As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. Especially when your heart loves to decorate like mine does. One thing I love about my apartment is a small built in bookcase that's located on the wall near my front door. It's just the right size to show off some of my decorating skills. It took some time to figure out what I wanted to showcase. I decided to include a few pieces that I picked up from HomeGoods including word signs that say passion and dream. I feel like word signs are pretty standard for decorating and enjoy when they have nice lettering but it gives it a little insight into my personality.

I also have flowers in vases that put together myself. It is super simple if you feel like you have a knack for picking good flower combinations (which can be tricky). I buy most of my floral crafting materials at Michael's because they have a great combination of seasonal and more realistic looking fake flowers. They may get pricey sometimes but it helps to have the rewards card. I'll normally get colored pebbles that match the flowers I choose and, drop them in first. Next, I'll place the flowers in and make sure the stems are the right height for the vase I've chosen. I always have to  arrange the flowers multiple times just to get the look right.

​In addition to the word signs and the vases, I also included a few accent pieces like classic books that have cool intricate designs on the covers and spines, an antique camera and a framed welcome sign that I decorated, on the top shelf.

​The chalkboard is another piece I decorated. I actually have a few frames I have decorated for friends and family.  

I find inspiration in a lot of places. Some inspiration comes from my mind, while others from everyday walks of life. If I look at a blank canvas, whatever it is, I want to find a way to give it personality. I also use a lot of focal points in crafting and decorating.  If I am in a space and I want to bring more attention to it, I think of ways that might draw me to it.  The main focal point in my apartment is my fire place. I use it as a statement piece and not an actual source of heat since I do not use it. What helped me to incorporate my pieces is that the fireplace is white. I was able to do a lot with this. The clear vases I have purchased from Michael's and the more colorful one I bought at the At Home store. The colors in the vase bring more life to the fireplace. As long as there at least one color that matches your space, I say use it any way you want. 

I believe using only two colors in a space can become rather expected and it can dull the life you want to bring into your home. The flowers came from Michael's along with the pebbles that I put in the vases. I also designed the tea light holders. Michael's is a great source for these because they are relatively inexpensive. The decals I put on using a hot glue gun. I was worried at first using hot glue on glass, but since it worked so well and it was easier then Bonder, I have used my hot glue gun on everything. The pink candle holder was a little bit more time consuming. I had to buy five or six packages of little pink flowers and I glued each individual flower around the holder. I wanted to be able to give the candle holder a little more character then the rest. I bought battery operated tea lights that give the candle a little something extra.

The most challenging part was the canvas flowers above the fireplace. I purchased eight white canvas boards, and a lot of white and blue roses.  Each rose was glued to the canvas board. This project took a few months because I had to visit two Michael's stores to match all the flowers. When it was finally finished, it was definitely an accomplishment. 

I look at myself as someone who doesn’t follow trends. In clothing, in music, reading and in home décor. Every year and season a new color comes out that is popular and the ‘it’ color to use in your home. It is the same with decorating trends. The minimalist, modern, farmhouse, bohemian and many in between. All interior decorators keep up with these trends and help their client pick what would work in their home with some input from the homeowner. Just like trendy colors come and go, so do the trendy home décor. There are articles written about what is tacky and off trend, what makes your house look cheap, and so on. I am not a huge fan of this because it makes people feel as though what they like isn’t acceptable or elegant. It’s the “keeping up with the Jones’” thinking. I do not have the financial means to decorate elaborately, so I usually find what I can on Amazon items that give that “fancy” look. Though I must be honest, I am very far from being fancy. The point is to make your home the way you want it, regardless of what others might think. It is a place where you find comfort, protection and calm.

I personally believe that whatever colors and trends that you like, put in your home. You are the one that is living in it every day. Having anxiety that your friends or neighbors won’t approve of the look of your home is too detrimental to your mental health. Feel free to decorate and color as you please, because again, you have to live with it, not your people. You can always change your mind down the road if it doesn’t do it for you anymore. Loving your home brings happiness and joy into your life. Whether it is the colors you use, the decorations, and even how it smells. There are things in my apartment that might make it look cheap or “off trend” but I don’t give a damn. It is what I like. I decorate with candles, fairy lights and even antiques. I create my own flower arrangements with fake flowers-I am terrible about remembering to water them and they don’t die. I love farmhouse decor, and even though it’s said it is not trendy anymore, it is what I like and what makes me happy. That is what it is all about, what makes you happy.

My favorite colors to use in my decorating are light blue and white. Sometimes I will use a different accent color like gold or soft pink-even black and purple-just to give it a different look. These colors are very calming to me; they bring a sense of peace and harmony into my crazy life. When I come home, I want to relax and leave everything at the door. I work from home so I leave it at my kitchen table. Home is the place I feel more relaxed, more myself. The frustrations of the day just melt away.  When I create something either for my home or my family, I feel excited and ready to move onto the next project. It has been a while since I have really sat down to create anything since I am working on my books-which you can read more about under the Wicked Gods Trilogy tab-but I am always on the lookout for new ideas. Pinterest is full of them. I think in the fall I’d like to try my hand at making a crescent moon wreath. 

One of my favorite places to shop is Michael's. They have great prices and when I walk in, my creative juices start flowing. Sometimes that can be an issue because I want to buy and create everything. I have found sometimes that I will buy things to create but don’t have room to display them in my apartment so unfortunately, their home is in my closet. One day I will find them a place. Some of my projects are very simple and only take a few minutes to create, while others can be fairly large and can take hours to days. It is about managing time to be able to finish the things I start. That is evident in my everyday life as well.