Home Decorating and Thrifted Treasures

30 Days of Daily Blogging – A Personal Challenge

Day #2

I woke up with a smile on my face this morning because I knew that after my quiet time, after watching birds on my feeder for a little while, after watering our garden beds and getting dressed, I’d be on the road to a newborn session. I really enjoy newborn sessions. I’m officially going to begin offering them! I have been shooting them behind the scenes and on the down low for years, but I’m now at the point that I love them so much I want to officially offer them a service to my clients. 

I love these sessions for two reasons: they’re very organic in nature and they take place in my clients’ homes. I love a relaxed photography atmosphere and I love home, so it’s a winning combo for me! I love that we’re at the mercy of a tiny human who’s just a few weeks old. I love that I cannot control their behavior or actions and reactions, and as such we all just have to do our best to love on them and make them comfortable! The result is a very real, authentic, always very joyful session filled with a lot of moments of wonder and awe. Of course, those are all centered around the precious newborn. But the setting of such moments, the home, always has an impact on the session and how the photos turn out.

Home is so important. It is a safe haven, an atmosphere, even a living breathing thing. I love home. It’s one of the driving forces that motivated me to make a living working from home. Decorating our home is one of my favorite, ever evolving pass times, and having people into our space is a treat for me. So as such a lover of home, I always find it special to get to go into the home of a client, especially for a session as soft and raw as a newborn session. This morning, as I toured Hillary and Sheppard’s home during their session, I marveled at how we all make home a beloved and beautiful space in different ways. Hillary’s style is inspired by a love of the Southwest (they even got married there!) and is full of colorful, culture-filled pieces emanating a wanderlust for dusty roads, cactus filled deserts, and adobe huts the perfect coral blush color. Baskets, pictures and artwork, amazing chairs and tables — so many pieces perfectly picked to blend together and create a cozy and vibrant reflection of the hearts who chose them. As I walked around admiring all of Hillary’s treasures, she told me so many were passed down from their families. I was instantly touched by this, because so many of my treasures, which likewise cumulatively create my sense of decorating style, were passed down by my family, too! 

I think that is so beautiful. Hillary’s nesting instincts and unique eye for her curated home is credited to her family, as is mine. My home is a daughter of the home I grew up in, that we all affectionately refer to as “4103.” That house is no longer where my parents live, but I actually have a watercolored piece of art reflecting the image of that house that my talented cousin created for us when my parents moved out after 20 years of life and memories at 4103. I see that painting every day as I walk to and from our bedroom, and it’s become yet another small piece of the blending pot that is my own sense of style and home curation. There’s so much that goes into my own sense of decoration like nature, light, and color, but one of the things I love most — that was passed down by my mom — is thrifting. I have such a passion for finding “little treasures” as my mom calls them at estate/garage sales, antique stores, thrift shops, and twice a year for years now, my mom and sister and I all go to Round Top for the antique show there. Sitting here at my desk and looking around my office, I see that almost everything in here is a little treasure that was passed down to me by my mother herself (or other family members of mine) or something I patiently and passionately searched for at an antique store or thrift shop or estate sale. And miraculously, I think at least, that they all blend together so happily in a soft, cozy watercolor masterpiece themselves. 

Driving home from my newborn session reflecting on all this, I got excited about my blog post today! I knew just what I wanted to write about. And I even stopped by my favorite thrift store in Dripping Springs to see if they had any new treasures I’d love, and I found some! I even got a few to share with you all — I thought that would be a fun thing to do! While I’m gathering things I love for my home, maybe also gathering things along the way that I love, but don’t have room for, and sharing them with you either here on my blog or on my Instagram! So stay tuned for that. If you’re a lover of treasures I think you’ll enjoy what I find, and maybe one day something I find will end up in your own home! 

Below — photos from my treasure hunt today. Found the litter sister (for $1) of a pretty bowl I found in Estes Park last month. Pretty fun! Plus some vintage coasters I’ll use as nesting plates for any and everythingggg. I’ll share these with you guys!

Below — Photos of my office with the mosaic of passed down treasures and things I’ve found over the years, including my father in law’s old film camera, a postcard from my mom, and my grandmother’s sun hat. The 2nd and 4th photos are actually of my office photo closet! I found that white book shelf at an estate sale for like $5 when I was in desperate need of closet organization. It’s perfect. And yes, lamps everywhere in my house, including the closets. 

Now for just a few moments around the house. The kitchen shelf with the Estes bowl (!), Bowie being cute, a bookshelf in Kenton’s office he styled himself (adorableeeee), and Mimo, the dresser my grandmother got for me when I was little, with insertable mirror removed and a mirror hung above for a little different look.