Decorating my Home

     I have always had a love of "feathering" my nest. I like pretty things, and old things, and quality things. I don't care for the modern bare essentials style of decorating. I think its cold and impersonal, it would be like living in a Dr's office, not a warm and friendly atmosphere, at least to me. If I had to describe my style when it comes to home decorating I think I would have to say its "fairytale cottage". I love the way rooms look in vintage children's stories, not immature, but very, very cozy,,,,,, thats what I am aiming for! An old fashioned "Grandmothers Cottage" style, with big comfy chairs, warm handmade blankets, lace curtains, framed paintings of the sea and beautifully dressed people. That's what I am aiming for!
     As a child I often wished I could clime through the "window" on the page of the book I was reading and visit the homes and people within. I wondered how great it would be, to have shuttered window and white geese in the picket fence surrounded rose garden! To live in the little wood carved house of the seven dwarfs, or the cozy red walled cottage of Mr Tumnus the faun. I know it probably sounds childish, and I don't care a fig. I am, and always have been, about living in a "cozy" place. Home should be a haven, a shelter, refuge, and a sanctuary. In this world, where bad things are happening at a heart stopping place, we all need a place to retreat to, our own little islands in the storm. This is what I am trying to make for myself and my husband.
     Since we rent, there is nothing I can do about the monotonous white of the walls, someday I will be able to paint and paper the walls of our own home, but for now I make do with these. I am very thankful to have them, no matter the color, for there are many, MANY people right now who have nowhere to go. Always be thankful for what you have!
      OK, so onto the goodies! I find a great deal of things in thrift stores, flea markets, and antique shops.A lot of the things I have, have been given to me by people who know what I like. Cheep is good, but FREE is always best!

This is my newest find (from Goodwill for $1.99) on the back its printed that she is called "Pinky"

She now lives in my bedroom, over a table that holds my jewelry box (from a lawn sale) that displays my small collection of pretty pins

These are also in our bedroom, hung over the desk. We call the one on the right (from Goodwill, $2.99)"Little Boy Blue" and the one on the left in called "Asleep" (given to me by my father) by Harrison Fisher, which is signed by the artist.



This display is currently in our bedroom, over our (free) dresser, though someday it will be in the nursery. It's a Florence Kroger print (given by my sister), I love the sweet face of this kitten:)



 This is the bedroom mantle, the frames are $tree, the rose print is a gift from a cousin, the wooden roses I have been collecting, were $.99 ea, and the curio cabinet was a Christmas gift from my sister. I am trying to get a theme going in the bedroom of "roses and lace" with a color scheme of red, pink, and white. Its not done yet, so there will be another post to come!

These pretty ladies hang in the hall and were found at an antique store for around $5 ea

This trio of porcelain plaques are from the $tree and are printed with beautifly dressed people, they hang in the bathroom.

The living room mantle, the wall picture was a gift from my father, along with the candle holder. The flowers and vase are from the $tree, the depression glass goblet was $.50 at a flea market, and the frames on the mantle are $tree as well. (The little one is Poot as a child and the other is his great grandfather as a baby on his great,great grand parents lap) The antique books are from lawn sales and thrift stores, I am always on the lookout for these.

These are new treasures, we got them last week at an antique store on the way to my moms. They were $10 ea (which is more than we usually spend, but we both LOVED them, and this store, the prices were higher than any other we have yet been to, so these were moderately priced for them.)

This is a new acquisition too. We needed a new bookshelf, and found this at Target, we got $20 off, as they had mislabeled the price! The pictures are from the $tree, and all have scripture about home, love, and friends. Silk flowers were $tree and vase was given by my father. The lamp war a $5 find at the Christmas Tree Shop (I love that store!)

     So there is some of my "treasures'. I am always on the look out, though I am trying to get more discerning now. I want to find things that "fit" with the theme of my home. I still need to find window treatments for the bedroom, I am thinking red drapes with lace shears underneath, as I really want to splash some color around! The quilt I am working on for the bed is made with (free) red, pink and white fabrics. I am thinking "valentines" theme, because who doesnt need more romance in their marriage??  :)
     So I will leave it at that for the moment, and hope you have enjoyed this little tour through my home. Have a blessed day, and let me know how you feather your nest's!
                     
                                                                ~Mrs Evans~