Well, another winter's day has come and gone. Cheer up! Soon it will be spring! We finally had a tad bit of snow. Not much, but enough to give us a change of view. Yesterday, Jamie and I headed out to do our marketing, but we only got to the first big curve in the road before we had to turn back. The roads were as slick as bear grease! So we had to stay at home and make-do. Which wasn't such a hardship anyhow. Sometimes I think we just feel the urge to go out for the change of scenery. So instead I've been working on changing the view inside. Made these pillows up from some crewel pillow shams that I purchased for the princely sum of fifty cents at the thrift store a while back. I'm crazy for crewel, so when I find something with it, I buy it if the price isn't too dear.The fabric behind it is some linen curtains that I'm thinking about re-purposing into upholstery for a sweet little chair I have. Soon I'll be busy with reupholstering a small loveseat that we had to move from the landing to make room for the linen cupboard. One thing always leads to another. How can anyone be bored?
Another thing that I've been working on is putting all my clippings into scrapbooks. I love magazines, but do not have the room to keep them, so every month, I clean out all of the old, clip the articles and pictures and paste them into scrapbooks. Looking at them brings me a great deal of pleasure. Mine are divided by the seasons, another for decorating ideas, and another for creative endeavors with interesting color combinations, patterns, and ideas for interesting ways to pull outfits together. Living in small quarters always exercises that creativity muscle trying to find attractive yet practical ways to store things. You have to question everything you bring into the house. I even had to give away a fluffy robe that someone gave me because it took up too much space in the closet! But on the upside, you end up with only the things that your truly treasure. Reminds me of this William Morris quote,“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. Now just to figure out what is useful and beautiful!
Hi Jane! Both your pictures are beautiful with wintry colors that seem to match. I guess if you could've made it to the store, it would've been quite an adventure! Better that you are safe at home. Winter weather teaches patience in that regard. That is a good idea with your magazines. I have mine in a stack, planning on looking at them when I am old and can't do anything else :) or maybe they can be donated to a retirement home. Good luck with your reupholstering...that will be fun to see. love,andrea
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea! There are two big curves just outside of the village limits that are always icy because the farmer's fields always drift over them and then people drive on it before it gets scraped off cresting thick icy roads. Once you get past those, it's pretty easy sledding. If the county would only put up some snow fencing they'd save a bundle on salt, labor and the residents wouldn't need be hauled out. Oh well! I guess the guy with the tow truck has an uncle that must work for the county! Ha! Isn't amazing how quickly those magazines pile up? I don't remember buying so many. They have become so expensive!
DeleteI am so trying to clean and sort and purge my house of useless and no-longer-to-my-taste items. My worst achilles heel are those items that are actually useful, but not necessarily to ME. Or not NOW. Those I'm-sure-this-will-be-useful-someday items. I've decided that I must become more ruthless, though, because I am so tired of the clutter.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlene! Long-time-no-see! I know what you mean! But really, once I donate or toss stuff, I rarely miss or regret it. Afraid I'll always have some clutter. The spare modern look wouldn't work for me!
DeleteYou and I are in the same wavelength! It is so good to find someone that does the same things as I...makes me feel a bit better about my oddities :-)
ReplyDeleteYour crewel fabric is so pretty. I have some fabric that I will be sewing up this Spring to spruce up the cottage. Right now, I am still de-cluttering...it is a very slow process, but I don't mind.
m.
I prefer to think of us as ahead of our times, Maria! All the things we've been doing for years has become popular under the heading of downsizing, simplifying and living thriftily. It's as though these ideas are something new and just discovered!
DeleteWhat a pretty snow picture, and I love the design on your pillows! We have only had a dusting of snow that quickly melted, most of our friends who live up in the hills, not 10 minutes away, are covered in snow. I don't envy their downed trees and loss of power, but I would love to make a snowman. I love the idea of a notebook for magazine clippings, I do that with my recipes that I find, I should make a second notebook for all the other things I tear out of magazines. I have a relatively small area for magazines, so I have to keep them from piling up as well. I agree with the William Morris Quote, now I just need to refine my taste so I don't find so many things I believe to be beautiful, then I might finally realize my goals of a simple organized home. :)
ReplyDeleteHi April! One of the ways decorators determine their client's style is to have them tear out pictures of rooms they love from magazines without thinking about why they like them. When you are done, you get a pretty good idea of what your style is. My little decorating scrapbook helps, I can clearly see what colors, and mood I like. That way, when I'm attracted to that cute yellow pot or pretty pink lamp, I can appreciate its beauty, but know it won't fit in so I can leave it on the shelf.
DeleteLove love love the pillow! You are so smart and talented to be able to do the recovering. I have never tried it with more than a chair seat...
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I am want to know. What kind of scrapbooks do you use for your clippings? I am so overwhelmed with stuff and am trying to organize a little better. Why is it so hard? Would you believe that even in this barn I don't have room to store things? I have tiney closets, just as you describe... It is such a challenge!
Tell about your scrapbooks, please??
Have a marvelous weekend!
I suppose I could do a post about my scrapbooks, Matty. Isn't it funny our stuff expands to fit however much space we have? Makes you wonder where it comes from. Don't remember bringing it all in!
DeleteSo creative you are, Jane (in so many ways)! I'm always amazed and inspired when you mention reupholstering. Such a wonderful and money-saving talent that is. The best I can do is to throw a "throw" over the piece to create a new look.
ReplyDeleteI love your winter view. We have no snow on the ground and everything looks so brown and bare. Minnesota definitely needs snow for its winter beauty.
Many blessings, Jane.
Sandy
I don't let a little thing like not knowing how keep me from doing something, Sandy. Ha! We had a bit more snow today. What a crazy winter, when Minnesota doesn't have snow in January! I'm afraid we'll finally get our winter in spring!
Deletedear jane
ReplyDeletehow wonderful,you have snow in your country.we have rain!!!
the cushion looks fantastic.i think it's perfect for your chair.
the soup from the last post looks very delicious.thanks for sharing the recipe
love and hugs,
regina
Hi Regina! We are finally getting our winter. More snow today and more predicted for this weekend. Back to boots and mittens!
ReplyDeleteI really love the pillows you made. Beautiful! And it is so true, what you say about one thing leading to another! I'm never bored, either :)
ReplyDelete-Jaime
Oh you want have an opportunity to be bored for at least another ten years with that pretty little baby of yours, Jaime! Boredom comes once you have an empty nest if you don't remember you have to feed your creativity along with your children's creativity! Something we women tend to forget, because we are so wrapped up (and understandably so)in rearing our children
DeleteI love the term 're-purposing." I wil buy a pair of curtains or even 1 curtain panel at Goodwill just to have the linen-y material to make something else.
ReplyDeleteI got rid of a stack of Victoria and Country Living magazines prior to the move to this little house--I kept a very few favorites and now sometimes wish I had more of them. I've done a lot of 'editing' my belongings since the move, but there is still more to sort and part with. I find it a very slow process!
Another source of lineny fabric is those old jumpers that were popular in the 90s. You know those shapeless boxy ones? Lots of fabric in those! I bought one a few months back that was pure 100% flax linen for only two dollars. There was enough fabric for two pillows! It is a slow process,editing, but something to do when the winter's cold keeps you inside!
DeleteHi Jane! Just popping in to say "hi", I am still working my way through your posts..LOVE them all! I wish we could just talk on the phone (or in person if I lived closer), I could have talked with you about so much that you have shared.
ReplyDeleteIt is taking me longer to catch up because i read all the comments too. You have some nice friends here Jane! I need to visit their blogs too!
I really loved what you said to Sandy..'I don't let a little thing like not knowing how keep me from doing something'..with your permission I just might print and frame that! Blessings..Lori
Hi Lori! Yes, it is a nice bunch of women and you are welcome to join in. We've become a bit of a little group and you'll see the same women commenting on each others blogs. Some, such as Matty, Sandy, Charlene, and Rainey have been with me since my first blog (which was a much better blog, BTW). Some come and go. Some of the ladies have become as good as friends as if they met in person. (who knows, perhaps you will too)
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