Get A Plant For A Healthy Home In 2012

Starting 2012 off thinking about what to do to bring beauty and health into our lives!  Start with some plants!  Just added this Boston Fern to my bedroom....it is a start!  Read below about benefits of doing the same~

Houseplants are our often-overlooked helpers in ridding the air of pollutants and toxins, counteracting outgassing and contributing to balanced internal humidity.

It is suggested that one plant should be allowed for approximately 10 square yards of floor space, assuming average ceiling heights of 8 to 9 feet. This means that you need two or three plants to contribute to good air quality in the average domestic living room of about 20 to 25 square yards.

{Our bedroom}

Research has shown that these 10 plants are the most effective all-around in counteracting offgassed chemicals and contributing to balanced internal humidity.

• Areca palm
• Reed palm
• Dwarf date palm
• Boston fern
• Janet Craig dracaena
• English ivy
• Australian sword fern
• Peace Lily
• Rubber Plant
• Weeping Fig

Just a side note:  Desperately needed dresser...settled on this metal dresser from Restoration Hardware (feel like I am always settling with my choices!).  Lamp is a family antique.  Just received the mirror from One Kings Lane, not happy with it!  Looked better in picture.  This may be last time I order online without seeing it first (actually my daughter needed a mirror in her room, so away it went and now looking for something else)!

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-ten-houseplants-for-cleaner-air.html#ixzz1ib3kOTvn

Have a great day!

~jamilyn

{Images via me and property of Living It At Home}

Simple Door Decorations

I think having urns in front of your door is a must!  My husband always wants to put these away for the winter but look how much charm they add to this wintery scene!  Just beautiful in my opinion!  Here I have just a simple wreath and added a  red bow.  In the planters are small Christmas trees that last forever through every season.

Last year during many snow storms!

This year, I decided to add two red bows to the trees.  I think it looks very cute and this was extrememly easy!

Last year's decorations for our front door...  I really love how my planters turned out!  Again, urns are a must for front door entrance.  A good investment and when the black finish wears out, you can spray paint them to bring them back to life!

Last year...

~jamilyn~

{Images taken via me and property of Living It At Home}

Decorating My Staircase For Christmas

I said I would post more pictures as I go along with my decorating so here it is!  I am not 100% in love with this but have always wanted to have greenery on my railing so decided to go for it!  Festive enough.  I had the bows made at a local florist and my daughter added the little silver ornaments for a sparkly touch.  That is all for today!

~jamilyn~

{All images taken via me and property of Living It At Home}

How Our Home Is Shaping Up For Christmas!

Just a quick peek at what I have been up to at our house.  "It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"  Yes, I kicked into gear this weekend and started my Christmas decorating.  I usually don't get it done in one day and like to improve upon things and fiddle a little bit too {don't have our tree yet}.  I am very happy with my mantel except for the short stubby {used} candlesticks.  I have to replace those {don't look}.  I bought a long swag of pine about 25 feet and used most on my staircase-which will be another post- and cut off the end to drape across the mantel.  I would say a very simple decoration with a great effect.  Really says Christmas to me.  I tucked in some glittered pine cones that my daughter decorated years ago and voila!  Done!

Glittered pine cones...try it!

Picked up a bunch of local Winterberry...stuck it in a vintage silver vase {which seriously needs polishing} dragged out a beautiful red and white plate {from Home Goods} and again...simply done!

OK...I love this display in my kitchen...I found a silver teapot and added some simple greenery just draping over the sides.  Tea pot was $10.00 in a thrift store {a great find}.  The small milk cup was also a score for $5.00 too!  I love the combination!

Found this little stone bust and just had to have it.

Trying out my vintage cloche with some ornaments that I have had forever.  Not sure if this will stay that way or maybe will only use one color scheme.  See...my decorating is still a work in progress!

Just another fun little vignette that I had fun putting together.  Simple.

Oh and I cannot forget the delish chocolate chip pancakes that my daughter made to start the weekend decorating off right!  So festive!

I will be posting more as I continue.  Hope you find some inspiration here!  I am off to find some battery operated candlesticks for all of my windows {I don't want to see wires...a big no-no!}

Have fun!

~jamilyn

{All images taken via me and property of Living It At Home blog}

Watch This- How To Decorate With Ornaments

Cofounder Susan Feldman of One Kings Lane and her daughters Jackie and Kimmie ready Susan's house for the season with sparkling, inventive ornament decorations. See how old and new ornaments can shine in chic and unexpected ways around your home. (source One Kings Lane)

One Kings Lane ornament

  The ornaments go on sale Friday, December 2.  I really enjoyed watching this short video and I am inspired to give her decorating ideas a try (especially the cloche jars)!

~jamilyn~

{video via YouTube}

Decorating Simply For Christmas...Can It Be Done?

OK, so it is not December 1...yet!  Once again, I am in panic mode about my Christmas decorating.  I am definitely not the type to have my tree up right after Thanksgiving or my outside Christmas lights!  This is the point where I ask myself "Why can't I keep it simple?".  The image above evokes how simple things can be.  A swag of evergreens just draped across a mantle.  You know what I also think about when I look at this "easy" decoration?  That I actually have to drag myself to the store to find it!  I will though even if it can be tiring... all for the sake of keeping it simple!  In the end, it is all fun and worth it!  I love this time of year and enjoy when I finally get up to speed and get it together.  There is always next year to start earlier, right?

This is such a cozy room.  Just the right amount of decorating here.  Love how the Christmas Tree glows!

Nice and simple!

I would never use a white Christmas Tree...just would not look right in my home.  However, the white tree just adds the right amount of sparkle to this rustic home.  

Well, there is something to be said for keeping it simple!  Now, should I drag out all my Christmas nutcrackers?  Maybe not!

Have fun decorating!

~jamilyn~

{Images via My Home Ideas}

What I Am Watching Now-love it!

Case Histories on PBS

Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The Patriot) stars as private investigator Jackson Brodie, the tough former soldier and policeman with a heart of gold, in this series based on the acclaimed novels by Kate Atkinson. Brodie, haunted by a past family tragedy, struggles to balance his personal and professional life while coming to the rescue of the bereaved, the lost and the dysfunctional in the Scottish city of Edinburgh.

I am so into this series on PBS!  I highly recommend watching it.  You can also start with the first one by viewing it online at pbs.org.  Jason Isaacs is perfect as the character Jackson Brodie.  He is a strong, instinctive private detective yet he cares about the people he ends up helping...very sensitive! He always does the right thing!  Love it!  

If you like the strong/sensitive type...then you have to watch!  Enjoy!

~jamilyn~

{Images via pbs.org}

BOO-lated Happy Halloween!

A little snapshot of a Halloween that just didn't get my full attention this year.  Actually started putting up the decorations right as trick-or-treaters were coming up the block around 7 p.m.!  Well, there were some little ones that came before that and they missed out on the full effect, which was not much!  I shouldn't beat myself up (which I am) about not getting into this year.  The fact that we had a winter storm here did not help.  Tree came down across the street and we were without power.  As you can see in photo above, there is snow on the ground!  Yikes, going to be a long winter!

My one pumpkin left after the carnage by the squirrels!  Such pests!

Pictures above and below are some of my better decorating years (last year).  So glad I took pictures!

Last year (wreath made by me)

This was my best inside decoration this year.  Found this rather large cinderella pumpkin (my husband just didn't get my attraction to this) for $6.99 at Whole Foods.  Well, hope everyone had a great Halloween!  I can never look at a piece of candy again!  My daughter even asked for a lot of veggie's in her lunch today because she over did it with the candy.  On an interesting note:  some of the towns here in Massachusetts had to delay trick-or-treating to Thursday or the weekend due to all the power outages!  Never heard of canceling Halloween before!

~jamilyn~

{Photo's taken via me and property of Living It At Home}

Bathroom Inspirations for my Bathroom Remodel

Cute bathroom for kids or adults!

Planning on remodeling our master bath (which is way too small to even earn that title) and our main floor 1/2 bath.  I have been gathering images and unfortunately don't remember some of or most of the sources I got them from.  I hope you find inspiration here for your remodel project!  This gorgeous bathroom below has so many interesting things about it.  I think I will just list for each picture the things that stand out for me...

Love, sink and fixtures, unique lighting, towel hook, shower head, curved ceiling, tile and shower head.

Love the tile surrounding bath, towel bar, color of walls, flooring and lighting fixture.

Love, sink, cute floor tiles, and of course wainscoting, wall paper is very cute.

This bathroom is very unique, that is what I like about it.

I think for a small bathroom this is so special.  I love that sink and the way they hung the mirror.

This bathroom is so unique using a long farm table for a vanity.  Love the mirror and lighting fixture.

This is one of my favorites.  I love the contrasting gray and the wall that hides toilet.  The large mirror adds drama along with chandelier.  Interesting use of stand alone shelves for storage which is always an issue.

This is also one of my favorites hands down!  The mirror is gorgeous and I plan on finding something unique like this one for my 1/2 bath on main floor.  I love the stone sink and the texture and sleek lines it brings to this design.  Just wonderful and interesting.



{Sources, Country Living, Design Sponge, Traditional Home, and that is all I can remember!}

I may be posting more images for my remodel soon!
~jamilyn

My Photo Tour Of Boston Public Gardens

Are you interested in photography and would like to learn some history about Boston?  Well, I am REALLY interested in photography and found myself immersed in an amazing experience of taking a Photo Walks Tour of Boston Public Garden.  My friend, Beth, and I met with the Saba Alhadi, our tour guide. It was so much fun to learn how to compose the best picture from different angles and to actually use different settings on my camera (so excited about this).  I really felt engaged in what I was doing and it was the perfect sunny day.  The garden was blooming with flowers and was very easy to get a great shot.  If you are interested in a photo tour, Saba does others like Back Bay, the waterfront, and Beacon Hill (which I want to do).  To see her web site go here.  I highly recommend it for the history, beauty, and photography techniques.  Hope you enjoy my photo's!

~jamilyn

{All photo's taken via me and property of Living It At Home}