Infusing YOU into your Space

During college I lived in a dorm for three years and then a tiny, CO-ed apartment for the last one. During those years I wasn't dreaming about my dream home or even what that might look like. I had enough sense to know that I wouldn't be living it up in my customized home space as soon as I got my diploma. Since then I have lived in about four different spaces (some very small, some not so much) and I've pinned over 1,000 pins onto my #hgtv board marking tons of spaces I like.

Now I live in a space that is beautiful. However, it's missing a big chunk of me. The pins I see of finished spaces that I love inspire me and, at the same time, frustrate me. I don't have the money or ability to take this existing space I'm in and make it have boatloads of old and new character. I just can't drop everything and paint the walls gray, pick an accent color, run it through the entire house, build my dream wall-to-wall bookcase, make a crafting isle in the office, change all of the light fixtures and magically make everything hardwood. First of all, I don't have the money for that. Secondly, it truly is a beautiful house and I'm not the only one who lives in it. Just because I have endless ideas about how I would like the house to look doesn't mean I should do an overhaul.

I want my dream space but, right now, that just isn't going to happen.

So, where do I go from here?

Baby steps, people! Sneaky, baby steps!

Start small and buy pieces of art or functional accents to make your space feel special and more like you. It may not bring that room into dream status but it will help you feel happy! If you don't want to purchase any odds or ends, then make your own!

That's what I did with these two succulent planters!

You see, the large window in the bathroom is beautiful. However, it always felt like it was missing something. I'm a lover of succulents so I immediately thought that putting a few there would make all the difference, but I didn't want to buy any. I wanted to make them!



I had an old spray paint cap that I washed out and took a hammer to the inside to clear out the bits of plastic that were standing up. I had to be careful though so I wouldn't crack the cap's outer plastic. I removed the succulent from its plastic container and then BAM! done.

I love love love playing with clay and thought it would be neat to make a mini vase for succulent number two. I made it with oven-bake clay (a clay planter DIY coming soon!) and made sure to seal it up tight.  I made it taller but skinner than the spray paint cap to give some diversity to the coupling.

As of right now, I left the clay the color that it was. I plan on painting it later in the week!

It's not a huge room makeover. It's barely an addition. However, these two self-made planters make all the difference for me in this space.  

Remember, you may not have your dream space yet but you're almost there! (See what I did there?!) Work with what you have but don't just give up if what you have isn't a lot. Beautiful things aren't always found in stores or with big price tags!

So have fun with your space!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)