Thursday, April 30, 2009

Beautifying my Abode


I love front doors that say "Welcome", don't you? On our walk yesterday, we passed a door that had beautiful flowers in cute pots on the steps. The window was open and you could see a pretty curtain with a lamp in the window. It was so homey and welcoming. Those little touches always say to me: "Someone lives here who cares about her place and her people".

Ah, to have a knack for such things! Making my home beautiful is not one of my strong points, in my opinion. Not that I can't do it...it just doesn't come naturally to me.

So I've been inspired with the beautiful spring weather. If I only did ONE thing every week to make my home more beautiful - one, intentional project - what lovely things I could accomplish!

Most of the time, I simply don't think about it. What's on my mind from day-to-day is getting the meals ready, doing laundry, reading books, nursing, changing diapers, letting the dog out...you know, things that are pressing and immediate.

I'd love to say that I'll try to blog about it every week, but that might set me up for a big fat failure ;) So I'm going to declare that it is my intention to work on this area. My general goal is to plan one project each week - some of them may overlap or take more than one week, but that's the idea. Here are my criteria:

Simple - bite-sized. If it's too involved, it just doesn't happen.

Inexpensive - we're on a tight budget, but that shouldn't mean I don't do
anything in this area!

Creative - giving me a place to develop my artistic talents

Ministering - if it's not going to minister to our family, it won't fit (for
example, a collection of roosters at this stage in life probably
isn't the best course of action)

There you have it, ladies! If you have any suggestions, stories, or empathy to share, I'd love to hear.

3 comments:

Laura said...

You go, Amanda. I'm afraid I don't have any tips. Adam is the home decorator here. :) I know what I like when I see it, but I can't come up with things on my own. I'm anxious to see what you do!

seamwrite said...

This is all about expressing what you love... so while a collection of roosters may not be a wise thing, what DO you love? What colors? What textures? Animals? Fabrics? Flowers? Crafts? Finding things, whether natural or "garage sale finds?" So that when people walk into your house, or just by your house, they see a little piece of what YOU love. I think that is really the key to successful decorating indoors or out. If you love little boys, why not express that on your front porch? Just a few thoughts!

Alison @ Hospitality Haven said...

That's a great idea! I like your thoughts on taking one small thing a week. Doing a large project can be overwhelming. I actually posted a blog today on re-decorating and some ways to help cut costs. :) Maybe you'll find it helpful! My ultimate tip to anyone is less is more. Don't clutter your house. Clutter does not equal a comfortable space!! :)