Are you bold with colors?

The other day I was in Staples and kind of got lost looking at the folders, binders, notebooks and other school supplies.  It happens every year and every year I walk away from them because I no longer have a need to purchase them.  I suppose I should just buy what I want and give them away, but ... sigh.

I started thinking about book covers and all of the creative art that we did on those simple pieces of paper, the crazy things we marked onto our folders and binders ... all to identify ourselves and our passions as we skipped, hopped, trudged, waded ... whatever it was we had to do to get through another year of school.

Now, when I was in school, the folders were a bit more psychedelic.  This was as close as I could get.  There are some fun things in the office supply stores.

I grew up with a mother who encouraged me to love color.  We lived in parsonages, so didn't have any options for painting the walls.  We always seemed to move into rooms with freshly painted, eggshell colored walls.  So, she told us to let loose with color.  We did!

That was my room.  Bright orange, dark blue on the inside of the shelves, and yellow as an accent.  Those were the colors I choose.  We painted all the furniture that way.  To top it off, I had that wonderful blue and red checked quilt on my bed.  I got that on a reservation in North Dakota during a youth group mission trip.  I saw it the first day and wanted it.  Mom wouldn't let me buy it, but I couldn't keep my eyes off it all week, so I finally wore her down.  I loved that thing.  When the batting finally gave out and the back of the quilt was worn to shreds, I put a blanket in it, a new back and tied the quilt so that it would hold together a few more years. 

This is Carol's room - wild green, hot pink and yellow accents. 

We loved those colors. 

Neither of us continues to decorate with all that craziness.  Carol has managed to become a great decorator in her home, using the family antiques and gorgeous deep colors.  I tend more towards the country/eclectic look.  If its usable, I'll use it.

Here at the cabin, I find that I'm incredibly comfortable with tons of colorful rugs, a mixture of textures and colors.  You would not call what we have going on up here - decorating.  Mom had decorated years and years ago and since she died, there has been reconstruction, deconstruction and many changes ... done by several different people at different times.  But, it makes me comfortable ... all of it!

Mom gave me a love for chaos in color.  I love the wildness of having my world be a bit off-kilter.