Money Can't Buy Love, But It CAN Get You A Little Romance!

By Cinse Bonino

Would you like more romance in your life? Of course you would! What girl wouldn't? But wait, romance doesn't always mean kissy-face. What gives some people and situations that certain romantic something? It's the little things. Movies have taught us that it's romantic to have candles at dinner and for your date to bring you flowers. Models, actresses, and even music divas have shown us how antique lace on the cuffs of a long-sleeved white blouse can make it mysteriously romantic. And what girl hasn't dreamed of wearing a billowing, gauzy skirt that gives her the romantic air of a dancer?

Romance can also mean an overall sense of things feeling adventurous, heroic, or maybe even strangely beautiful. We’re all familiar with romance plots - you know, where the hero saves the beautiful girl from some sort of peril she encounters during an adventure. Usually the girl doesn't see how wonderful the hero is until the very last minute. But she almost always wises up in time! A good romance novel can make you long for a more romantic world. A world where people pay attention to the little things that make life more beautiful, more special, and more enjoyable.

You don't have to be magically transported to a different time and place to make your life more romantic.

All it takes to put some romance in your life is a little money - don't worry, you won't have to empty your entire piggybank - and an eye for the little things that make life special. Try a few of these inexpensive ways to fill your world with more romance.

Now, pick an area of your life to start making more beautiful and romantic . . .

A Special Time With Your Friends

Invite your friends for a romantic Girls Only afternoon tea party. . . No, not that little girl thing where you pretend, but the real deal. Dress up. Have a theme for your party. Wear beautiful hats or long skirts and shawls. You can even wear those long sexy gloves! Have each girl come in her own special color or have everyone dress in pink, or red, or purple! Have fun with your outfits. Make sure you have someone to take a group photo. (A digital camera would be a great way to get lots of fabulous shots.)

The table . . .
Cover your dining room table (or a table outdoors in warmer weather) with a king-sized floral sheet from a discount store. Gather the fabric around the bottom of each leg and tie with a matching colored ribbon. Buy two sheets and cut the second one in pieces to drape over your chairs. Tie a ribbon around the back of each chair to hold the fabric in place. Don't worry about sewing - just use a pair of pinking shears so all your edges look the same. Use heavy paper napkins in a matching color and tie with pieces of the same ribbon.

The settings . . .
Make a place card for each guest. Print them from your computer using a romantic script or write them yourself if you know calligraphy. Tie each name card with the same kind of ribbon to a little basket from a discount or dollar store filled with romantic party favors for each guest. Remember your theme and choose colors accordingly. Pick guest soaps (one package can be split up among all your guests) and bath beads or opt for luscious foil-covered mints and chocolate truffles. Line the baskets with squares of the same sheet fabric you used on the table and chairs.

The eats . . .
Serve romantic foods. Chocolate is definitely romantic! A beautiful layered chocolate cake with theme-colored and designed icing would be ideal. Provide a beautiful teacup and teapot for each girl to use. Friends can even bring their own. Fill a lovely bowl or basket with tea selections and let each girl choose her favorite. If you want to have lunch first, make tea sandwiches. Use white bread. Cut off the crusts. Use cookie cutters to cut the sandwiches into heart, flower, or other theme-inspired shapes. Cucumber, watercress, and egg salad are excellent fillings. Present your sandwiches on a tiered cookie server or antique platter.

Enjoy your special day with your friends . . .
Play beautiful music, something with strings, perhaps a lovely piece of chamber music. Light candles. Talk about your hopes and dreams for the future. Save your photos and a sample invitation in your scrapbook. Make plans to make your party a tradition. Imagine getting together in the same way when you're all older and on your own! Laugh, giggle, and grab as much joy in one afternoon as you can.

Your Room

Special Touches That Make a Difference

Your bed . . . Think sinking in luxury. Think pillows! The more pillows you have on your bed, the more romantic it will look. But not just any pillows - pillows with lace and tassels. Pillows with embroidery and appliqué. Pick a theme - hearts and flowers, butterflies, whatever you like AND pick a color scheme. Choose a coverlet or spread in a solid color and use lots of patterned pillows, or do the reverse and pull one or two colors from your patterned spread to use for pillows and accessories in your room. Don't be afraid to mix a floral and a stripe - as long as the colors match, but beware of mixing too many florals!

Your dresser . . . Tassels hanging from your dresser pulls or knobs look very romantic. As do dresser scarves. You can use an embroidered antique one that you find in a junk shop, make your own, or use an actual scarf that matches the color scheme and theme of your room. What you have on your dresser can make it look romantic too. A clear bowl filled with shells or dried rose petals is very romantic. Candles that reflect your color scheme are too. Pay special attention to your lampshades. You can hand paint or stencil flowers or other designs and trims onto inexpensive white lampshades. A small amount of colored fringe and a little glue can make your lampshade much more alluring. Experiment with different lengths of fringe as a trim around the bottom of your shade. Glue a matching trim around the top or not. Fringe also comes in beaded varieties that are a touch more exotic.

Your walls. . . Think soft colors. Add a stenciled trim near the ceiling or at chair back height (chair rail). You can buy wallpaper boarders or paint on your own. Paint the wall behind your bed a special color and use a softer, lighter version of the same color for your other walls. Make your ceiling the lightest shade of all. Hang a romantic print in an antique-looking frame from a junk shop on the wall. Use fabric, netting, or lace that's been tied here and there with ribbon to form a snake-like swag that can be placed atop an old mirror to drape romantically down each side.

Your Clothes

Buttons, Bows, and Trims

Skirts . . . The gauzier, the softer a skirt is, the more romantic it is. But, make sure you don't kill that romantic look with the wrong shoes. Wear something just as romantic like flats or ballet-type shoes OR go for contrast with heavy boots. Don't opt for regular shoes that you'd wear with any old skirt. Lacey tights or short socks trimmed with lace will keep the romance going. Make a triangle out of a sheer scarf and tie it at one side of your waist letting the pointed side hang down. Wear a heavy belt low over a soft billowing skirt, letting the contrast in styles highlight the romantic flavor of the skirt.

Pants . . . Fringe and lace in just the right place is what makes pants romantic. Pants that flow and flare can have just as much romance as a gauzy skirt. But even, tight, straight-legged pants can become romantic with the right trim. Low-riders with lace creeping up towards your navel or back are definitely romantic. Add a little to the bottom of each leg too. And replace boring buttons with something old and wonderful from a thrift store buy. (Yes, you can buy a $2.00 blouse just for the buttons!) Paint a flower on a snap. Put lace on the edges of your pockets. Appliqué a flower to your rear pocket. Just be sure you don't overdo it. Try on your pants after each improvement. If they look wonderful - STOP! It's harder to undo than to do.

Tops and Coats . . . For tops - add lace to collars and cuffs and even to hems. Embroider flowers on pockets or down one sleeve. Thread ribbon through eyelet lace that's already there. For tops and coats - find the most beautiful buttons in the world and replace the ones that no one will notice. You can even use buttons that don't match. All silver or all gold and all the same size buttons will look awesome together even if they're all slightly different. Try six different pearl buttons or several buttons that all look like flowers. Just remember to keep them all the same size. The only exception - you can make the top button larger than all the rest. Add an antique pin or a handmade flower to your coat. Make it your trademark. You can even put one on your hat!