Smell This!

Looking for some great ideas to make your home smell wonderful? We can help!

Since I have had chemo, and most particularly during chemo, my sense of smell has heightened to superpower level.  Had I the choice, I would have preferred being invisible, or at least having an invisible plane, but instead I have a bionic nose.  This comes in handy at times when you need to suss out what needs thrown away in the refrigerator but is not as handy when sitting next to someone with less-than-stellar bathing habits on a long flight. Ugh.

During the chemo days, my little sniffer was so strong, my poor husband could not even cook sausage in the kitchen without causing me to have severe nausea. To this day, he only cooks it when I am out of the house for fear of causing a relapse. How sweet is he?! Now that I am way past the hard-core chemo, I am wondering if my daily dose of meds is contributing to my superhero powers of smelling anything, good or bad, for miles.

I am now obsessed with things that smell good, be they candles, misters, diffusers, flowers or sachets.  Cannot. Get. Enough.  I also have pets, and when you walk into my house, I promise you that no one can tell we have them.  Did I mention I was obsessed?

So here are some of my favorite ways to make everyday things and places smell better: 

• Fresh flowers are always my go-to for wonderful scents.  A small bouquet of lilies or lavender or roses is the best way to cheer up a room, an office, or an attitude.  This is the one thing I do for myself on a regular basis.  Most flowers can be bought at your local grocery store or farmers market for under $10.  Do this for yourself, it will make a huge difference in your disposition, I promise!

   

• From one of my newest discoveries, the Gardenista blog (an offshoot of Remodelista, a site I love to drool over), here are two ways to make your refrigerator smell fresh.

   

• Here’s a great recipe for home fragrance, the old fashioned way:

   

• A few favorite candle lines.  I go through so many candles, it’s hard to keep them stocked in my house.  While I would love to get Diptyque, Voluspa, Tocca or Votivo, the price of those little lovelies may be prohibitive if you are on a budget.  I like these from Target:

   

Illume has a Soy scented line with delicious names like Bali Sunrise and Sicilian Orange for $10.00 each.  15.2 ounces with a burn time of up to 50 hours. At 16.2 ounces, it has a burn time of up to 75 hours.

Illume also has an Aromatherapy line with inspirational sayings like “Be Amazing” with Tangerine and Bergamot and essential oils of Mandarin and Thyme.  This is 16.2 ounces with a burn time of up to 75 hours.

Mara Mi’s Sunshine candle with flavors of citrus and grapefruit is 17.5 ounces with a burn time of 80 hours.

And of course, my very favorite candles are the ones we sell in our store, which are by In My Solitude Boutique.  I have one of each kind always somewhere in my home, they smell spectacular and they last a long time. Check them out here>

While it seems like such a little thing, when you feel like someone has run over you with a semi, a little bouquet of fragrant flowers or a sweet-smelling candle can make you feel just a tiny bit better.  And that is worth it.

-AK