VIDEO CHANGE!!!!
I DIDN’T REALIZE UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON THAT I HAD POSTED THE WRONG VIDEO. BELOW IS THE 1ST VIDEO TO OUR NEW HOMEMAKING SERIES.
When it comes to decorating our home, one of the first things that may come to our minds is –
WHERE DO I START?
One of the basic “decor’ 101’s” for me is to keep it fun. Ok, I know what you’re thinking …
“But how in this world can I keep it “fun” when decorating is supposed to be beautiful? You know, like what I see in magazines?”
Magazines offer inspirations, not declarations for your decorations!
The definition of fun is this – entertaining, enjoyable and interesting to the point of bringing pleasure.
This is where our new Homemaking Series is going for the next 5 weeks. Let’s really start thinking about decorating our home, but not in a way that we follow all the proper decor’ etiquette. Let’s approach the ways we decorate by thinking “outside the beauty box” and think more in the frame work of FUN!
When you walk about your home, you want to see pieces that have interest, bring enjoyment, and just may be a little entertaining. Some of the most fun homes I’ve been in are those that have splattered on the walls pictures of the family NOT in posed positions, but have captured candid moments of laughter, teasing or everyone in the middle of play.
Are their decorative items in your home that spark your attention and are great conversation pieces? When you look at today’s featured image, there is such a hodge-podge of things on the shelves. I want to give them a twist of “fun” for just a minute…
Now, the decorated shelves in today’s series 1st photo may not make it into a Traditional Home or Veranda magazine, but they would make it in a Family Circle or Southern Living. And here’s why – when it comes to living in the south or even more so when it just comes down to the “family,” I believe what resonates the strongest with homemakers in decorating is this –
“Wanting the decor’ to bring a smile and warmth to the heart.”
We may think that we just want a pretty house, but after a while we get bored with that. Because let’s be honest, pretty changes from year to year. One year Williamsburg Blue is what’s in, the next year it’s all greens and golds. Wait a few months, and “pretty” is grey and neutrals.
It’s one thing to not want a dated look….I get that, but when it comes to decor’ that expresses your loved ones, those special memories or the bents of personalities in your home, then celebrating those things NEVER go out of style.
That is when “Decorating” becomes an art. It’s when we decorate in such a way that all the things that give each person in our home expression. There is beautiful interest and enjoyment in a home that radiates “personality.”
Let me give an example. Look at the photo again….this may not be exactly how you’d decorate a shelf, but what I’d like for us to just think about is this – how could this one shelf be such FUN for the homemaker who decorated it? Well, let’s look closer ….
1.) The paintings – there are two birds grouped together. Could that grouping have been intentional, symbolizing the “love birds” in the home? What a fun and creative way to showcase a relationship.
2.) The glass jar – If there is one thing I remember most about my son when he was little is he’d sometimes come running inside the house with a hand full of “flowers” for his mommy. Now, granted…sometimes those flowers were either a bushel of ragweed or a handful of onions in blossom. But to Trace they were a token of his love. A beautiful bouquet to be displayed! So, I always had a vase ready to showcase whatever he brought me. That one vase on the shelf could very well be “that” vase…a vase that symbolizes the special relationship between mother and son.
3.) The hand carved wooden box – what in the world could be inside? What little treasure awaits to be discovered? What token of remembrance could possibly be kept safe inside? Aren’t you ready to pop the top?! There could be bracelets a mom wore while giving birth to her children in a hospital. Maybe a stack of letters written by her husband while he was deployed. Possibly a pen that his grandfather used in writing poetry for his own bride. Whatever it may be, the point is…any little wooden box can be so much more, depending on what is treasured inside.
4.) The grouping of 3 – when I see anything grouped in 3, I think of the Trinity. A subtle reminder of Who’s glory dwells in our home.
5.) The vintage books – even if you’re not a reader, there is something about placing old books on a shelf that adds a touch of “history” lives here. I love the Bible, I love the history of the Bible, and can’t wait to meet many of the characters of the Bible. But I also value all history – reading about George Muller, Charles Spurgeon, Corrie Ten Boom, Helen Keller, Oswald Chambers, and Andrew Murray are reads that inspire! I love learning about former war hero and hers of my faith who aren’t in the pages of our Bible, but have been key players in encouraging the lives of so many people. I also love the history of my own family…grandparents, great grandparents. Let there be touches of family history because it truly makes decorating FUN … interesting to the point of being so enjoyable for the family and for guests.
6.) The little touch of bling – the vintage photo frame with faux diamonds adds a little touch of sparkle. A Mississippi friend of mine, Barbie Bassett, has so perfectly declared, “There’s no such thing as too much bling!” Love the idea! But let’s think about that in our decorating — Step back and take a look and see: Is there a touch of sparkle in your decor’? To have a piece or two of something in dabbled glass, or distressed silver, a brushed gold frame or a piece of bone china or crystal is simply a way of softening up any decor. Especially if there is an abundance of wood, pottery, metals, iron, etc.
7.) The large metal frame – when you see a large frame with a very small opening for a photo, that highlights the object even more. You want to lean in and look. You want to see what demanded such a bold frame around it. That puts whatever is in the frame, as a “statement” on the shelf.
And here’s that little corner of our mantle…it’s simple for now, but I love how the pen and ink is titled, “The Sparrows Home.” perfecto!
