Yay! I think that's great! I had one of those moments a few weeks ago when I realized I had a bunch of painted ducks that were my grandparents. I was smiling from ear to ear when I dug them out of the attic so there will be some changes after Christmas. Time to replace the mass produced stuff with things that have meaning to us.
"It just takes some of us longer. " Yep. :)

LOL sheesharee. I loved your thread a while back on this subject. I realized that I was more concerned with how my last house "looked" rather than how it "felt". And the bonus is that my storage room is so much cheaper than these places that sell the mass produced overpriced stuff.

Yup Rushmom, I know what you mean. I just finished a long winded DIY kitchen project. Out of money, out of time, out of energy and still needed things for the wall. I remembered a set of those huge, wooden spoon and forks that my husband had in his childhood home. He had them in his first apartment and then when the kids were little, they played with them. So late on a dark night, flashlight in hand I dug around, found them, refinished them and hung them. They looked funky, fun and most of all, I smile when I see them. Everyone remarks, they are so different that anything you could buy now.

I too shop in the attic, in my family's garage, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful:

So, so true! Enjoy decorating your new forever home!

Enjoy! That's my kind of decorating. Someone here called their Christmas tree "the story of us tree". I really like that. That's how I want my house to be/feel also.

I think you will be very happy in your new surroundings.

tina

Rushmom, bravo! Good for you!

Shee, I love your "replace the mass produced stuff with things that have meaning to us" mentality! In the not-so-distant past, home interiors had so much more originality.

But then, I guess it helped that stores used to be unique. When I traveled, I knew I was in a different locale because the shopping experiences were so varied. Now you almost can't distinguish between various U.S. states because uniqueness has all but disappeared. Malls & stores have become interchangeable, as have the interiors of many houses!

Fortunately, there are heirlooms and antiques, CL finds, community artisans, shopping in the attic, etc.! It may take a little more effort to do it, but it's always wonderful to see people choosing to honor their own authentic style and taste.

I love this! I've always tended to be a decorate with what I love type. I have a little wall hanging thing of two dolls, one blonde holding flowers and the other dark with a book. It's got a hokey little heart over it that says "My Girls". It is 100% NOT my style, very country, but it LOOKED like my girls & their personalities, so I bought it. They cringed when I hung it on the wall, and even though the gallery wall is all black framed photos, this blue, country thing hangs there with love.

I've always tried to decorate that way. When I was younger, it was mostly out of need, but now, it's just because I like those things better. Our whole house is filled with junk store finds, family castoffs, repurposed things, etc.

This used to be a console TV back in the 60's. When the TV died, my parents took out the parts and added a shelf. When I was a teen, I "borrowed" it from the garage for my first apartment. I've used it as a bookshelf, sofa table, headboard, etc. Our new house has a powder room with a pedestal sink and no storage, but that shelf was the perfect size for one wall, so I added a new backing, and repainted it. We joke about our "heirloom" furniture in the bathroom, but we love it!

sistersunnie, what a neat idea. And isn't it amazing how differently you'll look at those on the wall than you would a picture you may just settle on? Those are really neat btw.

pesky1, that is exactly what I'm talking about.

My MIL's house has always been very warm and cozy. Anyone could walk in and feel very at home. Well, her house is covered in meaningful pieces that you may not have picked out at a store, but they work so well. The clock from a grandpa, an old secretary that's been in the family, a cross stitched picture, an old painting, etc. I can't believe it's taken me so long to put my finger on it.

I'm going to take my time and do it right.

When we moved, I was surprised at how many pictures and prints I had bought and never framed. If not now, when? Why have I waited so long? I sorted them all, and walked around our 3 year old house looking at where I could put them. I'd had other pictures professionally framed, but that gets expensive fast, so I went to JoAnn's and Michael's. I figured out what worked, waited for the appropriate coupons, and bought dozens of frames with mat and glass included for very little. Got some larger frames at Michael's, got some of their $12.99 mat board which I can cut, and got glass from a local place where we'd had our bathroom mirrors made (total ~$27 for glass for 3 large frames). Our new windows are supposed to have UV protection. With that, and the fact that who would really want my pictures after I'm dead and gone, I figured I didn't need the expensive glass the framing places sell.

I have walls in 3 different rooms that have room for several pictures instead of just the one that I now have in each location, as well as other assorted places where one or two pictures could hang. I'm looking forward to enjoying the pictures (which include some photos I took and had enlarged to 8 x 10s many years ago), having the whole place look a lot more interesting, and not having to store them any more!

Anne

Amen! Most of my favorite things were passed down, stray pieces I gathered/bought along the way, garage sale finds, and anything quirky. I hate seeing something of mine in other people's houses. I have very few "sets". We bought our bedroom as a set, but the bed was separate. Our dining room set was from the 1930's, so that barely counts. Everything else has evolved along the way.
Being a real estate agent, I walk through houses every day and see the same stuff over and over. When I see a house decorated creatively, I gush like a schoolgirl, lol. The mass produced stuff is not for me (unless it was mass produced 70 years or so ago).
I am also a huge fan of old jewelry when it is unique and funky. You would never catch me wearing anything Zales-like!