Home-y-ness

I witnessed something last night that got me to thinkin'. (Oh, the dangers of that! Ha!) Last night I did a scrapbook party for a friend/customer of mine. It was at her home and most of the gals who attended were current friends/customers. So a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Well, before the party got underway there were a few of us sitting in the living room, waiting for the final guests to arrive. One of the gals there told the hostess that her home was very warm and welcoming. And I had to agree! Looking around, she had just the right touches of wall decorations, plants, nice warm colors of paint and furniture, etc. It was all "put together" in a way that was inviting and cozy.

Okay, now I remember back to when our family visited another family here in town a number of months ago. The house was not "put together" and expertly decorated. It was kind of a hodge-podge of things, here and there. Certainly nothing you'd even remotely see in a magazine. But.... it was homey and inviting. In this case, the other family provided the "warmth" - so it didn't matter what the house looked like, you just felt comfortable and at home.

Keeping those two scenarios in mind... I have heard over the years that it doesn't matter what your house looks like, you as the hostess are the one to make your home an inviting and warm place to be. That makes sense considering the second scenario I wrote about. The house was not "put together", but the hostess made it a warm and welcoming place. And the reverse of that is true, too. A house can look all perfect, yet not be a warm and welcoming place. I know of places like that. Okay, so I understand that. But I have to say, at the home in my first scenario that was "put together", the hostess was not the warm and welcoming type. Actually, she was a rather abrupt person, not really the friendly, welcoming type. YET, I felt warm and welcome in her "put together" home.

Hmmm. So, what in the world does all of that mean?! I don't have an answer for you. But I do know this - Personally, I am not necessarily the "hostess" type. Just really isn't in my blood or personality, but I do try. And my home is NOT something you'd see in a magazine. Ha! I really struggle with the whole decorating thing. I don't have that "touch". So, am I a goner? I don't have either the "hostess" gene in me or a superbly decorated home.

Okay, so coming to my point here. Basically, what I witnessed last night, and subsequently got me thinking about, made me come to this conclusion: I really desire to make my home more welcoming and warm. I want to add nice touches here and there that make it cozy. Yes, we don't have all kinds of money to be sinking into tons of extra decorations and stuff. But I desire to try to find a way to "up" the "warm and cozy" factor in our home. And to put myself in more situations to be a warm and welcoming hostess. Start inviting people over more. And then, hopefully then, it can become easier for me. But I realize I need to work in both areas. And I think that's a tangible goal to work toward!