Winter Fragrance

Sweet Box Sarcococca
Even with a stuffy nose from my cold, I am intoxicated by the wondrous scent that comes from winter flowering Sarcococca plants. I have two of these beautiful shrubs just outside our backyard patio. From a foliage standpoint, this evergreen shrub is not necessarily a stand out. The leaves are dark green and glossy and the shrub grows densely with a shaggy attitude. And while I can always count on it to survive and thrive throughout the summer, it truly comes into form from January on (in the NW). Tiny white flowers bloom all over the plant, their fragrant vanilla scent carries throughout the entire backyard and even drifts out front. Additionally we appreciate the occasional visiting hummingbirds and black berries that follow the flowers.

I love how Sweetbox Sarcococca's seasonal display beckons us outside to enjoy even what winter brings.

Concrete - Seal of Approval

ConstructionDeal.com
NW Concrete
NW Concrete
Concrete may not be one of the most luxurious design elements to add to a home, but due to its versatility and durability, it can be both practical and beautiful.

After months of training our new puppy to use the rec room door as her outdoor exit, our carpet and tiles paid the price for her accidents along the way. We ripped up the carpet and realized the concrete slab had settled. Our plan to install laminate flooring would require a skim coat of concrete to even out the floor surface. If a skim coat was required, why not skip the laminate altogether? A professional concrete company came into our home and had the floor skim coated, stained a deep chocolate with hints of black and sealed within a week. It is gorgeous! It adds a modern, industrial element to a room where kids, dogs, guys and football games reign, yet the deep color adds some warmth. I love how easy it is to care for, simply vacuum and damp mop.

Can you see concrete flooring in your home?

Play with Display

After photographing my renovated bookshelf for a before/after post, I realized I could use a little inspiration to now makeover what is displayed in my bookshelf. If there isn't one already, can someone please publish a coffee table book on display ideas, I am happy to donate a title: "Play with Display".

Love the mix of decorative objects, boxes and books:
House to Home
Drawn to the casual effortless style:
Sunset Home
Framed art and books aligned by color, weighted with magazine holders:
Sunset Home
Empty space is part of design, objects have room to breathe:
Sunset Home
Streamlined, simple and balanced not overworked or "themey":
Terramia

Over the next few days I plan to incorporate some of these ideas, revamping my bookshelf. If you are inspired to join me, here are some guidelines:

• Take a before photo
  
• Clean out the entire bookshelf, organizing items into like piles
  
• Decide what stays and what goes
  
• Scour your home for meaningful, beautiful objects to display, don't forget about artwork, pedestals, travel mementos
  
• Something still missing? plan on purchasing a statement item with a self-imposed budget limit (mine will be $10)
  
• Give yourself ample time to play with the display, crank some music and enjoy the process
  
• Take an after photo

I would love to view and or share before/after images from readers, send photos my way via email.

Candlelight

glassybaby.com

I have always loved the flickering glow of candlelight for ambience at home. The long dark winter nights of the NW have me lighting candles housewide by 5pm. My dedication to this nightly event requires the candle drawer to be stocked with tea lights, votives and pillars.

While enjoying breakfast with friends at a great local bistro recently, I noticed the decorative candle holders had mini oil cartridges for light instead of tealights. These are brilliant! They burn parafin from 8-15 hrs (depending on size of cartridge) and are both smokeless and odorless. In using the cartridges, I can eliminate the sooty buildup on inside windows, the nightly replacing of tealights and cleaning out waxy candle holders. You can find these mini oil cartridges at Dining By Candlelight - 57.99 for 180 cartridges (approx. .32 ea) or at a local restaurant supply.

Let the glow go on.

Hooked

Felicity Hook - large & sturdy, perfect just outside your bathroom. Hang your robe or towel.

Pantry Hook - great in multiples, use for belts, scarves, necklaces, any smaller lightweight items inside your closet.

Coat Hook - classic style with rounded head to alleviate warping fabric of heavy coats or sweaters.

An organized home can't be without hooks in all sizes and styles. There are so many beautiful hooks to be found online and in stores. The few I have highlighted can be found at Restoration Hardware.

I tend to prefer hooks for usage inside closets, laundry rooms, garages and bathrooms, but not entryways or hallways. It's not that I oppose displaying beautiful hooks in useful places throughout your home, it's the inevitable dumping of clothing items that can weigh down the room and the hooks, defeating the intended purpose: organization.

When searching for hooks, "shop" your home first noting specific needs and locations before shopping. You will be hooked too!

Painted Ceilings

photo courtesy of ThriftyDecorChick
What was I thinking? Years ago, while repainting some rooms, I decided to wrap the wall color all the way up on to the ceiling. Not only in my bedroom, but in the guest room, the rec room and my daughters room. It added warmth and coziness to the rooms and was easier than taping off the walls for crisp line between wall and ceiling. Many decorators refer to the ceiling as the 5th wall and paint it accordingly. This can be beautiful, especially if you have crown moulding to highlight.

Heed my warning, don't do it! One day you will want to change the color of your room. You will then have to change the color of your ceiling. Painting a ceiling is tough, it is messy work and hard on your neck and back. Flat white ceiling paint may not be the most imaginative, but it will bounce light and will always look clean and crisp. Save the creativity for your walls. Painted ceilings? Crisp, clean, flat white paint is the way to go.

Stack of Books

The more it rains the larger the stack of books next to my bed. My current library checkouts: A Barefoot Home: Dressed Down Design for Casual Living and The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough, great books that speak to my desire for casual, clean and informal spaces.