I can remember it as if it were yesterday, we were standing in the showroom of a big furniture store together, happily married and not sure what purchase to make for our cozy two bedroom apartment.  The obvious choice was to purchase a set of perfectly matched furniture that included a sofa, love seat, and oversized chair.  That oversized chair would later provide lots of snuggles for our first baby, but I digress.

As a new wife, I had the cooking thing down to a science, I was clueless about decorating and creating a home that we would love.  Not just a home that we would love, but a home that we could welcome others in for some delicious home cooked southern food.

It wasn’t until I discovered blogs, or blogs came on the scene, that my decorating skills began to emerge from this place that I did not know existed.  I’m serious!  Anthony would come home only to discover that I’d painted the living room, moved the furniture, and started a rehab project on an abandoned chest that I found on the side of the road.  I still have that chest, and the story of getting it home will make your belly hurt from laughing.

One of my biggest blog inspirations came from the lady who is known as The Nester.  In this post I talked about my discovery of The Nester, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much value this one woman added to my life.  I’ve never met her in person, but her responding to my little post on Instagram felt as though I’d encountered a celebrity.

I recently crossed paths with a sweet lady who had read my blog post referencing The Nester, and she happens to be a fan as well. She let me borrow a copy of The Nester’s book, “The Nesting Place” and I literally could not put it down.

The book was written in such a personable, friendly way that made me feel as though I was catching up with an old friend. This friend was helping me to clear my mind because it has been a long year of figuring out how to make our new house a home that we love.

This is the kind of book where you grab a cup of something warm and snuggle up to read.  It is a page turner.  There were many times that I laughed out loud, said Amen, and fought back tears.

She has poured her heart out as usual.  It is a book about creating a home that you and your husband will love.  How to create a home that says welcome to all who enter, and a home that doesn’t have to be the matched set furniture store version.

As I read each page, I found myself saying over and over that this is far more than a how to decorate resource.  This is about taking off the handcuffs of limitation, living in the what I have right now, and creating a meaningful and beautiful home that is welcoming and loves you right back.

Her motto, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful, has inspired me to paint a room three times if I need to, nail holes in my wall, hang mistreated window treatments, use a hot glue gun like it’s nobody’s business, and love the art of a yard sale!

Because I love this book so much, I am giving a copy away!!!  

If you have a desire to create a home that you love, you will want to read this book.

Leave a comment below telling me your biggest challenge to decorating your home.

My biggest challenge is finding the right pieces to create a layered look with a mix of old and new that is warm and welcoming.

Let me hear your challenges, and I can’t wait to give a copy away to bless your socks off!

-xo,

Shawon

Details: Entries close Thursday, February 4th at Midnight EST.  To enter, you must leave a comment below, and be a resident of the United States.  The winner will be announced on Friday, February 5th right here on the blog.

 

Disclaimer:  These words are all from my personal experience.  I was not paid in any way to say all of these true, amazing things about The Nester, or to give this book away.