Amy Currioman

When we moved into this house I learned quickly that if I wanted to replace a kitchen appliance that I could get quick approval from my hubby as long as it was shiny stainless steel.  Or at least LOOKED like shiny stainless steel.  He likes lots of chrome on his vehicles, and I guess that he thinks that stainless steel is the closest he can get to that chrome look in the house.  So we have a lot of stainless steel in the house now, because I wanted new appliances!  I really didn’t care as long as they were new and got the job done!

So now I try to find some other stainless steel kitchen accessories to complement the decorating theme. I’ve found quite a few stainless steel decorative items that would go well in the kitchen and dining area of the house. I was really surprised when I found some pretty Bloomus stainless steel Christmas ornaments online. I had never seen any ornaments that unique before!

Have you ever been to Hawaii?  I have, many years ago on a wonderful two week vacation.  We stayed in a condo on the island of Kauai.  We spent a little bit of time on Hawaii itself, but I fell in love with Kauai.  I’d love to live there!  The only drawback would be that I would be so far away from family members that I dearly love!  But then again, maybe they’d come to visit me there and I’d see more of them then I do now!  When I see a Hawaii Design website, it re-instills in me fond memories of my vacation, and rekindles my desire to move there!  Maybe I should change the theme of my blog to a tropical theme!

Over the years I have noticed how much a scent can influence a mood.  There have been times when I worked in a very stressful environment and I burned some wonderful eucalyptus candles on my desk and the scent seemed to calm down everyone who could smell it.  I love to open my dresser drawers and smell the faint perfume of the drawer sachets that my grandmother gave to me many years ago. I marvel at how long the fragrance has lasted; it has been years and years.

Recently I discovered how to use a reed diffuser to have fragrance drift throughout my home without having to burn incense or candles. I think that is wonderful and I plan to order some from Sabon.com to send to my dear mother-in-law to use in her home. She can’t burn candles or incense because she is on oxygen 24/7. She will be thrilled to be able to use these home fragrance methods these to freshen up her home!

I found the reed diffusers on the website while I was browsing around looking to see what items they sell.  My sister told me about the website when I complimented her on how great she smells when I saw her last weekend.  She said it was a Vanilla Coconut body scrub product that she got for a Christmas present that was bought at Sabon.com.  So naturally I have to buy some for myself!  I love that scent!

A few days ago I was shopping at my local fabric store. I was looking for some beaded fringe. I couldn’t find what I wanted anywhere! Well, I had a little time to kill, so I decided to just “window shop” and browse around and see what kinds of “neat” things they might sell there that I didn’t know about. Just in case I had a need later on down the road, I might know where to buy it!

Well, one of the things that caught my attention was bra cups that you can buy to sew inside shirts, dresses, etc. so you wouldn’t have a wear a “real” bra. I also so some adhesive bra cups that claim to be adhesive and reusable. The theory behind these is that you can adhere them to the garment, or to your body, remove them and then wash them and be able to use them again. I wondered how the adhesive managed to stay “good.” So I picked up a package of them and started to read the box. I was amazed to see the statement on the package “this product is known to cause cancer in California.” I had to wonder WHY they were being sold anywhere if they are known to cause cancer in California. I mean after all, common sense would dictate that if they cause cancer in California, they probably cause cancer in every state, in every country! Seems to me that this product should not be sold anywhere!

I really enjoy watching the kinds of television shows where interior decorators get the opportunity to redecorate someone’s home.  I sure wish I had their talent!  My home is decorated “eclectic style” which many people refer to as “thrift store decorating” or “early marriage decorating!”  It is a mixture of family hand-me-downs and lawn sale and thrift store finds.  Yes, there are SOME pieces that were actually bought brand spanking new, but not very many of them!  What can I say, money is tight, and when someone offers me a family heirloom I have a hard time saying no.  I’m very sentimental, and those pieces have fond memories in them!

One of the things that I find so fascinating about those decorating shows is how so many interior decorators can take contemporary furniture pieces such as platform beds and make the places feel warm and inviting.  I’ve always turned my nose up at those types of furniture because I have always associated traditional types of furniture to be that way.  Probably it’s all in what you grew up in.  If I had grown up in a home that was decorated with the modern styles I would feel them to be warm and inviting too!