Category: Decorating Guides

When lighting your home, multiple kinds of lighting has to be included: task, accent encompassing. Both flush and semi-flush fittings are ceiling-mounted to light a larger place. When you purchase a new residence, flush and semi-flush lights typically are installed in halls, walk in closets, and as overhead lights in a variety of rooms. Though used for similar functions, the 2 kinds of lighting differ in a semi-flush mount fixture is suspended on a stem, leaving a little gap — [usually 4 to 8 inches to the top of the fixture](http://blog.quoizel.com/2013/03/04/flush-or-semi-flush/) — between the ceiling and the fixture, while a flush mount hugs the ceiling.

Flush Mount Fixtures

Flush mount fittings supply **greater ceiling clearance** and, as they’re mounted so tightly to the ceiling, are far less prone to catching dust and bugs within the fixture. Though the fixtures may be decorative, they tend to blend in more with the ceiling. Flush mounts are also strategically chosen to conceal marks on the ceiling close to the light source. Hallways are an perfect location for flush fittings, as are kitchens, which frequently have more direct task lighting, as required.

Semi-Flush Mount Fixtures

Semi-flush fixtures offer **more illumination** than do flush fittings. The difference between the surface of the light and the ceiling permits for an uplit effect, reflecting light from the ceiling while also providing a more direct downward mild. Therefore, they offer better ambient lighting and are favored for living spaces. Many manufacturers provide more decorative options from the semi-flush style than they do the flush mount as those lights are meant to be viewed.

How High

The principal factor in choosing a ceiling fixture is height. Consider both the ceiling height of this space as well as also the height of the tallest person who will regularly utilize the space. In areas where people walk straight under the fixture, plan to have a [minimum 84 inches](http://blog.1800lighting.com/flush-semi-flush-question/) in the bottom of the fixture to the finished ground. If the ceiling is lower compared to 90 inches, opt for a flush mount light. Conversely, a 20-foot ceiling could look absurd and out of scale with a flush or semi-flush light. The light cast in such a space would also be insufficient.

Defined Purpose

The usage of this space to be illuminated makes a difference. When a light is placed directly over a stationary object, including a dining table, bed or breakfast bar, you have greater flexibility in terms of lighting choices as headroom becomes less of a problem. Hallways, closets and stairwells, however, bear greater thought. If the ceiling height is 9 feet or greater and you intend to regularly move items in and out of the space, you must think about the measurements of the items being moved and if a decrease hanging fixture may impede movement.

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You can expect to see lemon from the kitchen fruit bowl but probably not at the window treatments. This punchy shade, nevertheless, enlivens or spices up the food-prep area, like a dash of cayenne in aioli wakes up a tired, everyday sandwich. Incorporate orange through window treatment for improved lighting and atmosphere and to initiate your preferred style.

A Sunny Disposition

Good lighting, such as natural light, is a kitchen needs to, from breakfast time on. Curtain shade can alter or stifle daylight, especially if the rod is mounted narrowly, restricting fabric stack-back and limiting glass exposure. If your window treatment blocks some of the glass, or you’ve got window-blocking cafe-style drapes, orange-colored fabric enhances lighting, giving even a muddy day just a little sunshine leverage as daylight filters through.

Orange and Adventurous

Bright orange decor is not for the layout timid. It is in-your-face shade that is as modern as it is vivid, which may be why you are attracted to it. Opt for orange plastic blinds, if you are choosing a minimalist take and wipe-clean ease. Semi-transparent roller blinds or cotton drapes with a stylish white-on-orange motif, from a tangle of leafy vines to your bold geometric layout, behave as a full-time focal point, getting back-lit art during the day. Should you would like, use earthy burnt orange to present your kitchen rustic warmth or a cultural “curve,” whether you are aiming for Asian influence, African inspiration or another color-rich layout.

Only a Little

Should you find that orange is too bold to implement fully, only incorporate it a bit. Start with orange tiebacks clasping white drapes. A orange topper or window scarf is not as all-impacting as is all-orange drapery or blinds. Mixed-color patterns featuring orange specifics or white drapes decorated with orange liners require some of the “fear” from full-on orange-curtain committal.

Layout “Salad:” Working Together With Oranges

A orange window treatment is not going to make sense by itself. Dot the room with a few orange components and plenty of clean white and medium gray for a modern finish. For something fruitier, pair orange with other citrus colors, like lemon yellow, lime green and orange-red, speckling these throughout — the cookie jar, canisters, tea towels and dishware on open shelving — for just a small shade connectivity, or go bold with a different citrus shade painted on every cabinet door. Alternately, use coolly complementary blue art, flowers and table linen to temper orange accents. Should you add blue into the plot, go for balance; bright aqua or electric blue with bright tangerine, or cornflower or indigo blue with burnt orange, for example.

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While a cultural revolution has been underway in ’60s society, a color revolution was taking place in America’s bathrooms. Avocado green and other colors were all the rage starting in the late ’60s and lasting through the late ’70s for bathroom tubs, toilets and sinks. Over time, avocado bathrooms went out of fashion, but not all them went away. If your house has a bathroom with avocado fixtures, then you’ve got a lot of options for supplying it an update.

Go Retro

If you inherited a bathroom with avocado green fixtures from your house’s previous owners, then consider taking an if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them approach. Embrace your toilet’s retro vibe and decorate it 1970s style. Paint the walls pale green and choose mod-print fabrics for your shower curtain and window treatments. You want the result to look retro and cool, not dated and dingy, so choose accessories that are true, but in good shape. Search secondhand stores for wall art, vanity mirrors and other period pieces and give them a good cleaning before placing them on display. To finish the look, cover the floor with a fluffy green rug and illuminate the vanity with vintage sconces or pendant lamps.

Earth Tones

Although an avocado green bathtub may not represent your design aesthetic, it doesn’t have to be an eyesore. Use browns and neutrals to complement your avocado bathroom fixtures and create a soothing earth-tone palette. Paint the walls beige or mocha and, even if possible, paint cabinetry a deep shade of brown. If your budget allows, install ceramic tile that mimics planks of wood. Otherwise, camouflage existing flooring using a textured cotton bath rug. When decorating your own earth-tone bathroom, choose items made from natural materials, such as wood, stone, terra-cotta and cotton. Tuck a basket full of brown, beige and avocado green towels in a corner to unify the room’s palette. Botanical prints in simple wood frames and potted plants improve the toilet’s earthy feel.

Develop a Spa

When paired with white, avocado green looks clean and fresh. To create a spa-style bathroom around an avocado tub and toilet, keep the decor light and easy. Paint the walls with a satin or semi-gloss finish white or linen paint and choose a crisp, white shower curtain and window coverings. Consider installing pure white wainscoting on the walls to get a cabin feel. If the sink is freestanding, as most are in old bathrooms, add a tiny white or pale green cabinet to the space to take toiletries. Insert a stack of fluffy towels to add texture to the space. To keep your spa bath from feeling sterile, sprinkle the green of the fixtures in accessories, such as throw rugs, apothecary jars, storage bowls and soap dishes.

Go Wallpapers

If budget constraints stimulate you to live together with your house’s avocado bathtub and toilet, use them as inspiration to your bathroom decor that’s bold and new. Rather than trying to play down or camouflage the green, pair it with yellow or orange for maximum impact. Paint the walls or cover them with wallpaper in a graphic print in your new color scheme. If you are able to spend the splurge, then swap out old faucets and grips for slick, modern fixtures that provide your tub an instant facelift. Decorate using an eclectic blend of art and accessories to produce a look that’s innovative and cohesive.

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A beach house may be a summer escape or a year residence, but it is tough to dismiss the place once you’re designing for curb appeal and decorating the inside. The front door announces the sense of the ocean or your whimsical flexed. Inside doors can present challenges in cramped quarters. Regard every door for a portal site to your own creativity and express some personality — and your preference to get shipshape, spindrift or ocean lore — together with your choices of style and color.

Breezy Screen

The point of this beach cottage would be to live in character — and delight in summer breezes off the water. So don’t block all that cool atmosphere with a good door, but do put your entry up for security when you’re not in house. Add a screen door to the front entrance so that your shaded porch funnels the ocean breeze right into your house. Paint the frame across the screen and the inside, solid door in faded shades which mimic the sea-worn paint in an old fishing vessel. Then use the inner door for a canvas to get a double-sided seascape or nautical motif which turns the door, open or closed, into an object of art in your entrance. A three-masted schooner at sea, a lighthouse on a cliff, a tidal pool using vibrant animals, a reef scene with mermaids and seahorses, or raging Neptune with his trident in a storm camouflage the door that remains open most of the time.

Space-Saver Sliders

Beach cottages are famed for their small sandy footprints — meaning quarters are generally tight. Ease the traffic stream between the most-visited rooms in the house with sliding or pocket doors into the bathroom and the kitchen. A door onto a monitor takes up very little room, either open or shut, and you’ll be able to use driftwood veneer or weathered barn siding to boost the rugged appeal of this decor. Pocket doors are more discreet, but that is generally a decision to make when building a brand new cottage or re-configuring for a major renovation. Sliding glass doors resulting in a balcony or a protected porch are functional and view-enhancing on sunny or stormy days. Just be sure they are clearly marked, so nobody thinks they are open when they are closed.

Light and Louvered

Louvered shutters can be re-purposed as inside beach-house doors, saving cash, modestly improving air circulation and adding a decorative note to a prosaic necessity. Short louvers make a cafe door between the dining room and the kitchen when they are hinged to the door frame. Paint them a beautiful colour like intense yellow, bright orange or nearly-neon chartreuse. Tall, distressed, whitewashed shutters are a romantic substitute for bedroom doors and act like privacy drapes inside a room with French doors leading to a terrace or garden. Louvers also let air circulate more freely when they are pantry or cupboard doors, a consideration in a cottage which gets lots of damp days and foggy nights.

Batten the Hatches

In a place where serious wind and storms frequently batter the landscape, then you need a solid, secure door as part of the defenses. But that does not signify the entry for your beach cottage has to look as a bank vault. Paint and distress a good hardwood door to resemble a piece of driftwood you picked up along the tide line. Pick a marine color from nature or the nautical world — seafoam-green, lagoon, sky-blue, coral, cloud-gray or sea-buoy-red. Paint the door and add distressing and aging using dry-brush streaks of salty white to “fade” the color, and a light spatter of charcoal paint to simulate pock marks or flecks of tar. Change the hardware and house numbers for brass — shined or tarnished — and use a brass anchor door knocker for nature.

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A headboard and foot board can do more than grace each end of a bed. They create terrific benches, when you take them apart and reconnect them nearer together, and repaint them. A headboard-foot board seat may be a quirky addition to your front entry, a reading nook in the nursery or a spot to sit for a spell in the garden. Don’t lug that old bed frame to your curb; instead, reinvent it like a one time bench for your property.

Lazy Day Bench

A castoff wood headboard and foot board with turned spindles is a real find for your committed DIYer. The displaced star of this bedroom takes center stage in a shady corner of your garden after a reconfiguration and a cosmetic makeover. Determine the depth of the chair; cut the plank in half and trim it to the seat depth measurement; screw each half to a hardboard pole and include a seat made of reclaimed timber or plywood. Give the whole thing a good sanding and a base coat; then paint over that using a lighter, contrasting color — lilac, faded pink, softened verdigris or robin’s egg blue. Stencil or draw freehand vines and blossoms on the back, support posts and chairs, and paint the designs with hobby paints. Paint the spindles a rainbow of pale shades. Protect the garden fairy bench with clear matte polyurethane.

Twinboard Bench

Hunt for a carved wood twin-size four-poster with turned legs in a thrift shop or your attic. Take it apart and reassemble the headboard and foot board to your cosy bench for the kids’ room. Cut the foot-board legs so the front of the seat is kid seat-height. Save the cut-off turned legs to work with as “arms” connecting the back of the seat — the headboard — together with the front the foot plank. The foot-board crosspiece becomes the leading panel — like a kickboard — of this seat. Screw the former legs of the plank, now the seat arms, to the headboard and foot-board posts. Insert a 2-by-4 supportive frame and a plywood seat. Paint the whole seat with milk paint in a shade that works together with the decor in a child’s bedroom, then highlighting fancywork on turned posts and finials in a contrasting color.

Baby Bench

The baby is growing up, and your carefully constructed nursery furniture is now surplus. You have to furnish a child’s room without dipping into the college fund. So inspect that antique crib with budget-savvy eyes. Take the sides off and cut it down so a brief kid can scramble aboard easily. Replace a spring stage with solid wood and paint or refinish the new platform and also the old frame, headboard and foot board to your bedroom or playroom. Cover the crib bed with canvas that is tough, piped round the edges for style and reinforcement, and utilize matching or coordinated cotton canvas for pillows to pile along the back and sides of the new seat. Push the seat against a wall, position the pillows, and you have custom seating out of what would happen to be a hand-me-down or curbside discard.

Mixed Media

Craft a garden seat from an old iron bedstead and a few smooth sanded boards. The headboard becomes the back of the seat. The foot board, cut in half and soldered or bolted to the headboard end posts, becomes the arms and is trimmed to the depth of the seat until it’s attached to the back. A wood slat seat or plywood one-panel seat, twisted to your 2-by-4 support framework, is notched to fit around the posts and secured in place with screws or L-braces. Preserve signs of wear on the bed frame using sprayed-on clear matte lacquer, and distress and faux-age the seat having an undercoat of paint in a darker color than the topcoat, which should match the color of the headboard and foot board and be chipped and worn away sanded — in places, then protected using the same lacquer topcoat.

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From use, seating options suffer over time. They need cleaning and repairing. A arm may become loose or pillow foam may deteriorate. You’ve got quite a few choices for renewing love seats and sagging, dingy sofa chairs.

Custom Cleaning

Deep clean your sofa and love seat with homemade cleaning solutions. First, thoroughly vacuum the furniture. An significant part the cleaning process is agitation; use a brush or towel to rub in the water-based cleaning alternative. For draining any soap residue from the 16, some home made remedies may require a scrub. There are numerous commercial products. Research Internet testimonials before purchasing of these products. Follow product instructions for use. Should your fabric have then it has dried nap — like microfiber fabric — softly brush the substance in motions.

New Foam and Batting

Sofa chairs and sagging love seats may need padding or new foam cushions. Replace the failing substance with comparable substance. If the cotton batting around the foam cushions has deteriorated, replace it with cotton batting that is new. If a foam pillow has declined, replace it with a similar merchandise fitting the original measurements of the cushion. For seat cushions, unzip the pillow, eliminate the foam that is old and then slip in foam that is new. For sofa backs, you may need to use a remover or seam ripper replace the stuffing and to start the upholstery. Work in the base of the financing — below the seat cushions — so any openings you need to create can be whip-stitched reattached or shut with staples and will be hidden.

Freshen Up With Slipcovers

Even if the fabric on your sofa chair and love seat is in suitable condition, you may want to upgrade the appearance. Create custom-designed slipcovers . Directions are available in books and on the Internet. Fabric outlets frequently have patterns for slipcovers. For cutting edge fabric pieces measure. Purchase fabric with a tight weave for slipcovers; once they start revealing dirt, then throw them in the washer.

Invest in Reupholstering

The renewal plan for a love seat and sofa chair is complete reupholstering. For well-loved furniture pieces, it provides years of life, although this is an expensive alternative. A few reupholstering you can handle yourself. Many sites and specialty books have instructions on the procedure.

Brighten With Fabric Paint

An extreme solution to renewing your sofa chair and love seat is to paint the fabric. There are paints specifically for cotton or polyester fabric. For this renewal approach, the upholstery should be clean and in good condition without tears or holes. If you opt for this option because one downside to stained upholstery, proceed with caution is it can be stiff.

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Paint your own Mexico-inspired wooden seats with designs found in Mexican art, home textiles and goods. Mexican color schemes vary greatly from color-washed light tones to main colours and deep colours. Pick a color scheme for your layout which suits the room in which the seats will be used.

Serape Style

Look to serapes or Mexican handwoven blankets and table runners as inspiration for colorful striped chairs. Choose 4 or more colours suited to the room space, including either white or black for thin color bands. Paint the seats a base color — whichever color you would like to see the most on every seat. Once the paint dries, use painter’s tape implemented in several straight vertical or horizontal lines of varying widths to create borders for every band of color as you paint. Plot a repeating pattern should you wish the colours to duplicate in a particular sequence, or even a mirror-image design featuring blue on the exterior, green next, and so on, depending upon your intended layout. For the simplest styling, then copy the basic colours from an image of a real serape which you enjoy.

Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead, or Dia de Muertos, mixes beautiful floral designs with skulls and skeletons in a distinctive style. Paint the whole seat a vivid color like green, red or yellow, then paint a huge skull contour on the chair. Paint bold flowers all around the skull contour, using images of Day of the Dead designs to motivate your work till you get the hang of it. In some instances, these themed designs look somewhat psychedelic, with the abundance of blooms in graphic cartoon-style illustrations. Add smaller or flowers decorated skulls throughout your layout.

Ancient Inspirations

Ancient cultures indigenous to Mexico created a wealth of art in the forms of pottery, ceremonial objects and stone carvings; many such items still exist today. Use the art of the Olmecs or Mayans to create chairs inspired by artifacts displayed in museums or in pictorial form in novels. Print bold figures like warriors or birds and copy them onto your furniture. Give the seats an artifact-style finish by adding a yellow or brown glaze on the top once you’ve completed the art, sanding off the paint in some areas to make the furniture look older.

Cozy Kitchen-Tile Traditions

Paint the seats in designs reminiscent of Mexican tiles found in kitchens and throughout Mexican abodes. Blues, yellows, greens and oranges dominate the shingles. Many of the tile designs feature flowers or plants. Trace a tile layout onto contact paper to create your own stencil, or on a piece of artwork or foam foam to create a stamp for a single-colored layout. Paint a big tile-style design freehand on the seat or seat back, then add smaller versions or tiny flowers and doodles across the remainder of the seat by means of a color pulled from the tile.

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My house came with many particulars that I was thrilled with: crown moldings, large windows, conventional features and hardwood flooring galore, to mention a couple. The dark and outdated knotty pine paneling in my spare space wasn’t on this list.

Wood paneling is fine for some, but this particular paneling was causing an issue in my house. Finally this chamber was to become our guest room, however when we moved in, it was our temporary playroom. There was just 1 problem: I am not exaggerating when I tell you my kids were scared of that area. The first time we arrived to look at the house with the kids in tow, they ran up from the playroom crying. After my oldest was able to grab a breath I had been told that they saw frightening seal faces peering out at them from the wood.

Although this wasn’t a permanent playroom, I wanted for my kids to really want to play with there. It needed to change.

Before Photo

BEFORE: The knotted pine paneling and old linoleum flooring didn’t create my temporary playroom the very inviting area for my kids to play.

Christina Katos

I had been informed that the walls were full of frightening seal faces. No sum of colorful Legos could alter my children’s heads.

Christina Katos

AFTER: I utilized my favorite Wooster Shortcut angled 2-inch brush for the grooves and for the trim, making sure to get rid of any excess paint. A ⅜-inch-nap woven fabric roller then made fast work of the remainder.

Two coats of primer and 2 coats of Benjamin Moore’s Mascarpone helped alter this space. The warm white on the wall creates a soothing and cozy feel.

Christina Katos

I then included Trafficmaster Allure vinyl plank flooring. I picked a warm choice named American Walnut and put it directly over the old brown tile. It worked so well for my family that if I refinished my basement I used it also. Once the basement was completed, the prior playroom subsequently became a committed guest room.

Christina Katos

The small stairway leading up to the floor also had a cavernous feel when we transferred in. Now perpendicular white paneling gives the illusion of height.

More Ideas for Painted Wood Paneling

Are you thinking of painting your own paneling? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

The Lettered Cottage

Painted paneling can add character to many rooms. Your design style isn’t limited with this feature.

Wayne Windham Architect, P.A.

Horizontal paneling creates a room feel bigger by drawing the eye out to the borders.

Whitten Architects

Adapt it to your own style with your choice of color and accessories. Don’t limit your paint palette. Paneling can add a statement in any color.

Ellis Custom Homes LLC

Go with a coloured stain to show the facts in the wood. Who wants artwork in a space similar to this?

Structures Construction Company

This minimalist hall includes a refreshing and clean feel. There could be colorful rooms behind each door, however the white hallway keeps them all in line.

VOH Architects

You might want to take your painting somewhat further than most. Antiquing the walls adds character to an easy white paint project.

Would you paint wood paneling? Have your say in the Comments!

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Painting your home interior is 1 way to create your home more livable for your self and your family. A fresh coat of paint may make your home interior more attractive to future buyers. When choosing paint colours for your home interior, start with your own tastes. For rooms with complex color schemes, consult with a color wheel to determine which colours are complementary. For an inexpensive paint job, do the work yourself to stop paying for a professional. However, for extensive paint jobs or jobs that will require lead paint removal, it may be beneficial to work with a painting contractor.

Research interior painting techniques and ideas. Read online galleries, such as the ones offered at”House Beautiful Magazine.” Keep track of some ideas that are appealing to you or seem especially suitable for your dwelling. Create a portfolio of photographs and articles that offer inspiration or painting tips.

See your local home improvement shop. If you would like to organize your paint job with furniture that you already have in your home, make a sample piece of fabric from every room you need to paint. Use the store’s color matching machines to make a matching paint sample. If you don’t have furniture , browse the paint department and bring home plenty of paint samples for future reference.

Evaluate room lighting and dimensions. A smaller area may seem cramped when you paint it with dark colours, whereas a large room may benefit from multiple, rich shades. Likewise, a dimly lighted room demands a lighter color scheme, whereas a room with ample natural lighting might appear too broad if it’s painted in light colours.

Use architectural features to enhance your paint job and enhance the overall room appearance. As mentioned at This Old House, painting architectural elements such as a wainscot or crown molding is the best way to add dimension to the room.

Choose colors that will be attractive to any future buyers. This doesn’t mean that you must use a neutral color scheme. Adding an accent wall, as an example, is 1 way to add dimension and character to your home interior whilst still offering resale attraction. If your priority is to raise your house’s curb worth, avoid dramatic paint jobs with an outrageous palette of colours.

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A home that includes one or more rooms with a Mexican or Southwest design theme can be an enjoyable, inviting and warm area. Whether it’s to recall a vacation south of the border or to bring a little energy to an otherwise bland house, Mexican decor incorporates many distinct things and styles.

Definition

Designers and decorators use the expression Mexican decoration loosely to explain furnishings and styles popular in and around Mexico from round the 18th century to the current day. Most Mexican decoration is traditional and rustic in style with a focus on practical, practical designs. The term encompasses not only Mexico but also Central America and the American Southwest, where styles and tendencies have historically crossed national borders.

Colors

Mexican decoration contains two color palettes. The first is composed of earth tones such as browns, tans, and dull reds and pinks. These colors recall the stone, wood and adobe dwellings, as well as terra cotta pots and arid, Mexican landscapes. Mexican decor also has vibrant primary colors, with vivid blues, yellows and reds. Much Mexican decoration features these brighter colors over a backdrop of subdued earth tones, creating a solid contrast.

Materials

Mexican home decor uses many unique materials, which makes it well-suited to many distinct kinds of rooms and rooms. Wood and clay are dominant in many pieces, with wood unfinished or stained with a bright color. For linens and draperies, materials like rough, coarsely woven wool and cotton are typical. Mexican folk art generally makes use of pliable metals like tin, timber, clay and glass.

Furniture

Mexican furniture normally combines heavy wooden panels with metal details. Some tables and bed frames utilize dark wrought iron to match light wood tones. Iron drawer handles and pulls can also be common. Pine is one of the most common materials in traditional Mexican furniture, even although reclaimed wood is popular in country-style pieces, and bent wood or twigs figure in certain seats, tables and armoires.

Objects

Mexican decoration relies heavily on decorative objects which can be set on a shelf, tabletop or any other surface. Terra cotta pots with colorful geometric painted patterns are among the very best visual signals of Mexican style. Mexican folk art incorporates ceramic figurines, clay wall hangings and candle holders. These things are often painted with vivid patterns or to resemble skeletons, which are an important picture for the Mexican vacation Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

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