I can't sleep and I was thinking about actually makes a house a home. I was thinking how much my husband Bob and I love our home and how it's so perfect for our lifestyle. Bob just finished building a picket fence around our corner lot. Took the whole summer. It's not just any picket fence, I was specific about it being scalloped and each picket arched and, of course, it had to be made of wood. No vinyl in our yard, thank you very much! The perfect thing about building it yourself is that it has its imperfections, which just adds to its charm. So Bob dug the post holes, framed out the fence and cut each and every picket and put them up and I painted it. We have these planted cut-outs in the lawn so the fence curves behind and around these cut-outs which made building the fence even more time-consuming and complicated but added way more curb appeal. Some evenings after work we worked 'til dark trying to finish. All summer long the neighbors have been watching the fence slowly work its way around the corner - they've had suggestions, comments and questions and even offered to assist Bob. People we don't even know have stopped their car and shared their thoughts. It's been quite an interesting project. So I happily present the finished product on my blog and consider it one way to make a house a home: add a white picket fence and build it yourself.
Another way to make a house a home is to surround yourself with things that have sentimental value.
My grandmother painted this seascape of Carmel, California in the early 1970s and I gave it to my mom to keep for 15 years. I didn't appreciate her art when I was young, we grew up around it and it didn't mean much to me. Now I cherish the pieces I have.
Here's another. 
I love to use the antique ceiling tins from the c1880 from courthouse buildings and hotels and frame them around original oil paintings, they're great and I've done that with a few of my Grandma's paintings.
Another way to make a house into a home is to have books around, they add coziness to a room, especially time-worn leather bounds. Family photographs in tasteful gallery on a wall or lots of them clustered on a table add a touch that shows history.
Add cozy cushy down-filled pillows to a sofa or couch, chair or bed. Paint a room, don't be afraid of color, it will be welcoming. Also, don't scrimp on lighting, invest in lamps, they warm a room. On a chilly night, burn a fire in the fireplace. Burn candles or light lanterns, make your home your haven. Spend time in it, enjoy it, be appreciative for it, I know I am.
3 comments:
I adore white picket fences and I am in the process of trying desperately to turn my house into a home. I have so many obstacles, er projects that I sometimes feel overwhelmed.
Of course you can turn your house into a home! It is easy to get overwhelmed but try to do one small project at a time and get one done then move to the next one and think of it in sections and you'll feel like you're accomplishing something and getting closer to the look you want. I'd love to see photos.
What a wonderful picket fence and charming home.
I would have loved to be there for your garden sale. How did your neighbors do with it? I am thinking of doing something simular but am holding back because of mine.
I guess it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission tho as my garage is so full of things from my shop.
Becky
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