It’s Fall Y’all!

Hi There, Design Aficionados!

As previously stated here in the blog, the COTY, or Color of the Year, is something I look forward to every year. I absolutely love to see how the experts believe color will influence the market. And Benjamin Moore did not disappoint me either.

You can read more about the COTY here.

Now I want to dive into the colors of fall!

For the past year, I have been putting blood sweat, and tears, into an early 1900s that needed a lot of love. With the weather beginning to turn to fall and winter, it was time to finish up the exterior of our little home.

Building the Color Palette

Brick homes are regal yet inviting at the same time. To me, a terracotta brick home is particularly beautiful. All over small Midwest towns, you will see the same color scheme and style. The fascia and soffit, the gutter detailings, are a dark bronze. And the window trim is cream. This is the foundation for the color palette.

Creating the feeling of Fall

These colors make me think of fall, and have me looking for other ways to create the feeling within our home. Here are just a few touches I add…

Gather Worthy Recipes

A slow-simmered soup especially as the weather turns colder is a universal craving.

Goulash Soup Recipe
Serve this soup with a loaf of home-baked bread, salad, and apple crisp.

• Ingredients:

  2 medium size onions

  2 cloves garlic

  1 1/2 pounds boneless beef stew meat

  1/4 c. oil

  2 T. paprika

  2 t. salt

  1/4 t. pepper

  2 T. flour

  6 1/2 cups hot beef bone broth

  1/3 cup red wine vinegar

  1 bay leaf

  2 medium sized potatoes

  2 medium sized carrots

  2 medium sized zucchini

  1/4 c. tomato paste

  2 t. Worcestershire sauce

  Sour Cream

• Directions:

  Step 1

  Coarsely chop onion, and mince garlic. With a sharp knife, trim excess fat from meat. Cut into 1″ cubes.

  Step 2

  In a six-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onion for about 5 minutes on low or until tender.

  Step 3

  Add beef cubes to the sauteed onion / garlic mixture, and brown over high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. (Be sure to use high heat–met will brown, and moisture evaporate more quickly.)

  Step 4

  Stir in paprika, salt and pepper. Slowly sprinkle flour over beef mixture; stir rapidly until its well blended.

  Step 5

  Gradually stir in hot beef broth, then vinegar. Add bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently (it should thicken slightly) Lower heat, cover Dutch oven, and simmer abut 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.

  Step 6

  At some point before simmering time is up, prepare vegetables. First, peel potatoes and carrots. Cut carrots, potatoes and zucchini into 1/4″ slices and cube.

  Step 7

  When beef has simmered for about 1 1/2 hours, stir together beef broth, tomato paste,and Worcestershire sauce. Add to beef mixture, along with potatoes and carrots. Cover; simmer for 15 minutes. Add zucchini; continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are done.

  Garnish

  Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream. Makes 6 hearty servings.

Add Pleasing Aromas

doTERRA Balance is a grounding blend and offers a tranquil aroma suggesting harmony to the mind and body and balance to the emotions. The warm woody aroma creates a refreshing environment. It blends wood, frankincense, blue tansy, and blue chamomile with fractionated coconut oil to offer an enticing fragrance.

• Adds to a relaxing massage

• Creates a calming atmosphere

• Provides a tranquil aroma when adding 3-4 drops to your diffuser

I love using my diffuser to fill the air I’m working in. It makes me smile.

Grab a good book to curl up with!

I was gifted book recently. One that I was curious about for a while now. Being a woman of a certain age I have had issues that I hadn’t found the all the solutions. I’m so glad to have caring people who share solutions they have found to work for them. “You Still Got it, Girl” by Debra Atkinson. She describes her book as, “The first book that addresses how to exercise and eat for your hormones. It isn’t calories that control your weight, it’s your hormones…”

Each chapter tackles a subject, like diet, exercise, sleep, etc. and gives you a plan to implement so that you can be the healthiest you, even into our 50’s. I’ve personally implemented quite a few of these tips but there’s a few more I need to master. I hope you find this information helpful too. Debra sells her paperback book on Amazon and on her website, flippingfifty.com

Define Your Design Style

Defining your foundational design style is one of the first building blocks to creating your dream home. A home that you are comfortable in. That serves you. A home that supports your flourishing. Getting these first building blocks in place can be a daunting task. There are so many choices.

If you find yourself scrolling thru social media and liking almost everything it can be difficult to determine what elements that speak to you.

My DESIGN STYLE QUIZ located at the top of this blog post can help. It’s different than most quizzes. It’s more than a simple “what’s my style.” It’s chock full of things to excite your senses. This is Panache, after all. It frees you up so that you can flourish in your home. That is what my philosophy is really. Your home ought to support your flourishing.

Take the quiz and get started on your journey to flourishing!