One of the best hunting grounds I know and love is Round Top Antiques Week. Twice a year I trek there with one of my dearest friends, my college roommate. We spend the day unrushed, catching up and sharing life. This time together feeds our friendship and our bellies. We eat at the same place, our favorite spot, every time. We both wake up thinking about what sandwich we will get that day.
The anticipation of what treasures we will find and what deep conversation we will get to have (uninterrupted by one of our 7 combined children) is almost too much for me to bear – I simply adore this day.
Antiques Week is nothing short of a junker’s paradise. There is no way for me to go through this day and place, and not come home inspired. People are so creative and just have the coolest stuff. This day proved no different. We got off to a great start. One of the first tents we ventured into had dried cotton plants hanging from the rafters. I mean the whole plant, roots and all. I have never seen this and was instantly obsessed. I NEEDED cotton!!!
This might not be a new decorating concept to you, but it was to me. I never even knew it existed as décor, but once I saw it I was smitten. There is no small coincidence that we drove past fields of cotton on our way to Round Top that morning, and even commented on how we had never noticed all the cotton fields before as we passed them. Are they new to our area?? Who knows! I can’t give a lot of details, but on our way home I got some cotton. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it, how I was going to use it, all I know is I couldn’t wait to get home with it.
Goal number one for our trip was to find items to spruce up the entry way in my living room…my current decorating nemesis. The cotton found it’s home among a few things I had and a few things I got on this outing. This is how it all came together in my home…
When decorating a space it is important to use a variety of heights, textures and mediums to bring interest to the spot. All pictures, with no dimension is not as exciting as mixing it up a bit. I am pleased with this little part of my world now. Not only does the cotton add a unique focal point, it reminds me of a sweet day with my friend. There is no other item in my mind that would work in this space AND bring me as much joy. I KNEW I needed that cotton!
Sometimes you don’t even know you want or need something until you see it – then you have to have it. We have the opportunity to be like cotton to others. That when people see our joy, they desire to know it’s source. In turn when they see us suffer they want to know where our strength comes from. When we live our lives to please God his joy and grace will shine to others. Our lives will begin to look different, less worldly. The way we handle stressful situations, extend grace when others don’t or praise Him in difficult circumstances will draw others to Him through us. Just like that cotton we can only hope that by the way we display His love, others will WANT it, NEED it, can’t live without it. Because, truth is – they can’t. Let’s go be cotton today.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders: make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5
I want to be someone’s cotton today!! 🙂
I love it Kim.
Kim, thank you for being my cotton (sending hug)
day made, thank YOU!