We don’t really get the four seasons where I live in Arizona, so every year at this time, I pull out my huge bin of “Fake Fall” decorations – the contents of which make me so happy. In it are plastic pumpkins, ceramic pumpkins, and paper mâché pumpkins. Then there’s leaf garlands, burlap, and sunflowers. This year, however, when I put them all up, something about my fall decor didn’t feel right. And it came down to one question. Is White the New Orange?
I wondered if I pulled out my craft paints and painted a few of these pumpkins white, would I feel less overwhelmed by the sudden orange-ness of my kitchen? Of course, I didn’t want to paint over the better quality pumpkins, just the cheaper ones.
It was a stroke of genius! Pun totally intended. It only took a matter of minutes, and the pumpkins I painted seemed understated and updated. You would think that would make me happy. But the problem was, I then started looking around the rest of my house. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about the pumpkins, anymore. It was about how dated everything looked. And what was up with all the scrolls?! I thought I had already removed every trace of my “Tuscan” phase.
I did away with my faux finished walls and painted them gray years ago. But I realized I haven’t done much to stay current since then. Even though I feel like I’m constantly working on “projects,” when the Covid pandemic first hit, I shifted my focus to two other things I love: gardening and cooking. That explains why you haven’t seen me post much lately on this Murals & Musings by Marcy blog. (You’ll have to check out my new cooking channel on YouTube called “Marcy Inspired.”) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnMf-fC5gLfFrJwkmNio7Ww
But I digress. We were talking about outdated decor.
I couldn’t believe how many iron scrolls I still had. There were scrolls over paintings, scrolls above my pantry door, even hand painted scrolls over a scroll mirror in the entryway! Yowza! I knew I needed to de-scroll my home pronto!
Thankfully, I still had plenty of gray touch up paint. If you look closely, you’ll see that I painted around my scroll when I repainted the walls gray. When I first painted the scrolls, the walls were tan. Anyway, the scrolls are gone now. And so is the mirror, the book table, and the lamp. Into the garage sale heap they went! One thing always seems to lead to another. That’s the danger of looking around the house. By that, I mean really looking.
It was a simple update, that didn’t cost much, and it made me feel so much better. I found the new entryway table and mirror at Tuesday Mornings. And I got the lamp at Ross. I know I can still afford to tone down other areas as well, but it’s a start, and I’m happy with it.
I’ll tell you what NOT to do if you want to be content with what you have. Don’t watch HGTV. It’s like a magnetic pull for me. I love it, but it always makes me think whatever I have isn’t quite good enough. And don’t click on those YouTube videos telling you the Top 10 Mistakes that Date Your House. I think I had all ten! Fake plants…check. Signs that state the obvious like, “Laundry,” …check. Scrolls…. well, you get the idea.
Don’t get me wrong. I love walking into a room and having my eyes gaze upon something beautiful. I love following trends in decor. I love decorating for every season. But, being content, that’s an issue of the heart. And I have to remind myself of that. I love my home and I have more than I need. So, for now, I’ll just live somewhere between modern, rustic, eclectic, and farmhouse. It may not be in style, but it works for me. Besides, I’m too distracted by all the pumpkins now. And I still don’t have an answer to my question. Is White the New Orange?
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