My Book - Inspire Your Home

Have you heard the great news? My book, Inspire Your Home: Easy Affordable Ideas to Make Every Room Glamorous, will be released on Tuesday, October 22! I’ve been working on this book all year and I’m ecstatic that the launch is finally here. You can pre-order it here.

I’m so excited for you all to finally take a peek inside the book and see all of the amazing ideas within the pages. This book has truly been a huge labor of love… a huge hug from me to you.

My vision for the book is for it to be a decorative accent on your coffee table, entryway table, etc. I get chills seeing MY book in MY living room on MY coffee table. Wow!

I’ve been receiving many questions throughout this process. So, in celebration of the launch, I thought a Q&A blog would be perfect! Sit back, relax and enjoy hearing about the process leading up to Inspire Your Home: Easy Affordable Ideas to Make Every Room Glamorous.

Let me start by taking you back to how it all started. I’ll go into detail about the book later in the blog, but how did I get this book deal? Just like any project I embark on, I have to go into meetings and pitch my idea. I remember walking into my meeting at Simon and Schuster (my book publisher) preparing myself mentally for a “No.” I mean, let’s be real, I am not a professional writer. I’m a woman who has big dreams and is passionate about what she does and loves connecting with my community. Will I be taken seriously? Will they love the idea?  I don’t know how that usually works but I knew I had to give it a try. During my meeting, I shared my ideas… and spoke from the heart. That’s the best you can do in situations like this. There is no time for fear or self-doubt. After an hour, I walked out in tears with a “YES!” I called my husband first. He was at work, and all he could hear was me crying and babbling away. And so the work began.

Now to put this in perspective for you, it usually takes a minimum of 1 year to write a book. The whole process from start to finish, including drafts, corrections, print sampling etc., was a 3 month period to hit this year’s holiday season. Who am I to say no to that? It was the most intense 3 months of my life. My days were consumed with writing the book, styling, photography and so much more. I stress ate like I never did in my life, gaining about 7 pounds. I spoke with a few friends who had gone through the process of writing a book and when I told them I did it in 3 months instead of the 1 year, they looked at me like I was crazy. It was fun but it was intense! But boy did I learn so much from this experience. I wouldn’t change it for the world. It taught me so much about myself and what I’m capable of. The process was truly a gift in many ways.

So now, let’s get to talk about the book itself! I took the questions I get asked a lot about Inspire Your Home and answered them below!

Why did you decide to write a book?
When I first started Inspire Me! Home Decor, my ultimate goal was to help you and give you the tools that you need to design a home that reflects your style and personality. If I’ve learned anything from growing up and owning my own home, it’s that there truly is no place like home. Our homes can be our sanctuary and our shelter away from the reality and stress of the outside world. It’s where we relax, build memories, and go to feel safe and at peace. Designing a home that will do that for you can feel confusing and stressful. Throughout the years, after launching Inspire Me! Home Decor on Instagram, I’d receive daily questions asking me things like; what furniture to buy, or what to spend your money on, how to mix and match colors, the rule of thumb when placing a rug in a room, etc. I knew you were reaching out to me because my style and design resonated with you. In an effort to better help and guide you, I knew writing a book would be the perfect answer. 

How did you choose what to put inside the book?
With the above information in mind, there were a few things I knew I wanted to do with this book. First, answer the most frequently asked questions.  In Inspire Your Home, I take you step by step through where to begin when embarking on designing your home or room, and guide you to the end for the final touches you need to finish off a look. It's important to me that you understand that this is not a rule book. In my mind, there is a big difference between a guide and a rule. For home decor, I believe that there shouldn't be any rules about what’s right and wrong because our homes should be a reflection of our own personal taste. The bottom line is that you need to design your space in a way that makes you happy. This book will hold your hand through the process and guide you. It’s also there to make things easier on you because I’ve learned that making your house your home can feel overwhelming and scary. Second, I wanted the book to have many pictures for added inspiration because that’s what makes a book more fun to read. Lastly, it’s there to serve as a coffee table book when you aren't reading it. I wanted it to look pretty so you can display it proudly.

What was your favorite part about the process?
That’s an easy one: being able to share more of my personal life with you outside of what I share on social media. You’re all an extension of my family. It’s hard sharing my kids and immediate family on social media because people can be brutal. I include personal stories, personal experiences and more with my family throughout the book. That’s why I’ve said how much this book is near and dear to my heart. It helped me open up in ways I may have never been able to on social media. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

What do you hope your audience will get out of purchasing and reading your book?
I hope you feel inspired and understand how important our homes are to us. I’m hoping you’ll get to see a deeper side of me, but I also hope you find it helpful.

What’s your top idea to making your home affordable and glamorous?

I always say that the way to add a touch of glam in your home is in the details. It doesn’t have to be an expensive process. It’s all about the textures; metallics, faux fur, crystals, or just some shimmer and shine. All you need to do is swap out a few decorative accents like your throw pillows, throw blankets, lighting fixtures, and some accent pieces, and you’ve infused a touch of glam. Give it a try!

If you purchase Inspire Your Home: Easy Affordable Ideas to Make Every Room Glamorous, I’d love for you to style it within your home and share a photo with me. Be sure to add the book hashtag: #inspireyourhomebook

To get tickets to one of my upcoming book signing, click here.