Why Do Women Decorate?

For a very long time I've wondered why women decorate the way they do. Oh, I've never gotten the answer as there are many and varied answers but I have noticed that some women don't decorate. They're happy with just a sofa, chair and television. Trust me, I know this. What is in our DNA that makes most of us want to have lovely homes and some of us to be happy with just the three above items? Now, I'm not talking expensive rooms, I'm talking about pleasing rooms. Personally, I could never live in a man-cave. It just wouldn't happen. I don't think my sweetheart could either. He wants me to be happy. And making my home the way I want it makes me happy. (Actually, he told me one time during an argument that his goal in life was to make me happy.) And, I absolutely couldn't live with my hubby telling me how or what I could put in our home (unless he was a famous designer and even then, it would be really iffy!). Okay, so he wanted a recliner once and I said, "No, absolutely not! If you want to recline, we have a $1,700 mattress on our bed for that."

I lived with a father who came home from work every night and fell asleep in his recliner. I determined later on in my life that wasn't going to happen in my home. Hubs rarely ever falls asleep in his chair, but if he does, I gently nudge him to go lay down on the family room sofa. He never does because he says he wasn't sleeping. Riiight! But the things we see in our parents' homes are usually something we don't want to see in our homes. That can apply to the happy things also, meaning we definitely want the happy things in our homes. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the way of happiness in my younger life. Not bad, just not happy. Could I please get some insights as to what you do and the way you think about decorating your home? Don't be bashful, just tell me. I'm truly curious. Let's not make this about money either. That's usually the equation in most average homes. Please. I'm curious.
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I also want to tell you about an Australian woman, a fellow blogger, who has so much talent you'll want to cry. She has an e-book out. I'm giving you the URL and an image of what this book looks like. It's free to read online! You don't even have to pay for it. Just look and drool, chicks. If you don't, you'll be sorry, I promise you that. Simply click on the logo below:

This is a woman after my own heart. I love froufrou! Recently, I've had to do away with some of it as there just isn't enough room in my home to display all I want without looking cluttered. I needed more "space for my eyes", if you will. Sometimes we put so much in our rooms or on our walls that it doesn't give the eye a break. My eyes needed that break. I haven't done away with it all, just some that I thought I could part with at this times. But I have filtered a great deal of it out. ;-) Different seasons in our lives, I suppose.

There's something about this room I like but I simply can't put my finger on it. And yet, I still think it needs something, but again, I can't put my finger on that either.

If I dreamed of a cottage, this would be one of which I would dream. I think it's the huge arbor that I like so much though.

I am always, and I mean always, drawn to color and especially to pink. I insert these eye candy photos in here more for me than you; although, I think you like them also.

To have a beautiful balcony like this would be heaven if you lived in an apartment above the ground floor. You'd have flowers to view instead of nothing. I can't imagine looking out into nothing.

An English cottage would also be nice to have. I've had friends visit there and been told they keep their temperatures much cooler in their houses than we do. When we were in England, we never went into a private home. Our Mormon temples are kept at 72°. I just about roast when I go to the temple. In England, the people told the temple workers that they had to turn down the temperature in there because it was too hot for them. I'm with them! If you lived in England, you'd have much cooler temperatures in your house than you have here. Give me 65° any day and I'm happy. I've always been warm but it's affected me more as I get older. I've always wished I could be one of the old ladies who come to church in August in a winter coat! Hasn't happened yet and I'm into my seventies. Sigh.

This woman knows how to make laundry on the line look like a visual feast. For those of you who have dryers and never experienced a clothesline with white sheets and tablecloths on them, you have no idea the visual treat you miss or the audial  treat when it snaps in the breeze.

Just a peep through the door of this home can make you dream of leisurely pastimes.

Even storing linens and quilts can be a visual feast if you want it.

I had one of these hinged shutters until just a few years ago. I gave it to a friend. It had roses painted on it from a woman I purchased it from on eBay. But that's one of those things that had to go.

A friend of ours just got back from Ireland. He's a college professor and takes groups abroad in the summers. This year was Ireland, Paris and London. They loved Ireland. Even they thought it was greener that they imagined. The rain on the window reminds me of them washing their windows in the rain. Yep, they sure do. Cleanliness is very important to the Irish.

A very brave homeowner painted her house this color. It's the color of yellow I most like. And since, my favorite color combo is pink and yellow, I like this a lot.

My sewing and craft room will never look this neat. I have a plethora of stuff and can never make it look good beyond a few days. In fact, today is a day I've committed to not read. If I read, I'll not get anything done. So I'm writing this post and going back and forth into the sewing room to alter 4 pairs of linen pants I bought a few years ago and am just getting around to doing it.

They're not using wooden spools anymore for thread. It's just a plastic spool and I hate them. I loved the old wooden spools.

And here is a perfect example of a homeowner making her home suit her personality. She doesn't appear to follow the dictates of designers; she's made it her very own in the style that she loves. Definitely my kind of woman!

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Tidbit:

Rats destroy an estimated third of the world's food supply each year.
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Linking up with Pink Saturday.