Love is in the air and if you aren't feeling the love when you look around at your decor, it's time to take action.

If you've been a reader of my newsletter for any length of time you know that I am all about using what you have first before thinking about buying new things. However, you may feel the need to start over with a completely fresh look-new furniture, new colors, new style. Before you take that leap, consider the benefits of "dating" your proposed new look by adding elements of the style or color that are inexpensive and/ or timeless. There are many ways to incorporate these pieces into your current style that will give it a fresh and seamless feel without totally committing to the new style.

If the trial is successful then you can move on to more permanent and substantial investments (the getting engaged stage) such as case goods or upholstery. Making these changes with a deliberate and progressive plan are more budget friendly since they allow you to pace yourself to take advantage of sales. It also g?ves you a chance to adjust your tastes as you progress through the redesign and redecorating process.

The good news for many people is that the first step of adding a few carefully selected accessories or other relatively quick and inexpensive changes is all that is needed to fall in love with their rooms all over again!

Do you need a Decorating Cupid? Call or email me!

Love the LOVE pillow? Click on the link below...

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? It's a fun way to banish Winter Blahs and doesn't have to be as involved as other holiday decorating. Let your creativity and ingenuity flow while following just a few guidelines.

What says LOVE to you? Think of fresh ways to use these images that may be playful and fun, alluring, romantic or dramatic. The key is to remain true to your style while keeping your room's decor in mind.

Shop your home for props and decorations. Favorite photos can be used in various ways and may work better in different, not necessarily new, frames. Memorabilia can be assembled in a collage under g?ass on a table or a tray. A heart shaped candy box can be turned into a small padded display piece for photos, trinkets and keepsakes. Prop it up with a plate stand and use it as a backdrop for a display of sweets.

The romantic spa is a classic for Valentines Day and can be as simple as a tray of indulgent bath accessories or baskets of little luxuries. Then there is the full out display of decorative containers of bath salts and pearls, shower gels, perfumed creams and lotions, thick, fluffy towels and bathrobes, sparkling juice or champagne flutes, candles, flowers and music.

This is a temporary display so don't overlook containers that you wouldn't ordinarily use in the bathroom.

Glass vases such as the ones discussed last month can be repurposed to display bath salts. Tie with ribbon to coordinate with your bathroom colors or go with a traditional red or white. You might want to frost plain glass containers to give them a more decorative or coordinated look or a matte finish to eliminate fingerprints and make them more easy to keep clean. For instructions on this technique click here

Smaller framed mirrors can stand in as trays to hold candles or beverages. Take care to protect them from spills and don't use if the bathroom has moisture control problems.

Look through your home for decorative boxes and containers that can be used as is or embellished to further your theme or mood. Craft stores have simple solid colored cardboard boxes that can be used now and later for gift or storage boxes.

Along this same theme, I have to tell you about a project I'll be doing with a friend for her children. They won't be reading this so it is safe to mention it. When flipping through a catalog with her girls they saw a cascade of hearts on a plastic sheet that is meant to be attached to a ceiling and they loved it. It's pictured above. They wanted to cover their bedroom ceiling with sheets of it but she talked them out of it, thinking she might do something with it as a surprise. She called me and we brainstormed about possibilities and options using it since there isn't any way of knowing what it will really look like until it's received.

So...with any luck, her girls will wake up to find it raining hearts and love in their shower on Valentines Day. Photos may follow.

If you are interested in it, the link is below:

This Valentine's Day, have a little fun with Love Struck Glitter Tickets. With sayings such as Special Event, Be Mine and Kiss Me, they can be a fun and flirty gift for that someone special, whimsical decorations for a party table, favors for a dinner or brunch, or temporary embellishments for mirrors, picture frames, and more.

They are available for $3.99 for a package of 8. For more information and pricing for multiple packages, please click on the link below.

For an alternative to these that you can make on your computer, read Printable Tickets below.

Furniture placement can make or break the look, feel and use of a room. Many problems can be avoided by following these basic principles:

Form follows function. Every room should have at least one purpose or function. Choose the function that fits your current needs and plan your furnishings and arrangement of them to support the function.

Don't fight the architecture of a room. If the room has interesting details like moldings, nooks and built-ins, play them up. If there are strange juts, angles and oddly placed doors and windows, work with them to create configurations that are pleasing and original.

Measure, Measure, Measure. Furniture can appear deceptively smaller in a showroom. Though a piece may fit in your room, will it fit through your door, up or downstairs, or through a hallway? Can it be used or placed in more than one way? Will it create a road block in the room or a barrier upon entering the room? Sectionals and over- stuffed sofas are the usual suspects but chairs and console tables can create barriers, too.

Build a balanced room. Balance comes from the size and perceived "weight" of a furniture piece. Shape, color, fabric, pattern, and texture can add or subtract from this. Keep in mind the effect that a bold pattern or color may have in the room and in the relationship to other pieces in the room.

Allow for movement through a room. Entering and leaving a room should be effortless as well as getting to seating or moving past others in the room. If this sounds funny, think of a time when you practically had to crawl over someone to leave a "conversation area" and you'll get the idea of what not to do.

If you like the Glitter Love Tickets mentioned above, Avery has a free template to print your own tickets on blank business card sheets. You'll get 10 cards to a sheet.

They also have Date Night tickets and customizable candy bar wrappers. Click below to see all of the selections.

Colors come and go and guess what color is back? Turquoise! Pantone has picked their Turquoise #15- 5519 as the perfect hue for the year.

It's a color that appeals to men and women, is easy to live with and can be used as both an accent color to liven up earth tones and as a soothing, almost neutral to more vibrant colors.

Look to nature for possible color palettes if you are thinking about incorporating the color into your home. Think of beach scenes with blue skies, turquoise waters and golden sands. Think of a Sedona, Arizona evening sky against terracotta mountains. For a fresh look, use those colors without using those themes.

If you want to introduce the color without revamping your color scheme, try small accents in your table settings, trims on decorative pillows that include a touch of turquoise and small framed art pieces tucked into bookcases or as part of a table top arrangement.

Watch for more decorative accessories using turquoise to begin appearing in stores. As mentioned above, choose carefully. More selections will arrive throughout the year and part of the fun is waiting to finding the perfect piece.

Your surroundings affect your mood, your productivity and the way you interact with others. Is your home a welcoming place to you, your family and guests? Is it a place of sanctuary? Does it reflect your tastes and your lifestyle?

Join me at The Mosaic Weekend for my session, Change Your Room~Change Your Life! and learn secrets to creating inviting, stylish and functional spaces that can enhance the quality of your life using furnishings and accessories that already exist in your home.

Experience your AHA! moment as I reveal the 12 Most Common Decorating Mistakes and how to correct them. Be inspired to Change Your Room and Change Your Life!

The Mosaic Weekend will be held March 6th and 7th at The Woods Resort in Hedgesville, West Virginia, less than 2 hours from Baltimore and Washington.

Banish any signs of Cabin Fever and be Refreshed and Rejuvenated during a weekend escape. Pamper yourself at the resort's Spa. Round up your friends and come join me for an early Spring Break. For more information on activities, Spa information and classes, please click on the link below. Hope to see you there!