Editing. It's Important.

I couldn't believe it when I saw this at HomeGoods yesterday. Definitely a sign that this little post I had been thinking of writing indeed wanted to be written... :)

When I write, I ofen....I mean often spend as much time rewriting --making sure things are correct (ahem), removing the unnecessary bits, clarifying the voice behind the words--as I have spent writing the draft in the first place. 

When I am working on a room, either in my house or yours, the same process is needed. 

Move the couch. 

Step back and look. 

Move the couch another 3 inches.

Step back and look. 

Remove the pillows. Try the other pillows.

Step back again...

Powerful writing is concise and to the point. It employs the most descriptive, delectable words to bring thoughts and images to life. A dining room, kitchen or master bedroom can have the same powerful impact when the elements in it are carefully curated and lovingly placed in just the right way to say just what you hoped it always would. This effect only happens with purposeful, insightful editing. 

A room that has brought joy to you in the past but now falls a little flat just might need a little bit of editing to make it sing once again. So, get in there. Roll up your sleeves. Edit, move, rethink, rework and don't worry about making mistakes. Those missteps just help you to better realize what you don't want so you can turn around and get back on track. Clear out extraneous stuff that has a way of collecting,  bring in something new that is beautiful, or rearrange what is there in a new more pleasing way.  

And you will know when it is right--your heart will swell just a little.

You will want to sit down and spend time in that space that feels like home, that cares for you in the way you always hoped it would.

A Little Tour of the Big House

So excited to be sharing a VIDEO TOUR of the Maine cottage I have been working on for the past two years!!!

WOOO HOOO!! 

Take a look and see all the changes we have made to this beautiful old house that have enhanced all the charm that was already there.

Every Now & Zen

We all have good habits that we need to take out and dust off from time to time, right? It may be a practice we have forgotten to employ for a while, and it is important to remind ourselves to get back to it every once in a while.

This is one of those things for me...

Having a ZEN SPACE...

Do you know what that is? 

Here's what I wrote about it a few years ago:

A while back,  during a conversation about the frustrations of house upkeep, a friend shared a practice she employs to help keep herself sane during the craziest of crazy times...

As she described it, there is one place in her home (I believe it was the top of her nightstand) which, through thick and thin, come hell or high water, is always a lesson in simplicity, is clear of dust and clutter, and has just a few of her very favorite things artfully arranged on it.  This is her Zen Space.  

While the rest of the household may be falling into disarray with the family's comings and goings, she knows she can sit on her bed, take a few breaths, look at her Zen Space, and find a little peace amid the cacophony of clutter and chaos. What a fantastic idea...

 SO, do you have a Zen Space of your own? I want to encourage you to create one if you don't.

In my house, our Zen Space is our dining room table--the first thing we see when we return home. Lately it has been a MESS...so it is time to reinstitute this habit, and lay down the law of ZEN. :)

Where in your house can YOU create a Zen Space?

First, pick a small surface that is easy to keep cleared & dusted.

Second, make sure that only a few special things are on it--maybe a special picture and some fresh flowers--nothing else allowed. 

This uncomplicated, peaceful spot will be a gift to you when things are feeling out of whack and out of control around you house. At those difficult times, focus on this one clean, clear spot that is well within your control, and take a couple of deep breaths. So important and so helpful. 

My Summertime Snapshots

Hello Friends!! And Happy Summer!

It has been a busy and exciting time for me, with just getting back in town after two weeks up in Maine--a mix of work, as well as time vacationing with my family (it was heaven!), as well as touring some neat potential project houses, including a gorgeous but dilapidated historic home that just captured my heart...

So, as you can probably imagine, I have been taking a lot of photos and I would love to share some of my favorites with you this week:

While I was in Maine, the peonies were in full bloom. So beautiful! Here I gathered them in a deep blue antique vase we purchased the day before--the perfect compliment to finish the cottage's sitting room. Can't wait to show you the rest of the space in the coming weeks.

I'm always glad when someone takes an interest in my work. Hathaway the Cat thought that I was bored and needed company as I was photographing the porch of the Maine cottage. :)

Here's a quieter corner of the porch that Hathaway hadn't brought his lively fun to...yet. 

In another historic house closer to home--one that hasn't been as well loved in the recent past--I snapped these photos.

This old beauty is a potential project house, and I am hoping we get to show her some love soon...

An old nursery, complete with vintage wallpaper and mothballed fireplace. One of many sad but beautiful rooms in this lovely old house. 

And, of course, we had our family vacation! So wonderful and always so restorative to be together in our cozy rental cottage up in Maine...

Hope your summer is off to a great start, too! 

Blessings, dear friends!

How I Almost Gave Up (& Why I'm So Glad I Didn't)

I haven't told you about this yet, but last year at this time, my family was in turmoil.

Everything seemed to be on its ear, a family member was struggling with medical issues, and we were seriously considering putting our beloved old house on the market to move to what seemed to be greener pastures. 

I just wasn't feelin' the love anymore.

You see, in March 2015, in a freak accident, my son hit his head and suffered a serious concussion--serious enough to miss more than three months of school, and require occupational, physical and speech therapy through most of last summer. 

Where did he hit his head??

In the doorway to his bedroom. 

So, feeling a weird sense of betrayal and definitely NOT feeling like myself,  I guess you could say I was DONE with our house.

A lot of our doorways are low--as is often the case in a home with the foundation dating back to 1778-- and my son, being a healthy teenage boy, was growing to beat the band...

(this picture was snapped last summer, when my sense of humor was just starting to return...)

All of the things that were less than perfect about our house suddenly became intolerable to me and I just wasn't sure that we could change the many things that needed to be changed. I just wanted OUT. Another, different, better house just had to be the answer. 

We looked at other houses, contemplated fixer uppers, argued, fretted, grew more grey hairs (thank God for hair color!), prepped our house to go on the market, looked at more houses, cried, drove to neurology appointments at AI DuPont...

And then, because we couldn't find anything we liked as well (even with all of our home's flaws, which seemed to be SHOUTING at me at that point), we decided to stay.  

I guess it was time for me to be the House Whisperer for myself. *sigh*

So started the process of re-thinking everything about how we lived in our home, starting with my home office. The doorway you see Liam standing in above was the door to my former office, in the center of the downstairs of our home (great when the kids were little, torture now that I needed more quiet and focus to lead a growing company). 

Here's what that little room looked like on a typical busy, messy day last year: 

This room was the first one to undergo major change as we settled in and recommitted to our quirky historic abode. 

So here is what this little space looks like now, with its new identity, higher doorways, and new lease on life:

Even though we have a large family room just around the corner, we often find ourselves squished into this hopelessly cozy and welcoming space to read or watch tv...

And even though it is teeny tiny, it still has adorable, interesting corners that are full of character...

This strange little space that had been such a source of frustration has literally become everyone's favorite room in the house!

(You may remember the chair in the picture above from an earlier post a few weeks back. The cute little thing went through quite a transformation itself!) 

So, if you are ready to give up on your house, take heart! Things that seem hopeless can actually be an opportunity to recreate your rooms into what you always wished you had all along.

And where is my office now? Well, I can't wait to show that to you in a few weeks! Stay tuned... :)

A heart-felt thank you to Laura Kicey for her beautiful photographs of our new space!