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We've all experienced the frustration of cleaning windows and mirrors, only to be left with stubborn streaks or cloudy surfaces. In this blog post, we'll walk you through some simple yet effective tips to help you achieve streak-free windows and mirrors. Your windows and mirrors probably have residue from cleaning products you may have used prior. This means the cleaner and materials you use have to cut through residue to reveal streak-free surfaces. So here are some tips to help you get those windows and mirrors clear and shiny!
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11 items from Amazon to get you started!  Images from Amazon.com. Click the links below to view or purchase. When we speak of Boho (short for Bohemian) certain words come to mind—artistic, eccentric, casual, eclectic, gypsy, hippie, carefree, and creative. And if you ask me fall is the perfect time of year to let your inner gypsy shine!
The boho look is an incredibly simple look to pull off with its mix of earthy (or jewel tones if you’re not afraid of color), textural, and slightly exotic design elements. To help inspire you to embrace this design style this season I combed through Amazon to find a few interesting items that might help get you started! Here are 10 items from Amazon to inspire you!  Images from Amazon.com. Click the links below to view or purchase. Fall is one of my favorite times of year to decorate. Once September rolls around, that is my cue to start getting creative with festive decor for the next few months. But lately, I’ve been finding the traditional colors a little…well…stale! I’m not knocking the vibrant orange, red, and yellow color palette, but sometimes you just need to shake things up a little bit. I guess you could say I’m searching for inspiration, a way to expand my horizons. I’ve always wanted to try using blue in my fall and winter decor, and one day—when the budget allows—I will gather the courage and take the plunge!
Blue can be an extremely versatile color, fitting into any season of the year, but can feel a little cold. I discovered that if you pair blue with warm creams and gold, the result can be an exciting color scheme! Blue and yellow are complimentary colors on the color wheel and go well together, creating a pleasing contrast that feels light and airy. Exchanging the yellow for gold gives your decor an upscale yet inviting appeal. As I combed through Amazon for inspiration, I found a few interesting items that could be used to create an elegant yet modern look. In my mood board below—titled Autumn Blues—you will see a collection of pieces that include a range of blues paired with gold and cream accents. The selections reflect the vibrant mood of autumn yet feel refreshingly clean and uncluttered. And the best part…All of these items together cost less than $300! Not bad in today’s economy!  Image by Lukas on Pexels. Floral arrangements uplift our spirits, brighten a room, and create a touch of natural beauty in our interior spaces. Flowers come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, each with its unique character. Some popular flowers used in arrangements include roses, lilies, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, and orchids, but don't be afraid to play with any of your favorite flowers and greenery. Creating a balanced floral arrangement is all about channeling your creativity while following (more or less) the principles of floral design. In this blog post, we'll explore the art of floral design and share some valuable tips on creating balanced and visually appealing flower arrangements for your home. So let's get started!  Hey there, fellow cat lovers! We all know how much our feline friends adore their scratching posts. Over time, though, these scratching posts can begin to look ragged. In this blog post, we'll walk you through rewrapping your cat's scratching post, giving it a fresh lease on life. So grab your materials, and let's dive right in!
 Image by Maryna on Adobe Stock. If you enjoyed one of my latest articles, “8 Flowers that Attract Fairies to Your Fairy Garden”, here are six more fairy flowers for your garden! Interest in fairy gardens has been growing for quite a while now, and the trend shows no sign of stopping any time soon! The act of creating a fairy garden awakens the inner child, providing an escape from the problems of the mundane and sometimes stressful world around us. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving! Once you create the garden, it becomes a refuge where you can escape from it all and let your imagination out of the box. I have been experimenting with my fairy gardens, and—being a lifelong lover of fairy tales—it got me thinking about the types of flowers fairies might like in their garden. I’m sharing some of my research with you to help you on your way to creating a fairy-friendly garden!  Image by Lauriekay Wirestock on Adobe Stock. Bringing flowers into your home is one of the easiest ways to add beauty, color, and texture to an interior space. Flowers can make a statement all their own or complement existing decor, and many have an amazing fragrance that can be a natural room deodorizer. But if you have cats (or other pets) or even small children in your home, you must be selective about which flowers you use and purposeful about where those plants are placed. In some cases, it could mean the difference between life and death!  Image by Zarina Lukash on Adobe Stock. If you have houseplants AND pets, this information is for you! For most of my life, there has always been a cat or two in the home, and I can’t imagine life without them! Houseplants, on the other hand, are a far more recent phenomenon. A few years back (after our 14-year-old fur baby passed away), our household was blessed with two beautiful munchkin kittens. It’s been five years, and they have grown into such sweet cats! Suddenly, I’ve become aware that the house is full of luscious green plant babies that may not get along with my fur babies.  Bluebells image by Andy Evans on Adobe Stock. Even if you don’t believe in fairies, a beautiful garden full of fragrant flowers bursting with vibrant blooms feels enchanting--don’t you think? To my mind, fairies are more than tiny winged or magical creatures. They represent the idea that the natural world is brimming with wonders, wonders we miss while living our busy lives. But take the time to go deeper, and you'll find magic all around you. Fairies and flowers have long had a close association, as this poem by Robert Louis Stevenson beautifully illustrates: The Flowers
“All the names I know from nurse: Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse, Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock, And the Lady Hollyhock. Fairy places, fairy things, Fairy woods where the wild bee wings, Tiny trees for tiny dames-- These must all be fairy names! Tiny woods below whose boughs Shady fairies weave a house; Tiny tree-tops, rose or thyme, Where the braver fairies climb! Fair are grown-up people's trees, But the fairest woods are these; Where, if I were not so tall, I should live for good and all” Robert Louis Stevenson  Freshly baked mulberry muffins. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2023. There is simply nothing like harvesting your own food for tasty recipes! My backyard garden has become one grand experiment to see what I can grow and how to use the plants in homemade recipes. But I never even realized there was a berry tree in my yard (planted by previous owners) until a couple of years ago when the branches started hanging down low around the raised garden. It was then that I noticed the purple berry mess covering the ground. After investigating, I discovered that this “annoying” tree was mulberry!  Image by Nattapol Sritongcom on Adobe Stock. Succulents are generally some of the most hardy houseplants you can have in your home, but that doesn’t mean they are indestructible! Succulents are known for storing water in their leaves, allowing them to survive dry spells in their native habitat. That said, succulents can come from many natural habitats, and each plant might have slightly different needs. There are a few general rules to follow when caring for succulents to keep them alive and thriving. Below are a few ways you could potentially damage or even kill your precious plants! In a previous blog, I introduced you to seven houseplants that can tolerate a bit of neglect. In today’s blog, I will share seven MORE houseplants that can take a little abuse from an absent-minded or inexperienced plant parent.
Ready for more? Here we go… If you have a black thumb—or are just starting to wrap your head around buying houseplants for the first time—this blog is for you! Houseplants can be tricky, right? There’s a lot to take in—proper light, water needs, soil types, fertilizing, best trimming practices, propagating, pest control—but some plants are less fussy than others. Today, we’ll look at seven plant babies for beginners or people who want easy houseplants.  Do you have fabric lampshades that could use a good cleaning but are hesitant to try because you are afraid to damage the fabric? Today’s blog article offers a few tips for cleaning those dingy, dirty lampshades.
 Image by ajcabeza on Adobe Stock. What would you say if someone were to ask you to describe a fairy? Would you envision tiny winged humanlike beings small enough to fit in the palm of your hand? Sure...this is the image conjured up by the modern mainstream. If you look up the word fairy, you’ll find descriptive terms like diminutive, magical, feminine, imaginary, and supernatural.  Image by Yuliya on Adobe Stock I love the month of March for two reasons—spring and St. Paddy’s Day. Most years, I try to find some cerebral topic to write about for St. Paddy’s Day as a way to embrace my own Irish heritage respectfully…but this year, I thought we’d just have a little fun! No sense in taking ourselves too seriously, right? This year’s topic is fun facts about the little green men. No, not aliens…Leprechauns! What do you know about those little green goblins called leprechauns? Today, I thought I’d give you ten fun facts you can share at that St. Paddy’s Day party!  Faux roses and florals for new spring decor. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2023. I feel like I’m a little late to the party…It’s already March, and I’m only just now updating you on what’s on tap this year at DSD. I don’t know what happened to January and February…I guess they just got away from me! Honestly, I’ve been keeping my head down and staying busy. Quite a lot is happening, and a lot of projects are either in the works or are slated to get done within the next few months. My goal this year is to fill my online shop with beautiful items for you and pump out all new blog material about some of my (and your) favorite topics. This year I am full on embracing faux florals, fairy decor, and Celtic inspired art. If you like fairies, knotwork, castles, and nature inspired faux floral designs, you’re in for a treat!  Early spring vignette free from clutter. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Let me ask you a question…What is your favorite room in your home? Why do you love that space so much? Well, okay, that was two questions! But bear with me… Chances are you don’t even realize the effect lighting has on how you react to—and interact with—your favorite room. Is it a warm, cozy room with soft lighting? Is it a light and airy space with banks of windows that let in all that precious life-giving natural light? Light—or lack thereof—creates a mood in a space. It can make you feel content, invigorated, romantic, charged…or depressed. While exploring the natural lighting in my living spaces, I addressed the black hole called my dining room. This space receives so little direct natural light that growing live houseplants is impossible, and it occurred to me that spending time in this room made me feel depressed. A makeover was overdue, and lighting would be pivotal in bringing the space back to life. But that—as I found out—was only part of the equation. 
Ponytail palm soaking up the light in a southerly front window. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022.
Whether you are deciding on which types of houseplants to buy, trying to identify artificial light needs, or have concerns about fabric or artwork that may fade in direct sunlight, you will need to understand how the natural light interacts with your interior space. Consider this scenario… A couple of years ago, I got the “plant” bug and bought a bunch of houseplants from my local home improvement store. I loaded them into the back of my Jeep, transported them home, and merrily unloaded them straight into my living room. I plopped them here and there on tables and windowsills, thinking that my living room would get plenty of light. Then reality hit when some of them started dying. As it turns out, there’s not enough direct light in the space to keep some of the more fussy plants alive. That revelation started me on a quest to understand how much natural light each room in my home receives and when. So today, I thought I’d share some tips learned from this experience and my research into daylighting, which refers to using natural sunlight as passive lighting in an interior space. 
Fairy lights and table lamps accentuate floral decor. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022.
What do you think of when you think of winter? For most of us, the very mention of winter makes us shiver…but there are positive ways to approach the coldest season of the year. Over the past couple of years, I have researched a curious Danish lifestyle outlook called hygge. Winters up north are long, cold, and dark…and yet the population is said to be one of the happiest in the world! What a bunch of weirdos, right?! But they seem to have learned a trick to cope with the long winters indoors. At the heart of this whole “hygge” thing is the idea that your life is enriched by surrounding yourself with simple things that bring you joy. Embracing hygge in the home means choosing cozy decor that feels safe, warm, and inviting. |
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