Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday April 2nd 2010 as we present "Romantic Re-do"
Spring is the perfect time to start thinking about a romantic re-do for your home. The world outside is changing color and bursting with new life. Let a new season begin in your décor as well. Giving my home a romantic re-do by changing just a few elements is something I look forward to every spring.The heavy drapes hung for winter are taken down and replaced with filmy sheers in soft spring colors. The windows are opened to let in the fresh air, and the gauzy curtains sway in the spring breeze. Sparkling sunlight shines on newly hung art art – detailed paintings of roses and etchings of spring birds. Just a few simple changes like these, and my heart already feels lighter.
In the bedrooms, winter quilts are packed away. Beds are draped with pretty pale pinks, robin's egg blues, and shades of white. The colors of budding flowers and new life. Chenille bedspreads and lace tablecloths draped across the foot of the bed or over the back of a boudoir chair, adding romantic appeal. One of the final touches is a lightly scented candle by the bedside, ready to light on a quiet spring evening.In the dining room, the table is spread with a hand-crocheted tablecloth, each lacy flower intricate and full of spring. Treasured and vintage place settings, covered with pretty spring roses and beautifully etched with time, grace the dining table. An elegant candle in a cut glass holder, it’s simplicity breathes romance.
A sprinkling of the right accessories complete the transformation. Slipcovered couches in light fabrics and spring colors are layered with needlepoint pillows stitched with roses and spring flowers. Brightly colored fresh flowers and handmade silk roses are tucked into vases and creamware pitchers. Even the powder room gets a little romantic re-do with towels trimmed in lace and pretty spring-scented cameo soaps A quick romantic re-do is something that I do every spring. It's so easy to do, and makes my heart feel a flutter of romance.Make Mine Pink
Photo Contribution 1:| The Casual Cameo | Photo Contribution 2: C'est Chouette | Photo Contribution 3: The Roseberry Cottage
At the end of a busy day, there is nothing more relaxing than surrounding yourself with delightful scents. Lavender, honeysuckle, 
If you want to infuse a room with a refreshing scent, there is lavender oil. In a sachet tucked into your nightgown drawer or bedside table, lavender helps deliver sweet dreams.
The right scents can help you create the mood you want, as well. When you need some more energy to keep going, a spicy scented candle can be the perfect pick me up. To set a cozy atmosphere for friends, a cookie scented candle in the kitchen, or some potpourri simmering on the stove. Before you go to bed at night, Rose hip and jasmine, a relaxing scent that can help you unwind.
I can still remember the excitement of my childhood Easters. It began Easter morning when we awoke early, anticipating surprises that we knew had magically arrived. We were never disappointed.Then, after church, our annual Easter egg hunt would begin. Each of the children was given an empty basket and sent to fill it with as many more magical treats as we could. Rainbow-colored eggs filled with candies and toys were hidden in plain sight, just waiting to be discovered. We would hunt alongside our family and friends, squealing with pleasure at each others discoveries. Then we raced to see who could reach the next treasure first. Later on, after the family dinner, there was always a special surprise for the adults, too.
Today, I still feel that flutter of excitement when spring arrives with all its joys. Among them is the yearly challenge of creating the perfect Easter table for my family and friends. No longer do I hunt for chocolates and candy treats. Now my treasures are cherished pieces of antique china and colorful table linens. Whimsical and often unexpected decorative pieces add the finishing touches. Vintage tea cups or antique tins for the women, and perhaps antique shaving mugs for the men, grace the entry table. The perfect little Easter baskets, there is one for each guest to take home with them after the celebration. Artistic tags, crafted from beautiful papers, let you know which treat is yours. The altered art tags with special embellishments are as charmingly unique as each of the recipients and are a treasure all by themselves.
Inside the baskets, you might find hand poured soaps that smell as beautiful as they look, handmade charms to be worn on a bracelet or necklace, floral stationery too beautiful to write on, vintage silver cuff links for a special man. Your heart feels a familiar flutter of excitement when you discover the delights that were chosen just for you.
When I look around at all the beautiful and creative work spaces of my peers, I can’t help but notice that a new trend in office decorating has emerged. Office and studio spaces are no longer drab, monotonous and strictly functional. Instead, the utilitarian look we usually expect in work spaces is being replaced by chic and feminine décor. More and more, I'm seeing office spaces that are fashionable, fun and full of creativity – just like the women who use them.
Take your office furniture, for example. Your chair, desk and work table don't need to look boring to be comfortable and practical. In fact, it's easy to take ordinary furnishings and create a look that's chic and inspiring. A light and airy slip cover will freshen up an old desk chair. A coat of pale blue paint will give new life to an old desk. Add some whimsical drawer pulls or fabulous decals to complete the picture. Let your imagination help you create a peaceful place – one where you will enjoy spending so many hours of your day.
Unexpected embellishments make everyday office items pretty and fun, while still being useful. Try adding a clipboard that's been trimmed with beautiful papers, tied with ribbon and hung on a decorative hook until it's needed. It's a useful and now beautiful accessory. Vintage and antique items can serve in unusual ways to make your work space even prettier. A stack of file folders, propped up in a vintage wire basket, adds just the right amount of chic to the corner of a desk, and will work great for keeping you organized. 
Every now and then, it's fun to take a detour from the everyday by adding playful touches to our routines. It doesn't even need to be something outrageous. Sometimes, adding just a "touch o' whimsy" is all it takes to spice things up.
Fanciful touches that make you feel just a twinge of joy are never out of place, even in the most elegant surroundings. Tucked into my favorite painted and chic china cabinet, sits a beautiful pedestal bowl filled with hand-shaded velvet strawberries. They're bright and pink, and completely unexpected. But they add a touch of whimsy that makes me smile whenever I pass by that corner. My white-painted kitchen shelf displays fine canvas prints of the most beautiful roses, vintage china tea cups and mini creamers. But beside one of the canvases, filled with the most exquisite roses, I've placed a whimsical pink polka dot tea pot. Think it doesn't belong? On the contrary, its presence brings the entire shelf to life.
Where could you add a whimsical touch or two to your home? In your most elegant display, or a forgotten nook? Let your imagination play. Faux pastries trimmed with lace on a table set with your grandmother's vintage china. A whimsical wreath made from ribbons and treasures, hung on the wall of a Victorian room. A cupcake cushion placed on a refinished antique French chair. If it brings you the tiniest feeling of delight, it belongs. 
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