Beautiful Bedrooms

Hello, Friends and Visitors!

My computer is finally back and healthy, fingers crossed! I am able now to visit everyone and post again. Whew!
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Oh, how I love to snuggle up in a beautiful bedroom. There is something so cozy and inspiring when one's room is artfully decored (notice, that I said "artfully" and not "expensively". There is a difference!). It sets this room apart from the rest of the home as a sanctuary and special place. It isn't a Family Room where children romp; nor is it the kitchen, where one eats, or the office where one works. It is a place to dream, to love, to relax, to pray and to feed one's soul.

One doesn't have to spend lots of money, but it does take time, effort and a creative eye.

Blue is a soft, peaceful color for sleeping. I love it in bedrooms. Our master bedroom is blue.

Image from Country Living

Lots of linens, hand-me-downs, family heirlooms, thrift store and estate sale finds can turn one's room into a lovely place to ponder and dream.

Image from Country Living

How I love a beautiful bedroom!

Bedrooms are places for beloved objects and items of sentiment. Books and lovely music. Candlelight. Scented potpourri or incense. Quiet voices. Stilled thoughts. A place of rest and renewal for body and soul.

O, how I love a beautiful bedroom!

How about you? What do you think is essential in one's room?

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Tablescape Thursday - A Touch of Spring

Just had to show you a wonderful tablescape that I saw in my favorite home decor shop, Country Furniture, at Gardner Village.
Don't you just feel happy looking at these bright and cheerful colors?
Such whimsy...
Hope that your Thursday is terrific!

Elizabeth

Am I obsessed, or what? I took a look at the photos of "Bentley" (whom Sarah has gingerly suggested should be re-named "Emily") in my previous post and decided that he/she looked a little plain, so I added Sarah's baby clothes...
Ain't she swanky? I am having so much fun!

(My car broke down tonight, so I'm trying to keep my spirits up!)
Love,
Elizabeth

Mimie's Pretties

As most of you know from reading this blog, my mother passed away December, 2006. It fell to my sister, Jeanie, who lives back East near my parents' home, to go through all of my mother's belongings. Recently, I received a substantial shipment. I was so thrilled to open these packages and to find, not my mother's stuff, but her mother's linens and costume jewelry. My maternal grandmother, Claudia, was known as "Mimie" (pronounced "Mimmy") to everyone. She, like most women of her generation, never sat with her hands still. She was always crocheting, or tatting or embroidering...

My now owning these beautiful works of art have inspired me to beautify my surroundings. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't done much with my bedroom in recent years. I started our marriage with lots of lovely things, but many financially difficult years followed and so most of my nest feathering has been done in the common living areas and in the children's rooms. Not so, anymore. I want as much as possible to display these beautiful linens and momentoes that have come to me.

Following are just a few of Mimie's lovelies. I will be sharing more in the coming days.
I guess that I should show you before and afters but I am too shy to do that. So, above is Bentley. He is a stuffed bear that I keep on my bed for the children to cuddle when they come in for a love at night. He is now all fixed up with a beautiful lace scarf, some fancy ribbon I had on hand and one of Mimie's faux-diamond pins. He is atop one of her doilies.
Isn't he a cutie?
This is my bedside table, with my antique lamp...An antique shawl is on the lamp shade (this was actually given to me by a friend). The table is draped in linen table covers. The doily under the little snowman figurine is Mimie's too and her Bible is next to my bed.
Another view of the table...AND the beautiful bedspread she hand wrought. Isn't it lovely?
I will be topping that with crisp white, embroidered pillowcases, but I need new pillows, first. I have much to do and am very excited about it.

Can't wait to show you the finished product of my room!!
Blessings,
Elizabeth

In Remembrance

After all of the thrifting and yard sale-ing I've been doing, I have become extremely fascinated with the possibilities of using different objects for shadow boxes. I have several in progress, but I finished one tonight in honor of my mother, who passed away, December, 2006. Above you see her with some much loved items that remind me of her...
A Monogrammed hankerchief (her name was Kathleen), her bookmark (she was an avid reader), some perfume she saved from her younger years, and a silver brush that was bought for her first-born, my brother, David, who died as an infant. The strand of pearls is the same three-tiered strand she is wearing in the picture.
On top, is a black and white photo of my Sarah, my mother's only grand-daughter.

This shadow box is by my dining room hutch, which I am re-decorating on a theme of family, with black and white photos of loved ones.

The sign below Mama's shadow box says, "Families Are Forever". In my heart I know that it's true.

We will see them again.

Love,
Elizabeth

Favorite Nook

Hello, Friends!

Today, I thought I'd show you one of my favorite places in my house. It is a little corner of my livingroom that is great to curl up in with a book, if the kitties don't curl up in it first and steal the whole thing for themselves.

I'm not happy with the picture, because the flash from my camera washes out the color. Ugh. Oh, well.

I feel like the seat needs a nice accent pillow (something with flowers in it?). And the table needs another accent cloth on it.

This tea set was left to me by my mother, who passed away in 2007.

I will show this to you again when I've done more to it. Any suggestions?

Don't you just love green? It is the color of living things.

Have a great day!

Elizbeth