Cabin Decor BlogThe Latest Cabin Decorating Trends & Styles

Snow! It’s beautiful, peaceful, nostalgic and wonderful, right? True, but it can also be annoying and sometimes dangerous. Here are a few handy, everyday tips for getting through snow season with your sanity—and safety—intact and enjoying cabin life whatever the weather.

• From RealSimple.com, coat your plastic or metal snow shovel with cooking spray, and the snow and ice will slide cleanly off rather than build up. This will make shoveling the driveway much easier.
• When it comes to driving in the snow and ice, weather.com advises avoiding it if at all possible. But if you do have to venture out on the roads, follow these guidelines:
  • Slow down. Leave yourself extra time to get there, and extend your following distance by as much as three times.
  • Accelerate and decelerate slowly—don’t slam on the brakes or the gas.
  • Lower gears can help you keep traction on hills.
• If you won’t be at the cabin for the winter, be sure to winterize. This site has a comprehensive list of steps to take to get your cabin ready for the frigid winter months.
• Remember last year, when a monster snowstorm tore through, oh, the entire United States, leaving us with enough snow days to test the sanity of your average Zen monk? Here’s a blog full of (humorous) tips for surviving a snow day with cabin-feverish kids.

Hang in there. March is just a few months away. And in the meantime, it’s hard to look outside and not feel a childlike thrill of love for snow. Enjoy! How are you handling the snow this year?

In the American southwest, we’ve had a long love affair with turquoise. The gemstone provides a spot of beauty with a diamond-in-the-rough quality, and the color is bright, cheerful and versatile. Here are some things you might not have known about turquoise.

• Turquoise is not limited to the southwest United States. It has been found in Egypt dating back to ancient times.
• The blue color of turquoise comes from copper, while the green color comes from iron in the soil.
• The word turquoise comes from a word meaning “Turkish,” since the gems were first brought to Europe from Turkey.

In home décor, turquoise stones and cabochons provide a note of rugged beauty and a pop of color. As in this table runner, they contribute to a western feel. And in this bath hardware, they add a regal touch and plenty of western beauty.

Of course, it’s not just the stones themselves that are gorgeous. The color alone adds a warm, welcome touch to any room. This barn wood table creates a country look with a beautiful turquoise blue distressed finish. The color looks beautiful with deep brown and cream, or it can be paired with bright red or orange for a completely different look.

Are you addicted to turquoise in your interior decor? Tell us what your favorite turquoise item is.

This wildlife art features bears in bold colors and dramatic brushstrokes. A row of bear tracks adorns the side of the canvas on the finished and closed frame for an added wildlife touch. With colors that saturated, it’s bound to get attention in any room, and it would work well in contrast with a color scheme of blue or rich browns.

The artist, oil painter Diane Whitehead, is especially known for images of animals, though she also paints in western imagery and still life as well. She often photographs animals and then paints the images that come from her photos.

If you like this piece, you might be interested in the Moose Visual Edge Wildlife Art, complete with moose tracks along the edge. These pieces are not exceptionally large, so they may be paired together on a wall to create an homage to the wildlife you love. Both pieces capture the spirit of the animals so beautifully, and they add a touch of natural beauty with artistic flair to your home décor.

Cimarron Southwest Bedding from Lonestarwesterndecor.com

Western looks work great in the cabin—they create a frontier feeling and can add a spirit of fun and spunk, or one of vintage charm. A western theme can be particularly great in a cabin bedroom, with bedding that captures free-spirited western run. Here are some of the things we love most about western bedding:

• Southwest stripes and geometrics. These looks can be wistful and beautiful, or bold and inviting, and they pay homage to the southwest in a striking way. Plus, the colors are almost always amazing.
• Fringe and leather. Nothing says “western” like fringe and leather, whether real or faux. They uniquely create a look that’s lightly equestrian and full of Old West appeal. A fringed faux leather accent pillow or sham, for example, gives a bed set irresistible western charm.
• Embroidery and tooling. Embroidery creates a feeling of quality and adds beauty to a bedding collection, and embossing and tooling provide a look that’s gorgeously western.
• Metal hardware. Conchos, buckles and rivets provide the perfect little touches to any western comforter or pillow. Whether rugged and bold or subtle and simple, they add the kind of detail that makes a bedding collection great.

What’s your favorite part of a bedding collection? Is it the fine details? Do you love an abundance of shams and Euro shams for a luxurious look? Do you have a western look in your bedroom?

Are you a hard-core hunter? Hunting is one popular way to spend time in the outdoors. Here are some hunting statistics from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s report from 2006:

• 12.5 million people 16 years old and older took part in hunting in the US, 10.7 million of which hunted big game such as deer and elk.
• The money spent on hunting totaled $22.9 billion. The majority of it was spent on equipment (no surprise there) with travel expenditures and the “other” category (including literature, dues for hunting clubs, land leasing and licenses) close together at second and third.
• Deer were overwhelmingly the most popularly hunted animal, with 10.1 million hunters reporting that they hunted deer. Turkeys were a distant second at 2.6 million. (It is difficult to count the number of deer in any particular area, but most agree that they are overpopulated in the US, which can cause the deer to starve to death as they run out of food.)

If hunting is your thing, chances are there’s some camouflage in your life. Camo is available on everything these days, from apparel to car accessories to dog collars. Here you can find camouflage bedding to express your love of an active outdoor lifestyle and dress up your bedroom, or camo rugs to add a camouflage accent to your home. And if you really want to outfit your hunting lodge—or just create the look of one in your cabin—there’s also lots of hunting and fishing décor, full of antlers and fishing-themed décor, to make your rooms stand out as a rugged retreat.

If you hunt, here’s to a great upcoming season. Tell us how long you’ve been hunting. And be safe out there!

Southwest art works wonderfully in a rustic home. It uniquely captures the wistful, rugged beauty of the American west, and the colors are always warm and inviting. This Southwest Rug Metal Art Wall Hanging offers that southwest look with bold, shimmering colors and dimensional touches. This piece is a far cry from mass-produced wall art. Each one is signed and numbered by the artist, Jay L. Tschudy.

A descendant of Blackfoot (Chippewa) Native Americans, Tschudy lives and creates his art in Arizona. According to his website, he was born with only his left hand, and thus finds metals to be a more challenging medium than wood, clay and stone. Most of his work expresses southwest and Native American themes, all in gorgeous colors and patina.

If southwest art is a love of yours, be sure to check out SouthwestArt magazine. It’s always good for wonderful paintings and stunning work, and it’s a great way to find new artists. Pablo Picasso once said, “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” Art has a way of expressing our lives, and in a home, it adds beauty and nurtures the soul. In that sense, art is one of the best investments you can make.

Courtesy www.eiu.edu

Ever wonder where our annual Thanksgiving holiday comes from? Sure, we all wore a pilgrim hat or a Native American headdress sometime in elementary school, but do we really know the story of the real Thanksgiving? Here’s a brief timeline.

• What is often called the first Thanksgiving is the 1621 harvest festival shared between the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians. This is the story of Squanto you remember from grade school—he taught the ailing Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, collect maple sap and catch fish. He also helped forge the alliance between the Wampanoag and the settlers.
• In 1777, the Continental Congress proclaimed the first national day of thanksgiving, a tradition followed by our first presidents. In later years, the day would vary among different states, and the holiday was not a fixed national event.
• Abraham Lincoln set the first national Thanksgiving in 1863 as the last Thursday in November, partly in response to the dogged efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale, who launched a 36-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to politicians, asking them to establish a national thanksgiving holiday.
• Nearly a century later in 1941, Franklin Roosevelt moved the holiday back a week to add a little more time to the Christmas buying season. And that’s how we came to have the Thanksgiving Day we do today.

So that’s why we celebrate when we do. Over time, our traditions have changed, and every family’s approach to the holiday is just a little different. But most importantly, it’s a time to be together and enjoy a moment of celebration. It’s a time to break out your favorite kitchen décor and dinnerware and simply enjoy a meal with family. So here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hope your holiday is perfect.

Summer is here! With the kids out of school and plenty of warm weather, vacation season is upon us. Do you have plans to head to the cabin for a getaway this summer? If so, your head might be reeling with the ins and outs of planning. Not to worry. Here are a few tips for planning the perfect vacation, whatever your budget or destination.

• Vacation on a Budget: This tip sheet from Forbes.com provides some good ideas for keeping your vacation budget on the slim side. It’s all about planning. Figure out how much you have to spend and stick to it. Ask rental car agencies to break down their bill, including all taxes and fees, before you book so you know what your final total will be. Economize on food by eating out for some meals, but packing lunches and snacks. By thinking ahead, you can make sure your vacation doesn’t break the bank.
• Planning a Green Vacation: Your eco-friendly lifestyle can easily go on vacation with you. Look for hotels and lodgings that are environmentally conscious. There’s an ecotourism monitoring system in place to help you navigate those—look for the Green Seal for top-notch environmentally conscious or the LEED certification. Beyond your lodgings, support local businesses and do all the things you do at home—reuse, recycle and use public transportation or bike whenever possible.
• Road Trip Vacations: The road trip is an American institution. The primary concern, of course, is how to entertain the kids for that long in a small space. Don’t underestimate the power of games like “I Spy” and twenty questions, pack plenty of toys and games and try to break up the hours with pit stops. This page offers tips from readers on keeping the kiddos entertained. As for planning the trip, RoadtripAmerica.com is a great resource of maps, routes and ideas. Maybe choose a new route to the cabin this time around, or plan a jaunt to a nearby destination. There’s fun to be had everywhere in the States!

Enjoy your getaway! Have fun and be safe, and above all, enjoy some time out of your routine with your family.

It’s getting late. You just pulled up at the family vacation spot after a long car ride. Everyone’s tired. As you eat a quick late dinner together, you hear the slap of plastic against the floor and realize that your son just spilled dark red juice all over the rug in the kitchen. You head to the cabinet under the sink, only to realize that all you have in the way of cleaning supplies is a container of wipes and a bottle of dish soap—no carpet cleaner.

Fortunately, you don’t need a different store-bought bottle of cleaner for each and every emergency. Making your own stuff can be better for the environment and easier on your budget. As a bonus, just by stocking your home or cabin with a few basics—like vinegar and baking soda—you can do most of your cleaning without needing a specified cleaner for each surface, and you can whip up a batch of whatever you need whenever you need it.

• For carpet stains, according to RealSimple.com, use a white cloth to dab a solution of one part white vinegar and two parts water (don’t apply directly to the carpet).  This quick and easy cleaning solution is made from items you probably already have on hand.
• Other pantry staples have powerful cleaning properties as well, according to this piece by Organizedhome.com. Baking soda makes an effective, yet gentle scouring powder, while a combination of two parts olive oil and one part lemon juice makes a brilliant furniture polish.
• Borax may not be a part of your everyday routine, but it can be mixed into a variety of cleaners and works well as a disinfectant. This sheet from Ecocycle.org has a fairly extensive list of recipes for cleaners using borax and other ingredients.

Another good thing about using the products already on your shelves is that it cuts clutter by eliminating the need for twenty different cleaning products. So your home is just a little bit tidier already, even before you start cleaning.

Maybe it’s their sense of mystery, or their regal beauty. Maybe it’s how they perfectly embody the rugged outdoors. Whatever it is, bears have a way of fascinating us, and they make perfect home décor for cabins and rustic decorating schemes. Bear bedding in particular creates a charming space in your cabin or lodge bedroom.

Your exact bedding needs depend on a number of factors—how much warmth you need, your surrounding décor and the degree of casualness in your home, among other things.

If you need plenty of warmth in your bear bedding, a wool bedspread or thick comforter will be your best bet. You can also layer blankets under cotton coverlets and bedspreads to suit your needs. And if you need something lighter weight for the summer months, a tapestry coverlet in your favorite bear design can do the job just fine.

When it’s time to choose a color and pattern, you’ll need to work closely with your bedroom’s surrounding décor. Choose colors that complement the other colors in your room, and patterns that express your taste and style while also working with the rest of your décor. Busy patterns, for example, might overwhelm the room if you’re pairing them with busy wallpaper and rugs.

Another determining factor in which bear bedding you choose will have to do with whether you want a luxury collection or a more casual look. The upside of a collection with lots of pillows and shams is that it makes your bedroom feel like a luxurious place to relax, and makes the room look put together with lots of style and design. The rest of your cabin may have a more casual feel, though, and in that case a simpler fleece collection could do just fine.

Of course, the most important thing to consider when choosing bedding for your home décor is, quite simply, your own taste and style. And if bears have your heart, you’ll have no trouble finding the bear bedding that works for your home or cabin.

Oh, and once you’ve chosen the perfect bedding, here’s a how-to from TLC.com showing how to keep your bedding clean and extend its life. Enjoy!