This post is sponsored by Thomas Nelson Publishing.
Inspiration is a finicky thing. I don’t know about you, but seeing other people’s gorgeous rooms on blogs or in magazines can really do great things for my creativity. Those same rooms can also trigger a sinking feeling when I look around at the rooms in my own home that I haven’t decorated. I spend a lot of time feeling very behind.
I know that I can’t possibly be alone in feeling that way. In order to pull myself out of that valley, I do my best to push it out of my mind or use it as internal encouragement to work harder on my home. But, it also helps to believe that I’m not alone.
My friend Marian Parsons – you may know her as Miss Mustard Seed– has written a book on this very feeling. Her newly released book, Inspired You, details her start in decorating and gives you ideas and tips on how to move your own home forward.
I have read Miss Mustard Seed’s blog for many years now, but I never fully understood her internal gumption. In her book, she describes a moment when she’s sitting in her messy, in need of repair home with piles of laundry and two little boys when her mother calls. The simple question from her mom of, “How’s your day going?” sent her over the edge into a bawling mess (haven’t we all been there?). It was at that point that her mom told that Marian really needed to do something for herself, and she immediately pulled herself together and started making plans for a furniture painting business.
Her book spends some timing chronicling that period of her life and detailing the process she went through to turn her early mid-century home into the beauty that it is today. She tells us how to decorate around brightly colored plastic baby toys (just deal with them, since they won’t be in your home forever) and says that having a clean, tidy home will work miracles for the look of your rooms (I know Nate Berkus embrasses this sentiment as well).
Yep, as soon as I read the last page of her book, I turned to my kitchen and cleaned out a few cabinets and cleared off the countertops. She’s right. It feels amazing in there right now.
But it wouldn’t be Miss Mustard Seed without some amazing tips, tricks and tutorials. She details furniture waxing and paint stripping. She gives you a primer on yard sale and antique store shopping. She talks about what things you should include in each room to make them welcoming and warm for family and guests. And of course, she provides some awesome tutorials.
Inspired You would be the perfect holiday gift for those women in your life who could use a little encouragement. It’s available now as a hardcover book or as a Kindle edition. Or, you could just win one from me.
I have two copies of Inspired You up for grabs today! Enter to win by filling out the entry form below. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
