Beautiful Clutter

When I was dusting my house yesterday I realized how many 'things' I have. Call them what you will, but tchotchkes, decorative items, and knick-knacks are in many of our homes. Interior design is probably at an all time high right now. Women are more knowledgeable about how to make their home beautiful due to inspiration from home magazines, blogs, and an abundance of home decor stores.

But is there a fine line between having decorative items and having clutter? Can someone tell me where that line is, cause I sure don't want to cross it! Sometimes it all just becomes another thing to break, another thing to dust, another thing that will end up in your summer garage sale. But sometimes it becomes a treasured family keepsake.

I searched my home and found many things that serve no purpose but to decorate. In fact, we actually bought a sofa table for the only reason of having somewhere to put our frames and floral arrangements. And don't get me started on the beautiful, but non-functional buffet in our dining room. I can only think of one time since we bought the home in 2005 where I actually put food on our buffet. Normally instead of mini quiches or crab dip, you'll find lamps, a floral arrangement and a couple of frames, and while they probably aren't as tasty as my famous crab dip, I think they are just a pretty. :)

But when does that become absurd? Did our grandmothers purchase big pieces of furniture just to place their bird's nest collection and cloches on? Sure they're cute, but would they serve a purpose that benefited their family. Certainly all their money was spent on things her family would truly need and use.

What are your thoughts on this? Check your house today. Do you have a lot of clutter? Do you love each and every single thing you decorated with? Or did you just put it there because you just had no idea where else to put it?

While looking through mine, I saw many, many decor items that I never used or touch- to me their were just pretty things. These few pictures don't even begin to show all my little mini-vignettes. And this is driving me mad. Is it clutter when it makes your home beautiful?

Take this picture for example:

I can definitely see how at a quick glance, you would deem this terribly cluttered room. But when I studied it more all of the 'stuff' in it gave it a sort of charm. I would take a few things off the walls but besides that, I would like to cozy up on that couch and with a good book and a long nap. :)

What's your take on this? Do you have any beautiful clutter in your home?

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet mother in law! Have a wonderful day all!

xoxo Y

PS- Forgot to mention that one of my favorite southern gals, Rhoda from Southern Hospitality is hosting a giveaway for my jewelry! Stop by to enter and stay a while for some decorating tips! xx- SH