When I had my very first apartment, I amassed quite the selection of odd tchotchkes.  I had the entire collection of N*Sync bobble heads.  There was a Britney Spears poseable doll.  I also had a really odd light from Ikea that had these colored slides that displayed different characters, like the international symbol for a woman’s bathroom or two hands shaking.  I know it sounds weird (or maybe oddly charming?), but the quirkiness of it all made me happy.

After Tom and I got married and moved into our first house, I decided that I needed to “grow up.”  Justin and Britney were donated to Goodwill, and I spent my time collecting items like picture frames and fake flowers.  I lived in that uninspired and “grown up” way for the next few years.  My brown leather beast of a sofa still survives from that era.

But one day, I woke up and realized that I don’t have to live in a home of uninspired niceties.  I needed to be surrounded by things that make me smile, even if they seem a bit odd to other people.  Luckily, my selections have gotten a little more refined.

Throughout the years, I’ve collected things that aren’t really what you see in the pages of your favorite shelter magazines.  It’s much more important that the rooms in my room scream “happy, quirky fun” than they do “you should want to live exactly like me.”

A few weeks ago, there was a vintage Basset Hound planter offered on One King’s Lane for around $130.  I wanted someone to buy it so I wouldn’t spend that much money on something so weird, but I fell in immediate love with him…and I fell hard.  Then, I realized I had some credits in my OKL account, so the price seemed a little easier to swallow.  I put the planter in my cart, but then I quickly did an Internet search to make sure I wasn’t crazy for convincing myself to pay so much.

Turns out I was.  I found an identical vintage planter listed on Etsy for $38.  I released the $130 model from my OKL cart and purchased the one from Etsy.   He now resides in my living room, holding some of my favorite types of succulents.

Have you ever fallen in love with something like a Basset Hound planter but been afraid to take it home with you?  Don’t be afraid to inject a little quirky character into your home.  Stop questioning  yourself and worrying about what other people will think, and add elements to your home that inspire you.

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Want to add some fun to your home through brightly colored pillows?  Two winners have been selected for the $25 shop credits to Modest Pillows.

• #1 – Rachael
• #51 – Amy P

For those of you who didn’t win, Modest Pillows wants to extend a discount code to you.  Enter the code LIVING at checkout and receive 15% off your purchase through April 15h.

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It’s also time to announce the winners of the Home Depot “Spring it Forward” giveaway.  Three winners have been selected to receive $20 gift cards to Home Depot.

• #59 – Kyra
• #82 – Tonya
• #96 – Amber

You still have time to Spring it Forward with Home Depot.  Please visit Home Depot on Facebook to join in the fun!

I’ve long believed that one of the best ways to chose a color scheme for a room is from a great rug.  What better way to give your room a pop of color?

Particularly in a rental situation, you probably want to cover the flooring in some of your rooms.  Let’s just say that you don’t know what pets were there before you, if you know what I mean.  Or, maybe that’s just every place I’ve ever rented.

At any rate, you can go from soft and subtle to down rate crazy when it comes to rug colors in patterns.  Case in point: this crazy CB2 indoor/outdoor Caution rug.

I like to encourage boldness, but maybe not quite that bold.

Instead, pair a bold pattern or print with some neutrals.  I love how West Elm has layered their citron Iznik Dhurrie rug over a larger sisal rug.  It adds enough color to draw the eye to it, but it’s not over the top.  In fact, I think the touches of color in this otherwise neutral room are completely swoon worthy.

Last year, my friend Rhoda and I designed an entire room around a vibrant rug for Shaw Floors and HGTV.  We chose the blue and green Delilah rug because we loved the colors.  Although we decided to paint the walls in the room, this rug and furnishings would have still looked pulled together with a more neutral wall.

If you are looking to purchase a new rug, don’t overlook discount retailers such as Marshall’s, T.J. Maxx, and Tuesday Morning.  I’ve seen beautiful rugs at all three places for great prices.  If you can spend a little more, I can’t say enough good things about the HGTV Home line from Shaw.  I have one of their rugs in my living room, and it is incredibly soft underfoot.

Do you have neutral rugs in your home or do you currently use them to add color to a space?