When I first started dating, like most teenage girls I fantasized about getting married. It wasn’t about the dress, the ceremony, or the reception. Nope—I couldn’t wait to change my last name. With every guy I dated, I silently went through the same series of questions:
Does his last name sound good with my first name?
Could I see myself signing holiday cards using that name?
Would I be embroidering it onto sports jerseys for our kids?
Does it have some special cultural significance?
My maiden name is Polish. It’s full of consonants, and people always ask me how to pronounce it. I remember dating guys and thinking, “He could be the one and I can finally have a last name people can read!”
Luckily, most of the guys I dated had great names. Names I could envision trading for my own tongue-twister of a surname. Names that were easy to read, rolling off the tongue pleasantly and sounding great when paired with my first name. Only a few guys had questionable family names, and I knew those weren’t “true love.”
Now, years after having two children together, my beau and I are finally getting around to a wedding this fall. I can honestly say that after dating for seven years, I’m most excited about changing my name!
Right now both of our children share his last name, making me the odd one out. It’s been a challenge to write out our return address when sending greeting cards, and I can’t wait to get a personalized rubber stamp with just one last name on it! (Hint hint: This would be a lovely wedding gift.)
Later this year l’ll finally be able to sign my name Andrea Townson. Townson is an old British name that means son of Tomlin or Tom—I love how much history it has. As you grow your family, it’s important to know the heritage behind a last name, and I encourage you to spend time asking family or researching the significance.
As we approach spring and start the ritual of organizing and cleaning, I decided to spruce up our home decor in a subtle way, by displaying our soon-to-be family name for guests to see. From subtle pillows to large marquee-style light up monograms, here are three family name decor ideas for showcasing your last name and giving a fun face lift to any room in your home.
Custom Wall Decals
Customized decals from WallWritten.com
Wall decals are great because you can choose the font and size of your name depending on which room you decide to display this in and the style of your decor. Peel and re-stick the decal if you want to move it to a different room of your home in the future. They aren’t permanent and won’t make a mess of your wall like paint would, should you decide to go for a new look down the road
Personalized Toss Pillows
Pillows are an easy way to spice up a room, either in a common area, bedroom, or play area. I love pillows and how they simply turn a plain room into something fabulous without much effort. Go for a customized pillow with just your family name, or include photos or other details from your family history such as the year you got married or had children.
Rustic Wood-Burned Sign
I recently took a workshop in wood burning and never realized how easy it was until I tried it! Now I want to make my own signs for all over my home. To create this look yourself, find a nice piece of old wood and invest in your own wood-burning engraver for a DIY afternoon project that will look great above a fireplace or entryway.
Whether you’ve proudly borne the same name your entire life, or you’ve excitedly taken on another, these décor ideas are a great way to celebrate your family heritage while personalizing your home.
For some no-hassle ways to show off your family name, check out the customizable décor available at tinyprints.com. Use the comments to share other ways that you show off your family name. I’d love to hear!
More Home Decor Ideas:
