You'd better not mess this up...

What kinds of kind, encouraging stuff do you say to yourself (I bet it is really, really good!) when you are starting a new project around the house? 

I bet you say things like: 

"You got this, girl! This is going to be awesome!"

or

"I can't wait to do this! This is going to be easy and I am going to make this beautiful!"

WAIT A MINUTE. Why are you laughing??

Okay. So, I admit it.  I KNOW THAT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING TO YOURSELF is ANYTHING BUT KIND AND ENCOURAGING when you contemplate making changes around your house.

How do I know? Well, you have told me in many, many ways. 

I see the uncomfortable looks I get when you ask me a question about clutter. I see the sweat on your brow when you answer the door--you have been rushing around trying to pull things together before I arrive. You have told me the stories about all the things you have done in the past to make your rooms more livable--that didn't work out how you hoped, kinda fell on their face, and took the wind out of your sails--

 and you have even said things like:

"Shouldn't I just know how to do this by myself??"

Maybe you have been living in a house that has been disappointing you for years, with its drab rooms, stuff stacked in corners,  and lack of pulled-togetherness...

and you have been blaming yourself the whole time, since, you know, you're just supposed to know how to do these things...like intuitively, like without any effort, AND IN YOUR ABUNDANCE OF SPARE TIME. 

uh. no. 

I am here to tell you that it is TOTALLY OKAY NOT TO KNOW how to clear out draining clutter, pick the perfect paint color that will make a room sing, purchase furniture that will fit in a space and create an inviting conversation area, or know what light fixture would be gorgeous over your heirloom dining table (which you're not quite sure why you've kept all these years, because you aren't sure you really ever liked it anyway...). 

Because I know how frustrating draining rooms can be, I just wrote a new little booklet that can help you identify the mistakes we most often make that keep our rooms from feeling like home: 

You can get your FREE copy HERE.  

AND PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH A FRIEND IF YOU THINK THEY WOULD BENEFIT FROM IT TOO!

Go grab yours now, and see how the insights it contains can help you to rethink and rework your rooms in a meaningful way. :)

Good luck and enjoy! Blessings to you dear friends!!!

Making the most of what you have...

Here is this week's little Saturday Morning Inspiration message!
 

What are the things you love most about your house that you would like to highlight...so you could enjoy them EVEN MORE?? Or maybe there is historic character that you want to make sure isn't lost, even if you are renovating?

This week I am coming to you from my project up in Maine, and I am excited to show you around!

It Bears Repeating...Again

This week I am up in Maine working on my client's historic cottage...and loving every minute of it!

I thought it would be fun share this article I wrote two years ago while I was up here. Hope you enjoy!

Deciding to redo a room can be a time of overwhelm.

Where to start? What to put into the space? What color should it be? 

We often feel we have to totally reinvent the wheel and come up with completely new ideas, getting rid of everything in the space & throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  

But the thing is, you don't. 

If you carefully look at the room you are trying to redesign, it will kindly give you clues on how to bring the space together more beautifully and purposefully, but you just have to know where to look. 

One of the most stunning elements of the cottage I am currently working on up in Maine is its glorious Gothic windows. 

So lovely. 

They are in an alcove on one end of a very large open space that includes the sitting room, dining room, and music room. 

The shape of these windows is an element that I love. So, how can I bring more of that into play?

Last week while I was there working, I was so excited to find salvaged Gothic windows at an architectural antiques dealer in a nearby town. We brought them home, and set them in place to see how they would look...

I literally jumped up and down clapping when I saw them in place.  

No kidding--I'm that weird. 

We placed them at the opposite end of the large space on an interior wall. The two ends of the house suddenly started "talking" to one another--they were in relationship, and all the rooms in between now seemed to get along better, too. 

Repeating elements within a space creates a way for a room or house overall to relate to itself. Seeing a theme or certain design element in more than one place in a room can create a sense of balance, peace, consistency, and symmetry.  It provides for a bigger impact than if that lovely thing was used only once all by itself. 

You may not have unique historic windows in your home, but you can add impact, too, by being consistent with other elements in your home, such as: 

• color
• texture
• shape
• subject matter in your artwork

What elements in your space do you already love? How can you bring more of that thing into the room(s)? We often think of repetition as boring, but it really is something we look for, and find comforting & beautiful if done in the right way. 

So, please go ahead and repeat yourself! 

Do you have hang ups about hanging things up??

Here is this week's little Saturday Morning Inspiration message!
 

Do you have blank walls that stare at you blankly --wishing there was some neat-o artwork hanging on them? Do you wish you knew what would look good hanging over your sofa? Do you cringe just thinking about how to hang the artwork you do have? 

We have all been there...

Hope this morning's short video gets you thinking in a new way about YOUR walls, YOUR artwork,  YOUR house and how you LIVE in it. :)

Just a quick reminder...

In our complicated day-to-day lives, I think we all need a little reminder to seek simplicity--and a lot of times beauty and peace will follow right behind. 

What can you declutter, take off your to-do list, or reimagine today so that life in your house can become more peaceful and beautiful? 

I hope you are having a simply beautiful and peaceful week, dear friends!