Tips-y Tuesday

Announcing today's simple tip: go window shop. Yes, seriously. I mentioned it yesterday. I love it. Sometimes I think leisurely perusing a store is more satisfying than exchanging money for an actual product. Sure, you need some time, so... take it. Take an hour or two on the weekend. Walk through a place like The Christmas Tree Shop that's filled to the brim with everything under the sun, from q-tips to frames made for that vintage album cover you can't bear to get rid of. Stores like that or Marshalls, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, Pier 1 or Anthropologie all inspire me. The colors stimulate me. The scent of candles and seasonal cinnamon make me feel warm and cozy. Random found objects like these chairs I spotted at TJMaxx send my mind into decorating land, planning some future room themed specifically around studded pink leather or aqua brocade.

There's retail therapy, and then there's browsing/window shopping/sometimes sanity saving/inspirational therapy. I like both. But, here's the hot tip, the latter is FREE.