As we have settled into our home it is interesting to see how certain things make it feel like home. I love a well styled house but it seems to take a combination of things to make it really feel like home. Of course I love to have a few home decor items that are on trend but it is the personal and sentimental items that seem to give our home that unique touch.
Many of these types of personal pieces are photographs. I also love using favorite quotes or sayings around the house that focus on the spirit of our family. While many of the things we have bought for our home are decorative, I believe that many of it tells a story.
I have a friend that I knew growing up from church youth group who I haven't seen in years. But thanks to the beauty of social media we have kept in touch over time. It is always fun to see friends from the past pursue creative dreams from afar - much as I have through blogging. We seem to have a shared passion for cheering each other on as we create beauty in different forms.
My friend Sara from Ezra Creative Co. (formerly House of Ezra) is rocking it in her creative biz. She specializes in hand illustration where she creates beautiful handmade signs and prints for the home that bring that personal touch. She just relaunched her business where you can find her beautiful designs now also in the form of greeting cards, calendars, and journals.
I picked out two signs from her shop to add to our home. One is the family established sign that I have pretty much been wanting since my husband and I were dating! I always wanted one of those "established in" signs but never found one I completely loved. Well almost eight years later I finally have one! Better late than never, right?!
The sign is currently hanging in our laundry room. I have yet to share about this space because I was waiting to get it painted. But life happens (as I mentioned on Instagram) and I am happy to share it in it's current form. Because we should all be enjoying our homes even in it's imperfect state (like holes in the wall)!
Our laundry room connects our kitchen to the only bathroom on the main floor of our house so I wanted to make it look nice since it gets a lot of foot traffic. It was only in my dreams to actually have a "styled" laundry room! And sort of out of necessity it actually happened! When I get the chance, I will show you the entire space. But for now I love this little corner with laundry and cleaning supplies amongst our new sign. It is a nice balance of pretty and practical.
The second sign is really special to me. This verse from Philippians 4:13 has sort of become my life verse over the last two years. It first really hit me when we found out I was pregnant with our son. Though we had been wanting to start a family, the thought of actually going through pregnancy and labor terrified me. Not knowing what to expect reminded me to cling to strength that can only be found in the Lord.
Then nine months later, I survived child birth and we had this new tiny human to take care of. Again, I turned to this verse. The late nights of pacing back and forth in his room trying to get him to finally go to sleep were rough. I chanted this verse over and over in my head. At the time I even tried looking for this verse in art form to hang up in our son's room but couldn't find anything I liked!
Then a few months later we decided to move our family cross country! As we settled into our new home away from family and friends I kept telling myself - "I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me!" The first few months were especially hard and even now I often need this reminder when working through hard days or fighting through discontentment.
So all this to say, I am so happy to finally have a permanent place for this verse in our home. While the last two years have been especially challenging, I am sure I will cling to this verse again when another new life season is thrown our way.
While our homes can be beautifully styled, it is sometimes those subtle reminders that actually get us through the day. When the two collide, you know you have found a winner! Intentional beauty is what makes my house a home. And I am so grateful for the beautiful work Sara is doing in helping people like me get those messages up on their walls.
You can find my two signs here: FAMILY ESTABLISHED | PHIL 4:13 FRAMED SIGN
Let's help Sara kick off her first week of her relaunch with a promo code just for Domestic Fashionista readers! Use code: DomesticFashXEzra for 15% off your order! This offer is good through 10/18/17.
Here is just a little look at some of her darling illustrations:
You can see more of Sara's work here: Ezra Creative Co. | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
This post was written in collaboration with Ezra Creative Co and all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that help make this blog possible.
