What is a luminous home? It’s a home that shines with love, despite life’s trials. A luminous home is beautiful, not only to the senses, but to the heart.  It’s Mom’s home, where candles were lit at 5pm and The Mavericks sang loudly over the speaker as dinner was cooking. You could join her in that kitchen for a hug, a laugh, or a cry, without feeling like you were ever in the way. It’s Grandma’s home, where you were greeted at the door with the softest hug (that somehow still felt strong) and a hot meal ready to eat. You might have been just 1 of the 30 grandchildren, but you felt like the most important person upon your arrival. It’s Aunt Kathleen’s home, where your stomach hurt from laughing so hard  and her latest painting sat on the easel in the kitchen as it dried. It’s Aunt Christine’s home where she listened excitedly about your latest creative idea and brought handfuls of veggies in from her sun-soaked garden.

Luminous homes are aesthetically beautiful, but what makes the beauty really glow is the choices the people make within them. The choice to love. The choice of patience and forgiveness. The choice of joy and gratitude. The choice of resilience and faith. And it was those choices that made the artwork on the walls and the patterns on the pillows that much more beautiful.

I used to think luminous homes were that way automatically, but as I have grown into an adult, wife, and mother, I have come to understand that they are crafted one moment at a time. Creating a luminous home is not about chasing perfection or changing our circumstances. It’s about surrendering to what love asks of us at this very moment. To surrender to the boredom of the daily cleaning and then to notice the sunlight coming in through the window. To surrender to the frustration of the toddler tantrum and then to hold him in your arms and notice his long, dark eyelashes. It’s the choice to see art all around us and then to let that light up our souls, and consequently, our homes.

I am on a journey to make a luminous home right now. As with any journey, there are triumphs and struggles, but making art is the way that I catalog the simple and beautiful moments of light that inspire me to keep trying. Art and pattern design lift my soul and make me better for my husband and children. It invites me to see the beauty in the everyday and to share that beauty with my community. It is my hope that my art inspires you to do the same. I hope that having one of my patterns or prints in your home causes you to pause, remember its story, and then motivate you to love more selflessly and shine more beautifully.

Can this be accomplished with a pattern on a pillow? My mom did it with candles and country music, so…why not?