8 ways to give back during the holidays

In the spirit of the holidays, here are eight fun and easy ways you can give back to your community. We wish you a very happy holidays and a bright and prosperous new year. See you soon!


Bake a batch of cookies for your local fire department. In addition to being really brave and selfless and hard-working, it's a fact that all firefighters love baked goods.

Buy a whole bunch of socks and donate them to your local homeless shelter. They're one of the most requested, least donated items.

Buy a package of baby wipes. Leave it on the changing table in a public restroom. Some busy mom who is fresh out of wipes will absolutely love you for it.

(Image source)

Send a care package to a deployed soldier. Here's what deployed troops really want in their care packages, and here's a list of organizations that can help you do it.

Go Christmas caroling at a nursing home. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 50 percent of nursing home residents have no close relatives. You could really brighten a lonely person's day by providing even just 30 minutes of entertainment and company.

Volunteer at a children's hospital. Seriously, it'll change your life. Many children's hospitals have an established volunteer program, no experience necessary!



Adopt a family. Contact your local or regional United Way about a "Christmas Bureau" or community-based, low-income holiday assistance program. (Most of these programs have a deadline of December 17, so put it on your calendar for next year!)

Cook! Take a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to go cook and serve food at a homeless shelter or food pantry. These organizations always need hard-working volunteers!

Give the gift of reading.  This organization enables children who may not have access to a public library to discover the world of books.


 

10 holiday accents at 25% off or more!

Chances are, you've probably already got your house decorated and ready for your holiday guests to arrive (or maybe just tidied up for a nice quiet holiday without the distraction of a dozen noisy family members!) But since we're already making room for our spring decor, we have tons of holiday and winter decor items on sale. So add that one last finishing touch, or stock up for next year with these (and more!) holiday accents, all at 25% off or more.

Country Elmer snowman. You may have seen him before-- he's one of our most popular snowmen! (25% off right now!)

 

Home for the Holidays dessert plate set (50% off!)



Santa Tree Hugger-- New this season! (25% off!)



Winter Buddies Mantle Scarf (50% off!)



Black Sled Accent (25% off!)



Winter Buddies Pot Holder (50% off!)

 

Santa Mouse (25% off!)

 

  When you stop believing... pillow (25% off!)

 

Home for the holidays tree skirt (50% 0ff!)



Small chunky snowman head ornament (25% off!)



Bonus item! If you haven't seen our stocking hangers yet, check them out! They're a game changer for you holiday mantle decor!

This just in! Ninepatch Star bedding

Hello and Happy almost Thanksgiving. We hope you are taking some time off to relax with friends and family.

We wanted to share a new bedding collection with you before we take off for the holiday. We'll be back next week with some more holiday decorating ideas and more new things to share with you! Today. we're excited to introduce Ninepatch Star!



This collection features rustic burgundy and khaki tones in a traditional Ninepatch star pattern. Quilts feature 100% cotton shell and fill with hand quilting. The collection includes pillow cases and shams in a variety of sizes and styles, decorative throw pillows and blankets, and a shower curtain to complete the look.

 

Bundle and save! 

Save instantly with a BEDDING BUNDLE! Buy a VHC Quilt and 3 additional VHC bedding items and receive a 10% instant discount!

Have a fantastic holiday! 

Functional AND stylish kitchen and dining decor

This month, we've been offering decorating tips in advance of the holidays. You may have guests arriving and while it's not the best time for a completely home renovation, it may be a great time for a mini home makeover. Today, we're in the kitchen!



Here's your decorating tip!

Kitchen decor can be functional and stylish. Add to your decor with pottery, kitchen linens and towel holders to make your space even more useful and elegant.

Organizational items
Star salt and pepper holder and Blackstone napkin caddy



Ceramic dinnerware/servingware
  Molasses pottery


For the kitchen table
Grandma's Quilt potholder and dishtowel set 


For the holiday party

Nature sings holiday servingware




Later this week, we'll be back with more decorating ideas and a new bedding pattern!

Deck the windows

Good morning!

If you're a subscriber to our emails, you've been receiving decorating tips this week, including how to dress up your windows. (If you're not a subscriber, sign up here to get our newsletter, and you'll also get $5 off your next order of $25!)

Maybe you don't want to completely overhaul the house in the midst of cooking and cleaning for your holiday guests, but it might be just the right time to refresh your living room or guest room by restyling your window treatments.

Here's that decorator tip!

Lined curtains help insulate the windows AND keep the curtains from fading in the sun.  They are more expensive initially, but lined curtains help reduce energy bills and keep your home warm and cozy.

We have more than 100 styles of lined curtains and drapes, from traditional panels to prairie curtains, fishtail swags and French door panels. One of our best sellers is the Vintage Star black panel.  

The Vintage Star black line includes coordinating table linens, kitchen and bath accessories, quilted bedding, rugs, blankets and throw pillows. (See it all right here!)

Here are a few other posts that may serve as further inspiration to you!

• 4 ways to dress up your windows
• 5 fun, new window treatment designs
• A guest room makeover in 6 easy steps!

Having visitors for the holidays?



 Order by Friday, 11/21 for delivery before Thanksgiving!

Just in time for the holidays...

Hello and happy almost-Thanksgiving! We've been busy! We're proud to share our newly redesigned website with you...

 

 On the new site, you'll find:

• Improved search and navigation
• Sleek new design
• Streamlined shopping cart and checkout to make the whole process much easier
• MORE of all the stuff you love like quilted bedding, kitchen decor and bathroom accessories, window treatments, lighting, and floor coverings like woven rugs and braided rugs and door mats.

Shop now!

Stay tuned for more updates on new items, holiday decor and our annual gift guide!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the new design. Anything we can do to help?

Kilimanjaro + decorating with bold colors

In today's salute to braided rugs and country decor (#8 in the series!), we're talking about dark brown accents and overcoming the fear of decorating with bold colors.

Read our other posts in this series:

• Hey jute!
• Russet braided jute rugs + decorating with black
• Timber Trail + rustic decor
• Home makeover, Harvest edition
• Coffee braided rugs and some DOs and DON'Ts
• Kingston rugs + cheap and easy redecorating tips
• Aberdeen and a summer decor link roundup

Appropriately, today's featured rug is Kilimanjaro.



A dramatic combination of dark and light browns, soft cream and toasty tan! Here are some great examples on Pinterest of dark brown accents.


White kitchen with brown accents


Mason jar accents


Dark brown burlap wreath


Lime green kitchen with dark brown accents\

And we sell dozens of complementing tan and cream accessories that provide a balancing contrast to the rich, dark tones in the Kilimanjaro rugs.

Using color boldly can be challenging! According to HGTV, "the idea behind using color well is it should flow in your house, not be a patchwork of opposite looks." The idea is to create an atmosphere of harmony.

To achieve this harmony, Benjamin Moore recommends selecting colors according to the 60/30/10 rule:

• 60% of the composition is in one color family (which for most people means neutrals, like cream, grey or taupe).
• 30% is from a different color family.
• 10% is a bold "pop" color.

Experiment by bringing in one bold, dramatic accessory, like an accent piece, upholstery fabric or rug. Or, says House Beautiful, start with a very small room. It's not as much of a commitment, and you'll spend less time and money.
 

This bright, bold powder room is decorated with a dramatic geometric pattern and daring red accents. (Source: Pinterest.)

Check out the rest of our new braided jute rug line: Cider Barn, Russet, Timber Trail, Harvest, Coffee, Kingston, Kiliminjaro, Aberdeen, Mustard Seed, Vancouver, and Allentown.



See our entire line of braided rugs and door mats.

Our next post in this series will feature Mustard Seed.

Aberdeen + a summer decor link roundup

Hope you are having an excellent week! If you're just tuning in, we're doing a series of blog posts about home decorating to introduce our new collection of braided jute rugs. This one is blog post #7!

Read our other posts in this series:

• Hey jute!
• Russet braided jute rugs + decorating with black
• Timber Trail + rustic decor
• Home makeover, Harvest edition
• Coffee braided rugs and some DOs and DON'Ts
• Kingston rugs + cheap and easy redecorating tips

Today's featured rug is Aberdeen.



With warm natural shades of tan, green, and rust, there's a place for this rug in just about any room of the home. The collection includes braided chair pads, coasters, place mats, table runners and oval and rectangular rugs in sizes from 20"x30" all the way up to 8'x10'.



 Use our website to narrow your search field by color to find coordinating items!

 

Tooday we're featuring a link roundup of summer decorating ideas from all around the web.

From Pinterest: Flower pot wreath, perfect for tiny, beautiful succulents!



From Martha Stewart: 60 summer decorating ideas including flower votive displays. Flowers and candlelight are nothing new, but together they create tabletop decorations fit for relaxed summer entertaining.

From HGTV: 30 Ways to Get a New Look For Summer. Refresh your home indoors and out with easy summer decorating projects you can tackle this weekend.

From Better Homes & Gardens: 13 Decorating ideas for summer. Don't overlook opportunities for fresh summer scents in your home like cucumber melon and ocean breeze.

From House Beautiful: Simple Summer Makeovers, like artfully stacking all your leftover fireware artfully in your fireplace!



Check out the rest of our new braided jute rug line: Cider Barn, Russet, Timber Trail, Harvest, Coffee, Kingston, Kiliminjaro, Aberdeen, Mustard Seed, Vancouver, and Allentown.


See our entire line of braided rugs and door mats. Our next post in this series will feature Kilimanjaro. 

Kingston rugs + cheap and easy redecorating tips

Good morning! This is blog post #6 in a series about home decorating. If you're just tuning in, we're doing this series to introduce our new collection of braided jute rugs.

Read our other posts in this series:

• Hey jute!
• Russet braided jute rugs + decorating with black
• Timber Trail + rustic decor
• Home makeover, Harvest edition
• Coffee braided rugs and some DOs and DON'Ts

Today, our spotlight is on the Kingston collection of rugs...

 

The Kingston rugs are bursting with red and beige, but there are also some nice subtle tones of sage and black that you can draw out with the right accessories.

And now, here are a few inexpensive and EASY home decorating tips, for when you don't want to rip out the flooring, but you would like a nice change of pace.

• Switch out your kitchen canisters. Having something fun and new to look at on your countertops each day can help you forget you'd like to install entirely new countertops!
• Replace an old rug with a fun, new rug.
• Buy a funky piece of old furniture at a garage sale and refinish it.
• It's spring! Throw some fresh-cut flowers in a vase to instantly brighten up the room.
• Replace your pillows. We've already written a whole post about pillows, but we'll mention it again because it's one of the easiest ways to transform an old piece of furniture into something fun and new.
• Switch out your hardware. You'd be amazed by how completely a kitchen is transformed with just new cabinet and drawer handles.
• Paint your front door a fun color!

Image source: Pinterest

Check out the rest of our new braided jute rug line: Cider Barn, Russet, Timber Trail, Harvest, Coffee, Kingston, Kiliminjaro, Aberdeen, Mustard Seed, Vancouver, and Allentown.

 

See our entire line of braided rugs and door mats.

Our next post in this series will feature Aberdeen.  

What are your cheap and easy home decorating tips?