Photo from Grandma's Graphics.
I've been reading through old issues of Victoria and also Sarah Ban Breathnach's book "Simple Abundance" and came across some ideas for brightening up the long winter months.
February....
China tea, the scent of hyacinths, wood fires and bowls of violets-that is my mental picture of an agreeable February afternoon. -Constance Spry
Flowers are an easy way to cheer things up...
-Gather some pansies in a basket and let their little faces cheer you.
-Treat yourself to one perfect long-stemmed rose for your desk.
-I floated a few of my leftover Valentine carnations in a daffodil teacup....
"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be made with joy." -Iris Murdoch
-Light candles all over your home. Relax and see how different the world seems without electricity to blur the distinction between night and day.
-Add some spring colors to your kitchen table....
My friend, Clarice from Storybook Woods sent me this beautiful tablecloth for my birthday.
The robin's egg blue is perfect for spring.
Thank you, Clarice! I love it!
-Read Elizabeth Barrett Browning and then delight in "everyday's most quiet need."
-Revive the leisurely, "After Dinner Delights" customs of the past...
"At one time, guests lingered in the parlour or sitting room over "silver trays of perfectly riped cheese or hand-dipped chocolates, port in crystal decanters, steaming pots of coffee or tea." The book, "After Dinner" will inspire you to reinvent those pleasant slip-away hours.
"The mere chink of cups and sauces tunes the mind to happy repose" -George Gissing
-Wear perfume everyday.
-Add a bit of lace to a pantry shelf...
I hot glued this pretty lace to the shelves of my piesafe.
The doors are open here but when they are closed, you can still see the lace hanging down.
-Make a batch of old-fashioned chocolate fudge.
-Browse through gardening catalogs. You can buy them, but even better visit your local library and read though their back issues and some magazines that you normally wouldn't subscribe to.
I hope these ideas are helpful! Do you have something special you do to chase away the winter blues?
23 comments:
I love these ideas, Kelli. I personally like to bring out the spring colors to beat the blues.
Love the pictures!
Love the ideas...I light candles everyday...very relaxing. Making fudge is always a good thing too :)
Great ideas, Kelli. And I love the photos you post.
Jackie
Kelli, I live in Atlanta, so spring comes fairly early here as well. Today we hit 70 degrees!
I light candles every day - they are my one guilty pleasure. I absolutely LOVE Yankee Candles. My husband does, too, so he doesn't really mind if I spend money on them.
I like to get out my spring wreaths and decorations after Valentine's Day. They really help to cheer me up and brighten my home. I also start using lighter tablecloths, floral napkins, pastel colors... all the things I've collected over the years to help usher in spring. I even put out Beanie Baby (remember those?) birds, because I love to watch the birds outside and they always remind me that spring is about to arrive!
I love this post! I do definitley get the winter blues and only realized it fully this winter....starting to see a pattern....
I think the warm glow of candlelight is so needed here! OH! And I love the lace on your piesafe, very pretty!
Thanks,
Jenn
Hi Kelli:) I have to say I love it when we get a touch of winter here in California---when I was in Georgia for a year, I was so happy to see the different seasons and to here the Thunderstorms--
All your ideas are fantastic. Your new table cloth is lovely--very pretty:)
I love candles, especially vanilla scented. Lavendar comes in second--with apples and cinnimon(sp)
Julieann:)
Your home is so lovely. I love seeing all the wonderful things that you do to make it special. Thanks for all of the great ideas.
You listed so many wonderful ideas, Kelli. My favorite panacea for the winter doldrums would be firelight, candlelight and music! But I am quite taken with the idea of "After Dinner Delights," particularly the hand-dipped chocolate part! ;o) This will be something to try!
Hi Kelli,
You have wonderful ideas for making your home bright and cheery.
I love to buy a bunch of carnations or daffodils and divide the blooms into bud vases. Then I have fresh flowers in each room for the cost of one bouquet..
:)
I love all these ideas...especially the candles and flowers! Oh, and chocolate, too! :)
For some reason your feed is not coming through on my bloglines. Oh well, glad you visited today so I could come by for some Spring! :)
I really like your ideas. The lace on the shelf is adorable. I agree with you on the flowers, they can really brighten things up. I am having a good, but very busy week.
Your blog is always so full of creative ideas. I especially love the photo of the tray with teapot and dishes with the lit candle - it's saying, "peace" to me.
When I get the winter blues, usually this time of year, I like to clean, organize and move things around. A fresh look and clean organized shelves make me feel better. I also love candles and switching to a lighter fragrance is mood lifting for me.
Wonderful ideas and photos - just brilliant.
I am off today to sow some seeds to give spring a helping hand. Getting a tad bit tired of torrential rain.
here is my blogsite - my sign in will only lead you to my old site - which does have a link.
Oh thank you for this entry! As you saw, it was snowing here again. -whine- But no, I should not whine. I came across a blogger, with soo much more snow than I have. That'll teach me! :-)
Thank you for commenting that my post was cozy. But yours is better than that. You give lovely ideas to deal with this late Winter time.
'MN'
Mari-Nanci
Hiya..
I had posted a long comment to this and I think I must of hit the wrong button or something and lost it.
I was saying how much I liked this post and the pics :)
CANDY~
Kelli, some great ideas. We do still have snow on the ground. Yesterday, I was thinking about "springing" up my house as well. Thanks for the ideas.
Keli, I will be in my new home in a week or so and after all is put away and decorated I will try a few of your think Spring ideas. Have a wonderful weekend.
It's 12F here right now...it was -8F earlier...hard for me to think of Spring! lol I so enjoyed all the ideas you listed...I may try a couple to cheer myself up:-) Love, love, love the lace trim you glued to your shelves!!! xoxo
Wonderful ideas! I've missed looking at your blog since I don't have as much free time anymore. Hopefully, there won't be so much time before I can check again!
Love your vignette on the tray! I usually go to the book store and sit in a corner and leaf through gardening magazines and books and on my way home pick up fresh flowers..bunches of them and create lovely displays!! This year as you know I went away for sun!hugs NG
A lovely post as always Kelli - the image conjured up by the Constance Spry quote is idyllic. The graphics site is great - I shall be stealing this treasure from you and putting some of them on my blog too! I do wish that Victoria magazine still existed, I had a subscription for years - if they'd left well enough alone instead of trying to 'modernize' it they would have probably still been going. I think I shall try e-bay for some old editions, I didn't keep any of mine more's the pity.
Great ideas! ;o)
More snuggle time works for me!
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