Decorating Bravery and Using What You Have

I've long had the problem of worrying what others will think or judge about how I decorate home.  I've worried to the point of not doing much of anything.  Crazy, huh?!  I also hesitate because I don't want to fail and end up with results I don't like.  Well, I recently tried to stop worrying and started to just go for it.  It can be hard because I find myself going back and forth in my mind between trying not to worry and thinking of what's "in" and trying to figure out what I'd really like to do in my own home.  I'm hoping it'll get easier with practice.

One brave move I made was to finally hang my red plates.

I love transferware!  I've been slowly collecting it over the years.  I initially fell in love with blue ones.  However, when I started collecting them I found myself loving the red/cranberry color too.  So, my collection of those two colors began to grow.  I hung a few on the walls years ago but a collection of the red ones grew and just sat stored away because I just couldn't figure out where to put them.  They don't exactly go with the colors in our home.  Red is one of the colors we have in our decor but it's not quite the cranberry red in transferware.

  There was some space in our dining room for them.  And, I noticed that the cute little noses on this bunny painting we have just happen to match the plates perfectly.  I played around with the arrangement for a few weeks but didn't want to commit out of fear it might not look good and it didn't  perfectly match the rest of the house.  Finally, one day, I just made myself go for it.  I made a decision on a layout and began pounding nails into the wall one by one until I had this....

I absolutely love it!  I often sit on the side of the table facing it just so I can stare at it.  It's so pretty!  And, no, it's not the right red but the painting across the room has some of this color in it along with the red-red that's in other parts of the house.  That sort of ties it together.  And, I think that's good enough!  Especially since I love this so much!  

This is also a great example of use-what-you-have to decorate.  I imagine I'm not the only one that has things tucked away here and there that aren't being used.  Or, things that can be arranged differently or in a whole new way or area.  I've been noticing this past year or so that I often think of something I'd like to get or an area I'd like to decorate and find that I already have something that will work.  It's such a great feeling!  Not to mention a great money saver!  

Sometimes it's something that may work out great until I find something to replace it or make it even better.  This photo is a good example of that.  The dresser isn't exactly what I want for our dining room.  I'd prefer a buffet or hutch of some kind (which I had something closer to that idea but it works better in our craft studio for now).  However, I just haven't found what I want yet and I'm a budget shopper which means it may take even longer to find.  So, for now, the dresser will work.  

The Pepsi box is another example of using what we have.  I'd been watching for a nice wood tray for a bar but never found one I loved.  We had found this box at an antique sale and it worked great for our bar.  So, that's how we're using it.  It's not quite big enough but we can at least keep our most used spirits in there.

How do you approach decorating?  Are you fearful of what others will think to the point of not doing much decorating?  Does fear of it not working out make you hesitate?  Do you decorate with what's currently in style?  Or, are you brave and bold and just go for it and do your own thing?  Are you budget minded and go to thrift shops, yard sales, and antique stores?  Have you found joy in using things you already have?  Have you always approached it in one of those ways or changed over time?  Our homes are ours and we should enjoy them in that way....as a reflection of us and who lives there.  Although, it's not always easy.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!