{Home Tour: week 1: the bedroom}

Who doesn’t like to peek in other people’s houses?

Before I swing this bedroom door open, let me just say….

I have often wished away my creativity.  I’m not proud of it, but there are times I’ve genuinely thought, “Why can’t I just want to be a doctor?  The future would be so planned out for me!  Instead, I have too many ideas to write down and want to work in one of the hardest industries to break into… that doesn’t pay enough to live off of.  Awesome.“

It’s easy to look at other people’s gifts, talent, and stuff, and then idolize it.

Many years ago I learned a nugget of truth that’ll be with me forever.  Comparison is the thief of joy.  Man is that true.

Every moment we spend wishing for things to be different is a moment we could be rejoicing over what God has done for us or is doing in us.  Every moment we spend cutting down our strengths and wishing for someone elses’ is a happy-dance moment for Satan who has succeeded in distracting us from the truth:

You were made as God intended you to be.  Yes, you are sinful, but there is grace to sufficiently cover every sin.  You were created in the image of God, to be alive right now, to do good works like only you–with your spirit, personality, and gifts–can do them.

When I realize God loves me as I am–like really, passionately cares for the things I care for–I realize I can live free if I choose to.  Christ died for freedom!  I am loved by the omnipotent God who knows my needs before I ask; do I really have much to worry about?

You can be free from the chains of comparing your home decor to others’.  Your children’s maturity to others’.  Your financial picture to others’.  Your marital relationship to others’.

If you use the internet, Facebook, Pinterest, ect. to look at glimpses into other people’s lives and destructively compare yourself to what they have, then this is me calling you out on it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done it too.  That’s why I know it’s a problem.  :)

Part of me doesn’t want to show you my home because I look at other people’s amazing design skills online and think “I’ve got NOTHING on them.”  But there I go comparing myself to “them”…which is really lame and unhelpful.

So here I am showing you my humble apartment even though some of the pictures make me cringe because there are little things I want to add and change.  But you know what?  I’m choosing to rejoice in the great apartment we have and my God-given ability to create!  I’m rejoicing that with a little creativity, we can follow God’s example of redemption and make old things look like new things! I come to you as the real me with our real home, hoping you’ll ditch the alluring voice of comparison and maybe pick up a few ideas on the way.

Home Tour: week 1:  the bedroom

I’m not sure why, but we’re starting the tour with our bedroom.  Here she is, ladies and gents, as you enter from the hallway.

Curtains can make or break a room.  Check out the detailing on the top of ours:

Our beddy-bye.  I just don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this quilted blanket.

When you enter the room and turn right, this is what you see along the right wall:  an inviting place to make stationary and do taxes!

There are three appropriate, non-cluttering places to toss paper.  My husband has an “inbox” on top of the printer (pictured under the cork board), we have labeled folders in a file holder on the desk……

….and my scrapbook/stationary paper finds a happy home hanging in this gray file holder which came with holes in the back for mounting on the wall.  I heart paper, but if I don’t keep it organized, it gives me a headache to the point of not wanting to make stuff.  And then I cry.

So, here is the wall opposite the bed in the area above and to the right of the desk:

If you were to walk into the room and head left, you’d see the craft shelf along the left wall.  Well, it mostly holds crafts.  At the bottom are old video game guides that Ben never uses….BUT….he lets me have a whole craft shelf in our bedroom so I smile and don’t ask why we need those.  :)

To the right and left of the craft zone are the his and her closets.  They’re big and we love them!  What I don’t love are these thumbs down super-cheap brass knobs.

Thank you, Lord, for Hobby Lobby!  Hobby Lobby is owned and managed by a Christian family, and I love to support them when I can.  Originally $3.99 each and on sale for $1.99, I picked up four of these yellow cuties for about $8 total…..

Knobs are VERY easy to install.  It’s an inexpensive upgrade, yet makes a big difference to the overall feel of the space.

Feel like you couldn’t visualize how the room fits together?  {Watch the virtual tour!}  That’s right, I put a video on YouTube for ya.

Speaking of simple upgrades to spruce up a place, consider experimenting with how you make your bed.  Or if you’re a beginner, just start making the bed.  :)  Anything is better than nothing!

Have you ever wondered how hotels and hospitals get those crisp looking corners?  Watch and be amazed….

How to make “Hospital Corners”

1.  Put on the fitted sheet and drape the non-fitted evenly on the bed.

2.  Tuck the bottom end of the sheets under the bed.  It’s so much easier with the help of another person.  One lifts the mattress, the other tucks the bed sheet.

3.  Pull the corner fabric towards the head of the bed and downwards, like pictured below.  Tuck fabric (where my hand is) an inch or two under the mattress.

4.  You’ll be left with a little flap of fabric up top.  Lift it up like so:

5.  And drape it down, like so:

You don’t have to limit yourself to sheets, either.  You can use hospital corners to give a nice polished look to comforters and blankets.

As I was preparing for this tour, I realized my sheets were extremely wrinkled and not exactly photo-worthy.

Here’s a little trick:  Downy Wrinkle Release works VERY well on cotton, and quite well on other materials, too.  In the picture below, the section of sheets behind the bottle were treated with the spray.  You can see quite the difference from the non-treated area on the left.

Just as the bottle indicates, spray your material and then smooth the fabric with your hands.  I suggest giving deep creases an extra squirt or two.

After Downy-ing-up the visible sheets….I’ve gotta admit….they look pretty good.  I wouldn’t want to make this a normal routine, that would be silly, but if you’re having company over, why not pretty things up?

Remember before?

Relish in the after!

And while you’re at it, if you see loose threads, give them a trim.  You’d hate to put in all this work and then have someone get distracted by a darn loose string.  Towel strings need trimming when you notice them, too.

Thank you for swinging by our pad! 

Psssst….did you catch the video? of the bedroom tour?

{the living room tour is here.  the kitchen tour is here.}

♥  stacy

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