All Things Pretty

How to Whisk Away the Winter Blues

It is the dead of winter for all of those of us in the western hemisphere. Now that the Christmas season is officially over, the cold weather can sometimes now feel like a drag. If winter has gotten you down, here are some tips to help get you through the rest of the season and hopefully enjoy it as well.

Keep Fresh Flowers in Your House

One thing to greatly help get you through the barren of winter is to have nature around you. There really isn’t anything more beautiful in nature than flowers. The sight and smell of these lovely plants are sure to delight your senses and help you escape the lack of live vegetation outside. Keep flowers in at least one room of your house and replace them weekly or biweekly to get full effect. Be sure to rotate your flower choices as well. You don’t want Poinsettias after the holidays, even if they can live that long.

Decorate in Light Colors

Christmas decor is the epitome of rich colors. Dark hues of green and red give gorgeous contrast to the white snow on the ground. Once the holiday season is over though, having dark colors around can remind you of the glorious season which has just ended and/or make you feel stuck. Dark hues can also have the power of seasonal depression on some people. Avoid any downtroddeness by minimizing or eliminating dank colors for winter. Stick to brighter and/or paler colors such as yellow, orange, lighter blues and lighter greens. If you are feeling that a grand change is in order, paint one or a few rooms in your homes. If you’re looking for a temporary change to trick your mind, change the adornments on your tables and walls and possibly your comforters. This change will make you home uplifting and serve as a refuge from the season.

Eat Summery Foods

Now, I’m not talking about lemonade or popsicles. Obviously, you should steer clear of cold foods. They will only make you the cold even more. To put yourself in more a summer mindset, eat foods like hot dogs, hamburgers and if you’re lucky enough to be able to right now, barbecue. Your taste buds will put you in a summery state of mind, at least momentarily. For most people, eating as a splendid pleasure, so use it to help you this winter.

Play Sports Indoors

One thing that people miss most in winter is the ability to go outdoors without the snow inhibiting each thing you do. The snow and cold make is difficult or impossible to play most sports outside. If you’re feeling cramped inside your house, go the gym or rec center and join in a league or some pick-up games. There are sure to be other people missing outdoor sports just as you are (if your friends don’t want to play). Even in the tiny town where I grew up, there were constantly games of basketball, indoor soccer and baseball during the winter. Get your blood flowing in the games you love and you’ll soon forget what season it is.

Go Have Fun Outside

To make the season more bearable, see the good sides of it. Other than the beauty of snow, there are other things that only come once a year. Only in the cold weather of winter can you go skiing/snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, snowmobiling and numerous activities. You will see the brighter side of the season in at least one way if you can enjoy one of these things. You may even come to look forward to it next year.

Now that there is at least one month of winter to go, I hope you can use some of these ideas to cope with the blues and possibly even enjoy the rest of the season. It only comes once a year, whether good or bad. Read more at inspiringpretty.blogspot.com

Simple Kid Fun in the Bathtub!

Kids are fun, but they’re a handful. Nowhere is this more true than in the bathtub. If they’re not doing something, then they’re definitely getting into something and possibly going to slip and get hurt. This usually means they get toys. This can get expensive, though and most parents can honestly say that their child already has too many toys. So, what do you do? If your kids want to play with more than each other in the bathtub, try making these simple things below to make their baths more fun! You’ll save some money, become a little bit more crafty and your kids will have a blast.

This is a really cool idea and I wish my mom had known about it when I was little. Simply mix together shaving cream and food coloring to create foamy palette of colors for you child to paint or play with. Only mix as much food coloring as needed for obvious reasons and stir only as much as needed as to not lose any foaminess. Foam is already fun in the bath on it’s own, but with colors it’s even better. Plus with colors, your kid can paint on the walls or just rub it all over themselves or their brother or sister

Going along with the colorfulness above, we move onto pure art. To make bathtub paint, mix 1/3 cup of liquid soap or baby bath with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Next, pour the mixture into separate containers (an ice cube tray works best). Then, add 3-6 drops of food coloring and stir. That’s all that’s necessary to turn your child into an artist in the bathroom. They can finger paint or you can give them a paintbrush for them to make rainbows, play tic-tac-toe, paint each other, or just make the whole tub one big painting. And of course, the best part is they can just wash it all off in the tub.

If you want less mess, but still want art, crayons are the way to go. Another plus is that with this recipe, the crayons will last longer than one bath, unlike the paint and the foam. Grate a bar of soap until you have 1 cup of shavings. Mix the shavings with 1/4 cup of warm water in a bowl. Slowly mix in drops of coloring as you stir until the color is to your liking. Keep mixing until it you can’t stir it easily anymore. Then, put the mixture on wax paper and knead it until it’s consistant and feels like dough. Depending on the shape of the crayon you want, put it in a plastic container, such as an ice cube tray or simply wrap it in the wax paper and then put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until the crayons are hard. Then, remove them from their container and let them air dry for 24-48 hours on a paper towel. After that, they should be ready for your kids to enjoy! The best thing about these crayons are that they are soap, so not much damage can be done with their writing in the bath or on the walls.

Bath Confetti is just a fun and colorful way to get the water soapy and something your kids can play with while it does. Simply grate several bars of soap of all different colors, both solid and glycerine creating a colorful confetti. You can store it in a jar to be used more than once. When it’s bath time, but pour as much as your kids want in the tub and let them have fun in it. It makes soap more fun for your kids to use and you may want to use some in your next bubble bath as well!

All kids love bath bombs. They fizz, they get them clean. They can also have cool things in them like glitter or fragrances, both of which kids always go crazy for. What’s not to love about them? If you want some but don’t want to buy them, here’s what you do. Mix together 1 cup of citric acid and 2 cups of baking soda in a bowl. Then, add 25 drops of essential oil and 15 drops of food coloring. If you want glitter or any fragrances, add them now as well. Stir these in quickly though, because if you don’t, the citric acid and baking soda will start to fizz. Next, add water by the drop until the mixture can clump together into a shape. Then, put into a mold such as cupcake sheet or ice cube tray. Let them dry out in the open. Don’t let them get too cold and don’t let them get in the sunlight. After 2-4 hours, they should be ready to used! This makes for a great craft for something for the kids to look forward to in their bath that night.

Now your kids can have something to play with in the bath without having to buy new toys or spend too much money. It’s always great to have something to play with in the tub, though. Otherwise, the fun in your tub will be something like this. Well, that might not be so bad after all Read more at inspiringpretty.com

How to Decorate with Pumpkins

Flashy orange blazes from jack-o-lanterns bringing a soft glow of autumn to the room. The same gourd you once used as your Halloween canvas can now show off your artistic flare in other ways.

A hollowed pumpkin makes a lovely, natural vase. Pick the size you want for your table or windowsill. Make sure to thoroughly clean the insides removing seeds and threads. Add cool water and a beautiful bouquet of autumn colors. Voila! A perfect centerpiece for your dining table or a colorful accent to your coffee table. Try several small ‘vases’ scattered around your home.

Small or mini pumpkins hollowed to make room for a candle, make easy, clever candleholders. They can sit alone or be grouped in size and colors to add a touch of elegant harvest to your décor.

Pumpkins come in many sizes and colors. Group white, green, orange and yellow pumpkins with gourds of various shapes and textures on a base of artificial or dried leaves. Include natural elements like berries, bark, branches, pine cones, nuts and pods to create an autumn scene. Allow for these items’ natural design to do all the art work for you!

Start with a tall, slender pumpkin that can sit levelly on its side. Hollow and clean the insides completely. Add water and floating candles. It’s a charming way to bring a gentle glow and color to a room.

Use a stencil and autumn paint colors to liven them up with color and art. The greatest part is that options are only limited by the stencils and patterns you can find. Or, if you have some artistic talent, the possibilities are up to you.

Buttons or large flat-head nails are simple and easy ways to add some design to your pumpkins. You can create a pattern or write something out, such as your address. If you use buttons, use different a few colors and possibly various sizes. Just make sure that you use more than one pumpkin color for your address for something creative. You can also make some pretty patterns stringing string from the nails.

Mini pumpkins also work greatly in wreaths. You can either comprise the pumpkin mostly of pumpkins and add a few touches such as straw, hay and leaves, or add pumpkins and gourds to plain wreaths to liven them up for the season. Read more at inspiringpretty.com

Wedding Trends: Shoes

One area women truly outshine men in the wedding is fashion. Other than the dress, the shoes are the next biggest display of this. Obviously, women outdo men in terms of options and style for wedding attire, but we’re lucky when it comes to footwear as well. Men can basically wear dress shoes that match their suits – not much choice. Women can wear nearly anything of any color for several reasons. Shoes will most likely be only somewhat visible throughout the day, several shoe styles can be used formal occasions and possible colors truly just depend on your theme colors. Almost any pair of shoes can be used in a wedding, but as always, there are trends. The most common and lasting tradition still exists: high heels. High heels will always be the epitome of elegance, and every girl wants at least a touch of elegance on her big day no matter how casual the affair may be. Breaking the tradition now though, many heels are no longer just the classic white to match the white dress. Many brides now want their heels to match their theme colors to add that memorable flair. And much like hair accessories, there are 3 major designs elements on bridal high heels today as well: bows, flowers and feathers.

Bows define old-fashioned beauty and nowadays can come in many designs and sizes. It’s very hard to go wrong with bows on high heels as they can match every wedding gown I’ve ever seen. If you want a bit of the bygone eras of the 30′s, 40′s or 50′s, bows are the greatest elements to have on your feet.

Flowers are also an all-time favorite for every every era. They are the perfect top-off to make anything pretty, especially shoes. They come in many styles and sizes to perfectly suit your dress and personality. The sky is the limit in terms of high heels with flower decorations.

Feathers on high heels are a new fad, although the style has been around for years. It is a sophisticated throwback that is coming to prominence now. I personally love this new style and feathers on heels would perfectly pair feather hair accessories.

There are a few other styles that exist as well. Glitter is also emerging, but not quite taking over right now. It is a flashy yet cute touch perfect for some personalities. Ruffles are also starting to surge to the top and are almost becoming as popular as bows and flowers. Footwear can also vary by the area you come from as well. Many brides wear cowboy boots or sandals which go with their personalities and their venues. Pearls are a superb vintage detail and jewels can add some flash just as glitter does, but in a more fanciful way.

No matter which shoe color and design you choose, make sure it fits your theme and personality and gives you that extra edge of style that men are so unfortunate to miss out on.

See more at inspiringpretty.com

Wedding Trends: Groom’s Attire

Keeping with the spirit of men’s fashion, I’ve moved on to suits! The suit is a minor detail to the wedding overall, but probably the man’s greatest contribution to the wedding decisions. Everyone knows the main focus of the day is the bride. The relative insignificance may be why men’s suits have always just been a tuxedo or black suit with black tie. In recent years though, grooms have broken away from the static, simple black on white combination for new colors, patterns and overall designs. Groom’s attire is stil

The main shift of weddings (and suits) is towards a more carefree and comfortable feeling. Men’s outfits now seem to be tailored perfectly for the groom’s personality and their special day. Couples are truly taking over every detail of the wedding and doing exactly what they want. This includes having the suits match the theme and colors of the wedding. Black and white suits are no longer the standard for this special day.

Although the typical suit/tuxedo is rejected and weddings are becoming more casual, they’ll always be a classy event. As I’ve mentioned before, it seems that classic elegance with a casual twist is being opted for over a modern and formal motif. This fad seemed to be aimed at making guests more comfortable, which means less formality and a more sweet, homey feel.

One way to make the groom and his groomsmen more informal is by losing the suit jackets. This could mean settling on a vest or simply a button-up shirt. A vest is a more dressy and less common happening, which can make it appealing. If you want completely easy nuptials though, go for the button-up.

As the wedding now moves around the personalities of the couples, the wedding can really just become a reflection of them. This allows them to show off their goofiness, which may involve clothing

Having each detail of the wedding revolve around the bride and groom’s personalities also means that things will become more creative. Color schemes and patterns will be outfitted around the twosome. This could mean going very old-fashioned with top hats and intricate designs…..

….or offbeat with unexpected collages of color and retro outfits. Large doses of color is definitely a tremendous and fairly new trend. People now seem to want bright and sunny colors for their once in a lifetime occasion, if not, then simply an array of colors.

Unprecedented suits are a growing fad as well. Throwbacks from decades ago can be a good change of pace. This may include colors unseen in the modern age (such as brown and certain shades of grey) and the all too uncommon bow tie. This can great for showing off the groom’s personality and giving off a down to earth feel.

Classic attire specific to certain regions, like the south, are uncommon, and never go out of style. Not only is it old-fahsioned, but it’s also inherently casual. You can get the best of both worlds with something like this. Obviously though, it might be a little odd in New York or Seattle, but then again, this might be something you seek

The last fad of the increasingly casual and unique grooms’ attire is of course the dismissal of the tie altogether. This may mean opting for a scarf, ascot or a bare collar. Scarves are ideal for colder weather and can add a nice voguish touch.

No matter what you or your groom chooses for his wedding attire, make it special for your personalities and your day. H

See more at inspiringpretty.com