Happy Blogiversay: Let's Celebrate!

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my Blogiversay! When I started this blog a year ago, I did not have a clear vision of what my goals were for this space.  I knew I wanted to have a way to showcase my business, outside of the confines of my company website, and talk about the things that inspire me in making a house a home.  Little did I know that this was the start of a great adventure and that I would not only cross paths with creative geniuses and heart of the home thinkers like myself, but I would also rediscover my own creative passions.  I love to recreate space to make it more functional and more beautiful... if I can do it on a budget, I'm over the moon.

While it's fun to follow the trends in the design industry and glean fresh inspiration from them, I am a believer that fabulous decor doesn't have to be trendy.  You see, it's a personal thing-- these spaces we call HOME.  It's where we raise our families, create and preserve memories, our unique safe-haven.  Think back on the house you grew up in.  What about that space-- that HOME-- shaped you?  Maybe it was the view out your bedroom window, the aroma of your mother preparing your favorite dish, your grandmother's china, or that comfy armchair where you spent hours reading.  Your memories are of sights, scents, textures, sounds.

"Home needs to be a safe place where we house not only our bodies, but our hearts and our souls." ~ Terry Willets in Creating a SenseSational Home

This is my desire for you... that you make your home truly your own.  Express your individuality and create that space that you love to be in and that nurtures your family and your home life.

A couple of years ago, a friend remarked to me: "Your home looks like the Southern Living at HOME catalog exploded in here."  I laughed.  She was right.  I was fully immersed in my business and, in loving their products and design ideas, I had amassed an incredible collection of "things."  But over the past year, in the course of writing this blog and expanding my own horizons, I've realized that a good many of those beautiful products are just "things."  They are lovely and of the highest quality.  But they have no personal meaning to me.  This is my HOME.  I want it to be filled with meaning.  With meaning-full things.

Last week in the blogosphere, I found myself part of a discussion about paring down "things," about over-exposure to design trends and the pressure to conform, and ultimately about finding our own individual style.   The Nester talked about accumulating less, about making more thoughtful and intentional choices in our purchases.  Jenny at The Little Green Notebook encouraged us to have a more discerning eye to what's trending in the industry... and whether we even like what we see.  And then Melissa at The Inspired Room summed it all up in her Everyone Deserves a Lovely Home post.  Bottom line: Let's put our own personal touch on our homes.  How freeing!  The conversation was echoing what had been on my own heart as I journeyed along on this blog.

I'm learning as I go, too.  I'm learning to balance my love of my business, design and decor with what works best for my family.  In the year ahead, I'll be sharing more of my own spaces and projects, what's meaning-full in my home, along with what's new and interesting in design trends.  I'll continue to showcase some products from my Willow House business, as they continue to produce gorgeous pieces that can help you create meaning in your own space.  I hope I inspire you to make your space your own and that what you find here can help you do just that.

I'm so glad you're here!  This month I'll be celebrating four years in business and one year blogging with Mondays in March giveaways {because everyone loves a freebie-- myself included}!  Every Wednesday, I'll announce the Giveaway of the week and each Monday night I'll post the winner.  That's FOUR giveaways this month!  Share the love, tell your friends, and meet me back here tomorrow for the first big giveaway announcement.

Thank you for your readership, your support, and your friendship.  Now, let's celebrate!