Tuesdays With Tracy: Shortcuts and Simplicity
Hello friends! I am so happy to be joining you again on Kelly’s blog. First of all, thanks so much for all the great comments on my first visit to The Tattered Pew last month. I feel like I have made new friends and connected with long time friends too.
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Tuesdays With Tracy: Shortcuts and Simplicity
This month you will see how I like shortcuts and keeping things relatively simple. Here’s an early morning view from my window that includes one of my home decor simple shortcuts.
But before we get to that, did you see the one-day makeover Kelly posted of Grace’s bedroom? That was so much fun and involved a lot of happy dances by Kelly and me as the room came together. My two daughters and I, along with my sister and her daughter, inherited a desire to creatively nest in our homes from my mom. I remember my mom doing the happy dance when home projects were finished, and now we keep the tradition going.
Shortcuts and Simplicity
Ok, let’s get to the “Shortcuts and Simplicity”, specifically in my home decor. I realized as I was putting away my summer decor at the end of August that I had been following a pattern for the last couple of years. I tend to decorate with bowls and trays. Well there’s nothing new about that… but I wrap them up and store them on shelves in the basement.
Yup, I’m a shrink wrap, plastic wrap, home decor specialist. I actually inherited that from my mom too. She would plastic wrap all her seasonal crystal serve ware so she didn’t have to wash it.
So I put the wrapped summer items on the shelf, and pulled this out, unwrapped it, and put it in our entryway.
How simple was that?! That is a tray with a Rosy Rings candle, some pear candles, pine cones, and faux berries on it. The Rosy Rings candle has lasted several years. I just love the look of the pear candles so I haven’t burned them, which is silly because they are a popular item that is still available.
Shop My Tray
Simple Tray Ideas
I also pulled this tray off the shelf and it is sitting in front of our living room window. In this case I didn’t plastic wrap it because of the dried hydrangeas. I simply covered it with an old pillowcase. I found the tray on sale at Pottery Barn about five years ago and to my surprise, it is still available. It is just filled with a variety of faux pumpkins and dried hydrangeas from my yard. How simple is that?!
Fashion Shortcuts and Simplicity
OK, so let’s talk fashion “Shortcuts and Simplicity”
One item I always have in my closet is a white blouse. This is another thing I inherited from my mom. She was a bit like Katherine Hepburn and would wear men’s white button up shirts. My mom would buy hers at Sears because they had permanent press wash and dry shirts.
Something about me…I DO NOT IRON except in extreme emergencies! Ha! So the shirts below are what’s in my closet. They are from the No Iron Collection at Chico’s. This collection seems to have a good following so they usually have the white shirt as well as other colors rotated in. I watch for them to go on sale and then snap them up when I need a new one.
Shop shirt here! (Image source: Chicos)
I’ve gotten lots of compliments on the one below. I also have it in a blue stripe pattern. And if you sign up for the Chico’s emails you get 20% off. Both of these shirts come in petite.
Kelly’s girls were over for dinner this week and one of them mentioned “preppy”. We discussed what style elements they thought would be in that category and how the younger generation sees it. The girls classified me in the “coastal grandma” category in clothing which I consider to be a complement.
What is something you like to always have in your closet?
Shop shirt here! (Image source: Chicos)
Vintage Finds
My house is sprinkled with vintage and flea market finds. I will try to feature one each month. Below is an early morning capture of an old antique frame I picked up years ago at a flea market in a Denver park.
I love the chippy details as you can see in the closeup. I went to Home Depot and had a piece of thin wood cut to fit, and made it into a chalk board. I have a dear friend who is an artist and she kindly wrote the verse for me.
Shortcuts and Simplicity
I realize just how much I inherited from my mom. Oh, I have a few things from her home, but I’m talking about a timeless legacy of faith and family. There was a big hole in our family when she went home to heaven. But how fun is it that our family shares her faith and enjoyment of life. We happy dance, shrink wrap our home decor, and do things with shortcuts and simplicity… and lots of laughter.
I’ve enjoyed being with you this Tuesday, and as my mom used to say, God willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll see you in November!
Tracy, genius idea with the shrink wrap!! I’m definitely going to do this to keep organized.
Thanks Jennifer you will love it! One of my favorite shortcuts!
Yes, I enjoyed this. Keep it coming. 🙂
Thanks Stacey! See you next month!
So nice to “meet” you, Tracy! I also inherited much from my mom — I see it in my home and also in myself!
Hi Molly, nice to meet you too! Having a part of our mothers in us and around us can be such a blessing.
I too learned my loving family traditions from the women in my family very different from your moms but still good. I know she is smiling when you all do the “happy” dance. Would like to see a story on the painted shutters in your home. Especially how you achieved the special paint look
Pam are so blessed to have received loving family traditions. I do have plenty of painted shutters in my home that just may show up on this blog! 😊
Tracy-
How thrilling for me to see you in action and some beautiful photos of your treasures! Your view from your home is spectacular and is ever changing, and that must be so much fun!
I wrote the first time but must have done something wrong because it didn’t show! Your frame is gorgeous and that was very clever of you…
I love how you relate your family life with your wonderful mom, and Her faith and fun creativity was obviously amazing… and to have that with your daughters, is just precious beyond measure!
Until next time , love you!💙
Melinda it’s always nice to hear comments on our view. We have a lot in common including a little water view from our homes 😄.
And you are right about being able to share things with my daughters, they bless my socks off, and I know you experience the same with yours.
Thanks for your sweet comments!
❤️
God willing and the creek don’t rise was a favorite expression of my mom’s too! I say it also and sometimes get blanks looks in return. Your lovely framed verse looks wonderful in the fall lighting. Looking forward to seeing more of your home. The shrink wrapped tips are really good. Keeps dust off as well. Falls Into the category of “why didn’t I think of that?”
Pamela our moms had a great perspective! And I too occasionally get a blank stare when I say that. Thanks for your very kind comments.
Yes, loved hearing about your faith and family traditions, besides all the fun decorating ideas. Thank you!
Carol thanks for your sweet comments, they are such an encouragement!
You do such a great job, very practical & beautiful at the same time. Love your style! Thanks for sharing your faith too
❤️Trina
Trina thanks so much! You have always been such an encouragement to me in my faith journey.
❤️
When I look at cooking shows and they seem to think they have created this marvelous dish, I think of my mother, She thought nothing of making a jelly roll, all types of bread, homemade noodles, any kind of fudge, the best pies and cakes and never from a box , all from scratch. In our un-aircondtioned home, she would do canning of tomatoes, beans, and whatever could be canned. I thought all mothers did this until reality struck – most mothers bought everything from the store and never had a rolling pin.
She taught me how to really clean a home and some was on your hands and knees.
Whenever she would come to Virginia to visit, she would clean all the wood and baseboards in my home. I think it was her way to bless me.
Decorating wasn’t her thing, but, when I would go back to Illinois, I introduced her to country auctions. It opened up a whole new world for her . So much fun.
A brilliant beautiful woman with a crazy sense of humor.