Balcony season will be here before you know it (promise). You don’t have to settle for cold concrete floors and overhead porch lights! It’s easy and relatively inexpensive to add warmth, charm and style to your small outdoor space and turn it into more of an outdoor room.

Start with the floors! Try these simple suggestions:

· Tile “rug”: Interlocking tiles can look like wood or ceramic, and they interlock or stay put with a light adhesive. An added plus is that they can be made out of recycled materials.
· Weather-resistant rugs: Made of polypropylene, they can look like more expensive oriental or floral area rugs, and they come in many sizes and colors, like these Terra Mats spotted at ThisNext.
· Reed mats: For a more organic feel, anchor these lightweight mats with carpet tape. These should be used in more protected areas, but they’re also available in woven plastic for those preferring the organic look but need a more durable material.

Lighting is an often overlooked feature, both inside the house and out, but it’s one of the quickest ways to add ambience and warmth to any space. If you have a balcony or patio, one of these ideas could do the trick for you:

· Chiminea: Perfect for small spaces. If you aren’t allowed to have open flame on your balcony, add a string of white Christmas lights for a beautiful glow.
· Lanterns & Lamps: Hang colorful and inexpensive Chinese lanterns from your ceiling, or add a lamp on a small table. Floor lamps also work well in tight corners. Check out this DIY for the great-looking dotted tissue paper lantern at The Swell Life. For plug-in lighting, look for an IP rating of x3-x5 for maximum safety.
· Solar Lights: Place inexpensive solar lights in your planters for added subtle lighting.

Paying attention to a variety of lighting sources can really add a finishing touch to your outdoor decorating and create coziness to your seating area. And trust me, it’s easy, quick and inexpensive! — Jenny P.

Today is the kickoff of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. If you haven’t participated yet, it’s pretty painless. Download the checklist, then simply watch and count the birds you see for a 15-minute span on at least one of the four days of the count, February 12-15. Last year, more than 94,000 people turned in checklists, giving researchers a better idea of the health of bird populations. (Happy to know I am not alone in my bird love geekdom.) If you’re not sure of the identity of a bird, there are two iPhone/iTouch apps for birding and just enough time left to run to your bookstore and pick up a Peterson’s. Of course, the great thing about the GBBC is that you really don’t need anything other than time and a good view. The GBBC site has a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds page. — Sarah L.

Related:
Woodpeckers knocking on your house? There’s hope

Both the cost of new couches and the thought of endlessly fussing with slipcovers for our current couches depress me. Instead, I’m amusing myself by looking for new pillows. Hopefully they’ll distract me from the sorry state of our upholstery or, at the very least, give the kids less room to make a mess. You can find the Welsh blanket pillows and other warm woolens to curl up with at The Great English Outdoors. — Sarah L.

No, it’s not a Topsy Turvy…but then, what is? If you, like us, prefer your hanging planters without the sickly green vine print, you’ll also like these Boskke planters. We have to thank mirrormirror for spotting them first, and now we’re dreaming of buying a whole collection of them, $25-75 from Velocity Art and Design.

As someone who rarely reads the same thing more than once, I seldom find myself buying books. While I like the idea of a shelf of books with well loved bindings, I have a very well loved library card instead. Recently, though, I’ve been looking for big, beautiful books that I’ll want to revisit often. It’s high time to give that book of crazy cat pictures some competition on the coffee table, but choosing where to begin the collection is difficult. NPR’s list of the Best Gift Books of 2009 was a start, but there are so many big books out there that it’s hard to know which are worth the money, so I’m looking for suggestions. What are your favorite coffee table books? — Sarah C.

I started my search for a cool tissue box cover nearly two years ago, and you know what? I still haven’t pulled the trigger on a purchase! Granted, it wasn’t super high on my priority list, but I can honestly say that in all this time, nothing has really jumped out at me…until now. How cool are these paper pots from Molla Space? These little pods are just what I’ve been looking for. Now I just have to pick a color. — Erica P

Confession time: I love glasses bottles as candleholders. It may be clichéd, but a green glass bottle covered with dripping wax always puts me in a romantic mood. Not only are they beautiful, they’re also simple way to recycle glass bottles. Design Sponge takes the idea a step further with a tutorial on how to make a more refined version. Etsy sellers YAVAglass and Nick Paul both rework old bottles into funky jewelry, coasters, and barware. Lifehacker has instructions on how to make cheap and stylish torches out of old wine bottles. I’d love to hear your ideas! — Katie D.

Related:
DIY hanging jar chandeliers
Bottle as automatic plant waterer
Bottle tree

Forget chocolate, crème, and all things sugary: this Valentines’ Day, I’m serving my honey some major carbs! This delicious, super-filling pasta only takes one pot and a few basic ingredients to cook. For all you vegetarians (full-time or part-time), it’s just as tasty without the chicken. Check out the drool-worthy recipe after the jump! — Katie D. (more…)

Great news! Valentine’s Day is arriving again this year, right on schedule. If you like the sentiment but think drug store candy aisle “I love you’s” overrated, say it creatively with an alternative thought for your special someone.

If you fancy the heart-shaped box but are over chocolates, swap them out for a variety of tea infusers with Tea Forte’s Inspiration Hearts, $20 for the large, $12 for the small. Each pyramid infuser contains a leaf-shaped note inscribed with words of wisdom to inspire a special recipient.

“I love you” may be three words, but a memoir takes six. Catch up on your love lit with Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak, $8. Or, for longer-form love notes by someone else, try Other People’s Love Letters, $15.30.

While you may have your love to keep you warm, you may also be underestimating the winter. This “heart warmer” hot water bottle, $15, will do the trick even on the most frigid nights.

Dress a bottle of wine for the occasion with a greeting card label from Toast-Its.com. All designs include space for a personal message that will remain after the wrapper is removed. At $4 a pop, they match the price of an ordinary card, and shipping is free.

Skip the card store and put the romance in writing with Anthropologie’s Valentine in a Bottle, $16. Showcase your sentiments in the glass, and fill throughout the year to keep the love alive.

If you can’t muster up the courage to share your feelings outright, say it anonymously with Redstamp.com’s Secret Admirer Service. Simply select a card and your choice of male or female handwriting and one of their experts will write, stamp and mail your card for you on a designated date. $5 plus the cost of card. — Sarah C.

GSelect has these Domsai Terrariums listed under “Valentine gift ideas for men.” They can market them however they like, but I really, really want one. Yes, even at $140 each. These odd glass shapes perched on even odder ceramic legs come from Matteo Cibic, and each one houses a cactus or succulent. They’re just so cute. And weird. But cute… Hey, maybe they are perfect for a man I know! — Mary T.