The Saturday Six

One.

Some of you may remember that almost a year ago, I asked for prayer for a friend of mine who was very ill with a sudden heart issue. She received a transplant but had a stroke shortly after surgery and passed away. Throughout the past year, her mom and sisters have become advocates in educating others about the condition that caused Michelle's illness. This week, Michelle's sister (who was actually pregnant at the time Michelle died) shared this link for women who are pregnant or have given birth within the last few months. It's a quiz you can take to determine if you might be at risk for the same heart condition. If you, your friends, or your family fall into this category, take a look at this or pass it along. I know that I had no idea this was even a thing until Michelle, so I'm sure it might be new for some of you too!

Two.

This is such a cool story! Deborah Raney is an author my sister introduced me to (not personally) years ago, and I've enjoyed reading her posts in addition to reading her books. In this post, she talks about running across an old Bible years ago and eventually connecting with the owner's family.

Three.

Perhaps I'm kidding myself (I've been known to do it) but I don't feel like I have comparison issues when I see practically perfect homes posted online. I know their homes aren't always that tidy, more than likely, and I just try to appreciate what I see and move on. But I know for a lot of people, that IS a big issue. Messes are real and it's hard to see these magazine-ish homes gracing the social media world when your own house is covered in projects, laundry, and more. I appreciated Katie's post this week where she showed real pictures of their (very beautiful!) home. Maybe more bloggers should do a post like that so we can know they're human!

Four.

You know I love houses and house plans, so this article fascinated me. I knew about the old Sears kit homes, but seeing some of the plans - and PRICES - totally intrigued me! Check this out!

Five.

After Christmas, I put away all the pretty decorations and pulled out my January décor. It's made up mostly of snowman/snowflake/snowball stuff. It seemed appropriate to keep it out for February, since we're still Polar Vortexing over here, and I just pulled out the handful of specific Valentine decorations to add to it. But in less than half a month, I'm no longer welcoming snow in my life, and all the pink hearts will need to go back in their box for another year, too. So I'm lookin ahead to March/April spring décor. I have a few specific Easter decorations in my arsenal, but I don't have much that's just spring. So this post was inspirational for me! Anyone else ready to put away wintry décor in favor of welcoming spring?

Six.

My sister knows (and feeds) my love for books, so one of my Christmas gifts this year was a delightful, full-color book called Shed Décor. Lori and I share a fondness for tiny homes, she-sheds, and all such cuteness, so this book was a nod to that love. When I first received it, I immediately flipped through it to look at all the pretty pictures, but I wanted to go back and officially read it, so last week I did just that!

The book is written by Sally Coulthard, and apparently she had previously written a book called Shed Chic, which was a book-tour of all different kinds of sheds and cabins people could have, as well as giving them ideas for how to use them in practical ways. That book had more to do with the construction and use of the buildings, but this one is more about the decorating.

My. Happy. Place.

Since my only degree in interior design is fully granted by way too many hours of decorating shows on TV, it's fair to say there are many things I don't actually know about design and décor. This book explains (in easy-to-understand terms) the differences among styles like rustic, vintage, retro, country, etc. It also shows the different elements you can use to achieve the actual style and not a mish-mash that only proves you didn't quite know what you were doing.

Sally explains how to use different textures together to achieve a pleasing look, which is especially important in a really small space. Everything matters in a small space, if you don't want it to look cluttered and cause you to feel overwhelmed.

Throughout the book are pictures of actual sheds used for all different kinds of purposes. From little backyard hideaways to guest spaces to art studios to garden sheds, there were tons of ideas! She also gave instructions on how to equip the sheds to be useful as well as decorate them to be pleasing.

(About halfway through, I wanted to pack up and head to the Treasure Mart here in town to apply my newly learned shopping techniques!)

Though I don't feel that I'm ready to take on a new career in design, I did learn a lot from the book and it was almost like a virtual vacation to get to visit all these little sheds in a variety of unique settings. (Ryan, I promise not to ask for a she-shed of my own. Today, anyway.)

Who should read this book? If you enjoy reading or learning about design, there are many things for you inside this book. If you have a secret (or not-so-secret!) fascination with she-sheds and tiny homes, this book will feed your hungry imagination. If you like to look at pictures as much as (or more than) reading text, this is a great pick, because the pictures are plentiful and of excellent quality!If you like a good coffee-table style book to have on display or in your library, this is a good one.

Thanks, Lori, for my fun book! And thank you for inspiring me to think about specifics in my decorating. I feel some shopping trips looming. Don't tell Ryan. :)