Turning a House into a Home doesn't need to be Expensive

Just wanted to Thank everyone for your sweet comments about our new grandbaby Ezra. He is a sweetie. I am so behind in all of your posts and have a busy week ahead so I may take awhile to get to all of you. Because of the time issue I am doing a repost from last summer.  I felt it was worth a replay since I get questions about this sort of thing often and beacause, frankly, I'm exhausted
 (having a grandbaby is hard work  : )

Turning your house into a home doesn't need to involve a lot of money. Often times just a few small changes can make the difference. We get into a rut by thinking a certain way. The biggest thing to remember is just because "it" has always been that way doesn't mean it has to stay that way. Try placing sofas and love seats on angles and get them away from the walls. Use your end tables side by side as a coffee table. Stir things up a bit. Many times I will take all of the accessories out of a room and start over. Try taking them out of two rooms and mix it up even more. Emptying the room or rooms and beginning again gives you a fresh perspective. Maybe you love the furniture arrangement, but the room just feels blah, try to bring in a brand new color by adding it in three places in the room. For example if the room is mostly browns and greens, add a punch of red. You can do this by repainting an accessory you already have, (there are some wonderful spray paints out there) finding pillows or a throw at a discount store, or repainting just one wall. remember it is best to add the "new" color in at least 3 places in the room to create continuity and flow.

I think you are starting to get the picture. Speaking of pictures, the most common mistake I see in homes is that pictures are hung way too high. This makes the room feel disjointed and takes away from the flow of the room. A good rule of thumb when hanging art is to pretend it is a mirror and you are looking into the mirror. If you cannot get a good view of yourself in the"mirror" it is too high.
Don't forget about lighting in your room. We all know that lighting can add to the ambiance of your room, so be sure that you use soft light and not harsh glaring light.
Do not be afraid to experiment and bring a friend over for a fresh set of eyes. Often times a friend will notice something that we could change, that we have not even noticed in our day to day living.
If you try to think outside the box a bit you can create the home you have always wanted. Remember, you are limited only by your creativity and imagination. Do not be afraid of change. Often times in all areas of my life not just in decorating, change is good!!

If Momma ain't happy...

Okay ladies,
We all know that the Mom sets the tone for the household each day. Right now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with decorating or making a house a home. To that, I say, EVERYTHING!!
It is easy in this day and age to get caught up in the keeping up with the Jones's. I find it even true in the blogging world. Suddenly everyone is creating and making beauty from ashes and it makes you think that you should be doing it too. We see pictures of lovely tables and lovely rooms and suddenly all of our things pale in comparison. We begin to be discontent with things we loved even just a few days ago.
Our attitude towards all that life throws at us each day will determine the way our family will handle things also. If we are upbeat and positive about a situation, they will pick up on that. Conversely if we are grumbly or negative, they will sense that too.
I have felt at times a bit frustrated about all that I would like to get done in our home, as far as projects are concerned, causing me to only point out the negative. When that happens, it has a spiral affect.
I find that in my frustration I begin to be unhappy about everything. My family will sense my discontentment and feed off of it. If I on the other hand choose to find the good in all situations and point out the silver lining of a problem, they in turn will eventually see the good too. So moms, I encourage you to view your homes through fresh eyes. Eyes that see everything you like about it. Eyes that can see the hidden potential, not the problem. Purpose to be positive and look at the bright side of a "bummer" situation. I am not endorsing being a fake. If you are discouraged about something it is okay to admit it, but accent the possible positive side too. For example, You may have wanted new carpet this year but budget or time will not permit it. You could gripe and complain about it or you can enjoy the fact that you have more time to figure out what you really want. You can plan more family "picnic" dinners in the living room cuz you don't have to worry about soiling a new carpet. It is all in the perception of the situation, that gives" mom" a chance to turn lemons into lemonade so to speak. It really is true, "that when momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy"
However, when mom is content in her circumstances and willing to share that fact by her actions, creating a warm loving home, home becomes a place of peace and a refuge from the outside world and then "everybody is happy"