Thanks for all of your sweet comments about my hutch! I have the decorating bug so bad right now. A few reasons why:
1) I have spent the past year walking through homes. Lots of beautiful homes. Nothing yet that has spoken to me and said “BUY ME! I’M THE ONE!!” – but beautiful homes nonetheless.
2) It has been over seven years since I re-did anything major in my house. Sure I’m always re-arranging and adding a little decor here and there, but up until this summer I have kept things basically the same. And as you’ve seen from so many of my “befores” things were looking a little out dated.
3) PINTEREST! I seriously think Pinterest is the best and worst thing that ever happened to me! :)
Did you all read Sarah’s post the other day? I’m assuming you all read Clover Lane. If you don’t, you need to start! One of the best blogs out there. Sarah and I have become good friends through blogging and we e-mail each other often about anything and everything. (I admire her so much. I’m pretty much to the point with Sarah where if she told me to walk off a cliff I would ask her which one.) Last week we were talking about a post she wrote that is one of my favorites. It’s about being content with your house and it really struck a cord with me. Partly because she wrote about cleaning your house to make you love it again (you know I’m all about cleaning!) and also because she wrote about how sometimes it is better to stop looking at things like Pinterest, home decor blogs, and magazines because it is TOO MUCH and leaves us feeling discontent with our own decor/lives. That was the problem I was having at the time she wrote that post. Every magazine and blog I looked at just made me hate my own house/decor even more. I’m usually so content in my cozy little home and I wasn’t liking that I was feeling so not-content all of the sudden. Her post made me take a good look at how much time I was spending looking at other homes and instead just focus on my home. I started thinking about what I loved about my little house and the parts that I didn’t love? What I could do to change that. So I’ve slowly started to update my house and I am falling in love with it all over again. If that annoying house envy/non-content feeling starts to creep up inside me, I read her post. And then I do some more cleaning and organizing. And then I feel better. :)
{Thank you Sarah! Don’t ask me to walk off a cliff ok? My family would miss me.}
Now – that being said. I’m not nearly as strong as Sarah and could never quit Pinterest! I love it too much. I don’t tweet and I don’t do facebook so I figure I’m allowed my guilty pinning pleasure. I give myself about 15-20 minutes a day to completely zone out and waste my time pinning beautiful things. And now that I have a more positive outlook about my own home situation, Pinterest is actually inspiring me vs. making me feel envious.
Today I’m sharing some of my favorite pictures I’ve pinned that inspired my kitchen shelf re-do and my hutch makeover.
The colors in this picture are my favorites right now. Whites, blues, greens. I LOVE these open shelves and LOVE the dish colors/arrangement even more!
K. How happy is this picture!? Love all of the white dishes/furniture and the way it pops against the green paint.
Beautiful rustic blue hutch. And yes. White pitchers.
More white dishes/pitchers. Are you sensing a theme here? :) My long time obsession with white pitchers has been validated!
Isn’t yellow such a happy color? I can’t look at this picture without smiling.
I love the randomness of the items displayed on these shelves. Everything is so unique, but comes together so nicely because of the similar color scheme.
Darling little built-in with white/cream dishes. I love the different cake stands used to hold fruit/decor.
And one of my favorite pictures I’ve pinned! I love this shelf and decor so much! I fell in love with the aqua bead board and immediately knew that I wanted to re-paint my kitchen shelf and do something similar.
So. The moral of my story is that for me, while Pinterest is no doubt dangerous (I urge you to proceed that site with caution!) it is also a wonderful place to help fuel your creativity and inspire all sorts of amazing things.
Or if nothing else, it will at least help when your mind set is “I so need a break from these kids! Zoning out in front of my computer and wasting time “pinning” anything and everything is a lot better alternative than some others I have in mind….”
Not that that has ever been my mind set.
:)
p.s. You can see what else I’m pinning here.
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Thank you so much Erin! I feel the same way about YOU! :) Maybe I can help you in the house contentment department, and then you can come and help me in the hair contentment department? :)
One reason why I love reading your blog — whatever your write about you bring a smile to my face and also remind me to find contentment where I am at which are such great messages! I thought of YOU the other day when Steve (yes Steve!) told me that my Halloween garland needed to go. He said – clean, crisp is in!
Erin-
Thank you for writing this. You described so many of the same feelings I was having and it made me feel so much better. Makes you wonder how many other thousands of women feel the same way! Love your hutch!
Hi Erin – I, too LOVE Sarah’s blog! She always seems to put everything in perspective!! I think it’s funny when you said that your house looked dated because I thought it looked beautiful just the way it was!! I like the updates, but I love the “old” decor too!!!
Exactly how I have been feeling about Pinterest lately! Discontent! I am on a pinterest fast currently :) I love the ideas of things to do with my kids and ideas for holiday things but I was discontent with my wardrobe/home/talents etc….
I absolutely love the images you pinned – and your beautiful hutch makeover! Those colors are so relaxing, I adore them. As well as white pitchers…which I may have to add to my shopping list for the weekend…
love sarah… love your pins… really love pinterest. kinda obsessed!
Hi Erin! First off, you are adorable and I love your sunny disposition! I am a Cali girl myself as I live up near San Francisco. I totally get the whole house thing. Homes are so expensive here and we bought our house back in 1999 thinking it was going to be our “5 year” house. Well that 5 year house has turned into a 12 year house and at the present moment there are no future plans to move. We did an extensive remodel in 2003 so we have made some changes we love. I love design like you so I tend to rearrange a room every cpl of months or add a new accessory as well. I have come to love my house and appreciate it and the cosiness it has. At times I do feel like we need more space but then I organize (like you :) and donate things we no longer need and then that space is created. Luckily we both live in an area where you can be outdoors most of the time so we really don’t need the “big” house, right? I try to appreciate my house and each room and know that when the time is right for my family to make that next move, the universe will provide and lead us to that house. In the meantime, I just relax and enjoy where I am now!
I love Clover lane too, she always has such good insights. I have found myself thinking the exact same thing about pintrest too. It’s has made me feel I want to redo everything so I have to be careful, but it is amazing for getting idea. I can’t quite cold turkey either, but I have been very selective about what I pin and who I follow.
This past year my husband took a new job so we could move closer to family. We moved from a house we owned and for multiple reasons are now currently renting. Talk about discontentment. I had dreams of purchasing a home that I loved, decorating it and settling down with our family for the long haul. It’s amazing how contentment is a mindset that I need to recommit to everyday. Sometimes it makes me disappointed in myself…why should being content be that hard when I am blessed with so much? While renting a home was not our plan initially, I think it is teaching me to find joy in ALL circumstances and that one day that dream of ours will again come true.
I’ve been feeling discontented lately so your blog post really spoke to me! Thanks for letting us know about Sarah’s blog…will check it out!
You are SO RIGHT. Thank you for putting things into perspective! We bought our 1970’s house three years ago, and everything is Harvest Gold and hideous. We are making progress a bit at a time and sometimes I feel so bad when looking at different decorating websites.
I need to know: How do you get the Pinterest pictures on the blog??
Hi, Erin! I just found you by leaving a comment on Sarah’s blog and happened to read yours and clicked over. And I’d walk off the same cliff with you…. I love Sarah so much! Oh, and yes on the yellow…. such a happy color and makes me smile!
FABULOUS post! I found myself an addicted ‘Pinner’ but not a “do-er” so I started a new blog where I actually CREATE something from Pinterest! It’s been such an encouragement for me to be inspired rather than bummed out about what I’m finding on Pinterest. :)
Oh man alive! Pintrest is addicting. And I find myself coveting more and more. Loving the white dishes against that light green color palette. Can’t wait until we redo our kitchen.
Erin, I just had to comment. I found your blog a few months ago I *think* through I Heart Organizing and I’ve been hooked. Your posts always make me smile and this one in particular really resonated with me.
I’m finding myself always wanting more. A bigger house, more room, better furniture and can’t believe when other people complain about their homes (which seem to be the ones I dream about). Then I realized that maybe I’m that person for someone else. I have a lovely (small) home (made even smaller now with two little girls) and it would be a MUCH lovelier home if I spent a little more time making it so and a little less time wishing I had another one.
Thank you. Love, love, LOVE your blog.