Mini House Tour: sprucing for spring!

Are you a sprucer or do you prefer to leave well enough alone in your home? (and otherwise while we're on the topic)

I can remember as a child trying to rearrange my room or tape things to the wall.  It just delighted me to no end, although I'm not sure what my walls thought of it.  This was before the days of washi tape you know.  I suppose it's quite funny, in the weird ironic kind of way, how much I adore rearranging and styling things.  Because it certainly isn't the case for my real life.  A little realization I've come to this week…transitions in life are hard for me, most often producing anxiety rather than excitement.  Once I arrive in the new season or change of life and get settled in a few days, I'm as happy as a bird with a french fry! And in fact, if I go too many days with too many things the same I start to crave change and growth.  But in a perfect world, I'd skip the stage of life called "transition" and glide on a magic carpet ride from one season to the next, chapter by chapter flowing quite nicely.  No signals getting crossed from one change to the next. 

But, I suppose the story of life doesn't quite work like that.  And so, there's decorating.  My fun, my stress-relief, my most favorite thing to do.  We DO spend a lot of time at home after all and I've always thought home should be the warmest, brightest, loveliest place to be.  It's no magic carpet ride, but it's pretty close.  Whether life is predictable or highly adventurous, there's always home and warm coffee and Brett and my girls.  And friends.  Lately I've been praying about and looking for opportunities to write "friends" into the chapters of our lives and it feels so good to throw open the door and say "You are welcome here just exactly as you are." More thoughts on this another day.  

Once the Christmas decorations were down things remained pretty much the same as they'd been in the fall.  I kept writing words like "spring decorating" on my to-do list because, I mean-naturally.  Doesn't everyone write things like that on their list? Don't worry I always have my good 'ol stand-by's, cleaning and laundry included too.  I mostly added the spring sprucing to its own line because I wanted to keep an eye out for a few items at the thrift store.  Mainly letters.  I love a good set of letters.  Especially when they're mismatched.  It's just my favorite thing to find one lone letter, laying desperately alone at the thrift store. Then-bring it home to join the other lonely letters and what do you know?  A word is born, a concept created.  A letter is lonely no more. One afternoon I looked at all the letters and wondered what they might want to say.  Then I remembered the random, but very timely thought God dropped into my thought bucket last week.  That we are all stories….beautiful stories.  We're not just errands and chores and eating and sleeping and moving through the day robots.  We are story people, deep within the thick of our own plot. 

Suddenly, there it was.  The theme for my mantle.  Simple, strong.  "Story." 

The rest of the sprucing around the house has a less complex meaning, except for maybe this poster.  Brett and I bought this when we just had Anna Ruth and were visiting an air museum.  I happened upon it this week and immediately wanted to jump on board with this lovely lady.  After all, we're a family with two girls plus myself…I certainly think we could agree every girl pulling for victory sounds like a very good plan indeed.

I shopped my own linen closet where I house my supply of decor and added sweet little vignettes on top of this dresser and our piano as well. 

I kept reminding Brett that some people get paid to do this! Remember Sunday the stylist that came to our home last spring? I'm completely normal! She did this for eight hours straight at our house for her JOB. Mind blown.  

(sweet Sunday)

I also tidied up quite a lot in here too.  If you're glancing at the piles left under the table I can assure you those are most purposeful.  AND, if you're wondering "Didn't you JUST tidy this room up a lot?" Well, you're probably right.  Of course I want my studio to be inspiring.  It is most definitely that. (don't tell anyone but it's my favorite spot in the house!)

It also needs to run like a well-oiled machine, my time being as scheduled as it is.  With Vintage Market Days coming up and THREE Rosy Retreats to prep for I wanted to make sure I could work as happily and efficiently in this room as possible.  I had Brett take two of the cabinet doors off and I really like the result!  I have all of my art paper organized in the metal crate (a treasure of a find for $5 one day at the thrift store!)

I also threw a trash bag worth of stuff away (I *may* be a bit of a hoarder) and cleared out space for my shipping and packaging supplies, as well as a whole cabinet just for finished projects waiting to be sprayed with fixative.  

Artwork by the lovely Mary Wangerin.

No worries over the silence on the Rosy Retreat home front…I'm working away at blog posts for each separate retreat that will go LIVE in the next few weeks!  In the meantime, feel free to read about the opportunities to learn about photography, crafting with your kids, and crafting for yourself (with girlfriends!) on the retreat tab above! You may sign up at any time!

Happy piles, just waiting for me to get to them.  

All this color has me aching for green grass and a rainbow of colors in the garden. 

To finish out my dining room sprucing I have a HUGE box of crepe paper coming my way.  

(it's not what you think)

I'll let that sit in your imagination 'till next time! 

How about you, do you like playing stylist in your own home? 

I would love to do window displays someday and get to "play"! :) Wouldn't THAT be fun?  My house would probably thank me too if I weren't unleashing my creativity on it all the time. 

But remember, our home IS both our haven and safe spot from one transition to the next. 

What can you do today to sweeten your sprucing?

I'd love to hear (or see! Send me a pic!)