The Saddest Day of The Year

December 27, 2017 By Linda 25 Comments

You know what the saddest day of the year is?

The day the Christmas tree comes down.

Or, in my case, trees plural. As in three.

And, yes, I know I’m still clinging to Christmas. And, yes, I know I need to move on …

but it’s so hard to do when all I see for the next three months is a vast, cold, windy, overcast winter.

With nary a twinkle light in sight. 😉

And this Christmas was an especially merry one. As I’ve shared before.

Oh, and the make this Christmas even more magical was the snow. On Christmas Eve day! Blanketing the city in white …

and making Christmas morning just that much more magical.

This is Christmas tree #3.

This the last tree to go up. Waited for someone to return from college.

This was the last tree to get decorated. I added the red balls and ribbon … and waited on college student and high school junior to add the assorted decorations. This happened the eve before Christmas eve.

This tree has no rhyme or reason. No theme. No color story. Just a mishmash of ornaments accumulated over the years. Some I bought early on before kids. Some the kids buy during their annual pilgrimage to the Kristkindlemarket with their aunt. Some given as stocking stuffers from Santa over the years.

And I’m not even counting all the ornaments that did not make their way onto the tree.

We all clearly have our favorites.

Molly has a strong kinship with this lady. And always reserves a branch so she will hang front and center.

Sam likes non-traditional ornaments. Non-traditional colors. Non-traditional Christmas themed …

like what is that?

He even loaded one side of the tree with his favorites so he that he can see them as he sits on his usual perch on the couch.

This one is my favorite.

I’m not yet ready for the saddest day of the year. So I’m holding out until 2018.

Because who wants to ring in the New Year without twinkle lights? 🙂

Happy Christmas & Merry Holidays

December 25, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

Merry merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate Christmas!

And happy happy holidays to those of you who don’t!

Celebrate Christmas, that is.

Or perhaps we should mix things up with a Happy Christmas and a Merry Holiday cheer this year? 🙂

Either way, I hope you are having a lovely holiday season filled with friends and family and love and joy.

And I write this as I await my now-grown-young-adult children to awake.

I love that they still want presents to open under the tree.

I love that they still want a coordinated time to wake and come down to open said presents.

I love that they still get excited about the prospect of Christmas morning.

I love that they still want to hold onto the magic of the day.

Ten o’clock AM Central Time is official present opening time here at casa Braden …

so I better run off and get things ready.

So, again, Happy Christmas! Or Merry Christmas! And Merry Holidays! Or Happy Holidays!

Just pick the one that sums you up best. 🙂

But no matter how you say it, I hope you all have a wonderful-love-filled-day!

Duck Tape Candle Holiday Centerpiece

December 19, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Duck Tape Candle Holiday Table Centerpiece – Silver & Gold Christmas Table.

I’m feeling extra merry this holiday season.

Super duper with an extra side of duper merry merry.

And it’s not forced merriment (which I’ve been guilty of in the past). Or self-induced merriment brought on with a huge diet of Christmas movies and music. Nope. This year it’s my heart-is-full-of-merriment merry.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on why this year is so extra merry for me?

Honestly, 2017 wasn’t exactly a merry year. (And, honestly, it’s not my unmerry story to tell). All I can say is the year started off troubled. Six months in things were headed for a very dark place. It wasn’t until the fall that things started to turn around.

So maybe it’s the fall turnaround that’s contributed to my extra merry this year?

Or maybe I’m extra merry because I didn’t put together a holiday home tour this year (spoiler alert: there won’t be one). And, as such, I didn’t participate in a blog hop holiday home tour this year.

Which took a huge-looming-pressure-filled deadline off my head …

and allowed me to decorate the house at my leisure.

Which I did. And which I truly enjoyed. With an extra side of merry.

To be honest, I skipped the whole holiday home tour because this year’s decorations look very much like last year. With a few exceptions. Like the dining room table …

dressed up in silver and gold.

The extra merry in me this year was hankering (and yes, I used the word hankering) for some glam. Some glitz. Some sparkle. And some bling.

Remember, you can take the girl out of Jersey but you can’t take the Jersey out of the girl. 🙂

So when a box filled with Duck Mirror® and Duck Texture® was delivered to my front door, I knew exactly what to do …

… to create a glitzy-glammy-sparkly-glimmery-blingy silver and gold Duck Tape Candle Holiday Centerpiece.

How To Make Duck Tape Candle Holiday Centerpiece

Start with Duck Tape Mirror and Duck Tape Texture. They come in fun and festive (and glam) colors of silver and gold and iridescent hues of blues and pinks too. Duck Tape Mirror is shiny and bright. And Duck Tape Texture added some much-needed bling to my holiday table.

Just roll it onto the candle ..

… like so …

… and so.

The best part? The Duck tape is sticky but not too sticky, so you can just unroll and adjust as needed.

For the tapers, I alternated Duck Tape Texture in gold bling …

with Duck Tape Mirror in silver that come in smaller rolls.

And just like that, I added some glam to my holiday table. And it only took a few minutes of my time!

Which makes me even merrier than before! 🙂

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For even more ideas on how to use Duck Mirror® and Duck Texture® in your holiday celebrations, Follow The Duck Brand on Instagram

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Let It Snow. Let It Snow. Let It Snow!

December 12, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

Christmas Outdoor Decorations with Garland and Red Bows.

It snowed.

It snowed!

Okay, it wasn’t some windfall inches upon inches of snow.

But it snowed!

Now, you may be wondering, “Why, Linda? Why are you so excited about snow? You live in Chicago, after all.”

To which I would respond, “Why, yes. Yes, I do live in Chicago. But you might be surprised to find out that snow on Christmas is pretty rare around here.”

In fact, I can’t remember the last Christmas we had that it snowed. Or even had a dusting of snow on the ground.

Let’s just say Christmas 2016 was a big disappointment. Snow wise.

And it wasn’t even that cold …

I did a little “Googling” and discovered the most frequent amount of snowfall recorded on Christmas is zero.

Yes, you read that right. Zero.

That happens 60% of the time.

We have 27% chance of trace amounts of snow. And another 27% of less than an inch.

The highest amount of snowfall recorded on Christmas occurred in 1950 when 5.1 inches fell.

That was 67 years ago!

And we only have a 2% chance of that happening again.

Sounds like the same kind of odds given to The Cubs winning the World Series. 🙂

So perhaps now you can understand why I get so excited when Chicago gets a little snowfall before Christmas.

Oh, and I’m hoping for that 2% Christmas day chance of snowfall in 2017. 🙂

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Board and Batten Entry Refresh

November 20, 2017 By Linda 8 Comments

Board and Batten Entry Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray – Entry Refresh with Paint.

I have a new litmus test for choosing a paint color.

It’s revolutionary.

It’s mind-bending.

It’s a true breakthrough in paint-color-choosing.

Truly. 😉

Are you ready for this revolutionary-mind-bending-breakthrough?

Are you?

Really?

Can you handle the truth?

Okay. Here goes …

My new revolutionary-mind-bending-breakthrough foolproof (to me) way to choose paint is …

Does the paint color make the blue painter’s tape look good? And fashionable? And, dare I say, a color you might actually entertain to feature in your home?

I mean, come on. Just look at this picture and tell me you wouldn’t entertain painter’s tape blue as an accent color …

Am I right?

(Update: I received some questions about the black and white floral drum shade pendant light fixture. I purchased it over five years ago and, honestly, don’t recall the retailer. However, after much Google searching found a somewhat similar light fixture on Amazon (click this affiliate link) that has the same shade but with crystals.)

Now I realize refreshing the entry by swapping out one gray for another may not seem all that revolutionary. Or mind bending.

But swapping out Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray for Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray has made a big, big difference.

The entry is just so much more brighter. And lighter. Especially after I also painted the chest in matte Dorian Gray paint as well (followed by a waxing and distressing and second coat of waxing).

If you don’t believe me, let’s do a little before and after. Before …

and after …

before …

and after …

Oh, and this is just the beginning. Of the refresh. That’s right, there will be more painting in 2018 …

🙂

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Decorating with Wreaths Indoors

November 15, 2017 By Linda 1 Comment

Decorating with Wreaths Indoors – Mini Wreaths on KitchenCabinets, Pictures, Mirrors.

In my teens and early 20’s I worked at a jewelry store. In the Paramus Park mall. It was fancy and sparkly and felt oh so glamorous …

especially after my short stint working in the food court at the very same mall. At a Greek fast food place where, at the innocent age of 16, I had my first #metoo moment.

But that’s a post for another day.

Today it’s all about the fancy and sparkly and glamorous … 🙂

Now, I never had much use for jewelry before I started working at a jewelry store. And then, suddenly, I couldn’t live without those gems!

Rubies and diamonds and sapphires, oh my.

During the down times (read: the 11 months of the year that did not contain Christmas) we would wile away our time trying on the jewels.

Rubies and diamonds and sapphires, oh my.

I think it’s fair to say that a quarter of each pay went back into my employer’s coffers. 😉

Funny how frequent exposure to something (like jewels) can turn you into a jewel fan.

So when I ventured into the blogging world (a venture that took place 40 years after I first stepped foot in that fancy and sparkly and glamorous jewelry store) all of sudden I couldn’t live without board and batten walls …

and burlap …

and painted & distressed furniture …

and white painted kitchen cabinets …

and mason jars …

and …

and …

you get the idea.

Without the influence of all those other bloggers in my new world, I would probably be sitting here on a red couch looking at my red painted wall surrounded by red and green and purple jewel-toned rugs and pillows.

However, there is one trend …

though, not sure I can call it a trend …

let’s call it an ‘idea’ …

and ‘idea’ I arrived at 100% my own. It’s an idea I arrived at during my first Christmas in this house. Twenty-two years ago …

… hanging mini faux pine wreaths on my kitchen cabinets.

I found those little wreaths 22 years ago at a store that no longer exists (I offer links to similar wreaths on this blog post and this blog post). And offer a quick tutorial on how I hung those wreaths on this blog post.

And since that time 22 years ago, I’ve also expanded on the mini wreath at Christmas theme an added some grapevine wreaths to the kitchen cabinets this fall (click here) …

Another idea I “added” to the blogging world …

though not sure I can claim to have added anything to the blog world, but I’ll pretend that somehow this contribution has taken off …

was adding wreaths on top of picture frames to dress them up for the season. Like with dollar store wreaths hung with neutral burlap ribbon for Christmas (click here) …

And dollar store faux pine wreaths hung with red & white ribbon (click here) …

And here’s Fall with grapevine wreaths and burlap ribbon (click here) …

and grapevine wreaths with blue & white striped ribbon for fall (click here).

Along the way, my mantra became “you can’t have too many wreaths.” So I added them my mirrors as well (click here for pom pom wreath) …

Click here for dollar store faux pine with red & white ribbon …

We can’t forget about fall, right? How about a faux cotton stem wreath on a mirror faux window frame (click here) …

And a grapevine wreath with fresh lavender tucked in for Spring (click here) smells heavenly …

And after I covered all the pictures and mirrors and cabinet doors with wreaths, I turned to chairs (click here) …

And click here ….

And last … but certainly not least … I made little pine wreaths for my Christmas countdown calendar last year. Click here for tutorial.

I hope you enjoyed my legacy to the blogging world. 🙂

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Decorating with Wreaths Indoors

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Neutral Gray, Greige, Jute Decor Ideas

November 9, 2017 By Linda 11 Comments

Neutral Gray, Greige, Jute Decor Ideas – Fall Family Room in Neutrals.

Much like our current president, it seems I derive inspiration from television. Though, there is a major difference in that my inspiration is merely used for innocuous blog posts. Instead of matters of national security or healthcare or tax reform.

Ah well.

So much for my political commentary. I typically reserve that for one of my politically-charged Twitter accounts.

But, unlike our current president, my inspiration for this post did not come from Fox & Friends or Hannity or Tucker Carlson. Instead, my television-fueled influence comes from Live with Kelly & Ryan.

I know, I know. Don’t judge.

But today’s Live with Kelly & Ryan TV-inspired blog post focuses on “Style Regrets.”

Where to start?

Certainly there are decor regrets. Like the bright yellow rag painted kitchen. To which I threw in red chili pepper accents.

Sigh.

And then there’s all the green. Why oh why did I buy into all that 90’s hunter green?

Sigh. Sigh.

And we can’t forget the floral couch. The Laura Ashley-inspired floral couch.

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

Then there are the fashion regrets.

Oh my.

I’m a product of the 70’s and 80’s, which means I have oh so many fashion regrets to choose from …

Let’s just say, unlike my very fashionable older sister, I was not that person who invested in classic pieces that could transcend time. Or even transcend a single season …

I would describe my teen and early 20’s style as “disposable” fashion. Things I could buy for dirt cheap knowing they would end up in the trash heap — or Salvation Army bin — at the end of the year.

Now, I wish I had more documentation to share of my teen and early 20’s fashion mishaps, but iPhones were still science fiction back then. Instead I have one quintessential moment to share. A moment that sums up my fashion faux pas in a single pose …

and a moment you’ll need to scroll to the end of this post to see (and don’t be fooled by the professional photography and photo retouching of the shot).

But today, let’s talk home style. In the family room.

I decided it was time to change up the family room style … starting with the rug.

This wonderful neutral 100% jute rug. A rug that comes in almost any size you could ever desire.

I opted for an 8′ square. And I ordered here from Wayfair (click here). I also found the very same rug for slightly cheaper on Amazon at this affiliate link (click here).

Then there are pillows. Again, like the neutral rug, I went for a neutral greige. And I ordered the fabric from this Etsy seller (click here).

And now I’m left to wonder in how many years will I regret these design choices? Two years? Five? Ten?

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

Oh, and here’s that promised fashion flashback (on this Throwback Thursday) in all it’s bad perm/Sun-In/mullet glory …

which also begs the question, “Why am I awkwardly lying on the ground?” 🙂

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Fall in the Kitchen

October 25, 2017 By Linda 4 Comments

Fall in the Kitchen – Neutral Kitchen Decor for Fall.

I’m going to TMI (too much information) you this morning.

Please accept my apologies.

Especially since TMI and pictures of the kitchen don’t really go hand-in-hand.

But … there is a point. I promise. However, to get to the point we must start with the TMI. So here goes …

I’m bladder challenged.

And now you see how this is a totally inappropriate topic to bring up during a kitchen blog post. But again …

patience people.

Now, I’d like to blame the whole bladder challenged thing on childbirth. But that would be unfair to my children.

Turns out — much like the Grinch’s heart is two sizes too small — so is my bladder. Or maybe it’s three sizes too small. Or four? All I know, my bladder is the size of pea.

Oh, I just got what I did there! Tee hee. Bathroom humor. Yes, I’m 12.

So me an my two-or-three-or-four-sizes-too-small bladder spend a lot of time visiting bathrooms. I map them out the moment I enter a store or restaurant. I know the best stops on the expressways and highways …

… come to think of it, I could probably put together a best/worst bathrooms guidebook. Or blog. 😉

Oh, and here’s where we get to the TMI bladder challenged point:

You see that fall flower arrangement up there? The one with the pretty reds and yellows and rusts with a splash of purple?

I can’t take credit.

I saw that very same arrangement in … you guessed it … a bathroom. The bathroom of my local grocery store, to be exact. And that red and yellow and rust with a touch of purple flower arrangement was styled in a mason jar.

I was inspired.

And lo and behold, I found the exact same arrangement at the grocery store florist.

So I scooped it up. Took it home. Put it in a mason jar. And declared my kitchen ready for fall!

I also added some mini grapevine wreaths to the cabinets (you can find these mini grapevine wreaths at this affiliate link on Amazon).

And tossed some mini white pumpkins into my two-tiered fruit basket to finish off the fall in the kitchen decor.

So, you see, sometimes my bladder challenge comes handy …

and serves as inspiration for seasonal decor!

With the lesson here being you can sometimes find inspiration in the most unusual of places. Like the bathroom. 🙂

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Fall Decor in Navy & White

October 20, 2017 By Linda 14 Comments

Fall Decor in Navy & White – Neutral Fall Decor Decorating Ideas.

See that chair up there? ^ The worn faux brown suede chair with a white furry pillow?

This one? (Again, up there ^).

Well that worn-faux-brown-suede-with-fuzzy-pillow chair is where the all the magic happens.

And no, not that kind of magic. Get your head out of the gutter people.

I’m talking about the blogging magic.

For six years I’ve parked my butt in that chair and worked on this blog.

For six years I’ve parked my butt in that chair and edited pictures.

For six years I’ve parked my butt in that chair and wrote blog posts.

For six years I’ve parked my butt in that chair and linked up blog posts to blog link parties.

For six years I’ve parked my butt in that worn-faux-brown-suede-with-fuzzy-pillow chair and answered your questions and responded to your comments.

Now keep in mind, there’s typically a laptop table pulled up to that worn-faux-brown-suede-with-fuzzy-pillow chair. With a laptop sitting atop.

And then there’s a power strip and wires. Lots and lots of wires and charges plugged into that strip.

And on that table beside the chair? That’s my makeshift desk where you’ll find pens and notebooks and pads and pieces of pad paper with scribbled notes of blogging brilliance. There’s also my coffee mug (typically filled with tea) and water bottles and my iPhone and …

and …

a lot of stuff.

Some might describe it as messy. 😉

On October 29, 2011 I hit publish for the very first time (click here for that very first post).

It was thrilling and exciting and frightening and mortifying all wrapped up in one.

When I first started the blog, I had this crazy idea I would publish a blog post 7-days-a-week. 365-days-a-year.

I even wrote a few posts before that first “publish” figuring I had a head start on this thing …

… and oh boy, was I wrong. So, so wrong.

Two-and-a-half weeks in I broke down in tears. The stress of a 7-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year publishing schedule was unreasonable.

Some might even describe it as insane.

And naive. 🙂

So I gave in and strove for 5-days-a-week. Then 4. Then 3.

And now?

Now I’ve removed the stress altogether. Now I blog when I love it. When I feel inspired.

And now I take unannounced breaks when I’m not loving it. Or inspired.

So much healthier for me. And hopefully a better blog reading experience for you!

So thank you to all of you have stuck around for six years. I appreciate your support … and patience.

Oh, and do you remember when the blog looked like this?

And for you newer blog readers, Welcome! For you, it’s almost like today is the first day I hit publish. 🙂

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Fall Table: White Pumpkins & Hydrangeas

October 18, 2017 By Linda 15 Comments

Fall Table: White Pumpkins & Hydrangeas – Holiday Table Setting Ideas.

I hate my house.

There, I said it.

I realize it’s a bold thing to say when I blog about my house.

And ironic.

So let’s be clear: while I hate my house I don’t hate my home. The distinction being this place … this structure … holds so many memories I’ll forever cherish.

And this place … this structure … holds so many fun (and challenging) DIY projects I tackled and documented here.

But this place … this structure …

… this shell that houses all those memories? That’s what I no longer love.

You could say I’m ready to shed this place …

this structure …

this shell of a house.

Now, I didn’t always hate this house. In fact there were many years where my heart had nothing but love and adoration for this structure.

From the moment we first met, it was love at first sight. I knew it was the one for me.

For us.

And over the years, we’ve painted and decorated and painted and decorated again as we’ve grown as a family and made those memorable memories.

We even added space on the back to accommodate our growing family.

But sometime over the last five years or so, I’ve soured.

Mostly because we’re at the point where big changes need to be made. Big, expensive gut changes to bathrooms and kitchens and basements. Oh, and there are big, expensive things that are pushing the limits of their warranties (like roof shingles and appliances and heating/cooling systems).

In a normal real estate market, we would make those investments and see returns when we sell …

… but we don’t live in a normal real estate market. In my Chicago neighborhood, my house is a tear down.

And it’s not a tear down because it’s a horrible home. It’s a tear down because this market can bear a much larger, much more expensive home. Something in the $1.2 – $1.5 million range.

And to get that $1.2-$1.5 price tag, it’s so much easier to tear down and build anew. I’ve watched it happen time and time again …

In fact, there are two such projects happening on my stretch of block as I type this.

So any big investments we might make (kitchen, bathroom, roof) will net nothing.

Nada. Zero. Zilch.

Our home’s value is not in the structure. But in the land upon which it sits.

So here we live. Biding our time. Painting walls and buying new rugs to refresh our homes interior as we wait …

and wait …

and wait. All the while hoping the next big storm doesn’t blow off the roof shingles. And holding our breath as we turn on the heat for the first time each Fall …

and the A/C each Spring.

But when finally do move (hopefully sometime in the next 4-5 years), there is one house love I’ll miss most …

the screen porch.

It was a top reason we feel in love with this house. And continues to one of the top things we love about this house. 🙂

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Fall Dining Room Decor 2017

October 10, 2017 By Linda 8 Comments

Fall Dining Room Decor – Neutral Decor for Fall.

Is it really fair to call this “fall dining room decor” if I exerted the minimum amount of effort that I could?

Is it fair to call it “fall dining room decor” if I dug a few faux pumpkins and faux acorns and threw them in the bowls on the dining room radiator cover …

Including this cutest ever mini grapevine pumpkin I found at JoAnn’s?

P.S. I also found some mini grapevine pumpkins on Amazon for you. Just click here on this (affiliate) link.

Is it fair to call it “fall dining room decor” if I just added a few faux white pumpkins to the table and called it a day?

Is it fair to call if “fall dining room decor” if I added a few mini grapevine twig wreaths to the backs of the chairs?

Okay, this one might be fair to call “fall dining room decor” …

… because some “effort” was extended to tie them up with a bit of burlap ribbon. 🙂

Whether it’s fair to call if “fall dining room decor,” this year I kept it simple. Natural. Easy.

Navy and white and natural …

for Fall. 🙂

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Falling for Fall Candles

September 19, 2017 By Linda 2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candle but all opinions are my own.

Brace yourselves people …

I’m going to equate each season of the year with a sense. Not scent. Sense. Human sense like taste, touch, smell, etc.

I know, crazy.

And yes, I do realize we have five senses vs. four seasons. But in the spirit of Tim Gunn, “I’ll make it work.”

Let’s start with winter. Which I’m assigning taste. I mean, there are Christmas dinners and candy canes and homemade cookies. Not to mention Valentine’s Day chocolates, Super Bowl party fare and St. Patty’s day corned beef and cabbage to consume. It’s a season of tasty morsels …

and expanding waistlines. 😉

Which brings us to Spring. And sight.

Yes, there will be the sight of what we look like after winter sweaters come off and we get to see the months of tasty morsel damage. But there’s also the sight of rejuvenation and growth as flowers burst through the soil and foliage returns to the trees. A true sight to behold.

Summer is all about touch. The touch of the sun on our skin. The touch and feel of sand between our toes. The cooling touch on our skin when we jump in the water.

But Summer is also about hearing. Throwing open the windows to the sounds of children playing and birds calling and cicadas cicada’ing. Not to mention waves crashing.

And then there’s fall …

and smell.

The sweet, delicious, decadent smells of fall. It’s all about the pumpkin and cinnamon and chestnut and spice.

Can you smell it?

I can.

Well, I can smell it because Chesapeake Bay Candle sent me their Heritage Collection of fall scents to sample.

And smell.

But before we talk smell can we talk packaging?

I’m inspired by the clean, rustic, modern simplicity of the design: frosted glass, wood lids and twine loop pulls. I especially love that each soy blend candle is natural in color and the frosted glass jars they’re housed in are reminiscent of ocean glass. Overall, a perfect fit with my coastal-inspired home design style … from a company that gets it’s inspiration from Maryland’s idyllic shoreline.

Like I said, a perfect fit … 🙂

Okay, let’s move on to smell.

Oh the delicious smells!

This Cinnamon Spice small jar (retailing for $15) offers a nostalgic scent of rich cinnamon spice intertwined with fresh notes of eucalyptus. Distinctive vanilla, bay leaf, and warm nutmeg mingle with sugar clove and cinnamon bark.

And you can enjoy that delicious cinnamon-spice-vanilla-bay-leaf-warm-nutmeg-sugar-clove smell for a 20-hour burn time.

Then there’s the three-wick Chestnut & Acorn Coffee Table Jar Candle which retails for $25 and can burn for 34 hours.

The fragrance is an earthy, chestnut nutty aroma with rich vanilla notes. The smells of a stroll through the park on a crisp fall day.

And it looks (and smells) perfect on my living room coffee table!

The Pumpkin Latte Large Jar Candle ($25 retail price) did not disappoint with notes of brown sugar, maple and creamy vanilla.

And, of course, pumpkin. And spice.

Seriously, this is Thanksgiving in a jar.

The Vanilla Biscotti Double Wick Tin Candle ($15) was claimed by my daughter before I even had a chance to light those double wicks.

The fragrance is a creamy vanilla with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and toasted almonds …

… with a dash of nutmeg.

It smells like freshly baked cookies. Yum!

The best part: the Vanilla Biscotti candle, in its stylish galvanized steel tin, offers 20 hours of burn time. So while my daughter’s room may look a mess, it won’t smell that way …

well, at least for 20 hours or so it won’t. 😉

Finally, the Balsam Fir Large Jar Candle ($25) is the perfect segue from fall to winter with its scent of evergreen pine, fresh balsam, and spiced pomander.

This candle’s hints of clove, amber, and spearmint will inspire you to start making your list …

… and checking it twice. 🙂

You can find out more about Chesapeake Bay Candle here and the Chesapeake Bay Candle Heritage Collection here

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