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When And Why Do You Redecorate?

February 10, 2017

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How to decorate a cottage style bedroom

The other day I received a lovely email from a company who wanted to offer me some new bedding in exchange for a post. My initial thought was,"Wow! How exciting and what a wonderful surprise!" While I didn't really need new bedding, it's always nice to get new stuff, right? Of course, before I answered them, I checked out their site and starting thinking. 

While it was gorgeous and very cutting edge, it wasn't really my style. Hmm. The wheels started spinning. Did I need new stuff? Free or not, would I have picked this particular bedding out if I were in a store? Would it go with what I already had in the room? 

Would I have to make changes to accommodate it and, most importantly, did I really need to redecorate right now? 

The short answer to all of these questions was no. So I politely declined. 

I am sure there are people out there who think I'm crazy, that despite the fact that they were very, very expensive and didn't really fit my home or my audience, I should've accepted the items and given them away or used them in the future. 

I get that, but it meant that I would still have had to stage the room with them, perhaps make some changes in decor to showcase them and that's not real life. 

And I'm all about real life here. 

Sometimes, a little too real. 

You see, even as someone who writes about home decor on a regular basis, I don't redecorate all that often. I just don't see the need.  

My feeling is that if things are not broken and they function well, there is no need to redecorate every few years.

Unless of course you want to. 

If you love what surrounds you, however, let it be. 

Forget the trends. The fads. The marketing and the magazines.

Besides everything old is new again eventually. 

And the classics never go out of style. 

Almost every room in my house looks much the way it did when we first painted the walls and settled in over a decade ago.

Oh sure, I may add a few new decor items each season, update small accessories and the occasional piece of furniture, but overall, it takes a lot to get me to redecorate a room.

Time and money are too precious to me and like my dad always said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Laura Ashley Crocheted Lace Euro Sham

My bedroom is a perfect example. 

I bought these lamps at Ikea when we moved in. They were supposed to be temporary. Over the last ten years, I have seen tons of lamp fads from crystal and mercury glass to wood and hobnail come and go. All were enticing choices and I could have replaced them, but didn't. 

They still fit. 

It's the same story with the drapes. They are cheap sheers I picked up on a whim. 

Again. I thought temporary.

I could have swapped them out since with burlap or drop cloth versions, but I like them. When I walk in the room, they make me smile.

So I stick. 

Bedroom Side Table Lamp Accessory Ideas

When we renovated this house, I wanted to make sure that whatever we added respected the character of the original home, built in 1920. This light fixture fit. 

Glamorous? Not really. Did I have the urge to replace it with a chandelier over the years? Yup. I just never got around to and now I am back in love with this simple charmer again. 

Mosaic Hanging Light Fixture

It's the same story with my old antique rock maple furniture. We bought it at a yard sale for our first apartment. We were sure that once we bought a house it would be relegated to a guest or kids' bedroom. Well, our first house was so teeny, we're lucky these pieces fit and when we moved in here, there was so much work to be done, a master bedroom set was not in the budget.

As the years passed, we became more and more attached to our first set, especially when we saw the inferior furniture that was for sale in shops today. We began to appreciate the craftsmanship and since we had adopted a simpler lifestyle, we didn't need any more drawers...so no redecorating.

Rock Maple Bedroom Set

One of the last items on the "we should do this" list, was replacing the original closet doors. They are old sliders and still have that silly little scallop moulding that was so popular back then. My husband wanted raised panel doors. I thought that barn doors would be cool. 

We have yet to do anything to them. I have become kind of attached to the scallops and he's set on the panels. So we talk about it and then we end up walking on the beach, going for a long drive with hot coffees and the kids or visit my mom at the nursing home instead. 

Way more fun.

Maybe someday we'll replace them, but not right now. 

Cottage Style Scallop Moulding Sliding Closet Doors

Oh, it's easy to get caught up in fads and fashion. I get it. I am guilty myself. It's no different than when I go shopping and try on those stylish, sleek dresses and sky high stilettos, but then come home and put on my worn and faded jeans, fuzzy socks and oversized sweater. 

I'm sure some would call the outfit dated.

I call it comfortable. 

Just like my house. 

And that never goes out of style. 

When and why do you redecorate?



Discovering Your Decorating Style What's Your Style


Independent Interiors Decorating On Your Own


I Don't Follow Trends In Decorating

Sharing today: Between Naps On The Porch






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  1. i don't redecorate. i do move things around now and then like they do in art galleries...
    just to freshen my eyes.
    but to buy something just to change... nope!
    and i think your bedroom is especially lovely.

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    1. Thank you, Tammy. I am a big "mover"...it makes me happy and doesn't cost a dime! ;)

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  2. I admire you for declining the offer. I dont have the talent, time or money to copy decorating trends. I enjoy your blog!

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    1. Thank you so much, Maryellen. Offers are nice, but they have to be right and as far as trends go, I'm with you. I like what I like and that's good enough. I appreciate the comment and the kind words more than you know! :)

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  3. Hi Kim. My house is not what you would call 'decorated' so I don't think redecorating can happen until decorated happens. :} I imagine that there are a lot of reasons that people redecorate and perhaps one of them might be that there were mistakes made in the last redecoration so a fix is in order. It is nice that you have a good sense of what makes you happy and can picture the finished look so that mistakes aren't an issue. At my house changes happen when I need to paint. I don't recall ever painting a room the same color. I always seem to make a change I have lived here 28 years and a couple of our bedrooms have been five different colors. Nice post. You mentioned visiting your mom and I hope that she is doing well. I think of you and her often.

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    1. Thank you so much, Lorri. My mom is the same. I appreciate you asking about her. ♡ My kids' bedrooms have probably been redecorated the most since we moved in. Kids have a mind (and ideas) of their own and sometimes it's hard to fight. Whether it was just bedding or a complete redo, each one has been through several transformations. I'm boring. My taste doesn't change very often...and if your home is comfortable to you, then it's decorated! I know you have many pieces you love, like your decanters, and surrounding yourself with them all that's important!

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  4. You and I are a lot alike. When I find something I love I stick with it a long time. I, too, have turned down a lot of stuff over the years...stuff that was offered 'free' for a review. I have politely written back every time and tell them-thank you- that is not why I blog. I blog just for the fun of blogging and if I do a review it is because I ran across something I love and not because someone sent me something. I know a lot of people feel YOU and I are BOTH nuts, you know!?!?!! lol

    I love your bedroom- the color and the soft quality of it. If you love it---keep it and use it!!! xo Diana

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    1. I am sure you are right, Diana! I have done reviews when the product is something I need or want to have and I feel good about the company and could recommend it in good conscience. This was not one of those times...and as I said, I didn't need to change anything up. I am a creature of habit and comfort, so I'm sticking! ;)

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  5. Love this post ! I agree!pretty bedroom love the green !

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    1. Thank you, Cindy! I seem to have struck a chord with this one... : )

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  6. Oh, I just love this post! You have phrased it all perfectly. Thank you!

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    1. Betty, thank you so much! I am smiling from ear to ear to hear that you enjoyed it! :)

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  7. Kim, I love, love, love this post. I mean I reaaaally love it. And I get turning down an offer to review something that doesn't fit your style or what your blog is about. I've done that myself a number of times. I don't judge someone else for doing it. Not at all. I've just made a personal commitment to myself to "keep it real" as you say. As for when I redecorate. . .I think a lot less than most of the popular blogs. I'm not very trendy and I typically replace things only when they are worn out. Which means almost never. LOL That ceiling fixture is beautiful. Love it! Hugs, Nancy

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    1. Thank you, Nancy. It's so funny, I almost didn't write this one. You never know what's going to strike a chord with people, do you? I was laughing because I had just mentioned to you that I would love to get an offer for sheets since mine are tattered and thin. This offer was just not right though, even though they were lovely. And no...trendy is definitely not a word someone would use to describe me, my house or my blog. I think I'm in good company! ;) Hugs!!

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  8. Hi Kim,
    I really appreciate the blog entry today. It is so much work to stage and take photo's. I love what I have and like you am comfortable with it. Thank you so much for sharing. Please continue to give us a peak at the changes you make here and there. I'm always open to new ideas of using what you have and creating or moving items around. I remember a show that use to be on TV. They'd clear a room and shop their home to create something different. It always looked beautiful. I'm with you...let's enjoy life!

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    1. What a super sweet comment. Thank you so much, you just made my Saturday! I shop my house a lot. It's an easy way to update and get that new room feeling without buying a thing. Thanks for adding to the discussion today, I hope you do so again! :)

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  9. I don't follow trends much at all, especially in my home. I do what I like and what feels like 'us.' I think a home should make the people who live there feel happy and at peace when they are home. I don't like seeing these blog house tours because they are all the same!

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    1. "...feels like 'us'..." Yes!! That is exactly how I feel. In fact I may use that to describe my home decorating style as that from now on. Perfect!! :)

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  10. I like the comfort of the familiar. We've added very old family pieces when parents passed and we love them as they did. I agree, if it isn't broken don't fix it.
    Joy

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    1. I have a few of those pieces, Joy. One of my favorites is the deacon's bench from my mom's house. Love it and use it in my kitchen. Feels like home...

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  11. Well, it appears that a bunch of us are similarly inclined to keep what we love and are comfortable with. I've got a number of things in my home that were meant to be temporary but have been around for years and years, lol! Redecorating happens when we have remodeled areas in our home. But a lot of the redecorating part was shifting things around that we already had, not going out and buying a bunch of new stuff.

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    1. I am a big shifter, too, Kim. We were actually watching home movies today and there were so many items from way back when, that we still have today. There were also a bunch of items I have given away in the name of updating, that I wish I had kept. Live and learn!

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  12. I don't do trends either & certainly don't redecorate often. My style is cozy home comfortable. We were in a new antique shop the other day & a loveseat caught our eye. Might as well have bought new for what they were asking. All that to say, we need a new loveseat, but I'm like you, I would rather go do some gardening any day than shop. I just don't need anything else or have the room to put it.

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    1. I certainly don't have the room for anything else either, Florence! ; )

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  13. I think its all about being comfortable with who you are. And when you don't feel like you have to keep up with the latest fad, then it is easy to keep life simple, and what works for you. I really loved this post, and agree with you completely, why change it if it isn't broken! I love your furniture choices, and decor, they are simple, they work together, and think of the money you've saved by not changing everything out! And so true that just because something is free, doesn't mean it is a good choice. Hugs to you today!

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    1. Marilyn, I think you hit the nail on the head…it’s all about being comfortable with who you are, regardless of what it is. If that means redecorating is your thing, then have it, but if not, that is ok, too. :)

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  14. I could only accept something that fit my style and a company I liked. I don't follow trends or fashion styles i just follow how my 1920's home was mean to be. What good would it have done to accept something that didn't fit you or their style. Our home will only feel homey when its decorated in the stye we love...not what others love.

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    1. It's always fun to get offers, Cathy, but yes, if it's not right, it wouldn't be right to accept it. I too try to keep to the style of my own 1920's charmer. When a house has a definitive style, it makes it easier to decorate...at least I think so. :)

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  15. I am still using the ginger jar lamps I bought when I first started teaching 50 years ago. LOL. They have followed me through two apartments and two houses. I just love their classic look, and replace the shades when needed. They still make me smile.

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    1. I love the idea of changing shades. That's a great way to update a lamp and get that "new" decor fix! I appreciate the comment, Ronny. I hope you come back and chat again, soon! :)

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  16. I love a good honest post. Being in blogland can make us feel a little inadequate sometimes if we are not keeping up with the gals who focus on home decor. When I first started following some of these blogs it was a good and bad thing. I was inspired on one hand to work on places I had never pushed myself, like our mantel and bookshelves. I also loved doing tablescapes and I'm ashamed to say I bought too many dishes over that period of time and now I feel it was just wasteful.

    As far as trends...they guided me at first as I worked on changing rooms that were looking pretty worse for the wear. I soon found out trends change very quickly and you are back at square 1 if you want to be current.

    In a nutshell, we now have every room painted in the colors we like and they are not going to change for a looooong time. I have a sofa that desperately needs recovering but again, I'm keeping it, I love it, it's just faded and has seen better days. Otherwise I fall in love over and over with what I have. If I need a change, I rearrange a bit.

    So thanks for letting us all have a sigh of relief. We are not alone in saying NO to everything we are bombarded with in media and what we have is sometimes better than brand new!!

    Happy Saturday!

    Jane x

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    1. Jane, I so agree. As a blogger, we are bombarded with gorgeous decor on a daily basis, it’s hard not to want to change things up. You are right though, trends come and go so quickly, it’s exhausting and expensive to keep up. I guess there is a freedom in knowing what you love and sticking with it. Thank you so much for weighing in with your honest comment. I hope you have a cozy weekend! :)

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  17. Hi Kim: I love when you blog "sensible" stuff. I don't particularly like change, but I do change my decorating alot! If that even makes sense. Just the little stuff and that is probably why each room in my home is a little different style-wise in comparison. I can't speak to whether I would pass on some offer, since I have never received one! But, just a little tweak here and there makes me very happy..Have a great week..Judy

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  18. I love to look at decorating blogs, but the way some of them redecorate constantly leaves me exhausted just reading about it!

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    1. I agree! I love to look, but I wouldn't want the work or the expense. Thanks so much for the comment! :)

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  19. Thank you for the sweet comments about my home, Teri. I like the fluff and feather, too, but major redecorating is a very rare occurrence!

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  20. Hi Kim, love this post and your home is gorgeous. I don't blame you for declining the offer. If you can't make it work, it's not real as you say.
    I do like to decorate however, I stay with my anchor pieces and work accents around them. I finally got my family room complete after many years and this will stay for a long time now. Yes, I can change out the accents, but besides making changes with paint, I'm happy with my 30 plus year old treasured pieces. They work so well and made so much better. Love your bedroom and those lamps are so elegant.
    Have a great weekend. xo

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    1. Thanks so much, Celestina Marie. I guess when it's right, it's right and there isn't a time clock on when you should change it up. If you still love the look and feel of the room, that's all that matters!

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  21. There was a time when I felt the pressure to redecorate for the blog but changed my mind about that quickly. When we buy things here in our family, we buy them because we love them. Those things are likely to stay a long time. Now having said that, as we pick some new things for our new house, I'm trying to pick up to date things that will have staying power. There might be a barn door in our new house. :)

    It's fun to update some with accessories that are inexpensive and with little guilt attached.

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  22. I adore your bedroom just the way it is!!! I swap out accessories with the seasons but, like you, once I get things the way I like them I actually don't like change! The older I get, the more set in my ways I get as well. Love your home!! Oh and the scallop is super sweet and suits your little cottage!

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  23. I don't really decorate, but I change things up. I have a sofa that was in a fish pattern (don't ask) and I have slip covered it 3 different times. So I don't shop things, I just like to change the look of what I already have. My fireplace has been painted 4 times. Things like that. Maybe I'm restless, maybe I need to feed the blog? Who knows. But I am always tweaking. Things can always look better.

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    1. Tweaking, I enjoy, Mary and I do it often. Big renovations? Nope. I am so over that! ;)

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  24. I don't redecorate often in big ways, but I am constantly "playing" and tweaking decor because I find it relaxing yet challenging at the same time. I get easily tired of the same old decor, but at least it's just changing up vignettes. As far as room color or furniture, heck no! I hate painting and we certainly can't afford to hire painters every few years. And furniture is so expensive too, though we need a new sofa and I'm looking for a living room chair, too. I am hoping to find pieces that will last a long time so that we don't have to change them out in a few years!

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    1. I'm with you there, Melanie...staples that can be decorated and accessorized around and last a good long time! Perfect.

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  25. Kim,
    Amazingly enough I have decorated all my life, but never followed trends. I sort of like what I like and I hold on to things forever!(it might even be a little tacky at times)
    Blogging sort of opened a door to decorating that I closed rather quickly as we cannot afford to change things over and over again. I really just want to cook, eat, plant, hike and love my family.
    Jemma

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    1. Sounds like a lovely plan, Jemma. There is much to do in a day and decorating over and over is not on my list either.

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  26. Lovely! I really like white so all the white linen there looks gorgeous! That lamp is pretty sweet!

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    1. Thank you, Angela!! It's easy on my eyes, too! :)

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  27. I love your bedding! In fact, it reminds me of some bedrooms we saw in model homes this weekend. You said it perfectly...if it makes you smile when you enter the room, then leave it. :)

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  28. I enjoyed your post very much. When do we decorate, when something falls apart, wears out, or leaks. We did an all house remodel, basically unintentionally last year, because we updated the floors. In the bedroom we re-insulated leaky walls, repaired a furnace flue, we did not know was dislocated, added a light fixture and reorganized the furniture. Was it an all new look, yes, but paint was necessary because of replaced walls. As far as redecorating, nothing new was purchased, except one pillow and a large cache pot. Hubby's office had new wall treatments, and new floor---nothing else. We made do, by flipping bedroom shelving between the master and his office, which only 'looked' new. The real redo was an all white kitchen---from a gut--from a 1970s' builders special, falling apart kitchen to an all new white one--we did ourselves with butcher block counters, for functionality.

    Like I said, I really enjoyed your post, because it made me look at our choices and calmly respond, not on-never will be on trend.
    Thanks, Sandi

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    1. Wow, Sandi it sounds like you did a lot of work. It's always those pesky repairs that force our hand isn't it? Your kitchen sounds wonderful...white. Enjoy it!!

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  29. This was interesting to me because over the last few years I've seen many an offer for this and that show up in my email and I decline or ignore.

    The way this house is I can't really move furniture around or anything ( as to your question ) so re-decorating is just swapping out pillows / quilts, existing things.

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  30. I love your sweet home and it sounds like a lot of your furniture and things mean something to you. Oh boy, I have been there with vendors trying to get me to write about their product. I usually refuse because it was obvious they did not read my posts to see that their product went with my decorating style! I don't change things here very much. I try to buy things I absolutely love so why change them? Even the dining room stayed pretty much the same after we stripped wallpaper and painted. I just love my furniture pieces and décor pieces. Something new once in awhile is nice though.

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    1. I agree, AnnMarie, something new every now and again is nice! :)

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  31. Hi Kim,
    Another great post.
    I like to move stuff around, or do up a few changes with my decor for the seasons. I have not painted or really did a huge make over in a long while.

    Again, great post!
    Carla

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    1. Thank you, Carla!! You are always so sweet. You do your redecorating in the garden!! ;)

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  32. We move so much that I don't get a chance to get bored with furniture arrangements or decorations. BUT, even though we have moved frequently, I'm still "dragging around" the same stuff. I may rearrange pillows and throws or shift a piece here and there, but it's pretty much stuff that I've had or find on discount somewhere or something I have to replace because it was broken in a move! :-) Love your home and think it is perfect! Love and hugs to you!

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    1. I can't wait to see how your decorate your new place, Benita! :)

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  33. I love your honesty Kim, and true, with blogging there are a lot of offers out there that are hard to decline (particularly a new bedding). I have declined a few here and there esp. if it does not go with my design style or just didn't fit with ME. Kudos to you for that, but when it comes to re-decorating, you know me, always doing so, not because I have to , but because I WANT TO, and in the end, in YOUR HOME, that is all that matters. :-)

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    1. I agree with you, 100% Vel. Be true to you, that's the key...and your home always looks amazing!

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  34. The only trend I follow is the decluttering one. That is my goal now. It's hard.

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    1. I am right there with you! It is hard...and just when I think I am done...more stuff!! :)

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  35. Redecorate? HA! More like move stuff around. I played that game years ago when I first started blogging and regretted it. I think I already told you that though.... or maybe I blogged about it... huh... I don't remember ;)

    Loved the video of you talking about your kitchen. I don't have the cajones for it, although I've thought about it. Also, if you didn't have red in your kitchen, I'm not sure I'd believe it was you.

    Anywho, I missed you, my friend. Sorry I was gone so long.

    xoxo,
    rue

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    1. It's me, my big mouth and it's red...and I missed you, too. So glad you are back!! :) xo

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  36. I agree Kim, if you walk into the room and it makes you smile, then why change it?

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    1. Exactly Karen! It's cheaper that way, too!! ;)

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  37. Kim, I agree with you on every level. I, too, have been contacted to do posts for certain products in the past and have always declined for various reasons, one of them being the same as yours.

    Your bedroom, from the bedding to the lamp to the sheers is charming, but most of all, is YOU!

    Happy Valentine's Day!
    Poppy

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    1. Thank you, Poppy. I am very comfortable in my home. I guess that means it's "right"! ;)

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  38. I repaint rooms for therapy, so that can happen at anytime. But as far as redecorating? I redecorate when something breaks! Like when a dog tears up a sofa!

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    1. I am so impressed…painting a room is such a daunting job to me. Maybe that’s why I don’t redecorate that often!! ;)

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  39. I don't think you're crazy at all, Kim. I think you're very wise and this is a refreshing post. Your maple dresser reminds me so much of the Ethan Allen one my parents gave us as newlyweds. And now is sits in our living room for the television to sit on while all the drawers hold my table linens. I am so thankful that it survived a few temptations over the decades to replace it with something more trendy.

    Bravo, Kim, a voice of reason in a blogging world that often thrives on change for change's sake!

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    1. Thank you, Dewena. It's so funny, I had a random thought and put it on paper and so many people responded to it. I guess I am not the only one who feels this way. Thanks for coming by and leaving such a kind comment.

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  40. I enjoyed your post Kim- it really was lovely.

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