Happy Birthday to My Book, A Home to Share

It’s hard to believe but one year ago today I hosted a party on the Launch Day of my book, A Home to Share.

A Home to Share: Designs that Welcome Family and Friends, is about interior design and entertaining. It’s about creating a home that is both beautiful and welcoming. I have always believed that a home should be a place where people can gather and connect, and A Home to Share provides tips and inspiration for creating spaces that are both comfortable and stylish.

A Home to Share

My book, A Home to Share is all about the spirit of welcome and is a guide to giving new life to underused spaces and bringing cozy, truly livable decor to every room of the house—including outdoor rooms to extend home space in temperate weather.

And since you know how much I love to entertain, of course, I was able to weave in plenty of signature entertaining ideas for hosting relaxed gatherings large and small.

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The book is divided into three parts.

Part 1: Designing

This section discusses the importance of creating a home that is welcoming and inviting. I cover topics such as choosing the right furniture and accessories, creating a comfortable layout, and using color and light to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Here I shared specific tips and inspiration for designing each room in your home. It includes everything from the living room and kitchen to the family room, dining room, and Carriage House.

Part 2: Celebrating

In our home, outdoor living and outdoor gatherings are a seamless extension of our interior rooms. I shared how to configure your outdoor areas and create gatherings that are comfortable and memorable. The gatherings in these areas, including the beach at our Ventura home, are unforgettable.

Part 3: Entertaining 

In this section, I shared my tips for hosting gatherings in your home. This includes topics such as setting the table, preparing food, and creating a festive atmosphere. It also includes eleven DIY projects.

Throughout the book, I emphasized the importance of personal style and creating a home that reflects your own unique personality. Of course, I encourage all of you to be creative and to have fun with the design process.

A Home to Share is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to create a home that is comfortable, beautiful, and welcoming. My goal is to help you create a space that you and your loved ones will cherish all year long.

The Book Launch Party

Wow! How could it be one year already?

I remember how nervous I was. And exhausted. And fearful that no one would show up to the book launch party at my home.

Why was I so tired? I did all of the decorations, cooked all of the food and to be honest, my bestie Maryliz and I were running to get everything ready in time for the party to start!

The party was way beyond my expectations and simply amazing!

I knew I wanted to host this party even before I was done writing the book. To be able to open up our home and share it with those who enjoy My 100 Year Old Home was the perfect reason to throw a backyard party.

As I said earlier … WOW! In my wildest dreams, I never imagined the Book Launch Party would turn out as great as it did.

And what made it so special?

The amazing people who came to the party!

Over 250 people attended the party. Many flew from out of state, drove seven hours from Northern California, or came from all over Southern California. And I think I met almost every one of you who made a huge effort to come to my home!

I was so touched by all of the stories everyone shared about ideas I have shared on my blog that they had done in their homes. So many shared pictures of my DIYs they had made. They also mentioned which recipes were their favorites. And they showed photos of the home decor items they had bought that I had shared on my blog.

It touched my heart that so many had been inspired by my blog and now wanted to read my book! I loved meeting so many incredibly wonderful people and cherished learning that we had so much in common.

Although the backyard party was held outdoors, we did have the house open to welcome everyone inside. I cannot believe how many people looked around and I loved listening to their comments!

Decorating for the Party

The decor for the party was understated, and we did feature a few items from the book. You can see above the wooden boxes and hanging wood arch that is featured in A Home to Share. The hanging floral vintage chandelier is one of my favorite items in the book.

We went to the flower mart early on Monday morning and we arranged the flowers, made the flower crowns, and stored them in our wine cellar!

You can see more photos of the hanging chandeliers below, plus pictures of the flowers arranged for all of the tables.

So it’s been a year since my book came out and it’s been an incredible experience.

I traveled and met some amazing people at book signing events and it was an amazing experience. Many of you, from all over the world, have sent me photos of my book in stores everywhere! And so many different countries.

My little sister found A Home to Share on the Anthropologie website, and lately, I have heard from a lot of you that my book is in TJ Maxx. I have looked for it, but no luck.

Thanks to all of you for your support of A Home to Share. It’s been a great year!

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