Comments on Tales of the Trees: Home Decorating Blogs

I wouldn't worry too much about decorating. Ge...

2011-09-15T14:24:27.864-07:00

I wouldn't worry too much about decorating. Generally if you pick what you like--than you're set! My advice would be "Don't forget the small things!" Sometimes a few small tabletop accessories or classy barware can make the whole room. If you're interested, you can check out http://www.classichostess.com

I was looking for ways to decorate and save cash w...

2011-06-06T07:18:55.940-07:00

I was looking for ways to decorate and save cash when I ran across your blog...You have helped me so much. Good work on the affordable home decor & design ideas.

here's a site i found a few weeks ago related ...

2010-09-22T13:27:12.256-07:00

here's a site i found a few weeks ago related to home decor. this lady specializes in decorating any room fabulously WHILE not spending a lot of money :) here's the link http://www.blogtopsites.com/out/33806

Ok, that may have been me (ginat blush) shouting f...

2010-03-26T13:48:42.288-07:00

Ok, that may have been me (ginat blush) shouting from my computer screen not worry about decorating until you're moved in. I feel SUPER bad for giving unsolicited advice :(. I was way too overeager when we bought our condo and made some big decorating mistakes. I so know how it feels to be so excited!

I do not get to read blogs as often as I would lik...

2010-03-22T14:52:12.303-07:00

I do not get to read blogs as often as I would like so I have missed that you are moving to a house. Congratulations! I am excited for you.

I love Hobby Lobby and they always have such great sales. I do not have a creative bone in my body so I usually steal from other homes I've been in.

Buy the home improvement magazines... and go from ...

2010-03-21T20:49:27.982-07:00

Buy the home improvement magazines... and go from there... it can be quite fun.

Blessings,
Kristie

I love love love Hobby Lobby. I need to be resear...

2010-03-21T07:24:28.223-07:00

I love love love Hobby Lobby. I need to be researching decorating ideas myself.

Hey! Congrats! I just became a consultant with a...

2010-03-19T16:40:28.896-07:00

Hey! Congrats! I just became a consultant with a company called Entertaining at Home. Pretty fitting for me. lol Our company makes products for cooking,decorating, entertaining and organizing. Maybe you'll see some things you like. www.micheleb.eahweb.com.

My best advice is to take your time and not try to...

2010-03-19T16:05:04.164-07:00

My best advice is to take your time and not try to do everything all at once. When we moved into our house, I wanted every single room painted and decorated. A few months into living in our home, I ended up regretting some of my decisions! Once you are actually living in your house you will get a better feel for it, and for how you want it decorated!

ps--I also second the advice to take your time. I ...

2010-03-19T11:59:16.987-07:00

ps--I also second the advice to take your time. I am going one room/project at a time and making sure I am buying stuff we really love!

Ugh ugh ugh ugh!!! This stresses me out so very mu...

2010-03-19T11:58:39.192-07:00

Ugh ugh ugh ugh!!! This stresses me out so very much! We have been living in our house for four months and still have white walls, nothing hung, rooms without furniture. Some of it is budgetary (okay, fine, a LOT of it is budgetary) but some of it is also me not having a freaking clue what I am doing. I am so scared people will come to our house and laugh at how ugly it is!!

My 'style' has changed so many times, sinc...

2010-03-19T11:36:57.981-07:00

My 'style' has changed so many times, since getting married (almost 14 years ago) and it continues to change. My first couch that I picked out for our first home was plaid. (HA!) What was I thinking???

I do understand picturing something in your head and not being able to actually make it happen...that can be frustrating. My only advice would be - take your time. You want it to feel like you and like a home. Not like Ethan Allen threw up in your house overnight. Which somedays, that's the way I feel about my home! (LOL) I continue to change things, add things, take away things and hopefully, it feels like a home to my husband and those that visit.

And for the record, I think you have great style! You always look adorable in your pics!

Oh, and have fun! I'm so excited for you guys...first home is a huge deal. :) What a blessing.

This was also a huge struggle for me because as so...

2010-03-19T09:53:22.950-07:00

This was also a huge struggle for me because as soon as we moved in I wanted everythign fully decorated. However, I've learned that decorating is a never-ending process & I had to learn to be patient & wait until I found what I really wanted. I also tried not to spend a lot of money (Hobby Lobby, Kohl's & Gordman's) were huge for me because if I decide I don't like it or want to change something then I didn't have a huge investment.

Good luck & have fun with it, it's your house & your style so I know it will be fantastic when it's finished!

Here is my decorating advice after 2 years of home...

2010-03-19T09:12:09.197-07:00

Here is my decorating advice after 2 years of home ownership and a LOT of trial and error.

1. Take some of those style quizzes online to figure out your style - modern, traditional, french countryside, etc. As cheesy as they are they help give you a "vision."

2. Start with what's already in your home... example - if you have green tile in your bathroom, start with a green color pallet in mind.

3. The color pallet is the most important part - if you already have beige carpet and black counter tops those are the first two colors in your pallet and then start adding colors to those.

4. Look around at your favorite items you own -- a painting, a lamp, a rug, etc. If you LOVE an item you can typically use that as your starting point and build a room around it that you'll love. I did this with my childhood bedroom and it turned out great!

Blogs I love... Young House Love, Bryn Alexandra, Brooklyn Limestone, Hooked on Houses.

Don't stress out! Just pick out things that YO...

2010-03-19T09:11:14.963-07:00

Don't stress out! Just pick out things that YOU love and that will make it YOUR home! It will be great!

I'm in the same boat! My friend bought her fir...

2010-03-19T07:59:55.936-07:00

I'm in the same boat! My friend bought her first house and it's a semi-fixerupper so we're kinda in over our heads. We painted for the first time EVER yesterday! So far so good though it's been tons of fun and we're really pumped to keep going.

I'm also taking lots of pictures and videos and blogging about it so I can make a transformation video at the end of it all.

My friend Emily has a great design blog: http://em...

2010-03-19T06:20:57.190-07:00

My friend Emily has a great design blog: http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/

Praying for you and all that is going on right now. I know it can be stressful, but I pray that God will give you a peace and that you will be able to enjoy this time of transition!

Someone already mentioned this - Young House Love....

2010-03-19T05:30:35.889-07:00

Someone already mentioned this - Young House Love. They are young, and have great taste in decorating for a budget. I am not interior design-inclined, but they have some really wonderful ideas. Good luck!

Oh girl, you have beautiful style, because it is y...

2010-03-19T05:19:34.780-07:00

Oh girl, you have beautiful style, because it is your style. You are going to do GREAT!!! There is only one you and Luke and your style will shine through. Y'all are just so cute and fun!!

I actually know of a decorating blog that I really like, but haven't been there in a REALLY long time and can't remember the url. Sorry. Wow I am NO help!! =)

Have fun figuring this out. What a fun time in y'all's lives.

Have a Blessed weekend,
Dawn

I do the same thing as saralovesshoes :-) good ide...

2010-03-19T04:38:47.517-07:00

I do the same thing as saralovesshoes :-) good idea - we're so smart . . .

and dont worry - it will evolve over time, which looks better than if you just go out and buy everything at once anyways! :-)

I LOVE Hobby Lobby! I try not to go in there becau...

2010-03-19T04:34:06.599-07:00

I LOVE Hobby Lobby! I try not to go in there because I always end up spending way too much money, but it's so fun! Anyways we moved into our first house two years ago and I had all of these amazing ideas for decorating and so far we still have white walls in every single room except our bedroom...oops. I think the main problem is laziness and not having enough money lol. I would say to just take it one room at a time though! Sorry I have never bought anything from Sam's but I do love that store too...

Very jealous of the spring break! One thing that...

2010-03-18T23:08:09.309-07:00

Very jealous of the spring break!

One thing that helps me organize my design ideas is organizing everything I love in a binder. When I see a room/decorating idea I love, I rip the page out of the magazine or print it off my computer. I organize it by room (yes, I have organizational OCD) and then when I have a bunch it enables me to go back and see the cohesive elements, revealing what I truly love (of course this also means I now have three jumbo binders full of ideas and only a tiny one bedroom apartment to decorate but whatever).

You are going to drive yourself batty if you try t...

2010-03-18T21:02:30.289-07:00

You are going to drive yourself batty if you try to decorate all the rooms at once! When we eventually buy a house one million years from now, we won't have much real furniture we'll want to hang on to and will need to replace/decorate EVERYTHING. We're a long way off, but I've put a lot of thought into the process :)

If I were you, I'd follow the "layering" approach. I'd settle on a palette of colors, even if it's a palette of neutrals, for your walls and paint before you move in or before you get everything put away. Your house will look 100% less dingy (just the whole, someone lived here before us dingy look) if you've got new paint up and feel immediately more like yours if you've put a little TLC into it. Young House Love recently posted a grid of their house by paint color by room, and I love how they show how each room should flow even if it's a slightly different color, or how you could repeat a color in two different rooms (say a laundry and a bathroom) to create a cohesive look. I think this strategy would also help keep you "on track" when you're shopping for furniture and decoration items. I especially like this idea because most of us won't live forever in our first home, so following the one cohesive color palette throughout the house helps ensure your furniture and decor can be rearranged and regrouped in a different house later on.

I'd also start small, like in a bathroom, so you can play around with more inexpensive items rather than jumping in on something like the living room and realizing 1.5 years from now you hate that expensive furniture.

You are going to have so much fun finding "yourself" in this process. Don't let it stress you out! Enjoy it!

It will come, and it takes time!! I remember feeli...

2010-03-18T20:29:04.098-07:00

It will come, and it takes time!! I remember feeling how I wanted to get every little detail covered when we moved in our first house and it didn't happen as quickly as I wanted it to. It's just one of those things you can't go out and do all at once, unless you are Jennifer Aninston and the Benjamin Franklin's flow like water!! You will get the hang of it quicker than you think and especially once you find a style and colors you really like!! I am so happy for you and can't wait to see everything you do!

agreed. hobby lobby is the best store ever. advice...

2010-03-18T20:22:45.835-07:00

agreed. hobby lobby is the best store ever. advice from someone who knows no clue about decorating: dont try to do it all at once (its overwhelming and too $$$) and secondly, keep the tags and receipts for EVERYTHING. i cant tell you how many times i returned curtains to target trying to find the perfect ones. here is my favorite design blog. she is an amazing designer, its all pricey i am sure, but maybe you can find inspiration!

http://blog.urbangrace.com/

p.s. be sure to take before and after pics to share with your blog fam so we can admire your handiwork!