Allow A Love Of Beauty To Be The Foundation Of Your Daily Life

On the homepage of Idyllic Days, there is a quote- ‘Allow a love of beauty to be the foundation of your daily life’ which really got me thinking. I am going to spend the next few weeks pondering over little ways to make life more beautiful. Like buying some more pillow spray, so I can breathe in peppermint and nutmeg as I drift off to sleep. Like buying a pen with fantastic green or purple ink, so my handwriting will make me smile, even if I am just writing out a dewey number at work.

And also, little ways to make life more…well I am not quite sure what the word is, but I will try to explain what I mean. I recently read The Goddess Guide by Gisele Scanlon. I can heartily recommend it, not least for the gorgeous black velvet flock cover! In part of the book, she talks about how, when she was a child in the 70’s her family did a lot of things that are very popular now. Things like reusing furniture, hand-me-down clothes, thrift shop finds and so on. Because it made sense and was economical, as much as being green. Using home made cleaning products, all of that. Carl loves to watch ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’ each week, all about alternative energy and using what you have, and very practical.

Please bear with me on this ramble- perhaps now might be a good time to refresh your cup of tea? I don’t like the idea of being an eco-warrior exactly, but I do like the idea of living in harmony with the seasons, and doing as little damage as possible to our environment, and as much good as possible. To this end, we like to shop seasonally, and refuse carrier bags where we can. We shop at the local market and farmers market, and use the supermarket for the rest. We use local businesses and independent shops over big chains where we can. We recycle, and reuse, and I love, love, love charity shop shopping. (Or thrifting, as it is scrumptiously named in America).

And yet all of this, I do not know what to call it. ‘Green’ ‘Eco friendly’ …nothing seems to quite fit for me. This thing is very much entwined with my love of vintage housekeeping, vintage way of life as well. So, what to call it? I still don’t know. Perhaps it doesn’t need a name, but I feel it would be useful if I had a name to call it. If you go and visit www.vintagepretty.org you will see better what I mean, perhaps. Her website matches how I feel about these things. But I have digressed a lot. What I was trying to say is that I want to do little things to make life more beautiful, and little things to make life more…whatever word it is that I shall use for ‘green’. One of my ideas is that while we reuse carrier bags a lot, surely it would be better not to use them at all? So on my next day off that I get to visit Mum, I am going to ask her if we can play on her sewing machine and make some strong calico bags that I could use to put my shopping in rather than take carrier bags. I am planning a nice visit to the fabric shop, and what trimmings I could use to make them pretty. Perhaps a vintage flower print? Perhaps I could embroider veggies on one bag? Applique a hen and a cow on another? And when I have made them, as a special reward I am thinking of treating myself to a Cath Kidston oil cloth bag as well!

If you have stayed with my little ramble this long, I really do think you deserve a biscuit with your tea! Thank you if you have stayed with me! And do tell…what little things do you do to make your life that little bit more scrumptious, or ‘green’?