Fall Cleaning

"Hospitality is making your guest feel at home, even if you wish they were."

- Author Unknown

I never understood why spring cleaning became so popular. If you really think about it fall should be the season where you pull out all the stops and prepare your home for the holidays. In the spring most people are outside enjoying the weather or vacationing. Ask yourself when do you do most of your entertaining? I am guessing it is during the fall and winter months. With this being said why not get a head start on your home before you are consumed with other responsibilities that go along with the holidays (cooking, decorating,socializing etc...).

Before you become overwhelmed with all of the things that need to be done, I would first make a priority list of the things you can and should do and follow them accordingly. The last thing you want to do is begin several projects and never complete any of them. Although every home differs in size and design there is typically a room where you entertain your guests. I call this the "hospitality room." This room should be the room where you should be most concerned with. I would first begin by dusting the room. There is no point in cleaning a space only to have to clean it once more after you have dust flying all over the place. Next, I would do the basic cleaning and organizing. Once you are finished with your core cleaning I would begin to focus on the details which would include: cleaning your windows, furniture, picture frames, lighting fixtures, etc... The other room that should be cleaned is the guest room or the location where your guests will be sleeping. I would follow the same routine as you did in the entertaining room, but I would focus more on organization. You want your guest to feel like they are at home and have a place to set their belongings. Regardless if you have a closet or a dresser I would try to empty the spaces so that your guest can hang their clothing or put away their items. I would also make sure that you have a set of clean towels,wash clothes, and an unused bar of soap readily available for them to use.
The last room but one of the most important is the kitchen. Somehow everyone congregates to the kitchen for some reason or another (often to the dismay of the hostess). Instead of becoming engulfed with dirty dishes overwhelming your cooking space, try to keep everything organized and timely so you can enjoy the process of entertaining. The best thing to do in your kitchen is to clean out your fridge and cabinets of expired food. This will allow you to shop ahead for your food and have a spot for it. If you are lucky you could always cook your food ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until it's time to bake or cook it. The next suggestion I would make is to clean out your kitchen drawers. There is nothing more embarrassing than when someone offers to help in the kitchen and they happen to find your secret miscellaneous drawer(s) where you throw everything into. The last and most important thing to do in regards to the kitchen is to take out all of your table linens and have them washed and pressed before your company arrives. This will save you both time and stress when the festivities start and it might also inspire you to decorate your table.
So, instead of waiting to clean your home until spring why not start now when it will be most enjoyed!
Have a lovely week!
Love, Lili

Super Woman

"The modern day Renaissance woman"

The expectations of women has changed significantly in the last few decades. At one time we were expected to be homemakers and cater to the needs and demands of our families. With the advancement of education, many woman now have the freedom to work and contribute to the families finances, but with this arises guilt. We are now expected to be successful at work, maintain and decorate our homes, and sustain a spectacular relationship with our families and friends. How do women do this all and still have time for themselves? The answer is it is utterly impossible and if someone tells you differently they are lying through their teeth. Multitasking all our responsibilities is a balancing act that many fall short upon, myself included. Since childhood we were taught that no one is perfect but somehow between our adolescence and adulthood we have forgotten that. Instead of feeling guilt because we can not do everything we want to or as well as someone else, we should take pride in our accomplishments and give ourselves a break! After all, a true "Renaissance woman" is merely a saying and "Super Woman" does not exist.

Here are a few tricks that I use around the house that make me feel like a super hero.

1. A great way to remove permanent marker from a wall is spray hairspray on the marks. It might take several sprays but I guarantee it will work!

2. Have little ones left crayon on your walls? There is an easy fix to remove the artwork quickly. All you have to do is create a mixture of toothpaste and water to create a paste. Take an old toothbrush and rub the concoction on the wall!

3. Everyone has water stains on their furniture and no amount of cleaning will remove them from the piece. Again, there is an easy fix to this problem. You are going to take some ash from your fireplace and add a little bit of water to create another paste. Take a lint free rag and rub the stain with the paste in a circular motion. The water stain will literally disappear!

4. If you have a brick fireplace and it is covered with soot you can make it look brand new by cleaning it with a basic bathroom/tile cleaner.

5. Everyone has votive candle holders with pieces of the candle that can not be removed from them. Rather than scrape and ruin the holder itself by trying to force the candle out you should pop it into the freezer for several hours. The old candle should literally pop right out of the holder. If the candle is still stuck in the holder you might need to keep it in the freezer for a longer time.

6. The oldest trick in the book for removing blood stains from fabric and clothing is to apply hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain. It might have to repeat the process several time before the stain is removed, but I promise you it works like a charm!

I hope you will try some of these tricks and feel like your own "Super Woman" in your home.

Have a lovely weekend!

Love,

Lili

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing"

-Harriet Braiker

Cake Tier Jewelry Stand

CAKE TIER CONTINUED.....

A funky example of a handmade cake tier used for displaying jewelry. You could create the same look using different dishes, colors, and patterns! What do you think?

"Let Them Eat Cake"

CAKE STANDS

One of my favorite things are cake stands. There are so many different way to utilize them within your home. The possibilities are truly endless.

Traditionally, cake stands have been used for cakes and pies but more recently people have began to use them in more imaginative ways.

One clever way is to put them as centerpieces on your dining table. You could simple lay flowers and moss on top of the stand or you could use small bud vases with flowers in each one and surround those with a large vase with more flowers in the center. People will be in awe of your creativity and your table will look fantastic!

Another great way to use cake stands are to use them as decorative elements within your home. A beautiful book propped on the cake stand or a birds nest are always lovely to see within a home. Do not feel pressured to keep the cake stand in or around the kitchen area. They are a great addition to any book shelf or piece of furniture within your home.

My favorite way to use a cake tier is to use it as a jewelry stand. The best way to display your jewelry on a cake tier is to use common colors to create a unitized theme. I suggest only using your costume jewelry not your fine jewelry as it will be exposed and on display.

If you do not already have a cake stand or cake tier there is a very simple way to make one yourself. You do not need to be artistic or crafty in the slightest to create a beautiful stand. All you do is simply take a beautiful plate and a small candle stick and glue them together. To begin apply a strong ceramic/metal glue around the top of the candle stick and then place the plate on top. I would let the glue set for several hours before placing anything on top of the stand.

I hope this inspires you to dust of your cake stand that is hidden within your cabinets and use it in a creative capacity!

Love, Lili

More Than Words

Scrabble

Upon first glance I am sure you are assuming that I will be discussing the game of Scrabble, but I will not. In fact, I have never played a game of Scrabble in my life. I am not really a "board game" kind of girl. Instead, I will explain a fun way to display the game in your home.

My mother came up with a really funky way to celebrate and decorate using the Scrabble pieces.

She would display various sayings and phrases on the wooden block for various holidays and special occasions. A wonderful example of this is during Christmas time she will spell out "Happy Birthday Jesus" and display it on the cabinet in the living room. She will also use the pieces to spell out "Welcome Home" or "Congratulations" when my siblings and I are visiting. You can purchase this game at most stores, but if you only want to purchase the pieces I would suggest going to a local craft store like "Michael's" or "A.C. Moore". This is a really inexpensive and clever way to celebrate life without using cheesy balloons and tacky decorations. The best part of all is that this is a one time expense and you can use it over and over again!

Enjoy!

Love, Lili

Lovely Lavender

"Nature is the art of God"- Thomas Browne

I woke up a few day's ago to a dead lavender plant in my living room and I thought it would only be fitting that I write about lavender. I had purchased the plant at a local farmers market by a very patient man. After answering a thousand of my idiotic questions, he finally slipped me a piece of paper on how to care for the lavender plant. He emphasized the fact that the lavender plant is not intended to grow indoors but I quickly dismissed him and his care sheet. Low and behold several weeks later my purple leafed plant turned into a vile putrid brown. I am now content on purchasing lavender in the future!

The lavenders (Lavandula) are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants. They are actually in the mint family. The lavender cross-pollinates very easily, which allows the plant to have many variations within the same species. The Lavender plant is thought to have originated in Asia but is typically associated with Western Europe. It usually grows best in dry, sandy, or gravelly soils with a lot of sun (my plant did not stand a chance of survival). Unlike most plants, the lavender can be used for food, fragrance, and as an sleeping aid. There are very few downsides to this plant. However, it is suggested to avoid eating this herb during pregnancy and while breast feeding.

While researching the lavender plant I came across some interesting facts. Ancient Greeks named the lavender herb after the Syrian city of Naarda. It was also referred to as "nard". There are also several Biblical ties to the lavender herb. Lavender was used in the Biblical Temple to prepare the holy essence and was also mentioned in Song of Solomon.

I have learned several valuable lessons from the death of my lavender plant.

1. Lavender can not be grown indoors!

2. Read instructions and follow advice accordingly.

3. Retire my green thumb until I have a place to garden!

Have a wonderful Labor day!

Love, Lili

Art From The Heart

"As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life"

-John Lubbock

What is a home without art on the walls? Art not only fills the wall space in a home, but provides both a warmth and a emotional connection to the space by making it inviting. I often go to beautiful houses where they are decorated to the tea but they only have mirrors on the walls. The absence of artwork on the walls makes the entire home feel very cold and incomplete. Currently, with the economy in dire straits extraneous spending is out of the question. So, how does one acquire artwork on a limited budget? There are several options to buy artwork at a reasonable cost. The best way of course would be to purchase a painting by an emerging local artist. Typically, emerging artist are just as qualified as established artist but their work is not well known so the cost of their work is significantly less. My next suggestion is to visit a website called, www.dailypainters.com . This website was founded in 2006 by painter, Micah Condon. Daily painters features over 150 different artist with more than 30,000 paintings to chose from. I recently commissioned the artist, David Boyd Jr. to paint my boyfriend's childhood home as a present. I reviewed other paintings by David and loved the color palette and texture of his pieces so I knew he would do a wonderful job. Needless to say when the painting arrived it was better than I could have ever imagine and my boyfriend was thrilled. Even if you are not in the market to buy artwork or lack wall space it is always fun to see what is available.

Love, Lili