Hey y’all!  My name is Chrissie Grace and I blog over at inHISgrace…
I’m married to my best friend and we have five kids together.  My step-son is in college, and we have four still at  home.

My family lives in a modest 1900 square foot home in central Florida that I am so excited to share with you! I can’t tell you how humbled I am to share it with you, so thank you Heather for having me!
We have dreams of living on some land, or on the beach someday.  I have dreams of having a large space to run my business from…a huge creative space to be exact.  But for now, this is our home and we love it.  It may be a little small for us, but we make it work.  I am constantly moving things around to best accommodate whatever stage we are in our lives.  It is never a dull place!

For me, home is a safe haven.  It’s a place where many memories are created.  It is where we break bread together, celebrate together, and learn how to love each other better every day.
I love color, and I try to surround ourselves with art, photos, and mementos that just plain make us feel good.  I like quirky things too, that show our sense of humor.  I also crave a simplified, clean home, so I rotate things a lot.  I’m not kidding when I say I make Goodwill donations at least once a month.  I can’t stand too much clutter. I create a lot of our home decor, but I am also a huge fan of thrift stores, hand-me-downs, other artists I admire, DIY projects, and the occasional splurge on items that I believe are worth the money.

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So, lets get started in my foyer!

When you walk in our home, the first thing you see is this huge mural that I painted last year.  The wall measures about 5 feet by 9 feet.  I didn’t have a plan when I began… I just started drawing and filling it in.  I used all craft acrylic paints.  If we ever move, all we have to do is prime and paint.  It is one of my favorite things about our home!

Next is our piano wall.  So far, only one of my children plays the piano.  Our neighbors gave us the piano when we moved in over eight years ago, and I held onto it hoping that one of my children would take to it.  My eight year old son Ashton takes lessons and plays beautifully.  I love to hear piano music trinkling through the house. The banner was made here, “hey y’all” is available here, I painted the lamp, and the piano painting was a thrifted find.

I created this piece a couple of weeks ago and it totally rings true to our family! You can order one here.

This is the first room in the house when you turn to the right.  We don’t get a lot of natural light in this room, so it is very hard to photograph. I like to snuggle up next to the lamp with a quilt and a good book .  My daughter practices the guitar in here, and a lot of puzzles and games are played in this room.

Since we don’t have a fireplace or mantel, I treat this shelf (Pier One) as a mantle.  I am constantly changing it around.  The santos figurines are from Homegoods, the nest print is available here, and I made the globe last year.  :)

I go back and forth on painting this big bookshelf.  I got it for $40 at a thrift store, and it is real wood!  One day I will probably end up painting it, but for now it’s as-is.  I love this little succulent too.  Lately I have been trying to bring live plants back into all of the rooms in our house.  I don’t exactly have the best green thumb, but I love the life greenery brings into a room.

Heading back into the foyer we go through this tiny hallway.  I got the Family rack at Pier One and I custom ordered the embroidery piece here a couple of years ago.  There’s a tiny coat closet behind this where we store all of our board games, and a huge basket for shoes.  We don’t wear shoes in the house, to cut down on dirt and allergy issues.

Coming into the heart of the house is the Family Room and Kitchen area.  The house is a split-plan, and this is the area where we spend a lot of time together.  The black couch and chair aren’t my favorite, but they are in perfect condition, so I play with the pillows to brighten it up.  You may have noticed that I don’t have a lot of rugs, which I know can add a lot of color and softness to a room.  But a couple of our kids have really bad allergies, so I just avoid them when I can.  I made the growth chart last year and I love that we will always have it.

I painted this a few years ago after a particularly meaningful service at church.  Our pastor spoke these words and I couldn’t get them out of my head.  Here in central Florida the houses have ceiling fans in almost every room.  It is a necessity in the summer when we get up into the 100 degree range.

Oh, hello there Henry!
Henry is our chihuahua/miniature greyhound mix.  We rescued him a few years ago and you will usually find him laying in a warm spot.  The art wall is an eclectic combination of my work, thrifted pieces, and etsy artists that I love.

Across the room is the electronic hub!  Our large TV (no cable, but we do have netflix and the kids play wii out here).  I’d love to paint this entertainment center a bright emerald green!  One day…   The beautiful sign is from here (I won it and I’m still pinching myself!!), and I made the rainbow garland by sewing strips of paper together.

This is our family computer.  My husband and I both use it for work and paying bills, the kids use it for homework and playing games and research.  It’s usually very loud in here, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When you turn around in the Family Room the Kitchen is the center of the home. The house was built in the early 1980’s, and I painted the orangey cabinets white a few years ago.  A massive kitchen update is in order, maybe this year.  First, my husband and I have to agree what we are going to do.  I’d like to keep the white, but my husband loves the darker wood.  It will be interesting to see what we compromise on!  ;) You might be wondering how we all fit at that table at night!  We drag various chairs over and pull it out from the wall.  The space isn’t big enough to fit a table that will seat 6-7, so we make do.  The chairs are currently in the process of being painted a lime green, but only one is done right now.  And the dining room/sewing room you see through the kitchen doorway?  Not presentable.  Keeping it real.  It’s got about 10 sewing projects filling up the room right now!

Our little coffee station.  Makes me happy every morning.
Print is found here.  I made the God is Great painting when the kids were little and we still say the same prayer every time we eat.  :)  I love the quirky planter head.  She needs a coat of spray paint (one day).  Do you see a theme here?  Haha  I have lots of projects in the works.  I like it that way:)

Going down the hall the first thing on the left is the kids/guest bathroom.  We only have two bathrooms so I do try to keep this one relatively clean.  After the four kids leave for school in the morning it looks like a bomb went off in there.  I am working on teaching them to clean it before they leave for school.  Let’s just say that is a work in progress.  The original paintings are by this lovely lady.

Coming down the hall is the kids bookshelf.  I recently painted it a bright, bright yellow and I love it! We keep all of our quilts and afghans here too.  They are in constant use for sleeping and fort-building, but they do have this little resting stop.

This is one of my favorite collections. Hand and glove molds.  They are hard to find.  So I’ve always got an eye out for an unusual one.

I made this Family Rules about five years ago.  I think it will stay up as long as I have children in the house.  We refer to it on a regular basis.  :)

The back part of this wing are three bedrooms.  One of them belongs to my teen-age son, and the other one is being shared by two other boys.  We are in the process of cleaning those up, but you aren’t missing a whole lot other than legos!  My daughter was more than happy to show you hers, though.

That was her first little teeny-tiny bathing suit that makes me practically weep every time I see it.  The watercolor print is here, I made the grace sign, and the mosaic was bought at an art show about 10 years ago.

Sweet girl uses this desk A.LOT. It is normally covered with paper, glitter, paint, fabric, markers…you name it.  She and my youngest son are very creative and I encourage them to experiment with lots of materials.  It’s usually a big mess and then about once a week we clean it up and give them a clean slate.

This is one of the first quilts I made.  I used Ava’s baby clothes and scraps of fabric that I loved at the time to make it.  I sort of cringe at the craftsmanship but it has been dearly, dearly loved.

Her first pair of ballet shoes.  I put them in a shadowbox.

Clear on the other side of the house is the Master Bedroom.  For my husband’s sake, we keep it very simple.  I would probably fill it up with art if he didn’t have an opinion, but since I make about 99% of the decorating decisions, I wanted this room to be a place where he could feel relaxed and comfortable. I painted the sign above the bed because it is one of my all-time favorite scriptures.  I’m on the look-out for a new lamp, but I haven’t found one that I totally love yet (that fits my budget).

I recently made this pillow.  I created the embroidery pattern (you can find it here), my sweet friend embroidered it, and then I turned it into a pillow.  It is such a good reminder for me.  It is too easy to get caught up in the thought that we need more, bigger, better…and really all we need is less.

This is one of my favorite paintings that I have ever made.  It is an acrylic that measures 16 x 20 and it says “one day we’ll live in a little yellow cottage by the sea”.  It is sweet reminder of me and my husband’s love for the beach.

From our bedroom you can open sliding glass doors and enter the pool deck. As you can imagine, we spend a lot of time out here, especially in the summer.

I found this truck at an antique store and I’m always trying to fill it with creative things.

This is my view sitting on the patio furniture.  Although normally there are at least four kids swimming in it, lots of pool toys, splashing, and fun going on.

Well, that’s about it.
I hope you enjoyed our humble abode!  Thank you again Heather!It’s been such an honor!
I hope y’all will come visit me at my shop and blog, or check in with me via IG.
Have a very blessed day :)

Hello friends, I’m Nicky over at Momma Gets Real.  I’m a diet coke fueled momma of 3 kiddos … and a wife to a hard working hubby.

For me creating a lovely home is surrounding yourself and your family with things that make you happy.  I fluff my nest with items I’ve thrifted, made myself, or bought because I loved it and/or thought it was cute {with a tight budget, of course}.  I know… it’s a very, very scientific formula. {wink}

I enjoy tackling DIY projects, adding to my collections … and of course finding scores at the thrift store.  I’ve been known to fist pump the air and do a happy dance over a hobnail ice bucket.  Ain’t no shame in my game.  I will nothesitate to put 12 nail holes into one wall, wallpaper on a whim, or buy paint in my pajama pants.

{our home January 2013}

Recently we moved from a very nice, new ranch-style home… {that was located only 1 block away from the schools in a suburban setting}… to a 100 year old home in the middle of town. I know… it sounds ridiculous… what’s even more ridiculous is that we moved this past New Years Eve.  Moving over Christmas and in the dead of winter {with 3 kids} put me one step closer to crazytown.  But we survived… and even though we’ve only been in our “new to us” home for a few months… we’re very happy with our decision.  We needed character, we craved hardwood floors, built-in’s, thick moldings,  pocket doors and originality.  Oh… and trees… like real mature trees… that my kids can swing from and birds that can happily sing in.  We feel blessed.  {the heating bill is a different story… but I digress}

Foyer/Living Room:: 

When you walk through our front door our living room is on the left …

… and the foyeris to your right.

A foyer was a top priority when we were looking at homes.  We’ve had too many homes where the front door was situated so that our guests walked right into the living room.  Now we have a space for them to hang their coats and furthermore everyone has elbow room upon entering.  This foyer is so generousthat the previous owner had a baby grand piano in that space.  I simply roll the blue chair into the living room for extra seating… and the new layout couldn’t be more perfect for our lifestyle.  We’ve already hosted several events here and just last Sunday we hosted Easter brunch.  It makes me feel very lucky… because family and friends are everything to us.

;wreath from our shop, Dear Nicole.

I wish my wreath was on the outside of my door, rather than the inside… but for now… mother nature is teasing us with spring.  It was only 25 degrees here in Iowa on April 1st.  For years my friend, Nikki and I shared and swapped projects like they were recipes.  Finally, a couple years ago we joined forces and created, Dear Nicole … and corralled our creativity. We specialize in wreaths, banners, and tea towels… all things we love and use in our own homes.

drapes: Target ~ blue chair: consignment ~ large white vase: made by my aunt The black buffet I got at consignment years and years ago. After painting her and giving her some TLC,  she became one of my favorite pieces in the house.  She holds the kids’ art supplies… markers, crayons, paint, coloring books, construction paper… you name it… she’s got it all.  And you’ll see that I have a habit of naming a piece that I’ve personally put my blood, sweat and tears into… they become part of the family. I mean, that’s normal, right? 

pssst… that corner plant is not dead, I swear. It’s still hibernating due to our winter-like spring… if I had a nickle for every time someone asked me about it… {wink}

chevron pillow: Little House Frau, Etsy

I am very sentimental… but, you won’t find a curio cabinet in my home… nothing is on display or too precious. I like to actually use any passed on pieces and try to make them work in my space.  I inherited the mantel clock from my late great grandma Ruth… it still dings on the hour… and that makes me really happy.My grandma Charleen had the awesome turtle planter sitting in her garage waiting to be taken to Goodwill… I swiped it faster than you can say, “Jonathan Adler look-alike.”  She has a green thumb… I however, prefer fake moss from Hobby Lobby. 

Ahh my etsy girls… I love them so.  ”This is it” and “Be Here Now,  Katie Daisy;”Life is too short to be anything but happy”;  Letter Happy;  Custom Family name print; Kensie Kate.  I got the crochet blooms at a garage sale … $1 for a queen size comforter bag full… I know… it was like taking candy from a baby. But they went to a good home… I adore them.

I wanted to do something a little different on the stairwell… but I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money. Remember we have that thing called a “heating bill”… {debbie downer}… so I scoped out everyone’s favorite store, Target and found the mini mirrors… then remember seeing the bigger version in Walmart.  I’ve seen that particular moroccan mirror in many stores… but sometimes you can’t beat a Walmart $14.99 price tag.  99% of our home is matte plaster walls, I hang everything with Command velcro strips. 

I keep our family motto on the stairwell, “the glass is half full”.  I love walking past it at nighttime… when I’m the last to climb the stairs to bed … and knowing my family is safely asleep.  

Customized banner from our shop.

Living Room::

Hello windows, you are usually awesome, but you make this picture taking thing frustrating.

I made the silhouettes … I did a super easy DIY post on my blog if you’d like to try it out yourself… go HERE.  The rug and chair I ordered off Overstock.com.  I fully endorse (without being on the payroll) Overstock.com.  I mean, I could be the next “O” girl… right?  no?… fine. 

Meet Marigold the dresser that I thrifted last summer. I put a ton of overtime into her… lots of sweat… maybe some choice words…  but I was able to bring her back to her glorious self. Marigold’s before and after HERE.  She holds DVD’s, pet toys, blankets… and ancient t.v. remotes … you know, just incase we need a remote for a t.v. we owned over a decade ago. 

 sign: Salvage Nation, Etsy

Yep, that be another Overstock.com chair. {don’t make me sing the Overstock.com song} For some reason I have a hard time leaving a plain lamp shade alone… I covered this one with fabric from a previous project.  And the blue pouf {from Kohls super clearance} is usually used by Henry to do a sneak attack on his sisters or the unsuspecting dog. 

birds: thrifted (then spray painted) ~ letters: Anthropologie letter hankies: Camerons, Vinton, IA ~ canvas of kiddos: Easy Canvas Prints. com

Yes,  that’s a working phone… if a catastrophic event strikes… I will yank it out of the wall and protect it from all harm… that how much I need it in my life.  Don’t worry I’ll grab the kids too… {wink}

Dining Room::  The dining room is my favoriteroom in the house.  I adore the built in hutch… the moldings… and the window wall… with it’s original lead window.  This room gets the best light.

rug: Overstock.com ~ drapes: Target

I mean… if this hutch doesn’t say… “put your milk glass and cake stand collection here”… then I don’t know what does… it’s like they were meant to be.  And the drawers hold our “Friday Night Card” necessities… we ‘re card people and for years we get together with our besties and play cards, while the kids “run a muck.”  I highly suggest it… it’s good for your soul.

 dishes, platters, and cake plates… mostly thrifted or gifted.  Otherwise, TJMaxx and Marshalls.

The typewriter I thrifted with Nikki in Hudson, WI… camera and black bird thrifted locally and my mom gifted me the stack of dessert plates… 

The silver platters are wedding gifts {we will be married 15 years at the end of the month}, the 2 printed plates are Target… all others {you guessed it} thrifted.

custom print: Jo Bozarth Illustration, Etsy

red tin bread box: housewarming gift from a friend   vintage green picnic baskets: Witt’s Antique Mall, localcrate: gift from my mother-in-law ~ gold lamp base and gnome: Target

I collect 5’s… it’s my thing.  You should know I have an unhealthy relationship with numbers, empty gold gilded frames… and chalkboards… if you don’t understand that infatuation… then we can’t be friends, mkay? 

True story:my number five collection was the first thing I put up when we moved in.  We didn’t have our beds put together… but I had a vignette in the dining room completed.  That’s how I roll.. who needs to sleep when you can decorate?  That’s my motto…

I mod podged the gold damask 5, the rest I’ve collected over the years… and recently a dear Instagram friend sent me the “five” flashcard and the #5 circus bear playing card.  Which is perfect, cause I’m known around my house as, “momma bear”.  The pet silhouette is in honor of our min pin, Chloe. She’s the ultimate alpha female in this house… don’t be mistaken.

Kitchen::

rug: Urban Outfitters I know you are jealous of my super trendy 1955 kitchen cabinets… don’t be a hater.  {they are gonna get a paint job sooner than later}

tea towel: Dear Nicole, Etsy

glasses: Goodwill~ roman shade made from Anna Maria Horner fabric

I found most of my white hobnail glasses and goblets at Goodwill … all. during. the. same. trip.  I swear there was a beam of light shining down on them.  As I stood guard over them, I sent Maisie to get a cart.  And that my friends is the start of a collection that I am now shamefully, obsessed with.  We use them as our everyday glasses… and they make my dishwashing experience more pleasant.  You can’t beat that.

Furthermore, here’s the “famous Wisconsin thrifted”, hobnail ice bucket that prompted me to fist pump the air… jersey shore style.  I may have done the “teebow” for the other hobnail pieces we scored later that day.  All three now house my coffee necessities… loooove them so much.

red cabinet: JCPenney~ lamp: Dollar General ~ chalkboard: craft show ~  gumball machine and pitcher: consignment ~ striped container: TJMaxx  ~ canvas: easy canvas prints.com tray: Target

As to not jam up this post with photo overload… you can go HERE to see the Greta and Maisie’s room … 

… and HERE to see Henry’s room.

Since that post I’ve added this awesome sun bleached map that I pulled out of the house my brother recently bought.  His house had been abandoned for years and they left some treasures. 

And Henry’s thermos collection is constantly growing… cannot. stop. myself.

Upstairs Landing::

prints: easy canvas prints.comI have 2 daughters… and if it’s one thing I hope we instill in them… is to be there “own kind of beautiful”. 

Master Bedroom::

{another lamp shade I recovered with napkin fabric I found at Target}

When I look through fabric, I’m always drawn to the Anna Maria Horner collection. All of the bed pillow fabric is from Fabric.com and my bestie Jen, at Little House Fraumade the most awesome pillow covers for me.  Yes, it’s good to know creative people… and truly there’s love in every stitch.  I bought the fabric before we even moved in… and worked the room around it, that’s how much I adored it.

I used to write in journals… one for each child.   Since I started the blog and other social media outlets … I’ve put it aside… but as of late, I’m getting back to it… and it’s so good for my heart … whether it be on the blog or in my journals… writing is part of me.  The suitcase was another grandma Charleen castaway and the navy trunk holds my boots.  Another downer of owning an older home is that they don’t make master bedroom closets like they do now…. I’ve become an expert in under bed storage! 

1972 and 1975, my husband and I’s respective birth years.  I’ve always been attracted to these kitschy towels… but lets face it some of them are down right cheesy… but these are the perfect pair. {wink} “every day i fall in love with you more and more… well, not every day, yesterday you were pretty annoying. ”  Priceless… speaks volumes.  ‘nough said. 

Downstairs Bathroom::  Do people usually show their powder room?  Hmmm… 

No need to explain the “potty talk” chalk art if you have boys… 

I am a certifiable “knob snob”…  It’s one of the first things I do when I get a new piece… replace the knobs… whether it be with furniture or cabinetry.  OR in this case… moving into a new home.   Some people replace toilet seats… I replace knobs… whaddoya do? {bathroom knobs from Hobby Lobby}

I also take some of my “outfit of the day” pics here… you can see I got all dressed up for you today. {wink}

I recently thrifted the gold, bird set in Hudson, Wisconsin.  That trip might have been the best thrifting trip in the history of all thrifting… you can read about it HERE.  I have the luxury of having a grandma that’s a genius seamstress.  She made the roman shades for me from a Target drape… she also did the shade in the kitchen.

As you can see,I like being surrounded by things that have a story… or that were made or given to me by friends and family just because they knew I’d love it.  It really makes my home personal and it also makes decorating easy… you really can’t go wrong.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope we can visit again over at, Momma Gets Real … or you can see me daily on Instagram… I’m nickyjack over in those neck of the woodsThank you Heather for this opportunity… I am very humbled that you thought of me… and so thankful to be a part of this lovely series.  You’re the best.

Welcome to Home Made Lovely, an inspiring home tour series.

knock knock..panic rises to my throat and i run to see who it is..if i am going to answer the door..or hide.today when people come we hide .. don’t answer the door the house is a mess! when june cleaver was the norm unannounced guests were treated differently. they were welcomed with freshly baked muffins and coffee. not so much anymore. these days you will find me answering the door in no makeup paint clothes and a messy bun..excuse me while i take the paint brush

WELCOME to our little home…come on IN

i’m Tiffini from The House of Belonging and am seriously humbled that heather asked us to share our home. heather - you have been an instrument in the hands of God i kid you not. it was the kick in the pants we needed to start putting the house together. we have been collecting stuff for months. so thank you friend.

keepin it real girls - if you came on any given day right now my house would be a HOT mess! we have been re-creating re-doing re-modeling…just RE-ing since we moved in one year and four months ago. you can read more about how it all started here and let’s just throw one more iron in the fire and run a home business of which takes the majority of my day with little time for cleaning house or making dinner. And i fall into bed with what i wore that day..

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so when at 45 i am creating my first home..at least on the inside. i have never owned a home yet. one day i hope too but for now..this is good practice..and my new mantra is

PRACTICE doesn’t make PERFECT - PRACTICE makes change

..this came to me the other day driving.

i don’t know if i am restoring this home or it is restoring me. i am finding more and more of myself here and as i do feeling more and more of a belonging.

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so here are some peeks at the rooms we are currently working in

GRACE’S ROOM:::

we are blessed to have my mom use Grace’s room to style new curtains for her shop. i implored her help on some fabric i’ve had for 6 months. i told her what i envisioned and she sewed this sweet pair of curtains and added yellow pom’s for texture and color.

grace styles her room all by herself for the most part. we painted yellow stripes on the floor because eventually we are going to buy new carpet and why not have some fun in the wait? it gets quite cold in the girls rooms because it is a converted garage and they didn’t insulate it!! she has a portable heater she uses at night and i swear 5 blankets! she hung curtains in place of her closet door we removed.

we got this fun dresser down at RE where we had our shop before moving the business to our home.

13 year olds spend LOTS of time here. in front of the mirror. she put this little Target desk together all by herself after we all had a meltdown brother included until my son in law came and saved the day. she hung paper lanterns and a little chandelier above her desk and the little collage wall she did. i am happy to see her owning her area by creating her heart in there as well

her little nightstand. she keeps her journal & Jesus Calling there. Jesus Calling is a must have for every person!!

champ. her bear we bought her when she was in competitive gymnastics. for 5 years 30 plus hours of her week was spent at the gym. half days of school and then gym until 8-9pm. can’t believe we..she did that. she still sleeps with him.

LIVING ROOM:::

still have the UGLY chairs..but lots of pretty new pillows. a few we got from Target’s Threshold line and two my mom sewed for us…one from some scrap fabric and another from an old tablecloth that i got at a thrift store. i find JOY in re-purposing don’t YOU?

LOOK at the sweet little bunting that grace surprised me with. she hung old pictures from twine with clothespins and when she ran out of those she used paper clips…i only have a handful of pictures of me when i was younger with my grandma and she hung those plus the all of my 5 kids…i cried. it was so sweetly perfect in every way. i am keeping it on the mantle for the spring. it makes my heart happy. it is what matters.

over christmas we planked either side of the fireplace and covered the mantle with a piece of trim. i want to redo the whole fireplace but what a difference a little paint makes..and some planking right? it is the little things..

DINING:::

we added some wood shelving to hold collections ..

nikki and i fell in love with some bar stools at world market. to expensive at the time. at wal-mart they have these little stools for 25 dollars. we bought one..just one to see if we liked it. we did so then we proceeded to paint it..not sure whether to paint all the same color or each a different so we bought one can of green spray paint. primed it and then painted..and fell in LOVE. now we are going back to buy two more stools and paint them both GREEN.

i wanted a little window cover in the kitchen and picked up some flour sack towels and some cute fabric and yes….pom poms everything is cuter with pom poms..amen. and asked mom if she could whip me something up…and she did!

KITCHEN:::

LIVING ROOM COLLAGE WALL:::

THIS is what i am excited about the most! our collage wall - i have wanted one for like EVER! LOVE from so many of my friends…and still more we’ve ordered and has not come yet… standing here looking at it i just SMILE BIG we built the x-console from ana white’s plans and painted it yellow. i have yet to distress it… we bought two UGLY lamps and spray painted them white and got two shades from Home Goods and wow!!

and i FOUND A MAP!! every home i am in love with has a map and i wanted one SO BAD!! i am happy happy happy

did anyone watch Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday with Brene Brown? Chrissie told me about it and nikki and i watched it a loved it all..we cried when she read this. i printed and framed it..seriously! i am finishing up her book too…

we planked this wall and added a little ledge and hung pictures of the kids that we had printed at staples i built frames for the pictures by following handmade homes ebook:))))

wreath inspired by my sweet friend Jeruselum’s new book The Handmade Year .. a MUST read

BABY GRANDS ROOM:::

very small spare room turned baby grands room for when they stay:) painted it .. RH glacier - added some yellow stripes to an UGLY popcorn ceiling and some playful curtains then comes lighting and decor…maybe a built in of some sort. lots and lots of happy and FUN for sure

DAKOTA’S ROOM:::

planked one wall ( we lurve planking ) and painted. i think we are going to stain it and then hang sconces on either side - a cool light fixture ..some industrial touches..there is that technical word;) we are sketching ideas for his big tv and we are working on turning his small closet into a desk area for studying gaming. he goes off to college next year. he is a senior he graduates in may fourth one down…ONE to go

i am just doing what feels good to me. being inspired by all things and if i don’t like it i can change it. at the end of the day me and the kids live here. we are what matters.

i am carried by so much of YOUR encouragement and love.

there has been a shifting in my heart from SOMEDAY to ACTION by taking baby steps NOW! call it mid life whatever but time is so much more precious. urgent. that if i don’t start making changes that i long to see NOW the story will never be written and the dream won’t be realized.

ACTION is the antidote to despair

MY HOUSE must reflect my soul. not yours or hers or theirs NO MATTER how lovely it is because if it isn’t ME then i am living a second rate version of someone else ( helen keller) so to be truly authentic and real it has to be ME and that is a process for a girl who didn’t know WHO she was because she was so busy trying to please and be what she thought others wanted her to be…so enter the shifting of my heart in FINDING the SACRED connections in the heart home and handmade

alexandra campbell said “all my life, i’ve never felt as if i’ve belonged anywhere, my harried heart was possessed by a mysterious “holy longing”that never seemed to be satisfied. but here, in the garden of this tiny ivory stone cottage with its huge ancient apple tree, heavily laden with reddening and ripening orbs, i felt that there couldn’t possibly be anyplace else more exquisite—nothing more to be desired”

- - i am moving forward…thank you for stopping in. next time i hope to have something warm from the oven and a pot of hot coffee…that is my pretend world but i really am off to whip up some wheat free paleo double chocolate cakies…that counts for something right;)

My Home Made Lovely series has been running for 19 months and has featured almost 50 spaces.  That is a whole lot of lovely, friends!  Over all those months, 95% of the spaces that I featured were sourced out by yours truly.  I seriously love finding homes to share that are unique and reflect the personal style of the people that live in them.  I know that so many of you share my passion for this though, so I’m wondering…

Do you have a space, or know of a space, that you think should be featured on Home Made Lovely?  Here’s what I look for…

-great photos with good light

-homes that reflect a fresh take on personal style

-homes decorated by real people that have a real passion for making pretty spaces.

If you have a space that you think should be considered for the series I hope you’ll email me ( heather @ lifemadelovely.com ) with Home Made Lovely in the subject line.  And please include a few photos of your space.  Of if you know of a blog that hasn’t been featured, but you think should be, please let me know that too!

I can’t wait to see what you guys have to share with me.  I’ve been doing a lot of work around my own little space and am excited to begin sharing it with you soon.  Happy Friday friends!

Welcome to Home Made Lovely, an inspiring home tour series.

…..

Hi!  I’m Sasha and I blog over at Lemonade Makin’ Mama.  I spend my time there sharing about family, baking, faith, and celebrating life moments with gobs of photographs. My man and I have been on a journey to open our heart and home to anyone and everyone over the past few years, and have been slowly transforming an ordinary and slightly generic spec. house into a comfortable and homey space.  I absolutely adore Heather and her sweet heart, not to mention her mad creativity, so when she asked me if I’d like to join her home tour I was thrilled to say yes!  I can’t think of anything quite as fun as inviting you on a tour of my digs.  

Creating a lovely home means different things to many people, but the goal I always have in mind when I’m choosing anything or redecorranging the components, is making it a haven for everyone.  A year and a half ago, my husband took a job transfer that really motivated me to make our home a haven of rest for him when he returns at night.  It felt like a gift I could give him for working so hard for us each day.  Ultimately I want everyone who walks through our doors to feel that sense of love, calm and rest… I want every friend, family member and guest to leave refreshed.  I also try and make economical choices because I’ve got Pottery Barn taste and a garage sale budget.

When we first moved into this home, all of the woodwork was builder-grade oak, and the fixtures were unattractive brass. There was ugly linoleum and cheap carpet.  We loved this house from the minute we walked through the doors.  We’ve lived here nearly ten years and in that time we have added a window in the dining room, painted all of the cabinets, doors, and trim.  Replaced counter tops, painted, changed every light fixture and some of the faucets.  We have replaced flooring and the best thing we did was wall off the front room of our home with french doors, creating a more separate office/den/guest room.  Our children’s toddler sized hand prints adorn a corner of the backyard patio and we have made almost every family memory in this home. (You can see before photos and read all about our kitchen renovations in this post.)

We painted our island a rich gray-green, and  I can’t begin to tell you how much I love having it like this. I used liquid nails to adhere a piece of bead board and trim to the front of my dishwasher and we used a clearance light fixture with the lighting parts removed for a pot rack.

I covered pieces of foam core board with fabric and used hot glue to adhere it.  Then I placed them behind my dishes.  Easy, inexpensive, and I can pop them out and hot glue different fabric to them whenever I need a change!

Because our dining, kitchen, and family room are all one big open room, we made sure the colors don’t compete.  I kept the paint light and airy for nice flow.  I guess you could say that though I adore color and find ways of weaving it in everywhere, I’m also the queen of neutrals. We love having two pendants above our table.  We found inexpensive metal lights at Lowes and then sprayed them with primer, a copper color, and finally covered it all with oil rubbed bronze.  After they were all dry we lightly sanded them to show a bit of the copper through the oil rubbed bronze and we screwed Edison bulbs into place for a cozy feel.

There are pieces of me scattered in every corner of this house.  Paintings I did, pillow covers I sewed.  Mirrors we salvaged and framed to look like a window, an oar my son found me that we painted together, chalkboards we created from scrap piles, dozens of painted items that have been repurposed or tweaked and photographs of hundreds of memories, scattered throughout the entire home.  I know this is silly but I like to think that if something ever happened to me, my children would still feel my touch in every room.

Here is our office/den/guest space.  It’s tiny but it was a room without purpose for most of the time we lived here until last Summer. We hired a friend to build a wall and french doors, creating an actual room. (You can read about making perfectly striped walls and see a few before photos of this room in this post. You can see  our old trim work and doors before they were painted too!)   I love hosting family and friends so much.  My goal and hope is that they would be able to relax and unwind and feel pampered.  I heap the bed with good quality pillows, high thread-count sheets found at discount shops like TJ Maxx and of course, lots of textures and luxe bedding options for them. My children are frequently found reading on this bed-especially when I am on the computer.  I love that.  

Our family office.  You don’t want to open these doors.  Things really will fall out on your head. I should probably do something about that. 

Those antlers were a surprise gift from my extended family that live in Montana. I love them so!

 My son didn’t really care what I did with his room and gave me free reign.  I chose some clearance-priced bedding in greens, blues and grays and now he loves it.  Tara from Between You and Me made his sign.  I believe it’s the best part of his room and pray that it inspires him to be a man who loves his God with all his heart.

Tween boy details like his old guitar adorn his walls.  I painted a special piece of artwork for each of my children’s rooms and the green truck I painted for JJ is now sold along with my other prints, in my shop.

Making over my daughter’s room was a recent project that I resisted but eventually loved. One thing that makes a house lovely are making special spaces for your family to retreat to, and her room was exactly what she wanted it to be.  A happy mix of oranges and pinks.  (Her full room reveal can be found here.)  We found her chair at the Goodwill for $14 but it was really dirty.  It took a few days of scrubbing but it was so worth it.  We painted her existing desk and the handles… and I made her memo boards and some of her artwork and pillows.  The silhouette of her face that hangs above her bed was cut carefully from card stock and mounted on some old wrapping paper.  I recovered her lampshade in scraps as well as some tin cans for pencil holders, along with recycling some jars and spray painting the lids the same color for her art supplies. 

(Incidentally, it’s never this clean.  Ever. Just so you know.)

Ava’s gorgeous room sign was lovingly created by the fabulous girls over at The House of Belonging shop.  It’s so Ava, and was the perfect finishing touch for her sweet little room.

Our bedroom is by far my favorite room.  Nothing speaks “haven of rest” to me, quite like this room.  We have a fairly large master bedroom and my tiny studio space is in a small offshoot, on the side of this room.  I chose a rich gray color to quiet the room down and bring a soothing tone.  The photographs above my bed were taken by me (also available in my shop) and framed in Goodwill frames!  I didn’t even paint them, as they were perfect the way they were. The pretty bedding was a rare splurge from Ballard Design and the sheets are from TJ Maxx.  The lamps were from Target, for Mother’s day last year. 

Itty bitty studio space…

That pretty much concludes our tour.  I hope it inspires you to make your space a haven of rest not only for yourself, but also for family and friends.  Sometimes it’s a simple as a coat of paint, using something in a new way, tweaking what you already have, or hunting for bargains.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot, or be perfect…  and sweat equity tends to go a long way. Thank you so much, Heather, for having me!  

Sasha

Our paint colors:

Walls are “Ivoire”

Cabinets and trim are “Creamy”

Kids rooms are “Fleur de sel”

Island is “Night Owl”

Table is “Navajo White”,  all by Sherwin Williams.

Master bedroom is “Stormy Sky” by Benjamin Moore.