Chase Your Winter Blues Away!

Today is the second dreary day of winter that we have had here in Northern Ca, and, I have been pretty sick the last few days. I thought about my best friend Florence and all of her awesomeness and how she can make any day, even a homework day become a fun event by adding simple little things like good music, champagne and a fire. I wanted to brighten my mood and decided I was going to put together a board of my favorite items and ideas that can brighten any rainy day! I thought I would share them with you! Many of the items have a normal cost and a suggestion of where you may be able to find something similar to get the same look at a less expensive cost.

1.  Add colorful and playful pieces to your home! This is bright and funky deer head and can be found on Etsy.com. I just adore the colors and no animals were harmed to create this. 
2.  Cheerful graphics and sayings are perfect to have around your home. This "Keep Calm and Eat Cupcakes" poster is $25 from mysoti.com and is the perfect decor for Valentines Day.  Cupcakes are so gosh darn cute they make everyone happy.
3.  I just love this Revlon nail polish. It's called Pink Nude and is perfect for both day and evening wear. The subtle rosy color would look good on many skin tones. This can be found at most drug and makeup stores for just a few bucks.
4.  Make your desserts look extra special on this Kensington Cake stand that is on sale for $39.99 by Zgallerie. Family and friends will appreciate the beautiful presentation and it will make the most amateur looking foods look divine. Similar ones can be found at Homegoods, Ross and Marshalls.
5.  Bring fresh and colorful flowers into your space! The wonderful aroma, sunny colors and touch of life add brightness to a dark and dreary day.
6.  Entertain with these beautiful green stack-able wine glasses that are only $2.95 by Crate and Barrel.
7.  People will love eating off of these sassy and sophisticated plates also by Crate and Barrel for $5.95. Both the plates and the wine glasses will go great with spring and summer decor as well!
8.  This scarf is so adorable and I just love the pom-pom trim around the edge. It's a soft yet cheery color and is only $11 from H&M.com. For my European readers this is from the UK site however, similar and just as beautiful ones can be found on the American H&M site.
9.  Add mood and ambiance to rainy days by lighting lots of candles. These mercury glass Glacier Pillar Candles are $20 from Zgallerie.com but many silmilar ones can be found for $2-$10 at Michaels, and Homegoods.
10.  Find a reason to celebrate the days you were given. Host a hot cocoa and s'more roasting party by your fire! It's a perfect way to kill the chill and catch up with your family and friends now that the holidays have calmed down.
11.  I enjoy a fire almost every night. It helps to save on heating costs, it's romantic and we just love the crackle in the background. If you don't have a fireplace, consider a vent-less wall mounted ethanol fireplace, that burns a gel that doesn't emit toxins or smoke. These were created and approved to add to your home without doing any major demolitions to add a fireplace. The one shown on my board is from amazon.com and is $350. I have found and purchased some for clients for under $150 on overstock.com. If you don't have an extra $150 laying around don't fret! Check out fireplace for your home on netflix, and stream it live to your t.v. It totally looks real, burns for an hour and even has a fantastic crackle sound to go along with it. 
12. Bring a touch of exotic-ness and warmth into your home with an Ikat patterned pillow. This one is $49.95 from Zgallerie.com but I just ordered some gorgeous ones (that I am so excited to get) for half the price off of etsy.com. I just can't wait to share them with you! Ikat is really popular at the moment, but is a traditional motif so it will look great for longer than just this season.
13. Forget walking around puddles, jump right in with these fabulous polka dot boots. They are called Chooka Womens Posh Dot Rain Boot's and are $40.94-$69.95 from endless.com. They have handsome looking mens boots as well!
14. Check out this fantastic umbrella!!!! I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS! It is the Fulton Pagoda Walker Umbrella from johnlewis.com which is a European site. It is around $38 American dollars.

I hope you are enjoying your day! What do you and your family do to add cheer to your winter days!