Zen in the Home

Welcome to my home!

My home is my refuge. It welcomes me to a safe place after a long stressful day. I like to keep important items that are near and dear, close to my heart. Photos of family and friends in beautiful frames, tchotchkes and momentos from travels that invoke wonderful memories, books, candles, crystals and the list continues. They are all things that bring me joy.

Making my home a comfortable haven is a work in progress especially when on a budget. I get inspiration from a variety of places and I hope to inspire you!

                                                    Be Well,

                                                            Laurie

Channel your inner Beach!

Since childhood I have dreamed of living by the beach. I am working on making this my reality; however, until the day comes when happiness is calling me, I channel my inner beach.  This old computer stand project gave me the opportunity to add some Florida fun to my desert abode. I got my inspiration from a coral colored bowl in my family room.

Living space color

One  inexpensive way to update a room is through some elbow grease and paint. I have a great deal of natural light in this living area, combined with the heat of the Arizona desert I wanted to cozy up this space.  I decided an accent color was the answer. Chocolate goes with everything!  

The Chandelier was a house warming present to my parents a very long time ago from my grandparents. This piece is special to me, and I can't even begin to tell you how many homes it has graced. I have moved a great deal in my life and the lesson I take away from my moving experiences - Home is where you hang your hat! 

 Black grounds a space, yet adds a powerful punch.  These chairs received a much needed face lift with a coat of paint and some fun fabric for the chair seats. Voila! Brand new chairs!

My home is desert sand, but the new "it" color is gray. I decided I could make the two work by grounding it with accents of black.  The black mirror is from Target, flanked by black framed photos of vintage Hawaii travel art, acquired on a vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. Layers of tan, gray and black with pops of color for interest. Personally, I get board easy so I like to keep the expensive pieces neutral and the inexpensive items I can rotate and change out by season.  

Bathroom Bliss

For the longest time I could not figure out what to do with the entry wall into my bathroom. I couldn't get excited about art work, or some sort of hanging thing............so I decided to add some paint for inspiration and turned the wall into the art work. 

 I surround myself with important items even in the bathroom. A photo of myself with my two precious four legged babies who are now with me in spirit are in a pretty frame. The votive holder is from a trip to Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana.
http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/

The tray neatly displays my trinkets. My space is small and I detest clutter so the try forces me to keep it all in order. I enjoy starting my day with a smile looking at my photo while getting ready to face the day.

Bedroom inpiration

My bed linens needed a change, but there wasn't any money in the budget. One day I was flipping though HGTV magazine and this picture spoke to me.  I am not kidding it said, "Hey Blondie you have some old toile pillows and a red velvet coverlet in the back of the closet, and you could add them to your current bedding to pull something fun off ." 

 I am just saying sometimes when you hear voices it's a good thing! 

The velvet cover is perfect for the holidays and will take me through to Valentines Day with is rich dramatic color! The best part of this update is that it was free!