Painted curtains: Adding Stripes

When we first got the keys to our home I noticed many of the windows had plain, white, pottery barn curtains hanging on them. I think my family thought I was nuts when I showed my excitement about the possibilities of dying them or painting them. But with the proof of a few successful Pinterest links I was able to convince my husband that painting two of the stack of curtains would do no harm. 

So for weeks I had "paint and hang curtains" on my To Do list.  It wasn't until the weekend rolled around when I had my friend Jen help me do it for me tackle this task. Believe it or not, the hardest part was hanging the curtain rods.

I love the way they turned out! They really complete the room and I knew that all it needed was some stripes :) Don't look too close or you will find my ridiculous errors (ridiculous because I have no idea how I managed to be so clumsy) or that these curtains are actually around 4 inches too short. Hey, this whole thing was absolutely free so free=happy!

Painting a Painting

Many weeks ago I shared that I had purchased a rather large painting that I had great plans for. I researched it first to ensure that I hadn't purchased a land mind and then thought about what words I wanted on it for weeks...I mean literally weeks!

Then I took some stencils and tediously painted this bible verse onto the painting. Easy peasy!

She is living in our front room right now and I love it!

Thoughts on decorating a meaningful home

Something that has always been important to me is making things meaningful. I love stories/memories tied with objects. In our first apartment, I filled it with all sorts of projects and thrifted finds but later felt that it lacked the depth that I desired and it felt rushed.

So with our home I have worked to be intentional about our decorations and tried to scatter some meaningful things around the home.

Here are some of my "meaningful" staples in my home today:

1. Photos
I love having photos up around the home. I follow the quality over quantity rule with my photos. I have found that a few really meaningful, special photos in a room stand out more than an entire room filled with photos. Don't get me wrong though....a gallery wall is still one of my favorite things, but I enjoy a mix of photos in with art and other fun objects. Do you have any rules with photos? I once read that some follow rules such as: no pictures in the family room, only wedding pictures in the bedroom, etc. I think that sounds strange to me.

2. Family Heirlooms
I have a very close family and I also have felt a great deal of loss in regards to some family members. Anything and everything that was my father's or my step-father's is incredibly special to me. I also love anything from my grandparents. Carpentry to embroidery, I love it all.

made for my dad 

A jade tree from my grandmother (this reminds me so much of her home)

A tiny bike that was my dads

Made by my step-father last Christmas

3. Souvenirs

Over the past few years I have had numerous travel opportunities and have brought back some pretty special pieces. I love finding one or two meaningful/useful items that I can put in my house instead of loading down my suitcase with shirts and shot glasses. Although I am known to have a rather large collection of t-shirts :)

From Cancun, Mexico

From Russia

4. Type Art
I am always encouraged by writing my favorite quotes and Bible verses on paper...why not make it pretty? One of my favorite things to search on Pinterest (Here is my board where I collect beautiful words) are quotes and bible verses paired with beautiful type or art.

5. Real Art
My house doesn't have much of this yet, but I really desire to start investing in the art that I have around the house. Making the switch from buying my artwork in Hobby Lobby or Pier 1 to buying straight from an artist would make a huge impact. Some of my favorite artists:

Michelle Armas

Yangyang Pan