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What are you thankful for? Is it the usual things most people say when asked? Family, friends, a warm home etc? Those are great ones! I’m thankful for all of those things too but I’m thinking of something just a little bit different today. Being a designer on a nearly non-existent decor budget is tough. Let’s be honest. I am used to making things beautiful and seeing beauty and potential in everything. Then I look around my own home and often I focus more on the things that aren’t so beautiful. I get frustrated and impatient. I want my home to actually look how I can see it looking in my head. This piece of furniture here, that wall hanging there, that perfect hand lettered sign up there….you know what I mean.
Unfortunately as a stay-at-home mom of 5 kids, the budget for making my home “picture perfect” pretty much means I will spend the next 25 years trying to make those dreams a reality! So what do I do? I try to constantly be coming up with ideas of how I can make things for pennies rather than hundreds. How can I reuse items I already own or make something from very inexpensive items look like they came from a high end boutique? I won’t lie, it isn’t easy. To be honest though, I enjoy it. I find great pleasure in doing things myself and making things myself and showing others how. I think even if I had a large decor budget that the main thing that would change about how I style my home, would be the speed at which I would complete the projects.
I could have paid to have my wood floors installed but sitting in front of a cozy fire and looking across my wood floors would have been so much less satisfying. I look over them now and I remember the black thumbnail and the aching back and all the hours I gave my blood and sweat (I don’t think I was quite to the point of tears) to install these bad boys and I get such a sense of satisfaction that I’d do it all over again. I plan to do just that very soon upstairs, in fact!
What am I trying to say? I guess I’m trying to say be thankful for every tiny little thing that you do have and every little ability you’ve been given to make the most of those things. Sometimes there are so many things to be thankful for and sometimes you have to look hard for them but they are still there!
Let me give you an example of something I’m very thankful for right now! As you may have guessed, I’m always on the lookout for furniture I can refinish or restore for my home or for others. Its not always easy to find something that has nice lines and lots of potential that doesn’t also have a nice sized price tag to go with it! Recently I was browsing an app I’ve used many times to buy or sell used items, and I stumbled across an ad for a little side table that was being offered for FREE! That’s right! You read that correctly! FREE! Now normally if something is being offered for free there is a really good reason…..the current owners are trying to save what it would cost for them to take it to the city dump! ๐ This was different! It looked to be in really good condition so I inquired and was informed they had other items for free as well and was I interested? Was I? HELLO!!!!!
I rushed over the next morning and to make a long story short, I ended up coming home with a number of lovely pieces of furniture for absolutely nothing! These sweet people were moving their mother out of her home and in with them and had things they just needed to get rid of without the time and hassle of trying to sell. I don’t think it was by chance that I looked at this particular app that night when I should have been fast asleep. I think it was providential!
Yes, I’m thankful for my family and my friends and my warm home…..but today I’m so incredibly thankful for this lovely little piece of furniture along with several others. It’s the little things after all, isn’t it?
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Tara, this post is just so touching. I am so thankful we met and that we love to share inspiration by our blogs. I love your little table setting. It warms my heart!
Always,
Terrie
Thank you so much, sweet friend. Iโm so thankful we met also!
Tara, I absolutely loved this post! You are so inspiring!!! For so many years, I have had a small decor budget too…I am a lot more creative because of it, and use resources that I know I would have never thought of using if I didnโt have such a tight budget. Thank you so much for this post, I truly loved it!!!
Absolutely my pleasure! Not only does it make you more creative but it helps form other aspects of your character, I find. Like patience! Haha
Tara, your thoughts are so inspiring! Ironically, my Mom has the same night stand! You decorated it so cute! I’m just curious if you are going to paint it some how or leave it as it is? I’m looking forward to seeing how you incorporate your other treasures into your home.
Thanks, Maria! I am going to paint this little guy at some point but the orange tones go well with me fall decor so Iโve left it for now. I have a new blog post up showing another treasure I got at the same time! Iโd love for you to check it out ??
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