I have a portuguese hand painted vase that my mother-in-law gave me that fits just so in one of our built ins - perfect. That, a swedish flag that was my grandfather's, and the original artwork I collect really defines my space.
Your story sounds so familiar! ;) I still remember the first story I wrote that caused my teachers started telling me I should be a writer. It's just..when? I hope I too can find the motivation to start one day soon.
I find that if I write down too specific of an outline, or even tell anyone about my ideas..I'm done. It's like the story has already been told, and I don't have the motivation to expand on it. I've never been good with descriptive outlines,even for essays - they end up being completely different when I start writing and my mind takes me away. I appreciate your description of your process, it's so great to hear how differently everyone works.