How to: Kitchen Sink Christmas Potpourri

Andrea Drexelius shares with us her recipe for a fresh Christmas potpourri blend. Add the soothing scents to your holiday decorations for a intimate feel.

From the garden:

Dried rose petals
Dried hydrangea flowers
Ponderosa and Myers lemon peel
Pink grapefruit peel
Lime peel
Orange peel
Rosemary leaves
Juniper berries
California Pepper berries
Eucalyptus leaves and flowers
Bay leaf
Thyme leaves
Sage leaves

From the cupboard:

Vanilla bean pod
Whole cloves
Loose black tea
Mulling spices

Mix together, then add a few drops of jasmine oil.

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Drexelius
Photography by Mark Tanner

Shared by: Home Cottages

Top Ten: Sentimental Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Unlike assorted chocolates that are a gamble as to what you will get, these gift ideas remove the guesswork and will delight everyone.

1. A handwritten letter.

2. Flowers (but not the home-delivery kind).

3. A gift that we’ve slyly hinted at.

4. Dinner at home.

5. Something handmade.

6. A night out (anytime but Valentine’s Day!)

7. Photographs.

8. A beauty treat in the form of a trained professional fussing over us.

9. A weekend getaway (even if it is at the local hotel).

10. A book you think we’d enjoy.

White Christmas Décor

Try casting aside traditional holiday colors for a heavenly spell.

The holiday season is about revisiting memories and creating new ones. Here, we illustrate how to embrace your traditions and introduce new, simple twists that focus on a wintry palette.

It was the Victorians who, in the mid-19th century, popularized fanciful Christmas decorations. They styled their home with delicate bulbs, mistletoe and sparkling tree-toppers. Decorating with a white and silver palette is not only fitting for the season, but also a refreshing alternative from the expected red and green. Traditional Christmas bauble is also replaced with elements such as rosary beads, angel wings and religious statues.

How to Get the Look:

·         For your living room:

o   Paint an antique mantelpiece white. It will strike a serene pose that could soften Scrooge.

o   Pair an old arched window, found at a salvage yard or flea market, with white angel wings and a string of antique rosary beads.

o   Camouflage a wall with tattered scripted paper from antique books to hide the holes; add a touch of sparkle with mercury-glass candleholders.

·         For your bedroom:

o   Fragrant paper-white narcissus is an easy bulb to grow and adds a festive touch in like-colored pots on a windowsill or tabletop.

o   Dress up an antique French armoire with a fresh bouquet of Christmas roses.

o   For a dramatic look, adorn an antique silver bedside tray with candles, pink roses, juniper twigs and winter greens.

o   Embellish plain candles with rustic string, crystal beads and medallions. Overall, the setting is ideal for the true romantic.

·         For your kitchen:

o   Combine simple styling, shimmering candles and natural elements for a serene, wintry effect.

o   Add silver accents for sparkle and sophistication.

·         For your office:

o   Achieve a nostalgic, vintage look through the inclusion of old books and photographs, antique silver pieces and angel wings hung on a weathered window.

o   The silver and white color palette exudes a classic, understated elegance.

Halloween Candle

Halloween is a holiday that prompts so many people to decorate their homes, and nothing else provides a spookier glow than candles. Sit Halloween-inspired candles from Root Candles on top of your matnel to complement a roaring fire.

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock.com

With a fragrance reminiscent of crisp fall evenings, the luxurious IllumiNoir Warm Vanilla Hallow’s Eve candle comes in a black matte glass container and is housed in an elegant black box, perfect to give as a gift to fans of Halloween. Root Candles provide a modern twist to the traditional bottle light candle with their Spooky Tree, Autumn Leaves, Halloween’s Eve and Jack-O-Lantern candles scented with mulled cider fragrance. To find the retailer nearest you, visit www.rootcandles.com.

By Jennifer Myers

Get the Look: Shabby-Chic & Vintage

Antiques dealer, Clara DiGiuseppe, shares the rules to follow to get her look.

• Don’t buy anything new. Shop flea markets and antique shops, and always opt for vintage versions of anything you want.
• If it’s painted, it’s better.
• Practicality should be your guiding principle. Make sure you only buy what you can use and have room for.
• Keep everything light. From furniture to textiles to the paint on the wall, keep your color palette light and fresh.
• Always keep comfort in mind to create a truly relaxing and stress-free home. I like comfy furniture that is already beat up so you don’t have to worry about it no matter what happens or what your children do.
• Stick to your budget. I really don’t have anything expensive in my house. If it’s too pricey, I refuse to buy it. Moreover, if you pay a lot, then in many ways you are stuck with it; you don’t feel like you can be creative and alter it or change it out if you are ready for something new.

By Jickie Torres
Photography by Mark Tanner
Styled by Jacqueline deMontravel

The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Your Clutter: Author Q&A

A couple of energy traps in your home include stuffed bathroom cupboards and any beauty products lingering around the tub. Ready to get organized and clear that clutter? Follow Mary Lambert's advice from The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Your Clutter.

The bathroom should provide a private retreat for cleansing the body and soul. It needs to be an inviting environment where you want to linger, Lambert says. She suggests treating yourself a little in this room by having candles, perhaps placed around the tub, an oversized luxurious towel or a spider plant or fern to increase the room's energy.

Author Q&A

We asked Lambert how to let chi flow freely via improved bathroom organization. Here's how she answered: "In the bathroom, do not store too many products around the bath as this inhibits the flow of chi. Make sure you have enough cabinets for these products. Regularly check cabinets holding health products and discard any products that are out of date."

When we asked for simple feng shui cures to energize the bedroom, she replied, "The first thing you need to do is clear out any junk you have. Beware of mirrors opposite the bed as they are too energetic for the bedroom and can cause restless sleep. Electronics, including TVs, should be removed as they have the same effect as a mirror. If you can't live without it, make sure it is turned off when you sleep and covered with a cloth or scarf. Open the windows regularly."

And for those of you set to clear the clutter from your life, here are Lambert's words of wisdom: "The hardest thing for people to overcome is to change their mindset. It is liberating to clear your clutter, but it can often only be done with the help of a consultant. Once the clutter is cleared it can easily come back, so regular checks are needed. Also, by setting up good storage systems the clutter should disappear. A problem area is the paper junk--flyers, leaflets, notes. Be sure to put them straight into a recycling bin if you don't need them."

But what if you're skeptical? Junk doesn't affect me, you think. The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Your Clutter can help you, too. Lambert provides great quizzes and tips that make it easier to personalize your experience. Her book addresses a wide range of needs, from organizing solutions to completely adaption your house to the flow of chi. Your home is your sanctuary, and this book will guide you toward creating an efficacious environment that inspires your confidence, health, relationships and career.

By Lauren Vikander

The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Your Clutter by Mary Lambert, published by CICO Books; visit cicobooks.com. For our complete review, visit bedroomsandbathsmag.com.

Avoiding Renovation Stress

I wish everyday life had a Command + Z function (or Control + Z for you PC users).

If you aren’t familiar with keyboard shortcuts, Command + Z is the equivalent of the “undo” function on your computer. I use this shortcut, and I use it often. (I’ve already hit the key combo twice since I started writing this blog post!) And a day rarely goes by when I haven’t wished at least once that I could undo something with the snap of a finger, the blink of an eye or the stroke of a key:

I shouldn’t have attempted to drink a cup of coffee whithout a lid while driving own a road marked “under construction”….  Command + Z.

I shouldn’t have worn a white blouse while eating pasta in marinara sauce… Command + Z.

I shouldn’t have tried a new haircut two weeks before my wedding… Command + Z. 

(And before you ask, yes—I’ve really done all these things!)

Alas, until some virtuoso unlocks the secrets of time travel, Command + Z will forever remain functional only in the digital realm; therefore, it’s necessary to learn from our mistakes so we aren’t doomed to repeat them—or at least repeat them often.

When it comes to designing, redesigning, or remodeling a kitchen, however, there is no room for error. Every mistake—from the wrong shade of paint to a miscalculated measurement—is potentially costly. Sometimes the cost is small, sometimes it’s colossal, but it’s almost always painful in some way or another. Fortunately, we at Kitchens are daily adding fantastic resources to our website to help point you in the right direction before you find yourself in the regrettable situation of thinking, I should’ve researched that contractor before allowing hi to gut my kitchen down to the studs….Command + Z.

From flooring and appliances to planning the perfect layout and creating a fully functional outdoor kitchen, you will find valuable tips, tricks, information and inspiration in every post. And after digesting all the great intel we can offer you online, you will be well-equipped and fully prepared to approach your next kitchen project with confidence and creativity—instead of wishing in vain you had the magical powers of a real-life undo button.

Written and photographed by Rebecca J. Raz

Posted  By Well Styled Kitchens