Ready or not, it's here … the holiday season. For most of us, the first step in making the holidays magical is dressing our homes for the season, from trimming a tree to decking the mantel to setting a table for parties and feasts. Before you crack open all those boxes marked Christmas Decorations … [Read more...]
My Three Essentials for Holiday Decorating
Whether you want to fill your home top to bottom with holiday cheer or add a few festive touches here are there, my advice is the same: Start with a fabulous base. Amazing greenery and show-stealing ribbon are the essential bedrocks of a sensational holiday treatment.I was … [Read more...]
All that Glitters: Embracing Nostalgia for the Holidays
What are some of your favorite memories of the holidays? For me, as a kid it was secretly unwrapping all my gifts, playing with them, then wrapping them back up and sneaking them back under the tree. As a teen, it was working at my parents’ clothing store, making bows for customers’ packages. As an … [Read more...]
Embrace Fall: 6 Ideas to Inspire
No one moves to the Midwest for the weather. In the heartland, we have hot summers and cold winters. But in the fall, there are a few days so perfect, I swear I’d never live anywhere else. The trees are ablaze, the sky is azure blue, and the air is crisp and cool, sweetened with the smell of falling … [Read more...]
Add a Touch of Fall with Bittersweet
Bittersweet reminds me of my childhood. In the fall, my friends’ families harvested strands of this woody vine, which grew naturally in the woods around our hometown. Their moms snipped bits from the vines, which were covered in dazzling orange berries, and used them to create beautiful fall … [Read more...]
The Cottage Next Door: A Peek at Nancy’s Living Room
Everyone needs a few Happy Places. Spots where they can go to escape from it all and refill their hearts. One of my friend Nancy’s happy places is her cozy cottage, with its snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug rooms that look out over a placid little lake. Lucky me, Nancy’s cottage just happens to be three … [Read more...]