For the first time in my life, I purchased a sofa. Not just one, actually, but a leather sofa, a leather chair, and a chocolate brown velvet loveseat. Not used, but clean and new, with that "new furniture" smell! I have to wait a few weeks for them to arrive, but DD and I went pillow shopping -- just reconnaissance, or so I thought! My DD is turning into a style maven of her own (post to follow), and we brought these home for approval. I think I see some parallels between what pleases me in my wardrobe and what I'm drawn to here. Some observations:

1. The drapes are a set I made in my 20s - 1989 to be exact. I found $4 a yard fabric and lined them, like my Mama taught me. They have hung in west facing windows for more than twenty years, and, while they're far more "country" than I would choose now, I love the botanical nature of the flowers, their colors and their sheer determination to flourish for decades. There may be a day to choose something a little more modern, but for now, I keep them, enjoying the fact that, as a young woman, I didn't just buy off the rack, but worked for what suited me most on a budget.

2. This cheerful pillow echoes the print of the pillows. Maybe it's not quite sophisticated enough for a parlor, but it does lighten up the mood of the antique walnut altar chair we call "the throne."

3. The green sofa is going bye-bye (chocolate loveseat in it's place), but the pillows are new. An example of pattern mixing, and my love of texture and grounded, saturated, color.

4. DD with the pillow that doesn't quite go, but that she won't give up for anything. It feels even better than it looks, like brushing against rose petals, but it's a little boudoir. Might end up in my boudoir -- or hers (lol)!