Valentine's Day

"Valentine's Day is the Poet's Holiday"

-Ted Kooser

Valentine's Day is another opportunity to express love and appreciation for those we care about. Sharing cards, flowers, chocolates, helium balloons, iced heart cookies, or stuffed bears is a simple way to show affection. 

I love that Valentine's Day falls mid February.  At this time of year, especially in the north east, many people begin experiencing 

"Cabin-Fever"

A cheerful atmosphere helps with the "winter blues".

Bright Red Hearts, Sweet Treats, and Pink Roses

deliver color and cheeriness to the dull-drum that comes when winter hangs on. 

Many years ago I purchased retro Valentine cards and I display them each year. 

What makes a lovely statement at an affordable price is heart garland made from red and white poster board. Heart-shaped picks, silk roses, and ribbon can be purchased very inexpensively at dollar stores. 

Heart shaped balloons filled with helium are very festive and can make great back-drops in photos. 

A simple craft to make:

Cut out a cardboard heart and wrap with red yarn. The flowers were purchased from Pat Catan's and applied with hot glue. 

Thrift stores are great for unique seasonal household items.

 The glittery fruit, red/black heart, plates, and picture were all purchased from Goodwill during their 50% off sale held at the end of every month.

Here is a simple display adding a cozy touch.

 An idea for a tasty treat:
Melt pink chocolate wafers (sold at most craft stores) and spread over warm soft pretzels.

  
 I hope you found this blog to enjoyable. 
May you and those you love have a memorable Valentine's Day! 

Furnishing Your Home with Style

For many couples starting out purchasing items for the home can just about break-the-bank.

 Furniture can be very costly and depending on the size of the home, it could take years before a home looks and feels fully furnished. 

Unless you are a minimalist, the more furnishings, the more cozy a home feels. When looking to some of the great interior decorators of our day; it is the home fashion trend to have, not just classy furniture, but layers of fabric, accent pieces, and lighting to make a home look stunning. Anything from mixing antique with trendy, dainty with rustic, and paisley with plaid, the combinations can add just the right flare.  One of my favorite interior designers,Scott Meacham Wood, does just that. 

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Your Home is Your Expression

Be Creative and Fearless

Your home should make you want to be there.

I found a store from my hometown that allows one to achieve their decorating goals on an affordable budget. 

Located in the small town of Cortland,Ohio; this furniture store contains so many items that can transform a house into a beautiful home. 

This consignment store contains items in excellent condition ranging from many various styles of furniture, home decor accent pieces, paintings, lamps, dishware, linens, and specialty items such as Sydney candles, jewelry, and purses. 

This bedding is exquisite. The duvet cover and the black cover were originally a custom order and very pricey. The coverings were made for 2 twin beds and all 4 pieces can be purchased separately. The duvet covers (red with buttons) come with the down comforters. The original cost for this bedding was $4,000. You can purchase the bed coverings for a cost of $200 per item. 

When you take a tour of this store be prepared to spend time going from room to room over again.

You will see things the second and third time around that you missed the first time. 

Here is a tip, look in the cabinets, drawers, cupboards, and bookcases as you will find many items tucked away. There are so many home goods so be prepared to shop around. 

No matter what your home needs are, you are sure to find it here. You don't have to break-the-bank to make your home look splendid. 

Why pay department store prices when you can have quality furniture at a fraction of the cost. Every dollar saved is a dollar earned. Put the savings toward a vacation, no one will know the difference. 

Very few stores offer so much for so little.

Maybe you are just starting out or helping an adult child fix up their home, you can't afford to pass this place up. 

All your Furnishings are Right Here. 

The store has very convenient hours.

Monday-Saturday 10:00-5:00

Sunday 11:00-3:00

Specialty Items for Her

  
All Things To Make a Cozy Home.

The Store is Located at

212 N High St, Cortland, Ohio 44410.

Please stop in and visit 

They'll Leave The Light On

 

Thank you for taking time to read this blog. I hope you have found it to be enjoyable. 

Thanksgiving Planning Tips

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, eating turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, playing board games like Apples to Apples, glancing at the Black Friday adds, and nibbling on left-overs with whomever stops by for a visit. 

https://newyorksightseeingtours.wordpress.com/tag/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/

For the past few years it has become a tradition for me to host the Thanksgiving dinner. 

Being a good hostess requires lots of organization & preparation. 
Doing as much as you can beforehand helps to make the holiday a smooth transition. 

Here Are Some Tips

Start an inbox message on Facebook including all the guests whom are invited and have them mention what they would like to bring to the dinner. So many family and friends are connected to social media, making communication easy.

Once this is done you can plan on seating arrangements such as the number of chairs and tables that will be needed.

I like for my tables and chairs to color coordinate. 

Here is a very affordable place to purchase chair and table coverings: 

http://www.tableclothsfactory.com/Folding-Chair-Cover-Round-p/chair_rnd_wht.htm

You can purchase chair coverings for as little as $1.15 per item.  I like to use sashes on some chairs and those run around $2.29. The sashes and coverings come in a variety of textures and colors.

It's nice having candles & decorations for the tables to make the atmosphere very warm and festive. 

Shopping at this time of the year is a great time to purchase candles & decorations; many stores have those items on clearance after Halloween. 

For early prep, a week or two before the holiday, bring out your chafers and make sure you have chafer fuel (sternos). It can be very frustrating if you happen to notice, after the dinner is prepared, that you are out of sternos. Locate your power strips if you will be plugging in slow cookers. 

Rearranging furniture may be necessary to make room for tables. You may need to remove a coffee table or so in advance. If that is the case, think about doing it the weekend before the big dinner.

Another early prep would be to iron table cloths ahead of time.

Take a look at your guest list and decide fun activities to do for all who are present. If you have little ones attending the dinner, you may want to bring out a few toys, puzzles, coloring books, and things to help keep them entertained.  

Even adults have fun coloring, doing word puzzles, and playing trivia games. 

You could have a word search & trivia contest; then have  prizes waiting for the winners ($5 Dunkin Donuts gift cards). There are plenty of free Thanksgiving downloads for such activities. 

Autumn's Country Landscape

We are rounding the bin of October and the landscape is magnificent. Peak week has occurred here in Northeast Ohio.

The weather has cooperated in making this, a fall to remember. One of my favorite things to do this time of year, is head for those country roads that are noted for their scenery. I wanted to share with you photos that I took along the way. 

I took these photos going through Vernon, Ohio and into Greenville, PA.

I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I did photographing them. 

Little Haven @ Home

One thing I enjoy looking at; whether it's in home magazines,browsing social media sites,or stores like Ikea, are Bedrooms.

As a mom, I loved decorating my children's rooms. Their rooms took on different styles as we moved and the children grew into different stages. It was fun gathering items that reflected their own personalities.  

They always seemed to  enjoy their 

"Little Haven"

Here's A Small Tip:

It is hard to believe that it is mid October already; which means the Holidays are going to be here before you know it. In order to get a jump start on Holiday decorating, why not start with the children's bedrooms. The weekend before Thanksgiving is a great time to do this; right before the hurriedness of the season kicks in.

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children." 

-Charles R. Swindoll

The years went by quickly and before I could blink an eye, my children were 
spreading their wings. 
Fortunately for me, my children came and went in stages and not all at once; however, I knew the day would come when those bedrooms would become bare. So far two have left the nest and the third one's waiting. It is such a transition when your children become adults. I would say that it's bittersweet. I'm thankful that I still have one more in the nest. But I know it's only a matter of time and he too will 
Spread His Wings & Fly

Since my oldest two have moved out, a few face lifts have been made. For a very affordable new look, my husband took up the carpet and polished the hardwood underneath. My  home was built in 1906 and the hardwood floors are in good condition.  

This was my daughter's room and we kept the orange (her favorite color). I re-decorated the room using some of my daughter's wedding flowers. 

She enjoys coming home to visit and 

staying in her old room. 

This room was once a living room and since the boys needed their own rooms we turned it into a fourth bedroom. 

Here's A Tip:

T.J. Maxx has the best smelling fabric spay for $4.99. I like to spray my sheets, blankets, comforters, and pillow cases while I'm making the bed. When it's time for bed that evening, the sheets smell so good.