Make It Yours

My sister-in-law's last name is Swan. The very first time I ever went to her house, I noticed she had several cute little swan-related decorations, from ceramic knick-knacks to a beautiful painting. It was brilliant, I thought, that she could use her name to help her family feel connected to their home and surroundings.

And then I married her brother, and took on the last name of Stagg, and well, nobody gave us any antlered knick-knacks for our wedding.

Then, even before we ever moved into House No. 3, I decided the first things that had to go were these:

There were two of these babies on either side of the fireplace. And while I wanted my little family of Staggs to feel connected to our new home, this just wasn't the way to go. I mean, what is that creepy little claw-like antler thing coming out of the bottom of the fixture?

So the antler lights were replaced with non-Stagg fixtures, which left me on the hunt for something else to represent our name. I thought about something like this:

 

But I was afraid some psychopathic villain with bad hair might show up in a helicopter and burn my house down. So that was out. (However if a handsome British spy showed up in a vintage Aston Martin, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?)

Then one day, while perusing through the online garage sale for our community, a print caught my eye. I raced right over the the seller's house and gave her a whopping $4.00 for it. Then I raced over to Michael's and put it in a frame. And then I raced over to my friend's house, who helped me cut out a sign.

Here's the end result:

It fits right in with the rest of our stuff. My husband is especially proud to have it hanging there, and the kids love it, too. I firmly believe that a home should represent the people who live within its walls. Whether it's a collection of photographs on display or the kids' artwork on the refrigerator, people should feel connected to their surroundings. It's what makes a house a home and what makes a home a haven.
What have you done to make it YOURS?