Add Love in Your Home Decor for Valentine's Day

Love Themed Home Décor Items

Love Décor for the Entire Year

Most of us rarely think about adding home décor that relates to a love theme. It's a beautiful way to honor our families and each other.

Here are some ideas for you:

1. Add a Heart Themed Rug to a Room

The nice thing about a heart themed rug is that it works no matter what time of year it is. If you have someone celebrating a birthday in February, it makes a terrific original gift. You'll notice there are many styles and colors in heart rugs to choose from. One of my personal faves is the pompom heart rug for a child's room. Be sure to check them out, you can find them here.

2. Add a Love Themed Wall Decal to a Room

There are countless wall decals that speak about family and love. A famous quote we've heard over and over is "All Because Two People Fell in Love". Add this quote to any room in the home, including a child's room. In fact, if someone you know is having a baby, this wall decal makes an excellent gift. You can find several featured here.

3.  Redecorate a Room with a Love Themed Bedding Set

With spring coming up, you may be feeling the itch to redecorate. If so, why not create a room that's all about love.

It can be a child's room, a guest room, or the master bedroom. Love themed bedding will stand the test of time. If you're not into changing your existing comforter, put a new duvet over it. That way when you tire of the love themed bedding, you can remove the duvet and get your room back to it's original state.

A guest room or child's room is an ideal place to go to town with a love theme. In fact you can incorporate the rug and wall decal suggestions featured here to complete the look. Check out a few lovely bedding sets here.

4. Put a Kindred Hearts Light Box in a Room

These are great! They serve a double purpose, ambient lighting and inspiration.

It's a decorative box that lights up. However, the best part is you can collect pre-made quotes and art to insert inside the box.

Collect a bunch of them and change them up for every holiday or special occasion. There are countless inserts to collect: birthdays, holidays, inspirational quotes, valentines day, Easter, Christmas, fun, jokes, patriotic holidays and more.

The inserts make an excellent small gift to bring to someone who you know has the light box already. Keep adding to their collection. Place one of these light boxes in your love themed bedroom and feature a quote about love.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Why I Love My Aromatherapy Necklace

Buy an Aromatherapy Necklace here!

Disclaimer - this review is being written by a self-confessed aromatherapy junkie!

I do like essential oils and have been thinking of getting myself an aromatherapy necklace, but I never got around to it.  Luckily, my daughter had seen me looking at them every time we saw them at a market or in a shop and she surprised me for one at Christmas.

I did tell her she was my favorite child - she replied that she was my only child, but I think she realized she'd made a great gift choice!

The necklace I've got is a Tree of Life design and is made from stainless steel.  You can find a few different designs around if you prefer a different look.  One thing that I really wanted was an array of different interchangeable pads.   Luckily I had mentioned this before and it's exactly what I got!

Now some people use these pads to color co-ordinate their outfits, but I choose to use different oils on different pads.  For example the blue pad has focus oil on it, the purple pad has harmony oil on it.

So Exactly How Do Aromatherapy Necklaces Work?

Simply put you put the oil onto a pad that fits inside the necklace which means you can inhale the oil while wearing the necklace.

The necklace opens up like a locket.  You add 1-3 drops of an essential oil or essential oil blend to the pad, pop it into the necklace and close it up.   Very easy, the hardest part is which oils to choose!

How Much Essential Oil to Use in an Aromatherapy Necklace

One thing that I've noticed is that most aromatherapy necklaces do NOT come with instructions.  The standard answer for how many drops to use is 1 - 3 drops.   I would suggest that you start off with just one drop of an oil for the first time you use it as you can always add another drop if you want to.

Let me give you an example, the first oil I used was my Harmony blend which I love and have used regularly in my diffuser and have even mixed in with my hand cream.  I added 3 drops and it smelled divine.   Two hours later I actually felt it was too strong and sickly so had to take it off. 

Now on the other hand when I used the Warrior Blend 3 drops was perfect and I wore it all day.

Everyone reacts to different oils differently so I would take each oil/oil blend and find out how you feel with them.  So far I have worked out I need 1 drop of one, 2 drops of another and 3 drops of a couple of others and even more experimenting to go!

When Should You Wear Aromatherapy Necklaces?

All the time!  I think that aromatherapy necklaces are something to wear whenever you feel you might need an essential oil.   I love Focus oil for work, especially when I have a busy day ahead, Harmony oil can be very helpful when you have to spend time with a group of people who aren't always the easiest to get on with (for some people this could be a family Christmas!).

I will definitely be using Lemon oil when there are viruses going around the office to keep myself healthy.

There really is an oil for just about everything so why not wear you aromatherapy necklace everywhere?   I only take mine off when I go to bed!

Are Aromatherapy Necklaces the Best Way to Use Essential Oils?

There are lots of ways of using essential oils and it's hard to say the best way because it depends on why you need to use the oil and which oil you're talking about.

An aromatherapy necklace is definitely a good way though and unlike a diffuser you can take it with you wherever you go during the day.

I must admit I wish I hadn't waited so long for my aromatherapy necklace.

Can I Use Fragrant Oils in my Aromatherapy Necklace

I guess technically you could, but please don't.  Fragrant oils are usually synthetic oils and can cause headaches.

I recommend Arbonne essential oils, the only problem is they only have a small range.   My other recommendation is the New Zealand brand Absolute Essential essential oils who have a much wider range of quality essential oils.

Whichever brand you use make sure they are 100% pure essential oils, if they say fragrant or perfumed oils please do not use them.

Which Essential Oils Should I Use in an Aromatherapy Necklace?

This is an impossible question to answer as it really depends on what you need your essential oil to do.

I have a lovely spicy blend called Warrior Blend that I use if I just want a nice warm blend when I go out as it makes me feel good.

If I am getting a bit of a headache and yet I have to go out then I will just add lavender oil.

If I'm going to be around sick people (work when there's germs around, visiting someone in hospital etc) I will use lemon oil.

If I have sinus I would probably use peppermint or a mix of peppermint and lavender.

If I have an exam or a day where I have to concentrate really hard then I would use Focus blend.

Think about what you want to achieve with your aromatherapy necklace and then search our aromatherapy reviews or google best essential oils for xxx .

Of course you can always ask me or even check out my Essential Oil Facebook Group, we'd love to have you join us.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Lucky 7 Hallmark Movie Reviewed

If you are seeking a sweet, romantic movie to watch, you need look no further!

You can probably tell by looking at the actors photos that this is an older movie.  It was actually released in 2003.  However, unless you are familiar with the real ages of the cast, you would never guess that Lucky 7 is over 15 years old by watching it.  I didn't note anything else in the movie itself that would "date" it.  Perhaps, I was enjoying watching it too much to look closely. 

This is not your typical "girl has to choose between two boyfriends" movies.   The plot is more detailed than that.  In fact, one of these men only needs a pretend girlfriend for a weekend.  And, Amy is not quite ready for the other one to call her his "girlfriend", even though she hopes to marry him.

The Plot of Lucky 7

At the age of 7, Amy's (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) ill mom is spending the last days of her life on this earth with her husband and daughter.  During a mother-daughter chat, she gives her daughter an outline of what and when she should do things in her life.  She lists things like summer camp, high school, and the age she will be when she goes on her first date.  At that point, Amy asks if she will marry him and her mother says no and places a #1 by the word "boy".  The timeline continues through grad school and #7 boyfriend, the one that Amy will marry.
 

Amy lives her life by that timeline.  It is the thread that still binds her to her mother.  She has finished grad school and is working as a lawyer.  When she meets the man she believes is the one she should marry, she has to devise a way to postpone things somehow since he is only #6.  

Amy was recently invited to attend an out of town wedding with the man who serves her bagels every morning.  She decides that is her opportunity to sneak in a #6 boyfriend, therefore Daniel (Brad Rowe) will ultimately be her #7 boyfriend and she can marry him and remain true to the timeline.

Peter Connor (Patrick Dempsey) isn't looking for a girlfriend, but he wants his friends to stop worrying about him.  He believes if he takes a "girlfriend" to an upcoming wedding, they will think he has moved on with his life after being jilted.  Therefore, he needs someone to go to his friends' wedding with him and pretend to be his girlfriend.  He asks Amy, a nice customer in the bagel store, if she will go with him.  She commits to helping him find someone.  When she shows up the day before the wedding saying she will go with him, he is rather surprised, but happy to have a companion.

Things don't exactly turn out as planned.  I'm sure you will enjoy the movie as much as I did!

Ways You Can Watch Lucky 7 

 Lucky SevenCheck Price

Currently, "Lucky 7" is available on Amazon with a subscription to the Hallmark Channel.  

  

More Romantic Movies Reviewed

Check Out More Movie Reviews at
ReviewThisMovies.com

Lucky 7 - Hallmark Movie Review Written by:

 

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Review of A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

Scene from Port Clyde Area

For my book  club, we just read A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline.  I knew it was historical fiction and that it took place in Maine, but it wasn't until I started reading that I realized I had been to all of the small towns that were mentioned in the book.  I find it delightful to be able to picture the area that the story take place.  The photo above is one that I took on my visit.

The Book

I had read books by Christina Baker Kline before and really enjoy her writing style.  She wrote The Orphan Train and Sweetwater both books I would highly recommend.  So, I started A Piece of the World with high expectations and I was not disappointed.  Christina Baker Kline has a way of bringing you into her book and making you feel empathy with her characters.

Although this book is a work of fiction, the major characters are all real people and the author did a lot of  research into the characters and the area to give a realistic view.  The book is based on a painting by artist Andrew Wyeth  Christina's World , and in particular about the life of Christina.
The author alternates between describing Christina's early life in the early 1900's to describing her life when Andrew Wyeth is painting her in the mid 1900's.  Christina leads a simple and hard life on a farm in a remote area of Maine.  She grows up with her parents and three brothers on the family farm overlooking the bay.  Although it sounds like a beautiful setting the work is hard without any of the conveniences of modern day.  They have no electricity or indoor plumbing and Christina has a debilitating disease that makes it hard for her to move around.  Despite this she manages to do her chores and eventually take care of the household.

In her late teens and early twenties Christina meets some summer people who visit the coast each summer and we hear of her friends and love interest from Boston.

Later in life the painter Andrew Wyeth summers in the area and uses the upstairs rooms in Christina's home to paint.  Christina becomes friends with Andrew and his wife Becky and he is the one person that seems to understand things from Christina's point of view.

I found this to be a very intriguing book that really makes you consider life's choices.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. 

Amazon Links to the Book and the Painting

 

Rockland and Port Clyde Area Today

I have written about the Rockland and Port Clyde area in two different posts.  This post is primarily about lighthouses in the area and was written on my lighthouse blog.

Mid-Coast Maine Lighthouses

I've also written a post on Review This about the area Review of Port Clyde Maine

Today Andrew Wyeth's son is a prominent local artist.  There is a gallery just above the General Store that displays his works along with some of his fathers.

Photos of the Area

Here are some photos I took of the area around Port Clyde.  I found it to be very picturesque.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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What's Bugging Your Plants And How To Solve The Problem

Winter has set in for the long haul and if you live in Canada or the Northern United States, the plants you brought indoors for the winter months are probably showing some signs of distress.

Why does that happen and what can you do about it? 

Simply put, your indoor space as nice as it may be, is not the "great outdoors".  All gardeners wish they could just bring the summer inside so that they can survive those crazy cold winter months.  Alas, that is not possible.  We all have some plants that we love and want to "overwinter" in our homes.  I know I have a few that I just love and I always start early in the fall to get these favorites ready for their move indoors.

Olivia's Brugmansia

This is my all time favorite flower.  It is really more like a tree and in the southern states it grows to be as big as a tree.  Here in the north, with proper care it can also become quite large, but keeping a plant this big indoors over the winter months is not an easy task.  So I prepare early to bring in cuttings from this amazing plant.  It roots easily in water and once the cuttings have a good root system I plant the cutting in soil and bring that indoors.  You can also go through the process of keeping these in a cool cellar over the winter months, but that is another whole process.  I find it easier to keep just a few cuttings and watching them grow ever so slowly in the winter.  

What's the biggest problems with keeping plants indoors over the winter?

There are really three problems that will cause plants to decline over the winter months.

1. Light, not enough of it.
2. Water, too much of it.
3. Pests, hitchhikers that you didn't expect to give a home to.

Today we are going to discuss the "Hitchhikers"!

There are six common pests that can attack indoor plants and most often they hitchhike in the soil.  They may be dormant for a little while, but once January comes around they seem to explode on the scene.  Let's find out more!

The six pests are:

1. aphids
2. soil gnats
3. scale insects
4. white flies
5. spider mites
6. mealy bugs

There are a few pests that can literally take over in a matter of a few days.  In the summer months when the plant is outdoors, it has the advantage of natural pest controls.  Ladybugs, praying mantis and just better growing conditions can make these pests less of a problem.  Once indoors the natural controls are no longer there.  Additionally, if you bring in the plant with it's soil from outdoors, you are probably giving the hitchhikers a first class ride into their winter residence as well.

Whenever you bring a plant from the outdoors in, you should take steps to make sure the pests are not coming in with them.  There are several ways to do this.  One is to drench the soil with neem oil products (natural and organic controls).  Spray the leaves and undersides especially to knock off the aphids and wipe out any eggs.  Or you can take cuttings that will be rooted and planted in fresh soil.  

If you notice a plant not doing well, leaves that are falling off, discolored leaves, tips that are browning and not growing, you know you have a problem.

The next step is to isolate the plant (most pests will gladly jump from one plant to another if they are in close proximity), and seek out information on what kind of problem you have.  Some of these pests are easy to find if you know what to look for.  Others might be a little harder, but you can get help if you need it from a reliable nursery.  Bring in the plant, or a leaf and see if they can help you identify the pest, then you can also purchase what you need to help control or get rid of your "problem" before it becomes an all out infestation.

Most people know about aphids, controlling them is rather easy.  You must be consistent but a good blast of water will dislodge aphids and within a few weeks your problem should be over.  Every three days check your plant, if you see aphids, get them into the shower and give them a good hard spray with lukewarm water.  Wash them all down the drain.  Keep your plant segregated until you see no more signs of aphids.  

Soil gnats are not really a "problem pest" in that they won't kill your plant.  They are rather annoying though.  When you disturb the plant, you will see little black flies come out of the ground and fly around and then go back into the ground.  Water your plants with neem oil added to their water and keep the soil on the dry side until you no longer see these little flies.  Over watering is one of the biggest mistakes made when bringing plants indoors.

Scale insects are much more difficult.  They are sneaky and if you don't know what to look for, you will miss them completely.  Scale insects like to hid under leaves and in the meeting of stem and leaf.  They can also attach to flowering stems.  One of my orchids has a scale problem and what set me to find this was a stickiness on the leaves.  This stickiness is from the scale excreting honeydew after sucking the plant juices.  Scale look like little bumps on a stem or leaf and can look like part of the plant.  If you scratch the edges of the scale, you will find it will lift off of the plant.  The easiest way to get control of scale insects is with rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip or cotton ball.  The rubbing alcohol will damage the scales outer shell and expose the bug for removal.  It is important to watch a plant with scale as they will suck the life right out of the plant in short order.  Check the plant weekly and remove any scale using this method.  

Scale insects on leaf and stem. (Picture from WikiCommons)

White flies are also a nuisance.  They attack the undersides of the leaves of many plants.  They also multiply readily, so an infestation is quite possible in a few days time.  Like aphids the best way to keep these under control is to knock them off with a good spray of water.  Do this every 2 to 3 days and then treat the soil with neem oil so that any eggs that may have fallen into the soil will die.  You can also purchase Yellow Sticky traps for these pesky white flies.  They seem to be attracted to the yellow color.

Spider mites as their name implies are very much like spiders, but they are tiny(almost microscopic) and you could need a magnifying glass in order to see them.  What you might see before you actually see the bugs, is a webbing all over the ends of the plant stems.  Imagine tent caterpillars in miniature.  The effect is similar.  When you see those webs all over the plant you will have to get that plant into the shower and wash them off.  Again the undersides of the leaves and the ends of the plant are favorite spots for this pest.  

Mealy Bugs like scale are harder to control and require that you actively search your plants for their presence.  They like the scale have a hard outer shell that will keep them firmly attached to the plant.  Using rubbing alcohol will dislodge them and kill them as well.  

If you want to know more about houseplant pests a great website is from Colorado State and you can find it right here!  They also have some great pictures of these pests if you want to know what they look like or you are not sure if what you are seeing is a pest or not.

I personally have a great collection of Rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs and cotton balls for my houseplants.  Once a month I water all of my plants with Neem Oil added to the water as a preventative measure to keep my plants happy.  Spring and Summer are on their way, but until then, keep a close eye on your favorite plants.  Make sure that no pests will spoil your indoor gardening period.

For your convenience I have included my must haves for over-wintering my favorite plants and keeping them healthy until they can go back outside again in Late Spring and Summer.  Hope this helps you keep your favorite plants happy too!

 Q-tips Cotton Swabs 500 ea (Pack of 2)Check Price Monterey LG 6148 Neem Oil Ready-To-Use Insecticide, Miticide, & Fungicide, 32 ozCheck Price MG Chemicals 824 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol Electronics Cleaner, 4.25 Fl OzCheck Price

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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