Updates

I spend a lot of my time in my home.

I love being home.

Beauty in the home is my responsibility and my delight!

I feel inspired to work better when I'm working in a nice environment.

Sometimes a small change is all that is needed to give me a lift and a renewed sense of motivation.

Recently I wrote a post about my dining room. I showed photos that I had taken just a day or two before I published it, but since then I've made a few small changes.

These are some of my updates...

Just a week ago, this wall in my dining room looked like this:

It's not bad, but I realized after looking at the photo, that the plate to the left of the hutch looked lonely. I wondered if I would like the wall better if I added a little more to that spot. 

I like to decorate areas in my home just by rearranging a few things and by using what I already have.

I moved a couple of things around, and now it looks like this:

It's a subtle change, but just enough to perk me up.

I have a tendency to decorate in odd numbers. I'm not a decorator, so I don't know if this is a design rule or not, but it just seems more visually pleasing to arrange pictures and vignettes in odd numbers. 

This is why I went from one plate to three. Two large plates or four small ones would not have been the right choice. (I like to make up my own rules.)

Beneath the plates I switched to a different picture. There was nothing wrong with the picture that was there, I was just in the mood for a change.

I purchased this picture from a thrift store for $1.00.

            

I understand that this isn't going to be everyone's taste in decorating, but when I spotted it at the store, something about it really spoke to me.

My grandmother used to classify pictures according to rooms. She would look at a picture and say, "This is a bedroom picture," or "This is a kitchen picture." I was never really quite sure what she was looking at or how she determined it. 

Based on the fruit in the picture (and following in her decorating footsteps), I have deemed it either a kitchen or dining room picture.

          

(I've also been working lately on reupholstering my dining room chairs. I'm madly in love with this blue and white check fabric. I think it's perfect for my old farmhouse. I still have two chairs to finish and then I'll do a post on it!:)

Once I got the plates and pictures situated, I decided to put a white orchid from the living room onto the hutch. I had a small red rose bush here, but having them trade places was just the ticket. The white orchid in the white planter looks better against the dark hutch.

           

The roses are now where the orchid was, on a little table in the living room. It's a much better fit.

This is what it looked like when the orchid was here. I like this, too, but it seemed like the tall orchid was competing a little with the lamp.

           

Just a few minutes were spent moving some things around, and now I feel like a small area of my home has been improved.

It's important to take pride in our homes! To try to make home the best that it can be is our job as homemakers! 

You know, I think this blogging thing is going to be good for my home. When I stop to look at and study a photo I have taken of a room, it looks different somehow. The flaws jump out at me. For some reason I never notice them in person. 

That happened with this photo:

The bare window on the porch door stood out to me. Over the years I've always thought that at some point I'd put a blind there, but looking at this photo for the blog was the final push I needed to get it done.

Micah installed it:

           

There are no houses around us so we don't need it for privacy, but I like how it looks. I think it warms up this corner and gives the dining room a cozier feel.

Another update I'll show you is in the bedroom.

I showed you this picture a few weeks ago in my Bedroom Makeover post:

Aside from the two throw pillows, I had all white bedding. I really liked it, but since I published the bedroom post my mother had cleaned out her linen closet and gave me these pillow cases.

           

I guess a friend of my grandmother hand embroidered these years ago. I'm thrilled that they're mine now. It gives my bed some added color and interest.

I love decorating with vintage things. I feel like it gives my 100-year old home a more authentic look. 

It's amazing how such a small change can be just enough to make an impact on a room and on my feeling of the room. 

It makes me feel inspired! It makes me wonder what else I can do to improve my home!

As you're reading this, think about your home! What small change can you make that could impact an area in your home? That small change will freshen up your surroundings and improve your attitude for working at home!

Then, tell me about it in the comments! I love a good decorating story!!!

Thanks so much for reading!

Happy Decorating!

~Courtney