One of my favorite books is Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women. I have spent hours looking through that book at the lovely studios of the creative women there.    I think I like it so much because these are ideal spaces.  They are organized, decorated and clean!

However, most the artists I know, while they may have a designated space to create, don’t have beautiful, clean studios.  I hear many more conversations about the mess and the over abundance of supplies, than I hear about what fabric to choose for the chaise in their studio.

Most creative people have very interesting decor in their homes, though.  The ideas don’t stop at the studio door.   Terri St. Cloud has a pole that she painted in her dining room.  Nici D created the coolest “door” to her studio out of torn rags.  I wish I still had pictures of both of these so you could see.

I know that a lot of you must have interesting things you’ve done in your homes.  Will you share them with me?  Leave a comment telling me what you’ve done and either give me a link to a picture or email me the pic.  I want to make my own little tribute…  I’ll call “Where Real Women Create”. [Not implying that the wonderful women in the book are not real women,  just that we didn't clean up for a camera crew.]

I came across this picture lately from a previous decorating job I did in my home.  I painted the sunflower on the wall, then hung a frame on the wall to seem to frame the flower.  My family thought it was the strangest thing they’d ever seen, but I thought it was lovely.

So, please fill my comment page with the things you’ve done in your home.  I really want to see!

Please indulge me while I brag and wax nostalgic.  There is a new series on TruTV called Black Gold.  It’s all about oil drilling rigs and it’s filmed in my hometown, Midland, TX.

As you may know I had to move to OK last Nov and I’m so homesick.  Watching this show was so fun because I get to see the countryside, the streets of my town and even some people I know.

Because drilling is the only industry in Midland, my ex, my son, and the husbands of all my friends are in the oil business, or have been.  It’s amazing to see all this on tv now!

You can see all about the show on the web site.  Here’s an interesting tidbit from the website.  On the main page, about half way down you’ll see Rooster McConaughey.  He is a friend of my ex, and his son, Madison, is a friend of my son’s.  Madison’s wife Christina was my vet.  Go watch the video of Rooster. He’s a real character and you can hear the way I talk by listening to his accent   Oh, Rooster is Matthew McConaughey’s brother!

I’m not sure what time the show comes on but it was on last night at 9 Central.  They probably have a schedule on the website.

Walk through the different rooms where you eat, sleep and live. Bless the walls, the roof, the windows and foundation. Give thanks for your home exactly as it exists today; sift and sort, simplify; and bring order to the home you have. Realize that the home of your dream dwells within. ~ Sarah ban Breathnach

Being somewhat displaced, I’ve been very aware of what the word “home” really means lately.  All but my most personal belongings are in a storage building 600 miles away.  It has taken me several months to develop a sense of home where I live.  It has, however, given me the opportunity to look at what it is that makes a home.  It’s not the furniture I own,  nor any of the items used to adorn.  It’s the heart of the person who resides there and how they express themselves in their dwelling.

I recently saw Mister’s home for the first time.  It told me so much more about him than anything he could say.  It’s a fantastic old home with all sorts of nooks, crannies and possibilities for creative expression that blow the mind!  But, more importantly it told me that his priorities are faith, family and fun…with a bit of being well organized on the side.

Our homes, in many ways are an exact symbol of our lives.  If we are waiting for someday to appreciate our home – til I get new furniture, til I get it painted, til I get a new home – we are unable to be truly grateful for the heart of it now.

One of my favorite quotations is “Home is where they love you.”  That, and that alone, is what makes a home a home.   The physical objects in the home are not important, but what dwells within the soul of a home is.  What does your home say about you?