J. C. PENNEY..........REALLY???

ANYBODY WHO HAS SEEN MY DECORATING STYLE KNOWS THAT
IT'S A STYLE ALL MY OWN....
VERY RARELY.... IF AT ALL.... DO I FOLLOW WHAT I SEE SOMEONE ELSE DO IN
THEIR HOME...OR IN A MAGAZINE....ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER...
JUST THE OTHER DAY MY FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR MAUREEN
ASKED WHAT EXACTLY MY "STYLE" OF DECORATING IS CALLED....

IT'S LIKE "YOU BOOKED AN AROUND THE WORLD CRUISE ON THE
TITANIC AND YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO SINK YOUR JUST NOT QUITE
SURE WHEN" STYLE........
I MEAN I'M THE PERSON WHO MIXES A BABY GRAND PIANO IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO A TAXIDERMY BUFFALO HEAD...
ANYTHING GOES......MAPS.....GLOBES....FLAGS.....TAXIDERMY!!
I SHOP A BIT AND PREFER HOME GOODS TO CLOTHES SHOPPING....
I WOULD RATHER BUY A NEW PLATTER WITH A LOBSTER ON IT THEN
NEW SHOES....
SO WHEN I RECENTLY VISITED JOYCE IN FLORIDA I WAS VERY TAKEN WITH
THE BEDDING IN HER GUEST ROOM....
A LOVELY NAVY BLUE AND WHITE WITH A SEMI-PAISLEY PATTERN.... 

WHAT INITIALLY CAUGHT MY EYE WAS HER KING SIZE BED WAS ALMOST
AS TALL AS OUR KING AT THE HOMESTEAD....
"ALMOST"......
BUT IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH BY AN INCH OR TWO.....
I WAS INTRIGUED....
YOU SEE SINCE WE MOVED IN TO THE HOUSE OVER FOUR YEARS AGO...AND BOUGHT A RIDICULOUSLY
HIGH BED I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND A COVERLET, DUVET COVER, BEDSPREAD...THE LIST GOES ON....THAT FITS THE HEIGHT OF THE BED...
SO I WAS ABOUT TO "STEAL AN IDEA FROM A FRIEND".....
OH NO....NOT ME!!!
OH YES....ME....I WAS AT MY WITS END AND WHEN I ASKED JOYCE
WHERE THIS WONDER CAME FROM WAS I SHOCKED WHEN SHE SAID...
JCP..... 

UNTIL NOW.....
AND WHO KNEW IT WOULD COME FROM OF ALL PLACES.....
MY RETAIL "HATE" PLACE....
JC PENNEY.....
OR AS IT WAS KNOWN BACK IN THE 80'S

COMPETITION......

LET ME EXPLAIN.....OR WE COULD JUST LEAVE IT AT JCP.....WHO SHOPS THERE???

THERE WAS THAT STINT BACK BETWEEN 78' AND 91' WHEN I DID HOLD
DOWN A POSITION WITH THE STORE
"WHERE AMERICA SHOPS".....
SEARS.
THAT WAS BACK DURING THE 80'S WHEN I ROSE TO THE COVETED POSITION
AS A CHICAGO EXECUTIVE BASED IN THE SOUTH FOR THEIR
 CUSTOM HOME FASHIONS DIVISION....
HEY....THEY EVEN GAVE ME A GOLD SEARS CARD WITH NO CREDIT LIMIT....
THIS WAS A BIG DEAL!
OF COURSE SEARS FELL BY THE WAYSIDE
BUT SHOPPING IN PENNEY'S.....NEVER.
UNTIL NOW....

BEFORE I EVEN TOOK THE FLIGHT BACK TO ATLANTA WE WENT TO
THE NAPLES STORE AND I ORDERED A KING SET....
OPENING UP A JCP CREDIT CARD I GOT AN EXTRA 15% OFF THE SALE PRICE AND
IT WOULD BE DELIVERED TO GEORGIA WITH FREE SHIPPING...
AT $120.85 FOR THE COMFORTER....2 KING SHAMS AND A DUST RUFFLE...
NOT BAD BUT THE BASTARDS ONLY GIVE ME A
TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR LINE OF CREDIT....
IT SEEMS THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHO I USED TO BE.... :)

IT CAME RIGHT ON TIME THE DAY AFTER I RETURNED HOME....
AND IT FITS LIKE A CHARM....
I LOVE THE FABRIC ON THE BACK SIDE AND IT GOES WITH ALL MY
EXISTING PILLOWS....
IT'S "LIZ CLAIBORNE HOME".....

MY RALPH LAUREN PILLOW GOES NICELY.....

AS DOES MY LITTLE FRENCH PILLOW I MADE USING A LINEN
FRENCH DISH TOWEL FOUND AT A FLEA MARKET....
THE 'THEME" IN THE BEDROOM IS SOMEWHAT BEACHY....
WITH A LITLE OF THIS AND A LITTLE OF THAT.....

WE HAVE A NAVY BLUE SOFA ACROSS FROM THE BED.....
AND I LOVE THE REDS AND YELLOWS OF THE THROW PILLOWS.....
FINALLY AFTER 4 LONG YEARS THE ROOM SEEMS FINALLY
COMPLETE.....

ANOTHER NAPLES FIND WERE THESE NAVY AND WHITE CHECKED
PILLOW CASES WHICH I WILL ADD....
THEY MATCH THE FAUX DUST RUFFLE I MADE....

THE THING THAT STARTED THE ROOM THEME.....
THIS GREAT POSTER THAT DAUGHTER BROUGHT ME BACK FROM
PARIS ON HER LAST TRIP.....
WE ALWAYS MAKE SURE WE MAKE A STOP AT THE GIFT SHOP INSIDE THE
MARINE MUSEUM AT THE TROCADERO...ACROSS THE RIVER FROM THE
EIFFEL TOWER....
ONE OF THESE TRIPS WE ARE GOING TO ACTUALLY PAY THE ADMISSION AND
SEE THE MUSEUM....UNTIL NOW THE GIFT SHOP HAS JUST BEEN THE
GREATEST PLACE FOR NAUTICAL FINDS....

SO I AM PLEASED TO SAY THAT I SPENT THE PAST NIGHT OR TWO
PERUSING PENNEY'S ONLINE SITE LOOKING AT THE HUNDREDS OF
BEDDING OPTIONS AND SHOWER CURTAINS BECAUSE MISS B
HAS ASKED THAT WE RE-DECORATE HER ROOM TO LOOK BEACHY....
AND WHEN B ASKS WE COMPLY.....

I FOUND AND ORDERED A FABULOUS EMBROIDERED COMFORTER SET IN WHITE WITH
STARFISH AND SAND DOLLARS DONE IN LIGHT TEAL
"FRENCH KNOTS"....
WHO DOESN'T LOVE FRENCH KNOTS....
I AM GETTING VERY EXCITED ABOUT RE-DECORATING THE ROOM AND
OF COURSE AS SOON AS IT'S COMPLETE PICTURES WILL BE
SHARED...
THANK YOU J.C.P.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!