I love looking at pictures of beautiful homes in magazines and catalogs. I love scrolling through photos of picture perfect rooms that are decorated down to the last detail. Don’t all of us? It’s inspiring to look at gorgeous living spaces. Like this one for example:
Source: BHG
But here’s the thing. I wouldn’t actually want my house to look exactly like them. You wouldn’t either.
Don’t freak out on me. Let me explain.
Catalog and magazine houses are staged for beauty, not for creating family memories.
They are filled with things that cost a lot of money, but they aren’t filled with things that are really valuable.
Instead of family photos on the wall, there is just expensive art work.
There are no crayoned love notes on the fridge, just immaculate stainless steel.
The bookcases aren’t filled with well loved and treasured books, they are filled with pristine books that have probably never even been opened.
The antiques are bought at stores, not lovingly handed down from one generation to the next.
To actually love your home, you need to fill it with things that YOU love, not just what catalogs are trying to sell you. If you love a current decorating trend, then embrace it. If you don’t, then for heaven’s sake don’t use it!
No matter what the location, size, or style of our home is, we can love it. One thing that blogging has taught me is that we can decorate our homes beautifully–even on a shoestring budget!
Here are a few home decor items in my home that make me smile every time I look at them. Not because I bought them from a high end store, but because they have meaning to me. They are valuable because of the way they make me feel!
I have this picture hanging in my craft room:
My youngest son drew it when he was about 4 years old. At the time, we were trying to adopt. We had been waiting for two years, and I was feeling discouraged. When he gave the picture to me, I noticed that it had seven people in it. He explained that the little one on the bottom left was his baby sister. In his childlike faith, he didn’t doubt that we would find her. It gave me hope and helped me get through many stormy days. I will always treasure it.
Like most families, I have a gallery wall of family photos. Some of them have current pictures, but this one has my boys when they were younger:
I love looking at those cute chubby cheeks and remembering those days. And yes, I promise that I have photos of our cute Rachel up, just not in this particular area.
We are very blessed to have a friend who is an amazing artist. He used my youngest son as a model for this painting:
I can’t even tell you how much I love it! It makes my living room on of my favorite spots in the house.
In my old kitchen, I had an old wooden spoon hanging in a frame. That beat up wooden spoon belonged to my grandmother. I wanted to keep the spoon, but the old frame didn’t work with my new decor, so I changed things up a bit. Here it is now:
I wonder how it got that burn mark on it, and I wish I could ask her. She died when I was a baby, but everyone tells me that she loved to cook just like I do. I’m glad I have a little piece of her history hanging right on my kitchen wall. It makes me happy to think that I inherited my love of cooking from her. 🙂
When it comes right down to it, the only way we can love the way our home looks is by filling it with things that we love.
So remember, just because something costs a lot of money doesn’t mean it’s valuable!
I’d love to hear what you love in your home. (Besides the people of course, I know they are THE most important!)
What is your most treasured piece of furniture or home decor and why?
Anonymous
June 29, 2013 at 8:21 amLove your site, Kara!
Debbie @ Pink Texas Chick
April 2, 2013 at 11:02 amGreat post and you are exactly right! I love to look throught the various home magazines and websites but I will be the first to admit that it can be overwhelming or intimidating. I too have a few pieces around my home that have a lot of meaning. I think you have inspired me to write a post! 🙂
Kara
April 8, 2013 at 10:58 amThat’s awesome Debbie! I’d love to see it when you publish it, so let me know. 🙂
Tabita
March 28, 2013 at 7:57 pmI loved your article . I felt someone is writing exactly what I feel. Each piece of furniture in my house has a story behind it. My fav is a set of drawers I painted for my daughter while I was pregnant.
Kara
April 1, 2013 at 1:50 pmThat is just awesome Tabita! To have a story behind all your furniture would make a cozy home for sure! We are gradually getting there. 🙂
Shirley
March 25, 2013 at 9:26 pmI love this post Kara! I feel like I have to decorate my house perfectly and that sometimes doesn’t include the things I love. A few months ago I decided it didn’t matter if I didn’t have anywhere to post my kids’ artwork. And it was okay that I didn’t have spray painted frames to hang them in. I put taped them up right next to the piano taking up half the wall. It’s totally random, but I don’t care. It’s my home and I live in it. Maybe one day I’ll have the energy to do the frames, but for right now I gotta put them up. 🙂
Kara
April 1, 2013 at 1:47 pmLove that attitude Shirley–it is your home, so you gotta love it!
Melinda
March 25, 2013 at 9:23 pmLove these thoughts, it’s so true! We have two rainbows taped to our headboard that Dessie drew shortly after we moved into our house. They have her name carefully written on them in her four year old handwriting. We also have Andrew’s first drawing of lightning McQueen taped to our headboard. The tape is probably starting to mess up the finish on the headboard, but I just don’t care! 🙂
Kara
April 1, 2013 at 1:45 pmI’ve got several drawings taped to the walls in my craft room. I figure if it messes up the paint, I can eventually just touch it up. 🙂
Trina
March 23, 2013 at 6:40 pmI like what you did with your grandmother’s spoon, and your friend who did the painting did a wonderful job. I would love to have something like that so I could imagine the joy it brings you. Making your home special is something I have found hard to do. As I read your post I realized that all though my walls are painted I really do not have a finished home and we have been here 9 years. Maybe one day.
Ellie
March 22, 2013 at 11:30 pmExactly Kara. That’s how we make it a home, not just a house! That painting of your son and Jesus (that’s who I see) makes me at a loss for words…it’s so beautiful…gives me an instant feeling of peace! Very talented artist friend you have there! Your wooden spoon reminds me of my dad’s spade 🙂
Kara
March 25, 2013 at 2:27 pmThanks Ellie! He really is talented, and it is so awesome having a picture of my son with Jesus. On hard mom days it helps me remember what a blessing children are. 🙂
Wanda
March 22, 2013 at 2:58 pmKara, you hit the nail on the head. Those things that have sweet memories and meaning are what really make a house a home. Have a lovely weekend. Love, Wanda
Kara
March 25, 2013 at 2:23 pmThanks so much Wanda! 🙂
Kellie
March 22, 2013 at 2:45 pmGreat post. I LOVE the wooden spoon idea. My amazing grandma is a wonderful cook and I like to think that’s where my love of cooking came from. I’ll have to tell her to “will” me her most used spoon. 🙂
Kara
March 22, 2013 at 5:01 pmHaha, great idea Kellie! While everyone else is fighting over the “valuables”, you can just grab the spoon. 😉
Gwen @ Gwenny Penny
March 22, 2013 at 1:31 pmThis is such a sweet post, Kara, and so true. And I love the story behind the wooden spoon. The things that I have that belonged to my grandparents are my favorite things in my house. My husband’s grandmother took up painting 4 years ago at age 90 and did a painting for each of my girls this past Christmas. Those will be treasured forever!
Kara
March 22, 2013 at 1:53 pmThanks so much Gwen! How awesome that she took up painting at the age of 90! She must be an amazing woman, and what a treasure for your girls. Love it!