Gone is the glitter and warmth of the holidays, gone are the evenings sitting by the glow of the Christmas tree. When it’s time to put away the stockings, the funny Christmas sweaters, the little Christmas trinkets that you get out every year. When the advent calendars are empty and completed, and the countdown to Christmas has finished. When you take down the garland on the stair railing, sweep up the last of the pine needles from the Christmas tree, and tuck away your sprig of mistletoe for next year. Gone is the magic, the candle-lit coziness, the familiarity of home during the holidays.
The weeks following Christmas always feel a little empty to me. In a matter of 24 hours, the whole build-up to Christmas morning is just suddenly over, and it feels strange to keep the remnants of the holiday still lying around. We all have our set habits and traditions for when all our Christmas decor “has” to be packed up and put away, but whether you're a day after or a week after, it still feels empty.
All of a sudden, you can’t remember what used to fill the spaces where your favorite holiday decorations have lived for the last month. What did I used to have on this table? Was this shelf really this bare before? The house seems so dark without all the little twinkly lights. It feels like the rug was pulled out from under your feet, in a way.
Let’s take this opportunity of newfound emptiness to start fresh. It’s a great time to reset and take a good look at what we surround ourselves with and make some good changes. This year, I packed up all my Christmas décor and then took my time walking around my house with a trash bag and a “donate” box, ruthlessly going through every drawer, closet, cabinet, nook and cranny to remove some of the clutter that’s built up over the holiday season (and the last year, frankly).I was left with a pretty good starting point to do some reorganizing of the things I want to keep, the things that add value to my life and my home. This inspired me to take a good, hard look at my house, reevaluating my current use of each space and making changes to turn it into something more functional and less cluttered.
What better time than a new year to start with a fresh, clean slate in our homes? The holidays really do invite us to accumulate, collect and gather things around us. These activities serve a purpose and can bring us such joy, but ultimately there comes a time to let things go when new things come in.
I put together a list of a few ways we can simplify our lives and start fresh this new year! Let’s take advantage of the “empty” spaces we’ve created in the wake of the holidays and make something beautiful out of it!
Step back, take a look at your home. It should feel lighter, less cluttered; in a way, it’s a brand new space. Now it’s time to add back in some cozy, homey changes to make the remaining winter months something to enjoy!
It's a new year. Time to leave behind the weight of the last year and look forward with renewed focus and energy.
What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet.
Autumn snuck up on me this year. Despite it being my favorite season, it arrived and I found myself quite unprepared. This summer was a strange one in the PNW, and I felt as if I was so busy racing from one thing to the next that I hardly noticed nature’s subtle cues that fall was coming.
Somehow the leaves began to change, already a little crispy around the edges from the record-breaking heat waves of the summer, and have found themselves letting go of their branches to flutter down into my driveway. Somehow the grass started growing a little slower, requiring me to fire up the lawn mower just a little less often. Somehow the sun started going down a little earlier, casting it’s golden shadows over my cozy porch at dinner time rather than at bedtime. Somehow I found myself grabbing a sweater to wear in the mornings while I sip coffee on the patio while the dogs play. Somehow the birds are gathering and traveling south to warmer places, and little splashes of snow are arriving on the mountains that surround my little town. All of a sudden, it’s the end of September and I somehow feel rushed to enjoy this, my favorite time of year.
Coming off of the fast pace of the summer has made me feel like I need to just dive right into all the fall activities so that I don’t miss out. I’ve been churning out baked goods like I’m Franz Bakery, with about 7 fall candles lit in my home at once so that I don’t miss the chance to enjoy their fragrance. I’ve been going through about 3 outfit changes per day so that I get the chance to wear all my favorite sweaters before it’s so cold that I have to throw a winter coat over them. I’m rushing to set aside a day for my fall planting before it’s too late. But…maybe I’m missing the point of this season.
Autumn arrives when she feels like it’s time. Autumn lets summer fade out before truly announcing herself, as if she’s afraid to step on the toes of those last few sunbaked days. Autumn gently stirs the sleeping home-makers in all of us, as if we received a group subliminal message to pull on our sweaters, bake some pumpkin bread and swap out the hand towels for the ones with leaves on them. Autumn ripens the apple trees, weighs down the blackberry vines with sweet berries, and urges the fields of wheat to transform into amber waves of grain. Autumn crisps the morning air, kisses our cheeks with cooler temperatures and enchants us with dreamy golden-glow evenings. Autumn quietly whispers to the leaves that it’s time to let go.
This season, Autumn is teaching me that I have been carrying too much. I’ve been hurrying to complete the “to-do” list, racing through each day always geared towards preparing for the next. Autumn is showing me that I can slow down, that I can set down the heavy load I’ve been carrying, and take the time to let go of the things that are no longer serving me. Just like the trees, I too can shed a layer and no longer expend energy on keeping dead things alive. This is my season for making room to grow.
This fall is serving as my reminder to learn from this busy year of living, to harvest the fruits of my labors, and slow down to savor the hard work I’ve done. This is a time of transformation, and Autumn is showing me how best to do this, that growth and progress cannot be rushed.
I’m clearing out the clutter, removing the things in my home, life, and thoughts that no longer are serving me. It’s painful to let go sometimes, but the end result is clarity, peace and a simpler, fuller life. Sometimes change is the only way forward.
]]>co·zy
/ˈkōzē/
giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation.
hom·ey
/ˈhōmē/
(of a place or surroundings) pleasantly comfortable and cozy.
When we think of a “cozy home,” it’s easy to think of a snuggly, warm home on a fall or winter day. But then...the heat of the summer, sweaty evenings, sunburnt cheeks…. These things don’t exactly invite a stereotypical “cozy” feeling, per se.
Let’s change how we think of experiencing true coziness. Coziness can be found anywhere, anytime. Even in the summer.
Cozy is that feeling you get when you kick back and relax, take in your surroundings, take a deep breath, and smile. The warm breeze on your face, laughing voices of family and friends around you, the smell of the barbecue, that carefree feeling of long summer evenings, watching the sky fade to pink. Cozy is wherever you feel at ease. It doesn’t just have to be a warm blanket by a fire on a cool fall night. It can be floating in the pool with a cool drink in your hand. It can be ice cream dripping down your arm. It can be setting up a picnic at an outdoor music festival. It can be relaxing on a towel listening to the waves crash on the beach. It can be the warm scent of summer flowers floating on the breeze as you watch the kids play in the sprinkler.
Think of the things you do that make you feel relaxed. In those moments, you are creating coziness around you. You’re already there.
Invite summer repose and coziness into your life with our signature summer scents. We bottled up the essence of summer relaxation and created 4 candles to help you curate the perfect summer mood. You can find our Beach Day, Citronella, Gardenia, and Pina Colada in 9 oz candles or wax melts (coming soon!) at cozyhomecocandles.com today!
-with love, Cozy Home Co.
images by businessandpleasureco.com
]]>photos from left to right: Silos Baking Co. by BH, Silos by BH.
Every little detail about this place is perfect. Taking up one large square block near downtown Waco, you can find every inch simply packed with beautifully crafted home goods, mouth-watering southern comfort foods, lush gardens and turf lawns, creatively designed seating areas and even a small baseball diamond! Chip and Joanna clearly poured their hearts and souls into this place and have created such a beautiful and unique gem in the heart of small town Texas that is absolutely worth a road trip or a dedicated day or two to take it all in.
photos from left to right: outside Silos Baking Co. by BH, outside Shops at Magnolia by BH.
There were several instances, touring this beautiful place, when I was rendered speechless. I was overwhelmed with how many thoughtfully designed corners and impeccably placed merchandising there are in one block! I’m sure Joanna is behind all of the absolute genius marketing strategies employed in each and every store. There is just so much to take in!
photo: Magnolia.com
The Magnolia block contains:
photos from left to right: Magnolia Lawn by BH, Magnolia food trucks by BH, Silos Baking Co. by BH.
What Magnolia has created is a perfect smorgasbord of home design inspiration to fit everyone’s tastes. There’s something there for everyone! I was lucky enough to arrive shortly after the “Shops at the Silos” were newly opened, but I didn’t realize how new they were so I regretfully did not take many photos inside each one. I found photos on Magnolia’s website to share here with you instead.
There are six shops, each with it’s own unique set of items:
As I was taking it all in, I started to pick up on a few décor ideas and trends that I have seen working their way into our Pinterest home inspiration boards. I’ve noticed that today’s home décor is trending towards somewhat of a mix of Mid-Century modern and industrial, with small hints of farmhouse still lingering behind to soften the harsh edges of the sleek modern vibe. To achieve this look in your house might seem daunting, but I found some great examples of four basic elements that can help transform what you already have into your own inspirational home.
Texture
I know that to say “use texture!” sounds quite vague, but I’ll provide some examples. When we talk about texture in home décor, we are referring to chunky blankets and thickly woven rugs with various kinds of yarn/jute/fabric/thread. We are talking about pillows with designs that stand out rather than being printed on. We are talking about tassels on the end of a table runner, faux fur pillows layered with crushed velvet or leather pillows, wall hangings that contain things usually not hung on walls. To put it simply: combining and layering elements of different materials to create dimension and substance. Don’t be afraid to use many different fabrics, wood colors, and contrasting tones. All of these things, when layered together just right, create texture. My favorite example of unique texture was several wall hangings made of small cut sections of chunky rugs, framed and hung!
photos from left to right: Magnolia Market by BH, Magnolia Home by BH, Magnolia Home by BH, Magnolia Home by BH.
Cement
It surprised me how drawn I was to the use of cement when designing a room! I never thought of the versatility of cement crafting and all the ways it can be used other than in a driveway or in the foundation of a home. Cement can be used to make vases, coasters, planters, plate chargers, even table tops and counters! Cement brings a unique texture and coolness to a room that is unexpected. Some items are so beautifully crafted that you can't even be sure they are made out of cement until you touch them! It closely rivals the beauty, texture and earthy-ness of terra-cotta, which is one my favorite earthenware products.
photos from left to right: cement charger by Magnolia.com, Seed & Supply by BH, Magnolia Home by BH, Magnolia Market by BH.
Greenery
The use of greenery in home design is certainly a no-brainer. A simple pop of nature is the perfect finishing touch to your carefully designed room. House plants (or faux ones, like I use, mostly) bring life to the room, help freshen the air, and can fill holes unlike any other décor item can. I always aim to have at least one piece of greenery in each room, whether it be real OR fake, and it will match any and every décor style. Greenery is extremely versatile and can complement any theme and room type.
photos from left to right: Magnolia Market by BH, Magnolia Home by BH.
Natural wood
Out with the heavily stained and painted wood furniture and in with furniture made of wood that remains its nature-given hue! It may seem daunting to try to find pieces that all match, but that’s the beauty of natural wood: each piece is unique and they almost always complement each other when used in conjunction! Barn-wood, bleached wood, teak, mango wood, and birch are all gorgeous wood when used in their natural state. Joanna often uses many different types of natural wood in one room, balanced by the cold industrial black metal and stone and accentuated by soft textiles. Below are some examples of some natural wood items I found at Magnolia. I even snagged one of the mango-wood vases and I’m so excited to find a beautiful spot for it in my home!
photos from left to right: Mango wood vases by Magnolia.com, Magnolia Home by BH, Magnolia Market by cutertudor.com, Magnolia Market by BH
On your trip, don't forget to stop by The Little Shop on Bosque, Joanna's very first store she opened in 2003! Getting to tour the Magnolia market and Silos was like a dream come true. I learned so much from all the things I saw, and I hope I can help inspire you as well to build the Cozy Home of your dreams!
photo: Little Shop on Bosque by BH.
]]>