Oh, We Had Hot Dogs and Potato Chips!

Most men are more or less defined by their jobs...whether this is right or wrong, (understand that I am not speaking in a religious vein, but in a practical everyday one). Men derive some of their self worth from being able to provide well for their family.

Women, on the other hand, seem to derive some of their self esteem by the state of their homes. (Now, you know it's true)...Once, when my son was about 8 or 9, he called me at work to let me know that he and Daddy had brought home a visitor for lunch. I thought he was referring to another child, but he was referring to a very well known coach from a university! I almost died. "What did you have to eat?" There was NOTHING in the refrigerator remotely worthy of someone famous. I had that beginning panicky feeling. "Oh," he replied, "We had hot dogs and potato chips. And don't worry, I put out a clean towel in the bathroom." Yes, that thud you heard was my heart hitting my feet. How could he do such a thoughtless thing?...You see, my house was a semi-wreck that day, and I was mortified. Were the men? Not mine...probably not the "famous" coach either, but I will never know.

So keeping my house in decent condition has always been a priority to me. (Never know when you might entertain royalty.) I noticed that every few months I grew tired of the way something looked and began a "search" for something to perk up the atmosphere. Nothing wrong with that...right? But to do that over and over seemed like it was bordering on obsession and never being satisfied. I began to feel uneasy ...was something wrong with me? And then something happened that changed my perspective... I got a room decorated and it stayed that way for several years. Wonder of wonders, I still liked it. What was the difference?

I know the answer to this age old question...WHY CAN'T WOMEN BE SATISFIED WITH WHAT THEY HAVE? Answer: Because we are so used to putting others first, that we have to skimp on details of the home that would make us feel comfortable...finally. For example, a new couch is needed. The old one is well, old and dirty and fraying. But Junior needs braces, so we throw a slip cover over the couch and make do until Junior's bite is corrected. All the while, avoiding eye contact with said slouchy couch. There is this underlying feeling of dissatisfaction in "that" area of the room...but we do our best to bury it.

 Get to the point, mam...just the facts, please. Ok, here it is. When I am able to decorate even in a modest way, it makes me feel better temporarily. But when, I decorate in a more substantial way (aka spending more AND GETTING SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST) I feel more settled longer...maybe even for several years. Maybe forever!  So, the answer to feeling better about your home is this...besides cleaning it...SAVE UP FOR WHAT YOU REALLY WANT AND MAKE PURCHASES WISELY. Make do with inexpensive trendy items until you can do what will give you lasting pleasure. Does this make sense?

Here is an example. Swags I made 15 years ago were still doing their job.
Did I love them? Fabric, yes...style, uh, no.



Whala! New updated drapes and I love it! Makes the room seem larger and lighter.
Even though I feel guilty for letting the old swags go...they served us well.

I added this centerpiece after the pictures.



A friend gave me this toile planter years ago...it works just right now!

I updated the buffet lamps with shades that have a leaf design on the lining.
They came from my bedroom.  (The value of using a similar color palette throughout
your home is re-arranging is so much easier.)

Cloche with nest and Peter's Pottery bluebird add "the hope of Spring" touch.



I brought out a small glass cabinet and added my lambs, some redware and
my great grandfather's little Webster's dictionary.



My hutch needed a good cleaning and I added some painted metal hearts that sport tiny bird's nests.





February signals time to bring out some of my vintage Valentines.
One of my favorite holidays!!



Even the bathroom got a little touch of spring.
I found the print bath cloth on sale for fifty cents...
The bottom line is trendy is ok, in small doses...but saving for a substantial
upgrade is more satisfying in the long run.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY,



What Kind of Colors Do You Like?

Good Morning!

I awoke to a great surprise.

My computer is acting like its supposed to!

It's in a very frisky mood today,

so I thought I'd better post right this second before it changes back into its normal cranky self.

With all the world's madness this week, I thought I'd take you on a "mind" trip today.

Sister Leslie (no she's not a nun...she's my sibling) gave me this book to ponder while recouping...

Published by Country Living, which is one of my all time favorite magazines, its author is Kate Butcher.

Let me explain how Ms. Butcher brought this book together and why it's so helpful to us amateurs.

She divided the contents on the subject "color"  into chapters.

 She named the chapters by using certain aspects of nature 

and then assigned certain colors (or their derivatives)

to each division.

As seen above, there are 5 chapters devoted to color use.

After flipping through the book (and not reading anything..I did that later),

I decided the example chapter that made me feel most at ease and most at home was....

Slate & Stone.

Now, I am the most surprised of all! These are mostly neutrals, as pictured below.

And the most surprising thing is that there is not one green swatch in them all...

I LOVE GREEN!

Before, looking at the pictures, I "felt" I would like this chapter the LEAST, certainly not the MOST!

Here's the procedure I followed in making good use of this book.

I first read enough text to see what was going on...

then I began looking at the pictures of rooms in each chapter....

I quickly found that one chapter appealed to me the most... (slate & stone)

then I began REALLY studying the pictures to see what they had in common.

Even though I am not a huge "user" of white...I really gravitated toward these rooms.

A very "comfy" vibe emanates from these neutral checks.

And the hint of color comes from the salmon amaryllis.

Above, touches of color come from very subtle wall color and accessories.

And I found the above rooms very appealing, as opposed to the pictures of the rooms below.

Textures abound as do deep dark colors.

See the difference?

Mostly it's the lack of  much color on the walls 

and the repetitive use of color in the form of varying textures and shapes.

 Before you bombard me with all the reasons to love dark rooms, let me say this...

I don't see well and dark rooms confuse me.

They make me feel, not cozy as everyone says,

but rather claustrophobic.

A color riot makes me nervous.

The look is lovely, as long as I don't have to live there.

My love of color (or lack thereof) has evolved over the years.

Even though I like punches of color here and there,

 I find myself most rested and at ease

in a room that has lots of texture, but not too much overpowering color.

Texture has become a mainstay in my decorating arsenal.

(Truthfully, I liked individual parts of each chapter...

but I've decided I'm Slate and Stone kind of girl!)

If you are able to find it, I would recommend this book...

especially if you have a difficult time choosing colors.

(Which BTW, I do! Now I know why...)

Have a productive weekend,