Seasons for All

Inspired to Refresh My Living & Dining Rooms

I watched the movie Something's Gotta Give again over the weekend.  I love that movie, particularly the interior design and decorating of the beach house owned by Diane Keaton's character!  Soothing palettes of cream and blue compliment the seaside setting.  The fresh cut flowers on surfaces within the home were absolutely stunning! 

Below are two photos from the movie.

 

Photos: © 2003 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

I was again so inspired by these interiors that I spent much of Monday removing and minimizing accessories in my living room and dining room.  I hung a painting, and created sleek but warm vignettes.  When I was done, I lit the fire and snapped this photo of one section of my living room.

It was pouring rain outside, so spending time at home-sweet-home was the perfect end to a lovely holiday weekend.  And when I'm out and about this week, I'm going to pick up some fresh cut flowers to put the finishing touch on my refreshed rooms.

 

To read how others are enjoying their home-sweet-homes, be sure to visit Blissfully Domestic! 

Blissdom '09 ~ Being There, Virtually

I am a member of the Blissfully Domestic community and a contributor at the the Blissful Home channel of the online magazine.  Last weekend, a few hundred blissful bloggers converged in Nashville, TN, to attend "Blissdom O9."  Thanks to Twitter and the hashtags #blissdom09 and #gno, I was able to watch from afar this incredible event.

I watched people express feelings of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety about traveling alone, meeting others face-to-face for the first time, speaking in public, and breaking through comfort zones in order to make their way to the conference.  I read how some attendees were sponsored and how some could only attend one conference this year and had to make a difficult choice.  I watched them arrive at the airport and at the hotel, meet online friends for the first time, and tweet their way around the hotel Friday night.

I tuned in to Blog Talk Radio and heard an hour long show of conference-goers saying hello on the air and having giddy conversations with each other.  I continued to follow tweets about the highly informative breakout sessions on Saturday, the entertainers, the elevator incident on Saturday night, and the farewells on Sunday.  And I watched everyone return to their respective homes, write about their experiences on their own blogs, post group photos from the conference, and reconnect via Twitter with a familiarity and a new enthusiasm for having met those they've come to know only online. 

Since most aspects of social media are monosyllabic, I am in no way able to capture the complete experience of attending Blissdom '09.  But it's been fascinating to watch from a distance yet be there, virtually.  I'm an introvert by nature and an observer of dynamics between people.  I've tapped into my degree in organizational psychology since the energy in this group is palpable, and I think the leaders of this conference, Allison Worthington and Barbara Jones, are nothing less than brilliant.  They have inspired, empowered, and motivated a segment of a decision-making base in the most important consumer demographic in this country.  To describe this event as powerful is an understatement.  

I couldn't help but think, too, about the strategic timing of this conference.  During the doldrums of winter, wives and mothers (and a father or two) went away for a weekend in early February.  They had a great time and returned home to loved ones who missed them and realized, either for the first time or again, all they give to their families and homes.  The weekend following their homecoming is Valentine's Day, a day to express to those closest to us our love and appreciation.  Timing.

Every part of Blissdom '09 was brilliant.  Absolutely brilliant.

 

You can read what some have learned this week over at Musings of a Housewife, and what others are doing over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Winter Centering

I'm continuing to focus on goals and this week began some little projects at home.  While I will spend much of the remaining weeks of this season fine-tuning the insides of closets and drawers, this past week I spent a little time with my new carpet shampooer. 

Once the holidays were over and all the decor was tucked away in storage, natural lighting revealed a few spots that needed some attention.  I assembled my new appliance, carefully read the instructions for applying the liquid cleaner, then went to work.  Lo and behold, the spots actually came out and I'm quite pleased with the results.  That said, I'm keeping a close eye on them to make sure they don't resurface.  But they were not deep stains, so I'm optimistic the manner in which they were cleaned did the trick.

I recall realizing several years ago when my sons were small that there is tremendous satisfaction in "doing."  Whether it was using my hands to labor over laundry or using my mind to convey to my growing boys any one of life's lessons, the directed purpose of my energy was important, critical actually, to the quality of life I provided to my family.

And while I understand the value and importance of work, I also appreciate the time I have to be reflective.  There are times when I am perfectly content doing nothing and speaking to no one.  I am perfectly content in solitude and have never in my life felt lonely. 

There is a difference between being lonely and being alone.  Having time to myself is part of what brings me solace and contentment, and it also keeps me very centered.  And of the four seasons, winter is the best for centering.

To learn how others are blissfully domestic, click here, and be sure to visit Melissa at The Inspired Room to read how she and others are living a beautiful life.

   

Interior Decorating at The White House

As our 44th President of The United States of America is sworn into office today, I think it's fun to take a look at some of the state and private rooms inside The White House.  I've always been fascinated by the interior decorating that has taken place over the years, and I love finding photographs of those rooms in their past and present states.

The photograph above is the Blue Room decorated by Jackie Kennedy in 1963.  Photographs of the First Family's and guest bedrooms and the private dining room in the residence are featured over at Seasons for All at Home.  Please take a look!  And click on the image below to see more ideas or to share with others how you are blissfully domestic!

Credit:  Photograph from The White House Museum online.

Something New ~ Pale Yellow and Brick Red

Last fall, over at Seasons for All at Home, I wrote about the beautiful combination of pale yellow and brick red.  Well, that color scheme must have nestled somewhere in a corner of my brain where visual appealing things reside because resurfaced this weekend and, for the first time in my life, I have a room in my home decorated in red and yellow!  

The half bath near the main rooms of my home is tiled and painted in a pale, pale yellow.  I found a few great deals when shopping last Saturday and much of Sunday was spent fine-tuning and staging.  I purchased a brick red area rug, and I bought towels in both pale yellow and brick red.  The pattern in the rug suggested checks and I found 2 pillows in a rust and beige gingham.  I bought a lamp that has a black base and peppered some more black into the room.  I'm not completely finished yet, but I'm enjoying it so far!  

 

Click on this image to see more ideas or to share with others how you are blissfully domestic!

I'm A Contributor at "Blissfully Domestic!"

I'm thrilled to have joined the team of contributors at Blissful Home, one of the channels at the awesome online magazine Blissfully Domestic!  My first contribution is published today.  Please won't you take a look?  And while you're there, peruse the other wonderful articles. 

This is a hugely talented and inspirtational group of people, and I'm very much looking forward to contributing to the Blissful Home channel of "Blissfully Domestic" in the coming months and years.  

And on we go!

Blissfully Domestic ~ Spring Cleaning, Winter Style

Although it's only four days after Christmas and my parents used to keep all holiday decor in place until after January 6, each year I find myself wanting to take it down sooner.  Although I was initially shocked to hear a good friend of mine announce several years ago that she strips her tree and it is on the curb for pick-up on December 26, there's something appealing about having everything back to normal.

I'll be spending this weekend de-Christmas-ing my home, beginning with the tree.  As much as I love how it looks and smells, I love having back the space it occupies in my living room.  It's a great way to start the new year!  I am now so looking forward to putting away my Christmas decor that I've already switched the color scheme on two of my blogs from Christmas red to winter blue.

And this past weekend, in anticipation of having everything put away, I purchased a small carpet shampooer because I intend to do some deep cleaning in the coming weeks.  My home is always clean and orderly, so imperfections jump up to greet me at first glance.  Spots on the carpet just won't do, and I'm actually looking forward to using the carpet shampooer!