Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 117

5 Ways to Eat More Produce on the Go

The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography:

source: Shaina Olmanson | Food for My Family

Do you ever feel stuck when it comes to eating fresh produce? Sometimes, when I stare into my well-stocked refrigerator in search of a quick bite, no matter the amount of produce that seems to overflow from the shelves, I feel as if they aren’t a practical option for a fast lunch, an impromptu dinner, or a simple snack.

This past weekend I spent some time at The Big Summer Potluck, enjoying the weather in Murrieta, California and a picturesque organic avocado grove. During our Whole Foods’ catered lunch, they introduced this concept of a beans, greens, and grains bowl. A rainbow of produce was set out, red bell peppers, all shades of green from the pale green hue of a diced cucumber to the deep emerald green of sautéed collard greens and chard. Golden beets, tri-color quinoa, jet black beans, and sauces in a variety of shades were all available for consumption.

I found myself anticipating a meal composed of nothing but fresh ingredients, inspired by the food set out before me, and eager to dig in. It struck me, as it has often in the past, that sometimes what has me stopping short at eating healthy all meals and snacks of the day is not that I don’t crave fresh produce or enjoy eating it, but that I rationalize poor choices with a lack of time or the immediacy with which I need food to be available.

Like it or not, there are times that seem to force our hand to those aptly named convenience foods, making them look like reasonable options, perfectly packaged for just this occasion. Here are a few ways to help you see fresh produce and slow food as a legitimate option for those days that require a grab-and-go meal.

1.Keep it simple.

Produce often necessitates cooking. Rather than feel limited by time to wash and steam or blanch or sauté, stock your refrigerator with ingredients that can be eaten raw. Bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, avocados, and sprouts are all good options for things to have on hand. They aren’t the fanciest of vegetables, and they may not inspire a sautéed brussels sprouts and blue cheese dish, but they require little prep from fridge to table.

2. Prep is positive.

Part of my reluctance to reach for a full bell pepper for lunch is simply that getting a knife and cutting board out for multiple vegetables can seem like a production for a simple snack. Rather than halt your healthy eating, simply have a few containers of cut produce at the ready. Spend 10 minutes as you unload your groceries and create a few containers of chopped and diced vegetables that can be added to a salad or bowl without any forethought.

3. Canned beans are your friend.

While I find the process of soaking and cooking beans a bit therapeutic, it definitely falls under the “slow food” category and not “quick and easy.” Having a readily available protein for lunch can be as simple as opening a can. Stock your cupboard with a variety of BPA-free canned beans that can be used for just that purpose, and spend your soaking time for more well-planned meals.

4. Splash it with sauce.

Sauce is essential to a varied and interesting bowl of fresh. Stock your pantry with rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sriracha, and tabasco that will easily add flavor and character to your meal. Finish it up with fresh citrus juice and a splash of oil or a spoonful of your favorite salsa.

5.Don’t forget the finish.

Adding a bit of indulgence to a bowl of produce can make it stick with you and satiate your stomach for a longer period of time. A few sunflower seeds or nuts, a sprinkle of rich cheese or a spoonful of bacon bits can help take the bowl from blah to brilliant.

What are your favorite grab-and-go items to keep on hand?

Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine. She is a contributor to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog and the food channel on Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.

5 Ways to Eat More Produce on the Go is a post from Life Your Way

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6 Steps to a Mix and Match Wardrobe

The following is a guest post from Trina of TrinaHolden.com:

Have you ever looked into a closet full of clothes and cried, “But I have nothing to wear!”

I have. I used to spend hours rifling through my clothes, frustrated to the point of tears, struggling to understand my inability to create an outfit with so many hangers full of options.

Finally, I realized that the problem was not too few options, but too many. I had too many colors and too many different styles. I needed to narrow my focus to a tighter color scheme in order to build a wardrobe that worked together and worked for me.

If your closet is packed but you can’t make a match, you need to follow these 6 steps to building a mix-and-match wardrobe:

1. Start with your favorite bright color.

Don’t worry about what’s ‘in style’ this season, this is about you. Choose a color that’s a perennial favorite with you, one you come back to over and over. This will be the foundation of your wardrobe, and allow you to love every outfit you create. {Mine was Fuchsia.}

2. Add a secondary shade that coordinates with your favorite.

You want something that looks good next to your favorite color, without overwhelming it. This is your supporting actress. {I chose Navy Blue.}

3. Choose 2-3 neutrals that compliment your brights.

I define neutrals as black, white, and anything in between, as well as earth tones like browns, khakis, and tinted greys. {My neutrals became black, white, and stone grey.}

4. Purchase 3-6 pants or skirts in your personal neutrals.

Choose pants that flatter you, not simply styles that are trending. Find skirt lengths that are right for your legs, and stick with them no matter where this year’s hemlines have bounced to. {I got rid of lengths that didn’t flatter, and have stuck with two favorite styles: maxis and knee-length.}

5. Purchase 3-6 tops in your personal colors.

This is where it get’s fun! Choose tops in varying shades of your favorite and complimentary colors. Don’t be afraid to choose a pattern or bit of styling that’s new or different for you. When you’re following a strong color scheme and choosing bottoms in coordinating neutrals, you’re guaranteed to be able to match it to something. {I love gathers, shiny fabrics, and stripes!}

6. Don’t forget 2-3 tanks!

Layering tanks add fun and depth to any outfit, and many blouses or tops won’t work without one. Again, choose these in a few neutrals and at least one bright so they work under lots of your tops. {I love both spaghetti strap and full strap to compliment a variety of necklines.}

Final Tips:

Realize that you may already own some great core pieces in your favorite colors or neutrals–you just need to add more in that color scheme to give you options.


Make sure each article you purchase matches at least two other tops/or bottoms.


Make your jewelery and accessory purchases in the same color scheme, allowing yourself some bolder statement pieces because you know you’ll have stuff to match.

With the purchase of 10-15 articles of clothing, you’ve created an entire wardrobe full of colors you love and easy co-ordinations. Now you can have fun every time you step into your closet because your wardrobe works together like a puzzle. The pieces in the graphic above mix and match to create a whopping 35 different combinations!

Need more help building a wardrobe that works for you and makes you smile? Check out my book, Embracing Beauty: Practical Style for Every Shape and Season of Motherhood for more fashion tips and to find out how I build my mix and match wardrobe frugally from the thrift store!

What is your favorite piece of clothing?

Trina is a mom of 3 who regularly schedules field trips to the thrift store. You can find her wearing purple most days, jotting down words that beg to be written in between cooking whole foods, homeschooling, and laughter-filled conversations with friends. Find her at TrinaHolden.com!

6 Steps to a Mix and Match Wardrobe is a post from Life Your Way

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How to Choose the Best Seeds for Your Garden

The following post is from Victoria of Project Homestead:

source: projecthomestead.com

All winter long, gardeners itching to see bare dirt and smell warming soil pore over seed catalogs to dream about the possibilities ahead. But amid our bounty of great seed choices, deciding what to plant can feel, well, daunting. It doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re starting your first garden or you’ve hoed a row or two, there are just a handful of things to know when choosing the best seeds for you.

“Days to Harvest”

This number tells you how long it takes a plant to mature from seed. Make sure you have enough frost-free days to match this window. It’s easy to estimate for the first and last frost dates where you live. Winter squash, potatoes, peppers and eggplant require fairly long (frost-free) growing seasons. Lettuce, kale, arugula, and herbs are quick—so you can plant them anytime.

Taste

Heirloom varieties are time-tested seeds grown (and loved) by generations of gardeners. They’re often recognized for their superb taste, beauty or other charming qualities. But many modern varieties and hybrids are a close second—and may offer better resistance to disease. I’m going to try “Sweet Mama” squash because it’s said to be especially yummy.

source: projecthomestead.com

Pest & Disease Resistance

Some varieties are bred to resist certain diseases, which makes them easier to grow in a season when the weather is less than ideal. They’re a great bet if you’re unsure about your garden conditions. Johnny’s Selected Seeds (and other seed suppliers) offer “Easy Choice” crops, varieties that are a sure bet for beginning gardeners.

Your Micro-climate

Is your garden sunny or shady most of the time? Do you have heavy soil that’s often wet, or is it sandy, light and dry? If a seed packet says “prefers well-drained soils,” that means its seeds may rot in a wet year or in soggy soils. Choose varieties and crops that will tolerate—if not thrive in—your spot.

How You Plan to Use Them

Depending on how you plan to use veggies from your garden can help decide which variety to grow. For example, some cucumbers are plump and perfect for making pickles, while others are slender and almost seedless, which make them great for slicing and fresh eating. Your packet (or your seed catalog) will mention special notes like these.

source: missyredboots

Direct Seeding or Transplants

Some crops grow best when started indoors first, then transplanted outside once they have a strong root system. If a seed company doesn’t give instructions for direct-seeding, assume you’ll need to buy or start your own transplants. Celery, tomatoes, and peppers don’t take well to direct seeding, but you can toss lettuce, carrots, beets, peas and corn seeds right into warm soil.

How Much Time You Have

If you have little patience for weeding, stick with crops that you can mulch and leave alone. Lettuce, baby greens, carrots, and beets require attention to keep weeds from crowding them out. But others, including cucumbers, squash, onions, kale, rhubarb, and most herbs don’t. Surround them with straw or other mulch and you can practically ignore them until harvest time.

source: stock.xchng

Diversity

And unless you’ve grown a particular seed (in your garden) with great results, it’s a good idea to buy two varieties of each crop whenever you can. Each variety reacts differently to pests, disease, weather and soil conditions, so planting a mix improves your odds of having a great harvest—no matter what surprises Mother Nature brings.

Happy gardening.

What are your favorite seeds to grow?

Victoria is a writer and editor who lives with her husband and two boys, seven hens, thousands of honeybees, and far too many woodchucks on a homestead-in-the-making in southern Maine. When she’s not gardening, chicken herding, sewing, or learning how to aim a shotgun, she blogs about it at Project Homestead.

How to Choose the Best Seeds for Your Garden is a post from Life Your Way

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DIY Satin Flower and Grosgrain Ribbon Napkin Rings

The following post is from Janel of Life with Lucie and Ella.:

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Spring is here and so are the opportunities to set a pretty table — Mother’s Day, Baby Showers, and Wedding Showers! Add a little pizazz to your place settings with some inexpensive (but beautiful) napkin rings. Although you can create these napkin rings using my original satin flowers, these circular ones are a bit easier and quicker to make since they don’t require nearly the same number of petals.

With these step by step instructions, you should have a set of napkin rings in no time.

How to Make a Circular Satin Flower:

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Supplies:

circular shape to use as template (I used the bottom of a paper cup.)
costume satin in two colors — one for flowers, one for leaves
ballpoint pen
fabric scissors
tealight candle and match
needle
colored thread
hot glue gun and gluesticks

Directions:

Trace and cut out three circles of different sizes. To make it easier, trace your circular template three times onto the costume satin for each flower and cut out. Then, trim two of the circles to make them smaller. If you want, you can fold the circles into quarters and trim around the edges. Freehand two leaves per flower out of the green satin.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

WARNING: Please exercise caution and common sense when using an open flame during this craft! You may wish to keep a bowl of water nearby in case you need it.

Light the candle. Hold the edge of each satin circle close to, but not in, the flame. This will melt the edges of the satin to help prevent it from fraying. Then, to give the circle a little more texture, hold the circle above the flame in various spots to pucker the satin slightly.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Stack the three circles with the largest on the bottom and the smallest on the top. Use a needle and colored thread to stitch the circles together and create the center of the flower.

source: Life with L and E

Use the candle to seal the edges of the green leaves just as you did for the flower circles. To add additional dimension to them, fold each leaf in half lengthwise and pass the fold along the candle flame to create a line. Be very careful not too burn your fingers — this is a little more difficult because the folded leaves are thinner than the flower circles.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Use hot glue to affix the leaves to the backside of the flower.

How to Create a Grosgrain Napkin Ring:

Supplies:

satin flower (as described above)
green grosgrain ribbon
hot glue gun and gluesticks

Directions:

Cut a length of ribbon that is large enough to wrap around the napkins you plan to use. Use hot glue to glue the ribbon into a circle.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Add some hot glue to where the two ends of ribbon meet and press the backside of the satin flower onto the glue. Hold firmly until the glue cools and hardens.

source: Janel from Life with L and E

Related Posts:

DIY Satin Flowers – Make these flowers as an alternative for the napkin rings. Or, use some of both!
DIY Cloth Napkins – Get the look you want with custom cloth napkins.
DIY Braided Vine Napkin Rings – Use this braided vine for your napkin rings instead of the grosgrain ribbon.
DIY Felt Cup Identifiers – Make these cup identifiers a little bit more fancy by using satin flowers instead!

How do you set a pretty table for special occasions?

Janel is a stay-at-home mom of two and law school wife. Raised in a budget-conscious and do-it-yourself minded family, she loves seeing something in a store or magazine and making her own version at home for less money. Janel blogs about motherhood, crafts and recipes at Life with Lucie and Ella.

DIY Satin Flower and Grosgrain Ribbon Napkin Rings is a post from Life Your Way

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Free Kindle Books {5/2/13}

One of the most popular features of our sister site, Jungle Deals & Steals, are our free Kindle book lists. With 15-20 free ebooks every day, these are a great way to load up your Kindle without breaking the bank, and Kindle books can also be read on smartphones, computers and tablets with the Kindle app from Amazon.

Here’s a quick list of some of the freebies that are currently available, but be sure to head over to Jungle Deals & Steals for new freebies today…or subscribe to our daily freebies email so you don’t miss a single book!

Fiction

Maui Widow Waltz (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series) by JoAnn Bassett 


Genre: Mysteries


Reviews:  (81 reviews)

The Silver Locket (Choc Lit) by Margaret James 


Genre: Historical Romance


Reviews:  (6 reviews)

Beautiful Day — Free Preview — The First Three Chapters by Elin Hilderbrand 


Genre: Women’s Fiction


Reviews:  (1 review)

Signs and Wonders (Annie Grace adventures) by Alex Adena 


Genre: Short Stories


Reviews:  (1 review)

A Texas Legacy Christmas by DiAnn Mills 


Genre: Christian


Reviews:  (9 reviews)

Nonfiction

Power Verbs for Job Seekers: Hundreds of Verbs and Phrases to Bring Your Resumes, Cover Letters, and Job Interviews to Life by Michael Lawrence Faulkner 


Genre: Guides


Reviews:  (5 reviews)

Natural Cleaning Recipes: Essential Oils Recipes to Safely Clean Your Home, Save Money, and Protect Your Family (Essential Oils Books) by Becki Andrus 


Genre: Cleaning & Caretaking


Reviews:  (1 review)

Marketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance (2nd Edition) by Paul W. Farris 


Genre: Research


Reviews:  (17 reviews)

In Living Color: The Lord’s Prayer by Paul W. Meier 


Genre: New Testament


Reviews:  (13 reviews)

Breakfast Mug Menus: Quick & Easy Meals for Everyone by K.H. Gardner 


Genre: Breakfast


Reviews:  (1 review)

Children’s Books

ABC Animals – An Alphabetical Rhyming Children’s Picture Book ( Fun Ebooks For Kids ) by Mark Smith 


Genre: Animals


Reviews:  (18 reviews)

Childrens eBooks – Where Is Love by Barry J. McDonald 


Genre: Christian


Reviews:  (16 reviews)

The Flower Traube (Mystery Detective Bert # 3) by Elle A. Kagoena 


Genre: Mysteries


Reviews:  (3 reviews)

See more Kindle freebies here.

Free Kindle Books {5/2/13} is a post from Life Your Way

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Five Authentic Writing Activities for Children

The following post is from Angie of Many Little Blessings:

source: Erin Kohlenberg

Writing seems to be one of those subjects with which many homeschooling families struggle. Without knowing a homeschooling family very well, you can often guess that if you ask, “What writing curriculum have you used,” you’ll get a myriad of answers all from the same family. Families often get so caught up in finding the perfect writing curriculum that they forget about all of the wonderful real life writing opportunities that abound.

Here are five authentic writing activities for your children:

Prayer Journal

A prayer journal can include copywork with Bible verses, the child’s own prayers, times when your child has found God working in their lives, or reflections on life and God’s creation. It is best to let your child know ahead of time if this is something that you would like to have shared with you or if it will be personal, especially if they will be writing their own prayers and reflections.

Greeting Cards

Not only a way to work on writing, but this activity can also integrate in some art. For younger children, these greeting cards may be as simple as a picture with a message such as “Happy Birthday!” For older children, challenge them to write messages, verses, or poems on the inside of the cards after decorating the front.

Tutorials and Instructional Guides

This is a perfect writing activity for many reluctant young writers because it can give them the opportunity to write about something that they are passionate about. While your budding musician may wrinkle his nose at the idea of writing a story, he may be happy to write out directions for someone to help them learn how to tune a guitar.

Family Newsletter

This can be a fun way to not only send out information to family and friends about what your family has been doing, but it’s also a perfect opportunity to share some of the work you’re doing in your homeschool as well. Children can write about family events, as well as to share stories, poems, neighborhood news reports, comic strips, an advice column, book or movie reviews, and more.

Emails

While many adults are overwhelmed by a constantly full email inbox, receiving emails can still be a novel experience for children. In fact, it can be so novel that they may excitedly type away to a friend or family member when they might otherwise complain about traditional letter writing. After we set up an email address for one of our sons, I found out that he and my Mom had been regularly exchanging emails. It was a perfect way for him to practice a variety of writing skills, as well as to visit with his Grandma.

What writing activities have been met with the most success at your house?

Angie, a domestically-challenged writer and artist, is a homeschooling mom to three children. She writes about everything that happens in their lives between all the loads of laundry at Many Little Blessings. She is also the founder of The Homeschool Classroom, Catholic Mothers Online, and Just a Tiny Owl.

Five Authentic Writing Activities for Children is a post from Life Your Way

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3 To-Do List Apps for Your Computer or Mobile Device

The following post is from Michelle of Mommy Misadventures :

source: Justin See

I love making to do lists. There’s just something seriously satisfying about making a list and checking off the items one by one as you go. Being the digital junkie that I am, I was so excited when more robust digital task management services started becoming popular. Now instead of just creating digital to do lists, these task management services integrate with popular mail and calendaring applications for a far more organized experience.

Here are three of my top favorite to do lists that are available across the popular desktop and mobile platforms.

All three of these task management services are free to use but have premium service options.

Wunderlist
Available for: web/iOS/Android/Windows/Mac

source: Michelle Mista

Wunderlist is a sleek task management application that allows you to easily create and organize task lists. You can create recurring tasks, as well as a limited number of subtasks, and set priority. Wunderlist integrates with Facebook.

Wunderlist offers a premium option for $4.99 per month or $49.99 annually, which allows you to delegate tasks to other users, create an unlimited number of subtasks, and access to a variety of backgrounds. According to the Wunderlist website, file attachment for premium users is slated for future updates.

Astrid

Available for: web/iOS/Android/Windows/Mac

source: Michelle Mista

Astrid is a task management service with an easy to use interface. Task creation options include three levels of priority setting, task assignment (even to non-Astrid users) and an extensive notes and commenting feature. Astrid offers integration with both Facebook and Google. It also includes widgets for the Android platform.

Astrid offers a premium option for $5 per month or $50 annually, which buys you the ability to attach files (including PDFs, images, and documents), and voice backup and notes.

Remember the Milk
Available for: web/iOS/Android/Blackberry

source: Michelle Mista

Since its launch in 2004, Remember the Milk has been a popular choice for task management. Compared to Wunderlist and Astrid, Remember the Milk’s(RTM)  UI is a bit clunky and dated, but its task creation and management options more robust than either Wunderlist or Astrid, offering location, tagging, time estimation, and URL options in addition to priority setting and notes.

RTM’s free service allows you to create tasks and lists, integration with Google calendar and Gmail, add tasks using Siri (on iOS devices) and task sharing. For $25 annually, RTM offers syncing with Microsoft Outlook, unlimited syncing between devices as well as the ability to use Android widgets.

Do you use an online to do list application to help organize your day? What’s your favorite?

Michelle Mista is an IT professional, writer and blogger with a love for all kinds of technology. She writes about tech tips and trends for work at home professionals on her portfolio blog and muses about motherhood at Mommy Misadventures. She is on the constant quest to balance life, work and geekery.

3 To-Do List Apps for Your Computer or Mobile Device is a post from Life Your Way

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Raising Digital Families in the 21st Century

We try to live a fairly simple, old fashioned life in many ways. We’re a one-car family; we mostly avoid disposable products in our kitchen; we believe kids need hours to roam outside and play and, yes, be bored.

But…I also make my living on the internet, the girls love being able to text and FaceTime their grandparents from the iPod, and Teaching Textbooks (a digital math curriculum) has saved our sanity this year.

Navigating the digital world is tricky enough for an adult, and with children steadily marching toward the pre-teen and teen years, I spend a lot of time thinking about the rules and boundaries we’ll put into place as they get older.

The truth is that even though I’m fairly immersed in the online and social media world myself, the rules and pitfalls and, unfortunately, dangers for children and teenagers are an entirely different issue altogether.

Thankfully, my good friend, Amy Lupold Bair, has written the guide for parents for raising digital families — Raising Digital Families for Dummies. She spent hours and hours and hours researching and writing a handbook that is full of practical information and commonsense wisdom.

With information on monitoring programs for computers and mobile devices, advice for dealing with cyberbullies, tips for children who want to blog and templates for developing a digital family policy, this book is a must-have for any family that uses technology in this day and age!

Disclosure: Amy is a personal friend, I received a complimentary copy of this book and the links above are affiliate links. But I really do believe this book is an important read for today’s families, and all opinions above are 100% mine!

Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Raising Digital Families in the 21st Century is a post from Life Your Way

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Use It or Lose It: The Case for Giving, Donating or Selling Instead of Storing

The following post is from Rachel of The Minimalist Mom:

source: Rachel Jonat

The phrase “Use It Or Lose It” came to mind recently as I organized our cloth diapering supplies.

They had been boxed up for close to two years and after one wash the elastics in the legs and back fell apart.

Admittedly, I was surprised.

I had naively thought that those sweet pocket diapers were eagerly waiting for our second child as much as I was and would be in as good a condition as when I packed them away.

The truth: the elastics had been aging even without use. Even the PUL outer of one of the diapers had felt the effects of time and the waterproof layer was separating from the fabric.

Time, gravity and the environment will age your things even if you’re not using them.

Those clothes you boxed up for a former or future lifestyle, they’re wearing out even if no one is wearing them.

All those someday items, the ones in your garage, attic, and in your most visited drawers and closets, they are all aging.

And if and when someday turns into today, they may not be of use to you or anyone else. Damp, mice and moths are slowly eating away at so many boxes of household goods stored for that day when they finally might be of use. Often that day never comes or arrives well beyond the expiry date of the contents.

It can be better to loan out, sell or give something away while it still has life to it, than hold onto it for years and years without using it.

It not only feels good to clear a bit of clutter, it feels great to know your things are being used and appreciated.

Here’s the other saying I now think of when I consider putting things away for “someday”: A Bird In Hand is Worth Two in the Bush.

I’d rather help a friend or have some money in my Paypal account or know that a charity was finding a home for my stuff, than box a lot of it up with the hope that we will someday use it again.

Lucky for me my cloth diapers are back in working order after I exchanged the old elastics for new, but I know not all of my things can be refreshed or repaired after a few years in storage.

With that in mind, I am again just keeping a small amount of baby items and clothes for when/if we have another child. I’ve also given myself a deadline for using them. If we haven’t had another baby by then, or aren’t close to it, they will be out the door.

I am sure it will be an emotional day when I part with our infant gear for good, but it will hopefully also be a happy day: I’ll be helping another family welcome a new baby.

How do you decide what to give away and what to store away for someday?

Rachel Jonat is a former world medalist rower turned marketing professional turned SAHM/writer. At The Minimalist Mom, Rachel writes about living a rich life with less stuff. Currently living on a windswept island in the middle of the Irish Sea, Rachel owns two pairs of jeans, lives without a car and is attempting to become a tea drinker.

 

Use It or Lose It: The Case for Giving, Donating or Selling Instead of Storing is a post from Life Your Way

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4 Simple Ways to Decorate with Books

The following post is from Myra of My Blessed Life :

source: myblessedlife.net

Whenever I rearrange the accessories in my home, I usually use books to help change things up. Decorating with books is an easy, inexpensive way to add a punch of texture and color. Finding books at yard sales, second-hand stores or the library used book room is one of my favorite things to do. Old books have such great personality.

Decorating with books has endless possibilities.

Here are my favorite simple ways to use books in my home decor.

1. Stack

When arranging a mantel or table vignette, books are perfect for stacking up as “faux risers.” It can be a little boring to have everything on the same level, so adding varying height with books is a perfect solution.

2. Accessorize

Books are probably one of the most inexpensive accessories. For 0.25 each or less, it’s easy to find books to decorate bookshelves. If you prefer a strictly neutral color scheme, use books that are black, grey, brown, cream and white. And if you enjoy a punch of color, accessorize with bright and happy colored books.

3. Craft

Thanks to Pinterest there are a multitude of book page crafts that have been done. From wreaths and ornaments to wall art, flowers, decoupaged book page eggs and book page trees, the creativity is astounding. If you struggle with crafting, try working with book pages. The cost is minimal, so if you don’t like how a craft turns out, just toss it and try again.

4. Turn Them Backwards

This one will probably make some of you cringe. In our last two houses, we had book shelves in our living room. I got so tired of seeing all the book spines with all their various colors staring at me all the time. It was just busy to me for some reason. I got a wild hair one day and turned all the books around with the spines toward the wall. I loved the calm that the white and ivory pages brought to the space. If you’re bored with a bookshelf in your home, just try turning the books around and see what you think! You might be surprised.

Do you decorate with books at your house?

Myra has a B.A. in Interior Design and is currently self-employed. When she’s not spending time with her little man, thrifting, creating, shopping or working on a project, Myra enjoys date nights with her husband and blogging at My Blessed Life.

4 Simple Ways to Decorate with Books is a post from Life Your Way

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