Crystal Author
While scrolling through recent posts and photos in one of my groups, a friend posted a photo that inspired me to write today. Her post made me think about making a house a home, and what that means. I began thinking about previous places I’ve lived, what I liked about them, and the home I live in today. I was reminded of the things that have made all the moves with me in the myriad places I’ve called home, from tiny apartments to large homes, from old and decrepit to a new build. What did those places all have in common?
I realized that for me to call a house my home, (besides sharing it with Mr B and my kids), there are a few things that always make me feel…..“This is home.”
FUR BABIES. I cannot live in a house without pets, at present that means dogs. I love animals of all kinds and have shared my life at various times, with a crazy wild burro, 2 Shetland ponies, several horses, dozens of cats, dogs, hamsters and gerbils, fish, birds, including a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo that screamed like a banshee, and a raccoon named Gunther. I’ve rescued and released chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, baby birds, mice, and once, a baby screech owl. (Many years ago I held a license to rescue and rehabilitate birds of prey.) But all that changed once I moved to the Burbs. No longer do I have the space (or the time) for multiple critters, I own only dogs since Mr B has some allergies. My lifestyle may have changed, but thankfully my home is still filled with love and joy…… and two dogs are just enough. For me, pets, whatever the species are a necessary part of turning any house into a home.
BOOKS. I am a reader. I love books. I love the feel of the pages, the portability, even the smell of the paper. I love the way old books are bound, some are works of art in and of themselves. Books transport me to other worlds, offer instruction, and entertainment. They are a necessity. Books are also one of my signature decorating tools. Decorating with books can be as simple as filling a bookshelf with your favorites and adding a unique bookend, or using a stack to elevate a vase or statue or showcase a plant.
PHOTOGRAPHS. I take pictures. I always have. I love having a camera to capture everyday life, much to the chagrin of my kids and grandkids. As the years pass and people leave us, sometimes all we have left of them are the photos we took along the way. Photographs capture moments, hold it still so that life can be examined. Some of my most treasured possessions are the old photographs of my ancestors. These photos depict a life long before me, and I love looking at them, to find a resemblance, noticing that I have my father’s face in a more feminine form or that my jawline is now that of my Grandmother. Or remembering an event, a place, or how my babies have changed and grown through the years. Photographs are essential in making any house a home.
COLLECTIONS: This is so fundamental in designing and creating a home it almost doesn’t merit a sentence, much less a paragraph. Almost. Why should you display collections in your home? If photographs and books help visually tell your story, who you are, what you are interested in, your history, what impact do collections have? Collections are the spice of your personal environment. Think about a room in your home, when you walk in does it say; “I live here?” Are you surrounding yourself with things that speak to your heart, make you smile? Why not? Does your home have character and personality or does it look like a hotel?
Displaying personal collections adds the finishing touches in creating a home that speaks to your heart. I have collections, boy! Do I ever. I have “a thing” for many things. I enjoy finding different ways to use my collections, unique ways to display them. I love things with history, not just my history, but history in general. I wonder who touched an item, how it was used, if it meant something special to someone before me. I love using the same things my Mom and Grandmother used, reliving the times we shared, the meals served in old dishes, the warmth of an old quilt tucked around me when I was sick. The dings and dents, the chippy and peeling paint, the workmanship and creativity that went into making things. I simply must have “my stuff” in order to make a house my home.
PLANTS. I must have plants in my home. I use live plants whenever possible, but if I have a spot that doesn’t receive enough light to sustain a live plant, I go with faux. To me, a room without plants can read as sterile and lifeless, because, well….it is! There was a time when I would never have considered faux plants. I couldn’t stand the plastic and fake look and feel. I gave in during the early 90’s when I lived in one side of a tiny duplex with no natural light in the common living areas. I also had to go faux while owning a dog who would eat every single plant I brought home. Since many house plants are toxic to pets, that meant I couldn’t have any unless I went faux. It required a search to find the most lifelike fakes available and they were not inexpensive. But I had to have plants, even fake ones are better than none in my home.
So these are my Must Haves to turn any space into my home. These are what I take with me wherever I live, what I require to make the humblest of spaces one that makes my heart smile. What are some of yours? What makes a house your home???
What is it about wood beads? Especially wood bead garlands? They’ve been popular for a couple of years now. Honestly, I never saw the attraction……..until I did. I have no idea why I suddenly decided I HAD to have a wooden bead garland. It was a MUST. Okaaay, I went directly to Etsy. WOWZER! Those suckers are expensive! No way am I going to pay $60.00 for four feet of tiny wooden beads. Not gonna happen. (I wouldn’t pay $60.00 for large beads either.) So on to Amazon, the purveyor of all things, like Walmart only better. I found bead vendors, multiple bead vendors, in fact. Now what size? Deciding the size of the beads I wanted was the hardest part of this whole project! Because it involves an understanding of math. And you know I.don’t.do.math.
What the? How big is 25mm in real life? I finally found a source that not only used mm but also conveniently listed inches, or fractions of inches. Like a ¼ inch. Which I must not understand the actual size of a ¼ inch, but that’s another story. I ordered the 1 inch size, figuring they would be substantial. And just for grins, I ordered ½ inch beads as well, because, you know, when throwing myself into a DIY project I’ve never tried before I always convince myself that it will be successful and I will want to do it again. I will be the wooden bead garland Queen. It’s thoughts like these that have resulted in my craft closet being the the place where projects go to die.
This is one of the easiest DIY projects EVER. I had one completed in under 20 minutes, 10 minutes of that spent trying to figure out how to keep the end of my string from fraying so that it would actually fit in the bead hole. After a few minutes of frustration, just before I hurled all the beads to the floor, I thought, wax! I dug out my little tin of sticky wax and put a glob (technical term) on the end and just twisted it into a nice point. Sticky wax is wonderful stuff. Also called museum wax or candle adhesive, it can be used to stabilize candles, or hold dainty items on a shelf, so that a slamming door or other trauma from say…..stampeding grandchildren won’t cause the precious collectables to fall to the floor.
Where was I? Oh, yes, the string. OK, get sturdy string or twine to string your beads. The size of your string should be compatible with the size of your beads. Thicker for larger beads, thinner will work for small ones. Even dental floss works but you’ll have to figure out how to tie a knot big enough to keep your beads from sliding off the floss. Ditto for any string. The three requirements for string are: 1. It has to be sturdy 2. It has to be small enough to go through the hole in the bead. 3. You must be able to tie a knot in the end large enough to hold the bead. It doesn’t matter what kind you use unless you want to string your garland loosely, so that the string, or ribbon shows as an added decorative element. Then some care should be taken to make sure that it’s attractive.
I have lots of jute twine. I could have used that because the holes in the 1 inch balls are large enough to take it. Also it knots wonderfully well. But I didn’t. Instead I used some “marking” string. I’m sure this string has an actual name, but since I don’t know it…….It’s the kind contractors use for marking level for concrete and brick work and other projects that require a large level space. It’s sturdy. I took borrowed it from the garage where it could used for um, outdoor projects……to bring it inside recently…..because it’s white and aged, so yeah, it came inside to use as decor. You can imagine here the face of Mr B. But just get some string, or ribbon, or twine. Whatever.
I sat with HGTV on in the background because I can pay no attention during commercial breaks, there are a lot of them and they are loongg. Besides, everybody knows the shows don’t get interesting until after the third property is looked at and they get down to the design and decor part. So it’s perfect for mindless crafts. Once I had my supplies, a lap full of beads, and a length of string about 2 times longer than I needed it, I went to work. Made a big knot in one end, large enough that it wouldn’t let the bead slide right off the string, and I was in business. Just thread the string through the beads to achieve your required length. Finish by tying another large knot in the end. Trim the string. I’ve seen some finished with tassles on the end, or bows or even tiny beads, I just tied mine in a knot as close to the last bead as possible. 4 feet and a big knot later….. I had a garland! WOOT!
I have no idea what to do with it now that I have it. This MUST HAVE has no place. Yet. I might drape it over the lights on the ceiling fan to add some excitement. (Things might get very exciting if that string ever breaks in the middle of the night. Can you say bead shot?) I thought about wrapping it around some ivy or other “planty like” (technical design term) garland for a spring table. I.HAVE.NO.IDEA. sigh. But hey! It looks cool on the dining room table where I threw it (OK, carefully placed), to show you the glorious new bead garland I.made.myself….. I made myself! And it didn’t cost $60.00. I think I got all the beads for less than $20.00 and the string was free unless you count the exasperation of Mr B when finding his string in the house as decor. Um, yeah, that could be defined as expensive. But hey! That garland……It adds texture and natural color to the tablescape.
This morning I started layering things for a new centerpiece on the dining room table as a prelude to spring. Something simple and farmhouse. I won’t add any spring items to it, however, because….it isn’t spring yet. But I did want a “farmy” centerpiece. (Another professional design term.) So I used a length of grain sack, my favorite pitcher and a bowl I picked up recently at a flea market. They looked fine together, albeit a bit plain after all the holiday and winter decor. But I liked it. Simple. And I loved the lines of the two pieces together. Still, it needed something. But what?
I’m already tired of using the usual greens and seeded eucalyptus and I definitely didn’t want to use cotton stems. I didn’t want to over-do it. Eureka! The garland was already on the end of the table waiting for its photo. I didn’t overthink it, like I usually do, I just placed it around the bowl and pitcher and let a few inches of the garland drape over the side of the bowl. I LIKE it. It gave just enough texture. It added just enough to take the vignette from flat to interesting. For now the bead garland that I.Made.Myself will live on the table. While I make another garland, this time with the ½ inch beads. Yep, this is a super easy peasy project. One whose parts will not go off to die a lonely death in the closet. And I will enjoy wearing my crown as Queen of bead garland.
Create a sanctuary. Create the home you see in your heart.
This year just like every other year Mr B is singing love songs to other women. WHAT? No worries, he sings with a barbershop quartet and each year other husbands ( and clever wives) hire them to sing to their sweeties, Mom’s, kids or best friends. They sing in office complexes, homes, and even locker rooms. They sing outside in gardens, in parks, or in a foyer. They spread love along with candy and a nifty rose to the target sweetie or significant other. Does this bother me? Nope. He sometimes leaves a handwritten note before he leaves for the day, a card in an unlikely place, or a text in the middle of the day. I know where his heart is.
Valentines Day isn’t a big deal to me. It hasn’t been since high school. I had crushes and wished for special cards, flowers, tokens of love. I didn’t always receive them. In those early years I was sometimes devastated that the object of my affection didn’t care enough to send me a Hallmark card because he didn’t care enough to send the very best, the stinker. So I learned early in my life to plant my own garden. That I didn’t need a sweetie and I already had loads of significant others. My besties, my guy pals, my Grams, my dogs (yes, they are significant) and later, boyfriends, and much later, a husband and child. Then even later, a husband and 3 children.
While the kids were young there were cookies and cards and hugs and kisses. There were cards and themed cakes, cookies and even flowers for Mr B. He sent me flowers, cards, the standard Valentines Day gifts. I sent him the same. There were romantic dinners for two or sometimes we’d set a fancy table, light candles and add the kids. But it didn’t start or stop there. Every day is Valentines Day in the Brown house. We celebrate daily. We say “I love you.” We say “I appreciate you” and “thank you.” Every day. Sometimes several times. If that sounds smug, I don’t mean it to sound that way at all.
What I’m trying to say in my usual awkward style, is that we, any of us, don’t need a special day to celebrate love. We don’t need that arbitrary date. Let your friends, sweeties and besties, your kids and (even your fur babies) know each and every day how much you love them. It doesn’t require a dozen roses or a box of candy, (although I never turn down Hersheys chocolate. Just sayin.) It doesn’t require a card, although sending a card for no reason is a wonderful thing to do. All it requires is saying a simple, “I love you.” So have fun with Valentines Day. Give candy and flowers. Send a silly card or a heartfelt one if that’s your style. Let your significant other know how much you care.
Valentines Day is a day on the calendar to celebrate love. So celebrate with great joy and love in your heart. Say “I love you,” “I appreciate you,” “I value you,” to all those significant others in your life. But don’t let it be just one day of the year. You don’t need a day circled in red to celebrate love. Say “I love you” every day. Spread the love. “All You Need is Love.” And most of all, give yourself love. Treat yourself to flowers, to cookies or cake or candy. Why not? You are special in and of yourself. Happy Valentines Day my friends. I love and appreciate you.
One of my addictions loves is architectural salvage. I decorate with old house parts, that’s my “thing.” It’s the way I add some character, depth and charm to my otherwise boxy suburban home. I love chippy. I treasure worn and tattered. To me, nothing is more beautiful than a piece of history from an old home. Back in the time when carpenters took pride in their work, when a house was more than plywood and concrete blocks covered in stucco, when there wasn’t a deadline of a few months to complete a house. When homes had charm. Those are the homes I dream of. Of course Mr B doesn’t get it. He is ever the hootless one, not giving, nor having a hoot to give about decor, charm or history. He likes clean and modern. Not that there’s a thing wrong with that. Clean and modern fits him. He’s a clean and modern man and I adore him. And he’s tolerant of my lust for things with history, or as he says; “old crap.” He’s my go-to carpenter, the one I turn to for making things. He’s the King of eye rolls and mutterings but he’s also the King at figuring out the weird angles and how to make old things fit together to make new things.
Decorating your home with old crap architectural treasure is easy. Architectural salvage is to farmhouse design what diamonds were to Elizabeth Taylor. A necessity. I started picking up the odd pieces of salvage in the 80’s before it became the hot new thing. Back then I could get glass door knobs for a few dollars a box. Corbels? No problem. Ceiling tin, almost free. I can’t afford any of those things anymore. A pair of chippy, peeling corbels now fetch three figures. Shutters in the 80’s could be picked up for free. Now? No way. Old doors? Vendors practically gave them away. Now? Finding them in my immediate area for less than $100 is rare. These are the things I dig for in dumpsters. Literal trash heaps, people. I have no shame. But I do have sturdy shoes and gloves in the back of my car for picking.
So what are my favorites? Old door trim. Corbels, windows, vintage doors, old shutters, ceiling tin, cabinet doors, and armoire parts. These things are decorating gold, maybe even decorating platinum. Including these things in your home can be as easy as adding picture wire to the back of a cabinet door and hanging it from a nail or hook. Or it may involve taking something apart, to create something entirely different. Using a mostly rotten door for parts. Removing broken glass from a window and replacing it with mirror. Old ceiling tin can be used on its own as decor, to line the back of a cabinet or for a back splash in a kitchen or bathroom. Look at old, crusty broken parts with new eyes, try to see not what they are now, but what they could be.
I use my salvage for all sorts of things, the a fore mentioned, easy, hang it as decor project, and I’ve Mr B has taken apart many an old thing to turn it into something else I needed wanted for the house. I have a huge tiny pile of old crap (depending on who is describing the size of the pile), in the garage for creating new things. Amazing what’s in there. Bits and bobs of assorted hardware thingies, door parts, a couple few windows, some broken pieces of random wood. It’s GLORIOUS!!!!! But how can these things be used to add charm?
SHUTTERS: oh, the love of shutters. Lean working ones in a window for privacy instead of the normal blinds. Or build a frame for them that fits inside a working window for a more finished look. I just lean mine in case I want to change my look or use them for another project. Shutters can be hung on a wall as art. Or used as part of a console table, attach legs to the bottom and cover the top with glass. Easy peasy. They make handy holders for mail and cards.
DOORS: I LOVE doors. I so want to use old doors in place of new ones throughout my home…… Because I love and live with the hootless one I I use them instead for their charm, again, leaning up on a wall or used to make tables, benches and headboards. Partially rotted ones can be salvaged for parts, I use part of a door with vintage hooks for my towels in the guest bath. The center panels are used as bathtub trays, or on the dining room table in addition to, or instead of, a table runner.
CABINET DOORS: As wall art, or to act as the backing to framed photos or art. Those with glass can be used to make in new cabinets or remove the glass and add mirror. Or make a small table, top a treadle base with a cabinet door for an instant side or console table. Or use one to create a sign.
WINDOWS: If you are aren’t using windows, as…well, windows, lean them in front of your charmless windows. (Do you detect a trend here, with all the leaning of things?) Stained glass windows make wonderful wall art, hung in a group or individually, they are beautiful in their own right. Windows as mirrors. Windows as the top for a display table. Build a box to fit your window, add legs, hinge the window and attach it to the box base. Add memorabilia or faux succulents. Or just hang them as art. A large empty wall is a perfect place for a grouping of windows.
CEILING TIN: Wall art. Back splash. Magnet boards. Back a cabinet or bookcase with pieces of tin cut to fit.
CORBELS: Hang at interior doorways or the entrance to a hall. They make beautiful book ends. I use them on top of my bookcase and entertainment center as objets de art to add interest.
There is virtually no end to what a creative mind can come up with in re-using architectural salvage. So get yourself some old crap decorating gold. Go dumpster diving. Haunt salvage shops. Make friends with the owner or supervisor of local construction companies and find out when old homes are going to be taken down, ask if you can salvage the doors and windows, etc. Add charm and interest to your home. Create the home you see in your heart.
There are a few must haves in any house I’ve lived in. These are what make an ordinary house my home. Without them I feel unsettled. For me, a house without pets, books, photos, or plants is cold and sterile and far from feeling like a sanctuary. This post is about adding another easy care, almost goof proof plant to your home. Plants bring life, color and texture. A large plant can fill a corner of an almost empty room, providing a focal point as you wait to discover just the right piece of furniture. Or bring attention to a treasured piece of furniture. A plant can add softness to a vignette of objects with hard edges. Or bring curves to a room filled with square and rectangular lines of furniture. Plants help clean the air in our modern homes. And let’s face it, plants are beautiful.
Some of the easiest plants to grow indoors are in the family Philodendron, with over 200 varieties, philodendrons are some of the most often used indoor plants. One of the easiest of these is the the Heart Leaf Philodendron. Originating in South America, and variously called philodendron cordatum sweetheart, scandens oxycardium or hederaceum var. oxycardium, this easy care plant is on NASA’s list for “clean air plants.” They can be purchased at every garden center, big box store and most grocery stores. The leaves emerge shiny and bronze but quickly turn dark green and heart shaped. They thrive in moist, but not wet, soil and bright indirect light, but tolerates lower light as well. Leaves will be pale if the plant is placed in an area with too much light. Not enough water produces yellow leaves, too much and the leaves will be brown. Too much fertilizer will cause brown leafs tips. In spite of this, sweetheart plant is very hard to kill. It has very few pests and the biggest concern is root rot from over watering. Caring for this plant couldn’t be easier, unless it’s a fake one, but why do fake when real is so easy??? Even the most brown thumbed of gardeners can grow it successfully.
Give it regular water, letting the soil dry out a bit between waterings. As always, test the soil by sticking your finger in the pot to about an inch, if the soil is damp, hold off, if dry, water. Fertilize with half strength (50/50 mix of fertilizer and water) monthly during the spring and summer, every other month during fall and winter. Wipe the surface of the leaves with a damp cloth or sponge to remove dust. Place it where it receives several hours of indirect light. That’s it. Couldn’t get any easier.
Heart leaf philodendron grows quickly and without trimming will grow as a vine like plant, with stems that can easily reach four feet. It can be trained to climb a small trellis but looks best with its stems drooping gracefully over the edges of pots, cascading down the edges of book cases or shelves. It makes an excellent hanging plant as well. Trim or pinch the stems regularly to keep the plant bushy or whenever the growth becomes spindly or stems get too long for the place you’ve chosen for it. Trim or pinch at a leaf node. (The place where the leave stem attaches to the plant.) Philodendron is easy to propagate, ensuring a continuing supply of new plants. Clip lengths at a leaf node, strip all but a few leaves on the stem and put in a glass or other container of water. Within two weeks you’ll see roots. You can leave the plant in your container and grow it that way for quite some time, I’ve left some in a container of water for months before potting because, as you know, I’m lazy and why should I take it out of a place it obviously loves and stick in a pot of dirt??? That seems cruel. But…if your object is to propagate a new plant for an actual pot then apologize to it and put it in a container filled with good soil. Water immediately after potting to thoroughly moisten the soil, but don’t soak it. Then water as needed. Re-pot your philodendron when it becomes root bound, making sure to gently separate roots before placing it in its new container.
NOTE of caution: The leaves of this plant contain calcium oxalates and are toxic to pets. If you have these plants in your home and notice your dog or cat pawing at its mouth, vomiting or drooling or foaming contact your veterinarian at once.
In the last few years new varieties have been developed with lighter green, almost chartreuse leaves and some with variegation. No matter which variety you choose, or what you call it, heart leaf philodendron IS a sweetheart and easily makes the list of almost goof proof plants, adding softness, color and life to almost any setting. It’s a perfect choice for farmhouse, cottage or country styled homes.
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