Desha Peacock - Create the Style You Crave on a Budget You Can Afford The Sweet Spot Guide to Home Decor

Copyright 2014 by Desha Peacock

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62873-622-9
eISBN: 978-1-62873-978-7

Printed in China

Preface

W E ALL HAVE A STORY TO TELL, AND PART OF THE WAY WE DO THIS IS THROUGH OUR HOMES .

I NTERVIEW WITH A MERICA S FAMOUS DESIGNER N ATE B ERKUS , E LLE D COR

Beyond Home Dcor

Create the Style You Crave on a Budget You Can Afford is different from most decorating books. It goes beyond home dcor, beyond the material, and is the first book of its kind that incorporates New Thought Philosophy/Personal Development with home dcor.

While filled with visual eye candy, it also explores how creatively expressing yourself in your home and gardens helps you create the life you really want to live. As the ever so popular Law of Attraction is causing a paradigm shift in thought, its essential that your life, wardrobe, career, and yes, your home dcor reflect the essence of who you are and your inner hearts desire. In this book, you will learn how to surround yourself with beauty and create an environment that reflects who you are and what you want so you can draw more of that into your life.

Your Style, Your Budget

Do you desire a comfy cozy home with quilts and china teacups or maybe a bit of glam to invoke your inner pop star? Are you attracted to clean modern lines or do you want to surround yourself with culturally diverse motifs to remind you of world travels and nostalgia? Perhaps its a mix of several styles. Whatever it is, this book will help you create the style you crave on a budget you can afford.

Inspiration

In these pages youll be inspired by stories of everyday men and women with busy lives and limited budgets who have infused personal values, meaning, and style into their homes. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you will feel inspired as you see how others like you have done it.

Additionally, youll discover how I created my favorite room on the tiniest of shoestrings. Its my own private Sweet Spot where I look over my garden, have a glass of wine, and work on the creative projects that give me so much joy. I call it my cabin.

Finally, youll find tons of resources to inspire you both online and off. Well pull it all together in a mood board and leave you inspired to create your own amazing Sweet Spot home.

Im so glad you are here; lets begin!

Remember, your home doesnt need to be perfect , but it does need to be you !

Contents

Introduction

Can I share a little secret with you?

My mother and I used to drive around the historic neighborhoods of Little Rock, Arkansas, where I grew up. We would admire the tree-lined streets, unique architecture, and charming neighborhoods. Then we would drive home to our little duplex on Laramie Cove where I spent my first twelve years of life.

Those drives were full of hope and yearningnot just for a prettier home but also for a better life. And while there wasnt much I could do about it as a child, a deep desire was planted in me that one day I might live in lovely home and share it with my daughter.

I was motivated by desire, by that deep craving. Thats how I was able to create it for myself. Its easy to fall into despair when you dont have the home (or life) you desire, but the secret is this: you dont have to wait to live in the style you crave; you can begin to create it now.

LET YOUR CRAVING FUEL YOU.

Id like to encourage you to live your life in a meaningful way in all aspects of your life, and that includes being surrounded by beauty (your kind of beauty) in your home.

Rebekahs brown paper trash bag painting is mounted on simple cardboard in my foyer. This is one of my favorite places to write and have a cup of tea.

CHAPTER 1

WHAT IS THE SWEET SPOT?

S OME PEOPLE LOOK FOR A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, OTHERS MAKE A PLACE BEAUTIFUL .

H AZRAT I NAYAT K HAN , F OUNDER OF U NIVERSAL S UFISM

As someone deeply passionate about connecting to a higher purpose while enjoying the present moment, Ive been a student of Sweet Spot Living for over ten years now and have incorporated the concept into every part of my lifefrom my livelihood/career to my family and to my home . I began to interview people who are living in their Sweet Spot and documented their stories on The Desha Show , a local TV show that I produce here in Southern Vermont.

What I learned from that experience is that everyone has his/her own definition of what the Sweet Spot is. Its self-defined, meaning you get to decide what makes your life, career, or home feel good to you. Too often we are pressured by family and society to live a certain way, but there is a paradigm shift that teaches us that its okay to allow our inner hearts and spirits to guide us and to give us faith that we are on the right path.

When it comes to the home, its very important to feel like youre in your Sweet Spot. If you want to live in a tiny cabin by the ocean so you can go surfing any time of the day or nightso be it. If you want a luxurious mansion filled with chandeliers and white carpet (and can afford it), so be it. Your home is your nest, a place that embraces you, a place where you can let go of all pretenses and simply be yourself. You can create a home that makes you feel like you are in your Sweet Spot by creating an environment that reflects your personal style, values, budget, and your dreams.

A dear old friend of mine who I had not seen in years called me up one day as she was travelling north headed towards Nova Scotia from Minnesota, and of course I was hoping shed pay a visit to our Vermont home, which she did.

The first thing Rebekah said when she arrived at my house was, Ohhh, your front porch! As a fellow misplaced Southern gal, we both purchased homes with front porches; its a nod to our roots, a way to keep us connected to the slow moving way of the south. A common thread between us.