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31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}:
Doing What You Love

by | Oct 29, 2010 | 31 Days of Autumn Bliss, Entertaining, Fall Decorating, Seasonal Decorating & Entertaining

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31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

Today I’m going to let someone else share their story of finding contentment at home this Autumn! That was the intention of this series all along, to share ways to embrace contentment in this season, right where we are. It is so easy to miss out on joy at home when we over-think things or fret over what we don’t have or find excuses for not doing what we love.

I love my friend Holly for so many reasons (besides her stairs, which you will see at the end of this post) including her desire to find contentment and beauty right where she is, no matter what! I admire that greatly. She is so real and genuine, if you don’t know Holly, I encourage you to go hang out with her on her blog too, because she is a lovely lady and so talented. Welcome Holly!

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

Don’t you just love it when you have liked something forever and then it gets very popular before you have a chance to actually do it OR suddenly everyone seems to have something after you have had it forever…whether it is a fabric or a haircut or handbag. Silly? Maybe. Prideful? Probably. But true. We women are strange birds.

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

{Image from Pottery Barn, I love how their stairs are as beat up as mine!}

Well that is how I felt about the idea of putting numbers on stairs. Certainly not my original idea, after all I think I first saw the idea in a Pottery Barn “Decorating for Kids” book years ago …so obviously when you get an idea from Pottery barn you can’t exactly own it..ha!

But the more I saw stairs being numbered I didn’t know if I really wanted to do it any more. But recently, I caught my husband at a weak moment and he agreed to the numbers so I decided to not let it bother me that many talented bloggers and the popular show Sarah’s house have recently showed this idea.

Instead of worrying about being “too trendy,” I decided to embrace the trend because I LIKE IT and it really really fits my house and lifestyle.

Notice how designer Sarah Richardson used different fonts and colors to make this idea more unique!

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

{Image from Sarah’s House at HGTV}

I simply used the vinyl numbers you can find online from a variety of resources.

I was able to do this one afternoon while Henry napped.

So here it is…my new version of the numbered stair trend!

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

I am loving the look.

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

I think the boys like it too…we’ll see if the baby learns his numbers faster than the big brother did. . .

I have learned a lesson:

Do what you want when
decorating your home!

Just enjoy!

Thanks Holly for being real with us! PS. Saturday we’ll have a link-up opportunity so if you want to share your own Autumn Bliss posts (whatever you’ve shared for Autumn or Thanksgiving!)!

So, what do you struggle with in decorating your own home?

Do you worry about being out of style? Being too trendy? Making mistakes? Not being perfect? That the internet world won’t like what you do? That you don’t have talent or skills? What are your worries?  Let’s sit down on The Inspired Room counseling sofa and get real here.



For the entire series links, click the 31 Days Button below!

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 29}: <br>Doing What You Love

Find the rest of the 31 Day girls here.

43 Comments

  1. Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach

    Love the pumpkins! At first, I thought you’d use a number of pumpkins on each step (so when you got to 8, there would be 8 pumpkins there). That might have been a bit overkill (especially if you have 2 mooses like me as well as a passel of kids!).

    And I like your idea “Just enjoy!” Sing your own song and let the goodness flow.

    Reply
  2. Hoosier at Heart

    They look amazing! I’m glad you went with the numbers.

    Reply
  3. Melissa Newell

    I now know what those numbers mean…lol…for so long, I was in the dark. What I struggle with is, three kids, difference ages, different size and amount of toys for each. How to store them, looking neat and at the same time try to be trendy. Being a SAHM I have a set budget and working within that budget can be challenging. It was to be easily accessible for the kids, look great, trendy or at least classic so it won’t go out of style. I am not a “plastic” bin gal…more a basic gal. The problem I find with the basekt storage, it does not hold up for a long period of time with the kids putting them on and off the bookshelves. So that is basically my struggle with decorating. Thanks for the post, Love it!

    Reply
  4. SimplyLKJ

    I love the numbered stairs. We recently pulled all the carpet off our back staircase and painted the treads and risers a deep chocolate brown. I had considered adding the numbers, but was a bit hesitant…but now after seeing those pics I just might go for it. It is only vinyl afterall and can be removed!! I generally do what “I” or my “family” want with our home. I am not afraid to try something new. My girlfriends have been known to come over and state, “I wish I wasn’t afraid to try that, or do this.” Especially when it comes to paint, I always say, “you can always paint over it if you don’t like it.” Do your numbers come in white?

    Reply
  5. Lori

    Love the numbers on the stairs and your style sense in general…
    Although I’m stuck with builders carpet on the stairs right now, I’m inspired in other ways in viewing your blog daily. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Sharon

    Wow, I just love your stairs!

    Reply
  7. Luxurious Life

    As a designer, I always encourage my clients to use the pieces of furniture or objects that they love in their rooms. My job is to help them live in a home that reflects them and be surrounded with what inspires them; Who am I to dictate what is chic and appropriate for another person? I am there to help make what they like work in the setting, that is why I love my job!!

    Reply
  8. Imperfect

    When thinking about decorating my home, I tend to worry about being too trendy, while not being trendy enough. My style taste tends toward the timeless, but if I’m not careful, it can become frumpy instead. Those numbers are so fun!

    Reply
  9. Vee

    I enjoyed reading Holly’s post and have thought very similarly about trends. I remember seeing this idea over two decades ago in a Country Living magazine. I liked it then and I like it now. Some things are classic and timeless. This idea may be one of them. My number one worry is being too out of style. I have always enjoyed old things, but most are not antique old, they are just beat up old. :D

    Reply
  10. Deanna

    I love to decorate, but I am not a trendy kind of girl…I don’t have the desire or income to keep up with what ‘they’ say is the latest hot thing!

    I just try to do what is comfortable and desirable for our family and the many guests who share our home on a weekly basis!

    Reply
  11. Lori

    I love your steps! It may not have been your idea, but I admire how you have made it your own. Alas, we live in a ranch and well, no steps (well not enough to truly try this idea). Thanks for inspiring me with your delightful outlook about life, living, decorating, and doing what you love! Lovely, Lovely, Lovely…..

    Reply
  12. Sharon

    “Let’s sit down on The Inspired Room counseling sofa and get real here.”

    You. crack. me. up. I truly am laughing out loud.

    It is not so much the things you have listed. I don’t worry about those particular things. Its more like I see a vision but never seem to have the time to put them into reality, no time to sew those cute curtains I want in my kitchen… so my windows go naked. No time to sew that table cloth from cute fabric (cause my table is too long for most pre-mades) so it sits there embarrassed, wearing one that is too short, like a kid growing too fast for his high-water pants.

    Reply
  13. Missy June

    My biggest “problem” is that with limited funds, I’m often using another person’s hand-me-downs or castoffs and I struggle to make their piece my own. It’s not usually what I would have chosen, but better than nothing!

    Reply
  14. katie kirby

    I love it! I think it’s really clever!

    Reply
  15. Kim

    I did this over the summer to my stairs!! I had to stip off horrible old rubber runners and sand them down, paint the stairs and hallway then add the numbers. I am so happy with the results, we also have a railing my hubby painted bright red.

    Reply
  16. Heather

    Holly Mathis is such a jewel! She’s helping me transform my bedroom into a beautiful space and has been SO wonderful to work with! What a fun treat to see her on your blog today!

    Reply
  17. Brooke

    Dear Doctor,

    My decorating/homemaking problem? An embarrassment of riches.

    We live in a townhouse, three rooms deep (living room, dining room, kitchen, one behind the other, with no foyer–you step directly from the front porch into the living room, and a fireplace flanked by windows) and have “inherited” almost every stick of furniture we have, and we have inherited too much!? For one reason or another, none of it can be gotten rid of (“That was my grandmother’s!?” “That was my mother’s!?”), so we have a piano in the living room taking up most of one wall at the foot of the stairs (where I can envision a wall of bookshelves for my thousands of cookbooks and decorating and knitting and reading books). We also have too many chairs (some of which need reupholstering, some of which need slipcovering) lending the room a second-hand shop look (but where are people to sit!???), a too large (not long, just mass-wise) loveseat (“found” by my daughter at Goodwill when we ditched our oversized but very lumpy and once expensive but old full-size sofa), a flat screen TV on a cabinet that cannot be moved because that’s where the cable comes in to the house…You get my drift.

    And that’s just the living room. By count, there are seven pieces of furniture in the dining room (excluding the table, six chairs, and a built-in corner cabinet), two of which have a large presence (an armoire for storage and a buffet).

    The kitchen holds a table, chair (only room for one), Metro shelving for cookbooks and large pots, small rolling rack with wood top (for flour jars, sugar jars, baskets for notepads, carryout menus, etc.,–all that because there are only three drawers in the entire kitchen), and THEN the appliances. It is a SMALL space. I’ve got beamed ceilings in there which I love, but fear I have cluttered and claustrophobed myself by hanging copper pots and baskets from them. Dear Doctor, HELP!!!

    Reply
  18. Kathy

    I love the numbered stairs, but alas I have no stairs, so no numbers! Your’s look great!
    There are a number (no pun intended) of things that I struggle with when decorating my home. Among others they include: lack of confidence, being a bit of a perfectionist when painting/refinishing and trying to make a final decision on exactly what “style” I am trying to convey (cottage, fishing cabin, French Country OR WHAT?!) I’m usually pretty good at coming up with the basic “stuff”, but I have a really hard time with accessories. Plus I try NOT to have things too feminine ’cause the hubby just can’t deal with too many flowers and ruffles! Poor dear.

    Reply
  19. emily

    I Adore Holly’s Stairs.

    Reply
  20. Lindsey

    I know EXACTLY how you feel! I hate to do something or buy something if it seems like EVERYBODY is doing it. I don’t like being a follower!

    Yet, I don’t want that to hold me back from decorating my home in a certain way. I noticed that everybody is putting in subway tile, but I didn’t let it hold me back from using it in my bathroom because I love the way it looks.

    On the flip side, I love chandeliers. But instead of putting it in a bathroom or bedroom, I put it in my laundry room. I didn’t want it to be predictable. :) I take ideas I love but hopefully transform them into something of my own, or at least I try.

    Reply
  21. Mary Joy

    This is one of those days when I wish my steps weren’t carpeted! LOL

    Love this trend! Also loved every moment of this series! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  22. Marla

    Okay, this post makes me wish I HAD stairs!LOL
    Seriously great look, right up my alley.

    I struggle with whether what I do will look sane, or not, and of course all the other questions that you posed Melissa!
    My biggest concern is what if I complete something that was so labor- or cost-intensive that I feel I can’t ‘undo’ it.
    Through the years I’ve gotten bolder. With a recent move, I am going to try ’tiling’ a stove backsplash with a product that is usually used in ‘craft circles’. We’ll see how it comes out. I know it won’t be ‘P’ but I don’t care. It’s for my enjoyment, because, hey, I am the only one in our family that spends much time looking at that wall anyway!:)

    Reply
  23. Fiona's Mosaic

    Once a teacher always a teacher……

    If I was still homeschooling I would TOTALLY do the numbers on the stairs, great idea!!

    Although at the very end of a long and weary day it might be nice to know just how far I have to go to get to my bed!! LOLOL

    Reply
  24. elz

    I am doing that! Holly is such a design mastermind. I love her!

    Reply
  25. teresa

    I’m either way behind the times or way ahead of it…like in the late 70’s when I started painting everything black….{friends thought I was crazy} then years later seemed everyone was painting things black….well now it’s white….and I’m just catching on…{althought I painted two kitchens white}.so go figure…usually I just do what I like, have the money for and time to do.
    Although I just painted a buffet teal….and I love it….so maybe I’m not too stuck in the black and white paint game….and I’m looking to paint a couple other end table red ….so is color coming back? =)
    I love the numbers and have an old 1920’s staircase I’m going to do the numbers thing too…..just because I like it….and you make it look so good….I’ve always said “copying” is the greatest form of flattery.
    You should be very flattered I copy you all the time =)
    Sorry didn’t mean to write a novel here.
    Thanks for all you do.

    Reply
  26. Elen

    I love these stairs! I’ve been on the road and have so much 31 Days reading to catch up on. I can say that this has been a most enjoyable blog-reading month!!

    Reply
  27. Karen

    I love Holly’s blog—I first heard about her, and you and The Letter Cottage from Pioneer Woman’s site…when you were named the design team for Hyacinth’s living room.

    I do struggle internally (sometimes) with something I love when someone writes or says, “oh, that is so last year”. I have gotten much better about saying to myself, “self, you know what you love, don’t sweat what others think is the best way to decorate”!
    Karen

    Reply
  28. Renae

    I am doing the stair thing too. I’m hoping not everyone I know reads decorating/nesting blogs like I do. Then I suppose i’ll look like a genius!

    I am struggling right now with a big, red sofa. We purchased a new-to-us house that needs so much work! We’ve already spent tons of money on this poor house. So my homage to a budget? Using a sofa we already own. But it’s red. It’s a beautiful red, the sofa is COMFY as all get out, but it’s red. Have you ever tried to find a red sofa in a “today” space? It’s hard. Near impossible. All of the fabulous blogs I read (including yours) have neutral, easily changed/modified/beautified sofas but i’m “stuck” with this one. So needless to say i’m unsure, insecure and worried about how this great room is going to turn out. I wish someone could look me in the eye and tell me everything is going to be okay. How’s that for drama? :)

    Reply
    • Monica P.

      You can always change its color by covering it, right? :-)

      Reply
  29. Peggy

    I TOTALLY like yours the best and I’m not just saying that… really. Superb job. Makes me ALMOST wish I had a staircase!

    Reply
  30. Janice Ratliff

    Love, love, love the stairs Holly!!! It is so YOU!!! and I would like to think this was your idea….long before you saw that catalog!! :)

    Reply
  31. Tracie B

    I love the numbered stairs! It’s just exactly what mine need. My house is only a year old, but with four children constantly up and down them, well…they need something to cover the little imperfections that tiny feet leave. Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
  32. Mimi

    I love the numbered stairs. I don’t own a home, but I am tempted to buy some for the 72 steps I must walk up to get to my apartment. It would make it so much more fun for me, though I doubt that my co-op would approve.

    Reply
  33. Darlene

    I love this project!! {I liked yours the bestest! It looks great}

    Reply
  34. Denise Sabia

    Holly, the steps are perfect!
    -denise

    Reply
  35. Linda from Heartfire At Home

    Wow, all those stairs look gorgeous! I love the whole numbers thing… on stairs, on walls, on chair backs, doors, anywhere! Anything to do with letters or numbers really takes my fancy.

    I often use my scrapbooking chipboard letters to create little words or phrases on my walls or above doorways – it’s great fun fiddling around with creating little treasure troves for the eye.

    Interestingly, I just posted a quote relevant to this very same thing….. it goes ‘Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again’. (by C.S. Lewis)

    I think it’s talking about how we get ‘lost’ in the ‘middle’ somewhere. We get a bit too focused on what others think, how we ‘should’ be, what we’re ‘supposed’ to be doing, and we forget to let our ‘inner child’ have some fun too! We get enslaved to other’s ideas of what’s ‘right’ instead of being ‘liberated’ by our own thoughts and ideas of what we love.

    I’ve never seen Holly’s blog – off to check it out!!! :)

    Linda. x

    Reply
  36. Just B

    I agree, our homes should be decorated with what WE like, not what the latest trend-setters suggest we try. There is SO much inspiration out there, decorating magazines, television, catalogs (I am a HUGE Pottery Barn fan as well) the internet and so many creative blogs….take advantage of everything at your disposal for new ideas and inspiration on decorating your home. Just “tweak” it so that it works for you and makes YOU happy. Where we live, raise families, make memories, and rest and rejuvenate to tackle our busy lives, has to be the place you can’t wait to come home to every night. With so much inspiration out there, the opportunities to create are endless….follow your instincts and have fun! :)

    Reply
  37. mudmama

    We’re restoring/renovating a hundred year old farmhouse and I am terrified of choosing the wrong colours so that things don’t flow well. The thing is, I love colour and despite the lovely victorian woodwork which thankfully hasn’t been painted over, the entire house has been painted in grey – including ceilings. I’m having such a hard time finding my colour inspiration.

    Reply
  38. debbie bailey

    I’m struggling with getting my kitchen and bathroom painted. They’re both halfway done and have been that way for about four years. The bad thing is that I really don’t care that much. I think it’s a ‘getting older’ thing. I’m not happy about that. Twenty years ago, this never would have happened. I may just have to hire it done or get a book on tape and JUST DO IT! Same thing goes for my kitchen chairs; two have been painted for two years and four are unpainted. I need help!

    Reply
  39. Cheryl

    how weird. Because tonight my husband of 43 years and I were commenting that we’re decorating our new, year old house, in a more urban (rustic modern) style and not exactly reflective of the stereotypes of over 60 ‘folks.’ During our family-raising years, we mostly made-do with hand-me-downs and our ‘stuff’ was old as dirt. We now like a more contemporary style with some texture added, rustic qualities that are organic. so this definitely feels ‘outside the box’ and we try to get design for less, each step of the way, even if that means bringing out the ol’ spray can. whatever trends I might respond to get the acid test — do we both love it? who cares if we’ll love it in ten years and are outdated–we’ll be 75!

    Reply
  40. Jody

    I’ve sure enjoyed this month’s posts. Thank you for showing us all a good time here!

    Jody (who thinks the vinyl decals are brilliant!)

    Reply

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