Project Marriage Sparkle: Getting playful in the bedroom (aka my bedroom decorating frenzy)

Ok, here's the backstory:  My handsome hubby and I are in a small group at church (if you don't know what that means, it's when there is literally a "small group" of people who get together regularly outside regular church time, and it's way-cool for building friendships and growing spiritually and for laughing a lot), and our small group is currently reading "The Good and Beautiful Life."

And we have homework.  Which is cool, because I'm sort of a nerd about stuff like that.  I underline and dog-ear all the pages and make this whole thing quite serious. 

Which is a little ironic.  Because our homework this past time was to PLAY more.  

Wow.  Really?  That's not deeply spiritual or anything, is it?  How on earth is that going to make me more like Jesus? I don't get it...

But on I read. Some things hit me.  Stuff I've been missing out on, because for a while I've made being a Christian too "serious" all the time (and I think it's important to be serious about our faith, don't get me wrong, but I was all "work, work, work," you know?).  I was sucky in the "fun and spontaneous and playful" department.  (Perhaps you clued in on that with my startling confession of "clear liquids in the den" being how my man and I decided to really cut loose and live more laid back lives - haha!)

So, being the superstar student that I am, I decided to tackle this playful business for real.

"Spontaneity is one of the spiritual benefits of play... We relax... We play because our God is good. Grace is sufficient for us. God wants us to be full of joy, and play is a way to experience the goodness of God and the richness of life."

"Play" is the perfect way to find sparkle.  And you know I've been all about us living really vibrantly and fully engaged lives, which I'm dubbing as SPARKLE. 

And what better time than Valentine's week to PLAY!? 

Tuesday, while I had the day child-free, I went where all smart women go to play: HomeGoods.  We've been wanting to redo our master bedroom, because we haven't since we first were married eight fantabulous years ago!!!  Here's the "before" photo:

We are beyond tired of having red walls. Been there, done that.  Over it. 

I had this whole sooooothing monochromatic whites and soft metallics color palette in my mind... with beads and pearls and all sorts of things that would cause our Type-A personalities to feel stressed when the 4yr old climbs up on the bed with a sippie cup or snack, because it's all so high maintenance. 

And then HomeGoods happiness happened to me. 

I found some goodies that totally rocked my world. So I texted some pics to hubby (who picked the same exact wild and crazy humongous neon yellow lamps I loved - we were SO meant to be married) and he sent me back the most romantic words known to womankind: "Buy what makes you sparkle." 

He gets me.  He is the greatest, most romantic and awesome man ever born on earth, and I love that he wants me to sparkle inside! 

Side note: He also knows I am the most frugal and budget-conscious woman alive, so he could speak these words without terror striking his heart.  Credit card debt and over-spending do not sparkle make.  Can I get an 'amen'? 

Anyway. I digress.

I have pics for you of some of the elements in the new bedroom, but I won't show the pics of it put together til we paint the red walls a new color, because they just irritate me in photos now.  Sorry. 

But please know that in a fit of super-woman strength I somehow hoisted the ends of our gigunda bed up to very awkwardly yank the area rug out, only cutting my hands in 3 places and not even giving myself a hernia! Then, in a 30-minute stretch, I pulled every single decor-item out of the room and replaced it with the new stuff so my hubby could walk in and be surprised after work!  

I think this was worth 3000 Weight Watchers exercise points.  This is a claim not supported by the Weight Watchers organization but for which I offer the proof being that I lost one whole pound by the next morning... Could decorating be slenderizing?  

My inspiration for the pieces (please forgive the poor light quality, because the red walls bounce weird light back... it will be good to take pics after we paint) is the variety of ethnic influences and bold colors in fashion and home decor right now.  I am enjoying playing with different patterns and textures and looking for pieces that "go" more than "match" (thank you, Stacy and Clinton & "What Not to Wear"). 

small area rugs - on on either side of the bed, which leaves more of the room's 100yr old painted pine floor exposed, which I love

grommeted drapery panels pick up the neutral shade that runs through the fabrics and has a simple, graphic quality that is both modern and a nice compliment to the more busy designs on the bedding and rugs

one of two beautiful paintings - the other is like this but in whites.  they bring some unity to the space because they are a contemporary interpretation of a floral but the color pallet and round shape of the flower is picked up in the bedding

wild and crazy textile from India for the bed quilt - I love the international flavor in design right now and the mixing of elements that are global and look collected rather than pre-packaged. it's more playful. and the colors here make me smile and inject energy into the room. and marriages deserve  bedrooms that inspires playfulness and joy!

some of the pillows - ikat, sequins, embroidery, pleated silk with organic embellishments like wooden buttons - so pretty (only not so photogenic today with the weird red-wall-lighting - you'll see)

We have beautiful ikat fabric-framed photos from our wedding in the room and some pretty Turkish glass with shimmery oranges and gold to hold perfumes and even some lovely plants (which I now know how not to kill - thank you, Tessa!) to make the space come alive.  

And wait til you see the lamps that are my new favorite color: neon yellow!  It's the new black, I swear. It goes with everything.  I may write a whole post about neon yellow, because I'm head-over-heels in love with it.  The lamp is TALL and gourd-shaped and fantabulous!  

Valentine's Day is the perfect day to do a special something for your spouse to add some SPARKLE to your marriage.  

To play.  

To create.  

To be inspired.  

And if you don't have a spouse, Valentine's Day is the perfect day for you to do something beautiful for yourself or to give some sparkle to a bff!  

How will you invest in play and in sparkle today?  What influences your design choices? Let me know!  It's inspiring to hear from friends. 

And the answer is "Yes, you can hire me to redecorate your home, if you want your space to be filled with things that are unexpected, joyful and reflect your unique sense of sparkle."