Could you picture the room described above?  What is it that really makes a home inviting?  Is it the color of paint on the wall?  No.  Is it the beautiful pictures carefully hung? No.  Is it the furniture? No.  What makes a home draw us in is the lighting.  In the descriptive paragraph above, it’s the small lights, the twinkles, the lamps that give the effect of a warm welcome.  If only an overhead light is on, a room would have the appeal of a doctor’s examining room! If the lighting isn’t right, none of those other factors would be as beautiful. 

To refresh your Friday, I thought I’d share some of the designers great tips about lighting that I learned just yesterday at Gracious Designs.  Are you ready?  These are so practical and do-able!

There are three types of light:

1.  General lighting – Overhead lights.  This should be the least used, except in the kitchen and bathroom.

2.  Task lighting – Reading lamps, sconces, floor lamps, under cabinet lights
3.  Ambiance lighting – Candles, lanterns, light sticks, tea lights, little lamps

You should have at least five sources of light in each room (with exception of the entryway and bathroom).  These need to be layered at different heights and levels. Create layers of light at different times of the day.  Rainy winter days can be gray and dark.  Lighten your home by layering lights from soft lights under a buffet table, to small lamps on a bookshelf or mantle, and increasing to table or floor lamps for tasks.  Place candles in an unused fireplace to darken up that space. 

The last thing the designer shared was Five Rules to Break:

1. Lamps have to match – They don’t!  Break up a matched set and put them in two different rooms and watch how it will change the whole room!  The styles and heights on either side of the bed, for instance, should be similar, but don’t need to match.

2.  Chandeliers are only for the entryway or dining room.  No!  They are lovely in a master bedroom.  Placing one over a chair where you read would be beautiful!  By the way, our instructor said that the base of a chandelier over a table should be 34″-36″ from the surface of the table.  Most people hang them too high.  Drop it down and let it create something really special!

I’ve shared this before, but I think this is so elegant!

3.  One set of light sticks is all I need.  Some of these light sticks are battery operated and are so useful in high places where there are no outlets, so they are really useful!

4.  It doesn’t matter what type of bulb I use.  The newer bulbs are hard to figure out, but can really give off bad color if you don’t know what to look for.  Here was her suggestion:

• 5,000 Gives a clean daylight look, blue light
• 4,0000-3,500 Cool, general lighting
• 3,000 or below are warmer lights

5.  Five is the limit on lights.  Wrong!  Add as many lights (of course layered) as needed to add warmth to your room. 

We need to help these gray winter days not be so gloomy by making sure we’re adding the right kind of lighting to our homes.  We also need to be looking for those in darkness that need the Light of the Gospel!  Add some light to your home and be a light in the world!

Be refreshed,

Think for a moment about what the entryway to your house looks like right now.  I don’t mean “the company door” that’s seldom used, but the door you and your family frequent when you return home.  Is it the door off the garage?  A side or back door that no one but your family uses?  At our house, we have a door that opens up from our bedroom onto the driveway. We use that door most because of its easy access and good lighting. I realized the other day that it could use some sprucing up. 

It’s easy to pop a pretty wreath onto the front door, but neglect the door that’s probably used more than any other – the one that welcomes your family home every single day.  On this Friday, why not step out there and take a look around and then take a few minutes to freshen it up. 

• Have the fall leaves been swept away? 
• Do you need a new welcome mat?  After all the most important people in the world come through that door!
• Have you placed a Christmas wreath on that door?
• Does that glass need a good cleaning?
• Can you add a decorative touch that will show your family you care – or just make you smile when you arrive home?
• If the door is in the garage, is there clutter around the door that needs to be pitched addressed?

Here are a few pics of what I did to our side entryway yesterday…



It’s a little hard to see because the sun was shining so beautifully, but I hung a Christmas decoration on the door with a little sign included that says, “Home sweet home”.




I added my old milk delivery box with some greenery, pine cones, bow, and a yard lantern that will glow and give us a little light for entry at nighttime.




Here’s a closer look at the milk box.

So, what will you do to freshen up your entryway?

See you in church!

Be refreshed,

I pray that something that was shared here this week has refreshed you.  On this last weekday let me encourage you in a practical thing you can do to refresh yourself.  Walk into your bedroom and take look around.  Is it restful?  Is it inviting?  Or do you want to slam the door and turn and run because it’s become a cluttered nightmare instead of a peaceful getaway?  You can fix that – today.

Remove the clutter.  Clear off tabletops and dressers.  Pick up loose items and put them away.  Hang clothes on their hangers.  Look at pictures of beautiful bedrooms that you love and see what you can do to copy the photo.  You will be amazed at the things you’ll find just by shopping in your own house, items to bring into your room to make it inviting and cozy.  It might be a lamp, a few wall hangings, a plant, a bedside table, or a rug. 



Better Homes and Gardens



Country living



Country Living




Better Homes and Gardens



Country Living

 After you’ve de-cluttered, give your room a good cleaning.  Dust, vacuum, and polish, then make sure the bed is made each day – after all it takes up a good amount of space in the room.  If it’s unmade, the whole room will seem messy, even if the rest is sparkling!

You will sleep better in a bedroom that is clean and rid of clutter.  Your bedroom should be a place that feels like a bit of a retreat.  You will love spending time in there…and you’ll be refreshed.

See you in church Sunday!

With love,

Get inspired!

Last week I gave you some close-up looks into my parent’s home. Today I thought I’d back up with the camera and give you the whole shot of the rooms of their house. I love to look at pictures and look at the details and ask – what’s sitting on the coffee table, how is the shelf decorated, what kind of window treatments are used? I think you’ll get some great ideas as you peek into the windows of their home; it’s a beautiful retreat!

If you step in the front door you will see this entryway. I love the color on the wall. It’s a shade of aqua. It’s so calming and peaceful.

To the left of the entryway is a seating area. It provides for all the things an entryway needs – a place to sit, lighting and a mirror.

Here’s a view of the kitchen which is open to the living room. Mom is so good about soft lighting. See the lamp in the nook where the microwave niche’ is above the stove? For people our height, it’s better to set the microwave on the counter, so she used that space for lighting, a CD player and some greenery.

The widow over the sink has that milky glass in it because the view was less than desirable. It also provides for privacy from the inside!

This bedroom is cheerful with its green, blue and yellow.

This painting (done by my mom!) is hung behind the door. I love it!

One of the many stained glass pieces my dad has made…

A quilt hung high on the wall in the hallway makes for beautiful art.

Another quilt is hung here in the bedroom. I love the shelf over the rack, the stained glass in the window, the love seat at the foot of the bed, the throw in the middle of the bed.

A beautiful place to get beautiful!

Sometimes we just need a good idea that someone else came up with to encourage our creativity! I trust that touring my parents home has given you some ideas of things you could do to make your home a retreat too!

With love,