"Home Is..." by Bloom Guest Amy of Progressive Pioneer

I love hopping over to Progressive Pioneer for a glimpse into Amy's calm, purposeful life. It seems she is being very deliberate about the experience of home she is creating for her family. I admire that. As soon as we thought of the idea for this HOME series, I hoped Amy would consent to be part of it. Lucky for us...she did! Thanks for being here, Amy.

Home, for me, is all those little things that might seem like an inconvenience to someone looking in from the outside, but to me, they are sweet reminders of the lives that make our house a home.

Home is...

: : Plastic dinosaurs underfoot : :



: : Sharing my bed with tiny toes : :



: : Staying in pajamas all day while caring for sick little ones : :



: : Toddler modern art sculptures in the soap : :



: : Never lacking in willing helpers : :



: : Sweet, peaceful sleep : :




Beautiful. We hope that perhaps in a similar way to our "Capturing Everyday" posts, these HOME posts are inspiring you to contemplate and capture the essence of your home.

Home Is... by Bloom Guest Marie of Make and Takes

Do you recognize that mama smile? It's Marie from Make and Takes; we're thrilled to have her at Bloom today as part of our "Home Is..." series. She submitted a sweet photo essay illustrating the importance of place and the way our heart grows preference for the natural surroundings of our home. Have you observed this - doesn't it seem like people who grow up in the mountains always have a hankering to get back to them? And people who are raised by the ocean feel the most "at home" near the sea? Interesting, isn't it?

Anyway, thanks for being part of Bloom today, Marie...


We live in Utah and are surrounded by beautiful mountains. That is home to me! So here are a few pictures where I am at "home".

Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my home with you!




Remember the 6th Street E-Design giveaway we hosted a few months ago? And the before pictures? The project continues! Be sure to scroll down to check out Kirsten's design board for Jessie's Master Bedroom. It's going to be splendid!

Home is Where Creativity is Born by Bloom Guest Michelle

So happy to introduce another guest and another installment of our Home Is...Series. Bloomers, meet Michelle. The tagline on her blog is "Lovely By Me" - I can't think of a better word to describe her - her style, her voice, her gentleness - it's all very lovely. And so are her thoughts about home...

Home is a place where creativity is born.

I love to think back on my childhood and remember the clever gifts & projects my parents were always {and still to this day} working on. Sewing, painting, woodworking, stenciling, stamping, scrap booking, beading...

Friday night dates with my dad consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich at Arctic Circle and then a browsing at the local craft store or a smelling of wood at the local hardware store. He wanted to see what new project he could stir up and all the while was instilling a love for the art of creation inside me.

As I grew, the need to express my creativity did as well. I was blessed to marry someone with the same need and many amazing talents & skills in order to do such. This is what now makes up our home; always a project, always ideas shared, always inspiration found. And the wonderful part is that this spreads throughout our extended families as well.

I love that my brother sent me a picture message of his son wearing 3-d glasses wrapped in colorful pipe cleaner; an afternoon art project with dad. I love that the whole family pitched in to remodel my grandparents 100+ year old home so that my brother & his family can live in a charmer. I love that our walls are adorned with my husbands oil paintings, my photography, and paintings we have done together. I love that in the moving process we have more craft/art supply boxes than anything else. I love that we don't have to have a fancy studio to create; but just a fold out couch, a painting easel, and each other. I love that my parents always have a surprise that starts with a riddle, a poem, or a maze. I love that my younger brother picked out fabric with my dad and then with the help of my mom sewed heart shaped pillows for everyone for valentines day. I love that my children's art will be the best wall decoration anyone could ask for. I love that my father in law has created a beautiful garden that we all love to walk in and pick fruit from. I love that a lot of our furniture has been made out in the garage with my husband's two hands. I love that creativity is not one particular definition. It is who you are and who you want to be. I love that this can be nurtured in any home anywhere. I love that it started in my home as a child and is now the type of home that my children will grow up in.

See? Lovely, wasn't it? Thanks so much for your thoughts, Michelle.

Looking for previous Home posts? Here you go.

"Home Is..." by Bloom Guest Dana

We are continually amazed at the creations and projects Dana shares over at her fantastic blog, MADE. Remember the awesome wreath tutorial she shared with us here at Bloom last fall? This woman has creativity aplenty! We are so happy to have her back today as part of our "Home Is..." series talking about the little people she shares her home with and one of their favorite afternoon rituals...

Hello Bloom! And thank you for having me. It always feels like home when I stop by your lovely blog. And if I had to finish the phrase "home is____" I could probably come up with 100 fill in the blanks, depending on the day and my mood. So I'll try to dig deeper here.

For a mom that loves to sew and be creative, I have a confession: I do not like doing crafts with my kids. There, I've said it. And it's true. I hate setting everything up, breaking up petty fights, watching the mess get everywhere, and then cleaning it all up 10 minutes later when the kids are bored with the project. That's what preschool is for right? That being said, there are times I feel guilty for not doing more craft projects with my kids. We moms can be hard on ourselves. So whenever I start to feel like me and the kids need more one-on-one time, this is our cure-all medicine:
It works every time. I know it sounds so simple and obvious. But we all have fun and for some reason, I can easily do this for an hour over some of the other kid-activities Lucy requests.

It usually starts in the afternoon when someone wakes up from a nap and mom walks away from the computer.
Before Owen was born, it was just me and Lucy acting silly on the bed. But with two monkeys now, the laughter is more contagious and lively.
The kids jump on my Queen-size bed, we laugh, they sing songs, they say silly things,
they get tickled, we shout "timber!" and watch each other fall down like trees, and at some point,

everyone tires out.

And then they request silly faces.

It's so much fun and actually, relaxing. And I feel like a better a mom because I acted like a kid with my kids, in a way that was actually interesting for all of us.
So to phrase the saying properly, on many afternoons at our place, "home is: monkeys jumping on the bed."
I'm so blessed that these monkeys are mine.

For previous "Home Is..." posts, click here.

HOME by Bloom Guest Marta Dansie

We are so very excited to have Marta at Bloom today, the first guest in our "Home Is..." series. You have to read Ms. Marta's blog for all of about six minutes to completely adore her. She's genuine and warm, fun, deep and creative and we think you're going to love what she has to say about home...

home is where the heart is. of course this is true. but to me, home is that and a hundred things more. because my heart lies within my home in so many varied ways. in a most profound way, our home could be my heart; the four walls act as the chambers and the people in it are my blood. it is here that i live and breathe. and work and play. and rest and read. write and scrub. eat and blog. craft and clean. it holds my life in its hands. the home is where i clean out my fridge when the new groceries come in. wherein i introduce the new yogurts to the few that are still left. i separate the string cheeses and slice apples for baggies. the home is where i have cookies on top of the fridge and colorful cereal bowls lined up in a row. home is where the laundry lives. home is where i bond with my boys; my husband and our son. home is where i try to teach and play and be present with my two year old. home is also my office; where my creation station remains. where the craft closet explodes and where to do lists haphazardly hang upon my bulletin board. the home is where i sit and write and design and water my ideas that all start out as little sprouts. home is where i do my best work. which is why i feel completely stressed if it feels cluttered and chaotic. the home has to feel orderly (at least to me) so i can strive to live up to my full housewife potential; a title i take pride in. home is where i find the ones who make the me the happiest; who push me and prod me. who believe in me and love me. who will take me as i am; with crazy hair and baggy sweats. over the years i've come to learn, no matter where we live; home is truly my favorite place to be.

Home is... {by Anne}

This is the second installment in our 'Home is...' series. To see Emily's home photo essay, see here.

In the winter it's...
popcorn crumbs and blankets on the playroom floor, evidence of yet another cozy popcorn and movie fest
a warm bubble bath drawn, sometimes twice a day
cuddling up with two little boys to read a pile of books

In the spring it's...
warm, fresh laundry, piled up and awaiting folding
daffodils and blossoms brought indoors as the first sign of life
happy faces, ready to ride bikes again and open the sandbox for the season

In the summer it's...
picking tomatoes and basil with little helpers followed by pesto on bread
giant dahlias and glads adorning the mantle
tiny sidewalk chalk dust food prints all the way down the hall
wet swimsuits and dragon towels laid out to dry on the front porch

In the fall it's...
buckets of freshly picked peaches covering my buffet
pulling acorns out of little pants pockets before they go through the wash
pumpkins adorning every surface that will hold still

But no matter the season, it's waking up in a cozy white cloud of a bed every morning to three handsome faces and rolling over to snuggle them.

Home Is... {the first in a series}

Home is the definition of God; a place of infinite power.
:: Emily Dickinson

We like to keep "Home" a central theme at Bloom. We thought it would be neat to see what some other blog friends have to say about Home - what it feels, looks, and smells like; what it is to them. We are so excited about the line up of guests that will be contributing to this series; we think you'll love them. Anne and I will get things started and then we'll have a steady stream of wonderful guests sharing their thoughts on the matter all through the Fall. We hope this will inspire you to document the essence of your own "home" - seems it may be an ever-evolving concept that would be fun to capture periodically.

I hemmed and hawed over how to express this - my feelings about home - they're so big and deep and tender. I played around with words, but nothing felt right. This still doesn't feel like enough...but I think it gives a glimpse.

Home: A Photo Essay

Home is toys in the tub; the leftovers of bathtime


Home is a chair pulled up to the counter; proof that the little people helped

Home is Henry's blankie
And Lily's bink
And the search for both at bedtime.


Home is two little bed heads at the bar, hungry for breakfast and a new day's adventure.

Home is knowing he's close by

Home is his handwriting

Home is her joy

Home is evidence of their creative play
(a barricade of "mean guys" to keep Nana from leaving)

Home is Photo Booth jollies late at night

Home is his hands

Her eyes

His lips


Home is savoring 9:00 pm quiet. Loving the sound of ... nothing
and the timid shuffle of morning feet, the daily indication that it's seven-something; time to start again.

xo,
Em