Inspirational ideas for your home.

Books add so much to a room. I know Kindles and iPads are popular, but there is something special about holding a book in your hand and having old classic books in the room. They don't have to be on shelving. Elevate a lamp with several books stacked underneath; place them askew for interest. Put some between bookends on a table or desk, or use a plant on one side of the books and an interesting object on the other side. In this photo there is an old iron that my husband's grandmother used to press clothes as one of our bookends and a copper pot as the other. A family Bible open on the coffee table to a favorite verse is a good reminder of His presence.  Be sure to place interesting books in your guest room, too.

Note how the books elevate the small lamp on the top of the desk.  It is also practical because the books are used at the desk.  The mirror reflects light in the small room.  The plant fills the corner of the desk and trails down the side.


Tip: For books that add interest, use old books belonging to your family and check thrift stores for books with topics that interest you. I found a "Ruth Wakefield's Toll House Cookbook", third addition from 1941 in a used bookstore. It has the original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe along with other wonderful recipes!  



A gallery of family photos can fill a blank wall. The secret is to use matching frames. I picked up a good selection of simple black frames from Walmart ranging from $3 to $5. Start in the middle of your space and work out, up and down. You can also put newspaper or butcher paper on the floor to match the dimension of the space you wish to fill. Tape the paper together to create one large piece. Lay your pictures on the paper until you get an arrangement that you like. Number the pictures on the back and outline them on the paper, placing the corresponding numbers in the paper outlines. Mark the paper outlines with the location of the hangers on the frames. Tape your paper to the wall and put the nails through the paper. Remove the paper and hang the pictures.  Something a little more time consuming, but works just as well, is to outline the pictures on paper and cut them out.  Mark the paper with the hook location on the frame.  Number the cut pieces of paper to correspond with the pictures.  Tape them to the wall and move around until you like the look.  Put nails through the hook marks and hang your pictures.

To make a more formal wall grouping, I used all gold frames in the grouping below. The frames don't have to match, but matching the color of the frames and mats gives a sense of unity and the pictures don't compete with each other.

Tip: I have found many wonderful picture frames at second hand and thrift stores with pictures that I didn't care for.  Just swap out the picture for one of your own. 

Wallgroupings are a great way to enjoy favorite family photos that are stuck away in albums and boxes. Visitors to our home always gravitate to the pictures giving us an opportunity to share memories and stories about our family. 

If you have a collection like baskets, they can be displayed hanging from a chain with s-hooks. That makes them easy to take down and use. The storage also takes up little space and they fill in a small corner in the kitchen. 

For this narrow, 23 foot tall wall, two large oval pictures were placed over each other. The sconce was added for interest. Because the sconce could be wall mounted or hard wired, I chose to wall mount so it can be moved. I made long tube of silk fabric and threaded the cord through it to make it blend with the decor. This was an inexpensive solution for a wall that would have needed a large piece of furniture to fill in the corner.

Don't forget stairwells or hallways. There are battery operated votive candles in the sconces for safety and it saves the mess of cleaning wax from the votive holders.   Look for the candles on sale because once you invest in them, they are more inexpensive than replacing wax candles.  The sconces are great when the power goes out so I have them spread throughout our home.

I hope these ideas will inspire you to look for new uses of uninspiring areas of your home.  Remember that a blank wall or space is an opportunity waiting to happen.