Our Summer Bedroom In Black And White

I drove up to a garage sale and a woman was holding a bundle of fabric in her arms. 

"Put it down, put it down." went through my mind. She and I must have had a mind meld because she set it down. I grabbed it faster than you can say French Country. It was yards and yards of black and white checked fabric for only $3.00. 

We had that fabric hanging in a swoop across the window of our rouge red dining room. 

I've been in love with black and white since then. I don't have it everywhere but I almost always have it somewhere in the house. 

I've been on a ticking spree this year. 

 It started with a slipcover for a chair in the living room. 

I've made a table runner, a ruffled pillow and some placemats. 

Bill found a company selling 100% U.S. grown and manufactured linens. 

He was so impressed with their mission statement that he got a set for the napping bed in the office and a set of ticking stripe sheets for our bed. He gave them to me for my birthday. 

 

I loved how they were packaged. 

They are more of a black and off white stripe rather than a navy and cream stripe. 

It prompted a revamp of our bed for the summer. 

It took me a few days to figure out how to style the bed with these new sheets. 

The white coverlet was too white to go with the cream. Our new green quilt was too springy looking. 

We have a black comforter that I use at Christmas but it's way too hot for a summer bed. 

I decided to go with a gray quilt that we have had for a few years.

I went to the pillow cupboard and pulled out a toile cover. Some black ticking pillows from Pottery Barn were already in use in the guest room but #priorities.

These sheets are so soft and cozy. They are a good weight but not too hot for Texas. 

I love them. 

I retrieved some black and white transferware from the dish closet. 

They are sprinkled about on the new mantel. 

I love black transferware and I love this mantelscape. 

I found our chandelier on the curb several years ago. 

I brought more black and white over to my dresser. 

 I'll leave you with an actual portrait of Bill and I before lockdown. 

Look at how he stares at me. 

Now? 

Not so much. 

That is all for now. 

Happy Friday. 

Katie 

The Christmas Guest Room

The guest room is decorated for Christmas.

 This room is always fun to decorate for the different seasons and holidays. 

The white coverlet is a great weight and it doesn't show wrinkles. 

It's a neutral so layering on other color and pattern is easy. 

 

 I adore the richness of a black needlepoint pillow at Christmas. 

 

The cupboard got a reindeer from the Crate and Barrel in NYC and a sprig of iced greenery.

Can I tell you how much I love this bed?

Read about its transformation from a crib rail to a headboard. 

 

 Don't forget to dress your beds for the season. 

Have a wonderful day!

Katie  
Linking with,
Inspire Me Monday 
Coastal Charm 
Savvy Southern Style  
Come As You Are 

Linen Storage in the Giant Armoire

If you follow along with me on this journey called blogging, you know that I change the look of our bedding quite frequently. 

It is a way to show different looks for our bedrooms.

You might wonder where on earth we store all this bedding.

 I cleaned out the gigantic armoire in Jonnie's room.

I'm convinced this piece leads to Narnia. 

I pulled everything out and sorted by color. 

There are the winter whites.

The black bedding ensembles.

The various plaid throws used during the holidays. 

The summer reds are currently on the beds. 

I told you that I'd do some staging in Rebekah's room to show off the new headboard and the freshly painted little jelly cabinet.

I'm thinking about changing the bedding again.

How about orange?

It would be fun to bring in some fall and Halloween elements.

I plan to stop in at Walmart to see if they have some bargain orange fabric.

You'll hear all about it. 

Katie  
Linking with,
A Stroll Thru Life  

Summer Bedding

I love summer!

Every summer I get a desire to escape to a cottage on the lake.

My grandparents lived in Milwaukee but had a cottage on lake Sinissippi. 
It is about 30 miles from Milwaukee. 

My parents would drive us out to Wisconsin, stopping to camp and sight see along the way.

This photo of my brothers and I was taken on one such trip. That year we stopped at Mackinac Island. It must have been so cold that day.
(Hard for me to imagine now, living in Texas with summer temps. in the 100's.) 
We spent two weeks with my grandparents every summer until I was about 12.

I have such fond memories of those times and that place.

I can still visualize my grandmother and I sitting at the lake's edge in Adirondack chairs. 
I remember all the jars filled with her cherries, peaches and her yummy bread and butter pickles in the basement. 
Right next to that shelf was a case or two of all different flavors of Shasta soda my Grandpa would buy for the six of us.
I remember the day I caught a fish at the edge of the dock. My dad and brothers made me bait my own hook. 
We had a blue plastic boat we could paddle ourselves. I feel like that kid again when I paddle out in my husband's kayak.

Memories are such a strong motivator in decorating.
The sights and smells from our recessed memory can subtly influence why we are drawn to something.

This is true about a bedspread I bought for my daughter.



I found this Martha Stewart Chenille spread years ago at K-Mart.

Rebekah never really cared for it, so it's found a new home at the foot of my bed.

I am wild about the texture. 

I'm completely smitten with how it drapes against our Ralph Lauren dust ruffle.

A perfect marriage of Martha and Ralph if you ask me.



I started my summer bed with a coverlet that we picked up at Tuesday Morning a few years ago. 
It really is the perfect weight for hot temperatures.

My summer bed was influenced by Sarah Richardson and her lake cottage redo.

She isn't known for doing red, but her husband wanted it. 
I love how she uses antiques but in an updated way.

Bill is so patient with me and my love, love for billions of pillows.
I came home from my trip last week and the pillows put back on the bed. :) (Though, I'm sure they stayed in the chair all week.)

I have told you before how I tried brocades and damask in here. but that look just isn't me. 

I am a mix and match, white pillowcase and floral kind of girl.
The dust ruffle and pillows are Belle Harbor by Ralph Lauren.
I found the dust ruffle on clearance last spring at Macy's.

I couldn't find any of the other matching pieces anywhere. I finally found a seller on E-bay that makes pillows out of sheets that she buys. See her store. 
To be honest I can't remember how much I spent on the pillows, but now they are 2 for $25.00; no shipping. :)
I couldn't have made them for that. 

I mimicked Ralph with a quilt of my grandmother's that I repaired years and years ago. (It needs it again.)

I sat working on this quilt 30+ years ago when I got a call from my best friend and future husband on Valentine's Day. I knew then we were destined to be more than friends. 
I have tried to find out what this quilt pattern is called. 

I went with red gingham instead of the blue that Ralph had.

I used a darling tatted edge pillowcase set. 
I found these at an estate sale. They were old and the fabric was shredding. I removed the tatted boarders and sewed them on to new cases.

 I recycled my spring shams because they are a perfect fit. 

I love Ralph Lauren and how you can easily mix and match his collections. 
The yo-yo quilt pillow topper came from the craft mall.
I was going to frame it, but pinned it to this small pillow instead.

 One tip for a seasonal bed?
Always go neutral with the drapes.
I am in love with vibrancy of this red.
Katie
Linking with, 
Sunday's Best Par Tay @ 1929 Charmer Blog 
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style 
Sat Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage