Crystal Author
Chances are you’ve seen lots of lichen and not realized it. Or maybe you know what it is but haven’t thought about using it as decor in your home. I love lichen. I’m fascinated by it. I love the myriad forms and delicate colors, the textures, and the way lichen lives on its own without a whole lot of help other than something to anchor it. “Lichen is a composite organism that arises from fungi and alga (algae) in a symbiotic relationship”. (sources: Wiki and US Forestry) That just means it’s a life form of its own comprised of two other forms, in this case, fungus and algae. It’s harmless and lives quite happily for years, quietly growing without commanding much notice. Unless you happen to be a reindeer. They notice. And then they eat it.
Lichens are found all over the world, from rain forests and temperate woodlands to the high elevations in alpine areas. It grows on bark, rocks, headstones, brick and stone walls, it hangs from power lines and branches. (Epiphytes, or air plants.) They are long lived and some are considered the oldest living things in today’s world. Sensitive to environmental changes, lichen has been used to assess air pollution, ozone depletion and even metal contamination.
This year I used some of my glass containers with nothing but lichen. I tucked an epiphyte in one and added some lichen at the bottom. I may keep this out all year, but it isn’t a sure thing. I move things all the time. A display I LOVE today might inspire an “eh” tomorrow. That’s the fun of decorating. Nothing is permanent. At least not in my home.
I love lichen for the texture it brings to potted succulents, or just in a glass container where I enjoy the fantastic form. In the winter I like to add reindeer moss to my displays of pine cones, and in the last couple of years I started adding bits and pieces of lichen I found in my yard. I think it elevates the display to a new level and adds interest. I add moss and lichen to my pots of succulents as well. A few pieces added to a chicken feeder full of succulents hides the soil and adds another layer of beauty.
For a winter display you can’t beat lichen. So next time you’re walking in a wooded area, or even around your yard take the time to look closer at the tiny world around you, chances are you’ll start to see lichen and maybe you too, will take a liking to lichen. Um, I don’t recommend eating it. Just look at it. Enjoy it that way.
One of the questions that is frequently asked in Facebook decorating groups is; “How do I transition from the holidays to winter decór?” or… “My house looks naked! Help!” For farmhouse or country styled homes, it’s easy to keep out a few things to give your home a winter feel without it looking like you’re one of those who leaves Christmas out year ’round. (You know who you are. Not that there is anything wrong with you, you just love Christmas, right?) I find that I love the look of simple winter displays after the holidays. I love Christmas, I truly do, I love the lights and all the decorations, the feel of Christmas. But honestly, after Christmas I long for simplicity.
Aim for simple. A small vintage wood box filled with pine cones. Or use an old silver tray. A jug of greens from the yard on your table. Small groupings of candles. Some comfy pillows and throws. Perhaps a collection of old bottles, some filled with greenery, some not. I love using succulents this time of year. They can be tucked into the smallest of containers to bring life and green into your home. Ivy is another good winter transition plant for a sunny spot in your home, or heart leaf philodendron, it thrives in reduced light. That’s all you really need.
I use a few simple things to evoke winter. White candles. A few pine cones, a couple buckets of greenery with pheasant feathers tucked in. A pot of sedum on my breakfast table which will get transplanted at some point. A few wool throws and of course my year ’round grain sack pillows. Grain sacks are for every season, right?? A nubby throw on the bed and a chenille pillow. This year I left one of my holiday swags over my old cabinet door in the entry. To me, that’s simple winter.
I want winter to whisper in my home, not shout. Winter is my time to snuggle up with Mr B and watch movies or binge watch Netflix, go to hockey games, play with the furbabies and enjoy a slower pace that includes a moratorium on shopping. Um, what is this “no shopping?” Well, I don’t need anything…… I want some things but those things can wait. Right now I just want to enjoy what I have and be thankful to begin another year. I don’t want elaborate displays, I want a look that is warm and inviting but not cluttered. I get a feeling of peace this time of year. And isn’t that what a sanctuary is supposed to feel like? Here’s wishing you a simple, warm and peaceful transition into winter. Take a break. Sip some hot chocolate or coffee, read a book, watch some movies. Let life slow down a bit.
Here’s to a new year. Shout out to a blank slate. A new year to right old wrongs, to begin anew, to try new things, to………. well, you get it….. change.
Change can be frightening or it can be energizing. No one likes to be forced to change, it invalidates us, frightens us, makes us angry, but when we are the ones to enact change, it becomes exciting, energizing, hopeful. And nothing offers hope like the beginning of a new year to change the things we didn’t like about the previous one. I’m here to help. That’s what bloggers do. We help. Help define decorating styles. Help with learning how to refinish furniture. Help with decorating ideas and tips and tricks. This post isn’t any of that.
But I do want to offer some tried and true tips in getting this new year off to a great start. So here’s my list:
- SLOW DOWN As in, savor the moments. Enjoy each and every day for what it brings. Don’t dwell on the future. Dwell in the present.
- GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Learn techniques to combat insomnia, to help you fall asleep faster. Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Declare it a technology free zone. And get rid of exercise equipment, the bedroom is for sleeping and relaxing, not building muscles. If your office is in your bedroom, shut off the computer. Invest in pretty baskets or containers to store files, get a desk that is pleasing to the eye, no plywood on blocks or college dorm furniture. You’re past that. (Unless you’re in college and then at least make it pretty and personal). Get a real desk. Keep a treasured photo on it, a pretty lamp, flowers. A functional area can also be beautiful. The two are not mutually exclusive. Clear off your desk before bed EVERY night. Buy the best, most luxurious sheets you can afford. Invest in a new mattress if one is needed. Install a sound system and play relaxation music. Educate yourself on what helps someone fall asleep. Don’t go to bed in an emotional turmoil (this is time tested advice). Sleep is essential to life. Make sure getting sleep is a priority.
- LAUGH MORE. Take pleasure in the absurd. Watch comedies regularly. Read books by authors who make you laugh. (I highly recommend Janet Evanovich.) Cultivate funny friends, hang out with those who make you laugh. Stop taking yourself so seriously.
- MAKE LISTS. Yes, I know this sounds lame, but trust me, it works. It helps quiet your mind. It will help keep you organized. Go old school and keep a planner that you…. gasp! WRITE in. Or if you are a diehard techie, install an app on your phone that includes a calendar and a note taker. Before bed, prioritize your to-do list by day, week or month. Making that list frees the chaos from your mind and will help with the afore mentioned; get enough sleep.
- DO MUNDANE OR DREADED CHORES FIRST. Why????? Why oh, why must I mop the floors, clean the toilets, paint that room, make that phone call, (insert whatever you dread) FIRST? Because it will fill you with an immediate sense of accomplishment and any chore after that will be a piece of cake. Maybe not cake, but it will be easier. You will go through your list of things without a cloud of dread hanging over your head because the worst chore is DONE! Woot!
- GET RID OF THE CLUTTER ON YOUR DESK, in your closets, your pantry….in fact, DECLUTTER period. Studies have shown that cluttered spaces add to feelings of depression. I always say, a cluttered home breeds a cluttered mind. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my mind cluttered more than usual. It’s already cluttered with decorating ideas. So, make a plan to do one area at a time. Tackle the junk drawer first, that will inspire you to clean off your closet floor, (put those cute, expensive shoes away!) which will inspire you to clean out all those containers of mystery left overs in the frig, and in turn will energize you to throw out expired spices, cosmetics and boxes of expired cake mixes from the pantry. And on and on you’ll go and WOWZER! Soon you’ll have a clutter free home. I can’t help with the decorating thoughts swirling around your brain, but at least they’ll be swirling in a brain with a clean, uncluttered house.
- GET RID OF EXPIRED MEDICINES. Call your local pharmacy and find out where your nearest medicine disposal site is. DO NOT THROW THESE IN THE TOILET OR DOWN A SINK. They end up in the water system. Instead CRUSH them and put them in a container and place them in the trash. Better to go to the landfill than end up in the water system.
- CLEAN OUT YOUR EMAIL, TEXTS AND DIGITAL PHOTOS. Delete fuzzy, out of focus shots or duplicates. Keep only the best and then sort those into digital files with titles so you can always find that stupendous photo of your dog in all its cuteness.
- START PREPARING TO FILE YOUR TAXES. If you are like me and hang on to 100 year old receipts and have 20 years of bank statements, now it the time to clean out your files. Keep only 7 years worth of paper statements. Receipts older than 30 days go into the trash. Have a file for tax prep.
- STOP PROCRASTINATING. Putting off doing things you need to do doesn’t make them pleasant, it just creates dread and guilt. (see do mundane chores first above)
- BE ON TIME. Don’t be that friend who is always late. It’s inconsiderate and shows a lack of respect. If you know you need 45 minutes to get ready to leave, start getting ready 60 minutes ahead of time so that you can find your keys, your purse, whatever. Allow for traffic. Be the one who gets there with time to spare. Relax while waiting for your appointment, friend, etc. Catch up on emails, texts, or read something engaging.
- ENGAGE IN SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Just take a walk. Daily.
- BE A GOOD LISTENER. PRACTICE EMPATHY.
- YOU DON’T HAVE TO WIN EVERY ARGUMENT (WHAT?? but I need to my ugly twin says) Don’t listen to that twin, listen to the pretty one, the one you are going to be.
- GET RID OF TOXIC PEOPLE. This should be a no-brainer. Sadly, most of us hang on to people and relationships far past their expiration dates. Get rid of those people.
- LEARN TO SAY NO. There is no rule that says you have to be a super hero. Make this the year to carve out more time to just be be YOU.
- READ A BOOK. At least once a month, put down your phone, step away from the computer and immerse yourself in other worlds.
- CHOOSE A NEW ARTIST TO EXPLORE IN AN UNEXPECTED MUSIC GENRE. Every month. By the end of 2017 you’ll have added a lot of previously unexplored audio beauty to your life. Music does soothe the soul and all that. (Your kids or Grandkids thinking you’re cool is a neat side effect.)
- GET INVOLVED. Choose a cause you’re interested in. Volunteer. Help make the world a better place, even if that world is limited to your local town.
- BECOME PASSIONATE about life, about the world we live in. Become a steward. Nurture a belief that every thing, every form of life in this world matters.
- PRACTICE KINDNESS. Spread it. Nurture it. Make this world better by the simple act of being kind. Let’s make 2017 the year of kindness.
That’s my survival guide, my primer on what to do in 2017. I hope you add to it. Now go forth and conquer. It’s a new year!
Oh my goodness. Time flies. I already packed up Christmas. My house looks naked. I always hate to begin to pack everything up, mostly because I have way too much holiday crap treasures. I purged last year and pared down in anticipation of a scaled back farmhouse Christmas. Didn’t happen. I started out fine, my mantel was simple. I didn’t even remove anything to add Christmas. Just some greens, a few pine cones, a couple of ornies and I was good to go. Then I added fairy lights. OK, still simple. I added 3 little naked pines to the top of the entertainment center. Yay! Simple Farmhouse Christmas. Oh yes, simple. We Mr B brought down the boxes from the attic with the plan to use just a few things. I opened my first box. Big mistake. I went from simple to “OH, LOOOK, ORNIES!!” in the blink of an eye. Within an hour 3 trees were up and 10 or 12 boxes were in the tiny living room, waiting to be opened and the adorning of the main tree to begin. My plan was thwarted by boxes. Boxes of years of ornament collecting. And my inability to look away from those wondrous shiny orbs. My simple farmhouse Christmas goose was cooked. It was an explosion of holiday at my house.
Within a week every room in the house had its share of Christmas joy. I love it. I love Christmas decorations and lights. Yes, I go overboard. But if you can’t go overboard at Christmas when can you?? I basked in the glow of lights every night. I adored each twinkle. I savored the oohs and ahhs of our guests. It was magical. Until it wasn’t. Which was two days ago when I decided Christmas had.to.go. This was the week I’d planned to relax and enjoy some down time by the glow of the Christmas lights. That week between Christmas and New Years when I usually curl up with a good book, listen to music and just chill. These plans went the same way my simple farmhouse plan went. Buh bye. I woke up and said, “I’m done with Christmas.” So the boxes came in the house and I began putting things away. Let me just say, putting Christmas up is a lot more fun than taking it down. A LOT more fun.
Besides trying to remember which mercury glass ornament went into what box, I wrapped each individual ornie in tissue. Every stinkin one that didn’t have the original box. Annd there were dozens, maybe hundreds. I may have more ornaments than I need.
So after purging 4 more boxes of crapola goodies to gift to a friend, I still ended up with 22 boxes of Christmas. TWENTY TWO. (This may have something to do with Mr B’s crankiness each year he heads into the attic.) Did I say I may have more ornaments than I need??? To be fair, some of the boxes contain nothing but greenery, which.I.must.have. I can’t have Christmas without sticking greens in every conceivable place. It’s not normal, I know. But I do it. And I do it with a great amount of joy. And that’s the key. It brings me joy. So I’ll make plans to cut back again next year. Maybe I’ll pull it off. There are Christmas miracles, right?
Who says empty nester’s have to settle for humdrum decor at Christmas? Just because Christmas is “all done up” for the kids while they’re growing up is no reason to stop decorating for holidays once they are out on their own. Your decor may get a bit more sophisticated (a lot more unless you are still using plastic sippy cups, which I hope you’ve outgrown by now), but don’t stop adding special touches because there are no kiddos. Even if you are single, treat yourself to dinner on a table decorated for the season. Make the effort, you are worth it.
Our Christmas table this year is set on the breakfast table. It’s just the two of us and I wanted the more intimate feel of that small table. It overlooks the pool and gets incredible light throughout the day so I can enjoy the setting. There’s a sill of sorts at the mitred glass window and I use this space for a bazillion candles. OK, not a bazillion, that would clearly be too many candles and we would sweat, not particularly romantic to sweat yourself through dinner, plus it’s 85° here, we do not need the extra warmth. So maybe a dozen candles would suffice. I used our fancy schmancy china and some Target snowflake plates I picked up on clearance a few years ago to add a festive holiday layer. Mix discount with expensive, it’s allowed. A mix of vintage glassware from Salvation Army and Mr. B’s wine glasses provides ample opportunity for liquid refreshment. I raided the dining room for elements to create a small centerpiece.
My Grandmother’s silverware adds to the fanciness. It’s a bit tarnished but always cherished. I don’t mind the tarnish. It’s old, it doesn’t have to look all new and shiny. I’m old and trust me, I definitely don’t look all new and shiny. So having old things around makes me feel less old. Weird? Maybe. I don’t care. Whatever works, right?
Whatever your season in life, surround yourself with things that are sentimental, things that you love, things that make you feel special. Your home is your sanctuary. Make it shine. Merry Christmas from our sanctuary to yours. Blessings to you and may your day be Merry and Bright.
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