For awhile now, I’ve so wanted to display my aprons in a different way….just so they’re hanging and out to help decorate my kitchen area. This weekend, having thought about it for so long, I finally was hit with inspiration, mainly due to the Elmer’s Can You Top This contest going on and the use of a tri-fold display board. Be sure to check out my Apron Display over on MamaBuzz….

Sometimes I find it hard to be content, and in those moments I find myself fantasizing about my dream kitchen.  Don’t get me wrong….I love the house we live in right now, but Dan and I long to own our own home.  In dreaming of owning our own home, I sometimes get to fantasizing about my dream kitchen; in fact, I love this Pretty White Kitchen by Country Home.

If I could build the kitchen of my dreams, it would be humongous!  After all, the kitchen & living room are really the heart of our home.  I’d have tons of counter space, counters that wrap around the entire kitchen, with an island in the middle, as well, so I can pretend I’m on my own cooking show, baking the latest creations.:)There would absolutely be enough room for at least 4 people to be in the kitchen cooking at the same time.  Of course, on one side of our kitchen counters (the side facing our dining room), I’d have a high counter with kitchen bar stools, so the kids could sit there and eat or work on school or play with their cars or whatever.  I think the counter space is what I most desire in a kitchen, over all else.  I just want room to move and work and create.Of course, why not add new appliances in, as well?  Maybe we could finally get that double door refrigerator (with the freezer on the bottom), with an ice maker built in….a new stove would be nice with a huge oven for all the baking we I love to do. No kitchen would be complete without a pantry.  I’m thinking our pantry could be walk-in with white shelving and storage space for all our canning jars and supplies hidden away in bottom cabinets.  Not only that, but we could have shelves built in with our kitchen cabinets for cookbooks and vintage collectibles, maybe even a few hooks here and there for aprons.  That built-in desk would be awesome, so when I’m cooking and Jacob needs help with school….well, need I say more? Oh, and our kitchen cabinets would be tall and wide and the shelves would be big enough to fit all of our stuff without cups falling on our heads when we reach for the mixing bowls.:)

Most of all, our kitchen would have vintage flair….that country farmhouse from the 40′s/50′s look.  Maybe throw in a little Tuscany.  Don’t worry….I’m not complaining.  But a girl has a right to dream, right?:)  Some day, my kitchen fantasy will come true.  I’m sure there’s more….but I’ll just share a pic of my new kitchen with you some day.

(Disclosure: Compensation was received for this post, for the purposes of a future review with Wayfair.)

With the return of fall to the Ozark hills, it’s found me nesting it up, wanting to really get down to the nitty gritty and find my style, which I think it’s safe to say is not just one style but a myriad of many.  I’ve been going through my house, little by little, taking note of how I can make it more of a haven.  What are areas I need to make a more calming atmosphere within, and which areas need to be more energetic?  Those are questions that have been swirling around in my head.  Sometimes I find inspiration from just browsing around my favorite blogs or stores online.  Whether I’m looking through pictures of curtains, console tables, sofa covers, or other types of home decor, I always find some sort of inspiration.

What do you look to for inspiration in your home?  Do you find great home decor blogs online and read through their latest posts, maybe even participating when called for? Do you find inspiration from a beautiful piece of furniture? Does your inspiration come from a single color in your duvet or a beautiful piece of wall decor?Maybe you find inspiration in the holiday season.Wherever you find your inspiration, go with it.  This is one occasion where you can truly listen to your heart.  Go with what makes your home feel like the one place you can go to for escape, with the style that helps your family to truly “live” in your home.  Find what gives your family the peace and serenity that should be found in a home.  Get inspired to find your style.  Now I’m off to find my own.:)

(Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post.)

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to go through our home and just make some changes, decor wise.  It’s not always easy when you’re on a very tight budget, but I finally did come through on our family wall.  I actually was inspired by a post that I saw on The Inspired Room, in which she showcased a stairwell, covered in picture frames.  This stairwell was created by Sandra over on Sawdust and Paper Scraps.  The colors inspired me, the variety of frames inspired me, and I decided to see what I could come up with.I ended up digging through my crates and finding old frames that had older pictures in them; I also went to Dollar Tree and picked up some nice frames.  Finally, I went to Lowes and picked up a few sample cans of paint.  These little containers were under $3 apiece, and I picked out just a few different colors that I couldn’t otherwise get in a dollar can of spray paint.Finally, I painted all the frames, picking out which ones I wanted to be certain colors.  Painting them was super easy; the hard part came when it came time to pick out which pictures to place in which frames.  I printed out all my pictures in black and white on my photo printer, and then Dan helped me make a few mats for the larger frames; we made the mats out of cardstock.  There is just something about a black and white picture; it just gives a room a more classic, defined look.  Most of my pics, I printed out either 4×6 or smaller.  There are a couple of 5×7′s.Lastly, I arranged the pictures around vinyl lettering I’d gotten a while back for a review.  It came from Giggly Gumdrops, and it says Home Where Our Story Begins.  I arranged pictures of our boys and us around those words, and then I fanned out on the wall with pictures of our parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, etc.  It turned out really beautifully.  To me, as it’s the start of a color scheme change (I’m trying to go with a lighter atmosphere), it almost looks a bit out of place, but it’s a start, and it makes me so happy just to see those pictures every single day.  (You’ve probably noticed the empty frame; it’s for a picture of my grandparents that I’m hoping to get a copy of next time I’m at my parents’.)  One thing I do love about the wall is that we can add or take away from it anytime….there’s no end to what we can do with it.In my opinion, as I’d posted on Facebook last night, I really have started to feel that our home is a haven for our family; it really should make us happy when we walk in the door; it might even make us giddy with joy.  Even if you take small babysteps along the way, work with what you have to make your home that place of giddy joy.  It will show not only your finger prints but your heart prints along the way.:)