Home Sweet Home : A Journey Through Mary's Dream Home

Rating:
Summary: One of Mary's best books ever!
Review: As a HUGE Mary Engelbreit fan that owns many of her books, I can honestly say that this is one of Mary's best books EVER! It is filled with numerous beautiful photos of her very own home and I think it was wonderful of her to share it with all of her devoted followers. It's quite obvious from the very first page that this house is "very Mary". Her signature touches are everywhere throughout her home and I loved looking at how she pulled everything together to put her own personal stamp on even the smallest details (like the cute cherries cutouts on her shutters!) This book is an absolute must for any true blue Mary Engelbreit fan!

Rating:
Summary: Home Sweet Home Review
Review: In her new book, Home Sweet Home, Mary Engelbreit says she doesn't have a gift for gardening. However, the marvelous decorating style she uses in her home spills over into her professionally designed and maintained gardens. In Mary's garden, statues peek from unexpected places. A fairy perches on a mosaic chair, while a gnome finds a resting spot in a child's wicker seat. I was inspired by the charming gates that bear Mary's decorating stamp, the birdhouses that are just rustic enough to hang in the yard, but still absolutely adorable, and the many vignettes Mary created in her yard. She credits her gardener with the landscaping, but Mary brings the comfort of her home out into the yard with her unique decorating style.

A gazebo is aglow with lanterns and decorated with vintage wicker, a patio is filled with cozy furniture, and rocking horses sit on the pool house steps. Even the indoor portions of the book are filled with nature and floral motifs.

Although this book is not strictly a gardening book, I feel that the whimsy and charm of the accessories in the landscape will be an inspiration for any gardener who likes Mary's style. From adorable bird houses and statuary to comfortable outdoor furniture, this book has many ideas for a gardener who would like to bring Mary's style into the yard.

Rating:
Summary: A House from the Queen of Cute
Review: Mary Engelbreit has been called the Queen of Cute. Her interior decorating ties together the overall appearance of the room with carefully chosen colors to match the furniture, rugs, art, and well treasures collected from antique stores to garage sales. Indeed sometimes it looks as though the rooms are designed primarily to show off her collection.

About five years ago she got a house that she had loved for many, many years. Over these years she has modified nearly every room. Not necessarily big expensive changes, but at least changes. The house is a picture book of cute. Well, this is a picture book of the house.

There's really just one question I'd like to ask Mary. That is: "Your granddaughter lives there with you. My experience with little one is that any decorative item they can reach is soon broken. With the unbreakable items used as a hammer to smash the others. The question is, when the photographers leave, does a lot of this stuff all of a sudden go up several feet higher?"