play with his power tools and we were using a piece of wood he already had in his shop. You could easily purchase a piece that would be the right size.)

Then we attached this piece of wood at what would now be the top of the brackets by screwing them in through the brackets. We did this to add a little stability to the shelf and to add a good place for some hangers.

(Jeff suggests just drilling through the top bracket straight into the wall to hang the shelf. I think we should use hangers. It hasn’t been hung in its final spot so this discussion is  ongoing.)

Then it was time to spray paint. Because the wood was unfinished, I started with primer and then moved onto to a top coat. It needed a surprising amount of sanding because the paint really brought up the grain of the poplar.

(By the way, do you use these trigger handles? If you do much spray painting, you really should try it. It makes a huge difference!)

So that was it. I hung the shelf temporarily in my guest room (using some of my favorite Command Adhesives Picture Hanging Strips) so I could show you the finished project. I added a couple of the kids books I have, although I know I could have done a much better staging job!

Total cost: Just about $17. It’s definitely not a copy of the Pottery Barn version, but I think it will look great in my niece’s room, which I hope to show you soon!

Looking for some other DIY projects? Check out these:

DIY: Textured pendants by ModHomeEc teacher

Liven up your painted walls with pattern

DIY: Bookcase makeovers to swoon over

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You may be intimidated to try this. To make it look good, you’ve got to keep your storage fairly neat.

But don’t skip this idea just because you don’t think your dishes are pretty enough. Any stack of plates or bowls will look just fine, even if the dishes themselves aren’t beautiful. So do collections of glasses or cookbooks.

In the photo above from Sunset magazine (available at MyHomeIdeas.com), the dishware and glasses are very plain but the collection looks great. And I love the way the owner included frames and other decorative items in the top of the cabinets, which are tough to use anyway.

One key to making open cabinets look great, of course, is painting the interiors – either to match the exteriors or contrast with them.

In most cases, you could do that with a $12 quart of paint.

In the photo at right from Southern Living (also at MyHomeIdeas.com), the cabinets almost disappear, blending into the walls and backsplash and showing off their contents.

Remember, if you want a really clean look, you might have to to do a little patching to fill the holes where the hinges used to be.

Also, there’s no need to open up all your cabinets to get this look. In the BHG photo below, only a few of the upper cabinet doors were removed, leaving plenty of closed storage for all your stuff.

In this kitchen, the homeowners also used a contrasting color to really bump up the drama and added some baskets which let you hide even more stuff!

(Photos at top of post, from left: Apartment Therapy, Apartment Therapy, BHG.)

Want to see some more ideas from our list of 30 decor ideas in 30 days for under $30?

Check out these:

Idea #22: Try a creative wall covering

Idea #23: Use hooks for function and decor

Idea #26: Use everyday items to make amazing art

Idea #27: Change up a room’s accessories

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• Adorable/Affordable Kitchen for Preschoolers, Plus Other Great Deals

We’ve already featured a number of framing suggestions, including ideas to frame jewelry to give a little sparkle to your bedroom walls or fabric to introduce some color and pattern to a room.

Today, I’m recommending that you frame an object special to you.

So often, the things most important to us are tucked away in a drawer or in a storage box. They aren’t featured in our decor and available to make us smile every day. It’s time to change that.

For me, the objects in question are some printing blocks that were in my grandfather’s print shop when I was growing up. They’re incredibly meaningful to me, but I’ve never wanted to show them off in a traditional printer’s tray and couldn’t find a better option.

So I decided to frame a few of them (above right) inexpensively, using the frames from prints that I should have taken down long ago. In all, I spent less than $13 on this project. I only bought some cork squares and spray paint.

What about you? My special items are printing blocks. Yours might be a precious letter from a parent, tickets from your favorite play, a childhood toy car or a pair of baby shoes.

For Tim Melideo, the something special is a collection of vintage cameras that he hung in a set of frames he found for a buck each at a garage sale. I found the photo above at Apartment Therapy, where Tim said he used Velcro strips to secure the cameras.

For John & Sherry at Young House Love, it was keys. As a gift for her husband, Sherry framed the keys to all the places they’d lived.

“I picked up an affordable little shadow box from Target and simply adhered each key with a few dots of Liquid Nails and scribbled the location and date of each key underneath,” Sherry explains in this post.

“To this day it’s one of our favorite items in the entire house. The keys are like fun little artifacts of our relationship.”

What do you own that’s worth framing? Send us a photo if you try it.

Meanwhile, check out some of our earlier $30 tips:

Idea #20: Use wallpaper in unusual ways

Idea #18: Make or repurpose a headboard

Idea #11: Paint or paper inside a bookcase

Idea #9: Paint an accent wall

Idea #2: Paint the ceiling anything but white

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So it was fun to meet Birmingham, Alabama-based designer Dana Wolter through Twitter. I took a look at her portfolio and saw so many of those strong patterns I love.

Fortunately, Dana was willing to answer some questions for us about how to incorporate bold patterns into our home decorating.

I got a lot of great tips from reading her ideas and I think you will too.

Plus, all the fantastic rooms in this post come straight from her design portfolio. They are just beautiful!

Here’s what Dana had to say…

Question: Many amateur home decorators are afraid of using bold patterns. But I see several great examples in your portfolio. Why do you like using strong patterns?

Answer: Every room needs to have a focal point, and a bold fabric or wallpaper is a great way of providing one. Bold patterns add energy to a room and can keep a room from being too predictable. If you notice in my interiors where we have used a bold pattern or two, the other elements of the room are simple to balance it out.

Q: Should big, bold patterns only be used in big rooms? Should homeowners stick to small patterns in small spaces?

A: Absolutely not! If used correctly, a bold pattern in a small room can really make a statement and pull the room together. I especially love using a patterned  paper in a powder bath, as it is an easy way to add interest to a room filled with so many hard surfaces.

As you can see in the picture at right of the desk area in the child’s bedroom, the wallpaper is extremely bold but it works as everything else is so simple. White desk, white walls, very cohesive décor on the desk, etc…set in a small space with a bold, large pattern.

It is all about balance; If you use a strong pattern or two in a space, make sure the scale of each is different from one another and there are other places in the room where your eyes can rest.

Q: Are there particular types of rooms that better lend themselves to big patterns?

A: Maybe because my life is so busy with work and children I tend to stay away from really strong bold patterns in a master bedroom and master bath. I am a big believer these spaces should be calm, subtle, and inviting.

We love using bold patterns in children’s rooms, media rooms, powder baths, but it really depends on the space and how we feel it needs to exert itself. For instance, a chocolate and white Schumacher damask fabric is used on the back of the banquette in the kitchen below we recently completed for a client. The kitchen is beautiful with textured wood, shiny fixtures, bone cabinets, and marble countertops. We felt it needed a little weight added to it, and in my opinion, this bold pattern provides this.

Using bold patterns in a child’s room is a great way to add some personality to a space.

The white and black bedroom below actually belongs to one of my girls. Being a tween, she was adamant about wanting color and pattern in there. Girls that age want a “hip” room. I think it turned out well as it meets her criteria yet the room still blends with the rest of our house.

Q: What are some good ways to introduce bold patterns in a room?

A: If you had told me three years ago I would be using so much wallpaper, I would have laughed. Wallpaper is hot right now with so many fresh, vibrant patterns out there. It is not the wallpaper we remember from the 80’s.

Fabric is also a great way to introduce a bold pattern or color. We tend to use neutral fabrics that read as solids on our upholstery, so patterned window panels (see at right) and pillows are great ways for us to add some interest, balance, and pull the room together.

Q: Is it possible to mix patterns in a single space?

A: Absolutely! We often mix patterns in a room, as in the bedroom below. The key is to make sure the scale of each pattern is different from one another. If you can make sure the scale is different from one another and the colors blend, mixing patterns will work and can actually add dimension to a space.

Q: How do you know if you’ve gone overboard?

A: If the space feels chaotic, you have gone overboard. When using bold patterns in a room, remember to always allow for a few places for your eye to rest; whether through a solid fabric, a neutral wall, solid upholstery, etc…

If you look at the picture of the child’s bedroom with the papered accent wall, you will see we have mixed three pretty bold patterns on the bed. It works as the rest of the bed is crème so your eye has a place to rest.

Q: Can you give us a list of your three or four favorite patterns or items with patterns?

A: Two patterned fabrics I used recently for pillows in a family room were Highland Court 180829H Palazzo (near right) and Highland Court 180831H Alhambra Fret (far right). They added a punch and helped pull the neutral pieces of upholstery in the room together.

For an accent wall or powder room, I think the Dedar paper called Viceversa would look great. I also love Kravet’s W3016-16 for a girl’s bathroom with crème finishes.

I just used Schumacher’s 173980 High Voltage (far right) in smoke as a bed skirt in a bedroom, and it turned out fabulous! Love the geometric design on it. I also plan on using Groundwork’s 2430-GWF (near right) in ivory/bark somewhere as it will make beautiful window panels.

Q: Is it better to take a chance on bold patterns on upholstery or on a wall or does it matter?

A: I think it truly depends on the space and how you want the room to feel. Does the space call for a calm interior that looks like it has been collected over time, or does the room call for some weight and a punch of color? If you are nervous about incorporating a bold pattern, start small and use it on some pillows.

Thanks so much to Dana Wolter for this great advice and information. Make sure you check out her entire portfolio, which is full of beautiful designs.

Find other designer Q&As at The Design File:

How to decorate in black and white

Contemporary stunner in Holy Cross

Choosing and using art in your home

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While there, I was struck by the emergence of the color gray – in wood tones, upholstery and textiles.

I wasn’t particularly surprised. Gray is hot everywhere right now.

But it was interesting to see how IKEA has incorporated the trend into its products and room displays.

As soon as you come up the store’s escalator and grab your pull cart or yellow bag, you’re struck by a gorgeous room setup that features a new color for many of the store’s wood products. It’s called gray-brown. You can see it in the dining chairs below.

It’s a fantastic, soft color. It’s fairly light but doesn’t seem as overly contemporary as maple. And it seemed to blend so well with other colors – neutrals and brights.

“It’s really been a favorite since we brought it out,” said West Chester store manager Heather Spatz.

You’ll see the color in so many other places as well, including the new woven gray cover for the popular KARLSTAD sofa at left.

The loveseat cover is $139.

I also loved the room below, which features an EKTORP sofa with a new gray cover as well as these EKTORP JENNYLUND chairs and covers in Samyra gray check.

These chair covers are $59 each.

The rug is ALVINE RAND and has a fantastic pattern. It’s also wonderfully affordable – $159 for one that is 7-foot 10-inches by 5-foot 7-inches.

The pieces in the room below aren’t that new. But I still think they’re fantastic.

The chest is the five-drawer EDLAND, which has sweet little white pulls and is $299. The larger wardrobe is the PAX in Birkeland gray. It’s $340.

I think the drapes are RITVA but I forgot to check and can’t be sure.

There are so many other fantastic gray products. So I thought I’d make a collage of my favorites.

Top row, from left: GISLEV rug, $19.99. VILMIE throw, $19.99. TOBIAS dining chair, $99.

Bottom row, from left: EXPEDIT door insert in high gloss gray, $35. OSTLIG pot, $14.99. ALVINE RÖR pillow covers, $10 for two.

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• Thrifty Thursday

Think you could enjoy the CB2-designed bedroom and office above? I know I could. I love that bright orange wall, the yellow accents and the cool desk and chair.

But consider this: The room is a glass cube in the middle of a museum. And you would be on display, sort of an exhibit in that museum.

Now, it might be sounding a little creepy. But there are benefits: At night, when those thousands of people leave for the day, you have the whole place to yourself – all 14 acres of exhibits, including a U-505 submarine (at right) and 727 jet.

And did I mention there’s a $10,000 prize if you make it for 30 days and nights?

Hmm. Interesting.

OK. I know the whole premise sounds a little silly. But the prestigious Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago will offer one person the chance to do all the above.

The museum announced last week its new Month at the Museum experiment and is launching a nationwide search for someone to live at the museum 24/7 from Oct. 20 to Nov. 18.

The museum says that after the month is up, the winner will walk away with $10,000, a package of tech gadgets that helped to record the experience, an honorary lifetime membership to MSI, and “most importantly, a host of unique memories.”

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, ultimate hands-on learning experience,” said Rob Gallas, the museum’s vice president and chief marketing officer.  “We hear so often from guests that a single visit here changed their lives. We’re curious to find out what spending an entire month here can do.”

The winner of an “intensive judging process” will have full run of the museum and will be free to sleep in the submarine or jet, lay back in the human-sized hamster wheel, or check out any number of other museum exhibits.

He or she will also “tell the world daily about the experiences through a blog and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.”

Month at the Museum applicants must submit a 60-second video, a 5×7 photo, write a 500-word essay; complete a detailed application and mail all items to the museum by Aug. 11.

All entrants must be 18 years or older and meet all required criteria. Additional information and applications are available at the Month at the Museum website.

“You don’t have to be a future Einstein to take part in Month at the Museum. Lacking basic science knowledge is not a deal-breaker,” Gallas said. “Any fun-loving, curious individual with a positive attitude who is excited to embark on this adventure and ready to share what he or she learns should apply, regardless of their own basic science knowledge.”

OK. Back to the CB2 bedroom/office cube, which is really what caught my eye!

Let’s check out some of this CB2 stuff…

Quittin’ Time clock is $79.95.

The Alpine white bed is $599 for the queen size.

The Theo bed linens run $19.95 to $109.

That funky Madra magazine rack is $59.95.

The Infinity Floor mirror is $399.

The Fold desk is $279.

The clamped Carpenter lamp is $69.95.

The Scan persimmon lounge chair is $499. (I love that chair!)

The fun 20-inch laugh pillow is $29.95.

There’s so much more! You can find it all at CB2.

All exhibit photos complements of the Museum of Science and Industry.

The Month at the Museum room photos and the transportation gallery photo are by JB Spector. The submarine photo is by Scott Brownell.

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When I previewed the Indianapolis Meridian-Kessler Home & Garden Tour at The Design File last month, I only offered a peek at the sweet little girls’ rooms in the home owned by Jessica & Matt Albaugh. There were just so many beautiful rooms to see in this home and so I saved most of the photos of the kids’ rooms for a post today.

The Albaughs have two girls: 3-year-old Ellen and 1-year-old Kate.

Kate’s room (above and below) has beautiful, pale lavender walls with accents of darker purples, white and black, including the fantastic zebra-print rug shown below. I love this sophisticated but unexpected touch in a nursery!

I love the antique, painted wardrobe (shown below), which Jessica had in her room as a little girl. Not only does it provide fantastic storage, but the history makes it very special. Jessica made the terrific window treatments – in this room and in sister Ellen’s room as well.

She’s personalized both rooms with the girls’ names, using letters she found at clearance prices. I love that these are hung with ribbon.

There are also lots of other cute touches. Jessica made the memo board below using fabric she found on Etsy.

Sister Ellen has a pink and white room with an amazing cabinet wall that the Albaughs had custom built to make up for the room’s tiny closet. (I had a terrible time getting the color right on these photos…so I apologize. The cabinets were an off white.)

I love the fun window seat and handmade window treatments.

Ellen had butterflies flying above her bed, along with a couple sconces.

Jessica made a memo board for Ellen as well and and hung the family photos using ribbon.

Finally, here a photo of the girls in their basement play room. For more photos of them, the playroom and the Albaugh’s home, go to the original Meridian-Kessler home tour post.

Aren’t these rooms just full of inspiration? I love them. A special thanks to Jessica for the tour of her home and showing me the girls’ rooms.

Want to see other homes with great kids’ rooms? Check out these posts:

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“It’s a great time to remodel a kitchen – there are plum deals on almost everything from countertops to cooktops,” the magazine says. “Contractors are eager for work and willing to negotiate.”

One of the first steps in planning a kitchen remodel is to determine an approximate cost.

For the August issue, Consumer Reports took top-performing products from extensive lab tests and created three design schemes – a do-it-yourself makeover for $5,000, a plan that costs $15,000 (the average amount spent on a kitchen remodel) and a full-scale gut renovation for $50,000.

(The $15,000 plan is shown below, with the $50,000 plan shown under that.)

The design schemes are meant to give consumers a sense of how far their money will go. But the magazines said that no matter what the cost of a kitchen model, these four rules apply:

1. Don’t rush.

There are many kitchen products available that combine value, performance, and good looks. Take time – from a few weeks to several months, depending on the scope of the project – to meet with pros, browse the Internet, and visit showrooms and home centers. A recent survey of almost 3,000 Consumer Reports readers on remodeling revealed that haste can be costly – respondents who changed their mind after the work got started typically added about $1,500 to the cost of a kitchen project.

2. Don’t get stuck on a size.

Bloated showpieces are out. In addition to being expensive, huge kitchens can be exhausting to work in and keep tidy. The National Kitchen & Bath Association provides guidelines for how much space should be in between appliances, cabinets, and islands. The beautiful HGTV kitchen at right provides lots of function without too much size.

3. Beware of budget busters.

When remodeling, leave a 10 to 15 percent cushion for surprises such as unexpected structural repairs. Remodelers should not settle for a cheap option with the mindset that someday it will be replaced with what they really want – chances are they will never get around to it.

4. Get everything in writing.

When using a pro for a remodel, the written contract should list each phase of the project; every product, including the model number; and copies of each contractor’s license and workers compensation and liability insurance to confirm that they are still in effect. Call references and, if possible, visit them for a visual inspection.

The full report on kitchen makeovers is featured in the August issue of Consumer Reports. The issue also features a checklist of when to refurbish or replace cabinet and a list of the top small appliances based on Consumer Reports’ lab tests of more than 260 products and Ratings of ranges, cooktops, wall ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, flooring, countertops and appliances stores.

“When remodeling a kitchen, functionality is every bit as important as style,” said Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman, deputy home editor of Consumer Reports. “Fortunately there are many products available that look good and work well so there isn’t as much as a sacrifice as there once was.”

The issue of is on newsstands now and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.

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You can create an amazingly colorful home with furniture and accessories. And sometimes, that’s more chic.

After all, there’s something so clean and stylish about stark white walls – especially when they’re livened up with fantastic art, pillows, rugs and other items.

The BHG room at right has white walls as well as neutral flooring and furniture. But the art, glass and pillows really bring this space to life.

It feels as dynamic and vivid as if the walls had been painted yellow or orange.

I love it!

The room below – featured in Cottage Living and photographed by Roger Davies – shows how you can take just one color and liven up an otherwise white room. The geometric art, rug and lamps add layers of texture, even though there is nearly no variety in the colors. The photo is now featured on MyHomeIdeas.com.

In BHG room below, the colorful, striped rug sets the tone for a fun, beachy room that is full of blues, reds, greens and even orange.

In this case, the walls are white and the art is fairly subtle. The color is added in all the great accessories – even the books stacked on the simple side table.

In the room below, a kitchen with white walls and cabinets is given incredible life with a bright red wooden floors. This would be a fantastic idea in any room with hardwood floors that are in poor condition – and it’s easier and cheaper than refinishing them.

This kitchen was featured in Southern Living and is now at MyHomeIdeas.com.

Kids’ rooms are among the places it’s most tempting to paint the walls.

But check out the fun room I found at the always inspiring Light Locations. The colorful flags, vibrant rugs and great textiles keep your eye moving all over this exciting bedroom.

Finally, look at the fun nursery below – with its bright orange crib, colorful wall art and great rug. It’s perfect for a boy or a girl. It’s from HGTV and was featured on Apartment Therapy’s Ohdeedoh.

So are you won over by white walls? Or do you prefer your color comes from paint?

Want to see other ideas for adding colors? Check these out:

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Pretty in pink — even in your living room

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