How to Bring Good Luck into your Home!

It's Halloween, and it is not my favorite holiday at all. Having a big imagination does not bode well with being a fraidy cat; I jump at the slightest thing, cover my eyes when the scary music comes on, and am still a little afraid of the dark.

So, in the spirit (ha-ha) of Halloween, I thought I would share some good luck household superstitions, that you may, or may not have heard of... 

• Leave your windows and doors closed on November 1st (tomorrow) it can bring bad luck into your home.
• Carry bread and salt with you when you first enter a new home; the household will never know hunger, and it's pantry will always be filled. 
• When you move out of a house, leave the broom behind. Along with the dust and dirt of your old home, old brooms also carry the negative aspects of your life. 
• A new broom signifies a fresh start in your new home.
• Paint your front porch blue to ward off ghosts. (Ghosts, can’t cross water, and apparently get confused easily). 
• A spider in the house brings good luck (don't kill them), and if a spider builds its web across your door, you can expect company.
• Never put shoes on a table, it brings bad luck. (Shoes as table legs are okay).
• Don’t move into a new place on a Friday, Saturday, or a rainy day. These days are unlucky, and may prevent you from ever truly settling into your new home. Thursday is the luckiest day to move in.
• Never sweep over a threshold, or you will sweep all the good luck out the door. 
• To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave. 
• A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams that night. 
• A frog in the house brings good luck. (It also makes you scream - last year, a toad stowed away in a flat of flowers that my friend had brought me. I found it sitting on the living room floor). 
• A horseshoe hung above the doorway will bring good luck to your home (ends up). 
• If you leave the house for the day, and realized that you forgot something, it's okay to comeback, but you have to look at yourself in a mirror before leaving again. 
• If bubbles appear in a cup of coffee, you accidentally knock over a sugar bowl, or tea leaves float to the top of the cup, money will soon come your way. 
• Sitting on a kitchen table, or counter, will cause a women never to be wed. 

And, finally, run outside after you have read this, because catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have good luck (every leaf means a lucky month next year!).

Photograph from Houzz

What is Glamping?

Glamping - Pronunciation: /ˈglampɪŋ/  noun 
Early 21st century: Blend of Glamorous and Camping 
 A way to enjoy the beauty of nature without all the icky stuff that comes with it.

Over the last couple of years glamping has become a luxurious, more interesting alternative to staying in a hotel. Unique accommodations have been popping up all over the world, and designers and travel agents have jumped on the trend with full force. What began as a passing quirk, has now evolved into permanent outdoor structures that mimic old fashioned tents and very expensive log cabins.

I love camping (well, apart from snakes, bears, spiders, broken zippers, and heating a can of baked beans over a match and a twig....) but I think glamping would also be a fun thing to do. Kind of reminds me of an old Tarzan movie, where the safari tent was assembled in five minutes, and the expedition involved a walking stick and a furry animal. Beautifully coiffed women arrived with trunks of petticoats, a writing desk and a typewriter, and the men had an endless supply of hot soapy water and cigarettes. I guess it speaks to the romantic in many of us; we like the idea of sleeping under the stars, just not the actual camping itself.

So, I became curious about glamping, and I can really see the appeal. Most owners build their accommodations around a healthy respect for the environment, combine it with a good dose of comfort, and just enough independence to make the guests feel that they are really participating in the outdoors. Of course, they will start the fire-pit for you, warm up the spa pool, and give you a cozy blanket, but you get to find your own rock, roast marshmallows, enjoy the view, and retreat to your (mosquito free) comfy bed when the day is over.

The level of luxury really does vary accordingly, but many of them are well within a decent budget. Definitely more for a vacation than a quick business trip, every place I looked at came well equipped for a stress-free weekend getaway (no longer do you need to navigating your evening with a flashlight, leave a trail of breadcrumbs, and hastily digging a hole in the ground).

While all have basic modern conveniences, some are truly swoon-worthy. One place that I found comes with air conditioning, goose-down linens, and an antique bathtub filled with scented milk. Another had a fireplace, a flat screen television, and your own private butler. Others are more spare in their furnishings, but they still have more than the bare necessities, and the settings are always quite lovely.

I can see glamping in my future; it seems like a great way to enjoy a more scenic destination, without having to bring a map and my own toilet paper....

Photograph from Fireside Resort in Jackson Hole 

Confessions of a Messy Office

Sometimes, I write a blog, and never publish it. I read it, and it sounds boring, or too personal, or too big, or too much like a decorating lesson. That's what happened this week; I wrote two, and I liked them, but they just didn't feel right. It was a Goldilocks moment.

I'm not silly, I knew why nothing was working; it was because my office was a diabolical mess. Motivated by the conference that I attended a couple of weeks ago, I had decided to reorganize. What began as a simple clean out, turned into this avalanche of ideas scribbled on bits of paper (lots of them, that I didn't even know I had) countless pages torn from magazines, files that no longer made sense, two old keyboards, a small television that I had forgotten about in the closet (don't ask - the box isn't even opened) and a pile of cardboard airplanes from when my daughter was in pre-school.

Impatient to get going, I did the classic mistake of trying to do it all at once. And, I got distracted. Opening a drawer revealed a pile of decorating goodies that I didn't even know I had, and more notebooks than I could count (well, there were nine actually). They are very pretty, but I tend to use the same, spiral-bound 79 cent notebook for most things; I like it's size, the space of the lines, and the ease of turning over the pages. In this case, function trumps beauty, and I know the pretty notebooks would be happier living somewhere else.

It's been a few days since I started, and I am finally seeing my serene, creative office space again. I realize it is a little bit like the cobbler's children having no shoes (do children even know what cobbler's are anymore?); I am great at organizing (really) and know what I should be doing, but when life gets busy, my office is usually the first place to suffer. I tell myself I can work around it, but I really can't; I juggle for space on my desk, and my thoughts become as scattered as coffee cups.

This happens to us all at some time or another; it feels okay for a while, then you turn around, and you wonder what the heck happened. You swear it happened overnight, but it didn't, you just forgot to notice.
When this happens, which is normal by the way, here is my strategy for coping.....

- I panic.
- Close the door, go downstairs and make a cup of tea.
- Sit in the sunroom, drink tea and look at the trees.
- Make a list of absolutely everything I need (and want) to do.
- Give myself a realistic, generous, time limit.
- Turn on some really loud music.
- Grab a couple of garbage bags, and a box for miscellaneous things.
- Put on comfy, old clothes and bare feet.
- Begin.
- Add more music and tea as needed.
- Stop when I am done.

It's not complicated really, just feels like it for a moment....

p.s. The photograph above is one of the inspiration boards in my office.

Would you like Cheese with that Wine?

People are drinking more. Honest, they are. Not sure if it is an escape from the economic climate, or just a fun, entertaining trend, but I have been in quite a few homes lately that have a bar area. Martini's were definitely in last year, and now it seems to be a mixture of old fashioned hard liquor, straight up, and a heck of a lot of homemade concoctions. People are even buying Moonshine (who knew you could?).

So, whatever the reason, and even if your favorite drink is sparkling water with a slice of lemon, why not get creative, and make your bar area a decorative part of your home? When I started looking for some photographs, I found that re-purposing unused and over-sized furniture seemed to be the most common solution; entertainment centers, televisions and kitchen dresser's were used a lot. Makes sense; some of these pieces are very well made, and no longer used, so why not give them a new life?

One of my favorite ideas is the television set (above). Just the look of it makes me want to smile, put on a pair of high heels, and pour Don Draper a shot of whiskey. So, while I plan my drink-serving outfit, here are some ideas that may make you re-think hiding that funky bottle of moonshine behind the olive oil...

An armoir, an entertainment center, or an old wardrobe. So Easy.

So obvious, it has to be mentioned. Just borrow a shelf from your bookcase. 

A vintage filing cabinet has lots of space for bar and entertaining accessories as well. 

A decorative tray can be brought out when needed, and stored away until your next party.

Still with a retro vibe, this one is new; from Crate and Barrel, it folds up when not in use. 

I love this idea for a vacation home, or a party (anywhere). An old Bread Box, metal crate, or Tool Box would be perfect.

Photographs were borrowed from Pinterest, Tumbler and Pottery Barn.

Decorating + Home = Free Therapy

Do you think they had to wait a long time to get this photograph, or do you think it was a happy accident?
I have to believe it was just a happy accident. Cats are not known for doing what you ask them, so I imagine this is one of his favorite spots to sit.
The sunlight coming through the windows, the plants on the windowsill, and the colorful, comfy pillows on the white bench, just scream warmth and happiness. This room was deliberately designed to be bright and cheerful; almost daring you to never frown, and promising to coax smiles out of even the most curmudgeon of visitors.

I love this home, and it is a great reminder of how we can change the way we feel by paying attention to how we live.

Is it weird to say that I actually consider homes to be a rather inexpensive form of therapy? Think about it; we never have to wait for an appointment, or worry about insurance, and, we have the ability to change most things whenever we want to. So, if ever you feel like you need a little bit of help in the happiness department, why not try some of these ideas in your home first.

Feeling Bored:
Take all of your books and cd's off the shelves. Go through them, listen to the music, read a few chapters, and put away the ones you no longer like very much. Reorganize the shelves.

Stressed out:
Light a candle. Did you know the simple act of striking a match, and putting it to a candle, relieves stress?
Open the windows and doors. Bringing fresh air inside will flush out all those weird toxins that sit around our homes (doing bad things that we are all told about, but nobody quite understands).
Vacuum. It doesn't require any fine motor skills (I get clumsy if I am stressed) the noise will distract you from whatever you are worrying about, and your house will be clean.

Tired:
Have a room, or a space, where you know you can always take a nap, meditate, sit and look out the window, or read a book. Try to keep it clutter free, as neat as possible, and have an emergency napping kit waiting right there (a blanket, a book, a favorite photograph, music, a pillow, a souvenir of a happy time, a pencil and paper....).

Overwhelmed:
Do just one thing. Choose something small (and manageable) that overwhelms you in your home. Write it on your calendar, and allow yourself twice the amount of time you think you may need. Don't stop until you finish. eg. sort through one junk drawer, go through the mail, or fold one load of laundry.

Cranky:
Distract yourself with something physical that takes some thought, effort and energy. Move the furniture around - don't worry about whether or not it will look good, just move it around and see. Paint a room, a floor or a door. Take all your pictures/photographs off the wall, and hang them up in different spots. Organize a closet, pantry, office, laundry room, basement or garage.

A bit Blue:
Go through your home, and try to get rid of a few things that you don't like. Store them away until tomorrow. Find things you really love, and put them where you can see them. If nothing else, try to make sure your main living areas look like you are happy, and your home is taken care of.
Even if your heart isn't in it, it is a bit of a "fake it 'til you make it" scenario, that does wonders for your emotional well being.

After I wrote this, I thought it might seem like a strange post, but, a home is the place where we choose to live, not just a beautiful, complex formula of colors, shapes and symmetry. Why not allow it to nurture us as well?...

Photograph borrowed from Fresh Happy Home