It’s the little things that make a house a home.
In case you can’t tell from all the whining I’ve done lately, the transition to our new chapter in life hasn’t gone as well as we hoped.
Despite all my hard work and planning, it’s been one disaster after another (think bounty hunters repeatedly stalking our house looking for the former owner, a washer and dryer lost between our house and Lowe’s, and a moving truck with furniture going MIA —just for starters).
Because the house was basically trashed by the previous owner’s family when they finally moved her out, we’ve been behind schedule on everything. Living out of boxes and amidst chaos has made our homesickness for the old house and hood worse.
As I’m trying to find places for all of our favorite home and garden accessories in the new house, I’ve come to realize I’m not really attached to very many pieces of furniture. Just a few that have been passed on to us from people we love.
It’s really your home and garden accessories that tell your story isn’t it?
While the new house is actually a little bigger than the old one, the new house floor plan is more open.
We went from this historic farmhouse-style home to…
This new, more contemporary one…
Truth be told friends, the old one was so much warmer and inviting. And not just because it was free of bounty hunters!!
Decorating with an open floor plan is tricky business!
I’m struggling to make it feel warm and friendly.
It’s made me super cranky to live in a house that feels more a museum than a home.
I’ve come to realize some of my favorite accessories just won’t be able to find a home here. Boo hoo.
So I’m trying to prioritize which ones I can’t be without and which ones need to be stored in the basement to (fingers crossed) find a place in our future cottage Up North.
Accessories are What Make the Home
Now I know how older folks who are downsizing and moving to a retirement village feel…
Deciding which of your treasures to pack up and which to find a home for is like picking which child is your favorite and sending the rest to live with grandma and grandpa…
I’m trying to narrow my accessories down to those that look the best and mean the most.
Like this sweet birdbath my little momma brought me from a trip she took to Cape Cod with her “bubbas”
And the captains chairs I inherited from my mom’s cousin (who was a decorator in Shreveport and had the best eye!) to my own artwork that I finally got the nerve to frame a year or so ago
The fun pottery I’ve made using my rookie pottery skills…
Hydrangeas I grew, cut and dried from my old garden
The silver bowl I inherited and filled with fun letters…
My fun apothecary jars from my sister Bunny
The Hokey Pokey pillow we found in one of our favorite shops Up North…
And the trifle bowl I got from my little sister…
The tea pot I use for everything BUT making tea…
And a few of our favorite Carruth pieces…
Art and Accessories Give the Garden Personality
Our new yard is a bit smaller and shaped differently than the old house, so I’m trying to downsize and prioritize my favorites here too
This may be even more of a struggle than my indoor accessories!
I love this arbor Pops made after he retired…and the beat up old wagon he found for us when a kid drove through our side yard a few years ago and crushed many of our garden treasures.
My old blue bike that changes with the seasons
The fountain I got after my funny, garden-loving, southern Grandma passed away
And the bird bath where our feathered friends really love to party that was a gift from my auntie
The pottery totem I made at the beloved 577 Foundation in my old neighborhood
And most of all, I’m wondering and worrying about how we can add old-fashioned window boxes to the front of our more modern home so we can decorate them this fall and winter.
Yep. It’s not the expensive or fancy stuff that matters at all.
Along with family, it’s the little things that warm up a house and make it home.
So that’s what I’ll be working on as summer turns to fall… You can use the cute little box in the upper right hand corner to Subscribe to my blog and follow along.
What home accessories tell your story?
XO
Shelley
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