Friday, December 3, 2010

Lace Curtains

When we were in Ireland, we stayed at B&Bs every night. Some were really nice and others were just tiny rooms with a bed. But the one thing they had in common........lace curtains. Not polyester lace, but thick heavy cotton lace, the kind your grandmother might have had. I love that look of lace hanging over windows, airy yet private. The window here in our office, and our guest room have those thick heavy lace panels.

Every night as I sit in front of the computer I look at the beauty of this woven lace. It transports me back to Ireland. In the mornings as I sit and check my e-mail, I see the sun rise through that lace. Our house is not frilly, neither is it chrome and leather, my friend who is a decorator calls it French country. I call it old hippie. Lots of books, plants, and guitars, and I hope a warm welcome, just a small cottage that loves company. When one of my friends from Dallas visited awhile back, he looked around and said it was just as he imagined it would be.

These lace curtains might seem rather quaint or old fashioned, but to me they are a beautiful reminder of Ireland.......of the good times, the music, our friends there. You know what is interesting, I had them long before we ever went to Ireland. The trip to Ireland just affirmed
my love for them.

The desk that my pc sits on, my younger brother Ricky bought for me when I was in high school.
There was an antique store near our house and I went by there every day and looked at this desk. It is quite simple, but that is what I loved most about it. The grain of the wood, the simple lines, it is perfect sitting in front of the window with the lace curtain.

I think I fell in love with a certain type of lace when I was a child. My grandmother Mamie,
tatted( made lace) out of heavy cotton thread. I actually have her tatting shuttle and the last piece of lace she made. It looks like my lace curtains, not frilly and prissy, but everlasting, substantial.

In the eighties, a friend made me a dress out of her mom's old lace table cloth. It looks much like my window lace. It doesn't look bridal, but rather tough and sexy, the kind you'd wear with leather jeans(which I have done in the past) Maybe that is part of the allure, this lace that is heavy and thick. It's lace so there is a fragile quality, but because of the thickness, there is a toughness too.

So there you have my love affair with lace, and if you ever come to visit please say something nice about my lace curtains.
Good night, Sweet dreams.

1 comment:

  1. It is nice to be surrounded by things that are meaningful. My mom bought a large round skirt at a second-hand store. It was covered in scenes from (Jamaica?) all hand embroidered. She cut the scenes out and hung them as pictures. I now have them hanging in my living room. The back of the embroidery is as neat as the front.
    Anyway, my mom is thrilled they are now in my home. She has no room in her apartment for them, but she was happy to hand them down to me. I also have my brother's desk that he used all through his school years. I treasure it.

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