I arranged the living room with the furniture that we brought in from the pod. We have more to add to the living room - basically a love seat with a pull out bed.
It does look nice, though, and spacious. We decided not to unpack a lot of things like knick knacks, books, etc. so the shelves will not be full of things. We are putting up fall decorations and the Christmas things.
As we are gathering in for fall, I thought that cinnamon pine cones would be a nice addition to your decoration. You can purchase pine cones from craft stores, but I think it's more fun to collect them from nature.
Our yard is full of them so gathering them is no problem and fun. (On a side note, I remember one of my aunts bringing some giant pine cones from California. Wish I still had some!)
If you gather pine cones from nature the first thing you should do is to put them on a foil lined sheet pan and put them in the oven set low (200) for 45 minutes.
Once that is done you can add the cinnamon smell two ways...either with the oils or cinnamon sticks. I like to use cinnamon sticks and for this I will use the ones from the craft store rather than the grocery store because they are generally cheaper.
Add one three inch stick per 2 small or 1 large pine cone to a pot that will easily accommodate the amount of pine cones you are adding the scent to. Cover with water and bring to boil. Cover and boil for around ten minutes.
When done, lay on a foil lined sheet pan and let dry. I love the light fragrance that the pine cones give off.
The second way is to use cinnamon essential oil which gives a much stronger smell which may be better in a large area. Add water (around 1/4 cup) to 20 drops of the essential oil in a spray bottle. Take the pines cones (after they have been in the oven), put two or three in a gallon size ziplock plastic bag and spray the cones three or four times. (Be sure to spray away from you.) Close the bag and shake them up a bit. Open and spray a couple times again. Then close the bag and leave until the pine cones have dried.
When the pine cones are dried, arrange them in a basket or bowl to enjoy both the smell and the decorative element.
Talk with you tomorrow...