Pink Saturday 8/16/08

I get "edgy" when I don't get "personal" on my blog. I really can't explain it, chicks, but just don't like posting pix from magazines all the time. Too "impersonal". Soooo today, after doing this post about 3 days ago, I decided to put in the latest with the redo and ask for some help from all you creative decorators.

These 2 photos are the family room in its current disarray. If I'm looking for something for another wall in the house I go to this room and "shop" and usually leave a nail in the wall where the item was. But sometimes I take the nail out to use in the other room. AND when I leave the nail there and bring something into the room I'll just hang "whatever" on it. (This you can see in the 2nd photo below.) This drives hubs nutsy but he doesn't say much at all. He loves me and only lives to make this chick HAPPY!!! And truly, what can he say when HE bought the trailer and the seller didn't have a keeEEEeeey for the dooOOOOoor to the trailer so I had to call a locksmith to come out yesterday to make a keeeEEeeey for it and the cost was $80.00!!!! Yes, 80 buckarinos!! Soooo he'd best not say tooooo much, huh?!?!

I've taken the trellis apart and moved them to opposite ends of the sofa. (Oh, btw, some gals have asked what the fabric is on that sofa. It's a heavy twill with green ticking stripes that I bought online and just LOVE it. Plus I've washed it numerous times and it comes quite clean and still looks wonderful!) So I've been combing the internet for some prints of favorite artists to hang in there. I want one big print/picture hanging there with other small ones....the small ones I have already. Just some shabby chic/romantic/roses pretty prints or posters. I've searched a bit on ebay but haven't found anything yet. Any ideas or things you might have come across that you think I might like would be greatly appreciated.

I did take a few minutes to make this pillow for Love Bunny to rest his head while napping. (See the one in the middle of sofa.) I caught him falling asleep the other day and he looked so uncomfortable trying to sleep sitting up. So I took a feather pillow, made a pretty roses cover for it and just put it on there for him to grab when he feels his wee head lolling over! :-)


This wall is just waiting for the faux fireplace surround and mantel which will ship on or about 8/25 so not much can be done until then. Looks kinda sad at the moment though. My tool box is ever present now. Things have just been dropped in there to get out of the way in other parts of the house.

My "dilemme du jour" are the little french wire baskets. They are antiques that I scavenged from daughter's shed during our visit to Calif. last month if you'll remember. I love them but want to put something "unique" in them. Now, I have what I think is enough "greenery" around the old homestead at the moment so I'd like some ideas of what I could put in them so I can get them hung up as I've been tripping over them on a daily basis. ;-)

~*~

Love Bunny (Hubs to those new readers) and I picked up this little cow bell years ago in an antique shop in Pennsylvania. (I was "into" my country period then, but I've repented and am now "into" my shabby period.) We'll probably never go back there again since I refuse to fly any where anymore, but he has a brother and several sisters living there or in neighboring states. But it was a pleasant experience to tour the antique shops and Amish country.

Anyway, it has been sitting "around" in different homes with its rust and heavy wire on the top and I got to thinking, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, but give me some slack and read on annnnyWAY. Hubs says that usually means he's going to have to do something for me, but I got to seriously thinking about its color. It didn't go well with all the frou frou-y type stuff in this house so I decided to paint it pink. Now, you might say "PINK"(!) for a cow's bell? And then I'd say "whaaaaaa, ya never seen any fashionable cow critters?" (in my best hillbilly accent and pardon me if you're a hillbilly but I hold great reverence for hillbillies since I descended from a long line of them.) So I took my trusty can of pink spray paint....spritzzzzzzzzzzz.....and here it is in all its glory! I know there must be pink cows somewhere out there because I've seen the "strawberry (pink!) milk at WM!! So kiss my grits, sweet chicks!! Hah......

I just love this color but this can kinda got away from me if ya know what I mean here!

I made 8 of these little chair back pads several years ago and they are as red and pink as they look in the photo. They will be for sale in my selling blog soon.

Now don't laugh but this is one of my mouse pads and my "mouse" resuscitator on the left - the pink towel. Once in a while my mouse's scroll wheel needs a bit of "massaging" to perform the scroll. I wet this towel and vigorously "scratch" her little back. She purrrrrs like a kitten for several weeks after that and then we have to do it alllll over again: wet the towel, massage her "wheel" and dry off her little backside. (Ronda Ray Juniper said it has to be a HER as a HIM wouldn't be so finicky! And she knows because we both have Macs and Might Mouses that scroll up and down and sideways for our Macs.)

The painted rock below means a lot to me. It was painted by a friend. She is in a group on ebay I am in and they did a swap of painted rocks - rocks coming from the area of the painters as a friendship momento. Well, I couldn't paint worth a lick at the time and still can't paint worth much now but she painted one with her roses for me and sent it to me. She's a Nevada homesteader and has one of the most gorgeous bracelets up for sale on her ebay but look at her selling blog also: Apetalapart. It is beaded and Katie has done her gorgeous silk ribbon embroidery and a decoupaged button for this bracelet. You have GOT to see it. It is truly beautiful, unique and one-of-a-kind!

I thought I'd show you the darling little newborn booties Katie made for her new granddaughter that are for sale on her selling blog. And they're "PINK"!!! Aren't they precious?!??! This is her own design and I think she did great!
And isn't this blue cobalt bottle just scrumptious? I just love that color. Of course, I love Katie also!! ;-) She's a peach! Plus she has peacocks visit her on a regular basis. Don't even get her started on the goats and baby peahens! Whoooooa, she's so funny about the goats, too. But maybe that's another blog though. ;-) Hah.......

Red, White and Blue Rooms

Rooms of true Americana are usually red, white and blue. Just look at the different plaids and checks in this room, upholstery on the sofa and chair and the toile and red flowered fabrics on the pillows and the plaids of the curtains (which are not symmetrical if you'll notice; another take on individuality and I've used this once or twice in unusual places also), bead board walls. Just adorable.

And who wouldn't love curling up in this bedroom? Pure Americana but luxurious with its pillows, vintage looking bed and the bed coverings!

This room just simply reminds me of an upscale farm house. I can't explain why but it does. I love the look of comfort and relaxation here with the small wood settee and the chaise lounge with a blanket strewn over it. I always, always have blankets thrown over a sofa or chair in my small family room for the comfort of friends who prefer to stay warmer than I do. ;-) And trust me, they take advantage of it. Which reminds me of one other thing! I have footstools all over my family and living rooms. They are for putting feet up. I can't sit without putting my feet up! But you would be surprised how uncomfortable people are with using those footstools. They think they're for gazing at I suppose. NOT SO! I want them to be comfortable and put their feet up on them. I can always wash or scrub them or even change the upholstery if it gets too bad and I tell them that. Most will still refuse to put their shoes on them. Silly! I put them there for THEM!

Monochromatic Room

A pretty good example of a monochromatic room is just below. Most people are drawn to them because of the lack of a lot of color and keeping the palette in just one tone with lighter and darker hues of that value. While it can be just about any "color" variation it tends to be mostly in the beiges, taupe and whites and tends to soothe them but some people just don't prefer color as we would normally think of it. And there is nothing wrong with that at all. The room below I think is beautiful. I, however, prefer more "color" and there is nothing wrong with that either.

I do love the mix of plain and checked fabrics on the sofa. The honey pine of the wood brings a certain contrast and it looks like a comfy room.

The bedroom is lush with pillows and bed coverings. All in all a very peaceful palette to this style of decorating.

Another monochromatic theme brings rich style to this living room. The furnishings are exquisite and more formal, but still providing the luxurious comfort most people want in their homes. I love this room also!

This dining room with the upholstered chairs brings pizzazz to the decorating. And who wouldn't enjoy sitting at a table with a "rose tree" centerpiece?! Gorgeous.

More Country Decor

While it may not look "country style", it is definitely country decorating. A different flair perhaps but country all the same. The style and fabric of the sofa will make them lean a bit more towards the formal vs. the informal. For me, mix and match is the perfect style, but that's my preference. Others may adhere to the "same wood" mantra of decor. I like the mix for this family because it shows a little less formality. As the architect Louis Sullivan stated: "Form follows function." I follow that quote almost religiously, from watches to sofas to cars. I want it to "work" (function) before its "beauty" (form). Comfort is first and foremost in my decorating selection. I want everyone to "feel" comfy and relaxed.

I'd call this a bit more formal country than farmhouse country, but it is gorgeous just the same.

I like sumptuous bedrooms, pillows lavishly thrown on the bed, lovely linens to sleep on, foam mattresses with a feather or preferably wool topper and a gorgeous covering to top it off. I also like soft cotton sheets. I put 2 bottom sheets on our bed and then one on top with maybe a blanket for winter but not summer. Hubs and I like it cold while sleeping. This bedroom is one I could live in but I like mine better. ;-) A couple's bedroom is THEIR room and should be romantic and off limits for the most part to anyone other than the couple. I'm a stickler for this. Of course, this is my own opinion.

I'd call this the "All-American" living room. It's "cute" and I like it. I had a wood sofa once and it had a fabric that I'd call Aztec. It was truly lovely and I got all kinds of compliments on it. Even when we were moving it from San Diego to 29 Palms, Calif. and the new neighbors were watching us move in I saw their eyes when that sofa came off the truck. Yes, it was "awe" I saw in their eyes and was confirmed when we got to know them. It was the most unusual fabric I'd ever seen. That's when we lived in southern California and I was into my "Mexican Colonial" stage. But, personally, I'd never have another sofa with wood arms. Just too hard for me to relax on.

By now you're probably as tired of looking at this house as I am tired of posting pictures of it!! But I keep adding little touches here and there to make it "me"! And besides, I want to showcase a sweet lady, Bertie, who gave me the tiny chandelier hanging over my sink. (I've purchased the most exquisite items from this lady and she is a true friend to me and has never ever disappointed me with any of her items. She's a tiny little pistol!!! She IS! And I just love her.) Plus I also had a tie of hubs that was ready for the trash bin but decided to "showcase" it because I love that tie! So I just tossed it up on that shelf and there it stays until I tire of it. :-) I've also used pretty ties of his as an accoutrement to a hanging picture. I think, however, that I need one more shelf there somewhere. I have a coupon that needs using! ;-)

Old Green Shutters Redone!

I've been busy, chicks. Just take a look at what can happen when your hubby takes you out into the country to look at the trailer he will eventually buy! Yessssssss, a yard sale with the most wonderful old shutters for $4.00 for the both of them. Squeeeeeealing with delight again! I think next time he'll leave me home........but I can sure hide in the back of his Montero, can't I?!?!?!