The Grandparents Room

The name came to me as I looked aroung our guest room one day and I realized that a number of our grandparents were represented in that room by what we had chosen to decorate it with. The guest room was painted a bright blue when we moved into this house 5 years ago. Instead of taking on the task of painting it (there were other rooms that needed tackling first) I decided to embrace the color and make it work for me. And it did...

I started with the double wedding ring that my mom made my husband and I for our wedding. We began buying fabrics for it when I was still in elementary school and I knew from very early on that I wanted to have the traditional double wedding ring with a scalloped edge. The quilt is beautiful and I am honored to have such an heirloom to start passing on. The quilt has just the right blues to work with the walls and instead of seeing the bright blue walls you see this amazing quilt now hung on the wall to honor my boys's grandmother, my mom.

As you look around the room you see a cross stitched picture of a rose that one of my great-grandmother's made. My cousin bought it and it's pair at a family auction I was unable to attend and gifted me one and the other hangs in her home. I love that when I look at it I think of her as well as my great-grandmother who made it (she has an amazing story that I will share later).

The dresser in the picture above was my grandfathers and the blue compote on top belonged to my husband's grandmother.

The cross stitch in the picture above was made by my grandfather - my mom's dad. When he retired he needed something to keep him busy during the cold northern Minnesota winters so he took up cross stitch and each of us in the family have pieces that he made gracing our walls.

The other pieces are handmades I have collected including a candle jar my 9 year old made me for Mother's Day when he was little.

Perhaps my favorite pieces are the colorful pillows that are on the beds. Some were made by one of my great-grandmother's, a woman I remember visiting and mourned dearly when she passed when I was 17. I think one was made by another great-grandmother but no one knows for sure - it looks like her crewel work though. Others were made by me.

I recently received an addition to the pillow collection. My grandmother found this in her house and gave it to my mom to give to me. They aren't sure who made it but are guessing it was my great-grandmother. I absolutely love this piece! I love the simple applique and that feedsacks were the fabrics used. I also love that the hills are fields of flowers - my great-grandmother had beautiful flower gardens and this pillow is so fitting. It makes me think of her and smile...