THE BEAUTY
OF CHANGE
By
Kaye Hatfield
Warming Our Surroundings with Fragrance
We are again approaching winter in Chicago, Illinois. We had an unbelievably hot, humid summer but as usually happens in November, we are reminded how bitter and cold Chicago winters can be. Last winter at one point in February we had 3 weeks where our temperatures ranged from 10° below zero up to 10° above zero. Because of recent changes in my life I am working at home most of the time and it is important for me to enjoy my indoor surroundings. I want to receive pleasure from my home as well as feeling peace, warmth and tranquility when I am here.
When I purchased my home and decorated it I wanted to achieve a warm, welcoming atmosphere. I accomplished this through paint colors, furniture styles, pillows, candles, incense, rugs and carpeting. The main living area is open to the kitchen which allows me to enjoy conversing with my guests in the dining/living room areas. I want my guests to be at ease, enjoy a glass of wine and feel comfortable enough to take off their shoes and unwind. My hope is to have them leave with a relaxed, warm, pleasant feeling. I can't control their feelings or reactions, but I can create an atmosphere that speaks to people in a special way and this is my goal as a hostess and friend to my guests.
At this particular time of the year, in the Midwest our home is extremely important to us. We leave our jobs, school, and where ever we have been to return to the place where we will be warm, fed and sleep to prepare us for the next day. Because I am here more than usual in the winter, this is where my life is focused and where my creative talents lie. Each day I search for new ways to tap into my talents while at the same time be comfortable and at peace with my surroundings.
Lighting scented candles and/or incense each day helps me accomplish this. It also adds warmth and fragrance to each room in my house. I use particular scents to enhance each season and mood in my home. Candles and incense are available in numerous fragrances. I like coordinating scents to match the season we are experiencing outside and use them to enhance my home inside.
I have a fireplace which I can see from my desk in my guest room/office. I love burning it during the day while I am working. Occasionally I will toss in a few pine or cedar incense cones into the fireplace. Cedar is a scent that connects to the earth providing a feeling of being grounding.
In spring and summer my moods are enhanced by flowers, grass, running streams of water and a walk in the woods. When I am at home in those seasons I match my fragrances to these out door experiences. Below I am a few scents I use in the fall and winter seasons.
I prefer woodsy scents for these seasons because
of their ability to transport us into a state of calm. A few examples of these are:
Cedar - Meditation
Camphor - Therapeutic
Sandalwood - Sensual
Pine – (Pine has the ability to both relax and energize)
A few of my favorites, which I use year round, and are known for their
abilities to energize, refresh and restore confidence
are:
Bergamot
Mandarin
Orange
Lemon and Lemongrass
Lime
I recommend experimenting with different fragrances to see how they impact you, your moods and which particular room you want to enhance with a specific fragrance. I have experimented by buying one or two sticks of incense at a time and small candles instead of large ones to make sure I like the fragrance before investing in a particular scent.
Another change I like to make to accent the season is putting away my bright silk pillows and displaying the faux fur pillows in soft browns and creams. I also bring out my faux fur blankets and drape them over the sofa. Anything with faux fur and soft velvets in warm colors lend themselves to the fall and winter seasons.
Making small “seasonal” changes in our home can give us comfort and afford us the ability to bring each season inside as well as keep our home interesting and fun. I have found at different times in my life I became bored and less interested in my surroundings. This boredom with my home ultimately affected my moods and inhibited my creativity.
I hope I have ignited and stimulated your creativity and given you some ideas for taking advantage of the changing seasons to illuminate and highlight a few areas of your home and surroundings.
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REFERENCE |
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The Essence of Incense (Bringing Fragrance into the Home) |