Hey guys!

Let’s talk dark wood today. 

Let’s talk about working with what you have.

You see, our home is filled with dark, stained wood.  Is it my preference?  No, not really.  Actually, not at all.  But, if you have followed me for very long, then you know that my husband loves dark wood.  He also loves for things to stay the same.  He is good with buying something and keeping it until forever.  He is a man of little change.  Bless his heart, and then he married me who loves changing things up on a very frequent basis.

So, let’s talk about what is dark in our house…the fireplace, the kitchen cabinets, the banister, all bathroom cabinets, and the massive entertainment center in our living room that my husband loves.  Oh, and our leather sofa and loveseat are dark. 

Do I love white cabinets?  Yes.  Would I love a different entertainment center?  Oh yeah!  Would I paint the fireplace if I could?  Yes, probably.

But, I can’t change any of these things because it’s not just my house.  So, like I have said to my friends in the past, I work with what I have and am happy and content.

When working with dark wood, but wanting to make things as light as possible, make sure to use neutral accessories.  I have neutral wall colors throughout the house (except for my husband’s study and it’s Navy Blue).  I use neutral linens, neutral pillows, neutral accessories.  If I have something dark, I try to place lighter things on it or around it to make it seem lighter.

Using the lighter things tones down the darker things.  At least, in my eyes it does.

This end of the room is lighter than the other end that holds the entertainment center so I add some dark elements down here to try and marry the whole room.

In case you missed the entertainment center, it is a favorite piece of my husbands and it will probably be around as long as we are.

  Actually, I am hoping that someday it will have a new home in his study where it would fit just perfectly with the cherry cabinets that are already in there.

So, learn to work with what you have.

There are ways to make things work.

  Don’t obsess about not having what someone else has.

  Be happy and content with what you have and make it beautiful!

And, in the meantime…be the you that God wants you to be! 

Hey guys!

I have one question…

Why in the world did I wait so long to replace the rug in my dining room?

Why oh why?

Until I changed it, and saw it, I had no idea how bad the other one was.  And, how small it was in the room.

Once the rug was changed, it absolutely changed the entire look of the room.  It sort of turned from the ugly duckling into the beautiful swan.  At least in my mind, that’s what happened.

Not only did I change out the rug, I also replaced all of the dark chairs with white ones.  That made a huge difference in the tone of the room.

It’s amazing how one item can make such a difference in the look and feel of an area.

This rug came from Well Woven Rugs. 

I am hoping to pick another for my living room!  I’ll be sure to let you see what I choose.

Blessings friends!

Yes, I like stuff!!

As a matter of fact, I like stuff too much and can really go overboard when I find something I like.

If one is good, then two must be even better, and three or seven must be really great.

When you like stuff, your things can start to look like clutter and nothing really stands out as important.

Periodically, I have to go through our home and even our outdoor area and just purge.  I like to go through the whole thing in my mind of whether I like the item or love the item.  Is it unique and how hard would it be to find something else like it if I wanted to.  In the grand scheme of home decor,  is it really significant or could it easily go.

So often, I feel like there is an emotional attachment to something and I just “can’t” let it go. 

Many times, I feel like my eyes start getting tired and there is no place for them to rest in our home. 

Too much stuff!!

So, what to do.

If it’s an emotional attachment, but you really don’t like or need the item, take a photo of it for a keepsake.

Consider the fact that someone else may really love whatever it is or could really use it.

Often times, after I get dressed and put on my jewelry, I will end up taking one piece off just to scale down a bit.  Do that in your room.  Go through your area and remove one knick knack, one picture, one piece of furniture.  See if it makes a difference in allowing your area to not be too busy.

Sometimes someone else can come into your house and help you see things that you don’t really need.  Things that can cause a room to look cluttered.  Sometimes you just need fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.

Even as I look through the photos of our patio, I realize there are things I don’t need or want anymore.  There are certain things that don’t make much of a statement and are taking away the focus of things that do matter.

For example, my husband built me a beautiful potting bench out of great old wood, and you can’t even really see the potting bench for all the stuff on it.  I want the potting bench to be the focus and not the stuff. 

So, you know what I am going to do…

I am going to go ahead and share these photos, but then I am going outside to do some purging.

Time for my Barn Door outdoor marketplace to get here so I can get rid of some “stuff”.

Be blessed, Amy