If you are looking for a theme for a room it is easy to get caught up in the new trends and things you love like industrial, #farmhouse, nautical, nature, animal prints, gold, gold and more gold. The best things to keep in mind are to create a room that is inviting, comfortable and functional. This is a space that your family lives in and you should enjoy it every day. Plan according to your needs and budget. Here are the Elle Decor top decorating trends for 2017

​Step 2: Color Me Fabulous
Sometimes it’s tough to think about color when we know orders could be arriving not long after we arrive at a new duty station. If you live in military quarters, check with the housing office. Often times they offer more than the “White Walls” option. Removable wall paper is great alternative to painting. I love NuWallpaper by WallPop. From solid colors or patterns, to brick or shiplap, creating an accent wall or two is as easy as peel and stick. Adding color and texture to a room makes a big impact at a low cost. Keep in mind larger rooms can carry deeper tones. Dark colors in a small room can make the room appear smaller.

Step 3: Pick a Focal Point
Whether it’s the fireplace in the room, the chest that you picked up during an OCONUS assignment, the perfectly broken in leather club chair or those curtains you fell in love with, pick one piece to develop your theme around.  Keep in mind the pieces you already own and how you could freshen them up to work with your new idea. Slip covers on couches or chalking painting that end table you found at the flea market could be a great solutions to incorporating the old furniture with the new theme.

​
Step 4:  Your Family, Your Design
Plan according to your family’s needs. We are a busy family. Between school, deployments, sports, friends and FRG meetings our home can be a high traffic area. We need a space that functions at times for 30 guests to just myself and the dog. And with a pet, I think about what is best for her too. Never choose a theme that comprises function and comfort. Everyone is different and what works for one family may not be right for another. I love having a great looking room, but not just for show. Even if our home is our home for a short time, great design works best when your bring the humanity of your family into it.

Remember, it doesn't matter where we live, because We're The Home!

All the best,
Maria

Combine the Unexpected with the Familiar, says Color Expert Lee Wiseman. 2017 Pantone® Home + Interiors palettes revealed at 2016 International Home + Housewares Show. Executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice (Lee) Wiseman, says that Greenery is the new color for 2017. It's a refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings. As a military family we have become accustomed to seeing that OD Green and variations of green in socks, uniforms, duffle bags, and foot lockers, so I was a bit hesitant to consider incorporating green in to our home decor. But pops of green, even using something as simple as a bowl of green apples, or adding a green demijohn bottle or two to your decor gives a space a feeling of renewed life.

I love looking for vintage military maps and working with them in my designs, along with repurposing military ammo boxes into coffee tables, or artillery shells into lamps. I will be sharing a post with you on how I converted a wooden rifle box into a coffee table in the future. The key to using those items in the design of a room is to use only a few pieces to create what I call a "military industrial" look. I then soften the by using other materials that contrast those elements.

And it’s not because we don’t try either, because we do. For example, on one long ago, Valentine’s Day, while we were dating, I received THREE dozen red roses! Unfortunately, NONE of them were from HIM. So when he showed up at my door with a big smile and a bouquet of flowers, he was crushed and I was embarrassed (not to mention, BUSTED!) And once, after we married, his parents visited us during THAT weekend! We didn’t really have plans, but I wasn’t happy about the visit and when he admitted that he hadn’t planned anything special either, I was inconsolable! Although he did say, “I was going to do something on Monday, after they left.” He could’ve said anything and it wouldn't have mattered, because, MONDAY would NOT be VALENTINE’S DAY, the magic of THAT day would be gone. Ergo, he had failed and I wasn’t forgiving! Years later, I would just tell him not to worry about it and not do anything special and then be heartbroken when he did exactly what I told him to do...NOTHING.

It eventually became a running joke between us,”How bad can it possibly be THIS year? We’d laugh, “Yep, 15 year marriage ENDS in the parking lot of Denny’s!” Ha HA HA...uh, NOT.
Secretly, I wished, just ONCE, he would completely blow my mind with an undeniable testimony of his unfaltering love pour moi. Alas, it was just not meant to be. I believe we finally just gave up. We were officially “over it”.

That’s when I realized that the most amazing things had been happening all along! That Valentine weekend, his parents visited, is still one of our sweetest memories of all. We ended up camping out under the stars in the COLD Georgia mountains late that night. And the very first time we ever heard, our son, Jack’s, precious little heart beat, was on Valentine’s Day 2001!  I can’t explain to you how I felt on the day the biggest airplane I had ever seen, FINALLY landed at Campbell Army Airfield, as I watched my hero emerge through those doors after being gone, for what seemed like a lifetime. But I can tell you what day it was...that's right, February 14th, 2004.
Crazy. I know. There weren’t any expensive dinners, nor fancy flowers, No golden boxes of fine chocolate that I so love.

Yet, there haven’t been many days, quite like..those. That I have ever loved or been loved, quite like... that.
( P.S. THIS year, I’m on my own (again); so, if you DO get one of those giant-red-heart-shaped boxes, gimme’ a call! ‘cause I’d LOVE to share it with you!)

​-Jill

He goes with not ONE thing in our home. However, he is the very thing that my son asked for of my mother’s when she passed away nearly 5 years ago. I remember asking him, “really? This of all things? This?” He replied “Yes. Absolutely. I don’t recall a single time that I visited Mammie’s house that she didn’t whisper to me “Be sure to check the cookie monster! I put a surprise in there for you.”  How can I EVER throw that out? I simply cannot and someday I hope to continue that same tradition with my grandchildren.

How many of us have THAT thing or many of those things? I would guess ALL OF US, right? I believe it really is alright to hang on to a few items that represent sentimental value. However, there are ways to combat the clutter and accommodate the extra HHG weight to allow you to do so. Here are a few tips to aide you in this part of the process:

1- Take a picture of the item. Maybe the item really is just too big to continue to carry around with you. You can keep that memory by having the picture and not having to lug the item from duty station to duty station.

2- Upcycle it! USE IT. Find a way to utilize the item in your everyday life. Be creative! Make it a practical and effective piece of your HHGs while you share in the memory attached to it all of the time.

3- Save ONE item of it. This is particularly important when it comes to clothing, books, toys and collections of items. The memory is just the same with one item as it is with many.

4- Showcase the item. Most craft and hobby stores have an abundant variety of ways to showcase the item. Shadowboxes, unique large frames, and similar type pieces will allow you to keep the sentimental item in a different way. 

Next month I plan to talk about “Getting Rid of Kids’ Things”. That can really be tough when you or they are keepers! But I have a few quick tips to assist you in that too!

Until then, thank you again for stopping by and continuing to follow our journey with MovingwiththeMilitary!

-Jill