Book Review – Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home

I recently bought up the book “Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home” and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. As someone who loves all things home decor and DIY, this book was right up my alley. From the moment I opened the cover, I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful photography and warm, inviting feel of the book.

Liz Marie Galvan, the author and popular blogger, shares her best home decor and design tips in a way that feels real, easy, and affordable. I appreciated her focus on making the most out of your home, regardless of the budget you’re working with. The book is filled with practical and functional ideas that can be applied to every room in your house, and I found myself taking notes and jotting down ideas as I read.

One of the things I loved about the book was the focus on creating a cozy atmosphere in every room. Liz shares tips on how to make a workspace more inspiring and productive, how to arrange a living room to encourage conversation and connection, and how to create a warm and inviting space for guests. She also highlights the importance of quiet spaces for rest and rejuvenation, playrooms for laughter and learning, and the kitchen as the heart of the home.

The book is filled with simple DIY projects for every room, which I found particularly helpful. Whether you’re a seasoned DIY-er or just starting out, there’s something in this book for everyone. From budget-friendly hints for decorating to tips for creating a cozy and functional workspace, Liz has thought of it all.

I also appreciated Liz’s focus on the power of the home to bring joy and happiness. She writes about the importance of implementing calming routines and rituals into our spaces and our lives, and how the right design choices can bring more laughter, joy, and learning into our homes.

Get the book here: Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home

Hanukkah is a great reason to pull out your cross stitch fabric and thread and stitch up some fun seasonal cross stitch patterns.

If you have trouble spelling Hanukkah (I know I do!) you’ll want to stitch up the How Do You Spell… project from SKB Cross Stitch Design. This one includes a bunch of different ways to spell the holiday, along with some symbols like a dreidel and menorah. (Technically I think all the ways to spell it are “correct.”) The pattern includes full, fractional and bask titches, and measures 8.5 by 7 inches, or 21.6 by 17.8 cm. It has the date for 2004/5785 but you can easily change the year or leave that part off.

Another project with some fun word play is the Words to Live By chart from Sam Brie Stitches. This one includes Hanukkah related symbols and word presented crossword puzzle style, which is fun to stitch and to display. The design uses 10 colors and measures 74 by 103 stitches. It’s shown worked on 18 count fabric.

I may have shared these before, but the Hanukkah patterns from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery are so cute they’re definitely worth sharing again. Happy Hanukkah features a menorah, dreidels, gelt, stars and candles, and it fits in a 6-inch hoop. At 75 by 75 stitches, it comes out to 5.4 inches/13.4 cm on 14 count Aida or 28 count linen. They also have this cute little dreidel stamp cross stitch pattern, which is 39 by 49 stitches, or 2.8 by 3.5 inches (about 7 by 9 cm) on 14 count Aida or 28 count linen.

Works By ABC has a lot of great patterns for Hanukkah, but here are just a couple to get you started. The Rules for Dreidel design is fun for kids and adults and shows the different sides of the dreidel and what it means when you land on them. The stitch count is 62 by 94 and its shown worked on 32 count linen. It calls for three colors. I also like this menorah one, which measures 44 by 49 stitches and uses two colors along with coordinating seed beads. On 32 count linen as shown (equivalent to 16 count Aida) it measures 2.75 by 3.1 inches, or almost 7 by 7.8 cm.

Have you read?