When it comes to nurturing your children’s love for the arts, your home provides the best atmosphere for honing creativity. Paintings and sculptures embellish your hallway and living room, and define your children’s first encounter with art. But the experience need not be alien to the younger Picassos. You can turn your home into a familiar space that showcases their talent and love for colors and lines.

A Sense of Self

Allow your children to express how they see themselves by having them create self-portraits. The first step to unlocking their creativity is by letting them discover who they think they are and providing them with the resources that would help convey their self-image to the world. Children who come to terms with their uniqueness early on are more likely to become individuals who have greater self-acceptance and are not easily daunted by pressures from the outside world.

Eclectic Living Room by Athens Photographer Corynne Pless

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by Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Of the four seasons, spring offers us the most complete sensory experience.

We wake up refreshed by the soft breeze. We watch morning dew drops on petals and blades of grass. We hear nature sing us a symphony of rustling leaves and twittering birds.

And, best of all, we savor this lush season with the freshest fruits and vegetables.

As these amazing salads show, the flavors of spring come with a delicious and surprising twist.

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The 20th of March marks the beginning of spring, the season of fresh flowers and invigorating rain showers. This season is all about starting over, making it the perfect time to redecorate your home. Here are some tips on how to enliven your space in time for spring.

Bright Shades and Pastel Hues

Add a pop of color to your home, a fresh change from the dreary blues and grays of winter, by painting your walls a bright color like light yellow or orange. These shades emit an energetic vibe perfect for the season’s theme of renewal.

Kitchen by Los Angeles Interior Designer Elizabeth Dinkel

A color-infused home, however, does not end with the walls. As pictured above, something as simple as a bit of color on a seat cushion, colored tabletop accents, throw pillows, and even rugs can make a room brighter. Elizabeth of The Mustard Ceiling blog shares some more inspirations on how you can use shades of yellow in your home.

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by zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Close your eyes. Imagine sitting in the kitchen one morning, sipping freshly brewed coffee, and enjoying its bold aroma.

Add to that a gooey helping of cinnamon roll, fresh from the oven, with vanilla cream on top. Take a bite. And savor the heavenly blend of sugar and spice.

Now, open your eyes – and the mouthwatering aroma lingers.

Such a delightful experience is triggered by our own memory of rich smells: from the fresh to the full-bodied, from the savory to the sweet.

The pleasure derived from aroma – whether you are at your favorite spa or even your favorite coffee house – is built on this encounter. Because they make us feel good, scents are being used to promote well-being. You can enjoy the health benefits of aromatherapy in the luxury of your own home. The same olfactory experience can be achieved by following our novel ideas with these three types of aroma:

Invigorating Scents

• Vanilla and Coffee

Tip: Boil a vanilla pod in a pot of milk with brown sugar then add to your cup of coffee.

Great mornings start with a wonderful cup of java. While caffeine can perk you up, the aroma of coffee is, in itself, known to calm the nerves. Vanilla fragrance also has the same relaxing effect. Pouring milk infused with natural vanilla extract into your morning brew helps to create an aromatic blend that is invigorating but without leading to nervousness and tremors. Read the rest of this entry »