Five 'Things' That Make My House A Home

Pre-loved items, I love them. The story they tell, the lives who used them, the memories they stir. It's only been in the last few years that I've really grasped my love of all things vintage. I knew as a teenager that I was drawn to 'old-style' things, but now as an adult I realise that it's a part of who I am. 

While visiting family last week I was given some vintage treasures from my in laws. They are not 'stuff' people, that's just not who they are, and in all honesty I don't think I am either. I just can't resist something that once belonged to people that I love. I've found myself becoming very picky with what I decorate my home with, and vintage, pre-loved, but practical items are most important. We scoured second-hand book shops and op-shops too, where I found some book bargains that I'm excited about!

Making a house a home has always been something that is very important to me. Not for appearance sake, but as a way to create memories, warmth, comfort, peace and love within these walls for the people that I love. 

There are five things that I've discovered, for me, that go along way in making my house a home. If these things are pre-loved, then it's even better!

1. Photographs and art
2. Books, books and more books
3. Candles
4. Cushions and blankets (especially crotchet or patch work blankets!)
5. Old furniture

This gorgeous old timber box was my father in laws. It has his name on the top and so I'm hesitating to refurbish it. I do like blue. What do you think? Should I restore it or not? I think it's going to be my second 'family memories box' when my first one's full!

The books to the left are sweet little stories that have old-fashioned values and gorgeous illustrations! My Little Miss P is really enjoying Enid Blyton books, so when we found some at a great price, we grabbed them for her school holiday enjoyment! Hopefully Little Miss J will enjoy them as she gets older too!

My girls love poetry and this hard-cover book was a bargain at only $5.00! It's in beautiful condition and the illustrations are, again, so sweet. We'll be enjoying many winter nights snuggled in our beds reading this together!

Our family loves reading together and I'm looking forward to reading through the 'Little House' series by Laura Ingalls Wilder after we've finished reading the 'Chronicles of Narnia'. I was very happy to find some of the series cheaply to add to the ones we already own. Has anyone read 'All in the blue unclouded weather' by Robin Klein? I've not seen it before and it looks like such a sweet girls story, I'm looking forward to reading it with my daughters!

This volume of Narnia has all seven stories in it, it's also our third copy of the Narnia series. This copy was $12.00 and I'm going to be using it to highlight favourite quotes and scribble notes in, the others are not to be drawn in! It was cheaper to purchase the one volume rather than individual copies, as they were $4 - $5 per book, so that would've made it much more than $12.00 and much more than I was wanting to spend!

The Treasury of Narnia was just irresistible! It's full of Narnia goodness and I really look forward to enjoying this one by firelight! 

Our sweet kitty Ollie enjoys the new perch! I brought two journals that were discounted, honestly, just because I'm addicted to journals! The blue one was a beautiful gift from my brother in law and his girlfriend, very lovely! 

My other brother in law gave me this copy of 'My Utmost For His Highest', the incredible devotional by Oswald Chambers, I now enjoy my quiet times with it and the 'Living Light' devotional that I snapped up for $3.00. 'Christ in Isaiah' looks like a very interesting read.

Does anyone else think that 'if I'm going to need practical storage then it may as well be pretty?'  Well I couldn't pass up the gorgeous red tin from Dad and the long metal ones, they're perfect for holding pens and craft pieces. The candle holders fit my love of birds, my second favourite colour, green, the vintage look and the candle criteria! I look forward to lighting them! The bottles I grabbed as they were only $2.50 each and well, I'll find a practical use for them somewhere!

This teacup and saucer belonged to my husbands Grandmother. She was an incredible woman and Mum gave this set to me as she doesn't want 'stuff', but this is the kind of stuff that I love! I think of Grandma each time I look at it's pretty yellow blooms!

I collect teapots and some teacups and so these have been added to my collection. I don't see this collection as being essential to my home-making, it's just something that I enjoy, especially when my girls and I have tea parties together!

My sister in law took me to a new Costco store that's opened here in Australia ... big mistake! You should see the books there! I snapped up this complete audio CD set of Beatrix Potter stories (below), I thought the girls could listen to them as they go to sleep some nights!

I love learning about writing and these books were bargains! The 'Spiritual Writing' looks particularly good, has anyone read these before?

I went through the phase of having my dinner ware matching, and I have recently started collecting miss-matched vintage pieces, as they're more 'me'. These were gifted to me by my brother in laws girlfriend too ... they are beautiful! I brought the pink flowery one for $1.

I smile when I see our table set with old-fashioned beauty.

It gets so cold here in winter, and my children like to snuggle up as they feel the cold. Little Miss J especially as she's so tiny and thin. I brought this patchwork single bed blanket for only $5.00, it's in perfect condition and very warm!

The photo above is of my gorgeous husband (the cute little one on the right with the cheeky grin!) and his older brother. Mum gave this photo in the frame to me as she said she has plenty of photos of her boys, I'm so grateful to have it! It sits on top of Dads blue timber box.

I saved my favourites till last. These chairs were hand-made by my husbands Grandfather when he first married. They used them in their first family home, that was seventy-five years ago. I've placed them on our front veranda so we can enjoy cuppas out there. I'm really not sure if I want to refurbish these or not, I love them as they are all chipped and showing their history, but I can also see them restored. Help! What's your opinion?!

How do you enjoy decorating your home? Are you true to you and your style? What's important to you in your decorating?

I love these quotes by Edith Shaeffer ...

“I am sure that there is no place in the world where your message would not be enhanced by your making the place (whether tiny or large, a hut or a palace) orderly, artistic and beautiful with some form of creativity, some form of ‘art’ .

“It is true that all men are created in the image of God, but Christians are supposed to be conscious of that fact, and being conscious of it should recognise the importance of living artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, as creative creatures of the Creator. If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for us” .

Making my house a home is something that I'll never grow tired of ... will you?

(Linking up with the beautiful Homespun Oasis)