As I observe my clients and friends, I notice that in general, most of us tend to be more comfortable with bringing a soft, welcoming and hospitable touch into our homes, but adding a BOLD touch – even just a touch – to their homes causes much more pause.
On the same token, I have noticed that so many people wish they had the GUTS to add some bolder things and bolder colors, that they love, into their spaces.
That is why today, we are going to chat for a little bit about the bold side of our spaces. It is time to find your inner gutsy decorator!
Why do I need guts?
In regards to decorating, or any artistic endeavors, I just love this quote by Adam Lambert:
“”THE ONLY THING NEEDED TO PULL SOMETHING OFF IS THE DESIRE TO PULL IT OFF.”
or, as I REGULARLY say to my clients:
“Sometimes, the only thing needed to create beauty… is GUTS!” {<-tweet this}
Have you ever looked at a woman wearing a bold, fantastic necklace and said/thought, “That necklace is SO fantastic, but I could NEVER get away with it. But it looks great on you!!”
I am here to tell you that that is absolutely, positively NOT true.
The only reason why your friend looks so stunning in that gorgeous necklace is that she had the guts to wear it and believe in its beauty. She has no secret formula to looking good in bold necklaces, but she simply has the guts to put it on and be fabulous in it.
How does this matter when decorating?
The SAME concept is true for decorating. Look at the room below. You may recognize it…
This amazing client of mine has no secret formula for her fabulous spaces, other than the fact that she has the guts to take chances and use things that she simply LOVES in her space. She had the guts. And then she went for it!! {check out her amazing decorating posts here}.
When faced with a decorating decision, she said YES to color.
She said YES to pattern.
She said YES to art.
She said YES to adding in things that make her happy.
She had the guts.
So, how do YOU get these “guts?”
Oh, good news. GUTS are available to everyone. Confidence in yourself, your decisions, and your passions is available to YOU!
Here is the truth of the matter: True confidence comes from the Lord. From KNOWING to whom we belong From KNOWING we were made for a purpose. From KNOWING, deeply, that we are well loved and well designed and created with love.
It comes from believing in who we are because of whose we are.
And guts come when we FULLY embrace this truth: We are not out to please man, but to live for and serve our Father. We don’t have to apologize for bold choices.
Just think of the possibilities: How could that knowledge free your decorating?? {ahem. free your LIFE?}
This God who is the source of our confidence also created us. He gave us our gifts and passions and our eye for the beautiful. Be who God made you to be.
When he made you, did he put a love for fuchsia in your heart?
Good gracious, HE invented fuchsia!!!
You were meant to Design like the Master:
And if you are feeling like making some bold design choices, you will be in some mighty fine Creative company:
So, if you love that pink chair, And if you LOVE that chunky necklace, then God gave you an eye to appreciate that bold and sculptural beauty. He is the BOLDEST Master Designer there is.
Recover that chair in fuchsia, I say.
And wear that necklace like you mean it!!
Boldly.
No. Apologies.
With Guts.
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What bold choice will you make in your decorating?
Is it time for you to move forward in confidence?
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Take daily, bite-size steps toward living in a home you LOVE: Be sure to subscribe to FHD via email, bloglovin, your fave reader, and follow Fieldstone Hill on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
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Have you been hearing buzz lately about Essential Oils? I love mine for a host of reasons!
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Don’t miss a single post from Fieldstone Hill Design! Have regular decorating goodness delivered {free!} directly to your inbox.
{This post contains affiliate links. You are supporting this blog and the info I share with your clicking love! Thank you SO very much for reading and supporting FHD! }
I have wanted to do this for a long time, share regular posts with you that link to some of my favorite internet reads, recipes, inspiration and style. I want to, really I do.
But the whole concept of ‘regular’ posts, alas, is not to be in my immediate future. And joyfully so, since the big hold-up is my parenting, my baby girl, and learning with my boys. Much less glamorous, I admit. Much less, dare I say…. fun. But still – complete peace in knowing that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.
So, let’s just pretend that I am going to share Weekend Links with you on a weekly basis, m’kay? That way we can hold up the ruse together.
I knew you had my back.
So without further ado, here is the first edition of my “regular,” “weekly,” “series:” Stuff I love.
this shop //
Can we just discuss how cute these scarves for toddlers are? I mean, COME ON!! I adore this shop, I love her scarf bibs for my Georgia Lu, and the precious heart of the shop owner {find her on instagram: @bellevargas}.
and
this dangerously delish snack //
Clean Eating chocolate bars, from one of my fave blogs, The Gracious Pantry. I may have made this twice already this week. And I may or may not have eaten the entire pan before they ever fulfilled their destiny as chocolate “bars.”
by my brilliant, big-hearted, fellow-home-lovin friend Myquillyn.
this MUST READ for mothers //
I need to read this post at least once a week. Anyone else?? And this blog is a must read for mothers of this generation.
this for lunch //
I shared this on my instagram, and no one seemed all the thrilled. But I am telling you it is GOOD. And gives major energy. I have had this smoothie for lunch everyday this week. I leave out the coconut water {I use regular water}, and the fancy flax stuff and chia stuff, as well as the stevia. Instead, I added the juice of a lemon and grapefruit for my sweet stuff.
this on your coffee table //
I cannot get over Aerin’s impeccable style. Pages and pages of it are here in her book, Beauty at Home {affiliate link. Thanks, lovelies!}, which is quite drool worthy.
{image found in the book, via Architectural Digest}
So what do you say? Shall we make this a ‘regular?’
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Take daily, bite-size steps toward living in a home you LOVE: Be sure to subscribe to FHD via email, bloglovin, your fave reader, and follow Fieldstone Hill on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
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Have you been hearing buzz lately about Essential Oils? I love mine for a host of reasons!
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Don’t miss a single post from Fieldstone Hill Design! Have regular decorating goodness delivered {free!} directly to your inbox.
{This post contains affiliate links. You are supporting this blog and the info I share with your clicking love! Thank you SO very much for reading and supporting FHD! }
After my post last week on how I use my essential oils, I had a lot of you ask me to share my story about how I combatted my acid reflux naturally. Actually, a few years ago, I wrote a post about my personal battle with debilitating acid reflux. And then, that post sat and sat in my drafts folder, because who wants to read about something as ugly as reflux on a site that is dedicated to Beauty!!?
But as you know, recently, I have been feeling pulled toward sharing more about my own mission to fully live with beauty in my life. And that includes sharing a huge part of my life that I am sharing a wee bit more on this blog: Wellness. Working toward wellness in our lives is truly a huge part of living with beauty. We all know that our health is important for living life to the fullest. And so, as we are able, we should care well for our bodies.
side note: {Having health to live a full life is not essential, though! Some of the people I admire MOST are those living life fully amidst their physical pain and suffering, and not waiting for it to go away before they find joy.}
Ultimately, I share this post for one sole reason: I hope my words bring hope and motivation to someone who has been suffering.
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Here is the post in entirety, as written a few years ago:
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A few months ago, I saw a twitter post from Layla. She was reaching out for natural ways to deal with reflux. I immediately DM’ed her with this:
And boy, do I have a story to share about this.
First, I gotta tell you, I am not a doctor. I do not claim to have medical knowledge. I am in no way trying to discredit doctors, who I respect immensely. I am only claiming my own personal story, and sharing with you what truly happened to me. I hope that it can help you in some way.
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In 2003, it was only weeks away from Opening Night. I was the female lead in the musical Guys and Dolls {Sarah Brown, for my fellow theatre nerds out there}, and I was so frustrated. For weeks, I had been suffering from a strange “cold,” and I just could not sing like I always did. I rested and rested, but never got well. Singing was my life. With two degrees, one in vocal performance and one in Opera Theatre Performance, I had dedicated years to my professional craft. I never had experienced such a strange illness that effected my voice so badly. I made doctor appointment after doctor appointment, and finally, one ENT told me it looked like I had acid reflux. From there, after several attempts at healing my voice, I went to one of the top voice doctors in the world.
It was one of the most devastating days in my life, when the callous doctor told me: “One of your vocal cords is paralyzed, and you will never sing the same again;” and then he breezed out of the room without an ounce of sympathy.
I never did sing the role of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. In fact, I never sang in a show again. Which was life altering, considering I had been in over 40 onstage performances, and I couldn’t remember a time when I was not “in a show.”
For the next 8 years, I suffered. After years of testing and bloodwork and MRI’s and even vocal surgery, and seeing many different doctors, they were never able to find a conclusive cause for my paralysis. One thing that was always a factor, though, was this pesky acid reflux. And the reflux caused me to suffer too. It was painful. And it just got worse and worse.
I can tell you that I have officially tried every single medicine that is available for acid reflux. None of them healed me. Some helped, but the help was quite temporary, and I would finally react to the meds by refluxing even worse; there was not a single thing I could eat. Even water caused reflux. I continually asked my doctors,”What about diet???” And every time, it was dismissed. They simply gave me the classic reflux diet list, to which I would reply, “Yes. I have been avoiding those, of course.”
By 2011, I was sick. Really sick. I was in constant pain… and who cared that I could not sing??? I couldn’t eat and I could barely talk.
The doctors just kept wanting to do the same things, over and over. They wanted me to take the same awful tests, and even suggested that I increase to 3 Nexium a day.
Then something happened: My insurance company denied a test, and I ran out of my last Nexium, and I just could not bear spending $400 more dollars on another bottle that did not work anyway. I begged the doctor: “I swear, this stuff is making me sicker! Isn’t there anything else we can do???”
Stomach surgery.
That is when I decided to quit all of my reflux meds. Cold turkey. I informed the nurse over the phone that I was choosing to go against the doctors recommendations and I was going to stop meds and ‘go wacky’ on holistic diets {You are NOT supposed to quit medication without your doctor’s consultation, but I want to be honest about what I did. I am not encouraging you to do the same. With some medications, there can be very serious repercussions to quitting, so here is my CYA: check with your doctor}.
That was almost exactly one year ago {3 years ago at the time of this posting}. I am telling you: It took me EIGHT years of pain to get to the point of drastically changing my course. Because, if I could have taken an easy little pill and be well, I {just being honest} probably would have done just that!
Now, if you think this is the easy route, or the immediate answer, I can tell you that is not true. I wasted lots of time and energy and money on different holistic methods. I also invested time through trial and error: by trying over 4 different ‘kinds’ of holistic diets. And not only that, I have invested countless hours into researching, changing my habits, cooking, etc. BUT, I persevered. I listened to my body and did not give up.
For me, the answer WAS diet. And it changed everything, not just my reflux. I wish I could say “all I had to do was cut out brussel sprouts, and I was healed.” Ha! Hardly. No, instead, I no longer eat sugar, starches {no potatoes, no grain, no corn}, and mostly no dairy. I don’t eat soy or hardly anything that comes pre made or in a box. I do eat honey and fruit and any dairy where the lactose has been fully fermented {hard cheeses, specially-made yoghurt}. I follow a diet that helps people with digestion problems, called the SCD diet. I REALLY recommend this diet to anyone with digestion problems of any kind.
And I am reflux-free when I follow my SCD diet. And as hard as it has been, I now LOVE my diet. Eating all natural food actually FEELS good, once I fully made the big change. And the homemade yogurt is like manna to my body; it is an essential for me EVERY day {I am still trying to figure out how to get a ton of it on an airplane… can’t live without it!}. The yogurt recipe can be found in the original, scientific SCD diet book.
This diet has been the first thing that has kept my voice pain-free for any length of time. In fact, since starting my diet experimentations of removing things like gluten, dairy, sugar, etc. in March of 2011, I have felt more relief than I ever felt from Proton Pump Inhibitor pills {Nexium, Prilosec and the like}. So, for over a year, diet alone has been healing me. And this was, in fact, the very thing that my doctors told me would do no use.
I have no idea if it would help you, but if you have health struggles, and you are at your wits end, maybe what I learned can be helpful to you too. I can tell you that doing the HARD WORK of taking these things out of my diet has totally changed my digestion, my happiness, and has helped me in all sorts of other unexpected areas, such as depression, PMS, energy.
As far as my singing voice: over time, my range has returned. And ever since I have been on my diet, I have had consistent relief to my vocal pain. I sang Handel at this year’s Easter service, and every note was a miracle to me. As you can imagine, every bit of effort it takes to follow this diet is worth it to me!
I follow my diet 90% of the time – because life happens sometimes. And, when I celebrate my birthday, you had better believe I am having some dark chocolate chunks and rhubarb pie!
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Back to the present: I want to give you an update. Three years later, I am still well. And now, hooray, I can cheat even more. I would say that I follow the diet about 80% of the time. And when I get naughty, and start to feel symptoms again, I simply get serious about my diet again, and I get better MUCH faster than with my initial search for reflux relief.
This experience has changed how I view medicine. My dream is that someday, instead of being so resistant to each others’ ideas, both traditional medical doctors and holistic medical doctors will work TOGETHER to help people, instead of working so hard to be right. I am so thankful that the very thing that has healed me is simply good foods, made by God. And that is why I go to Him and the fruits of His nature as my first resort when I need to get well or prevent sickness. I don’t believe this replaces traditional doctors, but instead, enhances them.
I hope this story helps you or someone you love.
Products that I use to help me with my diet {affiliate links. Thank you, loves!}:
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Want more natural solutions for your wellness? I use Essential Oils. I love mine for a host of reasons! Get yours here, and read more about them here. I use DiGize, Frankincense and Peppermint oil. Must haves!
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Take daily, bite-size steps toward living in a home you LOVE:
Nearly all of us have been limited by the costs of decorating. Unfortunately, this can give us a terrible case of Decorating Paralysis. And then of course, there are life obstacles and realities, such as finding time. And these sources of decorating paralysis often keeps us from having beautiful spaces in our homes.
What we need is a quick pick-me-up list to motivate us to make some free and immediate changes to your decor…. for the better. Use what you have – and use it well and purposefully – to get a designer look! Here are five, free, pretty-much-instant ways you can add beauty to your space: {<-tweet this}
I have said it before: “You can’t have a beautiful space if it is filled with junk.” {<-tweet this}
Kind of sassy, I know. But it is very, very true, alas.
Beauty needs breathing room. And I am not talking about starkness or severe minimalism. I am simply talking about
1. getting control of the “stuff” of life, by organizing it – or chucking it, and
2. giving away or tossing the ugly, broken, fix-it-later, sew-it-later, my-great-aunt-gave-it-to-me-and-I-would-feel-terrible’s that are clogging up your home and taking away from you enjoying your favorite things.
3. giving away or selling the extra furnishings that just clog up traffic in your home.
Let the natural beauty of your home shine through, by giving it space to be seen and enjoyed. No more junk {wink}.
What is functional art? Basically, belongings that you own that both 1. serve a use or purpose AND 2. happen to be beautiful.Some ideas for ‘functional’ art that you can find in your cabinets and shelving, and bring out hiding to display on your tabletops:
1. a beautiful bowl that you have hiding away in a drawer or china cabinet that could be taken out and put on display.
2. a grouping of beautiful books that may currently be hiding in your bookshelves. Pull them out, and stack them from largest to smallest on your tabletop.
3. a bowl of grapefruit or oranges, or nearly any other fruit, makes a gorgeous display.
4. a tray that you usually use for serving can be pulled out of storage and placed tabletop.
5. a stack of pretty dishes or bowls, set out on display, but ready for use.
6. a row of wine bottles and glasses, set out invitingly.
Why hide your favorite things in your cabinets, when they could be decorating your home?
Again, functional art is something that 1. serves a use or purpose and 2. is also beautiful. But on the walls, you will need functional art that can actually be hung, of course.
Some of my favorite ideas for functional art, that you may just already have around the house:
1. a collection of straw hats
2. musical instruments, gathered and then hung on the wall
This is a simple tip, and you likely won’t need to purchase a thing for your home to accomplish it.
Look for ways you can employ the ‘law of symmetry’ throughout your home, and make an effort to move things around so that your symmetry is emphasized. Get ready to find things in your home that come in two-sies.
1. Do you have any items in your home that come in pairs? Set them out on display using symmetry.
2. Arrange two chairs to flank anything in your room – a dresser perhaps, or a console.
3. Arrange pillows symmetrically, with something in the center.
4. Find a center focal point, and arrange items in your room around it symmetrically.
Symmetry works because it helps create order, allows your eye the breathing room it needs to take in the design, and it emphasizes a focal point. Try this trick for free!
Want to make your home dreamier? More retreat-like?
This tip is simple, and you can go do it right now. Go ahead, I will be here when you get back!
Gather a favorite chair, a lamp or other lighting, a small table or ottoman, your fave books {here is a list of some of my faves}, a cup of something yummy, and create a new favorite place to sit. This can be done in no time at all, and can really become the highlight of your room. And it will not only look pretty, but it will be welcoming and useful as well. For free.
You’re welcome.
I would love to hear how these ‘freebies’ work for you?
Is your home feeling more beautiful already??
These Design Books are game changers
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MY GENEROUS BLOG SPONSOR (and why you should looky here):
This blog post is generously sponsored by my YL. My Young Living essential oils are also a passion of mine, and the oils are so well loved that they sponsor my blog!!! Thank you, friends! Enroll by clicking here. You will not regret it! You NEED these amazing bottles of life-loving oils (that don’t even COMPARE to the cheap-y stink oils) in your life!!
I am SUPER excited about the new Premium Starter Kit. You are going to LOVE it… unless you hate things that smell heavenly and make you smile. #spaliving #livewithbeauty #wellness #MyHouseSmellsLikeASpa
Questions? Head here:
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Take daily, bite-size steps toward living in a home you LOVE: Be sure to subscribe to FHD via email, bloglovin, your fave reader, and follow Fieldstone Hill on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
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Don’t miss a single post from Fieldstone Hill Design! Have regular decorating goodness delivered {free!} directly to your inbox.
{This post contains affiliate links. Thank you so much for reading and supporting FHD! }
{image via Decorating Myself}
{affiliate link. Thanks, lovelies!}, which is quite drool worthy.
. I REALLY recommend this diet to anyone with digestion problems of any kind.
