My New Blog

For the past few decades, we have become a nation of shopaholics, turning shopping malls into a recreational activity.  But the roots of shopping go back even further when the Industrial Revolution drew our population from the farm to the factory.  Before that, women could not go to stores for what they needed, so they became creative and ingenious in decorating ideas, learning how to reuse, recycle and repurpose. 

When times are hard and money scarce, we have to rethink how we spend our time and resources.  If we go back to our roots as gatherers and creators, the most natural choice is to return to the garden and creativity,  grow flowers and herbs from our homes, or create our own home decor.  We can learn to grow and create what we formerly purchased, saving those dollars for other necessities.  This can become a family pasttime with our own children that is more lasting and meaningful than a stroll in the mall together. 

Gardening has never been expensive.   Plants are downright cheap, particularly if you learn the simple art of propagation, which is how women and men have enlarged their gardens since the beginning.  In early American communities, they shared seeds harvested from plants and flowers at season's end.  This plant exchange is the reason that garden clubs still exist today. 

If plants are not your thing, there is so much that can be saved by creating your own fashions making your home looking fabulous, such as window treatments, wall designs, pillows, silk wreaths and floral arrangements, painting, knitting & crocheting, stenciling . . . .  the list of craft ideas is endless - and so much fun! 

If you are a "shopaholic" and are going through withdrawal in these hard economic times, perhaps the best therapy is to return to the creativity we were all born with and not only save money, but find internal satisfaction by creating "natural" beauty in your home.  Get out of the mall, and into your own special "garden."  Both you and your home will benefit!