Fragrant, eco-friendly air

Want an inexpensive, eco-friendly alternative to store-bought air fresheners? Try this simple recipe.

Add several drops of your favourite essential oil to 300 millilitres of hot (but not boiling) water. (I use distilled water.) Stir it well, then let it sit for several minutes. Pour it into a spray bottle, and shake vigorously. Spritz it generously in any room, but be careful not to get wood furniture wet.

To make linen water, add several drops of essential oil to good quality, unflavoured vodka. Let the oil dissolve in the alcohol. Then pour it into a spray bottle and fill with distilled water. Use it to scent freshly-laundered sheets, or to freshen the bed each time you make it.

Lovely Liv

Why did I wait so long before going to visit Liv, the new lifestyle store opened earlier this year by Joanna Goodman? Goodman, who also owns Au Lit Fine Linens, has great style and a terrific eye, which is abundantly evident in the expanded offering of clothes, fragrance, furniture, books, tableware and accessories offered at the new location. My favourites were a wool  throw festooned with a very patriotic moose motif ($99 - shown above) and a set of six egg-shaped soaps in pretty packaging for $22. Don’t forget to visit the basement, where there’s a large selection of reproduction Brocante furniture. Plan to visit the store on November 8 or 9 for a holiday shopping event that includes 20 per cent off clothing, furniture  and linens, a gift with purchase for the first 50 customers, hot cocoa and treats, a DJ, and the chance to win a luxury swag bag.

Christmas, I'm afraid, is coming

I know most of us — myself included — don’t want to focus on Christmas yet.

But if you do celebrate it, you’ve got to admit that it will be jolly-well be here before you know it.

Want an easy way to get started with seasonal décor plans?

Home Depot is holding a national holiday light exchange on November 1 and 2. That means you can bring in old incandescent light strings for recycling and receive 50 per cent off new energy-efficient seasonal LED lights, which use about 95 per cent less energy that incandescent lights, and last about twenty years.

Lovely linens

I love good linen, so the new tableclothes, runners and napkins from Moutet made a recent drive to JacKryn France in Aurora worth it. These gorgeous 100 per cent cotton table linens come in fabulous designs, including my current favourite – a wintery outdoor scene (shown left) in rich purples, sweet blues and hot yellows. A 170-centimetre square cloth sells for $205. Given that these clothes will, treated properly, last forever, and make a beautiful table, I think that’s a darn good buy.

If the allure of new linen is not enough reason to visit this pretty French-themed store, make note that from 6 – 9 p.m. on November 6, it will launch a new line of tableware from Vietri – ghostly pale white tableware delicately embossed with a textured design. There will be refreshments, draws and 10 per cent off the new line. The store also carries a lovely selection of Christmas ornaments – more on that later.

Anti Martha's Problem Page

Dear Anti Martha

My girlfriend came home with lipstick on her collar and it’s my turn to do the laundry this week. Help!

Signed,

Lost in the Laundry Room

Dear Lost in the Laundry Room,

Yikes. Lipstick is grease and pigment, and that makes it tough to get out. Here’s what Clorox’s expert, Dr. Laundry, recommends. First of all, don’t rub the fabric. That will push the lipstick into the fibre.

Instead, take a cloth that’s been dampened with water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Put the cloth on the back of the fabric and push the dishwashing detergent into the stain. That will help separate the lipstick from the fabric.

At the same time, take a dry cloth to the front and blot the lipstick away from the fabric. Do this several times with a clean cloth.

Then, use a separate wet cloth to gently flush the remaining stain and excess dishwashing detergent from the item. Pre-treat and then wash.

And if your sweetie continues to come home with lipstick on her collar, may we suggest you talk to Ellie Tescherin the Toronto Star’s Living section for another kind of advice?

You Heard It Here First

Trend trackers are delighted that Toronto now has its first West Elm store at 109 Atlantic Avenue. A younger, less expensive cousin of the upscale Williams Sonoma, this home decor store defines itself with chic, affordable housewares, furniture, bedding, and lighting, all of which changes seasonally.

The chain also prides itself on keeping healthy inventories at each location (fewer stock-outs) and on its quick delivery, which means you can have that chair/table/rug you love RIGHT THIS MINUTE!

Fans of Crate and Barrel (and there are lots of them) no longer have to go south of the  border to get their fix. The popular U.S. chain opened its first Canadian store at Yorkdale mall in September. I visited it, and saw loads of lovely furniture, bedding, lighting and accessories.

I just love the Jardin chair, shown at left, which brings a fresh new look to a traditional shape.

But it was probably in the abundant tabletop section that I nearly lost my heart. I held back for now, and just picked up six glasses.

But I'll be back - this store is a great addition to the city's decor offering.

Need to Know

Dragged my husband John to the Barrymore Furniture semi-annual sale on Thanksgiving weekend. Felt as though I had died and gone to heaven when I found the clearance area at the back of the store, where there were buckets of great buys.

Snapped up a beautiful chair and ottoman in a gorgeous claret colour for a ridiculously good price. Thought it couldn’t get any better until I found another area even further back where upholstery “remnants” were on sale.

Lured the totally brill senior designer Thomas Flatt back there for expert advice on which fabric would work on the soon-to-be-reupholstered chair that’s going to sit next to my fab new chair. Got two five-metre lengths of gorgeous fabric, which probably cost $70 a metre or more, for $20 each. That’s $20 FOR THE ROLL.

Left the store very happy, and explained to John on the way home how my nose for a bargain meant I had enough left over for a new pair of shoes.

Welcome to On the House

As a home columnist, I test all kinds of new gadgets and gizmos, am offered sneak peeks at new products, advance buzz on emerging trends, and a heads-up on which new stores are coming to town.

I love my job. Unfortunately, so much information comes across my desk daily that can’t fit into my weekly column. This blog is my answer to that.

There will be regular features, such as Stuff I Love (self-explanatory, no?) and You Heard It Here First, with news on store openings and other design/decor events. I’ll also include all manner of tips and tricks that come my way.

My Anti Martha, possibly the coolest “homemaker” on the planet, will occasionally answer readers’ questions about what Anti quaintly refers to as “housekeeping”. And there will be lots of pretty pictures to inspire and entertain.

Best of all, this advice and information is all on the house. So check back often. And let me know what you think.