{Giveaway is Closed}
What makes a house truly a home?
It’s not always buying the latest trend or popular things of the moment, decorating a home merely to make it beautiful. But more so, it’s surrounding yourself with the things that make you and your family feel comfortable, loved and special. We all have those fond memories and family treasures that we want to surround ourselves with.
If you enjoy family photographs, heirlooms, and having special things around your home that express who you and your family are, you’ll enjoy this book.
Written by Monica Rich Kosann, it’s a beautiful book filled with treasured memories of her spaces, as well as many of her clients. Monica is a nationally recognized fine-art portrait photographer who has worked with many prestigious families and celebrities, as well as a designer of jewelry and home accessories. Her work has been profiled extensively in national print, such as Town & Country and Elle Decor, as well as television media.
Photos from Monica’s website, Fine Art of Family. Monica believes that we should all live with what we love and find ways to incorporate those things into our daily fabric of life. I couldn’t agree more. 
{Photo: Monica Rich Kosann}
Instead of hiding away the family photos, Monica has clever ideas for displaying them stylishly and showing them off to visitors, without having them in the way. I love her ideas on grouping silver frames with cherished family photos. 
I too, love to display family photos. We have them sprinkled around the house, from the master bedroom, to the living room, my office and my husband’s office, with our family members displayed and enjoyed every day.
Monica also believes in living with and loving collections by displaying them in an artful manner to enjoy every single day. I couldn’t agree more. I enjoy my plate and dish collection grouped on a wall or on the sideboard. That’s living with what you love. 
Insulators grouped together make a collection in that beautiful shade of turquoise.
Did you know that 3 or more of something is a collection? Begin with a few and build from there. So what is it that catches your eye? Collect it and have fun displaying that collection. 
Pretty books grouped together can be enjoyed as beauty or literature. 
A basket of shells and driftwood captures memories from our visit to the beach one summer. Priceless and sweet memories of walking on the beach, picking up every one of these salty treasures.
Monica sent me my very own copy to treasure and she has generously offered to give a book to my readers too ($30 value), so if you’d like a copy for yourself, just leave a comment on this post, telling me what your favorite treasured collection for your home might be.
What is that special thing that you love and are living with too? Cherished family heirlooms, family photos, or pieces that you have collected yourself?
Are you living with what you love? I hope you are!
{Giveaway will be open until Saturday evening.}
My absolute fave is my mason jars! LOVE EM!!
My favorite collection would be family photos … vintage to modern. I also have a small new testament that was given to my great grandfather before he went off to the Civil War … he was a mere 16, and would like a creative idea of how to display it. The book looks very interesting … would love a copy. Thanks for doing this , Rhoda!
What a beautiful book! I love the pictures and the way you’ve interpreted the ideas into your home! Your blog is one of my favorites!
My favorite thing to collect these days is old, tarnished silver.
Thanks, looking forward to your next post!
Glenda
Lately, I’ve been picking up old wooden tennis rackets at yard sales and displaying them in different spots in the house. I also collect yellow and turquoise ovenserve ware, and use it every day. I have some salt and pepper shakers from some of my grandmothers, too.
I love to collect family photographs. My favorite thing to collect is seashells. We have a home on the coast and it seems to be something the whole family enjoys. We can go out on the boat and make a day of it. You never find the same thing twice!
I also agree with Monica, I do decorate with what I love, so many things we have hold such special memories of someone or somewhere. Memories are not to be stored away in box, they live in our hearts and in our home. So yes indeed, I have fulled my home with memories and things that make me smile and give me comfort.
I really enjoyed your post today..
Have a sweet day, big hugs~Elizabeth
Old family photos and dishes have a special place in my heart! I do need help in figuring out how to “live” with them everyday! This book sounds wonderful!
My favorite collection is neither old nor of a sentimental value. I have no clue on how to go about displaying them without them being “in your face”. They are Krystonia figurines — fantasy and fictional characters.
I love old photographs of family members. I have a whole gallery wall up my stairs and I love looking at all of the fun pics and hearing stories about them. That book looks wonderful!
Hi Rhoda,
I have been reading your blog for about two years and so enjoy it! Thank you!
It is hard to pick just one of my collection addictions as my favorite, but I am going to go with vases and urns. I love to arrange flowers to decorate with or give to friends so I am always buying vases and urns. Lately, I have been trying to find a way to display them since I am running out of room in the closet where I keep them!!
Thanks again!
Thanks again for your blog.
I totally agree, Rhoda! Unfortunately, I put a lot of those things away last year when we put our house on the market and thinking we would be moving. I really miss them, too. All my family pictures especially. That would have been the first thing I set up had we moved, too, with a vinyl saying about family and then my pictures around it. We are going to try again in a few months, so hopefully they won’t have to be packed up for another whole year!
What a lovely post & give-away, Rhoda. It’s difficult for me to list just one collection. My father and my grandfather were Renaissance men…thus, they each had quite the collecting bug. I’ve just realized that, at this very moment, I am standing in the middle of a triangle which consists of my bandmaster grandpa’s Schweizerhorn, clarinet, and snare drum. For me, in decorating, my heritage is of utmost importance.
I hope that you are having a beautiful September 1st!
: )
Julie M.
Ok, so I don’t really have a lot of “collections” per se, but my favorite things around my home are the ones that have a lot of history, be it my side of the family’s or my husband’s. Our kids rooms have a lot of things that belonged to us as children and it pleases my heart to see them find a new place to belong!
Vanessa
http://southerninmyheart.blogspot.com
I love my family pics, quilts my grandmother made, my MIL’s original paintings & her brushes, and my new collection of old white dishware. Linda
Love family photos or a family heirloom. We framed our children’s art for the dining room. We always get compliments. I also have a wall of photos (black frames & white mattes) with only family displayed.
I would love to say I have a chocolate collection, but I can never keep chocolate long enough for it to become a collection! I have a collection of old Bibles that I love very much. Some are family Bibles and some I have found at antique stores.
That sounds like a wonderful book to have! I like family photos and anything to do with words/letters.
How delightful! I’ve always loved decorating with my personal family treasures and photographs. Monica’s book is now on my wish list!!
I Love family photos – old and new – so I mix them together and have a beautiful display on both sides of our main hall. My hubby and I were married in Bodie, CA (now a state historic park) were his family owned most of the town. We have a lovely collection of pictures of the church and we proudly display those in our living room… I guess pictures would just about say all!!!!
I don’t have a lot of collections, but I’ve recently been collecting vintage white Pyrex mixing bowls. I can get them for a couple of dollars at the thrift store and it’s fun to find one that’s just a little different from the others.I’ve also started collecting vintage children’s books.