Vintage home goods

Fans of Piccadilly Prairie may have to travel a little farther to find the independent shop's mix of vintage finds and home goods. Owner Lacey Brooker recently moved from her too-small location at 50th St. and Xerxes Av. S. to Southdale Center in Edina. Look for vintage furniture and artisan-made home accents and gifts on the second level of the mall. Call 612-234-5014 or go to piccadillyprairie.com.

LYNN UNDERWOOD

Seasonal blooms

Hundreds of poinsettias in a rainbow of colors are now in bloom at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory's Holiday Flower Show in the Sunken Garden. In addition to traditional red and white poinsettias, you'll see orange, blush pink and creamy yellow. There's even a new gold-hued poinsettia, "Gold Rush," that is just hitting the market. The festive blooms are accented with tropical hibiscus, rosemary trees and philodendron. The poinsettias will be on display through Jan. 2. The conservatory is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Free. 1225 Estabrook Dr., St. Paul.

New closet resource

California Closet Co. has opened a Design Studio in Southdale. The 3,800-square-foot studio showcases 17 vignettes to help you visualize and create your dream closet, mudroom or pantry. It's open now, with a grand opening celebration planned for early next year. The new studio is located at 10 Southdale Center, Edina.

KIM PALMER

Decorating with books

Books have long been considered treasured household items. But books also can serve as decorative elements that dress up shelves and add a pop of color to any space.

The beauty of books is that they come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Looking for interesting ways to display books in your home? Here are easy-to-follow tips:

Always select hard-bound books as opposed to paperbacks. Hard-bound books won't damage as easily and will feel more luxurious.

Consider purchasing books on fashion. Fashion books are often reasonably priced and display festive, fun colors as part of their cover art.

Shop at flea markets, a great source of interesting books and publications.

Consider a monochromatic theme. Books that are all one color can make a bold statement.

Wrap it up! Don't like a book's cover or looking to incorporate a specific pattern or design? Wrapping books with wrapping or craft paper can be a quick fix.

Consider vintage. Vintage books, perhaps from different decades or in various languages, can be fun conversation pieces.

Use plenty of books to dress your shelves. Shelf dressing is a popular technique in interior design involving placing items on shelves through the creative use of vignettes. Books are an affordable, colorful and appropriate way to dress shelves in a den or living room.

Treat books as you would any other accessory. Books can be showpieces in virtually any room of the home, from the living room to a bedroom, den or entry area.

Embrace color. While black and white can be an interesting combination, bold colors also create an edgy design element.

CATHY HOBBS, Tribune News Service