The rain is tap-tapping very lightly (and oh, so sweetly) on my roof. We have had very hot temperatures here and little rain to speak of.
My outdoor spaces are covered in Crepe Myrtle blossoms, sodden and messy. But I will not not mind cleaning it up, as the rain is so needed and the sound on my roof always provides music to my ears.
I will say that I feel somewhat “vindicated.” An odd word to use, I suppose. By Cath Kidston’s “In Print” book. Andrea sent it to me just a week or so ago.
Why, you ask, this feeling of vindication? Well, I have the predilection of adding quilts to the surfaces of most anything. The back of a couch or chair, for instance. Or a table.
And I rarely see decorating books currently doing this. Or even blogs. (Please, if you use quilts in this way, send me the link!)
Once while visiting my oldest daughter in another state, we were discussing the predicament of her rather “brown” living room. She has a lovely home, but, unlike her mother, seems a bit afraid of color.
I suggested she throw some of the quilts I’d sewn for her over the couch or hang one on the wall, as I’m prone to do. She gave me this slightly baffled look. “Mother,” she said. “I can’t hang a quilt on the wall.” But why, I of course asked her. “I just can’t,” she said, and that was the end of that.
Of course that was before patchwork quilts became popular at Pottery Barn. She may be changing her tune.
The moment I felt “vindicated”, for wont of a better word, was when I read the chapter on Patchwork in Cath Kidston’s book.
“Patchwork quilts,” she writes, “I find irresistible. For years they have been a minimalist’s nightmare, being evocative of cute country cottages.”
She goes on to say that she finds them ideal for throwing over the backs of chairs or sofas to brighten up a bland room.”
YES!
You can ask my pets why soft patchwork is so important in our home’s decorating scheme. But they’re likely snoozing away on one of the quilts, and don’t want to be bothered by such inanities.
And speaking of color, look what just came in the mail. Kathy from Sweet Up-North Mornings sent me this gift, because she knows how much I love the color red. Thanks, Kathy!
So now for this weeks Welcome Wagon Friday selections.
A Breath Of Fresh Air is Mary’s blog. She wrote Across The Pond for three years. She is a transplanted Brit whose 47 years of journeying back and forth across the wide Atlantic Ocean has kept her busy, and made her life interesting. Mary recently returned from a trip to Africa, and has delightful photos of this beautiful place. And, I might add, all of which are truly phenomenal.
Fern Valley Farm is Elissa’s blog. She lives on a beautiful island in Maine. (Be still my envious heart!) She strives to create a home for her family that is not only beautiful, but a comfortable and relaxing retreat. She loves creating, decorating, gardening and learning. All on a budget. (Oh my, we love the sound of that!)
Cabin And Cottage is Jacqueline’s blog. She also has a shop in New Mexico by the same name. She has a penchant for showing scenes from movies in her sidebar, which I find brings back memories of some of my very favorites. One of which is “Places In The Heart” with Sally Field. I will never tire of that one from the 1980s.
In her first post back on April 4, 2010, Jacqueline writes: “Of all places to celebrate things quintessentially cottage, our town is one of the least likely. We have neither the classic architecture, nor the picture book garden.”
She goes on to say: “But cottage revolves in every direction: from rustic to romantic, classic to modern, country to city, all American to European (we love French), east coast to west, and everything in-between.”
I couldn’t agree more, Jacqueline!
Please stop by and visit these blogs to welcome them. Tell them that no matter where they might live, we want to embrace them into the fold and take a peek inside their homes.
Perhaps a pitcher of iced tea or a bottle of wine will sweeten the visit. (And maybe you shall go back home to your own blog just the slightest bit tipsy!)
