My latest Design Board was done for Sara of August Fields.

Sara and I had so much fun working together. If you peruse Sara’s blog, you will discover that Sara is quite a talented home decorator herself, so I was thrilled that Sara found a great benefit in working with a designer to help her come up with a complete vision for her entire space. There is nothing more fun {or helpful} than bouncing your ideas back and forth with creative minds.

Sara wanted hints of nautical colors {and not theme-y please!}, with several fun splashes of Salmon. Now how fun is that? Turns out, very fun:

What I love about this space:

1. The Salmon and Coral splashes. {I have a whole Salmon/Coral/Peach Pinterest Board. Are you a fan of Salmon?}

2. That we were able to reuse existing furnishings, but make the whole space feel fresh and bright.

3. The nautical blue throughout. Especially that chair and those curtains… and the backs of the built-ins!!

4. Octopus art on the built-ins.

5. Portrait lamps – one of my favorite details in a room.

6. It is all about comfort… but still gorgeous!

7. A rattan trunk for a coffee table.

8. Touches that are reminiscent of the sea, such as coral, an oyster shell cross, and scalloped pillows that make me think of mermaids.

What do you think of this Design? I love hearing your thoughts!

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Be sure to buzz over to Sara’s blog to read more about this space

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*{goodness gracious, the odds are good! hop over for my final eDesign giveaway, until Fall. Now is your chance!}

I have been blown away by you!

If you are looking for some really good reading today at Fieldstone Hill, you can find it in the comment section of my last post. You all are amazing!! We just began diving into a series called “Overcoming Decorating Paralysis,” and I threw out my thoughts on what I {really} think about decorating. And YOU all told me what YOU really think too. And I am so thrilled, because now this is OUR series… not just mine.

Thank you to everyone who shared, from the bottom of your hearts, what YOU {really} think about this inner struggle. And if you have not shared yet, and feel compelled, please do chime in… or at the very least, read these amazing comments and be inspired.

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One more quick read that will be so SO SO sooooo worth it:

On Tuesday, we chatted hard about the significance of beauty, art, or plain-old-eye-candy. Most days here at Fieldstone Hill are “shallow.” Just eye-candy and fun. And what of the shallow shores of a deep ocean?? One of the commenters pointed me to this A.MAZ.ING devotion by Oswald Chambers {oh yes. he is GOOD!}, and it is really, REALLY worth clicking over and soaking in these thoughts.

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I was so busy spilling my guts on Tuesday that I forgot to send all of you over to RooMag.com, to read my contributing article about appreciating the Dreams we already have! I would love to connect with you over there. And thank you so much to all of my readers who have encouraged and supported me over there. I cannot begin to tell you how it has heartened me.

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And I have had just about enough {insert me, in a tiara, stomping my foot.} of these posts that have no eye-candy. Basta! The time has come to gaze on something lovely, no? Check out this little corner of a room by one of my favorite designers, Garrow Kedigian. How can so much texture and detail be crammed into one tiny little corner???? He has me daydreaming about layering fabrics and sophisticated patterns… not to mention the sassy scarlet and turquoise:

{design by Garrow Kedigian; image via Elle Decor}

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Phew. Well, all there is left to say is, you all blow me away! Yes, YOU! Thank YOU for being a part of our new series.

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There is more to come soon, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single update.  If you are not already a subscriber to FHD, subscribe today {it’s free} to have Fieldstone Hill Design delivered straight to your inbox!

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I am so excited to dive into my new series: “Overcoming Decorating Paralysis.” You can read all about the concepts I will be tackling in the intro post here. I think we are going to learn a lot from each other!

This one is wordy. Bear with me as I hash this out…

Before I go on.

I have something I want to share that I don’t want to dance around:

I want to tell you what I really truly think about decorating.

1. I love it with a passion. So much so that I write about it and work on it almost every day.

and, also:

2. It is a totally unnecessary luxury, one with which me must strive to seek careful balance.

there.

For two solid years I wrestled with God about even writing this blog and sharing my business with “the world” {*smile* that’s you!}.

Why the struggle?

For one, I have seen desperate poverty with my own eyes. Fed people under bridges. Stared in the eyes of begging children. Heard from orphans. Seen small children walk through sewage and live in filth. And even here, in America. And through God’s grace, He has not allowed me to forget a single one of these things. I know, from the depths of my being, how insignificant home decorating is in the grandest scheme of things.

And secondly, I believe to my core, and daily hope to live, these things:

“Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” – {from the Bible, Proverbs 15:17}

““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – {from the Bible, Matthew 6:19-21}

I don’t believe we should live casually by these truths, but deeply and intentionally.

Hence, my wrestle… Would Fieldstone Hill be glorifying the very things that moth and rust destroy? The answer is: it could. It certainly could. And on some days… it probably does. And worse. It has probably discouraged someone. Or frustrated someone. Or defeated someone.

I don’t say these things to cut myself down, or to insult this blessing-of-a-business. On the contrary. I simply want to look at things from the right perspective. From a lasting perspective.

And, from a lasting perspective, lets face it: Decorating is not important.

And yet I cannot tear myself away from the thought:

men and women from all over the world have had and continue to have a longing and desire to add beauty to their homes. To create art. To be surrounded by peace and order that echoes the Beauty around us.

Were we meant to create beauty?

The truth is: I have discovered, slowly but surely, that anything, ANYTHING, can be used to bring Glory… to the Only Thing that matters.

Even interior decorating. Even our homes.

Our homes: used to build up workers, servers, friends, and families. Our homes that can serve if used toward that aim. Our homes CAN serve if we don’t hold on too tightly. If we keep our homes in perspective. If our homes work for us and for God…. not the other way around: us, striving and serving and working for our homes.

And I humbly say {and what a surprise it has been!} that Fieldstone Hill Design has been used to help others build up homes that serve. To add Beauty to the mundane. And even to shine Beauty in the creative blogosphere. And for that, I am so amazed and thankful. I have mercifully been shown that this is what I am supposed to be doing.

So, what about you?

Are you meant to create beauty?

To add order and peace to your surroundings. to this world?

If you are living in a situation where you are blessed with the ability to even think about such things as decorating your home, this is where the right perspective must come in. Before we can ever free ourselves from any sort of decorating paralysis… we need to know how our homes, and adding beauty to our homes, fits into the overall picture of our lives.

And I’m guessing that, if you read Fieldstone Hill Design, you love interior design too.

Has this love consumed you? Replaced something more important? Taken up too much brain space?

Has your dream for “things to be a certain way” inhibited the very things that you know are MOST important?

Are you serving your needs and wants and dreams for your home… or is your home serving your family and the greater Good?

How on earth are we to EVER to break out of any type of paralysis without dealing with the truth? FIRST.

{truth is. I can’t WAIT to hear what you have to say about this.}

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Don’t miss a beat of this series. If you are not already a subscriber to FHD, subscribe today {it’s free} to have Fieldstone Hill Design delivered straight to your inbox!

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Do you really resonate with this post? Maybe, just maybe, you are a Master Designer and should be included on the Master Designer Blog Roll?

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*{goodness gracious, the odds are good! hop over for my final eDesign giveaway, until Fall. Now is your chance!}

I have been so encouraged, and so interested {!}, by all of the great comments you left on the introductory post to my new series: How to Overcome Decorating Paralysis. So…. we are not alone, right?! Thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts… I will certainly be thinking of YOU as I write this series.

Ah, but today is Monday, and that means Ditto!! So, no paralysis, just for today. Can we do it?

This week I am featuring another talented designer in the blogosphere, Bryn Alexandra, and a beautiful living room makeover she did for a client.

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{have you entered the last FHD Monthly giveaway  {the last until Fall} ? Win a free Single-Question Consult and tackle a problem area in your home. Plus, more ways to enter.}