It has been such a long time since I have posted on my blog. My 42 year old son has been quite ill. It began a year ago June 13, 2012 when he experienced an accidental gun shot wound to his leg shattering his tibia. It has been such a roller coaster ride during this lengthy recovery. About the second week in May of this year it was decided that he would undergo another surgery, this time to place a titanium rod in his leg. Everything was going well, his leg was feeling stronger when he began to run a low grade fever. Suddenly it went up higher, 102.7* and he had to go back into the hospital. He had developed a severe infection. He was there for a little over a week and had three more surgeries. He is now home but will be on antibiotics for at least another year, for six weeks intravenously and then orally another year. The infection did enter the bone which is why the lengthy time on antibiotics. He seems to be doing well under the circumstances but as you can imagine it has been such an emotional roller coaster for the past year and up until most recently.
I need to try to lower my stress and blogging is very helpful in that regard, a creative outlet so to speak. I think I need to get back to doing the things I love. So I am going to once again get back to the blogging that I enjoy dearly. It is as most of you know a therapeutic outlet.
Susan at
Between Naps on the Porch has this wonderful blogging party called Metamorphosis Monday. So today I am sharing a change I have made recently in our master bedroom. I don't have any before pictures but will share what I have changed recently.
At a time when most people are taking down draperies especially to have more light in their home I decided to put some up. I had bought these red and khaki silk drapes many months ago but since I had wooden blinds on each window I still wasn't sure if I wanted to put them up. I am now glad I did because I think it added a little elegance to our master bedroom and pulling them back and having them held stationary with wooden holders doesn't really take away any of my natural lighting.
The bed is a queen solid mahogany four poster by Henredon. We found this bed years ago in a sale room in one of the furniture outlets in Hickory, NC. There wasn't a scratch on it and both my husband and myself just loved it. The fan we put up when we built the house 33 years ago.
Two other changes I made besides adding the drapes was to buy a new comforter. At the time I bought it I had brought home a pillow with the same print on it to make sure it would go with the silk plaid bed skirt I had had made some time ago. Wellllllllll, often you don't get a really good visual when trying determine if something will work well with a smaller piece of the fabric. The colors worked well but after bringing home the comforter it just didn't seem to go all that well. The very traditional silk plaid did not work well with this new comforter. What to do????? I decided to take the silk bed skirt off so you could then see the beautiful mahogany wood across the bottom of the bed and I then felt like I had eliminated a dust collector, what a revelation. I've never been without a bed skirt so it was an adjustment but I am really liking the way it looks now.
On the far wall is my dresser, one that we bought at an antique show many years ago. It is a most unusually tall English Mahogany straight front chest and was made some time between 1820 - 1830. All the brass hardware is original to the piece.
In the corner of the room is a very old mahogany étagère that houses our TV and also many of my quilts, one of which that was made by my paternal grandmother and another that was made by my maternal grandmother. I wish I had more info about this furniture piece but I don't. Sometimes I wish that some of my antique furniture could talk and tell me the stories behind each piece. Such as where it has been, who took care of it, etc.
On the opposite wall of our bed is my husband's dresser. It too is a mahogany piece made by Ralph Lauren as is the mirror. I love the claw feet and the drawers are burled. Not an antique but it works well with the other furniture and I have never been one to buy a
"bedroom suite", that to me is so boring. I love the hunt of finding furniture that I like whether they be new or antiques and mixing things up, that is what is comfortable to me. The small lamp on his dresser is made by Waterford. My husband and I have been collecting Waterford lamps for years so that little lamp is a part of a much larger collection.
This little love seat couch is very dear to me, it once belonged to my grandmother. I spent many a time sitting on that couch in her home. We also had it in my Dad's room while he lived with us for a couple of years before his passing and it's small size was perfect in his room when he had guests. His ill health caused him to be confined to his room so all of his visitors went to his room to visit. I have since recovered it in a silk mini plaid that picks up all the other colors in the room. I am one of those that mixes a lot of prints as well.
My bed is fairly high and the little stepstool once belonged to my mother so it too has some sentimental value. I covered it in a flame stitch with bees embroidered on it.
This is on top of my dresser and the oil painting above is one that my mother had painted. I can remember being with her when she took the photograph to paint from. We were in Monticello at the time, FL that is. Back to my new drapes, I hung them as high as I could so I could continue to enjoy the natural light.
All of the drapery hardware is solid mahogany and the finials, what else but a pinecone. They are true to this area and I loved these finials. I have used the same finials all over the upstairs of my house.
I am enjoying the changes in our master bedroom most especially the drapes that I had the hardest time deciding whether or not to put up. I'm glad I did finally put them up.
