i spend time LIVING in my home with my family instead of just existing in it. i make sure to have fun with my children. make art. listen to good music. bake muffins and cookies. sit on the floor and play board games. play hide and seek. cuddle on the couch. dance around the kitchen to michael jackson’s “billie jean”. invite family over to play scrabble slam. welcome pets into our lives. burn pumpkin spice candles during autumn and balsam fir candles during winter. kiss and hug my husband in front of my children. hang pictures from our vacations all around the house in gallery frames. leave love notes on the bathroom mirrors. these are some of the things i do to make our house a home…a sanctuary for love to abide.

We just moved into our first home that we own, but we have lived in houses before. All the objects in our house tell part of a story about us. They may be odd or off, and often times they are not, but they create an environment that is a work in progress, just like we are constantly evolving works in progress.

For us its all about pictures and personal items that remind us of a special event or time in out lives. We have lots of knick knacks from out wedding and various vacations all over the house so you always feel like you have a personal connection to your space.

I always have something home baked sitting under the glass cake dish on the cabinet.. Having a house full of boy’s , food is something they always think about when they hit the front door.
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I always have to have it nicely picked up, smelling good and always have something to snack on. I love to always have that done for my family, and it just happens to be a great perk for those who drop by!

I have learned a few valuable things, find colors and things that make you feel cozy and comfortable. For me that means warm tones with bold accents of black or silver, family pictures, and special memory pieces. For instance every year on our anniversary my husband and I have bought something for our home together. One year it was a large decorative plate with The Kiss (painting) pictured on it. Another year it was stone wear candle holders. As I go from room to room these memories, comforting tones and happy faces all surround me in the warmth of love that mimicking Pottery Barn just can’t bring.

My very talented mother painted a window in my room because its located in the basement and it was rather dark and gloomy. The antique shuttered window looks out on a charming country field littered with poppies and a horse-drawn buggy. She even painted a picture frame on the window sill with a picture of my puppy in it. Next to the frame she painted the beautiful locket my grandmother gave me, permanently laid out for all to see. My painted window makes my room feel unique and cozy.

Any new house, for me, isn’t really home until I get out all of the magnets, postcards, and notes, and decorate the refrigerator. My fridge is covered with tacky (and I mean the tackiest I can find) magnets from my travels, which are holding up postcards and notes received from friends – birthday cards, valentines, and just because notes. No matter where my new home is located, I have reminders there that I am loved and that I have experienced adventure.

Family makes any house feel like a home. Add some candles, comfy pillows and throws on the couch and lots of good food on the stove and in the oven, and you’re set!

I let my kids have messy bedrooms. Hopefully my cleaning and organizing skills will set an example for them someday! I let my kids be themselves at home and keep the family meal time enjoyable with good food and conversation.

The first thing I do when I move (which is more often than I life to admit) is unpack the wooden duck decoy a friend’s grandfather made for me, the cross that was on my grandmother’s grave when she passed away, and the photo album full of childhood memories. These things remind me of the most important things in my life and almost immediately make a house or apartment feel like home.

to make my house feel like a warm and special place…
I paint the walls. add personal touches, like favorite works of art, special knick knacks that remind me of family and friends, or pieces that tell good stories!
finally, add my cats and husband to the space to make it really home!

I bought my townhome – my first home purchase – a few years ago, and have been in the process of renovating it since then (the list never ends!). I have done a lot of the work myself, such as designing and building a mantle for my fireplace, installing baseboards, etc. It’s been a learning curve, since I don’t have much experience in the past with these types of projects! I’m also a ceramic artist, so I’ve made most of my dishes. I feel like the time I’ve put into actually crafting, creating, and improving my home with my own hands, and making dishes for my guests to use, makes it a welcoming place. When friends and family visit I can invite them into my home, with little touches that I’ve worked on and given attention to – and then I can focus on them, the most important part of my life, and give to them that same attention and care.

Fresh flowers always makes a place feel like home to me, even the simple hand picked pansies and morning glory’s. I love the fresh air and smells from a garden brought inside.