Yearly Archives: 2014
Tips and Tricks: How to Use Lavender for a Restful Sleep
Post by Tracy Kaler.
If a good night’s sleep beckons and insomnia becomes your worst nightmare, it may be time to shake things up with your nighttime routine. Aside from maintaining a comfortable temperature and leaving your troubles at the bedroom door, trying using lavender, the ancient herb known to relax, calm, and promote restful sleep. Here are four ways to utilize lavender before bedtime to keep you snoozing until the sun rises.
Diffuse
Purchase a diffuser and let lavender oil permeate your senses. The sweet fragrance will put you in a euphoric state until you fall fast asleep. You can order a diffuser through Amazon.com or Bed Bath & Beyond, among other retailers.
Spray your linens
Purchase a lavender spray or make your own with a spray bottle, water, and a few drops of lavender oil. Mist your sheets and pillowcases lightly before turning in. You can also spray your bath towels, which would benefit if you bathe in the evening.
Use as home fragrance
Utilize the same lavender spray in your bedroom. Spritz a generous amount around your space each evening before hitting the hay.
Use lavender oil
Apply pure lavender oil behind your ears. Rub a dot at each of your temples, or massage on the soles of your feet before hitting the lights. Personally, I love the Lavender Chamomile Moisturizing Oil from Indie Lee
Breakfast in Bed –Blueberry Cream Crêpes
Post by Alison Hein.
Summer is flying by, and I can’t believe I haven’t shared any blueberry recipes this season. Well, we’re about to rectify that with these berry-rich creamy crêpes. The blueberry crop was lush and bountiful this year, and if you look around, you should still be able to find perfectly ripe, tangy-skinned, sweet-fleshed berries.
Thin, lightly sweetened crêpes are filled with a creamy blueberry spread, then rolled and topped with thick, zesty blueberry sauce. First, make the sauce with fresh fruit, simmering the berries stovetop until they burst and meld. Next, prepare the sweet, blended berry and cream cheese filling (also great for spreading on bagels). Finally, make the thin pancakes and assemble the final dish. Add a sprig of mint, if you like, for garnish. Voila! The berry best kind of breakfast in bed. 🙂
Blueberry Sauce
2 cups (1 dry pint) blueberries
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add blueberries, water, sugar and vanilla to small, heavy pot. Place on stove over high heat and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, until blueberries are soft and popped open, and syrup is thickened. Set aside and allow to cool. Syrup will continue to thicken while cooling, so adjust cooking time to your preference.
Makes about 1 ½ cups of syrup.
Filling
¼ cup blueberries
6 ounces whipped cream cheese
4 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation
Puree blueberries in blender. Mix in cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Set aside until ready to assemble crêpes.
Crêpes
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 – 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preparation
In large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Whisk egg into milk, then whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until batter is thick and smooth. Let batter rest a few minutes before cooking.
Heat about 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy 6-inch pan over medium heat. When hot, but not smoking, add ¼ cupful of batter to pan, swirling to cover bottom. Cook crêpe 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned, flipping once. Keep warm while cooking remaining crêpes, monitoring heat and adding oil as necessary.
To assemble, place crêpes on serving plates. Spread each crêpe with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling. Roll up, and top with Blueberry Sauce. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 7 crêpes.
Bed Nuts & Bolts: The Ever-Practical Daybed
Post by Tracy Kaler.
A daybed is more than a place to sleep. Sure, it’s a “real” bed, and albeit smaller in size, it can be as comfy its sprawling king-size companion. Moreover, a daybed offers options that in this day and age, we can all appreciate.
A daybed is a viable alternative to a sleeper sofa in a guest room or multipurpose room. Usually more comfortable than a pullout couch, a daybed allows more room for your favorite furniture, or play space for the kids.
Place a coffee table or a few compact cocktail tables in front, and you’ll create a lounge-like feeling without much effort.
Add an ottoman; take a load off and prop up your feet during TV-watching time.
Also a fantastic solution for the occasional bedroom (think your college student who returns on weekends and holidays), a daybed makes the room feel like something other than a bedroom when the space needs to function differently. Throw a few pillows and you have a den. Remove the pillows, and your almost grown-up offspring will nestle into his or her room in no time.
Charles P. Rogers takes daybeds seriously, like they do all of their beds. Take the Suitcase Leather Daybed http://www.charlesprogers.com/suitcase-daybed-p-486.html, for instance. Not only is this a versatile design –– depending on how you dress it, you can use it as a twin bed in a child’s room (add primary colors like red and yellow for a youthful feel), or as an extra-deep sofa in a masculine library (go with earth tones for sophistication).
Besides its handsome appearance and practical nature, this style boasts a pop-up trundle for an extra overnight guest.
Recently, interior designer Robin Baron featured the Suitcase Leather Daybed on a WFSB segment. You can see the daybed in action here:
http://www.wfsb.com/story/26189449/day-bed-transformation-with-robin-baron