Creative Inspiration For Your Home and Garden

I don’t know about you, but every so often, I need a really good dose of creative inspiration! I am so thankful for the abundance of resources that we have available to us today. There was a time (not so long ago), that in order to find creative visual inspiration, you would have to order a subscription to a magazine…then hope that there were some good pictures in that month’s issue 😉 Now, our options are literally unlimited!

One of my favorite places to find creative visual inspiration is Flickr.

For your daily dose of creative inspiration… here is a slide-show of some of the photos from the group! I hope you enjoy…I know that I do!


I decided to get a professional account there, so that I can add as many pictures to my account as I’d like. I also belong to several groups, where people that share the same interests gather to share their favorite pictures. At Flickr, not only can you find pictures on any topic that your heart desires, but you can add them to your favorites, save a person as a contact if you like their pictures, add your pictures to different groups, comment on any pictures, and more! The site is totally free to start your own account, and you can use the site as much as you’d like.

One of the “slight problems” with Flickr is, there are SO MANY pictures to look through, that it might take a while for you to find the “best pictures”, and a few hours can pass by without you even noticing! This is why I created a new group called “The Best of Home and Garden.”

I created the group to give people a special dose of creative inspiration, without all of the work of sorting through thousands of pictures, while trying to find the perfect one. The group is free to join, and even though we receive many pictures to be considered for inclusion, we only allow the best of the ones we receive to be included in the group. This ensures that people who take the time to look through the group’s photos, will thoroughly enjoy their time with us!

I would love for you to take a second & join the group and submit some of your favorite pictures for possible inclusion! I only ask that you please not be disappointed if it is not chosen to be included. Because even though we love all kinds of pictures, we are trying to use discretion when deciding which ones to allow into “The Best of Home and Garden” 😉

A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who has already submitted pictures, it is really appreciated!

Don’t Forget to Enter Our $100 Giveaway!

I just wanted to remind everyone to take a second to enter the $100 that we are hosting with MicasaStyle.com! The only ones who have a chance to win, are those who participate from our blog… so you have a great chance to get an extra $100 shopping spree from one of these great stores:


– Pottery Barn
– Target
– Crate & Barrel
– JC Penney
– Sears
– Home Depot

It’s so simple to enter!

All you have to do is…

#1 – Go to www.micasastyle.com and click “Add a Space”
(They have a tagging feature so remember to tag a few things in your room to share with others!)

#2 – Add the pictures of your room (Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas)

#3 – Come back & leave a comment at our contest page: http://astorybooklife.com/home-garden-pictures/shopping-spree/ – & leave a comment with the url (web address) or name of your room/username. This is how we will know you are participating in the contest.

For example: My country cottage living room was featured recently. The room name that I gave it was: French Country Cottage Living Room, and my user name is aStorybookLife

#4 – You may enter as many times as you want, as long as each entry is a different space. Just follow steps 1-3 for each one.

#5 – The pictures don’t have to be new – they can be ones that you’ve already taken (as was mine). So think of last year’s fall or Christmas for example.

On December 17th we will name the winner, so try to have your pictures in by the 16th.

Please tell your friends & family about the event, so they will have a chance to win, and so that we can enjoy their decorating talents 🙂

We are all looking forward to seeing your space!

Pearl

We’re Giving Away a $100 Shopping Spree – Do You Want It?

MicasaStyle-LogoOver the next 6 weeks, we will be hosting a contest sponsored by Micasastyle.com, in which we will give away a gift certificate for a $100 shopping spree from your choice of these stores:


  • Pottery Barn
  • Target
  • Crate & Barrel
  • JC Penney
  • Sears
  • Home Depot


  • We love your style & want you to share it with the world! We want to see pictures of your home dressed up for Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Then, the best themed room will then be chosen & awarded the $100 gift certificate.

    The contest is only for “A Storybook Life” readers – and friends of the blog who would like to help promote it. And…the more pictures & rooms posted, the more creative style for us all to enjoy!

    All you have to do is –

    #1 – Go to www.micasastyle.com and click “Add a Space”
    (They have a tagging feature so remember to tag a few things in your room!)

    #2 – Add the pictures of your room (Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas)

    #3 – Come back to this post & leave a comment with the url (web address) or name of your room and username – this is how we will know you are participating in the contest.

    For example: My country cottage living room was featured recently. The room name that I gave it was: French Country Cottage Living Room, and my user name is aStorybookLife

    #4 – You may enter as many times as you want, as long as each entry is a different space. Just follow steps 1-3 for each one.

    #5 – The pictures don’t have to be new – they can be ones that you’ve already taken (as was mine). So think of last year’s fall or Christmas for example.

    On December 17th we will name the winner, so try to have your pictures in by the 16th.

    Please tell your friends & family about the event, so they will have a chance to win, and so that we can enjoy their decorating talents 🙂

    ** Remember… the only people who are participating in this contest are the ones who post a comment here, not all of the other rooms already posted at MicasaStyle.com. You have a great chance to win, and it only takes a few minutes to share a few pictures… so why not get started now!

    … do I hear more decorating $$ coming your way 😉

    Build Your Own Little Cottage From Recycled and Found Materials!

    I’ve always loved the thought of building a tiny little cottage from natural *mostly* free materials.

    You might not have realized it, but there are people everywhere, who are building their own little cottages from free supplies that they have gathered from their property such as; mud, straw, sticks, and stones! And, no matter how hard the big bad wolf blows, he won’t be able to blow these little cottages down… not by the hair of our chinny-chin-chin 😉

    With a little bit of know how and very little money… you could be in a little place of your own in a short amount of time!

    Something about having a little cozy place to bake some pies, hang pretty little curtains, and be surrounded with piles of cottage gardens… is the melody of my dreams!

    I think I hear music 😉



    Pink Mist – Inspiration for Your Home & Garden

    Pink Mist Inspiration

    I love to look at pictures that seem to sweep me away into a different time & place. There’s just something about our imagination that fuels even greater creativity when it comes to decorating our homes & gardens.

    I hope these “Featured Home & Garden Pictures” provide fuel for your creative ideas!

    Enjoy & have a wonderful day!