Ready for Porch Living?

I don't know about you, but most of my Summer is spent on my screened porch.  The sounds of mowers, kids playing, and the crickets at night are so soothing.  Warm breezes and late grilled dinners are enjoyed as well as friends and bottles of wine.  Make any porch space you have into a special retreat with comfy chairs, a candle or two and a throw rug for all of the comforts of your outdoor living room!  You don't need anything extravagant, just enjoy the smells and the sounds!

Dreary weather and a food hangover! Can someone stop this madness???

WARNING!  What you are about to read may cause the doldrums!
How many days can one endure grey, rainy, dreary weather, and NOT want to indulge in the comfort of familiar, mouth watering, comfort food!?  Has this been days, weeks, or months since the sunshine has been here?  For those of you who are of the creative persuasion, you understand that you can not possibly be on top of your game for so many people for so many days without a little inspiration from the sunshine and its warmth. Right??  So, when I need inspiration and it does not come, what happens?  I tend to draw toward comforts that temporarily satisfy my searching, aching for creativity, soul.  One word...Food.  It does not help that brunch was full of wonderful tasting comfort food with family and alcohol (mimosas to be exact!) yesterday.  So, here I sit, waiting for creativity to strike and my body screaming at me that I have ingested too much comfort and not enough action.  Do I want to do something about this?  Not really.  It is Monday and dreary with rain predicted for the next 4 days and I am in a creative slump.  AAAGGGHHHH.  Any words of advice dear friends?  My brain is in need of refreshing. 

What can you do to help??

It all comes back to COLOR!

For those of you who know me, I LOVE color!  When I do color consultations for people I get really excited and my mouth can't keep up with my brain!  We live in color everyday.  Look around, advertisers use color in all of the television ads, we dress ourselves in colors with the seasons, and we live with color in our homes.  If you are the type who is "afraid" of color, most likely you are NOT afraid, you are just unsure of what colors to surround yourself with.  What about starting with an accent wall of color? Painted accent walls can be a great way to add drama and a pop of color to a space without being committed to the color throughout the entire room.  If you are still unsure, look in your closet and pick out your favorite article of clothing with some color and decide what you love about it.  Is it a particular color?  If so, why not try it on a wall somewhere in your home?  Step over the edge just a little and you might be surprised ;)