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It’s nesting time – whether we’re ready or not – the cold weather is coming. Gradually, we will accept this idea and eventually we will cherish it. At least that’s the goal. To look at winter as a time of recuperation --an opportunity to nestle in, build a fire, and read a good book under the cover of our favorite quilt.
Have I got you convinced? If not, then let’s back up and start with making our outdoor porches "Fall" proof. If you’re like me, you’ve been "living" outdoors. I love my screened porch, and I really resist moving indoors. Which means I want to extend my porch time as long as possible.
- I find my old quilt – which I bought at a flea market – just for the porch, so I can snuggle under it when the cool nights hit.
- I’ve gotten rid of my summer flowers from their pots and flower boxes. It’s time to bring out the fall flowers, and dried grasses.
- My summer accessories are exchanged for "warmer" accessories. Out comes pottery, darker color baskets, warmer colored pillows and rugs.
- You’ll also need to add a lamp or two, as the days grow shorter.
Eventually, no matter how much I protest, I must move in-doors. It won’t take long before I feel the need to transform my interior spaces into their Winter Warm setting. |
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In the spring, we have a need to "clean house". Get rid of excess, open up the spaces, and let in the light. The opposite is true for winter. Suddenly, we’ll feel the urge to "fill" our spaces – I call this the "nesting" syndrome. The open, light colored spaces begin to feel too cool. Color plays the biggest part in this. Colors affect our emotionally well-being. We have a need to feel cooler in the warmer weather. And we seek warmth in winter. Color can actually affect our body temperature. So it’s only natural to add "warmer" colors as winter sets in.
- This year I’m seeing lots of red. And that’s not a bad thing. It natural because red will help you keep warm. Red accessories, such as pillows, table runners, slipcovers, and area rugs will go a long way to making your home fit for fall.
- But red isn’t the only color – orange, rich brown and mum gold. Your own yard and garden are filled with a harvest of fall colors and decorating ideas. Get out there and start picking; grasses such as wheat, berries, herbs, leaves mini-pumpkins (one of my favorites), walnuts, oak & salal leaves, pinecones, hops, hydrangeas, and larkspur – they’ll provide a real feast for the eyes as you incorporate them into floral arrangements, centerpieces, and wreathes. I love to use lavender – especially to make a potpourri sachet pillow for my bedside – it helps me drop off to sleep.
- And don’t forget fruits and vegetables: pears, tangerines, berries, bittersweet, min-corn, squash, and pineapple. Choose from the real thing, or beaded and bejeweled Styrofoam crafted fakes. A wall bucket filled to the brim with dried flora and corn stalks is perfect for hanging almost anywhere – a wall, a door handle, or even a fence.
- One of my favorite floral designers, Peggy Barnhart (Alabama), crafted an arbor for around her living room entryway. She wove honeysuckle vines with hops to fashion a lush arch that when it dries – will look wonderful well into fall. She added bird’s nests and metal grasshoppers that she tucked in the vines – beautiful.
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