10 Simple Ways to Romanticize Your Everyday Life

Last Updated on May 9, 2024 by Stacy Averette

Life can be hard on a woman’s tender heart. Regardless of our job-by-day, at heart, we’re the nurturers, creators, home-makers; painfully aware of the bossy, hustle-culture demanding we do more, do it faster, and do it perfectly.

I have a tenacious work ethic. I’m very task oriented so being productive and checking things off my list makes me extremely happy. But my soul needs more than “being useful and productive” and yours does, too. I propose we need to romanticize our lives a bit. After all, we’re not robots. We are, in fact,  the Creator’s highest form of creation, made in His image.

Romanticize: to make glamorous, embellish, sentimentalize.

For me, romanticizing my everyday life is one way I apply Philippians 4:8 and is part of what Living Lovely is all about.

Romanticize Your Life!

“Romanticize my life?  What is this woman even talking about? She’s clueless about what I’m going through and how stressed out I am right now! I’d love to romanticize my life but real life is no fairy tale!”

I hear you, friend! This is a common sentiment I hear often. We vent and complain about work, church, relationships, the government, Walmart, social media, getting old, and the restaurant we ate at last night.

Regardless of age or season of life, many things are beyond our control. People behaving badly, health issues, financial troubles, job woes, political unrest—did I miss anything? Life is full of trouble and heartache and often there’s not much we can do to fix or change it. Sometimes we have to say, “It is what it is.”

But if we aren’t careful, we’ll allow what we can’t control to control us. We get so focused on the bad people and circumstances that we deem the whole of life as bad. And the more bad we focus on the more bad we see. Are we destined to just white-knuckle our way through this “miserable life” and wait for Jesus to come back and rescue us? I don’t think so.

Inspired to Thrive

In case you’re wondering, I’m a romantic idealist with some practical realism thrown in for good measure. Since I was a little girl I’ve romanticized my life. I choose to see life as better, more beautiful, and more adventurous than it appears on the surface. Call me Pollyanna (blindly or foolishly optimistic), if you wish, but my choice to romanticize my everyday life doesn’t come naturally or easily. I have to be intentional and work at it every day. 

My brain loves to awfulize and prepare for the worst. I’m hesitant to get my hopes up for fear of being disappointed yet again. A scarcity mentality (fear of a lack of resources) is my default setting even though I wasn’t raised to think that way.

My parents and grandparents exercised great faith and lived bold, adventurous lives from my perspective. To others, I’m sure their lives seemed simple, ordinary, and unglamorous but I can tell you that the way they lived—hopeful and expectant—was quite lovely and continues to inspire me even though they’ve all been gone for years.

3 Reasons Why I Choose to Romanticize My Life

1. Life is short

I don’t want to squander a single day worrying about what might happen (or might not happen) and miss the beauty and abundance of what’s right in front of me. Life is short. I’ll prepare for the future as best I can but I’m going to romanticize my everyday life.

2. God is good

Life is hard but God is near. He’s nearer to us than the trouble we face. (I wrote a book about it!) Romanticizing my everyday life is one of the ways I acknowledge the goodness of God and live with gratitude for His work in me, in you, and in the world around us.  

3. It’s the pathway to peace

At times, I’ve crumbled under the dark cloud of circumstance, negativity, and skepticism but I’m choosing a better way. There’s no denying that life is hard, but we have the power to focus on whatever we want. God’s Word exhorts us to be intentional with our thoughts as a pathway to peace.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think on these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9

(What we think about determines how we feel and how we act! Read this post:)

10 Simple Ways to Romanticize Your Everyday Life

1. Get Dressed

Get dressed every day. By “dressed” I mean, get out of your PJs, shower, put on an outfit that makes you feel comfortable and happy.

I do this every day whether I’m going out or staying at home and I do it for me! Getting dressed every day makes me feel better and when I feel better I act better. Getting dressed isn’t about impressing anyone rather it’s about honoring the life I’ve been given and showing up in the world as a blessed heir of The King.

This year one of my goals is:

• Wear everything in my closet at least once (Does anyone else tend to wear the same things over and over?)
• Buy fewer “new” things (98% of my clothing and accessories are thrifted)
• Donate anything I don’t love to wear.

It’s a simple way to clean out my closet one day at a time.

You might be interested in reading these posts to see my “thrifted style” and what “getting dressed every day” looks like for me.

How to Look Cute and Stay Warm This Winter The Thrifty Way

5 Lessons I Learned from Not Buying Anything New

Boho Style: How Layering Makes an Outfit Fun and Interesting

2. Use Your Good Dishes

Paper plates are for picnics and perhaps large family gatherings and I firmly believe the cup you drink your coffee or tea from matters. I inherited my mom’s Fiesta dishes and I use them almost every day. I also have a set of vintage Starglow dishes that I’ve thrifted over the years and I use them regularly. Our collection of unique coffee mugs makes our morning coffee more interesting and fun.

We use our good dishes every day whether it’s just the two of us having a sandwich or our kids are home for a weekend visit. And you’ll be surprised to learn that we haven’t had a dishwasher in years. Yep! We hand wash all our dishes and truly enjoy it.

3. Buy Yourself Flowers

Years ago when we lived in the big city I developed a habit of buying myself a big bouquet of roses a couple of times a month. There was a local business that sold home décor items and fresh flowers at hugely discounted prices. Having a big bouquet of roses on my desk was one of the ways I romanticized my very stressful life at the time.

I’m in a different season of life now, but I still regularly buy flowers and usually add blooms or branches from my yard. This yellow enamel-ware pitcher is a recent thrifted treasure and is perfect for these tulips I bought at Aldi.

4. Light Candles

Everyone loves a deliciously scented candle but nothing will romanticize your life quite like flickering taper candles. Taper candles are relatively inexpensive. We bought these dripless, smokeless, unscented ones for a wedding reception a few years ago. However, taper candles are always on my thrift list. A bag full of taper candles (I mix and match colors) might only cost a few dollars at your local thrift store. I consider this a worthy investment and not one to be saved for special occasions.

My thrifted brass candelabras are splattered with colorful wax drippings as a testament to the many nights we sit, listen to music, and talk by candlelight.

5. Play Music

Music is an easy way to set the mood and romanticize your everyday life which is why you’ll always hear music playing in the background if you come to my house. Our music tastes range from New Orleans Jazz to 70s country and we choose the genre/artist based on the mood we’re in or the mood we want to create.

Turn on some music when driving, cooking and cleaning, getting dressed in the morning, or just relaxing after a long day.

6. Take photos, have them printed, and display them in your home or office

In a digital age where viewing everything on a screen is the norm, having an actual photo to display is a lovely way to romanticize your life. I have boxes of photographs documenting our childhoods and our life together. Sorting through old photos brings back sweet memories that otherwise might never be remembered.

Printing a few photos monthly is one of my favorite and most rewarding habits. I have a system for organizing and printing photos each month and I explained it here.

7. Paint your nails

My mom always painted our nails on Saturday night in preparation for Sunday church (Only pink even though I begged for red). Even as a skinned-knee tomboy who loved to climb trees and play ball, there was something comforting about this ritual.

The photos above were probably taken on the same day. Softball during the day. Olan Mills photos at the local motel in the evening (with pink painted nails!). My mom made the blue calico dress I was wearing.

I still love the ritual of painting my own nails often in the evenings while listening to music and talking with Eric. When I’m done he’s eager to see which color I chose and I’m proud to show off my perfectly imperfect handiwork. (Blue, purple, red, and black are my favorites. Sorry mom!)

Of course, with all the DIY projects, dishwashing, and gardening I do, my at-home manicure doesn’t last long. It’s not unusual to see me with paint-splattered hands and chipped nail polish but I don’t mind.

8. Create an inspiration board or notebook

Does anyone else remember clipping pictures and words from magazines to create a collage board? I’ve always had a corkboard on my wall filled with magazine clippings, ticket stubs, a ribbon from a corsage, a pretty leaf I’ve found, and a few photos of friends.

Pinterest is the digital version (sort of) of the inspiration boards I create and my favorite creative search engine. (Let’s connect our creative selves on Pinterest!)

These days my home is an inspiration board of sorts filled with all the things I love, however, I still have an inspiration board and notebook full of paint, fabric swatches, and anything that inspires me.

9. Keep a calendar/planner

Pen and paper for me, thank you very much. I can’t imagine NOT having a planner, writing down everything, and having it with me at all times. Over the years, I’ve bought fancy planners with refillable pages and color-coded stickers. I don’t do that anymore. A simple month-at-a-glance with some space for daily notes is all I need. Here’s the one I prefer

Seeing what matters most written down on the pages of my planner reminds me of the brevity of life and helps me number my days. I find that a written record significantly reduces the nagging fear that “I’m forgetting something”.

10. Send snail mail

In our fast-paced-email-texting world, is there anything lovelier than opening the mailbox to find a hand-written card addressed to you? I think not and to prove it I have a file folder full of handwritten cards I’ve received dating back fifty years. Reading through some of them recently flooded my mind with memories of people and experiences that had been lost in the busyness of life.

As I read through them I vowed to pay it forward and bless others in the same simple way. Using pretty stationary or simply buying a card at Walmart for a friend and handwriting a few sincere words of encouragement is an easy way to romanticize your everyday life.

What a Wonderful World

While writing this post, tragic terrible things have happened in the world. I’ve second-guessed every word I’ve written and considered abandoning this post to the ever-growing pile of unpublished drafts. But I was reminded of the woman God called me to be in a world full of trouble and I remembered why I started.

Life is a gift and every day is meant to be enjoyed in a way that honors the Life-Giver. The ways I romanticize my everyday life may not work for you but I encourage you to find what does and begin today.

“But YOU, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory; the one who holds my head high.”

Psalm 3:3