Where did it all begin?

Growing up, I was always in a house known for its style.  I have a father who traveled and was always bringing art (good and bad) home and a mother who everyone said should be an Interior Decorator.  She has a keen sense of style but instead chose to work in the school system. As I moved onto my own apartments and houses she gave my sister and I both one very important piece of advice:

"Pick a color scheme that you can use throughout your house"

It seems so simple. And makes so much sense. By choosing a color scheme early on and using it throughout your home you can move your furniture, art, and trinkets throughout the rooms of your houses as you change, move, and grow. BUT if you're like me it's extremely difficult to choose what colors you are going to like FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE as a young adult, newlywed, etc. 

And to make matters more difficult, I married a man who had bought a house before we knew each other. It was gray and contemporary. With lots of pine trees. And not at all my style. Y'all- it had GREEN carpet, white walls, blue counter tops, and the list goes on. Let me give you a glimpse of his style choice and the "before" of our first house (his home- keep in mind at this point it at least has both of our furniture in it...for better or worse):

 Meet Marty- the inflatable deer head you'll learn to love

And some afters by the time we moved:

I hope the pictures adequately tell the story. We spent a lot of time learning the little things through what I decided to call my "practice house". We painted, redecorated, chose budget over splurge, and narrowed in what we do and don't like.  After spending 2 1/2 years in this house we finally SOLD it for +$21,000 more than we bought it for and above asking price and bought our forever HOME:

This time I can't wait to share with you progress pictures, tips, and I'm sure some fails! Cheers to lessons learned, new and old, and a forever home. Lets get the renovations started!