A FRESH NEW LOOK

One of my most favorite parts about my little photography business is the people I get to know and be with! A few weekends ago I had a client who I have known for many years, but we haven't really spent much time together lately. When I was at her house - I told her I just had to walk around and look at everything because her house was so beautiful!! It wasn't extravagant, but so nice and homey and well loved with every item thoughtfully placed. And most importantly - she has my same EXACT decorating style - AND she is incredibly gifted that way. And one of the sweetest people you will ever meet on this here planet. I seem to get into ruts where I tend to focus on one thing at a time - like photography..... or homeschooling.... It's been a loooooong time since I focused on decorating my house for a few days. Actually - decorating is usually way at the bottom of this list - I'm ALL about being functional!! And I hate clutter - and when I try to decorate - it looks like clutter. So - my friend Theresa so sweetly came into my house and like a mini-tornado - starting whipping this place right into shape! She just moved things around and hung up all kinds of pictures - it was like magic. I guess my little house just needed some fresh eyes to see the possibilites. This table in the picture below had been tucked away in the storage room for a while - and somehow ended up in my bedroom with not even a thing on it - except for the occasional dirty laundry. Look what she did with it!

My entryway is so much more inviting now!

We even took a trip to Kirkland's together - I love that place! She kept saying how shocked she was that I was a photographer and had just about zero pictures of my kids anywhere in my house. So she helped pick out this HUGE collage frame. I've never been a fan of the collage - again it's that clutter thing. But I love these - because they are all sepia tone - now I just have to fill it with pictures.

And we got another one that is perfect above my couch - it's very long and holds several 8x10 and tons more pictures - and these were all in black and white - so I have lots of pictures to choose and make black and white to fill this one up!! This is just the very bottom corner of it - look what it says!! "Times" shared are the most "treasured" - it's like it was made just for me!!

a lovely little centerpiece (which used to be just a pile of napkins - functional - remember?)

Love this little fruit stand we found - I have been married almost 20 years and never had an appropriate place for my fruit!!

I have been so focused for a year or two on making our home the place that God intended it to be by working on the hearts that live here. But there is something to be said for adding some personality and beauty to a home as well. It doesn't have to cost a thing - just a nice rearranging to freshen things up a bit - and ahhh - what it does for the soul. My kids just keep saying "It feels so much more homey in here now".