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Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

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    Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

    Hey there guys, I know that a lot of you here are incredibly crafty and clever and keep marvelous homes, so I'm coming to you for this.

    Question #1: I need some ideas about how to keep an older-style, hardwood floor house nice and warm and inviting without breaking the budget, or cranking the heat up to replicate life on the equator. The landlords are very particular about the house so those "plastic stuff over the windows to keep the draft out" are not an option for us.

    I already have plans to get the fella some nice cozy slippers so that his tootsies aren't so cold, and I already have a pair, and we've got some of those door-draft-stopper-cushion things (here's a photo since a picture is worth a thousand of my babbling words: http://totallystitchin.net/wp-conten...rafter_150.jpg), but I feel like that's not going to make the place warm enough.

    I considered putting blankets over the windows, or cardboard, or styrofoam, but we need the sunlight in there too because otherwise the house becomes DARK LIKE MY SOUL. Gotta let in the rays, plus the sun will help heat the place too, so is there a way around this? I've never lived in an old house before and want to respect it as much as possible while still having it toasty and cozy for da love-bjorns.


    Question # 2: Aside from a tree, twinkle lights, and mistletoe, does anyone have any clever ideas for harvest/winter/Yuletide cheer? The fella HATES winter and I want to make the house as warm and cozy and inviting as humanly possible so that he can forget that he's miserable, hah.

    It would be especially nice to have ideas as to how to keep the place festive when we take the tree down, because there's still a whole lotta winter left after 12/25!
    No one tells the wind which way to blow.

    #2
    Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

    My go-to comforts for warmth and coziness tend to be fuzzy socks and pjs, good quality (i.e. warm and fuzzy and often double-layered) blankets, and a couple pillows for the furniture (the ones I like are about 3x the size of normal throw pillows, but they don't cost much more if you get the basic ones from a craft store and just makeshift your own coverings).

    Floor rugs, albeit pricy, are a good way to keep the heat in a room and keep the cold off your toes.

    If you have a desktop computer, consider putting it in the room you'll be spending the most time in. Both of our pc's are in the same room (the farthest room from the furnace) because this is where the hedgehog cage is and he needs to be kept at around 75 degrees year round. We've never had an issue keeping this room warm with one or both computers running.

    Also, warm drinks! Particularly ones involving caffeine, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, or a combination thereof (or vitamin W, particularly mulled).


    In a nutshell: fabric things, electronic things, drinks, and... I had a fourth but I forgot it. -.- This has happened twice today!

    As a little side note, and you may not encounter this, if you find that your hands get really cold and you don't have the luxury of wrapping them up in a blanket, I've found that cutting the very tips off fuzzy gloves takes a lot of the edge off.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

      I agree with the rugs and the throw blankets 100%. KP likes it cold year around so staying warm is kind of a big deal for me. Also are you using all the rooms in the house? If you have rooms that aren't being used close the vents and keep the door shut, that way you'll have more heat going into the rooms that are being used. Heavy curtains are still a good idea on the windows. Keep them open during the day to let the light in and closed at night to keep the heat in! My other two suggestions would be baking, and a space heater. One small space heater to keep in the main room your in on low just as a little added heat. Baking is another great one because you have the oven going it will heat up the house all on its own plus sweets help with the gloom that is winter.

      I will have to think on decorations though. I will say after Yule you can go straight to decorating for Imbolc.
      "If you want to know what a man is like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." -- Sirius Black

      "Time is an illusion, lunch time doubly so."-- Ford Prefect

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

        Cheapo bag of rice, and some old fabric. Sew yourself some hand warmers, magic bag type things, etc! Cheap cheap!

        My personal favourite is my electric blanket. I come in from a day playing in -40C weather, and I change into different clothes and climb under the electric blanket until I warm up. It was pretty cheap, too - and doesn't use a TON of electricity.

        Thrift store shopping for cozy sweaters.

        Grow your hair! I'm quickly learning that my super awesome summer time undercut actually means that now that the temps are cooling down, my neck is cold!


        Mostly art.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

          Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
          Cheapo bag of rice, and some old fabric. Sew yourself some hand warmers, magic bag type things, etc! Cheap cheap!
          Ohh I have these too! They're amazing. Basically it's a small (or whatever size you want) pillow filled with rice that you pop in the microwave for 10-whatever seconds (depending on its size) and it holds warmth for 20 minutes or so. I actually kept a couple in my hedgie's cage during the winter (just in case he wanted to snuggle on something warmer than the blankets).

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

            Cooking (or baking, as kalynraye said) is great! In the colder months I make big pots of spaghetti sauce, or pot roast in the crockpot, or my favorite chicken & rice casserole, all of which take a while and smell wonderful. It doesn't have to be Thanksgiving to cook a turkey, either - it takes a while in the oven and then you can freeze some, and make soup and other things with some. In winter I leave the oven door open after removing cooked food & shutting it off, to let the heat out (as opposed to summer when I snap it shut fast!) Same with the dishwasher. And I have a tradition of choosing a different Yule /Christmas decoration each year to leave out until the next year.
            sigpic
            Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

              Originally posted by Ljubezen View Post
              My go-to comforts for warmth and coziness tend to be fuzzy socks and pjs, good quality (i.e. warm and fuzzy and often double-layered) blankets, and a couple pillows for the furniture (the ones I like are about 3x the size of normal throw pillows, but they don't cost much more if you get the basic ones from a craft store and just makeshift your own coverings).

              Floor rugs, albeit pricy, are a good way to keep the heat in a room and keep the cold off your toes.
              I think I might invest in some rugs, just to keep the place from feeling like a frozen lake beneath our tootsies, hah. And the pillows is a good call too -- I'll definitely add flannel pajamas to my Christmas shopping list! Poor guy has to stay warm! I've also told him that we'll take walks around the neighborhood in the winter once he gets a pair of good boots -- I find that the more I'm out in the cold, the better I am at handling it. When you're walking you usually stay pretty warm so I figure it'll be a good way to acclimate him to the weather here instead of just shutting himself away and wishing the could would stop :3

              Originally posted by Ljubezen View Post
              If you have a desktop computer, consider putting it in the room you'll be spending the most time in. Both of our pc's are in the same room (the farthest room from the furnace) because this is where the hedgehog cage is and he needs to be kept at around 75 degrees year round. We've never had an issue keeping this room warm with one or both computers running.
              Unfortunately I've only got a laptop, and it doesn't give off much heat (but again, this is a really great idea that I would never EVER have thought of).

              Originally posted by Ljubezen View Post
              Also, warm drinks! Particularly ones involving caffeine, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, or a combination thereof (or vitamin W, particularly mulled).
              YES, YOU ARE SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF MY PEOPLE! I have a crock pot and am geeking the hell out about it, so I'll be making all kinds of wassail and cocoas and ciders to keep everything warm and aromatic (also, if anyone has any good crock pot drink recipes, I would really love to hear them -- and if it derails this thread I will start a new one in PFCookbook)!

              - - - Updated - - -

              Originally posted by kalynraye View Post
              If you have rooms that aren't being used close the vents and keep the door shut, that way you'll have more heat going into the rooms that are being used. Heavy curtains are still a good idea on the windows. Keep them open during the day to let the light in and closed at night to keep the heat in! My other two suggestions would be baking, and a space heater. One small space heater to keep in the main room your in on low just as a little added heat. Baking is another great one because you have the oven going it will heat up the house all on its own plus sweets help with the gloom that is winter.
              Using the oven more seems like a really solid plan, and it never occurred to me. This is genius, and I'll be doing more things with the oven. There's all kinds of stuff you can make in there!

              Originally posted by kalynraye View Post
              I will have to think on decorations though. I will say after Yule you can go straight to decorating for Imbolc.
              What types of things do you usually use to decorate for Imbolc? All I know about Imbolc is that it's in February and there's candles, I think... I like candles...

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              Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
              Cheapo bag of rice, and some old fabric. Sew yourself some hand warmers, magic bag type things, etc! Cheap cheap!
              This. is. fraggin. brilliant. Pea. <3

              Again, something that I never would have thought of in a million years. I can make these without any trouble (and lemme tell you, we've got rice for daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays).

              Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
              My personal favourite is my electric blanket. I come in from a day playing in -40C weather, and I change into different clothes and climb under the electric blanket until I warm up. It was pretty cheap, too - and doesn't use a TON of electricity.

              Thrift store shopping for cozy sweaters.
              I'll definitely have to help beef up the winter-apparel quota in the house. I've basically got 2 sweaters and I don't think he's even got anything long sleeved that isn't a hoodie. Thrift store shopping, here we come!

              Originally posted by volcaniclastic View Post
              Grow your hair! I'm quickly learning that my super awesome summer time undercut actually means that now that the temps are cooling down, my neck is cold!
              I wish I had a photo, my hair is longer than it's been in ages, and I've just about died with all this weight on the back of my neck/sides of face/top of head/shoulders, but come winter, I'm gonna be the snuggliest beeyotch you ever saw!

              - - - Updated - - -

              Originally posted by Hawkfeathers View Post
              ... I make big pots of spaghetti sauce, or pot roast in the crockpot, or my favorite chicken & rice casserole, all of which take a while and smell wonderful... It doesn't have to be Thanksgiving to cook a turkey, either - it takes a while in the oven and then you can freeze some, and make soup and other things with some...
              If it's not too much trouble, can I have those recipes, please?! Chicken and rice casserole in the crock pot sounds right up my alley, and chicken is so cheap in these parts that if I can make it really well, I think he'll be more inclined to go for that instead of beef, which is pretty much a staple out here.

              Also, I'm kind of a doofus, so if you could 'idiot proof' the recipes for me, or act like you're talking to someone who has never cooked before, I'd be much obliged. Bjorn is still learning how to adult. :P

              Originally posted by Hawkfeathers View Post
              I have a tradition of choosing a different Yule /Christmas decoration each year to leave out until the next year.
              I like the sound of this tradition, can you give me some examples of things you have left up in the past?
              No one tells the wind which way to blow.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                What I've done, that works all year round, is I've put up larger thermal curtains between each doorway from room to room, using tension rods so that I can slide them open or closed. In the summer, it allows me to only use air conditioning in the rooms I'm active in while not worrying about the rest of the house, and in the winter it does the same for the heat. I also have a little electric heater that looks like a fireplace that I can move from room to room with me and don't underestimate the amount of heat put off by a dozen or so candles.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                  Originally posted by Bjorn View Post

                  If it's not too much trouble, can I have those recipes, please?! Chicken and rice casserole in the crock pot sounds right up my alley, and chicken is so cheap in these parts that if I can make it really well, I think he'll be more inclined to go for that instead of beef, which is pretty much a staple out here.

                  Also, I'm kind of a doofus, so if you could 'idiot proof' the recipes for me, or act like you're talking to someone who has never cooked before, I'd be much obliged. Bjorn is still learning how to adult. :P

                  - - - Updated - - -

                  Originally posted by Bjorn View Post
                  I like the sound of this tradition, can you give me some examples of things you have left up in the past?
                  This started when I was little - I loved a little snowman decoration we had and asked to keep it in my room until the next year. Now I just pick something small and not too obvious, like an ornament with an animal on it, whatever speaks to me as I'm putting the stuff away. Most of my tree ornaments have birds or animals. I have a racehorse one that's always out on my desk, and I just put it on the tree for those few weeks a year.
                  sigpic
                  Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                    I love ll these suggestions. My home has 75 year old radiators heated by oil, so to keep costs down we basically keep the radiators at 55-60 to keep the pipes from freezing and get creative. We live in an old farm house that's just so drafty. At night we hang quilts over the windows, we have a small ceramic space heater we use here and there. Lots of blankets and staying close. the cats and dog pile on to, and it makes for a nice warm pile up.

                    If we're going to be home all day we'll cook something that will cook for a while, or put a soup on the stove top.

                    As for bringing in seasonal things to add to the atmosphere, its a perfect time of year to collect Pine branches, pinecones, and late summer flowers. Put these things in baskets around the house and not only does it add a rustic look, but it smells like heaven.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                      I actually have a stash of hot drinks to be made via slow-cooker, I'll have to dig those out and get back to you!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                        I have an addiction to fleece blankets. I keep two folded up on each couch, and sometimes there's one hanging from my office chair (that's a whole whopping 5 feet away).

                        If an electric blanket is hard to find or too expensive, a lot of places also offer an electric sheet. We bought one this past winter and wow. My thing about the blanket is that I tend to wrap my blanket around me, or use it as body support. The electric sheet didn't move though, and it really helped my back and hip that laid on it.
                        ~Rudyard Kipling, The Cat Who Walks By Himself

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                          Originally posted by Ljubezen View Post
                          I actually have a stash of hot drinks to be made via slow-cooker, I'll have to dig those out and get back to you!
                          YES, holy snowman, YES.

                          - - - Updated - - -

                          Originally posted by faye_cat View Post
                          I have an addiction to fleece blankets. I keep two folded up on each couch, and sometimes there's one hanging from my office chair (that's a whole whopping 5 feet away).

                          If an electric blanket is hard to find or too expensive, a lot of places also offer an electric sheet. We bought one this past winter and wow. My thing about the blanket is that I tend to wrap my blanket around me, or use it as body support. The electric sheet didn't move though, and it really helped my back and hip that laid on it.
                          You know, fleece blankies are really easy to make too, that's a good plan.

                          Also, I had no friggin idea that they made electric sheets. I'm definitely going to look into this! Were they difficult to keep clean/can they go in the wash? I have no savvy with electrified fabrics at all.
                          No one tells the wind which way to blow.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                            Originally posted by Bjorn View Post
                            YES, holy snowman, YES.

                            - - - Updated - - -



                            You know, fleece blankies are really easy to make too, that's a good plan.

                            Also, I had no friggin idea that they made electric sheets. I'm definitely going to look into this! Were they difficult to keep clean/can they go in the wash? I have no savvy with electrified fabrics at all.
                            In Australia, our 'electric blankets' are an under-blanket that you put between your mattress and your sheet. So you aren't lying directly on it and you don't have to wash it because the regular old sheet is over the top of it.

                            I'll add to your list too... flannelette sheets! Torey says they're called 'flannel sheets' in the US... but they're the brushed cotton ones that are soft and fuzzy. SO MUCH warmer than regular sheets. I used to hate them as a kid because we had really old ones that the softness had worn out of and that had little cotton balls on them, but a new set is a completely different kettle of fish. They aren't cold when you climb in bed like regular sheets are and they retain your body heat better too, so are nice and snuggly in winter.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Cold Weather Coziness -- Help me create it!

                              Originally posted by Rae'ya View Post
                              In Australia, our 'electric blankets' are an under-blanket that you put between your mattress and your sheet. So you aren't lying directly on it and you don't have to wash it because the regular old sheet is over the top of it.
                              *snip*
                              Pretty much this. If I thought they were getting "dirty", I would febreze or lysol the electric sheet in the morning, when we stripped the old sheets off, but overall it never really stunk or got dirty, etc, since we change the sheet often enough. I will say that you need to turn in on about an hour before you plan to sleep to give it a chance to warm up, and be sure to cover it with your blanket to maximize effect.
                              ~Rudyard Kipling, The Cat Who Walks By Himself

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