31 Days: Day 15

Here's a little secret... home reality isn't as perfect as home pictures...

Many bloggers have admitted to it, and I'll be one too - I style pictures of my home. Most of the time, my home is quite messy.

           Styled...                                                      Reality (as of today)

Oh lordy-lou that's the truth and there's no taking it back now...

Styling is a real art form and, like composition, takes practice and experimentation. Here's an example of how I would style the catchall bowl on my strongman table.

Here's where we're starting - NOT CUTE

I took it all out and started fresh. What a cute bowl... I never get to see that detail...

First Attempt: I just put a few things in that seemed pretty, but I don't like the chap stick like that...

Take Two: Ouch, this is blurry so I would have to try again, but also I'm not loving the wallet now. It all looks so dark and I want something a little more fun...

Finished! Instead of the wallet I put in a couple of cute coasters. I don't really keep the coasters there, but it looks pretty and gives you an idea of how we use the catchall without it looking gross. For the win!

I hope that gives you a little insight into how it all works. I have some more styling thoughts in this post. It seems to me that styling is a lot about fussing around until you're happy. It's fun and relaxing because the end result is so gratifying!

A great tip from Rachel on A Beautiful Mess: Don't try to style your whole house to take all of your pictures in one day!! That will be super overwhelming (for most people). Your kids or cats or boyfriends or whatever are also going to make it really difficult to keep things clean. Pick one room and have at it. You might not even get done in one day, but don't worry. Just be patient and have fun with it!

Snapshot Sunday is tomorrow... just sayin... you might want to send in a picture :)