In this post i want to talk about two of my favorite things...
My newest favorite thing is my two cowhide rugs.
I love them...
I have one in my bedroom ... you can see it below
Also you can see how the settee in the bedroom usually looks, with my furry vest thrown on it, and a nubby throw, and folded blankies and towels that arent' put away...
Anyway, i just love how these cowhides feel under my feet, and how they aren't round or square or rectangle... I love sitting on them because it feels like I'm sitting next to something natural and not synthetic
I'm sorry a sweet cow had to die for me to have the rug, but i imagine millions of cows get slaughtered everyday, and at least a couple of their coats can be appreciated and admired long after they are gone...
the best way i can describe it is that the rugs have "chi"
"CHI is the term for the universal energy, or the energy that permeates everything around us."
I know they are in style right now, but i don't think i will get tired of them as if they were just a decor fad...
I think i'll like them for years to come
Here is the cowhide i have in my living room
I sit on the soft cowhide and lean on the back of the chair while Mr. Fractured is sitting in it...
I never used to sit on the floor before i had the cowhide,
On the arm of the chair i also have a rabbit fur
it feels like heaven
My kids came over one night and were commenting on how i have all these dead animals everywhere
They pointed out the cowhides, and then the sheepskin, and the rabbit fur... and we were all like holy crap, it looks like vikings live here!
Then i pointed out that they hadn't even notice my deer antlers!
They were like GAAAHHHHH!!!
Anyway, those are all the furry, animaly things i have around
except my two doggies...
who by the way love the furs too!
oh yeah, and check this out...
this is my furry vest
and this is my dog and best nap buddy "Daisy"
My next all time favorite thing is baskets!
I have always loved baskets
I have baskets for everything ...
tucked in corners for storage...
in the laundry room for dirty clothes...
on top of the fridge to store pitchers and stuff...
in the bedroom for dumping clean laundry instead of having to fold it right away, cause who wants to do that!
in the living room to store cd's and stuff
on the kitchen counter for mail, and glasses and all those random papers i don't know where to put but shouldn't throw away...
(isn't this the cutest little silver pitcher)
brief interlude for photos of this precious little pitcher...
more baskets -
under the tv table in the living room to store all of Mr. Fractured's tangled guitar cords...
you can see it's pretty scruffed up
under the dresser in my bedroom for miscellaneous "stuff"
in the living room to hold the remote controls...
lord help me with those!
I only know how to find like 5 channels on my tv...
i'm helpless without Mr. Fractured when it comes to the remote controls
ok, and finally, I have a basket that i carry to work everyday with all my papers and bills and my lunch in it.
I LOVE this basket and as you can see it is almost shot
If anyone knows where to find one like it i would love to know!!
I even have stuff on my floor that looks like baskets!
So that's a crazy amount of baskets isn't it!
I haven't even talked about all the baskets filled with towels and napkins and stuff in my closets!
You know... things like shells, and baskets woven from natural fibers, and cowhide rugs, and beautiful wood, and feathers,and wool and cotton ... all those kinds of natural things are always pretty darn wonderful
Nature gets it just right every time...
...the end...
Hi Cindy! I so agree with you when it comes to wonderful feeling the cowhides provide under our feet! That's one of my favorite things too. :) And just as you've said they're not square, rectangle or round! Gotta love them! Have a wonderful Sunday! xoxo Vanessa
ReplyDeleteI love all things natural, too. Your baskets are great. I'm always looking for the unique! :)
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
Did you get your hides at ikea? My kids always pet then and ask to get one, or two, or three. Yours are beautiful. We dobhave the lamb furs and a rabbit fur The rabbit fur is the softest. I want to get more of them. Ours was from a rabbit killed to be served at a fancy restuarant I have alot of antlers too and baskets. But not as many as you!!! They are great for storage in my studio. I think your little fur ball daisy is the best fur in your house! Xxo
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy, I like all your baskets and these glimpses in to your home. I have a cow hide AND antlers .. Chi .. I've never heard of that! xxL
ReplyDeleteYour rugs are lovely. It is so nice when you get something that you really love whether it is "in style" or not. I love your baskets. I have always loved baskets, too. xoDiana
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI love your cowhide rugs! I want one!!! Love baskets too. Every time I get a Pottery Barn Catalog I always ooh and ahh over their baskets. I have a few of them but they are so darn expensive. I did find some really nice ones at Tuesday Mornings. Can't have too many.
Loved your post, as always you inspire me with your style and humor.
hugs
Sissie
your cow hides look fantastic and add so much texture and rustic chic to your spaces. that first image is WOW. i am hideless at the moment, and when i did adopt the black and white one, my kids constantly harrassed me about it...so creepy, mom. i'm like you with the antlers and of course the sheep's jaw i love to keep near me. they aren't creepy tho! they are the opposite of synthetics and fake flowers. natural beauty. hugs to you, sweet friend.
ReplyDeletemichele
Oh, I love it all. It looks so inviting. I'm a basket case too~ ;j
ReplyDeleteI used to have a piece of rabbit fur as a child, I had it for many years and couldn't sleep without it, I used to push it down the bottom of the bed and rub my feet against it. If I went for a sleepover at a friends and forgot it!! Poor dad would have to rush over with it as I could not sleep without it. Daisy looks like she would be an adorable foot warmer. I do love your cow rug too cindy, I am an animal lover and don't like animals killed for their skins but cows are acceptable, they are killed for their meat and not endangered. I have always admired the cow rugs but have nowhere in my small cottage I could fit one in.
ReplyDeleteLee :)
You can add clay, stones, shells and wood to that list of natural things that soothe the soul. I love texture. I couldn't have the cow hides here because they would freak the grandkids out. The get bummed out over a pillow I made from an old mink coat and put it on the floor whenever they sit on the couch. Baskets, I have everywhere and picnic baskets are my favourites. And last but not least is the adorable cream pitcher. I can never resist buying one!
ReplyDeleteI need to get me one of those cow hide rugs! I love all the furry rugs, coats and dog, mostly the dog :) the rugs I have are not that soft, I would love a really soft furry rug next to my bed to step on first thing in the morning. I love all your baskets, I love how you can have them full of whatever and everything still looks tidy and nice looking.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you'll be getting some not-so-nice comments about the cowhide. I LOVE them! I bought a very large one several years ago and had it in our previous living room. It had the best colors of cream, brown and black. I have yet to find a new place for it in our new home but I have it displayed on the railing on the stairs. Cowhide is VERY durable. The gal I bought my from would take hers outside and hose them off. Makes sense since live cows live outside. I thought that was pretty cool. I also love baskets BUT with twin 5 year old boys, they don't last very long. They like to see if they can squeeze into them. They start school this fall. Maybe after that, they'll be too tired to mess with my stuff ;)
ReplyDeleteI have been on the look out for baskets myself--with lids. I need places to hide stuff :) As far as the furs go--I love the look but I can't do it. I get chills (not the good kind) when touching real fur. I am a faux kind of fur girl I guess!
ReplyDeleteI do love the cowhide rugs, too, would love to have one for my home. I had a small sheepskin rug from Ikea on the floor, and my cats avoided it like the plague, they'd walk WAY AROUND it! It looked like a pelt and was shaped like it had been taken off the animal. I think the kitties didn't like the "dead animal" mojo! I gave it to a friend of mine who used it on the back of his office chair. I do love rabbit fur, always wanted a pelt as a kid but my mom said "NO!".
ReplyDeleteBet you could fix the handle on your straw tote. What about wrapping it in burlap and hand-stitching it together? Or you could use a cute gingham or calico fabric, too, hey, maybe some pink velveteen?
I love your laundry room, it looks like a "Cindy room" with the pink walls!
Hello! I just found your blog and enjoyed this post immensely! I have always loved cows since I was a child and today realized that your are the painter of beautiful cows! Since I am looking for a rug and love cows and have 6 animals in the house (3 little dogs and 3 big furry cats) can I ask how the cow rug cleans up. I love jute and sisal rugs but they don't clean well from animal yuckies like throw up (We have pom-chis and they can spit up easy when excited!). Have you had to do anything like clean up on the cow rug? My email address is kazicha@gmail.com. I was so appreciate some feedback on that. Also, I love deer and rabbits. Since I was young I always thought a blanket made out of rabbit fur would be so wonderful. Like you I wouldn't kill one to get one but touching one would be nice. Love your decor as it is so similar to mine!
ReplyDeleteVikings... LMAO... well, as one Viking to another, I too have critter hides everywhere... guess I'm fortunate that none of my Besties is a PETA advocate or they'd be mortified every time they came for a visit! *LOL* But, hey, I'm no Vegan either... so Guilty on both counts. My Fav critter piece happens to be a Vintage Chinchilla Winter Hat from the Sixties I got for a mere Ninety-Nine Cents at a Clearance Center! It's like what I Imagine touching a Cloud would feel... and yes, I do Believe there is Chi to anything that was once alive... which is also why one of my other Fav Things is to have loads of plants {living, dead, cut, dried...} around the Home too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
I have a thing for baskets too. And I love the gray washed out ones...along time ago, maybe two yrs now, I painted some of my brown ones to look like that grey wash I love. And then this year I got to go to Atlanta to the gift market and I found a vendor and I bought so many kinds of baskets...all in the gray wash I LOVE!!!! so I filled up my shop with them. because why not!!? But I will say I have not gotten into the cowhide thing, but it would look very good in my shop with all my rustic stuff. And it looks good in your house. Always enjoy your rambling posts. xo
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy,
ReplyDeleteLove the new cow hides, and your antlers add that Nordic country feel to your cottage.
Baskets are such a great addition to a cottage and I love when they are used for storage it adds such a homie feel.
Your planked flooring look marvelous darling just marvelous. I have my carpets in my bedroom all torn out getting ready to figure out what I am going to do? Pluwood like yours of sorts or the easy installation of Allure vinyl planks from Home Depot, yet such decisions in color style yikes.
I plan to move onto the other bedrooms when this one is done.
Love all the basket inspiration, making me feel like adding some to my home.
Xoxo
Beautiful Sunday to you my sweet friend.
Doré
I love your furniture and your style:) You are into textures! I like them, they add so much dimension...I also love the homage to the tiny silver pitcher, you are a hoot, and it's gorgeous;)
ReplyDelete