Blue Happy Living

On July 17 I blogged about my husband’s man cave, his poker room if you will.  In that blog I kinda hopped around the room and told you all about what I did to complete the room.  The blog was well received but I got a lot of questions about the bar area.  I decided to revisit that blog in more detail.

  
As I said before it was a wet bar that we did not need.  For goodness sake the kitchen sink is 12 feet to the left. You can walk there if you need a sink.  When we started the remodel of this bar the first thing we both agreed was the sink could go.  So now it is a dry bar.  We wanted to use the back wall of the bar as a place to display some really amazing items Greg brought back from Germany.  Most wives would look at the things and say “No way are you putting that in my house! It will clash with my decor!” Truthfully, I had my years where I really didn’t care for these items.  As I have gotten older, though, I have come to realize that decorating a home for the long term means filling it with things that make you smile and happy.  I could easily go out tomorrow and shop all the cool furniture stores along with all the decorating hot spot shops and make a great show home.  I used to decorate that way, always changing things to the newest, latest and most popular decor.  Now I decorate with deep, heart-felt love for the items that we see everyday and live with.  Sometimes I will buy something I see at Hobby Lobby or Home Goods.  I do love these stores A LOT. But when I’m decorating a room I first put the things with meaning then use other things as fillers.

  
Greg’s time in Germany is very special to us both.  That’s where the we, us and love began for this 29 year marriage.  Greg and I were pen pals while he was stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base.  Greg cared for the glassware, wood box, whisky and beer steins as he carried them home from overseas.  How could I not care for something he cared some much about? It all reminds him of a fantastic time that he lived when he was younger. I do love these things and the way they fill this part of my home with memories.

  
One of the biggest questions was what in the world are in the candy jars on the back of the bar? Well this room was put together for my husband.  He loves to play poker and that is what this room was designed for.  We had all his poker chips stored in cases under the counter. Every time he had a game we had to drag out all these cases and then put them up after the game.  It was always a mess so why not put what you use into your decor.  By doing that it’s out and ready to use with easy clean up.

Take what you have and what you use and place it in plain sight in an organized fashion. Embrace the items that mean things to you and your family members.  Don’t discount something just because it might not match perfect. Decor doesn’t have to be all about perfection. Decor needs to be about laughter, smiles, love and comfort.  I spent too many years and too much money trying to decorate with what everyone else was doing.  What  a waste of my time! That is why I started Blue Happy Living to show you that your home should make you calm and happy. We should make our homes a place where we can feel like it’s wrapping its arms around us. Make sure that you find the Blue Happy in your home.