I am a minimalist. Now, if you came in my house and looked around you may not think that because there’s a lot of stuff in here. We have 6 kids, homeschool, cook from scratch every day, and all of us have hobbies that involve lots of supplies. I’m not a minimalist in the sense of sparse neutral rooms and one plate, bowl, cup, and fork per person. In reality there aren’t many minimalists who would or could live that way.
I live in a minimal way as far as possessions go. If we don’t use it or it doesn’t add to our home in a real way, I’m getting rid of it. In my kitchen I don’t keep things that I don’t use. My closet has clothes I actually wear and feel good in.
This extends to the simple decor in our home. I have a collected style and have no problem with a blank wall or empty space until I find the perfect thing to go there. Partly this is for my well-being. I don’t like to see stuff on every surface. It’s also an effort thing. I’d rather have a few things I enjoy than have lots of things to unpack, repack, and store. Life gets so full that if something isn’t easy, I’m not going to do it.
Now if decorating for holidays gets you fired up and makes you smile every time you see that special something, then I love it! I used to set out the cute tiny pumpkins that I had for years and switch out colorful leaves for the flowers on my wreath. At some point I was content to not do that anymore. It felt like I had to give myself permission to not decorate.
The photo above is the extent of my fall decor. The brass candlesticks were thrifted, they came from a bizarre little shop we came across on a trip. Dried hydrangeas and beeswax candles are my natural component. The amber glass jar was a candle gifted by a friend. I reused it to pour a new beeswax candle when it was done. At some point I may add one of those sugar pie pumpkins that will eventually be used to make a pie. It’s simple, natural, easy, and beautiful.
