3 Ways to avoid Box Store Syndrome

Box Store Syndrome 1. A condition characterized by look-alike living rooms, bland bedrooms, and souless spaces.

2. Letting an unknown store decorator dictate your style; lacking a personal touch.

Never ever ever ever buy all the pieces of furniture in one set.  We've all done it.  We should all not do it again.  Let's make a deal.

I'm as guilty as the rest of you, but I'm still kicking myself for it.  Take my living room.  When we first moved in, our living room was a bit of a snooze (understatement of the year).  It said nothing about who we are and it really could have been a room in any house.

By breaking up the seating set and mixing up materials with a new glass coffee table, even the in-progress living room is much more interesting.

Play with styles and finishes.  Have fun with your furniture!  You can still find a living room 'set' at one store, though if you look a little harder.  Instead of buying the sofa and chair of the same collection, look around the showroom for complimenting pieces.

Don't get me wrong, not all the pieces need to be different.  A sofa of one style, and a pair of chairs in another can have the same stunning effect.

Own your space!  There are many other ways personalize a space beyond family photos.  Your room should reflect who you are.  Are you a fun young couple who loves the outdoors?  Your space should not be a stuffy formal room with perfectly polished accessories.  Love hiking? Incorporate rustic woods.  Are you a theater buff?  Add drama through window treatments.  Do you LOVE the color purple? (guilty!)  Don't shy away from it, celebrate it!  If your room feels like YOU, it will feel more like home.

One of the best ways to put your stamp on a space is through accessories.

If an item speaks to you, find a way to incorporate it into your space.  Souvenirs from your travels, artwork from your children, or simply a piece that makes you smile will all add personality to your surroundings.

Group items together for a more cohesive feel.  Pro tip: odd numbers are almost always more pleasing to the eye.  Try this in action by grouping 3 items of different scales together (think small, med, and large).

Raining Umbrellas

I'm not one for official New Year's resolutions, but I do like to challenge myself to be a better self each year. Even though I did a lot of DIY projects in 2011, I did very few original creations.  You know my deep obsession affinity for Pinterest, but with so many ideas at your fingertips is easier to reinterpret someone else's ideas instead of developing your own.

I think I've mentioned it before, but I have a personal philosophy: you can't complain about something if you're not taking steps to change it (or at least change the way you think about it).   My example always is- I don't want to hear you complain about the size of your butt if you're too lazy to get on an elliptical.  Get your rear on that elliptical, then I'll let you vent about the junk in your trunk.  Catch my drift?

So, how does this apply to my creativity rant above?  Lately I've been feeling inspired but unoriginal.  Over the weekend I was telling Hubby my plans to be more creative in the coming months, even though I had no real plan.  Well, a plan fell into my lap on Monday.  Vicki over at Simply Hue announced the winter session of her creativity e-course Raining Umbrellas and you can bet your britches that I signed up!

I'm super excited!  I'm not totally sure what to expect, but I'm hoping to be challenged and inspired and PUSHED out of my comfort zone (and who doesn't need a good shove every once in a while).  No matter what, it'll be a good time!

She still has openings, so you should join me and we can fumble through the unknown together!

Roadkill Rescue

It's a first for this blog and I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of excited.  I've posted my projects on link parties on other blogs, but this is the first time one of my projects has actually been featured on another blog! Roadkill Rescue is one of the fantastically awesome blogs that I follow and I submitted my coffee table bench last week on a whim.  Roadkill Rescue (as you can probably guess by the name) features trash to treasure projects, so I'm honored to be a part of it!  You should check out the amazing transformations on Roadkill Rescue, but I warn you, you may get sucked in for hours (totally worth it though).