We have a clue about Furniture

Autumn is truly my favorite time of the year. The air is crisp, the sun shines and the leaves turn a beautiful array of colors. As always, September 22nd marks the Autumn Equinox so I thought it would be nice to write about some fun fall activities to enjoy this amazing season!

1.  Bake a scrumptious apple, pumpkin or pecan pie. If you don’t enjoy baking, why not try making some delicious butternut squash soup! At the very least, drink a warm cup of spiced cider.

Pumpkin and Apple Pie

Hot Spicy Cider

2.  Go apple-picking or pumpkin-picking. If you really want to have some fun, try gourd-picking! Gourds come in so many unique shapes, colors and sizes, I love seeing what I can find

Apple Picking

Mixed Gourds and Pumpkins

3. Let your inner child shine! Go on a hayride, get lost in a corn maze or leap into a pile of leaves

Leaping into Leaves

My sister recently gifted me a beautiful, glass loose tea pot for my birthday and I absolutely love it! With the pot, she included a bag of her homegrown chamomile tea and a bag of loose black chai tea. I have always been curious about the different effects of tea, but it wasn’t until yesterday night that I experienced it.

The past two weeks I have had some difficulty sleeping, a lot has been on my mind and I can’t seem to relax once my head hits the pillow…so it got me thinking…. maybe a warm glass of chamomile tea (which is supposed to produce a calming effect and is excellent for anxiety) would do the trick…and it did!  It worked so well, in fact I was sleeping like a baby by 11:00pm and I felt fully refreshed when I awoke in the morning.  It inspired me to write about 6 different teas that could offer a natural alternative to some mental and/or physical health issues you may be experiencing:

Loose Glass Tea Pot

1. Chamomile Tea / Chamomile Mixed with Lemongrass – Calms the body, relaxes the system, helps with anxiety, serves as an excellent sleep aid

Chamomile and Lemongrass Loose Tea Blend

2. Green Tea / Black Chai Tea – Contains a healthy dose of caffeine, promotes energy, productivity, focus, concentration, alertness and enhances work performance

(Peppermint Tea also promotes focus and energy without the caffeine).

Green Tea

Black Chai Tea

3. Lemon Verbena Tea / Lemon Balm Tea/ Rooibos Tea – Natural mood boosting properties, helps with the “blues,” soothes nerves, relieves tummy aches, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants

Lemon Balm Tea

Rooibos Tea

4. Ginger Tea – Excellent for digestion, can help with nausea, vomiting or an upset stomach due to motion sickness, combine with lemon juice and honey for a powerful germ fighter

Ginger Tea

5. Rosehip Tea – A perfect immune system booster, excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E, produces a calming effect on the nervous system

Rosehip Tea

6. Ginseng Tea – Can help lower blood pressure and stimulate the production of serotonin which can greatly help with symptoms of depression

Ginseng Tea

Excerpt from: sixdifferentways.com

Call me old fashioned but I am still a fan of listening to vinyl records,  but these days it is certainly not as convenient as grabbing your MP3 player or iPod for music on-the-go. I have seen hundreds of vinyl records being given away for free on Craigslist or you can pick up a stack for cheap at your local thrift store. You may even have vinyl records lying around your house that are scratched, warped or unlistenable for reasons other than just damage (perhaps your musical taste has evolved!) Instead of just tossing them aside, you can reuse them for decorative or functional pieces for your home décor!  Here are a few of my favorite ways to creativity use vinyl records:

1. Canvases

You can use vinyl records as canvases to paint on. If you want a smoother surface to work with you can spray on a couple layers of primer before you paint.  I like to use acrylic paints but you can explore and experiment with different paints to get the effect you want. If you are apprehensive about painting free-hand on your vinyl canvas, you can also use a stencil. Vinyl records make cheap, effective and beautiful canvases!

Vinyl Record Canvas – Paint

Vinyl Record Canavas – Paint / Stencils

2. Bowls

You can turn your old records into really stylish bowls. I would choose a record you actually enjoy but might be damaged or a record with a cool label because the labels can be seen at the bottom of the bowl. These vinyl bowls make great fruit bowls, catch-all trays, and containers for potted plants. You can even hang your record-bowl design as wall art.

Vinyl Record Fruit Bowl

Painted Vinyl Record Bowl

3. Cake and Dessert Tray

Using 3 to 4 vinyl records of varying sizes or the same sizes and a few plastic cocktail glasses, you can create your own musical dessert tray. This is a great idea for themed parties or to simply show off your amazing crafty side!

Vinyl Record 3 Tier Dessert Tray

Vinyl Record Cupcake Serving Tray

4. Side Table

You can easily create a sturdy vinyl record side table. All you need to do is hot glue the vinyl record (the top of the side table) to a plant stand (the base of the side table) and VOILA! You can enjoy your newly vintage vinyl table!

Vinyl Record Side Table Materials

Vinyl Record Side / End Table

5. Earring Holder

Use a vinyl record to make a stylish earring holder by heating a metal skewer and poking it through the vinyl record. This earring holder is a great way to beautifully display your earrings as well as keep them organized. No more tangled messes!

Vinyl Record Hanging Earring Holder

Vinyl Record Earring Holder

6. Wall Art

You can cut interesting and fun shapes out of vinyl records and hang them throughout your home as art installations or 3D wall decals. Vinyl record wall art makes great conversation starters and adds a touch of edgy design to your home.

Vinyl Record Butterfly 3D Wall Art

Yes, we are all a part of nature, that much is true but wouldn’t it be wondrous to actually live IN nature?  These beautiful tree houses bring out the exploratory child in all of us but with a real grown-up flair of luxury and style.  Tree houses feature building schemes that include scenic and natural views, use of organic materials and preserving existing tree canopies.

Various cultures and religions have experienced an affinity for crystals and stones for centuries. This is because crystals can be used for many different purposes. Crystals can influence your moods, relationships, health, wealth, personal development and environment.  Some people choose to wear their crystals and carry their crystals while others choose to keep their crystals safely in their home or in a special place like on their altar.  Your body is composed of the same elements found in crystals and stones. Each part of your body vibrates and emits energy into the space surrounding it. Sometimes there are distortions in the vibrations in different parts of your body.  Crystals and stones emit strong vibrations at constant rates, which can be used to help eliminate, heal or restore proper balance to the disrupted vibrations in your body.  Below are six different types of crystals that can be used to help specific defects found within your body:

Amethyst

Amethyst is a violet/purple variety of quartz crystal. Amethyst can be used to help cleanse blood and assist with breathing problems. Amethyst crystal clusters are used to keep the air and life force in the home clean and positive. It can be also used for protection, to help insomnia and facilitate spiritual and psychic connections. Many healers wear amethyst because it also known to help focus energy.

Raw Amethyst

Raw Amethyst Geode

Amethyst Necklace

Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a semi-precious stone which was prized in antiquity especially among the ancient Egyptians.  The Egyptians used to bury their dead with a lapis lazuli scarab for protection in the afterlife.  Presently, Lapis Lazuli can be used to strengthen the immune and skeletal system. It can also be used for balancing thyroid and increasing psychic abilities. Some use this stone to release tension, anxiety and to gain balance and clarity.

Raw Lapis Lazuli

Incorporating salt crystal lamps into your home’s interior design not only adds a beautiful and natural element to your décor but they can be beneficial to your health too!

Salt crystal lamps are made from salt crystals from the Himalayan mountain regions and are over 250 million years old. Salt crystal lamps are natural ion generators. They generate negative ions into the atmosphere which restore and neutralize the air quality in your home. Many appliances such as televisions, computers, air-conditioners and countless other electronic devices emit positive ions that when in high doses can negatively affect our moods and energy levels making us prone to crankiness, exhaustion and depression.  By keeping a rock salt lamp in areas of the home where electronic devices are polluting the air space, it can help to neutralize and/or balance the positive/negative ions in the atmosphere.  It has also been noted that rock salt lamps can help with symptoms caused by asthma, allergies and other illnesses.

Not only are the salt crystal lamps beneficial to your health and well-being but they add an earthy and natural look to your home décor as well.  The mined crystals come in many different shades including white, pink, orange, peach and red. They can also be sculpted in various shapes such as spheres, pyramids or cones and are typically mounted on a sturdy wooden base. In addition to their appearance, they also serve as a gentle and subdued accent light ideal for meditation, mood lighting or for use as a nightlight.  These beautiful treasures are perfect functional pieces offering better health and functionality without skimping on style.

Link: sixdifferentways.com

If you live in a studio apartment, a small space or just need to section off an area of your home, a great way to accomplish this is by using a stylish room divider or partition. Partitions are also perfect if you would like divide a room into sections but want to keep the space open. There are beautiful partitions you can browse through from extremely affordable to luxurious but pricier finds, explore your options and see which works best for you. Below are some beautiful examples of room partitions used in the home: