MCFH: IDHTBPTBB

That is a lot of letters in that post title!  Let me spell it out...
My Cozy Fall Home (Day 29): It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to be Beautiful

I have many things I could post that would fall under this subject!  Even though I fight perfectionism, it's impossible in the home of a busy and large family, many of whom do not see the need for 'perfection' in the same way, and things get USED.  Our home looks lived in, and that's OK. It's supposed to be warm and welcoming, and although it has plenty of old things, not a museum.  

On top of the cabinets would not be a good location for
candles.  They'd be hard to light & might burn the ceiling,
 but these add a nice touch to the kitchen.

Today I want to talk about an item that's new to me this season.  I am usually a fan of authenticity, but I fall away from that in this case.  I love candlelight, but candles, not so much.  Candles can leave a surprising amount of ashy particulate in the air and all over the house.  Princess Sassy found that when she used candles, the grandprince and grandprincess had black residue around their noses, and that can't be healthy.  Also, candle wicks burn down into the candle, drowning or becoming too embedded in the wax long before the candle is used up.  They become much less attractive at that point, too, so, for me, never last long and it becomes expensive to keep replacing them.







In lieu of candles, I've been using wax warmers that use light bulbs to melt the wax, so fill my home with lovely scents, seasonal or other, while also adding points of light.  This has been a great option, but since they plug into an outlet, location choice is limited.  





Enter these beauties that I found at Costco: battery operated 'candles.'  The LED bulbs should last for years.  The light varies somehow, creating an impressive representation of flickering flames.   The exterior is a layer of white wax, which adds additional reality to the candle appearance.  



Costco had these on sale... a set of 5 in varying sizes... for under $20!  I'd say they have added more than that value in ambiance to our fall home.  

Not perfect, but beautiful.

MCFH: On my Table, the Sequel

Our table has reappeared out from under the piles of books! It’s nice to have it back. I'm a little afraid to see how long/not long it lasts, but for now, I'll enjoy it.

Hosting our Bible study group is always good motivation to move projects along and regain our home. 

MCFH: On my Floor

My Cozy Fall Home, day 19, 4 days behind.

On my Floor? Tape! (And random kid-shoes, too, of course.) 

What’s really been on my floor lately is dog hair -from our always-shedding, allergic-to-who-knows-what yellow Lab. The hair tumbleweeds collect under the table and chairs, so I thought a rug might help ease cleaning challenges. 
That led to days of figuring the proper size (room size and shape vs table size and shape), and of looking through options online. 

The 3 rugs I ordered are included in this screenshot.  But I'll wait until they arrive to reveal which ones.

Since we have 3 rooms in sight of each other that I like to coordinate, but have separate identities, too, I also decided to replace 2 smaller rugs (1 lovely hand-me-down I will use elsewhere and 1 outdated and dark). My desktop was full of screenshots to mix and match, and drawing on floor plans worked with the tape to help determine size. 

Soon I’ll have new “On my Floor” shots to share!

MCFH: Wall Art... and Black & White

My Cozy Fall Home, days 12 (Wall Art) and 20 (Black & White). 


I’m running behind, so am combining! A few years ago I bought these big, poster frames and created some art pieces of burlap and calligraphy that felt a little forced and not like ‘us.’ 

All the kids wore Chucks at some point.  I think my favorites
were Prince Stoic's stars & stripes.  This particular pair
were Princess Eager's signature fashion statement when
she was 5.  With dresses or jeans, these were her choice.

I decided to embrace the ‘beautiful mess’ of family life as art instead. With 8 kids there are always shoes scattered around, just bigger through the years...and from the time I looked at toddler shoes abandoned on the floor, I knew one day I’d miss it. - 

Prince CuddleBunny's little suede boots after stomping
through the building site when our house was under construction.

For some reason, the kids have always been crazy about taking pictures of their siblings' shoes, so I had plenty to choose from in various ages/stage, shapes, and sizes.  It makes these photos, double, about family, and they have since adorned our living room walls.  

These were favorites worn by 3 of the princesses before
one of the dogs did them in.  They bring back lots of
memories of their teen years.

Very much more ‘us.’

MCFH: Favorite Follow(s)

Today's prompt in the My Cozy Fall Home challenge, hosted by The Nester, is Favorite Follow.

It is tough for me to choose favorites... and impossible to choose one... because I value different blogs and different Instagrammers for different reasons.  Each one I follow adds a little (or a lot) of something unique to my life and my interests in faith, family, home, quilting, design, and just 'being me.'

That said, there is a base of people I almost depend on for sustenance.  Coincidentally, perhaps, they are also the people whose blogs, then Facebook and Instagram pages, I have followed the longest.



Not at all trying to kiss up to our hostess, but I believe The Nesting Place was the first blog I followed, so her Instagram follow was also one of my firsts, and is still one of my faves.  I loved her book, The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff, which I've preordered.  I enjoy her emphasis on working with the home you have to make it comfortable and inviting with no need to be picture-perfect.  These Instagram challenges she creates inspire me to try new things to improve the decor and overall atmosphere in our home.  Her Instagram page is here.  (The links to her books link to those pages on Amazon, just to be helpful, but you can purchase them from whatever bookstore you so choose. I receive no benefit from you clicking through or buying from Amazon.)

Through that blog, I was introduced to Myquillan's/The Nester's sister, Emily P. Freeman.  Emily has helped me learn about big things, like not being perfect, letting my soul breathe, and identifying and valuing the 'artist' part of me. I have enjoyed her books, online course (Create + Complete), and podcast (The Next Right Thing)... and I'm not really a podcast person.  But she's taught me to sit still and listen.  - Maybe not as often as I'd like, but it does happen.  She has also recommended books within her blog, Instagram page, and online courses that have become some of my favorites.  I often have so many questions about applying the concepts she talks about to my life... I'd like to go spend a week with her and have her be my life coach!

I am pretty certain that reading something Emily shared led me to Holley Gerth.  Holley's blog, emails, books, and Instagram posts have fed me deeply in the area of faith.  One particular post had a huge impact. In the face of worldly, societal, and, even, family pressure, I was feeling that my role as a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom/homemaker was not valued.  "Everyone else" had jobs that make money for their families, and I my contributions no longer seemed to mean as much to anyone.  Her post entitled, We Don’t Have to Be Productive Today changed my life... or got it back on the rails.  I had my husband read it, also. and we were able to discuss it and address the hurt I'd had, trying to live up to worldly standards and prove my worth at home by a list of daily accomplishments...and always falling short, felt a failure.  Holley confirmed how I'd always felt, and that doing what God has for me to do was still more important than how others thought I might 'better' use my time...even if it was those for whom I was doing things. They may not appreciate it now, or may never, but I know, and I know that the Lord knows, what I do is important.

I 'met' Katie of Domesitphobia through the Gardenweb Kitchen Forum, and started following her blog after that.  Except for being a member of the TKO (Totally Kitchen Obsessed), she was everything I'm not... a brave, irreverant, fiercely independent writer, traveler, foodie, photographer, who worked at various jobs, and also at remodeling and improving each home she shared with her much loved and handsome military husband, and who was happy with dogs instead of kids.  She has since changed her mind about becoming a mom, and I'm happy for her in experiencing that blessing via her beautiful daughter.  The 3 of them now live in Italy, because of another move for her husband, so her Instagram page is full of beautiful evidence of the their Italian experiences.  She's quite a bit younger than I am, but I want to be like her when I grow up!  But with more kids.

MCFH: Stripes

About the only thing I can say about stripes in our home is that being completely devoid of them, we need to add some!! 

I could find no stripes in the house to share, not even on a book spine.  I could usually share the Stars and Stripes flying from our front porch, but our last, weatherworn (to tatters) flag had to be retired and hasn't yet been replaced.








My wardrobe is also pretty short on stripes, except for this sweater, which is definitely a fall favorite, and, which I was wearing during this cozy moment when the grandprince and grandprincess decided to help me grind coffee.  

OK... This one has no stripes, but could
you resist posting it?!

My Cozy Fall Home, Day 4: Stripes.

MCFH: On my Table

My Cozy Fall Home, Day 3:  On my Table

I promised to be honest...

We are in a transition phase in our family and home life.  We are still years from being empty nesters, but are working our way there.  A home that started its life bustling with 10 active people, now has only 4 most of the time, and one of those has her foot on the threshold, pointed outward.

This is a picture of our current home transition.  We moved into this house with 4 bedrooms-full of princes and princesses.  2 of the rooms had 3 inhabitants each, and have collected leavings of all who lived there.  One of those rooms is now empty.  Well, empty of bodies, but not empty of stuff!  This is the evidence that I'm working on that.

Belongings from the boys' room, mixed with this year's homeschooling activity,
and Princess Eager's photo editing station (the computer).
What about dining, you may ask?  Anywhere else!

Going through 3 princes' belongings, has unearthed many books and games that have made it only as far as the dining room table, now mixed with the current year's re-shuffle of homeschooling materials.  All homeschooling materials will move to shelves in my current sewing area when I've developed a new sewing room elsewhere. (With a door.  That closes!)  The destination of my own 'studio' is yet to be finalized, so the piles await.  

They can't move until the sewing room is empty... The sewing room can't empty until the new spot is decided and properly prepared.  So this is my fall table decor!  We'll just chalk it up to another of the 'beautiful messes' that indicate we have had, and continue to have, a rich family life.

MCFH: Collection

My Cozy Fall Home, Day2: Collection. 

I’m not much of a collector, since with a large, creative family, our home already has plenty of clutter and cleaning challenges.  But I do I have a 'thing' for useful ceramics.  In fact, an e-friend coined my addiction "Vesselarianism," as I love pitchers and mugs, as well, but I'm most drawn to bowls. (I wrote about this previously in My Not-so-secret Problem: A Bowl Addiction.  More and better photos can be found there.)  I am tempted to buy many, but budget keeps that to a minimum.  I also like to limit my collection to pieces that mean something to me.




The white and green bowl is one I had made especially for bread baking, although, these days, with so many of us watching carbs and gluten, it's primarily used for produce.  The eggplant purple ones (my favorite color!) are part of a larger set made for me by a friend.






I have to say that my favorites are the smaller bowls made by my Princesses Bossy and Artiste,

while I also have a special fondness for the delicate, flowered bowls brought home from Japan for me by Princess Sassy and Prince Steadfast.

My Cozy Fall Home Challenge

It's been a looong while since I've posted here, but thought I might give it a shot again.  I have plans to set up my own art and quilting workspace within the house, get more organized, get on a schedule, and with all of that, try to get more regular with (hopefully brief) blog posts.  

Today I am joining The Nester, and others who to choose to do so, in sharing our 'Autumn Homes' this month on Instagram.  I've never really decorated for fall, but this year I gave it a tiny try, and figured participating in this challenge might motivate me further.  I can't promise to post every day, but do plan to be honest and share the imperfections and needs as well as decor.  You should come along for this fall ride, too!  

Start by sharing this image on your Instagram page, and post photos in the following days that suit the topic.  Always remember to add "#MyCozyFallHome" to your post, so everyone participating can see your photos.

Myquillyn Smith (AKA "The Nester") says the point is to see our "imperfect, cozy, creative, simple or not-so-simple fall-i-tized home. No fanciness or perfection required."  

Thank goodness for that last part, since it means, 'no pressure,' and everyone is welcome!  

Cuddled Up

Wet and dark outside, football on TV (and thankful to be) inside, and furry contentment x3!

Hope you are safe, dry, and warm on this winter day!

Silent Night

Silent Night... All is calm, all is bright... 

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

We’ve been without internet for days, so I’ve missed several themes in My Cozy Winter Home. 

Today we’ll just go ahead and wrap up with 
‘Sparkle,’ 

...some ‘Tradition,’ 

...‘Nativity,’ 

and ‘Stockings’ all at once!

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas with your loved ones!

Fuzzy Chickens Made to Roost

Our grandprincess loves the funky ceramic chickens perched on the top of the hutch in our kitchen, and always wishes she could get her hands on them. 

Thanks to the stuffed chicken pattern I found on aokcorral.com, she’ll soon have some to carry around! 

I used fleece, and did stitched eyes to replace the buttons and fused sportweight fabrics for the beak, comb, and waddle instead of felt to make these kid-friendly and washable.

Trees, Trees, and More Trees

I can post my 2nd tree quilt of the season, since my daughter and son-in-law received and opened it today! 

I wanted to do a different look for this one using the same pieced trees as in the one I posted earlier this month in These Trees are Off the Wall!










This quilt is more modern, I think, with the wide stripes, no border, and edge-to-edge machine quilting (free-handed waves done while using the Brother Dream Machine's Muvit walking foot). This was a much faster quilting technique than hooping and quilting with embroidery designs, and I think it's just as attractive, just different.  I love it.  

Most quilters run their quilting lines much closer together.  But as long as I knew I was within the spacing specifications required by the batting I used,  I decided to invoke artistic license.  I felt these wider lines were in keeping with the scale of the overall design.

I used a flannel sheet as backing for some cozy cuddling.

Make This

Day 17 of My Cozy Winter Home: Make This.

I made these holiday pillow covers (and the table runner you can see in posts on Day 3 and Day 9) using kitchen towels and tablecloths I found at a discount department store, and cut into pieces, as needed. 

This gave me more yardage and in a good variety for less money than I would’ve spent at the fabric store, and included some embellishments, like embroidery and appliqué I would’ve had to add myself. 

If you’re at all hesitant about combining prints, using an already-coordinated set, like the towels, can give you a good start. I’ve sewn for years, but the runner and these pillows would be very beginner friendly with their straight seams and quick result. 


My favorite pillow is the one with the lettering. I closed that one with a zipper partly camouflaged in the plaid on the back. For others I used an even easier method... The backs are in 2 pieces, each about 2/3 the size of the back, set so they overlap. The pillow slips in, then the overlap keeps the pillow inside with no extra closure necessary.

Layered

This is the first time in 32 years of marriage that I’ve thought to change up our bedroom for Christmas. 

Also, I’m new at layering, but I like it and would like to be better at it. Nowhere to go but up from this beginner’s effort. 

Day 16 of My Cozy Winter Home: Layered.

Christmas Tree

My Cozy Winter Home, Day 15, is supposed to be “Christmas Tree.” 

Since I prematurely showed our actual Christmas tree on “Evergreen” day, it seemed right to share this vintage 1985 tree I made for my in-laws... the partner to the fabric wreath I posted on “Wreath” day.

This Ornament Flew in to Surprise Me

Ornament. 
Day 14 of My Cozy Winter Home. 

I had planned to share antique ornaments that had belonged to my grandparents, until this guy appeared on our tree. 

My maternal grandmother loved hummingbirds. After she was gone, they were my mom’s favorite, too. After my mom passed away and it was becoming evident our dad couldn’t stay in their home, my sister was helping him into the car to go visit a retirement center he and my mom had visited when planning for future needs. Both were feeling sad, and neither were comfortable with this step they were taking. But a hummingbird suddenly flew in and looped around above their heads. 

 - In the garage. 

 - And at a time of year hummingbirds weren’t seen. 

They felt this couldn’t have been just a coincidence. 

As Christians we don’t believe it was my mom in the form of a bird, or anything like that. But we do believe the Lord knows us, knows what we need, and sends comfort to us in many forms, and this was perfect for my dad and sister in that moment. A reminder that God was with us every step of the way, and that the love of, and for, my mom went with my dad, wherever he lived. 

My daughter snuck this beautiful hummingbird onto my tree this week, knowing how I’d love to see something that represented the spirit of Grandma in our Christmas. Being together at the holidays was so important to her.

It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

IDHTBPTBB:  It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful. 
Day 13 of My Cozy Winter Home. 

A piece of last year’s wrapping paper serves as our tree skirt. 

Long ago, kittens took their claw sharpening exercises out on my beloved ruby chairs, which have faded into more orange than ruby in places. 

The hand-me-down loveseat has become the picture of ‘threadbare.’ The picture of hard, big-family use on a tight budget. 

That’s how it’s always been here...But appreciated for the life lived in it, and all dolled up for Christmas (admittedly, from a polite distance)... Beautiful.

Wreath

My Cozy Winter Home, Day 12... Wreath. 

I made this wreath for my in-laws the first Christmas we were married (1985). Sadly, they haven’t been here to enjoy it, or us them, for several years, and I’ve had it back. 

This year I decided to hang it. A quick vacuuming took care of the 3 decades of dust, that for some reason, I couldn’t figure out how to be rid of in the previous few years. 

I guess it was all about timing. This was the year to let it join our Christmas again.

One Step (Stitch) Back

Un-sewing seams is definitely not my favorite activity, but it’s much improved with the accompaniment of Christmas music and my homemade version of a pumpkin-eggnog latte in a hefty, cheery, holiday mug. 

The quilt will look better with a different fabric in this spot.  Some things in life are worth taking the time for a 'do-over.'  But don't beat yourself up over those, and give yourself a little treat to make it pleasant!