Spring & Summer 2019 in Review

I'll be honest, it's hard when you have a rental property - to make the space your own and truly exhibit your personality and decor style. It's even harder when your rental is an older home with many quirks...and I mean quirks! Not those distinct oddities that people say adds "charm" and "character" but those blaring signs of wear and tear of an aging house. I'm talking floors not level, cracked walls, and peeling paint. That being said, I've learned (and am still learning!) that it is very important to still transform your space into something you can call home - no matter how off it is from what you'd truly want for yourself.

It truly is an ongoing lesson in contentment, gratitude, and recognizing what's most important. This is where God has currently placed me and I had to learned to be thankful and appreciative and full of the knowledge that He provides abundantly for all my needs (Matthew 6:25-26). Initially I was not motivated to change things up (in the house and in my heart). I told myself that this was a temporary setup so no point in extending the effort. Everything is not how I want it and until it is I'll just mope and complain and long for something that I have no idea when or if it will happen. Talk about being self-centered! Humble...where?! (James 4:10).

Well as you can guess, that only made me miserable and showed the very flawed disposition of my heart. It effected me in so many ways. I became envious of the stunningly decorated homes I follow on social media, every episode I'd watch on HGTV would leave me upset and dissatisfied, and my focus shifted from my identity being defined by who I am in Christ to being defined by the things around me.

But God's grace led to repentance and a new resolve to make this house as much of a home as I could for me and my husband. Things are still not how I'd personally like them to be but I love what I've been able to do and continue to grow in thankfulness and gratitude for all that I have been blessed with (funny how we're close to the one day of the year where everyone is focused on being thankful but that all flies out the window the remainder of the year!!). So yeah, that's my little spiel on where I started in this home decor journey and where God has graciously brought me thus far! The below photos are the result of learning to love what I have and where I am.

So for Spring and Summer 2019, our home was mainly a pallet of warm neutrals with lovely lush greenery spread throughout. Clean. Classic. Fresh. Lets take a look back before I change everything over for Christmas (I did have the house decorated for Fall 2019 but I could not get organized enough to capture everything...so moving on!).

I love family photos but even more so I love displaying them. Growing up we moved quite a bit and most times we did not really have photos displayed at home - instead my mom had these massive duffel bags filled with photos. It's safe to say that now I kind of go a little overboard, but its what I like. There's just something about looking back at important moments and fun memories. I find that black and white photography helps to neutralize the colors so you can put all kinds of photos near each other without them clashing. And the look is just so timeless! At the same time I don't want everything to be too match-y match-y so I opted for frames of different textures, colors, sizes, and orientations.

The fabric and color of the armchair in our living room made me sad, so i doubled a crisped white sheet as a very relaxed slip cover. And now it's the perfect canvas for other decor! I made the Feed and Supply pillow myself after seeing one just like it online.

The flowers used in several places in the house are actually from our wedding. I used artificial flowers for our big day to say money and to still be able to use these pretty stems for as long as they hold up! That's a quick tip for anyone who reads this in the middle of planning a wedding. Faux flowers are such a good idea and they have seriously come such a long way in how realistic they look.

Our living room has become my favorite transformation thus far. I wish I had a photo of what it looked like when i first moved in. I changed the entire layout...I even moved that big old fireplace all by myself! I went from not wanting to change a single thing to moving a whole fireplace, craziness!

I'm so thrilled with the coziness achieved in this space. The husband thinks we have too many throw pillows, but I say no such thing!

And that's about it! The bathroom isn't pictured because there's nothing pretty about that room. But it's functional which I am very thankful for (I really do have to keep reminding myself!). Also our bedroom hasn't been given much love in terms of decor but I'm hoping that will change with the changing season!

Hope you enjoyed some snippets of our humble home. If you're in the same place I was a few years ago, despondent about your current circumstances, don't fret about the things of this temporal world! We were not made for here and when we remember this truth and focus our eyes on Christ then everything will fade away and pale in comparison (Philippians 1:21).

xo,

Janine