As weather gets suddenly so cold and it starts snowing, your home also needs some winterization. There are pieces that can instantly make the home wintery beautiful and all the more warmer and cozier. We don't need to go all frozen winter castle but, the spirit of the ice queen is what you need with warmest heart.
*We are not affiliated any company/website of the featured/suggested products in this blog.
F A B R I C S
The first thing you can change are probably the fabrics. Summery cotton, linen or sheers can take some break. Bring out the winter friendly fabrics and materials such as faux fur, plush, animal prints and velvets.
Major items to add for instant changes are throws, blankets, pillows and curtains. These can go to living room or bedrooms.
Featured or Similar Products: 1. Martha Stewart Mongolian Faux Fur Pillows $29.99 ON SALE (reg $100), macys.com. Affordable ones are quite available everywhere ranged $20-120; 2. M Kennedy Home Kalahari Leopard Pillow $15.99 ON SALE (reg $29.99) kohls.com; 3. Home Cozy Velvet Pillow Cover $12, amazon.com; 4. Florence Cushion, custom made embroidery cushion $$$, you can definitely find something cheaper like this, though.
Luxury Faux Fur Pillow $59.50 frontgate.com
I really love faux fur items from frontgate. They look really luxe at reasonably modest prices
W I N T R Y P I E C E S
What is the first thing comes to your mind when you think about winter? SNOW!! How do you bring snow indoor? Snowy winter photos or snow globes!!
Winter Woods Print Triptych Wall Art, $95 lampsplus.com
Winter Woods Snow Globe $60, acbhome.com
Silver Pine Cone Potpourri $9.99, kirklands.com;
Natural Pinecones with Snow Tips, $11, factorydirectcraft.com
S C E N T S
F R E S H P I N E
Winter is cold, harsh and depressing but when I see those evergreen and winter fresh pine trees, I feel like live again. The smells so strong, refreshing and green, instantly making us out of those winer blues to hope for Spring.
I love having fresh Christmas tree and shopping for one is such a great fun, not to mention decorating with people. But, If you can't have Christmas tree, have wreaths. The freshly cut ones are the best, just like the Christmas trees.
You could get fancy pre-made wreaths but all Christmas tree place sells them cheap, made out of leftover pieces from trimming Christmas Trees. Make your own by adding pine scones, LED lights and maybe silver or gold spray. Don't forget to spray water time to time to keep them fresh longer, just like the Christmas trees especially from the dry and heated winter home.
Icy Pine Mini Light LED Wreath $100, SOLD OUT Frontgate.com
C I N N A M O N & S T A R A N I S E
Cinnamon and star anise are quite strong in their flavors and scents but, these winter spices also great for decorating around the house.
Add Cinnamon sticks, star anises and pine cones in a bowl, make table settings or DIY candles with them. Certainly use them as Christmas tree ornaments, too!
Cinnamon Sticks & Star Anises, supermarket near you.
Sugared Cinnamon Reed Diffuser $9.99, pier1.com
C A N D L E S
Amber and musk are also popular winter scents with their rich, warm and animal like scents. Candles are certainly better than diffuser/spray for winter time since candlelights add both warmth and coziness by the temperature and glow.
Roja Amber Aoud Candle $200, harrods.com
Byredo Cardamome $80 SOLD OUT
Roja and Byredo, both brands are well known for their luxe perfumes and their candles are not the exception. Perfect winter scents with rich but lovely amber, and another interesting warm spice, cardamom.
C O Z Y B E D R O O M
Winter bedrooms are cold but also hot with the heater constantly going on and off throughout the day. We need throw blankets for that extra warmth during those cold winter nights. Humidifier is another item to have for keeping the room from drying out. It is also great to have some portable hygrometers ( AcuRite, $10 amazon.com) around house so that you can monitor and maintain the proper humidity.
Dry radiator heats in winter rooms are really bad for stuffy noses and allergy suffers, and main reasons for dry itchy winter skin. If you can't have humidifier for some reason, keep water bowls, preferably ceramic bowls on or near the radiators to add moisture to the air. Hanging laundries indoors are also effective. For me, I also drop some essential oils into the water bottle and spray around home to freshen up the air and add humidity.
Add essential oils to the humidifier for aromatherapy effect. This definitely provides relief to stuffy noses, sinus and allergy suffers.
Luxury Faux Fur - Lynx $59.50, frontgate.com
I really love those faux fur blankets and got several of them in different colors. They really look expensive in person. Quite a find. Highly recommended.
All American Collection Serpa Plush Throw Blanket $35.99, amazon.com
Sherpa plush blankets are another great and handy ones to have during winter. Affordable and extremely warm and also great as bed spreads. I had them in a guest room and all guests really loved them and slept well underneath. Only drawback is when new, these are really downy soft but after some washes, plush side pills and gets dull easily. So wash in cold and gentle cycles.
Objecto W4 Hybrid Humidifier $170, bloomingdales.com
A pretty and cool wood minimalist design with all the tech features we need - fine mist, auto shut off, whisper quiet and aromatherapy function.
Top 8 Essential Oils & Bluetooth Diffuser Set $49.95
Here comes a great deal. Bluetooth, 8 essential oils to play/enjoy with. Eucalyptus is most popular for the nasal and sinus relief from stuffy winter rooms. However, do do try other oils for aromatherapy.
T E A S
I think winter is a great time to enjoy teas, especially hot teas. Depending on your preference, there are endless list of tea selections out there. Green, herbal, rooibos, Christmas flavored teas, detox and the list just goes on. Then people make their own homemade winter spice teas. Christmas flavored teas are great.
I enjoy all kinds of teas but I always found David's teas very interesting and quite enjoyable in its sweetness and quirkiness. I think a lot of them are perfect for winter jolly time since they have many sweet mixes such as chocolate, cakes, candies, nuts mixed with all kinds of herbs. They also have these glitter teas which literally glitter!! I had to try when I first saw it. I was more excited to see the glittering teas than drinking it, actually. It tasted like glitters, indeed.
Image: thecharmofhome.blogspot.com
Sweet Indulgence 12 teas collection $26, davidstea.com
Having tea collections and pretty tea sets at home really creates some kind of peaceful serenity and small happiness in life. You almost feel like you are treating yourself with time and care which we all need time to time. Then, if you are hosting people, you find pleasure in serving them. So have some tea and try to fully enjoy the moment.
Happy Winterizing Your Home!