Home Style - Surrounding yourself with things you love....

Once in awhile I get questions about inspiration for our home. And to be honest... my "home style" changes as we go. We are adapting to changes in our family... Maddux growing up and now... getting ready to welcome another little one. I have learned that our home has to work for us. 
I love surrounding myself with things that make me happy. Surrounded by smiles and memories. 
You won't walk into my house and find an expensive piece of artwork. Instead you will find that almost all of my walls are filled with photos... or quirky signs.... children paintings or doodles.... or some cheap DIY art that probably has a personal meaning behind it. We have a place to put toys in almost every single room. I embrace our family into our "home style"  My library shelves are filled with kid art and board games... and I wouldn't change it for one second.

I read a blog, Little Miss Momma and she did a post on "A Beautiful mess Happy Handmade Home" and it inspired me to purchase it. I love the message this book delivers for decorating. 1. Don't be afraid to mess up 2. Our ideas are only starting points and 3. If you love it, love it.

I realize that my "home style" is not everyone's cup of tea. I have a family member who hates white trim and white kitchens... and for me... there is nothing better than a home filled with white trim... and a big white kitchen to gather around. White scares some moms... I get that. But I find it easy to have white. I can see when its messy... and a quick wipe down takes care of it. For me, white feels clean... and is easy to keep clean and instantly brightens up a home

I especially love this book because it gives you a little quiz before you get started. To get you thinking... and I think if you were to walk through it... it could help all of us out.  

1. List all your favorite spaces (stores, restaurants, etc)

• Urban Farmgirl - I love everything about this local store. I could spend hours there.... It is filled with painted furniture, old maps, wood letters, collections of antique items, chalkboards (complete with a local chalkboard artist...who is amazing!), and .... one of my favorite Rockford, IL pillows. This store is what I want my home to feel like... 

• Arch Apothecary - I fell in love with the wood floors in this store. I still can't get over how much i love them... mixed in with giant mirrors with huge rustic frames... and then mixed in ... candles...and make up.. its amazing.  I want my future bathroom renovation to pull from this store... i want pretty glass counter tops mixed in with rustic wood pieces... and a stack of shiny lip gloss. If you haven't stopped by this store in Rockford... you should take some time this weekend and check it out. 
  
   
• Edwards Apple Orchard - Fall is my favorite season and every year I look forward to the opening of Edwards. What is better than mums, pumpkins, apples, fudge, cider donuts, sweet corn salsa, and apple pie topped with cheese? 

• Land of Nod - I normally cannot justify the prices of this store... although I love walking around and collecting inspiration for the kids bedrooms and playrooms. Ana-white often uses plans from Land of Nod in her kids collections.... and I love seeing it in a show room to get the full effect of what I could do with that furniture mixed in with colorful patterns. It's impossible to not be inspired when you walk through their showrooms...

• Ikea - pretty much the reason I fell in love with gallery walls. And the amazing things they do with storage.... truly inspirational on how you can personalize the smallest things. I love the bright colors, organization, and budget friendly ideas. Right now our family is growing...and rooms evolve quickly and we are constantly changing so anything to help us budget for something we may outgrow in the next few years... is always a good idea. 

• Jenna Sue Design - I pretty much want her entire house.... starting with her kitchen. Her house is absolutely stunning.if you don't follow her... You should start immediately. I would love to take her combination of white & grey mixed in with rustic charm - and then throw in my ridiculous amounts of family photos plastered all over the house... :) I love pretty much everything she is doing right now...and anxiously await the beginning of her next project. 

2. List the activities you envision doing in each room. 

• Library - Blogging, reading, watching the kids ride their bike on the sidewalk, board games on the floor, Christmas traditions (our tree goes in the library), Christmas morning
• Dining Room - Eating meals together, boardgames with the family, drinking wine and playing cards with friends, going over homework after dinner, family game nights, holiday get togethers
• Kitchen - cooking with Jerry, baking cookies with the kiddos, breakfast around the island, morning coffee alone - before the chaos begins, Nala's favorite spot to hang out, 
• Family Room - TV area, Kids and dog play on the rug, Maddux performs in front of TV, sitting by the fireplace, cuddle and watch movies
• Hallway - chalkboard wall decorating, kid stuff drop zone
• Loft - Play room, video games, reading books in the tent, Train table, Lego building, pretend play
• Kid's rooms - Sleep, Desk/Art area, reading books, watching movies, sleepovers with cousins, stuffed animals take over their bedrooms, wrestling
• Master Bedroom - cuddling, getting ready for the day, end of day TV watching, conversations, morning coffee in bed, sleep
• Basement - Movie Theater room - family movie nights, popcorn, treadmill running, work out area, playroom kitchen, bat cave, pretend play, holiday storage, entertaining, parties, hosting area, family game nights
• Back yard - swimming, playing catch, Nala chasing Maddux, garden, sprinklers, collecting worms, picking flowers
• Office - Jer's place to study for grad school, blogging, shopping, printing 

3. Choose colors that make you feel something

• Navy - This color works for everything, It's my favorite color in my closet and easily matches any accent color in my wardrobe or my home. It's my go to color
• Yellow - Happy, Playful, Young
• Turquoise - Trendy, Bright, Vintage feel
• Grey - neutral. Love mixing this in with a bright offset color in my home or wardrobe
• White - clean, crisp, bright
• Kelly Green - this color... just always makes me happy. I would paint everything Kelly green if Jerry would let me. 
• Black - dramatic, sophisticated, always in style
• Fuchsia - feminine, playful, needed in a house filled with boys :) 

4. List 100 things about you. Things you love, quirks, aversions, memories, dreams, etc. 

• Photographs_ Thunderstorms_ Sweatpants_ Messy Hair_ Scrabble_ Lip Gloss_ Action Movies_ Cuddling_ Messy Beds_ Maddux Giggles_ Good Morning Hugs_ Flavored Coffee_ Funny Coffee Table Books_ Fountain Cokes_ Disney_ Fall Boots _ Hoodies_ Margaritas_  Saturday Morning Family Cuddles in Bed Watching Cartoons_ Twinkle Lights_ Scared of Grasshoppers_ Summer Braids_ Kid Crafts_ Home-made Cards_ Cupcakes_ Greek Salads_ Subway Tile_ Ceramic Animals_ Gallery Walls_ Cocoa Wheats_ Summer Nights_ Lighting Bug Catching_ Musty Basements_ Barn Wood_ Apple Pie With Cheese_ Paper Garland_ Kids Books_ Sunday Morning Breakfast after Church_ Running_ Tiny Tattoos_ Weekends with Girlfriends_ Family Game Nights_ Niece Sleepovers_ Farmers Markets_ Star Wars_ Superheroes_ Work skirts_ V-Neck T-Shirts_  Starbucks_ Handprint Kid Art_ Hot Chocolate_ Tulips_ Rocky Beaches_ Watermelon_ Green Smoothies_ Fresh Highlights_ Weekend Living Room Forts_ Summer T-ball _ Chicago Cubs_ Heels_ Tim McGraw_ Throw Pillows_ Flannels_ 80s Rock_ Board Games_ Netflix Marathons_ Sprinkles On Ice Cream_ Fuzzy Socks_ Kids Singing_ Red Vines_ Paul Rudd_ Picnics_ Champagne_Shopping With My Mom_ Pinterest_ Personalized Jewelry_ Building Furniture_ Family Get Togethers_ Laughing so hard, I snort_ Baseball T-shirts_ Aviators_ Nala Kisses_ Road Trips_ Window Seats_ Hydrangeas_ Pineapple_ Instagram_ Home Movies_ Smores_ SidwalkChalk_ All things Christmas_ HomeGoods_ Sledding_ Sweet Tea_ Big Hats_ Euchre_ Candles_ Being Barefoot_ Dandelion Bouquets From Maddux_ Smiling

I do believe in surrounding yourself with things that make you happy. So walking through this exercise is fun and helpful. I love pinning beautiful inspiration on pinterest... but when it comes down to it... I need to find design ideas that work for us. We are slowly figuring that out as we go. Our first house has been quite the adventure and I look forward to sharing our projects and ideas along the way. 

Where do you gather inspiration from?