Decorating: What's the point anyway?

I recently picked up a new-to-me book written by Deborah Needleman, the founding editor of Dominio magazine, titled The Perfectly Imperfect Home.  Within sentences of the introduction, I was hooked!  It quickly became my favorite shelter book to date!

Although much more eloquent than anything I could ever write, I felt as though someone had extracted my thoughts and put them on paper!  Seriously, this book is packed FULL of insightful, practical ideas that really capture what decorating should be all about (in my humble opinion of course... ;)!  I highly recommend you pick up a copy.  There may be others out there, but I've never come across another shelter book that so beautifully captures the philosophy of decorating in a way that is relevant to anyone.  And the illustrations?...absolutely gorgeous!

Here are two quotes from Ms. Needleman found in the introduction that immediately struck a chord with me....

"The point of decorating, as far as I can tell, is to create the background for the best life you can have."

"Decoration can be life-enhancing.  It can make dinner parties more fun, kids happier, relaxing easier, talks more intimate, guests at ease.  And to think decorating is often considered frivolous." 

In a few short sentences, she exposes the revelant reasons "to decorate" and mentions a common misconception as well.  Before I can in good conscience continue writing a blog about lampshades, antique furniture, and buffalo check carpet...as well as how much I *love* all of those things, I feel it necessary to address this misconception and share my perspective regarding how decorating fits into the big picture of my life.

When I first began to contemplate writing a blog, I had one main concern holding me back.  The stigma that decorating is a trivial way to spend ones time seems to be widely accepted.  Even I have questioned its worth on occasion.  I've often wondered why of all the passions in the world was this the one that I was given.  Seriously, how does a love for decorating translate into something meaningful?  Why wasn't I given a passion for medicine to save lives or for educating children other than my own??  Those pastimes seem much more worthwhile as far as the potential scope of an impact on the world.  When my thoughts lead me down this path I have to stop and remind myself of these passages from Romans and Colossians.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 NIV

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 NIV

It is also my belief that as women we are hardwired to create a "nest" to nurture our families.  Proverbs 31 is an entire chapter speaking of the virtures of a "good wife".  A window into the essence of God's design for women can be found here whether or not "wife" fits your job description.  The woman described in this chapter is a pretty tough act to follow, however, the larger point, as I understand it, is more about her intention to honor her family and her heavenly Father with each "task" she preforms.  All things considered, it seems it's not always "what" we are doing that matters, but the "how" and the "why" behind our actions.  Decorating may be only one facet of the "nest", but to characterize decorating as "frivolous" seems to contradict an aspect of the way women are designed.

Obviously, I decided to forge ahead with the blogging plans because I really do feel it will be a great way to record our achievements!  As an added bonus, I find the writing process incredibly therapeutic!  I never realized that writing down my thoughts could somehow organize the chaos that shows up in my brain from time to time!  Who knew!?  However, even with all the positives, the dark cloud was still looming above.  Would someone come across this blog and question what is most important in my life?  I suppose, given it's stigma, that is a hazard of speaking on this topic.  Truthfully, it is important to me, but maybe not in the way one would suspect.  It absolutely is a "backdrop for my best life" which includes the things that *are* the very most important to me...my family, my friends, and my faith.

Onwards and upwards my friends!

xo,

So...it's been awhile...

Can someone tell me where the last two months have went? I'm not really sure, but I do know they have been a blur!

Since April, the fields have been planted...

and they now look like this!  The crops are peeking through and they are soaking up every drop of the rain we have been so graciously blessed with lately!

T-ball season has begun....

Ballet is almost finished for the summer...

....and the last day of school is today!  Who hoo!!  I'm SO excited to have everyone home again for summer!

Blogging and house projects have definitely taken a back seat to that little thing called "life".  I've mentioned before that projects usually take awhile around here.  At times that can be frustrating because who wants to be in the middle of a project ALL the time?  Not me...time to get on with life already!! But, I have realized over the many years that sometimes the lull in the project is when the most important decisions are made and the most clarity is found.  It seems this is the time when an answer to that problem that has had us stumped comes out of hiding....and it always seems so simple....like a "why didn't we think of this sooner??" kind of answer.

For myself, I know this to be true in other areas of life as well...parenting, relationships, and most recently for me this blog.  But waiting, and sometimes more waiting, is a difficult thing to do when you are geared up to take action! Although I haven't sat down to post anything lately, the blog hasn't been far from my mind and I've been putting the lull to good use!

There was a pretty big challenge associated with blogging that revealed itself after I began posting....picture sharing.  Did you know that you need permission from the photographer of an image to post them on a blog?  I had previously been told that as long as the photographer was credited that was sufficent, much like crediting the author for a quote in a book.  However, that information was incorrect.  Photography is truly an art. It is an area of study in which the more you learn, the more you realize you have yet to learn.  I only recently realized how much I had taken those gorgeous pictures in the magazines for granted.  So, as much as I would love to show you all the images that have in one way or another inspired me or a project, if I am actually going to finish any projects around here I need to spend my time doing them and not at the computer emailing photographers or I may never get anything done and then blogging will be completely irrelevant!  On occasion I may feel so strongly about some inspiration that I will make that effort, or at the very least post a link to where you can find it straight from the source, but most of the images that will be found here will be the ones taken by me.

The last few weeks have given me time to reflect on how to proceed in light of this new challenge and also thoughtfully consider a few things I feel are worth mentioning in respect to the decorating process before I carry on to discussions of fabric selections and room reveals.  When an unexpected challenge reveals itself mid-project it can be discouraging, but the solution to the problem almost always improves the final outcome.  Hopefully that will prove to be true in this situation as I continue to share with you how our house became our home!

If you made it to the end of this LONG (and probably boring ;-) ) post... CONGRATULATIONS!!  ...and thanks for hanging in there with me!

xo,

Spring is here!! and a new light fixture...

It FINALLY feels like spring!  YAY!  I'm so excited that we have had a couple warm days!  I almost forgot what it was like to not have to bundle up to go outside.  I was even able to tackle a spray paint project yesterday!!  Of course, it's grey and rainy today....but warm...so I'll take it!

I have to admit, however, the very beginning of spring gives me a 'tad' bit of anxiety.  I'm always in the midst of what seems like 100 projects (self-induced, I know....I have only myself to blame ;-) )....but when spring rolls around I feel like someone just dumped about 100 more into my lap with everything that needs to be done outside!  Yikes!!  So...I'm going to be taking a lot of DEEP breaths and trying to remain calm.  (Not an easy feat!)  Haha!

I'm not sure the following is really noteworthy of it's own post...but I'm SO excited about it that I just can't help myself.  We just hung a new light in the living room!

This is what the old light looked like....

Yuck.  I hate this light.  I have hated it since the day we hung it.  That's right folks, we hung it.  I'm not a huge fan of overhead lighting anyway, and there is just not a lot in the way of affordable ceiling mounted fixtures, although...it has gotten leaps and bounds better over the last decade.  And, unfortunately we don't have the ceiling height in the living room to do a cool chandelier or lantern.  I have been told, however, that there was a false ceiling hung in that room...so actually... we would have at least 9 feet of ceiling height....  Hmmm....  Just kidding...we have NO plans of ripping out the ceiling, haha.

Anyway,  I have been searching for a long time to find a light that isn't mounted directly to the ceiling, has plenty of clearance, and fits the budget.  One day I came across this gem from Ballard Designs....

Not to bad!.... I'm really wanted more of a antiqued brass look (not the fake stuff, the REAL antique brass)...but I had a solution for that.  So I waited patiently until I had a coupon and pulled the trigger.  It was even on sale!! Score!

Enter one of my favorite products!

Rub 'n buff!  I used to use a special cocktail of spray paint and glazes to achieve the same look...but this is SO much easier.  Better yet...it takes only minutes to have a completed project!  It comes in a few shades and I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby.

It took probably about 30 minutes to finish this.  Then I just had to wait for the cutest 'electrician' I know...hubby...to help me hang it! :)  Which he did of course, all the while shaking his head at how silly I am for being so excited about a light fixture...haha.

Tada!

Color looks weird here...but I guess that's what you get from an iPhone picture :)  It's pretty in person...I promise!

Isn't it beautiful?! I love how the light shines up and the leaves glow on the ceiling!  So much better!
One of these days, I'll get around to showing you the rest of the room... :)

xo,

The Bedroom

Currently, we use the room off of our living room as our bedroom.  It's kind of funny, to us anyway, but over the years I think we have set up our bedroom in almost every room of this house because of construction projects at one point or another....including the laundry room, haha.  Ironically, we are back to where we started....using the room we used when we were first married.

These are the closest I have to before pictures...they weren't exactly on my radar when we started our projects!  We had already removed wallpaper and a border when these were taken.  And... we were in the midst of "attempting" an....ahem...faux finish.  Fail.  But, if I remember correctly my arms got a terrific workout that day! ;-)

Horribly dark picture...faux finish in progress :)

Was the ladder the subject of this picture??

These were also taken in the pre-digital camera days....does anyone even remember that?!?!  And long before I had a dslr with a lens that could actually capture this tiny space!  So to help you out...here's a little floorplan sketch of this room....

You may have caught a tiny glimpse of the bedroom if you read the post on blue & white....but here are current pics!

This picture is one of my very favorite things!  It was given to me by my grandma who knows how intrigued I am by geneology and family history.  Not only is it beautiful, but it is so special to me because it is a portrait of my great-great-grandma Rose!  The frame is original to the portrait and was in some serious disrepair when I got it, but luckily a local frame shop was able to salvage it!  I feel honored to have this family heirloom hanging in our home.  

Happy Wednesday!!

xo,

Laundry Room: Layout

I am working on dividing the room in half based on primary functions.  That's pretty much how it was set up originally, but hopefully the spaces will be more defined organizationally.  Currently, if you open up the cabinets it would not be a surprise to find the hammer between the exercise weights, a jar of loose buttons, and a stack of christmas cards that I meant to send out last year.  (or was it two years ago?....who knows, oops!)

This might be a good place to note that one item on my bucket list is to learn how to draw beautiful interior renderings....but, until then, chicken scratch it is! :)  Here's a little preliminary sketch of the washer/dryer zone that shows what I "think" it's going to look like...

If you need a reminder about what it looked like before, you can go here to see before pics...

Does anyone have any experience stacking the washer and dryer??  We bought a stacking kit and it's on its way...so I think we are going to give it a try for awhile before we commit.  I originally thought I wanted both the washer and dryer under a large counter for folding, but by stacking them I gain a tower of shelving to the left which would be great for sorting kids clothes! 

We also plan on relocating at least two upper cabinets to a different wall.  I wasn't sure if I could let any upper cabinet space go, but after doing all the sorting and organizing I mentioned before... I am pleased to say that it IS doable and because of this I will be able to GAIN a hanging rod in the room.  Yay!  Presently, all wet clothes that "hang" to dry get sent to the nearby bathroom.  It gets the job done, but it's kind of an eyesore and the bathroom never feels tidy. 

On a recent trip to IKEA this sink caught my eye....

Domsjo

and then this faucet....

Glittran

So, I snatched them up and the plan is to use them in the laundry room!  I also intend to re-use the kitchen island's old butcher block counter that was replaced by a larger butcher block top (same trip to ikea) for the countertop in this area.  I really don't know how it will fair around a sink, but if it doesn't work out it at least it wasn't a huge investment.   

On the other side of the room, the "sewing area", the plan is to trade one long workspace for two....

Can you picture it??  If only I could snap my fingers and it would be done :)

xo,

Blue & White

One of my very favorite color combinations has to be blue and white.  Together they always look crisp and timeless.  My love for the combo is almost as deep as my love for dishes.  (How many dishes are too many really?, haha) Perfection when they are combined!!  

I'm partial to transferware in any color...but blue and white is, of course, my favorite.  I have a little collection of random pieces that have been picked up here and there and each one is interesting and unique!  You may have noticed a few of them hanging out in our kitchen :)

Ginger jars are another fav...  Blue and white accessories are complimentary to so many other colors!  Especially in a somewhat traditional interior, I can't think of a color scheme where a blue and white ginger jar or lamp wouldn't feel at home.  

Only slightly off-topic, but I wish you could select the color of the spine of the books that you buy.  Does that sound a little obsessive-compulsive??  Wouldn't bookshelves filled with a monochromatic scheme of blue books be wonderful?  (This may qualify as only of those things I get strangely excited about, haha)

And blue and white covering the walls in the bedroom...such soothing colors to drift off to dreamland.   Probably not a surprise that I would love a blue and white wallpaper! 

Have a great night!

xo,

The Laundry Room: The Beginning

So, the laundry room is the one room in our house that keeps getting pushed to the back burner.  Partly because something more important to spend money on keeps coming up and partly because it's been a challenge to decide what to do exactly.  It's a pretty large room as laundry rooms go.  It's actually bigger than our bedroom!  Because of that, it really needs to serve more than one purpose.  Currently it is home to the treadmill, tool storage, some craft supplies, paint, etc....oh yeah, and the washer and dryer.  Ideally, it would be a place that could accommodate my sewing projects too.  Most often, the sewing gets dragged out into the kitchen and I really don't like the mess that that makes while in the middle of a project.  It would be nice to be able to keep the kitchen a "project free" zone.

Here are a few before pictures:

This picture was post layer #1 of wallpaper removal.  Unfortunately layer #2 didn't cooperate. :(

 A couple views of the washer/dryer area...

And, a view of the small closet on the other side of the window....

Since these pictures were taken, we removed the cabinetry on the window wall.  We really needed the depth for the treadmill. (I hate that it's in there, but for now it just has to be....hopefully soon...adios)  Also, while the opening in the cabinetry was ideal for a craft desk, in order for it to work for a sewing desk, fabric needs to be able to fall over the back side.  For now, a folding banquet table is set up next to the treadmill.

We are still not in a position to do a complete overhaul on this room, but regardless of whether it is attractive or not something has to be done to make this room "work" a little harder.  So, I'm dreaming up ways to achieve some more function in a "pretty" way that will put a "band-aid" on this room for a little longer.  We are definitely going to be spending as little money as possible!

My wish list includes:

A place to fold clothes

A place to sew

Storage, storage, storage for fabric, fabric, fabric, and other not so fun stuff :)

A place to hang clothes to dry

Removal of the treadmill 

A new flooring solution

A wall treatment solution 

I'm in the midst of finishing up another project currently, but I can't help but brainstorm about the laundry room.  I'm trying to think ahead of what all "needs" to be in there and how the pieces are going to fit together.  I'm afraid I'm asking a lot of this room....but we really need to squeeze every last bit of function out of it!  The last few days I've been working on organizing the things that are going to stay and relocate the things that don't need to be in there to a new home.  It's actually going really well and it always feels good to purge and get organized, but it looks like a hot mess!  Anyone ever notice how things always seem to get worse before they get better??  That's the state of my house right now.  Chaos!!

I'll be posting some of my inspiration pics and some plans in the works over the next couple weeks! 

To be continued...

xo,