Dear America,
"I'm going to make
everything
around me beautiful --
that will be my life."
Elsie de Wolfe
just ordered her book off of Amazon Smile for 2.60, plus shipping; the Daughters of the American Revolution gets .5% of it...but what even is that at POINT five percent? Not much.
Elsie died in 1950; thinking the only real value remaining from The House in Good Taste (published in 1913), will be revealed in its pages, given the era of the day. and doncha know that this girl is so excited to read it...
Elsie is also quoted as saying, "Good taste can be developed in anyone, just as surely as good manners are possible to anyone. And good taste is as necessary as good manners." Figures she would say something like that, considering she is often attributed as the "First Lady" of AMERICAN interior design. She valued the development, the time, the creative spirit, the importance, of a house in good taste -- and she truly wanted to teach others to feel and do and make a house beautiful just the same.
And, like many things of value institutionalized in America -- according to Elsie, this certain penchant for designing a house in good taste was an equal opportunity endeavor; but, of course, it is! Surely, a house of good taste is as achievable as good manners -- and we all know how this country is simply overflowing with the abundance of good manners.
Let us not get stuck on the prevalence of please and thank you's about town; but let us return to the Elsie's lovely purpose in life -- making everything around her beautiful. Indeed, she says, "that will be my life."
Breathing it in further, I wonder how Elsie would feel if I seized upon her golden rule as my own? We can share it, can't we, Elsie?
If you really think about it -- besides nearly feeling this sweet sentiment elegantly flowing from her lips while standing in the foyer of some grand American palace that she called home -- what a concept it is, eh? To go about one's day with the intention of simply leaving beautiful footprints as to where we've been... oh what a beautiful world we would have.
From the beautiful things we would speak of, and say, to one another; to the beautiful expressions of service we would freely give to one another; to the beautiful rooms, and schools, and offices, of every building about town, that would be beautifully transformed by our lofty objective to make every person, place, or thing we come in contact with all the more beautiful, inside and out.
The thing is, given the vicious news cycle of the last year, the snarky grumblings to the vitriolic outbursts on social media, of things in the macrocosm basically growing less and less beautiful every living breathing day in America -- coming to this realization in the microcosm, of the beautification of things, seems a worthy ambition, and dare I say, even very doable and attainable. As in, this will be my life from this moment forward.
It's worth a shot, right?
My world according to me, G -- my girl, my boys, my family/my circle, my community, my country -- is worth every bit of this intention, so help me God.
And just in case this girl is not back before the end of 2018 (who really knows at this point...honestly, I would give it a POINT five percent of a chance, but we will have to wait and see, won't we)....my Christmas wish from one and to all is to let this be the call to call your own into the new year, too...
Whether on the settee, the chaise, the sectional that fits a family of six, or that age-old recliner that smells of forty years of football -- let this sit with you, permanently leaving an impression in the cushions and begging the question: is what you are about to say or do going to make this America a more beautiful place, or no?
Okay, so I should not have called Fareed a fareeking idiot; I'll keep working on cleaning up my beautiful mouth.
Until then, it's pretty much not so simple after all; but, as a foundation to live by, there is nothing too ornate, phony, contrived about it. In my book, it is simply an ideal that belongs here, like black and white parquet floors, and ferns, lots and lots of ferns, all happily living next door with the exceptional standards of America, the Beautiful, in every possible way. It is worthy, based solely on the merits; and the value....priceless.
May all of you beautiful people find yourselves surrounded by the beautiful people you love this beautiful Christmas, and may our Beautiful and Glorious God bless us every one.
Make it a Good Day, G
Elsie died in 1950; thinking the only real value remaining from The House in Good Taste (published in 1913), will be revealed in its pages, given the era of the day. and doncha know that this girl is so excited to read it...
Elsie is also quoted as saying, "Good taste can be developed in anyone, just as surely as good manners are possible to anyone. And good taste is as necessary as good manners." Figures she would say something like that, considering she is often attributed as the "First Lady" of AMERICAN interior design. She valued the development, the time, the creative spirit, the importance, of a house in good taste -- and she truly wanted to teach others to feel and do and make a house beautiful just the same.
And, like many things of value institutionalized in America -- according to Elsie, this certain penchant for designing a house in good taste was an equal opportunity endeavor; but, of course, it is! Surely, a house of good taste is as achievable as good manners -- and we all know how this country is simply overflowing with the abundance of good manners.
Let us not get stuck on the prevalence of please and thank you's about town; but let us return to the Elsie's lovely purpose in life -- making everything around her beautiful. Indeed, she says, "that will be my life."
Breathing it in further, I wonder how Elsie would feel if I seized upon her golden rule as my own? We can share it, can't we, Elsie?
If you really think about it -- besides nearly feeling this sweet sentiment elegantly flowing from her lips while standing in the foyer of some grand American palace that she called home -- what a concept it is, eh? To go about one's day with the intention of simply leaving beautiful footprints as to where we've been... oh what a beautiful world we would have.
From the beautiful things we would speak of, and say, to one another; to the beautiful expressions of service we would freely give to one another; to the beautiful rooms, and schools, and offices, of every building about town, that would be beautifully transformed by our lofty objective to make every person, place, or thing we come in contact with all the more beautiful, inside and out.
The thing is, given the vicious news cycle of the last year, the snarky grumblings to the vitriolic outbursts on social media, of things in the macrocosm basically growing less and less beautiful every living breathing day in America -- coming to this realization in the microcosm, of the beautification of things, seems a worthy ambition, and dare I say, even very doable and attainable. As in, this will be my life from this moment forward.
It's worth a shot, right?
My world according to me, G -- my girl, my boys, my family/my circle, my community, my country -- is worth every bit of this intention, so help me God.
And just in case this girl is not back before the end of 2018 (who really knows at this point...honestly, I would give it a POINT five percent of a chance, but we will have to wait and see, won't we)....my Christmas wish from one and to all is to let this be the call to call your own into the new year, too...
Make everything around you beautiful.
Whether on the settee, the chaise, the sectional that fits a family of six, or that age-old recliner that smells of forty years of football -- let this sit with you, permanently leaving an impression in the cushions and begging the question: is what you are about to say or do going to make this America a more beautiful place, or no?
[And here's looking at you, House of Representatives...the White House...and not to feel left out, that illegal room addition, also known as the Senate...Speaking of which, this piece of news is entertaining...we have to talk more about this in the new year, even though this girl has made the point umpteen times before: the Senate was originally designed to be the voice of the STATE!!!! It was not meant to be representative of the voice of the people!!! Fareed is an fareeking idiot!!! Oops...and in an instant, there goes my beautiful blahhhhhhhg....Anywho.... thankfully, Fareed is making the founders' point! In no uncertain terms, America must return to the olden days when each state legislature elected their own state Senators, in order to argue the needs and best interests of each state! The founders didn't create a congress to have a House of Representatives next door to the House of Senators. Um. that would be just plum stupid, or maybe the shade is more eggplant...Elsie?]
Okay, so I should not have called Fareed a fareeking idiot; I'll keep working on cleaning up my beautiful mouth.
Until then, it's pretty much not so simple after all; but, as a foundation to live by, there is nothing too ornate, phony, contrived about it. In my book, it is simply an ideal that belongs here, like black and white parquet floors, and ferns, lots and lots of ferns, all happily living next door with the exceptional standards of America, the Beautiful, in every possible way. It is worthy, based solely on the merits; and the value....priceless.
May all of you beautiful people find yourselves surrounded by the beautiful people you love this beautiful Christmas, and may our Beautiful and Glorious God bless us every one.
Make it a Good Day, G
Epi-blogue
For more on eras and errors cut of the same cloth, probably a gabardine...
see the 17th Amendment of 1912
what a mistake, what a mistake;
such poor taste, such poor taste, for the secure growth of
these United States of America...
each and every one of them, and there are FIFTY!
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