3 quick tips to love your home

I love to decorate.  I've been nesting in my homes since I had my first little apartment.  I would wake up on Saturdays and clean my little space from top to bottom.  And then I would sit down and watch Martha Stewart's show and be inspired.  Occasionally I would attempt one of her projects, if I could afford the materials.  I was a teacher after all, in 1995.  And starting salaries were around $24,000.  Eek.  I could stretch a penny like the best of 'em.

As I've grown older in my adult years, my tastes have changed.  Can you relate?  Just getting on pinterest can make me want to redecorate an entire room.  So mostly I stay off these days.  It's not good for the soul.  Too much coveting.  :)  But I do still enjoy fluffing my nest!  And that's where you come in.  I'm going to share with you three keys to fluffing your own nest, according to mrs. frakes.  These tips come from years of studying magazines, reading about decorating, and asking questions of my wiser, more swanky decorating friends.  I am not a professional interior designer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

1.  Fill your home with pieces you love.

I'm all about a good bargain.  And I love Hobby Lobby!  But I use those kinds of stores for crafts, not decor.  Don't fill your home with pieces to fill space.  Only buy things you LOVE.  That means that when you are on a trip, find one fun knick-knack or piece of art that you can incorporate into your home and bring it back.  It will be fun to look at later and recall the joy you had on that vacation.

Or, when you are with friends visiting that little tea shop or craft show, find something that makes you smile and bring it home.  People ask me where I find the things I decorate with.  The real question is where do I not find these things?  I look everywhere because I love to mix sparkle with rustic and everything in between.  There is no shop or estate sale that I think is beneath me.  Now, I may not find anything that speaks to me, but I will look anywhere.  Especially for a good deal.  :)  My favorite places to shop are estate sales and antique/vintage shops in tiny towns.  That, my friends, is where you find the real gems.

Frame: vintage shop in Noble, Oklahoma

Buckets: antiquefarmhouse.com

Chicken Wire: Lowes

Fabric: Hancocks

Fleur de Lis: Canton, Texas

Assembled by moi

2.  The devil is in the details.

Ever since I was a small child I was obsessed with tiny toys.  The smaller, the better.  And even when my daughter was a little, I forced my love on her in the form of a toy called Polly Pockets.  Oh yes, they were fun to play with.  We spent hours on her floor dressing up our tiny ladies.

In decorating, the small details get noticed.  You may not realize it, but if you walked into a home filled with giant planters and huge floral arrangements, it could seem very beautiful and regal.  But it probably wouldn't seem like a house someone lives in.  Now, I don't know about you, but I actually live in the house where I sleep.  That's why you may pop in and see we've got laundry laying around and shoes waiting to find their closet.  We may even have dishes in the sink and a toilet that needs to be flushed (ugh. the boys!).  As much as I feel healed of my earlier-in-life OCD, it still creeps up on me.  I try hard to have a lovely home at all times, but it just doesn't happen.  So I decorate in ways that distract the visitor from the flaws surrounding us.  I have gallery walls and good lighting and cute rugs.  I fill my galvanized stand with cute small things.  And hopefully all they notice is the overall effect, not the temporary mess.

Too many things to tag here, but let's just say they range from Pottery Barn to anthropologie to my mom's garage and Target.  Those little flags?  You know you need one that says "but first coffee" too.  You can find those cuties on etsy here.

3.  Patience is a virtue.

I like being liked.  So don't go telling your spouse that I told you to get out there and GO SHOPPING!  While I believe in picking things up here, there, and yonder, I don't condone doing it all at once.  Please don't go on a shopping spree and blame it on this mama.  The key to decorating your home in a way you love is to do it slowly, over time.  Remember: one little piece at a time.

And did I mention?  Don't buy fun decor only if you have a certain spot to put it in.  It's okay to buy speculatively!  Most things I buy have no specific place to go once I get them home.  I find a place for them.   That means things get moved around frequently.  And that's okay too!  Don't be afraid to mix things up.

If you need help mixing things up, let me know.  I love this stuff!  If you're local, I'll come help you in a heartbeat!  Everyone should love the home they have.