No, I am not talking about Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanzaa decorations, but instead about what you may decide you want to do with holiday deadlines looming to get your home interior spruced up.

Rugs, Art Underfoot! Take a good look at your house now with cooler weather headed our way, and see if you don’t have a few opportunities for rugs. They fit most any room, whether you have wall to wall carpet, or particularly if you have hardwood or tile. Rugs are truly artwork for the floor and a great way to add color, softness and pattern. You may only need a 6x9 to anchor your seating grouping in the family room, or an 8x10 in the dining room. Surely you’ll find a spot for a welcoming runner in a hallway or foyer.

Pillows, Comfort, and Pizzazz! Now don’t overdo it, you might wind up pushing out the people with too many, but pillows are a wonderful seasonal way to add pizzazz and cushiness. Go for the beaded and beribboned tasseled and sequined works of art that abound in every home décor store and catalogue these days. Have fun, mix it up, keep your numbers odd and don’t forget seat cushions where you can.

Throws, Cuddle and Invitation! Hmmm, nothing is yummier than curling up with a good book or favorite movie and wrapping yourself in a fluffy fringed throw. Whether you like the luxury of chenille, the fuzz of acrylic, or the sexiness of a faux fur, adding a throw to a chair or sofa, or even the foot of a bed gives a hint of romance and welcome.

Frames, Family and Friends Drawn Near! So you have been stashing photos in boxes just waiting for that time you will have to put them all into albums or embark on that lifelong scrap booking project . . . Get over it! You’ll never have the time. So far better to find some terrific photo frames and capture your friends and family for fun around the house. Grouping like frames in bookcases, on end and console tables, across a mantel, or on a dresser, really makes a home personal and provides cherished memories.

Mirrors, Sparkle, and Space! Okay, now the rule is it has to reflect something worthwhile at all times, not just your lovely face walking by! So that means no you can’t put it over the mantel reflecting the ceiling fan and the empty wall, but you can put a big one in the dining room to reflect your glorious table with a creative centerpiece and seasonal abundance. You can also put it on the wall facing a treasured artwork, doubling your visual joy.

Greenery, Garden Memories and Delight! A touch of greenery, live or silk, is a must in every room; it gives the illusion of life even if no one is looking. It also is a super way to bring the garden inside when the weather gets frosty. So look for opportunities to include small mixed greenery on a tabletop, a single orchid blooming eternally atop an end table, perhaps a pair of topiaries on the mantel, or a leafy palm in the corner. Keep them clean, if silk, with silk floral cleaner (no wiping, just spray and dust dissolves!).


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Pipsqueak, Brian M. Wiprud
Well, I tried to branch out. While still maintaining my penchant for mystery, this one involved a taxidermist and his jeweler girlfriend in a madcap adventure to solve a murder and stay alive! Guess I just didn’t really take to the whole stuffed squirrel as the prize in this one. Nor did I truly grasp and get intrigued by the alleged spheres that if united in a trio would alter the fate of the world. Oh puhleezze. This wasn’t my cup of tea and I can safely say I won’t be reading another, but will move onto meatier fare.

The Private House, Rose Tarlow
This is a significant portfolio of Tarlow’s incredible work; incredible primarily because she has mastered the rare art of sensual austerity. Her rooms feel more like a living canvas than a decorated space, and each piece is carefully considered not merely for its function and fit but for its connection and emotion. Her interiors are never overdone, leaving the right amount of space for true living by the selected client. They are quiet, but never dull, reserved, but not conservative. She is a unique talent in a cluttered profession, and stands out for her quiet insistence on the perfectly imperfect marriage of aesthetic pleasures and functional effectiveness.


Books
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