Simple Ways to Make Life Beautiful

Four kids including infant twins is no joke. I’ve found that instead of doing new projects lately I’ve been trying to make everything around me beautiful… if I clean the kitchen I put fresh flowers from our yard in it. If I bake I make sure to display it beautifully. It’s helping my creative side while I don’t have loads of time to do projects!

Make simple dinners feel special.

We had waffles, turkey bacon and fruit one night last week for dinner. I figured if I was going to do such an easy meal then I might as well make it look pretty… the kids were upstairs playing (ahem, throwing things all over Elle’s room) and the babies took the tinniest 15 minute nap while I prepped (miracle on miracle, right there). We had a vase full of flowers from a bush in our yard on the table already and I just piled the waffles and strawberries high on a cake stand and dusted it with confectioner sugar. It made dinner feel special instead of like an after thought, which, let’s be honest, it was.

Candles in bedrooms and kitchens.

Put a candle on the stove and on your nightstand. It’s amazing how lighting that will seem luxurious and special… it always seems to calm me down too. This one only cost $2.99 at Marshalls so they don’t need to be astronomically expensive.

Purchase indoor potted plants.

I can’t stress enough how live plants make a home feel beautiful and special… I always find that fresh flowers or plants are such a great way to beat the post Christmas decor slump as well. This year I purchased two lavender plants and they’ve gone strong for months. They are the same price as cut flowers at Trader Joe’s but last so much longer!

Hang Special Photos Liberally.

Framed, and updated, photos of our family make our home seem so us… and always remind me of a certain moment or conversation we had that day. One or two times a year I have my friend Heather take family shots… I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, but make sure if you want to frame it in our home you have your family dress in colors that match your home’s decor so the photograph looks like it blends right into the room you have planned for it to hang in.

Ask friends to divide plants for you.

This gorgeous walkway of flowers came about because AJ took irises that he divided from a friend and his mom and transplanted here. They literally stopped people who were walking by and they commented on how beautiful it was (and it was free!). Photo from our final home tour.

Try Painting.

This was the first painting I ever did in my adult life. It’s not going to win any prizes but it still made me happy all winter to see a large painting above our mantle. Tackle something easy like birch trees for your first one… it was just a lot of up and down and blending of colors. Nothing was perfect.

Think in terms of your needs.

We were always running out of soap and I kept forgetting to clean the kids ears when they were fresh out of the shower so I decided to put beautifully reminders in place on our sink. We are fortunate enough that the vanity is wide enough (60 inches) that it’s never been knocked over and the kids are really careful around it.

Let your baking be part of your decorating.

I’ve been making my blueberry cake and my lemon bread often… and they always go front and center on our kitchen table or counter on a pretty cake stand.