A Decorating Book

So, I LOVE Monday evenings! My doodlebug gets tucked in around 8:00 and my hubby plays in a music ensemble and usually gets home around 10:00. What do I do with these precious two hours, you ask?
Exercise...NOPE, Watch TV...NO,
Read Blogs...NADA, Clean...WRONG AGAIN.

First,

I brew two cups of coffee.

Next, I grab three Milano cookies.

Then, I kick back in my comfortable
chair and start browsing my favorite
decorating magazines while I enjoy my little snack:
Traditional Home
Better Homes and Gardens
Pottery Barn
Restoration Hardware
JC Penney
Family Circle
and anything else I've received in the mail recently. My most recent stack

This is also when I browse ads from the Sunday paper:
Target
Kohl's
Garden Ridge
Hobby Lobby
K-Mart
Macy's
Michael's

Finally, the real fun begins and I do it old school!!!!!

Hold up... I need to set the stage. I have had decorating problems in my past. We currently live in our third home. Our first home was a fixer-upper and where I experimented with my decorating ideas (ha). (God help the person who lives there now... If you are reading, I am really sorry about the faux finish in the 1/2 bath). Our second home was much, much nicer, but I often rushed into decisions there. I once painted the kitchen orange and bought new silk curtains to match and one month later, painted it back to the exact color it was before I painted it orange and tucked those curtains away in a drawer.

Well, I am here to tell you, those days are gone!
I WILL MAKE GOOD DECORATING DECISIONS FROM NOW ON.

So, I got me a Handy Dandy Notebook and divided it up by the rooms in my home, plus a section for Christmas decor ideas. In it, I glue pics from the magazines and ads mentioned above of the things I absolutely LOVE. The things that really STAND OUT! I also glue in paint samples from each room and fabric swatches that I collect from here and there.

A page from my Family Room Section

I take it with me when I am out and about and use it for inspiration. It has made me SLOW DOWN and REALLY THINK before I make a purchase. It has also given me some goals to work towards. I have been doing this for five months and have only committed to two decorating purchases, one big and one small. For the first time, I can say I am absolutely, 100% sure that I made the right decisions and I LOVE both of them. I am also becoming aware of my style...Which is mostly traditional with a hint of shabby chic (he he).

A page from my Dining Room section

Lastly, I throw the old magazines and ads out and look forward to
my next mail delivery and my date with my Little Decorating Book next Monday evening!