Today’s blog continues my holiday tradition of trying to make the holidays easier and sweeter for you. Everyone is very busy at this time of year and budgets are stretched, so my gift to you are these super simple recipes that are fairly inexpensive to make. Placed in colored cellophane, tied up with pretty ribbon or placed in a cute little basket lined with festive fabric or tissue paper, and you’ll have wonderful homemade holiday gifts for everyone from teachers to neighbors.

With the holidays fast approaching, our thoughts often turn to our home and whether or not things are as good as they can be to welcome our friends and family in. Maybe you have a couple of smaller projects that you have on your to-do list to make that happen. Maybe you feel you don’t have the time or energy to tackle these things before the holidays. Things can get so crazy at this time of year, and if you’re anything like me, your mind might be spinning on how and what to try and accomplish to have you and your home feel “holiday-ready”. Well, my advice is to take a step back, clear your head, and think about what “home” is really all about.

Every year around this time, I post a blog like this one. Why? Because I’ve been caught in that position of having a houseful of people arriving in 24 hours and realizing I have 72 hours of work to do! If you’ve been there before, you know the following sequence: dread, denial, anger, apathy, wine, and finally…acceptance. Given what we’ve all been through over the past few years, this year for some folks, may be the first time they are really welcoming guests back into their home. Use the checklist below to help you take some of the stress out of preparing for your visitors this holiday season.

You might have the perfect space in your kitchen, dining room, or family space to hang pendant lights or a chandelier. Congratulations, you’ve accomplished the easy part! The tricky part is actually finding and selecting the perfect lighting. My job it to help you defeat tricky by arming you with easy. Without further ado, allow me to, ahem, shine a little light on this subject.

Hello everyone! Today, I’m going to share some easy and affordable fall décor ideas I came up with using some .99 cent mini pumpkins along with some fall items found at the dollar store. I also had some vases on hand and a couple of wreaths from other projects. If you don’t have items like this already, be sure to check your local thrift stores to help you get your base of items started. These items are usually super cheap and you can reuse them again and again for different looks throughout the year.

So, if you like to have a little fall in your home for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I hope these simple ideas spark your creativity when it comes to adding some fall beauty to your home this year!

Warmer jewel tones, gold finishes, heritage tiles, and trim on our draperies. I love to see what’s becoming the “new look” for the upcoming year. Trends often reach back in time. In other words, “what was once old is now new again.” For those who lived through trends earlier in life, it can feel comforting to see some of them get a reboot for today’s lifestyle. However, some trends – I’m talking to you [orange shag carpet and neon green draperies]—feel free to stay in the past. The majority of us agree that once was enough.

Here are trends I’ve spotted so far for 2023 that may make it on to your consideration list as you plan your next year projects:

Aarrgh! You know the feeling. Always in rooms with plumbing. You’re in the kitchen failing to find what you need to pack a school lunch. Or you’re in the bathroom struggling to find little things like hairpins or big things like your blow dryer. Aargh! Why can’t you find what you need when you need it?

Everything old is new again. That statement can be true for interior color trends as well as for fashion. So, in case you want to bring back a trend and make it hip again – or better yet if you love an older color trend and want to revive it in your home – I’ve dedicated this blog to a colorful backwards glance.

A focal point is the first thing you notice when you walk into a room. Our eyes and brains naturally take it in first as we make sense of a space. It’s simply the way we’re wired. If I show you a piece of paper, no matter the size, with one square on it, that’s where you’ll look. The same paper with a lot of squares, you’ll notice the biggest. Mix in color and you’ll focus on the brightest. Plain squares? You’ll notice the fancy one (Ooh! A fancy square!) The same principles apply to your home, and you can use this knowledge to your advantage to make a lasting first impression.

Goodwill store. Table. $4.99. As in less than five bucks. Four. Ninety. Nine! Yes, I’m more than a little excited about my latest thrift store find turned into adorable little accent table. Did I mention the table was only $4.99? That merits consideration for the bargain Hall of Fame! So, bargains do exist, and with a little elbow grease a bargain can become a treasure. Reading this blog won’t guarantee you’ll find a $4.99 bargain in your market, but it can help you turn whatever bargain you find into a keeper that will earn a rightful place in your home.

Is that blank wall in your home mocking you? Don’t feel bad. I know what you’re going through. Every time you glance in its direction the blankness makes you feel inadequate. You would you love to wipe that orange peel smirk off its face by adding a beautiful art piece to that vertical void, but you have two problems. Lack of money and lack of time. This blog provides the solution to your wall woes. Read on to learn all about the super easy wall art project so you can—and this will feel soooo good--show your home who’s the boss.

Love a piece of furniture that fell victim to a nasty scratch? Passed up a great flea market find because you thought its scratches rendered it unsavable? While some scratches may indeed be hopeless, the seven “tricks of the trade” below can help you save or secure more of your favorite wood items. Some tips are fairly well known and conventional. Others may just seem weird, but you may have them handy and want to give them a try. I assure you that all of them have validity and are not, I repeat, are NOT simply me taking twisted delight in trying to get you to do bizarre things to your coffee table. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. Read on…if you dare.