Tonight as I was cleaning the house, which often feels very counterproductive when living in a fixer-upper, but necessary when having people over so they don’t judge you when they come over to visit. I mean, you already don’t have a kitchen & your house is a modge podge of unfinished projects everywhere so at least clean up a little for them. I talk about it a lot on here, but living in a fixer-upper is a dream come true, but also a weird dream that you want to wake up from sometimes. You have good days, you have bad days, & you have days where you decorate tiny corners of your home like I did today…
I’ve said this many times, but my biggest tip for living in a fixer-upper is to decorate areas of your home even if it’s just temporary. This is just one tip of many fixer-upper survival tips I have that I can share with you guys after this experience. At least this works for someone like me, I am a product of my surroundings so making a space pretty even if it is just until you can finish a space, have time to work on the space, or just until you can get inspiration… just whip something up & play around with your decor. For me, I had a bunch of stuff in a pile by the back door that was taken out of another room when we started to re-do it so I took a white dresser that I didn’t have a place for & created a vignette with some windows we took off the wall in the back living room & some other items. Adding some pots from Target, a tray from Painted Fox, A centerpiece I made from items from our shop, & a throw I believe I got from Marshalls it was kind of a random group of things just thrown together. Voila.. a corner of our front living room is keeping me inspired through this fixer-upper process.
So instead of having this stuff lying around not being used it’s now pretty and set up in this corner & I’m no longer frustrated by a mess when I walk by this area. I don’t share this to be innovative or to say that no one else does this, but I share it because it really helps me & I want to help those of you who are in the same shoes as us. You know how rewarding and wonderful fixing up your home is while living in it, but there are challenging days so things like this can really brighten up your mood & your home. I hope you enjoyed a peek at this lovely corner in our front living room. Thank you guys SO MUCH for stopping by my blog daily for inspiration & just to check in with us… I’m so thankful for each and every single one of you. Be sure to follow me on Facebook & Instagram for more behind the scenes of our farmhouse & our farm. xx
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thank you for that tip. i didnt realize until i read ur post today that is could apply to anyone at anytime, anywhere. im 68 and my life at this point is a fixer upper. lol! since surgery and other health trials and boomerang kids with kids at my house, my life is definitely a fixer upper. as well as decorating corners of my house, i can decorate corners of my soul too. not all is well inside and out. so i will use your tip to make the best of inside and out, my house, my body, my soul.
Diane (commenter above me), I love your comment! I, too, have had many disappointments in my life the last few years and have focused entirely on the big mess. But if I work on small areas that CAN be fixed up (because the bigger things are out of my hands), I will likely find some small joys in the midst of the trials. So thank you for calling that to my attention. God bless. 🙂
Liz, your pics never fail to inspire me. And draw just a bit of jealousy too. How awesome it must be to be able to create rooms like yours…. So serene, restful, and looks like home.
Sherry
Thank you for this beautiful reminder! We live in a fixer upper right now and instead of embracing it the last few years I have felt overwhelmed. I just believed this was a temporary home so why bother decorating the way I’d like? This post is my kick in the butt to create a home I love, no matter the house. This vignette is so cozy and gorgeous. I’m loving the blanket placement, so functional ?
I have loved reading your blog for years. You’ve inspired me so many times. Thanks for being real and opening up your life on here. Your house and family are beautiful.
Love this post! I took your advice and started putting up Fall decorations over the weekend!