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Don’t we all wish our lives would be a little more romantic? January blahs are easily beat by adding some romance to your everyday! Looking forward to Valentine’s Day is great fun, but why shortchange your life on romance by only celebrating it one day a year?
Make your day to day life more romantic by adding a few special touches to your decorating. Creating a romantic environment at home is all about aesthetics, comfort, and paying attention to a few small details.
Here are a few delightful and easy ideas for living romantically everyday to inspire you.
1. Create Special Daily Routines. Begin your day with beauty. I know you are so busy, but treat yourself as if you are staying in a luxury bed and breakfast. Chances are you are the one who spoils everyone in your home, you can do the same thing for yourself!
Instead of serving yourself coffee or tea from an old mug, take the time to pour your drink of choice into a pretty porcelain cup. I have a tray set up “at the ready” on one of our kitchen counters, mainly for when someone drops in to visit, but I use the sugar pot and creamer to add milk to my daily cup of coffee.
One of my resolutions this year is to go back to having a cup of tea and at least a 10 minute rest every afternoon. Even if you didn’t inherit your grandmama’s porcelain tea cup collection, you can invest in your own collection, one cup at a time! Drinking Earl Grey tea in a beautiful antique cup is a special treat all on it’s own! {and on Sunday afternoons, I vow to bring out the silver and a little treat to share with whoever may be at home. }
2. Add Flowers. Not just for Valentine’s Day, treat yourself to beautiful flowers once a week. You can buy flowers at your market, or pick some from your garden, it doesn’t matter. A little vase or silver container filled with the fresh, romantic beauty of flowers makes every room look special.
A beautiful way to display your market bouquet is to separate the flowers into small bunches, or singles. Just trim the stems and place a few flowers into several small vases or glass jars. You can tuck these little bouquets on your bookshelf, a single rose by the sink in the bathroom, on your dining room table.
Your flowers don’t have to be a hotel arrangement to make an impact. A single rose, tucked into a florist water tube laying on a stack of your current favorite books is a sweet reminder of the beauty of nature. There are times when your flowers don’t even have to BE flowers! A few fern fronds, with their cheery, bright pop of green are enough to add a touch of garden romance.
3. Create Soft Lighting Effects. Dim your overhead lights, and light a few candles. Even three votives placed on the mantel will add a soothing, romantic glow to your home. In winter months, a scented candle burning brightly in the kitchen adds a wonderful scent. I try to remember to light a candle in the living room just as it gets dark to welcome John home. Somehow it seems to calm the “rush rush” of every day, and signal to us that it’s time to relax and enjoy some comforting time at home.
I know those battery operated candles are so trendy right now. Me? I use those only outdoors, since you can “time” them. But inside, there is nothing like a beautiful taper candle in and antique candlestick to create an atmosphere. Be sure to trim your wicks, so that the candles don’t smoke. Get a box of those little tea lights, they burn for a few hours, and when you place one inside a glass votive cup, they are practically no maintenance, they just go out once the wax is all gone.
4. Make Every Dinner Special.
Those of you who have read my blog over the years know that here at home, it’s all about fairly simple, healthy and delicious food, served in a beautiful way.
Even if tonight’s dinner is not up to a French chef’s standards, you can make your mealtime delightful by adding a few romantic touches to your table.
If you’re in the mood to go all out, pull out all the stops and layer your table with an antique cloth, your china and silver.
But it doesn’t have to be quite that fancy, a simple table can work too!
This table from a while ago is covered in kraft paper, antique French flatware, and French glasses. Since it was for a dinner with friends, a little ring of rosemary from the garden on every plate adds a touch of romance. Even without the rosemary rings, the three glass bottles {from my coffee drinks!} holding a market bouquet of flowers divided in threes makes a weekday dinner special!
5. Rest in Bedroom Beauty.
Spoil yourself with a beautiful bed. After a long hard day, seeing your beautiful bed made up with gorgeous linens makes you feel like royalty!
At home our antique French bed is dressed in amazing Belgian Linen, all white, and filled with plump pillows you can sink into.
In the master bathroom, display some of your favorite antique linen hand towels in an antique wash bowl, add a few soaps, and romance has come to your “washing your hands” place!
I hope you are encouraged to spend just a little time thinking about what you could do to make every day a little more beautiful, and romantic!
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DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE WAY TO ADD ROMANCE TO YOUR EVERY DAY LIVING? Please share it with us!
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I feel more relaxed and pampered just reading your suggestions. Now to put them into play….
Lisa, thank you! I hope you have a pampered, relaxed weekend.
Lidy, I want to use all of your ideas. I am a romantic after all is said and done. I find that the tiniest thing can start my day off with beauty and peace. It is a choice we get to make every day. Thank you for helping to make our lives more lovely.
It’s always such a delight to wake up to see one of your lovely posts. Thanks for the reminder to start having afternoon tea again.
Thank you so much, Peggy. I hope you have lots of wonderful tea times in the afternoon!
All lovely and oh so romantic ideas, Lidy. It pains me that I can only use fresh flowers in places inaccessible to my cat. He loves to play and nibble on them. So many can be toxic. But you’ve inspired me to still use a florists water tube with my most realistic silk flowers. They would look so real and we’d both be happy! Thanks for another beautiful post,
Ginger
Ginger, I sometimes use silk flowers at home too. I had three large white amaryllis flowers in a clear vase on the tea table in our living room for the holidays. I filled the vase with a few inches of water, everyone thought they were real! When I can’t get to the market and/ or want flowers that are not in season, I sometimes use that “fool- the-eye” trick.
I realize I’ve been very unimaginative lately! With my Christmas decorations gone I have had a sort of neutral ‘blah’ look in my home. I’ve been avoiding buying flowers to keep with my resolution of not spending money on frivolous items. Yet I see the way you spread out your flowers, even just one rose here or there and it really makes a statement. So…I’m going to gather up my small vases and buy a bouquet two!
Thanks for your creative and lovely ideas, Lidy!
Jane x
Love all of these ideas Lidy! There is nothing better than coming home to a peaceful home. Happy Sunday!
Thank you Gay! I agree, a peaceful home is our refuge from our crazy and busy world out there!
Thank you dear Lidy for these beautiful ideas. I realized while reading this that I’ve given up some of these lovely things because I’ve made myself too busy to bother. Well no more! I’m off to lights some candles right now!
sending hugs…
You certainly know just how to do romance in an every day setting …. you add elegance that feels cozy and not “stiff” … You are always here to give us inspiration on how to bring beauty in our lives, whether it be in our surroundings or in our hearts! In awe of your gorgeous linens!
Shirley, thank you so much, you are always such an encourager. I am humbly thankful for all your compliments. I could say exactly the same thing to you, friend. xo Lidy
Lidy, I have always loved romance and romantic touches in my home. Flowers are always present…a scented candle is burning in my kitchen, and a bed of lovely linens awaits a restful sleep! Thank you for a lovely post and a reminder to enjoy the simple ways to bring romance into our home! Have a great week.
Pam, it is so good to make each day beautiful, and the best it can be, isn’t it?
I have family antique linens that I only put on the bed when I am having a tea or special get together. I have the pillows on the the bed in my guest bedroom. I have my collection of white stuffed bears on my bed. They all have special meaning to my husband and me. When I walk into the room, no matter what else is going on, they always bring back to a wonderful moment in my life. You have to smile when you see four white polar bears( large and small) looking at you. I invested in silk flowers a many years ago that mimic ones I grow in my garden. I use them in the winter (after the holidays) to remind me spring will be here soon.bthank you for all your wonderful suggestion each season.
Gloria, it sounds just beautiful, and quite fun, I love the white bears! Those are the things that matter, your bears bring you fond memories, what could be better than that?
Every year, after the holidays, I buy left over pre potted Amarylis and. paperwhites, most of them come up fine and are a joy in the blah weather..
Thank you so much for your inspiring ways. I look at your vignettes and try them with my own things..
What a great idea, Nancy! And thank you for always being an encourager, I am so grateful. xo
I love how you have given us ways to make every day special. Pinned.
Gorgeous!!! I want to come live in your house!
Thank you Terri, it’s so sweet of you to visit.
So pretty, Like you I am also a romantic by heart! Love all the romantic spaces! Truly a beautiful valentine post.
Maria
How did I miss this? It makes me feel so zen to look at it all. Thank you!
I love that, we can all use a little Zen right about now. Happy weekend, Susan!
This is so beautiful and inviting in every way, Lidy. Makes me want to grab a hot cup of tea and snuggle next to some fresh flowers.
It’s a delight to receive your messages, They bring so many lovely ideas and a treasure trove of French
items. You are often a bright spot in my day.