{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.}
I love OLD photos, even if I don’t know the people. Yes, I know I’m a sick woman! 🙂 I also like to display Red Wing pottery (dishes, vases and the crocks.)
I’ve collected green & white McCoy pottery before it became expensive! Hard to find now even if I was willing to pay the high price! I have so many treasures from family or things I have accumulated that this book would certainly be a big help! Thanks for the chance to win!
I love birds! (decorative birds, that is) I have them sprinkled throughout my entire home. And I love photographs of my two sons (ages 22 & 20)… candid shots are always my favorite!
Thanks for the opportunity!!
I collect primitive dolls – especially the ones my mom makes. I love their simpleness and their expressions.
I have shell, rock, fossil, pottery and several other collections. My aunt did some tracing of our family tree and put photos of my ancestors in a binder. I took them, copied them and put all of them in ornate silver frames and have them grouped in a bay window near our dining room table. I look at them often, a real treasure.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
I too love to live with what I love. I have several collections of things I love to create vignettes around. My favorite by far is English transferware. I group it in wall displays and hutches and make practical use out of it everyday.
This looks like a wonderful book full of great ideas!
Nancy @ Nancy’s Daily Dish
What a nice giveaway! My favorite treasures are a collection of little boys I have running around my house! They have temporarily caused the removal of all my other little tangible treasures….aside from that most certainly my photographs. Your blog is lovely! K
Rhoda,
This book is on my amazon wish list! I love my collections of metal dog figures. My reading room (I call it that because it is where I sit to read) has a collection of bronze and other metal dogs I’ve collected from eBay and other places.
Karen
I love having photos everywhere. I also collect cookbooks, crosses and heart shapes. I think if you don’t choose to “live with what you love” you are missing so much!
Thanks for this opportunity to win! THAT is my mantra for a comfortable home! If I love it, it will work! I have china I inherited from my aunt, the 75 year old cedar chest my father built by hand for my Mom when he asked her to marry him, many pieces of authentic Polish crystal he brought when he traveled back to his homeland. I would love to see how the book suggests incorporating these formal elements into my less formal traditional/transitional decor. Thanks for the chance!
I love my collection of Spode china. I only received one place setting of my Buttercup pattern for my wedding, but since then I’ve decided just to gather a collection of teacups, saucers, dessert plates and sandwich plates all in the wicker design with all different flower patterns. I finally have a set of 6 designs with the teapot, sugar, creamer and serving plate in the original Buttercup. I’d love to receive a copy of this book!
My favorite treasure is one of the past. When my boys were little and we lived in the country in AR. We would take walks and pick up bird feathers that we found. Once home, I would push them into a medium sized styrofoam ball. After a couple of years, the ball was completely covered and hung from the ceiling. It was really pretty! Sad to say, I never thought to take a picture. The feather ball was lost in our West Coast move 4 years ago, but your suggestion immediately brought this item to my mind. Thanks!
I love reading your blog, I love mirrors, American flags, and crosses. I had a collections of crosses in my master bathroom, but when hurricane Ike hit us, they are now on our fence by the pool!!!
I love family pics, crosses, and my kids art. I frame my kids’ art or put their scultures around the house. I have crosses everywhere and family pics in black frames make me happy
Mirrors are one of the things I love to collect. I love the way they reflect the light. Fiestaware is also a favorite, specifically, old Fiestaware. It’s a family thing. I love taking it out and serving with it and eating from the dishes.
I am in love with black and white photos and love to hang them in groupings. I am also a sucker for just about any pretty dish or platter that I can hang above doorways or display on little stands.
I think I will really enjoy reading/seeing all of the suggestions in Monica’s book.
Thanks so much for making her book available to the rest of us 🙂
I love to cook and have a collection of misc. kitchen items from my mother and grandmother’s kitchens–a cookie jar, a canister, an over-sized wood spoon, a small cast iron skillet, etc.
I love living with my books, plants, crafty things I made myself from found or thifted treasures.
But most of all I love living with my loved ones! They are my most valuable treasures and they decorate our home beautifully with their presence!
Hi Rhonda,
What a wonderful post. I would love to see that book, it really looks wonderful. I love all of your collections on display.
I could not live without my collection of venetian and etched mirrors.
I also love little chairs and benches and so many other things.
Family photos are a favorite too.
hugs
Sissie
I love my photos and need a book like this because I kind of have them all clumped in one place, but would love to know different ways to display them in rooms all over my house. I thank you for such a wonderful giveaway!