The wee ones are always contributing to Gramma's decor... with their special touch...
Cracked, rough and the broken welcome... be it stuff or peeps... *winks*
Go ahead and Bloom where you're planted!
There will always be a Welcome, acceptance, a Smile, Fellowship, conversation and good food waiting...
My Blog Friend Richard mentioned something interesting that got me to thinking... he had asked what would I do with some of the things I'd recently Posted about since they looked "a little rough"? Good and fair question to answer... and truly it is and for some reason I'm strongly drawn to the Style of dilapidated distressed time worn elegance and have chosen to feather our Nest with it for many years now. So I began to delve into how that came to perhaps be... meditate upon that reality and determined that my Style has in fact evolved and adapted to fit our Lifestyle. You see, we've been Parenting now for over 30 years... and we will be Parenting for perhaps another 15 or so... God be willing. We have always had the special challenge of Parenting Children with special needs... and so adaptations have been made to accommodate that reality in our Home and Lifestyle. Happy accidents occur regularly, unintentional distressing if you will *smiles*... and I had to have a Peace about that so that I would not be freaking out on a regular basis. *LOL* We've also been a virtual Animal Rescue Home for as long as I can recall... taking in feral, stray and discarded Fur Babies that didn't always come with the best House Training or manners when they arrived and 'adopted us'. *winks* Some had special needs too due to accidents, neglect or abuse... and so it was a process for them to become 'pet quality' Fur Babies, sometimes years in fact... and their habits were sometimes not condusive to an expectation of 'acceptable' behaviors around our stuff. *winks* They learned, as have the children, to do better... but a laid back approach and attitude was definitely in order around this ole house and so my decorating Style evolved because the stuff meant far less than the living, breathing Souls that make this our Home. The Man and other Menfolk of our Household are not great lovers of Antiques, Collectibles and the like, so their attachment to it isn't parallel to mine... they'd be more practical, more minamalistic, not really caring about the "pretty" so much. *winks* But they indulge my passion for it all and support my decorating decisions, so I've attempted to make our abode Homey in spite of having nice things that I happen to adore... and again, not get too attached to the stuff that if something unforseen happens to it... as Menfolk, Children and Fur Babies co-exist with my Lovelies... I can roll with it without drama and meltdowns. *LOL* If something gets broken it doesn't mean it is the end of the world and will necessarily be discarded... I'll often still find a use for it... or even purchase something "rough" because then, whatever happens, it only enhances the "look" of dilapidated elegance and distressing it already had, so no worries! *smiles* There have of coarse been a few tears over the years... mine and theirs *winks*... but at the end of the day I think it all works for us... as Style fits with Lifestyle and necessity has become the Mother of invention in how my preferred Style has evolved, adapted and improvised. Our youngest Daughter once told a Friend that No we weren't poor, we actually like our stuff this way and seek it out in fact! *winks* Some might not understand our aesthetic and it wouldn't be their Style and that's okay, Style is deeply personal in whatever form it takes and if you Love it, then it will work. We've always got a bevy of activity and many exhuberant Fur Babies and Children, ours and those from the Hood, playing merrily around the House and Yard... I Love the Joy, positive energy and especially the laughter... if I had nothing else but that it would be enough and I'd feel rich beyond measure. And being an old Bohemian Hippie I'm perfectly content to mix up Beauty with Function and embrace and celebrate imperfections in stuff and peeps, no matter how "rough" either are. *Smiles* Suze Orman's wonderful advice of People first, then money, then things has been how I prefer to prioritize my life and live it happily.
And now I wonder, does your Style fit your Lifestyle? Has it been a process, an evolution? Is it sometimes in conflict or a delicate balance as you struggle to maintain that Dream Image of the beautifully decorated Home versus the Reality of how Life unfolds in your Home? Have you changed Styles because something was attractive but just didn't work in your case? Or has form and function just worked out effortlessly because what you just happen to like and be naturally drawn to fits your Lifestyle like a glove? It is an interesting concept to consider and contemplate actually... and I thank you Richard for the question, it was a good one... because it really made me stop and think about how my Style has transformed our Home... or vice versa... *winks*... Dawn... The Bohemian
And now I wonder, does your Style fit your Lifestyle? Has it been a process, an evolution? Is it sometimes in conflict or a delicate balance as you struggle to maintain that Dream Image of the beautifully decorated Home versus the Reality of how Life unfolds in your Home? Have you changed Styles because something was attractive but just didn't work in your case? Or has form and function just worked out effortlessly because what you just happen to like and be naturally drawn to fits your Lifestyle like a glove? It is an interesting concept to consider and contemplate actually... and I thank you Richard for the question, it was a good one... because it really made me stop and think about how my Style has transformed our Home... or vice versa... *winks*... Dawn... The Bohemian
*Photos taken at MELROSE VINTAGE... ZINNIA'S AT MELROSE... and our Home. If you've never visited Dear Richard's Blog MY OLD HISTORIC HOUSE you should, Richard is a wealth of knowledge and you will learn so much about exquisite antiques and collectibles during your visits, I know I have. The eye candy he will share is magnificent and he offers many beautiful items for Sale in his Shop. And you will meet his most Beloved Treasure as well, his adorable Fur Baby, Sissy... who I know is priceless... because those Dear Souls we've come to Love, whether animal or human, are the true Jewels in our Crowns!*