My Top Tips for Staying Cozy this Winter

This post is sponsored by Save on Energy, Ontario's go-to source for energy efficiency information and rebates for your home.  All thoughts and opinions presented below are my own.  

The staggering popularity of "Hygge" (pronounced "hoo-gah") speaks volumes about our collective desire to feel cozy and content.  But the Danish aren't the only people who crave cozy - many languages have similar concepts and words that try to capture that elusive feeling.

Swedes offer up "Mys," which touches on coziness and comfort with an emphasis on slowing down and relaxing, while in Norway people strive for a "Koselig" days, which has a complex meaning, but conjures feelings of warmth, comfort, and relaxation.  Those in Holland long for "Gezelig" - the mood of feeling cocooned, like being in a warm coffee shop on a cold winter day.  Having married a fella with Scottish ancestry, I personally enjoy the Gaelic "Còsagach" (which means snug), simply because it sounds the heartiest. 

 

However you choose to describe it, it's unsurprising that so many of us crave coziness and contentment - especially in the winter.  I've spent my entire life living in Ontario, Canada.  That is the equivalent of 33 winters spent trying to stay warm.  In the very first apartment I shared with Hubby, I was warm - for the first winter in my entire life.  We didn't have to pay for heat, so I kept the thermostat at an irresponsibility tropical temperature.  Our hibiscus thrived - a clear sign that it was way too hot in there.  Since then, adulthood, utility bills and environmental consciousness have superseded tropical indoor temperatures, so I have had to get creative.  What hygge, koselig, and còsagach have all taught me is that staying cozy is a crafty combination of practical changes and mental shifts to fully capture that feeling of coziness and warmth. 

Here are my favorite lakehouse-tested tips for staying cozy - even when the weather network issues an Extreme Cold Weather warning and there's a blizzard roaring outside.

Let the Window Coverings do the Work

As soon as the sun rises, I open the curtains and blinds to capitalize on the heat from the sun, but once the sun sets, I close the curtains again to keep in as much heat.  Insulated curtains would be amazing, but the substantial tweed drapes in the bedroom and office do the trick.

Check Weather Stripping and Window Seals

Having a woolly dog is a great way to see where you're losing heat - just check out their favorite spots!  Can you guess where the cold spots are in the lakehouse?

 
By ensuring that weather stripping and window seals are in great shape, you can prevent as much heat from leaking out as possible.  No pup to help?  Hold a candle, as still as possible, near any doorways or windows - if it flickers, you might have some drafty spots to seal up.

Indulge in Hot Apple Cider - No Holiday Required

This fall was the first time I had ever made hot apple cider - seriously!  We had friends over for one last bonfire and because it was already getting pretty chilly, I just couldn't envision wanting a cold beer so I made hot apple cider in the slow cooker.  I made it without alcohol (because alcohol actually drops core body temperature), but kept some handy so guests could spike their own.  It was a magical night - we even saw the northern lights! - and it made me realize that I don't need a special occasion to make cider, which always felt so much like a "holiday" drink to me.  You can make hot apple cider from scratch, but you can also buy apple cider in jugs and then spice to taste.

Easy Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider

• 1 gallon apple cider or fresh pressed apple juice
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 sliced oranges (wash first)
• A few 1" pieces of ginger, peeled and quartered

Add ingredients to a slow cooker and simmer on low for four hours.  You can also bundle the spices in cheesecloth or a tea bag designed for loose leaf tea, but I find the flavor is richer when the spices are loose - just strain as you serve and add rum to taste, if desired.

Invest in a Humidifier

Humidifiers are a fabulous addition to a home, for so many reasons: they can help plants thrive, ease sinus congestion, and re-hydrate the air - which means you can say goodbye to static and cracked skin.  But adding humidity to the air can also help a home feel warmer.  Not convinced?  After your next bath let the water sit, with the bathroom door open, and see if that little amount of moisture helps you feel warmer... 

Throw a Party

You can turn down the heat when you have friends and family over because body heat does wonders to increase the overall temperature in a room.  So, if you have the winter blues and just can't warm up, throw a potluck party or have friends over for some board games - bonus points for something that gets everyone excited and moving, like charades or twister!

Turn on That Ceiling Fan

It still feels counter-intuitive to me to turn on a ceiling fan in the winter, but heat rises so a ceiling fan - especially with our tall living room ceiling - helps push that warm air back down, where we can enjoy it.  The important thing to remember is that when ceiling fans spin counter-clockwise, the angled blades push cool air down, so in the winter set your ceiling fan to spin clockwise instead, which will draw the cool air up to the ceiling and force the warm air back down.  Some ceiling fans even have a "winter" setting.

Layer up Your Decor

I've never been a huge fan of seasonal decor because I'd rather spend money on permanent pieces, but I have to admit that this time of year I can totally understand layering in cozier textiles, like faux fur blankets, or maybe rolling out a cozy wool rug underfoot.  If a few decor touches help a home feel cozier, it's worth it!  Just make sure that no new additions (especially rugs) cover up any vents.

Hopefully these tricks help you feel cozier this winter - without reaching for that thermostat!  Nothing makes winter drearier than getting slammed with a massive heating bill.

If you're looking for more ideas to help make your home feel cozier, while also saving money on your monthly bills and supporting your community, visit www.saveonenergy.ca.  You'll discover new technologies, incentives, and tips for increasing your home's energy efficiency, as well as learning about how these changes can make a positive impact on your home's comfort and resale value.  I am always grateful for any information that helps save me money and feel more at home in my house, so I hope you'll find some great ideas!

Save on Energy is social!  Find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

My Struggle With Dry Winter Skin + What Helped

We have had some seriously cold weather here recently.  There hasn't been much snow, but I've lost track of how many times the weather network issued us an Extreme Cold Weather warning.  Thanks, we know it's freaking cold, no need to rub it in...

With each passing year, my skin gets increasingly fed up with where I live and this year the dryness was the worst ever.  My skin peeled so much in mid-December that I couldn't even apply makeup because it just flaked off (gross).  Plus my skin felt really tight and uncomfortable.  Until Hubby and I move to Costa Rica, I knew that I had to make some changes in my routine to combat my dry, winter skin.  I hadn't really planned to share this as a blog post, but now I wish I had taken some before/after photos (below is not me) because in only a month, these simple changes made a huge difference - I no longer have scaly skin!

Here's what I did:

No More Scalding Hot Showers

I stopped drying my skin out with scalding hot water.  When it's cold, I like to linger in a hot, hot shower and although it helps my chilled bones, it was wreaking havoc on my skin so I turned down the heat a little and started washing my face with lukewarm water (below is also not me - although that's what my skin felt like).

No More Over Washing

I stopped associating dry skin with clean skin.  Years spent battling combination/oily skin with acne trained me to think that my skin is clean only when it's stripped of any oil.  I toned down on the scrubbing and also transitioned to a gentler cleanser.  I still use my favorite makeup dissolving cleanser after I remove my makeup, but for any other time I started using Beautycounter Nourishing Cream Cleanser.  My friend, Faith, is a consultant and she sent me a care package of Beautycounter goodies over the holidays and got me hooked.

More Moisturizing at Night

I started moisturizing at night!  I was moisturizing every morning but I didn't like to moisturize at night because I've always had this weird idea that my skin needs to breath.  Now I use the Beautycounter Countermatch Recovery Sleeping Cream when my skin is really tight, but I prefer the Countermatch Intensive Moisture Serum because it sinks in quickly and feels like there's nothing on my skin.  I just needed to find the right product for overnight moisturizing, because now I feel like my skin can still breathe, but I wake up to more hydrated skin.

More Time Between Moisturizing and Makeup

I started applying my moisturizer earlier in the morning.  My morning routine used to consist of washing my face, taking the dogs out, washing my hair, eating breakfast, drying and straightening my hair, then moisturizing before checking the time, realizing I'm running late, hurriedly slapping on some makeup and running out the door.

 One night I fell down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos and stumbled across someone who does makeup tutorials for dry skin and picked up this gem: you should really let moisturizer sink in for at least five minutes before applying makeup.  I was giving my moisturizing 5 seconds to absorb so I switched up my routine a little and started moisturizing before I bare my face to the frigid cold when I go out with the dogs.  That helped me SO much.  Plus I started using the Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion during the day, which adjusts hydration levels throughout the day - keeping my skin balanced.  It keeps the flakiness at bay, while still feeling light under my makeup. 

More Moisture During the Day

I started moisturizing when I get home from work.  When I get home from work, I remove my makeup and wash my face with the cream cleanser and then I apply a fresh layer of moisturizer - usually the serum (love it!) because it feels weightless.  I used to just scrub my face until it felt squeaky clean, but now I care for it a bit more and it seems to appreciate that.

More Water!

I've been drinking more water.  In the summer, I definitely drink 10+ glasses a day (go me) but in the winter, I turn to tea and my morning coffee and that caffeine really dehydrates me.  Someone introduced me to warm water with fresh ginger and lemon and I love that so much more than plain lemon water.

In reality, none of these tips are earth shattering, but they really help me a lot.  The key has been finding products I like and want to use - especially something that's light enough for me to wear overnight. 

I have skipped around to different moisturizers over the years and my bathroom drawer has quite a few that I abandoned for whatever reason (led to breakouts, stung on super dry skin, didn't absorb quickly, made my skin even drier, etc).  The Beautycounter packaging drew me in and made me want to try everything, but now I keep using it because of how it makes my skin feel.  Plus, Beautycounter prohibits 1500 chemicals thought to be harmful or questionable.  I've never been one to panic over "chemicals" (because life is chemicals), but I don't like the idea of coating my skin with anything that is thought to be harmful - even if it's a possibility.  I just don't want to play around.  I'll risk it for a doughnut, but not skin cream - especially when the skincare market now has great brands that are better for you, but perform just as well.

This post wasn't sponsored - I'm just super grateful that Faith introduced me to Beautycounter so I wanted to share my experience and some of my other (free) tips, since it seems like so many of us are battling super cold temps recently. If you're curious about the products, or overwhelmed by what's available, drop Faith a line.  I've peppered her with questions about what certain products are like in person (like a certain makeup palette I really want) and she's very knowledgeable.  Plus she shares makeup-free photos of her skin on social media, so you can see the products work their magic.  Follow her on Facebook and Instagram for more info.

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Wintry Blue + White Holiday Decorating Ideas

Today's post is a lot of fun, and I'm thrilled to be collaborating with Lowe's Canada to add some wintry, but cozy, touches to the lakehouse for the holiday season.  Not only did the first Lowe's just recently open in my small city (who doesn't love perusing the aisles of a shiny new home improvement store?), the Lowe's Cold Spell holiday collection looks like it was made for the lakehouse!  The colour palette consists of icy blues, creamy whites and tons of silver (check).  Plus so many of the pieces that caught my eye have a vintage-meets-Scandinavian vibe (check).  Even better, although the line includes a stuffed Santa and a gorgeous collection of gleaming Christmas tree ornaments, what I love about the products is that many of them just feel wintry so even if you don't celebrate a traditional Christmas, you can still add some festive seasonal decor pieces to your home and keep many of the decorations up long past the end of December (check).  Finally, with so many gorgeous tabletop trees in the collection, even if you have absolutely no room for a tree in your small home (I hear ya), there are plenty of items to bring holiday cheer to a pint-sized space.  Yes, there's a lot to love about the Cold Spell collection, so I was really excited about bringing home my favorite pieces, and mixing them with my existing decor, to show you how to add a festive, wintry vibe to a small space. 

Let's take a tour!

My narrow mantle is tricky to decorate but, even with the limited space, I created a really sparkly, layered mantlescape this year.  I started with glittery tulle from the fabric shop (I bought a metre, which I cut in half lengthwise).  I scrunched that up on the mantle and then placed a fresh cedar wreath I made in the centre, casually leaning it against the brick.  I made it using the same wreath form (and the same steps) as last year's fresh greenery wreath, but the cedar really lasts much longer.  Once again, I added some faux foliage in shades of blue and white, along with some silver leaves.  Using ornament hooks, I attached a row of my absolutely favorite ornaments from the Cold Spell collection to complete the wreath.  Something about the shape, the vintage shade of the blue, and that glittering "snow capped" top really remind me of vintage Christmas ornaments (they come in a pretty shade of mint and a soft champagne gold, too).  Using my easy DIY felted ball tutorial, I quickly whipped up a felted ball garland that looks like snowballs - perfect for my wintry theme!

I flanked the wreath on either side with two faux birch bark cone-shaped trees - they have such a pretty shimmer to them and a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired vibe.  I wove a string of battery operated pine cone shaped lights around everything to add some glow.  I found these adorable lights in the lighting section, but the mercury glass finish matches other pieces in the Cold Spell theme.  I also tucked in some sparkly faux foliage to add a little more sparkle and interest - the light faux stems and trees really pop against my dark fireplace.  My Mummu is an avid crafter, so I raided her collection, but Lowe's also carries this type of glittering pick (which they tuck into their display Christmas trees - such a pretty idea).

Look at these faux birch bark trees shimmer!  When they're placed beside string lights or candles, they just gleam like freshly fallen snow.  I'm really tempted to find a place to display a grouping of these all year round.

One of the fabrics used in the Cold Spell theme (for stockings, throw pillows, and a tree skirt) has such a mid-century modern vibe that I just had to bring home some pieces.  You know my obsession with tweed; the stockings and throw pillows look like a creamy tweed shot with silver.  To me, this fabric just feels wintry - it doesn't scream "Christmas," which I like because you could totally put these out in November and keep them until the snow melts (I plan to)!

Each of the four holiday collections at Lowe's this year have an assortment of stocking hooks and this simple, silver snowflake-shaped one caught my eye - but there's a pair of brass reindeer from a different theme that I definitely kept putting in my cart.

As I was leaving Lowe's, I spotted a rack of tree-shaped lavender plants (along with more classic choices, like poinsettias and Christmas cacti).  These smell amazing, and are so different, so I brought one home and planted it in a mid-century modern-inspired tabletop planter from Modernica.  It looks so cute on my hearth, but I'll move it to the dining room table for everyday use.  You have to keep pruning it to maintain the tree shape, so after the holidays I can let it grow out.  To make it a little more festive, I just tucked in some glittering, faux foliage stems.

With our 20-ft sectional sofa, we don't have much room for other furniture - or display space - but I made the most of our accent tables and swapped my usual plants for a vase with fresh blue spruce boughs, a tabletop ball tree from Lowe's, and some other cozier accents like a light-up owl and assortment of candles - some from Lowe's (they have some pretty white tree-shaped and pine cone shaped ones) and some I made last year.

That glass owl is battery operated and lights up, creating this gorgeous glow at night.  The mercury finish matches other pieces from the collection, plus it's too darn cute!

Moving over to the dining room, I mixed some new pieces from Lowe's with some of my existing holiday decor.  Last year I dyed some vintage crochet doilies teal, along with some matching linen napkins, and I loved how that looked.  The lacy doilies complement a wintry tablescape so well, so I used this makeshift runner idea again, this time with some wintry glass plates and glasses.

The mercury glass vases from Lowe's come in two sizes.  For a centrepiece, I recommend the shorter size.  I chose this larger size because I knew it would photograph better, but for real life, the taller size is perfect for a mantle, end table, or sideboard, while the lower size is great for a centrepiece that allows you to still see your guests over dinner!  To create a budget-friendly arrangement, I used natural cedar greenery from my backyard along with some more faux foliage picks pilfered from my Mummu.  Once you invest in some glittering picks, they can be used every year to add sparkle to a green (and free!) arrangement, helping to keep a holiday decorating budget in check by saving money on flowers.

To create more ambiance, I added a small plate to each place setting and nestled a pretty blue glass votive holder into a bed of cedar.  I also added a pretty glittering stem to each napkin for some more sparkle.



This pine cone shaped candle, also from Lowe's, makes an even brighter, cozier statement:

We had our first snowstorm recently and it was so bizarre to go from unseasonably warm fall days to WINTER overnight.  The temperature plummeted, cars drove off the highway into the ditch, and we had to pull out our deep freeze parkas.  I immediately started craving cozy comforts: the fireplace, candles, blankets, (and pie!).  Adding new touches, like those battery-operated pine cone lights and that adorable owl really added another layer of coziness.  Look how lovely the living room looks at night!

This is just a small sampling from the Lowe's Cold Spell collection, which I'm so thrilled to showcase because it just feels so right in the lakehouse!  Lowe's has three other collections - including one which has a really colorful, retro vibe and a bold color palette of turquoise, red, green and white - and I was definitely excited about pieces from each of the other collections.  Think: adorable fox figurines, bright turquoise mid-century mod inspired ornaments, beautiful shades of indigo blue glass, and modern brass accessories.  I could have definitely picked about a dozen items from each collection, and they can definitely be mixed and matched, but choosing from one collection, with its colour-coordinated palette and matching finishes, makes decorating for the holidays a snap.

Well, I'm officially ready for evenings in, huddled under a blanket watching movies.  How about you?

This post was sponsored by Lowe's, but all thoughts, opinions and styling choices - including the decision to highlight products from the Cold Spell collection - are my own.  The case study planter was provided by Modernica.  Happy holiday decorating, everyone!
 
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