My Handmade Home: A Tour of My Life's Work

As I sit here in my handmade home in Birmingham, Alabama, surrounded by the fruits of my labor, I am filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. This is more than just a home - it's a reflection of who I am as a person, and the values that I hold dear. From the moment I decided to give painting walls a try, I knew that this was going to be an adventure.

I remember taking a few pieces of paper and practicing drawing with a Sharpie, creating simple doodles and birds. It was all just a way for me to experiment and see what would happen if I actually tried my hand at it. But as I began to envision the room in my mind's eye, I knew that I had to take the leap and give it a go. And so, with the help of my then-6-year-old daughter, we set to work on creating our own unique wallpaper.

The process was surprisingly smooth, and I was thrilled to discover that I could pick out the exact color green that I wanted. It was a real advantage, and one that I would not have anticipated when I first started this project. As I looked around at my new creation, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and possibility. This was just the beginning of our journey together.

One of the things that I love most about my home is the way it reflects my connection to nature. I am from Florida, and the coastal areas have always held a special place in my heart. From the palm trees to the ocean breeze, there's something about those environments that feels like home to me. And so, when I decided to add some great palm wallpaper to our powder bath, it was only natural that I would want to incorporate elements of the sea into my design.

But this wasn't just a case of throwing together a few random patterns and colors - I wanted to create something truly special. So, with the help of my daughter, we set out to design a space that would be both beautiful and functional. We talked about colors, and how to balance different styles to create a look that everyone would love. And when it came time to add some finishing touches, I was thrilled to see just how well everything had come together.

This is our laundry room, where we use the Sharpie to create this unique wallpaper effect. It's amazing how something as simple as a piece of paper can be transformed into a work of art with just a few strokes. And my youngest daughter, who's 7, was instrumental in helping me bring this vision to life. She even left me a sweet message, which I love because it reminded me that even in the most mundane moments - like doing laundry - there is always room for joy and creativity.

I've always believed that design should be about more than just aesthetics - it should also be about creating spaces that are comfortable and functional for everyone. So, when it came time to design our kids' playroom, I knew that I wanted to create a space that would be both fun and practical. And one of the things that I love most about this room is the way it makes me feel - like a kid again, playing with all the toys and artwork on display.

But what really sets my heart racing is the way that design can be used to tell stories and evoke emotions. For me, it's all about finding beauty in unexpected places. Sometimes, it's just a gut feeling - a sense of knowing that something belongs in our home. And other times, it's a more deliberate process - taking time to research, plan, and bring each piece together with care.

The sky's the limit when it comes to design - there's no such thing as too much or too little. The most important thing is to follow your heart and listen to your intuition. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new things. And always remember that your home should be an expression of who you are and who your family is.

As I look around at my handmade home, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the journey that has brought me here. It's not just about the physical space itself - it's about the memories, the laughter, and the love that we've shared along the way. And as I walk through these doors, I know that I am exactly where I'm meant to be.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWhat I did was I kind oftook a few pieces of paperand practiced drawingwith a Sharpieand kind of making these doodlesand these birds and things.And then I thought,OK, I'm ready.And so I just starteddrawing on the wall.And what's really fun isthat my then-6-year-oldhelped me with it.She came in and she's like,we get to draw on the walls?Only in this room.Do not draw on anything else.I'm Beth, and thisis my handmade homein Birmingham, Alabama.I'm from Florida,so finding thingsthat remind me of Floridadefinitely influences my decor.I'm drawn to thingsthat, of course,maybe look more like the sea orthe ocean or the coastal areas.The one thing that we had wantedto do-- or I wanted to do--was I really wantedsome great palmwallpaper in this powder bath.And so I thought, you know,maybe I'll just give it a go,and we'll just see what happens.And like I said,I kind of paintedon some practice rounds, andthen I felt good about it.The nice thing is I got topick out the exact color greenthat I wanted.And so that wasa real advantage.I always say that I've nevermet a pattern I didn't like.I mean, I am sodrawn to patterns.Sometimes I reallyhave to be reined in.So this is ourlaundry room, and thisis where we use theSharpie to kind ofcreate this wallpaper effect.And my youngest daughter, who's7, she actually helped me.She left me-- I didn't knowshe was going to do this.And she left me a sweetmessage, which I love,because when you're in thelaundry room and thinkingof the mundane,like laundry, it'salways nice to have a reallyprecious message like that.If you spend as muchtime in the laundry room,you need to enjoy it.And it should be a fun space.I definitely like toget my kids' input.For example, mygirls share a room,and so we talked about colors.So I have a daughter whois 7 and one who's 13.One is a huge fan of pink, oneis not so much a fan of pink.So I think doing theblue walls and thenadding in the pink accentsreally served to kindof appease both of them.My son asked for agarnet and gold room,because we areFlorida State fansand he loves Florida State.And, you know, it reallywas fun because he ended upwith a red dresser, andI found this great bambookind of goldish lamp.And I'm like, there we go.We've got your FloridaState in there.And it doesn't feel likeit's a sports-theme room.So I think you can takeelements that children give youand incorporate thosein different ways.Well, this is my kids' playroom.It is so overwhelming,especiallywhen you have multiplechildren, to know what to dowith all of their artwork.Really, I think whatkind of it createsis almost a wallpaper,in a way, with justusing the black tape to put it.And it's very graphic.And I think it really makes thespace very whimsical and fun.It's fun for them to walkin and see the thingsthat they've created.You can see I set up a couch.I definitely want themto have some good seatingareas and places thatare comfortable for them.If you're thinkingabout designing,you know, your own bedroom, youwant to come into a space thatfeels welcoming and feels good.And so the samething for children.Children won't hang out in aroom if it's not practical.And so I think thinking about,well, how would they use this?I mean, do they need a tablewhere it's really easy,just wipe it off, in casemarker gets on top of it?I have got some greattables that have Formica.And people don't usuallythink about Formica,but it actually canbe really prettyand really easy to work with.I definitely want toget their opinions,because I want themto love their room.I want to love my bedroom.I want the kids to lovethe spaces that they're in.Mary and Wilma is thename of my company.And it's actually named aftermy maternal and paternalgrandmothers, both ofwhom were very differentbut also very special to me.Really, I'm devotedthrough Mary and Wilmato finding antiquevintage and funkyfinds that hopefully bringjoy to people in their homes.Really, I source myitems from everywhere.I'm always looking really forgreat pieces that might noteven work in my home, but I knowreally deserve a second storyand have a great functionand form and are beautiful.And also interesting,that could tella story in someone else's home.The sky's kind of the limit.I love to look forbeauty in all places.I also love thesevintage paint by numbers.I had really originallybought them to sell,and we'd just gottenback from Disney World.I'm a huge fan of theTiki Room with the birds,and I just kind offell in love with them.For me, it's kindof a gut feeling.I think sometimespeople are-- you know,it's almost paralysisby analysis.They just cannotmake a decision.I really feel like if you aredrawn to a piece, you know,if you're in an antiquestore or there'ssomething that youjust fall in love with,I think there's a reason.I think your gut is saying,this belongs in our home.You know, buy thepieces that you love.If it speaks to you, I thinkit will definitely work.And then you can fill--and then you walk inand you fill your homewith things that you love.When you walk intoour home, it doesn'tfeel like anybody else's home.And I think your home shouldbe an expression of who you areand who your family is.And so I really want people--I want it to be comfortable.I want them to wantto stay in our home.That's the biggest complimentfor me, is that peoplejust walk in and feel at home.Like this video and subscribeto Handmade for morehome tours just like this.\n"