Home Made Lovely- Annalea’s Home Tour

Hey there, Life Made Lovely friends.
I am thrilled to share my thoughts on creating a lovely home.

First I looked at the definition.

Um, yes!  That is so how I see our home.  And what a wonderful way to describe it.  Let’s look at how that definition plays out room by room.

Before we step inside, let’s stay awhile on the front porch.

Our 100 year old bungalow boasts an incredibly wide and long porch.  A super neat aspect of urban living, we have an active neighborhood full of sights and sounds.  Granted, it is a small city, but still, there is always someone passing by.

We recently gave this space a makeover.  The hope was to up the comfort and usability factor.  Not only do the littles stage sword fights and concerts up here, but now guests can be invited for a cup of tea.  Or I can take a book and blanket out to porch swing.  In all my free time.

Here we keep our nature walk collections.  Kiddo friendly & found decor.

Giving a place for their special treasures + keeping some of their fun easily contained = win for all.

Cut wildflowers from the yard.  Free source of lovely.

(A definite theme around here, as you will see.)

Best doorknocker ever, right?  This beauty came with the place.

Let’s head inside. . .

This is our “formal” living area.  Which is a bit laughable, since no part of our home is formal.  That does not fit our lifestyle.  But formal I’ll call it since it has a fireplace and no TV.

Can you tell I love color?  Yeah, its pretty obvious.  Illinois winters can be so dreary and gray.  I vowed to find a way to stay sunny year-round and this yellow is a fun take on neutral.

The pair of green rolling chairs are my most favorite freecycle find to date.  I heart freecycle.

I also find using brighter shades makes it easier to deal with the intense colors of kiddo stuff.  With three littles, there is no getting away from it.  The toys and gear are a part of the scenery and I would have it no other way.

Hello, mega aloe.  Hello, antique dresser.

My mom has an uber-green thumb.  And she likes to give us furniture.

We benefit greatly.

The only new piece of furniture we have ever purchased is this anthro couch.  It was a floor model, 75% off.  Annalea, for the win!  I made the pillows and gave the thrifted lamp a makeover with heirloom embroidery.  The curtains are unlined, unhemmed, simple cut yardage of quilting cotton.  Easy does it.

Every other piece of decor in this shot was free.  (theme. . .)

This is as close of a look as we’ll take at the dining room.  I have an ongoing project in there that is not quite ready to be revealed.  It began on Mother’s Day and was conceived a year before that.  There is never a guarantee that projects will be done in a timely manner around here.  When the mama has a chronic illness, the papi a demanding job, and the entire family is working through the new diagnosis of a child with special needs, life often has other priorities than our current DIY.  What good would it be to work on these if it causes stress.  Remember that definition?  Part of a lovely home is being able to enjoy and delight in it.

That being said, we do enjoy making our home a beautiful haven.

Beautiful doesn’t mean perfect.

Or complete.

Here is proof of my bootleg ways.  Since I couldn’t find anything suitable in my basement, this framed art was turned on its side and backwards.  Notice the twine?  Don’t you think the felt roses in the corner make it more purposefully cool?  My friend Molly laughs at me.

Moving on to the kitchen. . .

While not as small as our last house, this kitchen is not one of the open-floor-plans-we-spend-most-of-the-day-in-here kind.  But it is a bright and cheery space due to the painted cabinets and removed upper doors.

The ever popular and ever fab mason jar.

we have painted many of the doors with chalkboard paint.  Great for leaving special notes, jotting down a grocery list, or creating a masterpiece while mama preps dinner.

Although we didn’t get much produce out of the potager this year, the potatoes made it!  Something the squirrels didn’t ravage.

Our two boys (6yo and almost 2yo) now share a room.  This is a new arrangement, but they are best buds, so it is going great.

Our oldest and I made the city art over his bed together.  Totally makes me smile.

And this is our 4yo daughter’s girlie domain.  After sharing with big brother for the last three years, she is a fan of having her own room.  I am a fan of getting to wild with flowers.

We did the complete room swap without spending a dime.  Not only did we not have the financial option, but I sincerely enjoy finding and making do with what is available.  The investment is more of the heart than the wallet.  I am thankful for the wonderful resources available.

Let’s go upstairs.  The previous owners added the second story.  It is amazing.

Oh wait, before we get there, check out these sweet handmade papercuts.

LOVE them.

Allright, here we go.  I told you it was amazing.

This is The Attic, where we spend the majority of our days.  Right now it is a bit of an occupational therapy room, complete with trampoline, scooter and balance boards, bouncer balls, and a swing chair about to be installed.  Most of our indoor/in-house homeschooling is done up here.  My studio (not pictured) is tucked into a little nook.  The master bedroom is behind that wall.  We watch TV and movies while on that sectional.  (It is housed in the white cabinet just visible in the corner.)

This last shot gives you a better look at the play area. It is unstaged and real life.  Table and chairs askew, blocks strewn about, shelves all jumbled and the baby gate in place.

Yes, this is our lovely & lived in home.

Few things make me happier than filling it with friends and family.

But I’ll take a quiet night with my honey.

You can find cat hair on the furniture, food under the table, and dust on the shelves.

But it is a place full of love.
It is lovely, indeed.

Thanks for visiting, folks.
And thanks for inviting me over, Heather.