I'll have a blue Christmas ...

Some ebay window shopping: Wedgwood blue Jasperware Christmas ornaments. I can't justify spending the money on either one right now, as I begin to furnish my new apartment with the bare basics, but ... but ... they still beckon.

Perfection.

And blue, Wedgwood blue, this has become the theme of my new living room. I cannot BELIEVE it! I have never been a blue kind of person (unless you count "the blues"), but I was shopping for rugs this afternoon and decided I'd like an oval, braided one like my grandparents used to have. The one in shades of blue (the label actually calls it "Wedgwood") immediately stood out, much to my own surprise.

It reads "neutral" even though it's blue. It reads warmth, not coolness, without being too heavy. So I have my rug. And my conception of myself as "never a blue person" turned squarely on its head.

On towards the window treatments department ...

Once more blue carries the day. Drapes with built-in, tasseled (!) valance in a most Traditional Home kind of large, subtle plaid, tones of beige, creamy gold and light Wedgwood blue. Never thought I was a tassels person, either.

A new and entirely unexpected vision of my living room is coming to light. I'd articulated something "cottage" for the space, but then said to my friend/fellow shopper "I'll just know it when I see it", which is always the case for me. I am indifferent to or genuinely dislike 90 to 95 percent of what I see when I am shopping, which makes it easy for me to spot what I love right away because it's so different from what's around it. The rug was easy, the window treatment not so much. I really had to stop and give this one a second look.

Why tassels? Why am I going more Traditional Home than Country Living? This is why: my new place needs some serious classing up. There are exposed pipes in the living room (and not in a charming, modern, loft-y kind of way). The walls are an uninspiring shade of eggshell/cream. It's clean, but there is little that's "crisp" about the place, except for the kitchen which is adorable in every possible way and destined to be festooned in all the red I can get my hands on (which has already been a lot).

I took "before" photos of the apartment today. If I can figure out how to download them from my camera, I'll share them soon.

Oh, and by the way, if you were following the story of the stray cat I found, I have placed her in a very good foster home! And she is going to get the vet care she needs (spaying, shots) all for free! Bless the people at Billerica Cat Care Coalition, an organization that helps feral and abandoned cats and their kittens, and Linwood Animal Hospital, who kept the cat under their care out of their Stray Fund while I networked with BCCC and their fantastic crew to make this little miracle happen.

I like to think (and I really do feel it in my bones) that regular readers of this blog, in fact the kind of person who would this far into this particular post, are by nature at least a little bit fond of animals. So perhaps I am preaching to the choir, but please consider sending anything -- even just $5 -- to your local animal rescue organization. Drop off food for the animals. There are so many domestic animals being put out because of foreclosures and people being unable to pay for their food or care any longer. The economy is terrible, but we are all going to make it through this by supporting and showing kindness to one another wherever we can.

Animals enrich human lives immeasurably. Please give a little bit for the critters who ask for so little in return. Like us, in our heart of hearts, they ask only to love and be loved, without guile, simply for who they are.

Giving gives back. Always.