Here she is. The source of my addiction.

This is the first “real” piece of art I ever purchased. Just a simple oil painting, but really so much more. Purchasing this painting was the first step in committing to interior styling. I remember thinking…this is it! This will be the first step in making my home feel the way I want it to feel, instead of the way I felt like I could afford it to feel…meaning $10 pre-framed art prints from my local home/craft store. $50 was a whole lot of money for me at the time, but I decided to make the investment anyway. For me it meant a new beginning…a new, colorful, stepping into my own future, type of beginning.

This one single purchase was not just a commitment to beautifying my home, it was a commitment to investing in myself. Very soon afterwards I decided to further my education in interior design through coursework at a local university. I dove in deep, studying and absorbing as much as could, and doing extra work by reading and researching during every moment of free time I could find. I was hooked…addicted.

I started using what I learned immediately, honing my styling skills by arranging and rearranging every surface in my home…much to my husband’s annoyance who could no longer find things. I was truly amazed by the impact that styling was having on my life as a whole. I was feeling much better about my home, and as a result I was feeling much better about myself. I felt a deep sense of self worth…something that I didn’t even realize I was missing. I felt capable, and dare I say- talented.

I know there are many of you out there who have fallen madly in love with that certain something….be it a painting, or even a sofa that’s just a wee bit outside of your purchase price comfort zone. Right? Well, I strongly encourage you to make the investment. If you’ve been looking for a sign- this it. Do it. If you truly love it, that one thing can totally change the way you feel about your home. If it can change the way you feel about your home, then it also has the power of changing the way you feel about yourself. Trust me, I’ve experienced it firsthand.

I’ve come a long way since the time I purchased this painting; I’ve collected many more treasured pieces, but I still love my “first born” dearly. She holds a very special place in my heart (and on my living room wall). It was the truly best $50 I’ve ever spent.