My favorite place for house touring: Cape May, New Jersey!

Offered by the Cape May Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts , the tour boasts numerous renovated Victorians and modern functionality to broaden your mind and options of house decorating for your own home! This year’s Designer Show House is the newly renovated Carpenter Cottage on 511 Franklin Street. Open until January 3, 2010, this is a showcase you don’t want to miss, with package deals on top restaurants and luncheons available through the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts website.

Once the home of lighthouse keepers, the Carpenter Cottage has been renovated with decor and household designs to look fresh, summery and clean, with simple lines and designs.

Tips and tricks to make your house into a Cottage oasis:

1. White accents, but not a White main course. Basically to make everything fresh, you want to pick a primary color ( a nice blue or red) and then accent it with tons of white. White chandeliers, white candlesticks, white curtains, white bed skirt, white white white. Don’t try to compliment a color with another color, even a more subdued one. Make it fresh and classic.

2. Modernize the bathroom! Make sure the appliances are nice and curious. You want clean lines and simplicity, but also some modern twists: maybe an interesting pewter faucet? A column-styled stand-alone sink? An antique mirror? Give it class.

3. Artwork on the wall is an absolute must. But don’t go for modernist paintings or your children’s artwork (though that is always a nice family touch). Think about rustic farm images or weather-beaten wood frames. You want the house to look timeless, but also aged. Think about how you can recreate that with art. The potential is limitless!

Want to make your home into an eclectic mix of Victorian and personal family lore? First you want to start with gathering up any old family heirlooms, trinkets, jewelry, etc and finding the perfect glass-front cabinet to store them in. The idea is to fill the space, so that all of the stories and objects look interweaved, as opposed to carefully separated and cleaned like a museum display.

Dark Walnut Oval-Shaped Curio Cabinet with Curved Glass-Front Panels: $1,110.32 (marked down from $1,299.00, shipping included).

Maybe you have some vintage beads, seashells, sand, etc that you want to hold on to from a family vacation or prized family heirloom. Maybe you just want to collect something bizarre, like matchbooks, and keep them in an interesting, visible place. Try apothecary jars: they are large and interestingly shaped. Much better for display that the shoebox under your bed!

Glass Apothecary Jar by Save-On-Crafts.com: $26.99/each or 2 for $22/each

No sitting area or Victorian home is complete without proper seating for entertaining. Though hoopskirts have since gone out of fashion, the lounging chaise chairs have not, and provide a beautiful throw-back to a bygone era of Jane Austen and Marie Antoinette.

Tan Chaise Lounge Chair: $299.99

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more Chase lounge chairs and Curio cabinets.
Discounts on apothecary jars.

But if you want to bring a little of the Bastille back home, here are some suggestions of Thomas Schlesser, noted Francophile and restaurant architect, as interviewed by the New York Times:

Dubost Red Laguiole stainless steel flatware from SurLaTable.com: $160 for 20 pieces with storage box included.  Marked down from $199, this is not exactly a steal, but certainly an investment.  A setting includes soup spoon, dinner fork, salad fork, dinner knife and teaspoon.  Four place settings are included in the package, along with a personalized fitted wood storage tray.  Safe for dishwasher, hand dry, the product is made at a family-owned factory in France, thus making it elegant and perfect for Bastille Day, not to mention the patriotic colors.

Cour Normande Ceramic Pitcher from PierreDeux.com, $48.  A rustic piece with an adorable Coq (le francais for “rooster”) painted on the front, this piece says elegance and countryside charm.  Both dishwasher and microwave safe, this is a versatile and useful item for everything from margaritas to lemonade stands.

Have a fabulous Bastille Day, even if you don’t celebrate!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more French style dinnerware.

I’m in love with polished nickel ones.  Here are three of my favorite shops & their different takes on this accessory.

Amalfi Square Lanterns Restoration Hardware $15-$129

Arched Metal Lanterns West Elm $39

Seaport Lanterns Pottery Barn $39

I’m still trying to choose which ones to get, but whichever I choose I’m sure it’s going to be incredibly chic!  More summer outdoor decorating tips to come….

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more lanterns.

Here’s a great little side tip before we get to the main product, which I came across while searching for a good green product to share today: buying individually wrapped and packaged items may be convenient for your on-the-go family, but buying in bulk helps eliminate waste and is cheaper, too!  Buy reusable plastic containers for your kids to pack their sandwiches and snacks for school, instead of the already individually packaged Graham Crackers or PB&J.  It’s a great way to save the planet and your pocket, and really doesn’t require any sacrifice.  Which brings me to the main product of today’s blog, something that’s received a lot of hype for the past year: Green light bulbs!

First, some facts you didn’t know about light bulbs, and how Green lighting can help you eliminate waste and save money:

1. Green lightbulbs save electricity and save the environment by using Compact Fluorescent Light, otherwise known as “CFL”.
2. A fact provided by CBS News : “If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.”
3. On average, each CFL light bulb saves you about $30 in it’s lifetime

Still need convincing? CFL light bulbs may cost a little more than the average light bulb when first purchased, but thrifty, stylish department store IKEA offers CFL lightbulbs for sale in bulk.  Check out the 2-pack SPARSAM energy-efficient light bulb: 2 for $8.99.  IKEA boasts that this light bulb has a 10x’s longer lifespan than the standard incandescent light bulb.

One downfall: Standard energy-efficient CFL light bulbs do not work with dimmers.  GE, invented a special dimming CFL that works with dimmer setups, however the company warns you that the practice of using dimmers shortens light bulbs lifespans and therefore, your savings.  This light bulb is called GE Longlife Plus Soft White Energy Saving Bulb and sells for the special discounted price at LampsPlus.com of $2.69/2-pack.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more CFL light bulbs.

Special Inside Tip: NiteLites will provide free demonstrations at your home before you have to commit to an installation!

One downfall: The company is still expanding its locations. While NiteLites has the East Coat from Massachusetts to Florida covered well, service becomes a little sparse once you get past Tennessee and non-existent once past Texas.

When considering installing architectural or landscape lighting around your house, remember to consider:

1. Entrance ways, door ways, and exit points:  These are the portals to your home, so every doorway should be welcoming and well-lit so it is easy to spot.  Well-lit doorways help during that late-night search for keys in the purse, for example.  But, take lighting at the doorway with caution.  While you certainly want the light to be bright on the outside (even to make sure that you recognize who is knocking at the door) but you do not want the light illuminating the inside of your house for the whole world to see.  Keep this in mind if your doorway has glass and consider having it frosted if you have not already.

2. Privacy:  You have taken good care of your home and you deserve to beautify it even more with special, tailored lighting.  Nitelites can help you pick out the perfect set up to illuminate and show off the assets of your home.  However, don’t forget to consider your family’s privacy.  You do not want your home to be visible from space.  Make sure that the lights will not be shining into your windows and keep the direct light on the house to a minimum.  Instead, if you are just starting to consider installations, start small with pathway lighting, or maybe a little around the outdoor pool or garage.  Remember, this lighting is meant to benefit your family first.

Nitelites.com has a very interactive and image-heavy site that can give you plenty of ideas about how to improve your home with lighting installation.  Check it out, and even if you are on the fence about the idea, contact NiteLites for a free consult.  You never know what will spark your imagination!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop through a variety of affordable outdoor lighting.

These beach ball lamps are so much fun to look at!

Perfect for an eco-friendly, urban space, the eggcrate lamp.

I’ve always wondered what I can do with old, non-functioning light bulbs.

I’ve thrown one too many Tupperware pieces, but the makers of these lamps found a fascinating way to reuse them.

I hope this lamp is for outdoor use.

This looks vintage & I love it!

These lamps definitely fascinates me. It takes being green to the next level!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for energy saving light bulbs.

If you are a do-it yourselfer, you can get any floating wood that washes ashore & make it your own sculpture or furniture.  The most beautiful ones are those that has many network of tunnels (where animals bore holes or even algae & bacteria that has eaten most of the wood).  Of course, there is a treating & handling process & unless you are an excellent driftwood artist, your sculpture can be just another wood junk.  If you are not a do-it yourselfer, you can buy driftwood furniture almost everywhere now.

Blue Nature Driftwood Lamps

From DriftwoodFineArt.com

I think they’re absolutely beautiful! Reclaim & restyle!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more driftwood furniture.
Discounts on driftwood decor.

Cedar Sake Vessel

Designed by Shunji Kurimori and made using old cedar trees, the Cedar Sake Vessel ($140) is a sure-fire way to add a touch of authenticity to your next drink. On top of its great narrow grain, the vessel’s construction results in low-conductivity that keeps cold sake cold and hot sake warm. Pair with a set of Cedar Sake Cups ($85)

Design Within Reach offers Free Standard Shipping 

Shop for Cedar Sake Vessel and Cups - Click here!

Bamboo Sake Cup

These bamboo sake cups add a touch of authenticity to your home sake set. Not to mention the awesome price ($1.79). Plus I can also picture them as wonderfully chic tea light holders.

Shop for the Bamboo Sake Cup - Click here.

4 Pack of Masu Wooden Large Sake Cup 

I like the aesthetic of these large sake cups but, I can’t seem to shake the idea that the square shape would make drinking somewhat awkward!?

Personally I think this particular set is more decorative than functional. I could be wrong. The price is definitely a steal. (set of four - $19.04)

Shop for the Masu Wooden Large Sake Cups - Click here!

From Urban Outfitters, check out this owl tree jewelry & umbrella stand.

Feathers not included with this owl throw pillow from Bruges.

Tabletop & collectible decor, cute white owls (feathers included) from Z Gallerie and glass owl bank, a flea market find at The Inglenook Decor.

Even John Derian loves them! Decoupage paperweight from his collection.

You’ll even find them in more functional items such as this owl lamp.

Or this owl fan.

So, the owl. Bird of wisdom? Check. Bird of chic? Check again.