The Peaceful Home

Everyone has stress in their lives and your home environment can either add to your stress or help you relax.  I want to share a few ideas using light, shade and color to make your home a peaceful place.

Use mirrors to maximize the flow of energizing natural light through your home. Light promotes physical vitality and mental alertness

Candles offer a wonderful source of mood lighting-- as well as a suitable focus for a simple meditation. Look for interesting candle holders, such as pierced tin cylinders, which cast a soothing light show onto nearby walls.

You can also float candles in decorative bowls filled with water to establish ambience of gentle mysticism.

Use sheer fabrics as curtains or shades to diffuse and soften the light where appropriate creating an ethereal mood that combines seclusion and mystery. In other rooms (such as bedrooms) you might choose instead to block the daylight out completely, helping you generate an intimate, relaxing mood.


Use color strategically , bearing in mind their impact on mood. Cooler hues tend to be calming, warmer hues tend to be stimulating. Bear in mind the psychological and spiritual meanings associated with colors.

Red is associated with fire, so that a patch of red in a room can be a subtle substitute for a blazing hearth.

Orange is linked with spirituality and transcendence, and is a good colour for meditators.

Yellow is associated with sunlight, promotes optimism.
Green connects us with nature and instills a sense of harmony.

Blue, the color of the untroubled sky, suggests openness, freedom and tranquility.

Indigo, reminiscent of ocean depths, adds mystery to an interior.

Violet, symbolic of the "inner eye" the centre of spiritual vision, can guide us on the inner quest.

Wild and colorful sheer curtains!

Fall Picture Page

Picture Page of Fall decorating ideas/items, some you could make and others you could look for similar items at a local Hobby Lobby

Magnolia Leaf Wreath

Topiary in a decorative pot

Flocked Fruit Wreath

 


      

Harvest stock pots for Irish stew, chili, etc.

Pumpkin Candy jar

Cute mouse doorstop

 Mercury Glass pumpkin

         Cottage Oil Lamp

Autumn Leaf Bowl

Inside decor ideas

Outdoor Idea

 

Brighten up your home!

Fresh flowers brighten up any home. It is such a lovely treat to have them throughout the house or in just the main living areas of your home. For the past two weeks I have indulged by having the luxury of fresh flowers everywhere! It is too much up keep and expense for me to do this all the time so I went crazy.  Just wanted to share a few pictures of these beautiful flowers.

This butterfly arrangement stayed on the tea table for quite a while before they no longer looked good. Unfortunately I didn't photograph them on the first few days.

                          The workroom mantel was decorated with about 12 roses in bud vases.

I saw a similar arrangement on the internet and took the photo to the florist and she was able to copy it pretty close. I wanted a white container though instead of a colored one. These were a perfect size for the table beside the bed.

This is a picture from last year.  I floated chrysanthemums in the pool, I may try that again!


All of the flowers had a different look that went well with each room. It was great to see bright colors in one room, traditional red roses in another and pale soft tones in the bedroom. It would be nice to be able to do this all of the time!

Road Trip Finds!

"New" Vintage items for the store I found on a recent week long trip:

I absolutely love this vintage magazine rack. The leather is sooo soft. If this doesn't sell quickly, I'm taking it home. I already know where I would put it! I found a few on ebay, one company wanted a ridiculous amount, $225.00. I won't be selling it for anywhere near that. That overinflated price is quite extreme. Two online had been broken and repaired, at least this one is all original. The wood and the leather look very good. I think I will be using it in the store to very carefully store/display some vintage magazines.

I found these very cute tea pot napkin rings that happen to go with three different sets of china I have in the store. They are hand painted with a lot of detail, especially considering the flowers are so tiny. The biscuit covering is cute

               

This vintage basket took a  lot of work to clean up, it is very delicate and was difficult to get the layers of dust off. It took some time cleaning up the seashells too, they cleaned up quite nice and have a decent amount of color to them.  It has a little catch on it to keep the lid closed. This style and weave were popular during the very early 1980's. The thin blue ribbon surrounds the basket. It also creates a bow of sorts and is attached to an iridescent looking shell.

The doily is in very good vintage condition. Most people collect these because they are hand made and very few people still practice this art.

The beach scene looks like a painting on this little box. It is the size of a jewelry necklace box. Gifting seashell/beach style jewelry in it would be perfect. It could be used as a trinket box.  A gift card would also fit,  it would be more unique in this box rather than using a standard box.

If you would like to check out my latest finds click here:  CardsAndAntiques.etsy.com

Fourth of July Fun Facts

Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. The Liberty Bell rang out from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 8, 1776. It was sounded to bring the people out to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was read by Colonel John Nixon.

• 1791 was the year that the name “Independence Day" was used for the first time. It may have been used before then, but that was the first time it was recorded.
• 1801 was the first time a July 4th party was held at the White House.
• In 1805, Lewis and Clark celebrated the first July 4th celebration west of the Mississippi, at Independence Creek.
• Three dates are significant to the holiday. Independence Day was made an unpaid holiday for federal employees by Congress. In 1938, it became a paid holiday, and in 1941, Congress declared it a federal holiday.

•  Here are some really fun Fourth of July Fun Facts about the United States and the way its people celebrate Independence Day.

• Did You Know?

  Over 150 million hotdogs will be eaten at Fourth of July celebrations all over the country.
  That comes out to be one hotdog for every two people.
• 211 million dollars are spent on fireworks every year.
• More than 74 million people will have an Independence Day cookout.
• 30 locations in the United States have the word “liberty” in them. The one with the highest population is Liberty, Missouri.
• In 11 places, the name includes the word “independence”. Independence, Missouri is the most populated.
• Five locations use the name “freedom” with Freedom, California, having the largest population. There is one place named “patriot”, and that is Patriot, Indiana.
• Five locations have “America” in their name, the largest being American Fork, Utah.

Quick Trick to rev productivity

Here is a good reason to log on to yours favorite adorable animal website at work: Scrolling through the images can help you speed through your to-do's. Researchers  at Japan's Hiroshima University found that viewing photos of puppies and kittens improved subjects' speed and accuracy on detail-oriented tasks by an average of 44 percent compared with those who saw snapshots of full-grown cats and dogs. It seems the cuteness of furry little creatures evokes a protective response that enhances alertness and concentration, prompting people to pay attention to the task at hand.

Decorate and Celebrate!

The items above are very cute and are unique fourth of July decor. You can find the items above at Victorian Trading Co.

Boston International American Flag pillow found at Amazon

Patriotic Uncle Sam Hats USA Flag Salt and Pepper Shakers also found at Amazon

 Americana Decorative Pails - Party Decorations & Room Decor sold on Amazon