I love living in a home that makes me happy when I walk through it. Not just happy in the “wow, I am so happy I made this look pretty” sort of way, but the “I feel inspired by the blessings of life” sort of happiness. There is a difference.
I have no idea how people can live in a home that is “just pretty” but lacks real meaning. Pretty only on the surface can be so, well, shallow.
Creating a home with meaning requires surrounding yourself with layers of memories — not just random objects. When everything was bought to simply to serve a purpose or to fill a space, and nothing was collected through living life, a home feels flat and one dimensional. A surface “decorated home” misses out on the stories and character that can only come through decor that is a reflection of life experience.
I just re-framed and hung the etching my husband and I bought in Hawaii
19 years ago on our one and only special trip away from the kids!
Every single time I see it good memories rush to my mind.
Cheap therapy, I tell ya!
I feel it is so important to connect emotionally to the things you are surrounded by at home.
Your home and what is in it should have soul, not just surface beauty.
Disclaimer: This doesn’t mean you can’t have things that are simply pretty, I have lots of things that are just there to be functional or pretty. But sprinkled throughout my home are gentle reminders of the good in life. I love having things in my home that have a story. If you look through your accessories at home and do not feel your heart strings being tugged in some way, it might be worth adding in some meaning!
Treasures from our family’s past give us a sense of history at home.
They tie our past and present together.
Objects like my old postcard can enrich our life
because they make us ask questions and tell stories about our ancestors.
As I look around my home, I see framed photos of my children, art collected to remind us of vacations, shells picked up while walking along the shore, maps of places I’ve been, books I’ve loved and read over and over again, treasures and hand written notes and recipes from grandparents and sweet reminders of my childhood.
When I am surrounded by these things, my home is beautiful to me.
Jars can hold all sorts of collections and memories: photos, shells, trinkets.
This jar always reminds me of my childhood craft, painting clothespins!
Even subtle reminders of happy memories can make me smile.
That is the kind of home I love to live in. I want my home to feel authentic, warm and inviting. I want to achieve that not just with my time or money invested in decorating, but through LIVING.
Remember my motto, “When Life Inspires Your Home, Your Home will Inspire Your Life”? When you’ve lived fully (you’ve traveled, created memories, loved, cried, laughed and lived not just for yourself but for and with others), your home can be filled with beautiful reminders of what has mattered most to you. 
My grandma’s meatloaf recipe, written out with love for me.
She is no longer with us, so this is priceless!
My husband gave me a giant tea cup for a gift –
I adore it more than any other “accessory”
I could buy at a discount store.
And when you decorate with heart and soul, your home will inspire you to continue to focus on all that is right and good in your life. You’ll remember the good of the past and be inspired to live in a more positive state of mind.
The family wall. Image from: Living with What You Love
Tip: corral small frames on a tray. From: Living with What You Love
When I ran across this new book (in a post at my friend Holly’s blog), Living With What You Love by photographer Monica Rich Kosann, I knew I’d found a kindred spirit. Monica so kindly sent me a copy of the book. It is filled with her beautiful pictures and inspiring ideas to create a home with family photos, heirlooms and collectibles. Love that! I know you will all be inspired by her ideas, photos and tips as well — Monica has offered us a generous giveaway today!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU FOR ENTERING!
A FIVE WINNER GIVEAWAY!
One copy of Living With What You Love
will go to FIVE LUCKY WINNERS!
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment sharing about something you have in your home that evokes a happy memory for you!
I will pick five winners at random to receive a book!
Share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog for extra entries! Giveaway will end on Friday 9PM PST.
Living with What You Love can be purchased through amazon.com.
We had to replace the cement steps at our first house, and that meant replacing the wrought iron hand rails, too. We managed to keep a part of the railing, though – the scrollwork looks like our last initial, S.
It’s hanging in our new home – I really love it!
Looks like a great book! I have many of my mom’s items since she died a few years ago. Many are in my kitchen because she was a great cook and the best hostess!
Jennifer recently posted..Summer Fun
I loved this post! One of my favorite things is a framed saying that my pastor from the church I attended during my college years always said. When we graduated, they gave each senior one. It sits on my dresser and each day reminds me of a sweet time that I grew richly in the Lord.
As I was reading your blog I began to look around to see what things were within my eye’s view. Memories flooded as I saw my collection of miniature horses on my bookcase. As a little girl and as an adult, horses stir my soul in a special way.
Such great ideas! I’m not very good at decorating with photographs, but one of my favorite decorations is the burgundy shawl/wrap hand embroidered with white flowers that my husband bought for me on our honeymoon to Argentina. It’s hanging in our study where I can see it every day and smile!
I love our picture of the Brooklyn Bridge…reminds me of our special trips to NYC!
I totally agree with your post! I love having items in my home that remind me of loved ones, gifts, travel and memories. I have always loved an eclectic look . One of the reason I love yard sales is old things speak to me…I would rather have something old with a history than something brand new.
Thanks for the chance of winning such an interesting looking book. I would love to win it!
My goodness…did I use the word, “love” enough? More coffee, though my brain must be in a happy, loving place…LOL
I love my collection of sea shells from the Oregon Coast where I spent the happiest years of my life. Living with what you love is important, otherwise you may as well live in a hotel. The book looks very inspiring.
Thank you for the game!
Marcie
Marcie recently posted..The Cotton Blooms
Love this post and would love the beautiful book too! Every single room and hallway in our home has black and white candid photos of our family and friends..the glass top coffee table in the den has photos under the glass… a collection of letters and wedding invitations from relatives sits in a pile on the sideboard by my front door…and on top of that collection you will find the keys (vintage 1940!) to our first home tied with a red ribbon. As Jamie said above, it all makes me smile!
Sometimes I wish I had space on my walls for the great DIY art I see on the blogosphere, but then I remember that my walls are filled with oil paintings by my dear departed mother. Some of them are even of places I’ve been and loved.
Sara recently posted..7 Quick Takes
How could one live surrounded by things or memories that irritate, and cause stress? No way you could want to spend more time IN your home–you’d be out all the time! If the home is sterile, how would it be different from a furniture showroom? The home could be ones only canvas on which to craft the images eminating from the soul…
I posted your giveaway on my blog!!! Good luck everyone!
Marcie recently posted..The Cotton Blooms
I too like to live with things I love! I have moved many times all across the country and have been given gifts by many different people. I like having them placed around my home and when I see them I remember those I miss and love….and sometimes it is even followed by a phone call to say “hello”!
Great post! The piece that comes to my mind, is a stand that was my grandfathers. I have it in our dining area and I keep a lot of games, coloring books and paper in it!
Kim recently posted..Splurge or Save
One object that brings back wonderful memories every time I look at it is a hand painted platter that my best friend made for my husband and me when we got married eight and a half years ago. She had come with me to register for wedding gifts and had tried to convince me to register for some rather serious china featuring fish (Spode “Woodland”, I think). I didn’t go for the china, so she painted her own version with a big fish in the center with a hook in its mouth. Around that she put our names and “Reeled in, hook, line, & sinker” Best wedding gift we got!
Could not agree with you more, and after almost six years of marriage I am finally finding my own “voice” in our house and trusting that I can decorate with things that make me happy and bring memories back. Pictures of my children,trips, celebrations are what I love to have around most. Need to find a place for my old toile tray that I found on our honeymoon that I love but haven’t found a place for yet…..
p.s. forgt to mention that I just framed our wedding invitation, and love looking at it every morning on my dresser :]
I have a big purple chair (it’s not as bad as it sounds) and it’s in a room that is all mine. It envelopes me and brings me back down to earth on those crazy days.
Maybe it’s the picture wall or the jar full of seashells from the best vacation EVER!!! Or it could be the hordes of toys ALWAYS lying all over the place…ya’ know the ones…army men, legos, american doll clothes…I love my kids so I love dealing with their stuff EVEN if it means painfully picking up an army man with my foot after I step on it.
Terri recently posted..The Book
I love the little tin milkcan my father-in-law used to carry milk in.
I would love to win this beautiful book. My favorite things in my home are the things from my mom; recipes in her handwriting, old pictures of her and my dad and many other things she gave me.
This looks like a great book! One of my favorite items that I have in my home is an old canning jar filled with bottlecaps. As a child, I used to build things with the bottlecaps – and can still remember sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with my daddy building structures and then tearing them down.
The typewriter I inherited from my grandmother – she used it to type letters to her father while he fought in the Second World War. I loved typing on it as a child when I came to visit, and even though I made many mistakes and constantly had to start over, I persevered and finished every letter!
That looks like a great book – I really think you are right. It is great to get things that are pretty but it is so much better to have things that mean something to you! I have a lot of things that have been passed down – that is special!
Jess recently posted..Getting Buffed!
I make photo books from our vacation pictures and use them as coffee table books. It helps us remember the special, fun times we had together.
Cathy recently posted..Christmas In July – Grand Finale
I have tea towels from our time in England. They were each purchased as a reminder of a day spent somewhere during our tour there. They are beautiful and evoke memories of a special time in our lives.
My husband and I are in the process of framing several cards we purchased on our college’s campus at our last visit. We both graduated from the same place, but not together. During a recent visit we crammed in as many of the stereotypical experiences we would have had together. One of those was visiting a local campus museum where we purchased postcards representing some favorite authors. We are matting them ourselves to hang and can’t wait to have up these memorable works!
What a lovely post, thank you. So true. Our home is surrounded with memories: a painting we bought on our honeymoon, hand blown glass ornaments hanging in the window that we made as a family, plants from friends that have since moved away, my great grandmother’s quilt. They are all items that make me happy every day.
I have a huge photo book of our first trip to Disney World on my coffee table. My kids sit and look at it on almost a daily basis. It is so fun to see them relive it over and over. Thanks for a great reminder to decorate with things from our lives.
I have many things that bring a smile to me because of a past memory.
Like my red cardinal that was given to me by my pastor back home at my high school graduation.
A jar of buttons that belonged to my grandma.
A green lemonade pitcher that my mom used as a little girl.
Quilts that I’ve made.
Tea cups and pots from when we used to have tea parties with the kids.
Ahh, it’s nice to put those sweet treasures throughout your home.
Mari Larkin recently posted..Letting Go
I was just thinking about this as I was cleaning my desk last night. I use a little silver bowl ( a old golf trophy of my dads) a small floral plate (broken and glued together) and a pottery coffee mug missing its handle (both my grandmothers) to organize the little stuff on my desk. Makes me smile everyday.
cathy recently posted..Foundation is the Soul of your Flow
There are some rooms in my home designated as “pretty room” In these rooms there is functionality as well as all the pretty details. Let me actually take that back…there is only one room in my home designated to be pretty. For the rest of the space it is filled with love, memories and a ton of stories. Whether it is a jar of sea glass from our honeymoon or the wall of photos from when my grandparents and parents were young ranging all the way to my wedding this past Spring it all brings back that warm and fuzzy feeling of the past. I love sitting around with generations of family, telling stories that I have heard numerous times but love hearing them the same as I did the first time.
Twitter: pinkandpolkadot
says:
I love this way of living. I have a bowl of sea glass that I collected when I lived in California. It reminds me of the many early mornings I spent on the beach. I love how quiet the beach is first thing in the morning.
Slipcover Girl recently posted..Beach Thrifting
we have 3 jars filled one filled w/ sand, one w/ star fish and one w/ sea shells my 3 yo found on the beach. All are from trips to the beach that we have taken together as a family.
I’d definitely like to be entered! I had been thinking before you mentioned giveaway that I was going to have to add this book to my Amazon wish list! The pictures are great ~ I love that family picture wall going up the staircase. I did that in our house in a long hallway, but wound up having to take it down to put the house on the market. It is mostly pictures that I keep around the house that evoke my happy memories ~ whether the first cruise we ever took and went on as a family, to just pictures of the kids hanging around the pool in the summer when they were younger. I have been remembering those times more recently and how I used to hate August because that meant it was that much closer that they’d have to go back to school. {I was a nut I guess that really enjoyed having my children home}!
Kathy recently posted..You Wanna Do A Swap Let’s Do A Swap!
All of the artwork in my home has either been painted by a family member or is representative of a vacation or location that we cherish. I have pix of homes of my life above my family room sofa. I often look around and think that my house does not look like a model home, but it is filled with family memories. I was encouraged by your post today.
Oh, I so agree! Your home should be a true reflection of you, not just objects that look pretty. Right now my favorites are bowls of shells and rocks collected on vacations. We know the subtle differences from one shell or to another, depending on where it was found. We love looking through them, holding them and remembering special moments shared. … Great post, nice giveaway!
Sharon recently posted..Living with What You Love
…my granddaaddy was a chaplin in world war 2…on our family wall going up the stairs i have a large newspapaper page concerning the last push into germany by the united states forces…he sent this to my grandmother…across it he writes of the emotion of “holding services” under fire…we have his diary of the war…telling of his being in london on VE day …and being interviewed by edward r murrow (which his sister and aunt heard on the radio as they listened in south ga)…many many other things that he kept in a trunk…there is a favorite on mine however…a framed newspaper announcing the arrival of the queen elizabeth ocean liner in new york city… bringing hoime united states troops …across the top he has written “the sweetest queen of all…she brought me home”…
I have several framed cross stitched pictures my grandmother made.
My husband and I just heard a podcast on npr the other night about how decorating to be current with style can be so sterile and not reflect anything about you individually or as a family. I think you are right on the money so to speak. That’s what makes a house a home rather than a designer showcase. It’s fine to have style, but it should reflect your style and tastes and your life experience as you’ve pointed out.
I’ve just posted to Facebook.
Diana
http://www.allajumble.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=1134827434
I’d love to read that book because I have always felt that personal things that evoke memories add zest to the home decorating. My favorite thing is a tray where I added momentos from my trip to Provence under the glass. Everytime I see the leaf I picked up at the park or the menu from the B&B where we stayed I can bring back that time when I vacationed and had such a wonderful time in France.
and now twitter
fiftiesfan Great post http://theinspiredroom.net/2010/08/02/living-with-what-you-love/comment-page-1/#comment-42055
http://www.allajumble@blogspot.com
Diana recently posted..Yardsaling
I love our DIY artwork that is comprised of the numbers of our wedding date, our son’s birthday and the date my husband asked me out. It’s so personal and makes me smile every time I see it. To someone else, it’s just pretty numbers but to me it’s very special.
Leah Peck recently posted..Your kiss is on my list
My husband recently got permission to take a brick from the first house that we lived in when we got married. It has been torn down, but the bricks remain on the lot. It is extremely special to us, especially since the house itself is no longer there for us to drive by and see!
keely recently posted..Weekly Menu
I would have to say that one of my favorites things in my home is a set of prints that my parents bought when we went to Europe when I was 13. It is a set of 6 prints from a village in Germany. My mom never did anything with them so I finally took them and framed them. The are now hanging on my dining room wall.
I loved this post…and I need to win this book. Or, at the very least buy it. I know what I love (not my problem) it’s trying to figure out how to display it that trips me up.
Kimberlee J. recently posted..The Butchart Gardens
what a great post, its true I have a few things in my home that just make me happy and smile when I pass them
I have a pillow thats about 4″ x 4″ from maine filled with pine needles the smell every time I pick it up just makes me smile and remember my childhood summer vacations we spent in Maine.
I have it sitting in a basket in our living room that was given to me by a special friend.
two great memories in one!
Kathie
First let me tell you how much I enjoy your blog…It is more than words that I read, it’s a feeling that you express so well, you write from the heart. I often ask the question of my family and friends to name five things, excluding pictures, that they would take from their homes if they knew it was to be destroyed, it amazes me the answers I get, some can’t come up with any because they want it all…..my husband and I have collected many things together for years, they all have importance and memories but the one thing that means the most is the topper to our wedding cake… displayed in it’s special dome, it is a reminder of the day when joined together to start our lives and family. Thanks again for your wonderful words!
I have a candle that a family member made for my husband and I that has our wedding invitation on it – I love looking at it!
I have pictures that I love of my family, but my favorite by far is one I had rescued and restored. It is of my grandmother when she was little and her family and it makes me feel that connection to history and generations when I see it. I don’t have many of those kinds of pictures, so that is why this one makes my heart especially happy.
Kristi recently posted..Thrifting