Karen Clare

So I did a thing this weekend. I got something I'd been wanting for a long time: a Samsung Frame TV that shows artwork when it's not on. I was going to wait, but on Monday I saw that Best Buy had it on sale... so I decided to just pull the trigger. I chose Saturday for the delivery day since I would be home. I sure didn't want a 50 inch television being just left outside if it arrived while I was at work. I wasn't even sure they'd deliver an expensive electronic item without someone being home to sign for it anyway. Oddly, they didn't require that. So yesterday was the big day. The Roadie driver brought it to my door and even brought it inside for me. Then, I was left alone to deal with the consequences of being a cheapskate and not selecting the installation service ($179, which is why I did not select it).  But it was not bad at all. I was able to put the feet on the TV--they slid on, which was easy--and hoist it onto my electric fireplace mantle myself; I wa...

 When I walked out my door to head to work on Friday morning, I felt it: a subtle but definite change in the weather. It was still warm, but not blazing hot, and less humid. And then yesterday morning when I woke up, it was a gorgeous 68 degrees. Of course it warmed up, but still... the weather seems to be paying attention to the calendar. We have also had a very quiet (thankfully) hurricane season, thanks to El Niño. Maybe God is making up for the devastation of Helene and Milton two years ago and giving us a break. I am all decorated for fall, including my fall tree, which is really just a Christmas tree decorated with autumn foliage and picks. I put them around early October and keep it until Friday after Thanksgiving, when I decorate the "public" part of the house for Christmas.  This year I had to get a new tree... the one I'd been using for the past three years broke. I got this new one from Costway, and I absolutely love it. It looks very natural. But I wanted to u...

 As long as I've been into decorating (since the late 1990s). I've realized that sometimes the little things can make the biggest difference. I mostly finished decorating my place for spring last week, which included packing away the firewood I had for decoration in front of my electric fireplace/space heater. I was trying to think of something to do with the fireplace so that the front didn't look boring with just the dark glass front. So I got the idea to cover the glass with peel and stick plastic that looks like stained/decorative glass. I've been living with it for almost a week now, and absolutely love it! It's not dramatic at all, but it really elevated it the fireplace. It now looks a little less like an electric fireplace I ordered from Wayfair (which is what it is) and more like an historic feature of the house.  The decorative sheets arrived on Sunday, and I only needed one. I did the middle of the glass, leaving the ends clear, because number one, the sh...

 Today was the first day I turned off my heater because the weather finally warmed up -- pleasant and sunny.  I have decorated a bit for Valentine's Day. I don't do much for it, but the decorations that I have I keep up all February. I did break down and get a few inexpensive things from Amazon, which only totaled around $30. The other things I already had from last year and the year before: My electric fireplace mantle. All three of the things I have hanging from it were from last year: The pink heart wreath on the viewer's left came from World Market last year, and the middle wreath came from an Etsy shop called Blessings And Boxwood last year. The tin and wood heart on the right I believe came from Hobby Lobby two or three years ago.  The bottom picture is of the kitchen hutch that I got back in October that now serves as my coffee bar. I've been really enjoying decorating it. And here is where the new stuff is: the sign at the top, and the concrete hearts that I mad...

 After Christmas I do "winter" decorating -- basically, remove anything red, glittery, or chiefly Christmas and leave out greenery, candles, and blankets. So I was inspired to replace the vintage Saturday Evening Post magazines and magazine covers on the coffee table with a tray of candles and greenery.  As you might know if you read last week's post, I've resolved to stop buying unnecessary things and pay off my credit card debt. To that end, I used a tray that I already had ($12 at Shein, I think), greenery and battery-powered candles that were already in my office closet.   You don't have to buy new stuff to redecorate or refresh a room, contrary to what many social media "influencers" try to tell us. You can look around your own home, change things around, or even move furniture around. So if you want to cut back on spending, I'd suggest getting creative with items you already own.  I'm going to keep "winter" up till March, when I c...

 This past week, I have been really tired. Not sure why. No extra stress at work, but I did tackle my office closet after work Wednesday through Friday. Emptied, decluttered, and reorganized the bins containing my seasonal and holiday decor. It was difficult, especially since having the chaos (to my mind) of stuff everywhere was giving me anxiety. I'm about 85% through, but still not completely done. I still have to go through the bin of my autumn decor and organize a few other things. But I'm taking a bit of a break on that. While I was dealing with the bins in my closet, I was also putting away my post-Christmas winter decor (I pack away anything specifically Christmas right after the 25th, but leave out wintery greenery and pinecones and white candles till March) and putting out spring. I really don't do that much for spring. Pine is replaced by (mostly blue) flowers), and I change out my sofa pillow cases. I also decorate my coffee bar and put little touches in the kitc...