Today Coryanne of Housewife Bliss rounds up our Fabulous Fall series. Here she gives us some fabulous pointers and visuals as to how we can best prepare our homes (and ourselves) for the cooler months to come. I hope you all have enjoyed this series. I certainly have!
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Autumn seems to be here and gone before the New Year is being planned, leaving little time for planning and only a smidgen of time for doing…because lets face it, once the children go off to school, you decide on Halloween costumes, you find yourself scrambling to order your Turkey, and wishing that you had spent 10 minutes fitting those draught exclusions to your front door.
If you do nothing in the next 3 months to get ready for winter, do these 10 tricks to looking like you have been hustling around the house in time for the final leave to drop.
10. Retire your summer wardrobe. Mend, clean, polish and store your summer threads and heels so that they may grace your summer months again. There is nothing worse than opening your new seasonal wardrobe to find it in need of TLC, so be merciless with your T’s, tender with your soles and kind to your well-worn threads.
09. De-clutter your make up and toiletries. Everything has a shelf life, and chances are those half used creams, scrubs, tonics and powders that got you through summer will not make it to next year, and will do nothing for you in the windier and cooler days ahead….besides once you have room, you will have the perfect excuse to rush out and buy Autumn’s new best sellers.
Image courtesy Fashion Bomb Daily
8. Stock the pantry. Nothing says ‘fall kitchen’ like a ladder full of pulses, tinned tomatoes, pastas and grains. Make sure you have everything you need for a season of stews, roasts, soups and other hearty meal options. Here is a good guide to get you on your way,
http://www.housewifebliss.com/2010/01/25/how-to-make-your-pantry-do-all-the-hard-work/
http://www.housewifebliss.com/2010/01/25/how-to-make-your-pantry-do-all-the-hard-work/
Image courtesy Designer Closets
7. Check your draughts in your window and door-frames. There is nothing worse than finding that you have a draught only once they weather has turned and the shops have all sold out or doubled the price.
Image courtesy Richard Gordon
Image courtesy Turkey Feathers
6. Swap your table service. I tend to use dainty dishes and cutlery in the summer, and heavier materials in the autumn. There is something about serving a stew or roast dinner in a heaver dish that makes it more enjoyable.
Image courtesy Country Living
5. Surround yourself in textured fabrics. Corduroy, herringbone, wool, denim, velvet, even (faux) fur are delightful fabrics for fall. Nothing says ‘stay a while’ more than a sofa dressed with full tactile pillows and throws.
Image courtesy Elements of Style
Image Courtesy Decorpad
4. Detail your car. Those long summer road trips complete with sand, greasy drive through lunches and sticky youthful fingerprints have reeked havoc on your car. Give you car a through clean, polish and it will love you all season long.
3. Give you Garden an Autumn makeover. An autumn garden can give you more than gold and red. Plant some Bachelor’s Buttons in Cornflower for a dash of blue or even Viola’s for more cool tones. While you are out there enjoying your fall garden, ensure you have a colorful February and early spring by planting your snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and tulips now.
2. Grow a winter herb garden. Heartier herbs like rosemary, savory thyme, chives, and garden sage can withstand the cooler winds of fall and will give you an abundance of seasoning for your autumn cooking. To learn more about a winter herb garden, click here. http://www.housewifebliss.com/2010/08/23/housewife-101-how-to-plant-a-herb-garden/
1. Give ‘em a good beating. Your soft furnishings have worked hard for you all summer, and will work even harder in the coming months, so roll up your sleeves, grab a broom and start dusting your rugs, here is a good guide to getting it all done yourself , click here
http://www.housewifebliss.com/2010/03/19/spring-cleaning-guide-for-march/
http://www.housewifebliss.com/2010/03/19/spring-cleaning-guide-for-march/
Or maybe just take them to the professionals and enjoy a lovely heavy bottle of red with your girl friends!