A HIPPY DECORATING SCHEME?

"A few curtains and some furniture here and there would make a great difference," Carrie observed silently as she eyed the yellowed pull shades on the windows. "Maybe a picture or two and some throw rugs," she thought. Excerpt from "The Fields of May"

I wanted to share a few of my latest decorating additions with you. I hurried to finish the blue candlewicking pillow that you see on my great grandmother's rocking chair. I got this kit at a thrift store for 99cents!

Kori generously allowed me to use the beautiful hatbox you see atop my armoire in my bedroom. She is storing furniture and household items in our basement since they are moving to Colorado. I gave her this lovely hat box for a wedding shower gift. I used it instead of a gift bag. Now I get to enjoy it again for awhile!

The long, strange-looking thing hanging above my spinning wheel is the newest addition to the "European Corner" upstairs. It is a knitted "ribbon." I got the inspiration from my favorite knitting shop, no longer in business except online. They had these displayed all over the shop. They left an assortment of needles and yarns for the customers to knit with. Each customer added interesting stitch patterns in their choice. When the ribbon was long enough they hung them in the shop. I thought this was a creative use of excess bits of yarn--after all I'm the queen of thread! Sadly, it barely made a dent in my stash. But I think it looks great on the wall. It picks up the colors in the rest of the area. Poor Rhiannon just about freaked at this item. She thinks it is downright weird. I used old colorful needles to stretch the stitches apart. I wish the picture were better so you could get a close up view of the various patterns.

The other picture is of an old desk that belonged to my grandma. I adorned it with this shawl I was crocheting for a local shawl ministry. I was using a combination of scraps they had stashed away. I never finished it and I think the ministry is no longer meeting. It was perfect to stretch over the knobs of the desk drawer to add a bit more pink to this area!

A couple of these items were a hurry finish last weekend since we had company coming. I always try to make a point of getting a little more house decor done before company comes. It's a goal I have. Rhi's friend from Bible college hadn't been to visit for years. Since then she has married and her husband was coming along to visit for the first time. She told me he asked what we were like and she described me as kind of like a "hippy." I thought that was really interesting. I probably might describe myself that way too. Though not a hippy in ideals or philosophy, I probably kind of have that look! As a youngster, I so well remember the old Victorian houses in the city where we shopped. Many had been rented out to college students in the 1960's and the style of the occupants was obvious! I'm sure as a little girl I was influenced by the clothes of the era. I still love peasant skirts and lacy, intricately patterned items. I guess we are all influenced by our culture more than we know. As Christians we need to be the influencers--make a difference in your sphere of influence today! I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my low-cost, unusual decor! Blessings, LORI