"Joy to the Soul Summer"

My talented friend and fellow blogger (real writer) Joy asked me to participate in her Summer blog series, "Joy to the Soul Summer", a six-week series where she's featuring several bloggers and asking them to connect the season with their faith.   She's asked that I join in the fun! You can link to her blog HERE.  I'm so happy to be sharing a little bit about opening up your home to others in a fun, fulfilling and stress-free way.

I view myself as a steward of everything I have and that includes my home.  I figure if it belongs to God, I think He'd want me to share it with others.  Don't you?

 Romans 12:10-13 "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

This is one of the many reasons why I love to entertain.  Lately however, I have let my busy schedule get the best of me and haven't done it nearly enough.  That all changes this summer!

One of the things that holds many of us back is the pursuit of perfection.  I know because it chokes my creativity and keeps me from moving on ideas too.  We tend to think that everything needs to be "PERFECT" before we open our homes to family and friends.

Homemade Photo Booth - New Years' Eve Party

The problem is, things are never perfect and honestly, your family and true friends likely don't care too much about perfection.  I've found that people just like to be in a laid back environment, gathered around great people, good food, with a little fun mixed in.

Here are a few ways to open up your home this summer while keeping things pretty simple:

1.  Begin with a theme.  I find it much easier to plan when I have a theme in mind.  A few of my favorite past events include an outdoor Movie Night, Friendsgiving and an Afternoon Tea.  This helps to drive the decor, the menu and games and makes planning much easier.

Friendsgivingmas Tablescape

2.  Keep the decor simple.  Literally, clean the house, set the table and be done.  Remember the guests are coming to spend time with you and others, not to admire your decor  (although they may) or scrutinize your home. 

Outdoor Living 

"Summer Salads" Spread

3.  Maximize your strengths.  Don't let a weakness keep you from opening your home.  No one is good at everything and the fact that you aren't either, often puts guests at ease.

Romans 12: 6-8 "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a]faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

For me it's cooking.  It totally stress me out, so while I like to entertain,  I often host potlucks or outsource the food.  Hey, I'm a designer not a chef.  😃  Because I love to create a beautiful home, I often play that strength up when entertaining.  I host events just after I've decorated for the holidays or revamped my back porch.  Maybe you make great desserts or cooking is your thing, maybe you love creative party games.  Whatever your "thing", play to that strength and your guests will be happy to help in areas where you need it.

4.  Relax and enjoy!  It's really not about you.  The purpose is to share what God has richly blessed you with, with others.  Shift your focus off of what hasn't been done or what isn't perfect and focus on creating a great time for you and your guests.  

Above all, be intentional about enjoying yourself.  That's what it's all about. 

Outdoor Living Refresh Party

Friendsgivingmas Party 

"Fab Finds"

A friend and faithful reader recently reminded me that I used to share fabulous deals and steals on a post series entitled "Fab Five Friday".  She went on to say that she and another friend and blog reader had even purchased an item or two as a result of those posts. They both expressed a desire for me to do more of the types of blogs I did when I was first starting out. 

Ok, in my defense, I used to publish about three blogs each week, so there was plenty of time to round-up my favorite finds at various retailers and share them with you here.  These days however, I'm doing good to get one post out a week and it's often a status update or reveal of a client project I've been diligently working on.  I get it though.  This blog is really about you.  Those of you who read it are likely here because you want to learn more about how to spruce up your home on a budget.  Sure, you can glean inspiration and ideas from my client work but I probably should make a better effort to share with you some of the places I'm shopping for those amazing deals and fabulously affordable finds.

So with that,  here's a brand new "Fab" post and since it's not Friday and I couldn't stop at five, let's just call it the Fab Finds post.

You may or may not be familiar with Brylane Home.  I recall them from years ago.  For me, they've always been the mail-order curtain and bedding people.  They've always had very affordable pricing, but the style factor of their merchandise was, well.....yikes.

Don't get me wrong, you could occasionally find a winner or two.  In fact, my most popular project on Houzz includes bedding from Brylane.

But for the most part, it was slim pickings.  Well, not anymore. I've rounded up ten (and it was hard to stop at ten) of my favorite finds at Brylane Home.

1. Navy Ottoman 2. Pom Pom Quilt 3. Gold Drapery Rod 4. Pineapple Mat  5. Blue Glider 6. Flamingo Sheets

7. Green Gourd Lamp 8. Gold Stool 9. Zebra Pillow 10. Buffalo Check Shade

I was shocked at how stylish the inventory has gotten.  I even spotted a find that I've used in a project that DID NOT come from Brylane. 

They are definitely worth a second look if you remember them and a first if not. 

Along that same vein of sharing with you tricks of the trade and tips for sprucing things up, I've got some news for the locals...coming soon! Stay tuned!

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post (although it probably should be).

"The Styling Shuffle"

I don't do changing things around in my home.  I know, it's hard to believe but I don't.  Sure, I'll upgrade pieces but generally speaking, unless I'm making over a space, I don't change things out often.  Lately, this étagère in my living room has been bugging me.

There are several things on it that I'm just not all that attached to anymore and I felt it was time to reevaluate it all.  You can read about my love for etageres on the Metrolina ReStores' blog.

You may recall last Christmas I blogged about The Nester's book The Nesting Place.  In it she mentions a concept called quieting the space.  It basically means starting from scratch. 

It's something I almost NEVER do, but I'll admit that there is value in clearing things out and starting all over again sometimes.  So that's exactly what I did this weekend.  I literally emptied the shelves and started from scratch.

With the area completely clear, I began layering on my favorite pieces one by one, carefully styling each section.   However, here's the funny thing, when it was all said and done, I ended up pretty close to where I started.  It's like I just shuffled things around.

Hence the reason I rarely start over in a space.  I think I'm just one of those strange people who knows what I like and it doesn't change that often. 

For what it's worth, here's a closer look.   

At least I was forced to really think through whether my trinkets really needed to be on display here or not.  Often, I think things just land in places and it's easier to keep them there than to make a decision regarding them.

I also pulled the two Pottery Barn gourd lamps together that I was using in separate rooms.  I purchased these shades from Ross for less than $10 each and I love the look of them here.