A small start....

(Disclaimer: this post was written very late at night early in the morning. At which time I tend to get very wordy. and slightly silly. I didn't intend to write a book on decorating when I started, but to simply share a little decorative change I have made in our Master Bath. Feel free to read as you have time.) :)

To me, decorating is a process. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't feel my home is "decorated." Anyway, what would be the fun in having a home that is entirely decorated? Where do you go from there? I guess you re-decorate, but I don't do that often. When I find something I like, I stick with it for a long while... with modifications, of course!

Take my living room. Before we moved in, it looked like this:

BLEH.

The paint itself was a great improvement, though:


I was so happy to get a mantle (translation: shelf).

Yes, definitely an improvement, but still...


The shelves underneath help to ground it. And the curtain helps the room feel homier too, although I realize it needs to be a bit fuller, and ideally lower, but as you can see, I don't really have that option. (wow what a run-on... good thing I only minored in English...) And all the major components and some smaller ones are the same as when we first moved in. It is a very small living room, and I don't rearrange furniture. It works the way it is, and I can't picture it working any other way... (and I love to rearrange furniture in my mind - even for other people's houses. I'm a little strange that way...) :)

So basically, I get stuck in a rut. And as long as I like the rut, I'm happy. But I haven't really been liking our master bath rut for a little while. The "theme" was something I picked a long time ago, I think because I thought it would fit with the style of my home.

Exhibit A: The clock.

The main problem with the clock is it is loud. The secondary problem is although it is a pretty clock, I am getting a little tired of palm trees. They aren't really me, at least not anymore. So bye-bye clock.

Instead, I came up with this:

Which Mark and I are liking much better. The shelf was a bright yellow garage sale find, and I got on a spray painting binge today yesterday, and painted it the dark brown you see. I thought I would want to do a coat of cream and sand it a little for a shabby chic look, but I think I'm liking that color. It really matches the signs. What do you think?

Oh, and NO the shelf isn't decorated yet. (but the frog is pretty proud to be there, isn't he?) And Yes, I realize that is a palm tree shade. It was the only one I could find that didn't clash too badly. It will go as soon as I find what I want there. Hopefully soon.

I think this is my mantra when it comes to decorating:

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” ~Greg Anderson