what do you like?

      In her posting last week Monday, Nan, from "Mom's The Word (that I love to hear)", talked about making your home represent you. Not the people that lived there before you, and not the people whom your furniture came from. She also mentioned that a big challenge of hers, was choosing a paint color. Having to make that final decision.
     While Byron and Cyndi were here, they were talking along the same similar lines. They plan to spend some of their tax refund check on paint and even carpeting. They really want to make their home 'theirs', not still representing her mom's and sisters. But they too were having challenges with actually picking colors.
     I gave them a lot of the same advice that I had written in my comment to Nan. In her comment back to me, Nan had said that I should make that information a posting of its own. I decided to sort of do so. I'm including some of the information, but not all of it. If your curious what all I had written, click on the words "her posting last week Monday" above and go see for yourself :-].
      This is part of what I wrote to her, and it's also what I adviced Byron and Cyndi to do. "As far as picking colors go. Go to a library that has a good selection of house/home style magazines. Or go to a bookstore and look through decorating books. Take note. In the pictures, what colors are you continually drawn to. Maybe you don't like what they did with the room itself, but you like the colors they used. After awhile, it will become apparent to you what colors should be on your basic personalized palette."

       That helps with what colors you like. But what about what 'style' you like? You can do the same. Or, you could do what I did.

      Years (and years) ago, I had LOTS of decorating / home project magazines stored away in grocery bags in the basement. They all contained things I liked, or information about how to do something which I thought might come in useful, so I saved them. Several brown grocery bags FULL.
     Then we had gotten permission from the landlord to take the sponge backed short shag carpeting out of our bathroom ( extremely horrible stuff for a bathroom, especially when mixed with four YOUNG sons, and play baths, and ... :-< ). Brian pulled out the carpet with the roll of flooring ready to be cut and put in place. But we found carpenter ants under the carpeting. And full evidence that they had been there and active for quite some time. So the toilet had to come out while the wood was replaced.
     The thing was, I knew I had articles with tips about all of this in those magazines. But could I find it .... no-o-o!!! 8-/ So shortly thereafter, I started working my way through all of the magazines, cutting out both articles and pictures that I liked, and getting rid of the rest. Yes, I am aware that some people would be appalled at me doing such a thing. That's okay, others think I'm crazy for what I did with all of the cut pictures and articles.

        I made a file. [Yes, I'm hooked on creating files. They are just such an efficient way of organizing / storing information, etc.] Yes, I do use it as a resource base. And to this day, I am still adding to it. In-fact, I recently decided that I am going to start printing off some of the ideas I find and like on peoples blogs, so that I don't have to try and remember where that was, and when ... .

Here is a picture of my file. Yes, it takes up most of a file drawer.

         I won't list every single individual file, after all, there are just shy of fifty (50) of them. Yes, fifty (50). I'll just give you a rough out line.
         First is one for house plans, then one titled 'whole houses'. The latter one is from when a magazine featured a whole house that I liked.
         Then comes files for every possible room / area inside a house. From front entry, to laundry room, to craft and storage rooms, as well as kitchens, bedrooms, etc. .
         The next section of files is all of the 'details' of an inside of a house. From walls, and ceilings, to electrical, to plumbing, etc..
         The following section is the exterior of houses. From roofs and siding, to windows and doors, etc..
         Then it's on to other aspects of the outside of your home. Garages, storage sheds, driveways, landscaping, tree houses, etc..
         The last section is 'build it projects', 'toy' plans, furniture repair, etc..

       Sometimes when I just need to get the creative juices flowing in cleaning and rearranging my home, I browse through my files. If we are going to be working on something in particular, I see if we have 'how-to' info. on it in the files, before looking elsewhere. And in their own (probably peculiar) little way, my file is a security blanket of sorts. I know some of you totally don't get that, while others of you can relate ever so well.

        I know that the file does take up room/space. However, I would encourage each and every one of you to start one for yourself anyways! Yes, I have found it to be that beneficial!!! I have made similar files and gifted them to a couple of different people. One friend said that she had ever so much fun occasionally sitting down with her box's of saved pictures and articles, and filing them away in such an organized way. While she did end up tossing some of the stuff she'd saved, others things made her "giddy with glee and ideas" (her words, not mine).

       I don't know if you will find this posting "useful ideas" or not, but I hope so.
       I also 'think' I might have posted about this at some point in time ... didn't go checking.

I 'plan' on linking this particular posting to:
~ "Make-Do Mondays", hosted by Shari, at 'My Practically Perfect Life' (www.practically-perfect-life.blogspot.com).
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).


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