When I walk into RUST AND ROSES I am certain I will experience sensory overload... and I'm never ever disappointed! Chief Junkster Shelly Session and the Shop Gals find the most amazing pieces to bring to the Shop. A decorating blend of Architectural Salvage... funky Southwestern... and European elegance.
I've always been in an Organic and recycle mode. *The old Hippie in me as well as my upbringing.* Delighting in the incorporation of Natural elements along with the dilapidated Faded Elegance of European Vintage Charm. So the abundance of both items in any one location gets my pulse racing! New things have never appealed to me very much, I just enjoy the patina, uniqueness and history of pieces that only time can create. I gravitate towards the unusual and that which some might discard or feel is worn out or too damaged to be functional... but I also adore a certain opulence... and throwing it all together with Bohemian abandon. Natural elements such as Plants, Shells, Stones, dried and fresh Flowers, Sand, Feathers, Bird Nests, pieces of time worn Wood fragments... have always had a place in our Home alongside the Antiques and Vintage Treasures. I've always loved Fabrics and many of the Organic Fabrics have been long time favorites of mine and its wonderful to see them finally appreciated and made into stylish decor!!! We've made things out of Burlap, Flour and Rice Sacks, Feed Sacks and knubbly European Country Cottons back when they were considered inferior fabrics or discards and folks wondered why on Earth we'd want to keep or use such things!? I just always liked the way they looked and appreciated the textures, colors, graphics and sturdy construction... and I still do... and I'm happy to see them having their day and appreciated more in Home Decorating and Fashion, it really makes me smile. No longer do I feel I need to justify why I've used the Rice, Flour, Masa or Seeds and opted to keep the fabric containers they came in to repurpose into something for my Home or Art and get those odd looks from folks who clearly thought I'm a nutcase or strange for doing so?! *winks* I'm glad that "Going Green" has now become fashionable and encouraged so that we're not quite so wasteful as a Nation anymore! *Yay!!!!!!!*
I suppose growing up with frugal Parents who survived extremely difficult eras and had to make do taught me those lessons from as far back as I can remember so it was always just a way of life for us. I'm grateful for that lifestyle and method of thinking... my Dad never wasted anything and in his culture everything was used up and Nature and resources are revered, they lived off the land and were one with Nature. My Mom lived through times of War and rations in Europe, so she had a similar outlook. It's a lifestyle we've continued with our Children and Grandchildren and so to them its perfectly natural and normal too... because that's how we've always chosen to roll... *winks*... Dawn... The Bohemian