Brighten Up Your Home With Pretty Potted Plants

With the holiday decorations down, our dormant yards and the the dreary winter skies seem to be more pronounced. Our homes need a burst of color to help brighten our days. A fresh bouquet of flowers will do but flowering potted plants will give us weeks or possibly months of vibrant color. Some of my favorite winter flowering plants are the ones pictured...Kalanchoe, Cyclamen and Begonia. All of them come in a variety of colors to punch up the palette. Try clustering 3 different colors in an oblong basket for a kitchen table. Place them where they can add an element of surprise like the bathroom vanity or an entrance table in the foyer. It's best to place them in places you will see the most throughout the day so you can get the biggest impact plus you won't forget to water them. Flowering plants need a little more attention....lightly water them a couple times during the week so they won't dry out but won't be drowned either. When the leaves turn pinch them off to keep the plants looking fresh and encourage new growth. Fertilize them with houseplant food like Miracle Grow. When the weather warms up they will do well outdoors to extend the life even more. Enjoy your burst of color.

"Where flowers bloom so does hope." Lady Bird Johnson

Cultivating Individuality in Your Unique Home.
Celeste Jackson

Taking Down The Christmas Decorations

For many people taking down the Christmas decorations can be a dreaded project. When you think about it the holidays are over, no more presents and celebrations and now it's time to take down the decorations that make the home so festive...what could possibly be fun about that. With a fresh point of view and applying a few tips this seemingly overwhelming task can be transformed into a refreshing project. Here are some ideas to help with the transformation.

• Break it down into managable steps. For instance: Remove ornaments tonight, remove lights tomorrow night, etc. It just doesn't have to be all or nothing to move forward.
• Play music during the process...just like putting up the decorations to Christmas music playing your favorite music while you take down the decorations will make it enjoyable.
• Use boxes with dividers to safely store your ornaments. These can be purchased from The Container Store or BB and Beyond or I use boxes from gifts I have received from Harry and Davids that held fruit....be resourceful. Reflect on the wonderful people in your life that gave some of these ornaments to you as gifts.
• Don't try to do other things that will distract you...this is how ornaments get broken.
• When removing lights either create a bouquet with the lights themselves and use rubber bands to hold them together or wrap them around your hand and elbow then rubber band them...both ways will safely store your lights for next year without causing them to tangle.
• If you have decorations that you have not used in years this is a great time to put them aside to donate to a charity that can sell them. Since most charities have limited space to store out of season items it is best to hang on to them until the fall when they will be ready to put them out in the resale shop.

If anyone has additional tips for taking down Christmas decorations I welcome your comments.

"With the right attitude taking down the holiday decorations can be a cleansing process." Celeste Jackson

Cultivating Individuality in Your Unique Home

Celeste Jackson