It's the Simple Things

Years ago I purchased the book, Guide to Personalizing Your Home By Chris Madden. It has some great ideas and suggestions in it. As I have gotten older, I feel as though I have a new perspective for decorating. For me, it is the simple things that matter most. I have a house full of beautiful things, but many have no sentimental value. I plan to consign most of it and also have a garage sale. To me, it is all about preserving history and keeping things that are sentimental or have a great story or memory attached to it.
A recent trip to my cousin Becky's lake home is what I strive for. Her house is so immaculate and beautiful, yet cozy and comfortable. Everything in her home has a wonderful story to it. So my new way to decide to keep or toss, does "it" have relevance to me or history? If not, it's gone....







Here are a few of my favorite things:
A book, Emily Post's blue book of Etiquette. I purchased this at a estate sale of my parents elderly neighbor. She was special. And so is this book to me, because it belonged to her. She was a very proper and well traveled woman. So kind.
I think our culture as a whole does not practise etiquette as they should. Myself included (I have been guilty of allowing an RSVP to lapse after the requested date. That is ride and I felt horrible for it), but some people are just plain RUDE. I think fewer and fewer parents teach this to their children (not by the book, but in general)......................









My wall of art, special pieces included. I had two uncles who were both talented artist, one professional. I have some pieces of their artwork on my wall. Also, my brother in law is an artist. For my birthday one year he gave me a painting of Duke Ellington, that I treasure. It has great colors. Also on this wall, artwork that my children have made, a family tree drawn by my then 6 year old, Smooth, a water coloring painting of a sunflower by Sledge, a framed letter to me from my mentor, author Katherine Tucker Windham, old family photographs, A picture of me and my mother with the governor taken at his Christmas Open House (she was my date!), and cherished portraits of my family.
Glass Vases, purchased at yard sales with my friend Courtney. They contain shells, sorted my color, picked up on walks on the beach with my husband and children. The idea, one day when we have our beach home, guest will leave their names and date of visit written on the shell. I love the colors of nature. We also have old apothecary jars in my bathroom full of color sorted shells, shark's teeth and sand dollars, many of them found out in the ocean off of LongBoat Key in Sarasota. Bama and I used to go after school and swim way out and snorkel for dollars. We would find so many of them. Down the road in Venice Beach prehistoric shark's teeth would wash ashore. It was a fun family activity for Big Daddy, Bama and I to bring a collander and go down to the beach to sift for shark's teeth. We found literally hundreds. It is a great place to take a vacation. It is the shark's teeth capital of the world.



Silver Framed photographs, grouped together on my grandmothers old sewing machine housing. Pictures include Big Daddy's grandmother, My paternal grandparents at the beach in the late 40's and Big Daddy and his twin brother on Big Daddy and My wedding day. Also an old garden bust, with a "pearl" dog collar dressing it. The bust is sitting on an old box that belonged to a friend (who has since passed away). I also have a thing for boxes. I will post those one day.