Quieting the "You Can't" Chorus

This fantastic, motivating and inspiring guest post was submitted by the ever talented Lindsey from Living with Lindsay.

My friend Zoë had the cutest new window treatment over her kitchen sink. As I sat there stuffing my face with her delicious Seven Layer Dip, I couldn’t help but stare at it. “It’s called a window mistreatment,” Zoë said. “I read all about them on this great blog called the Nesting Place. She makes everything with a glue gun!” They were definitely cute, but I figured I could never do something like that. I’d totally fold the fabric wrong and then end up burning myself with the hot glue. I can’t even make dinner in a Crock Pot without burning it; so wielding a glue gun dripping liquid “Ouch!” was surely beyond my talents, right?


My love of the Internet got the best of me. I immediately went home and pulled up the Nester’s blog. I was floored. Zoë was right! The Nester did make everything with a glue gun, and better yet, she included simple instructions (and even talked about burning her fingerprints off her hands! I’m not alone in the world!). That night, I sat on my couch until 3 am and read every single post the Nester had ever written.

Inspired from my late night blog fest, the next morning I marched myself down to the cheap fabric store and bought 10 yards of navy and white toile. In an extraordinary turn of events, the gal who had decided that being a stay-at-home mom meant that she didn’t have the big bucks needed to decorate had been empowered to create a fabric-covered headboard for the master bedroom. I blame Nester and her little birdie friends.


Looking back, I wonder why I even thought I should attempt to make the headboard. My poor husband’s first thought when I described my plan was that I was crazy. He begrudgingly accompanied me to the closest home improvement store to purchase the core door I needed (after I first scoured our neighborhood for free discarded doors in true Nester style), and he helped me strap it to the top of our car. The whole way home he questioned how I was going to attach the fabric, how I was going to paint the crown molding, and how I was going to install the trim through the thick layer of batting and the fabric. I just kept replying, "Don't worry. I got this."

As you would expect this story to go, the headboard turned out great. It was at this point that my inner-designer (Ha! I love thinking that I have an inner-designer!) told me not to let other people question my vision, regardless of who those other people may be. It happens to all of us, you know. Our mothers, our sisters, our husbands, our neighbors tell us that it might not work out and we might “ruin” something. My attitude had changed and I suddenly wondered how I could “ruin” something I didn’t much like in the first place. What’s the worst that could happen?


After a few more completed projects under my belt, I discovered that I was walking with my head held a little higher, my shoulders a little wider, and with a little swing in my hips. Believing in my vision and myself had led to a renewed sense of self-confidence that I hadn’t felt in, well, a really long time. I had proven to myself that I could spray paint anything that would stand still and wield a glue gun over my head without a burning myself. I had proven that sometimes all it takes to decorate my home is to gather up some things that I love and put them in a hurricane vase.


As I have learned, decorating your home isn’t about what is trendy, featured in the pricey décor magazines, and shown on HGTV. It’s about making your house feel like your home. It’s about giving you the confidence to make a few mistakes, go back to the drawing board, and try again. It’s about falling in love with a $2 item at a thrift store and making it your muse. It’s about gathering inspiration from a photo you see online or from a friend who has a great glue-gunned valence in her kitchen and making it your own.

Most importantly, decorating your home is about quieting all of those voices (including your own) that tell you that you can’t, you shouldn’t, you won’t.

Because you know what? You can, you should, you will.

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Thanks Lindsay! Wasn't that an inspiring post? I think my favorite line was "I suddenly wondered how I could ruin something I didn't much like in the first place..." all too true!

Don't forget about the lampapalooza party tomorrow! You can link to any kind of lighting, a project, your favorite lamp, problem area, whatever. I'll have some prizes too. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Mr. Linky will show! I plan on having the post up around 8am EST.

Update: Mr. Linky just told me that he won't be coming--so you can leave a comment and let us know to come visit your blog for your entry--I'll try to link to all the entries as they come in within the post.