Inspiration can be found in the most unexpected of places.
I haven't found a tablecloth that contrasts with white plates without turning the setting too dark. I considered purchasing burlap and cutting it into placemats but that might be to scratchy on the hands. No scratchy scratchy thank you!
Image Sources: oliveloafdesign, texturezine
The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All
By Alexandra PenneyAfter purchasing some thick brown packaging paper I almost gave up on all wrapping paper (until I recently realized it is a nice way to get patterns/pretty colors in a banner and other paper crafts, much more economical than scrapbook paper.Brown packaging paper on the table might feel slightly Macaroni Grill, but I LOVE doodling while eating there. Tablecloth for next dinner party has been determined. Thanks Bag Lady!
Actually Alexandra Penney is anything but a bag lady.
Quite an adventurous life. She spent a year in her twenties living in Europe traveling the continent. Other titles included beauty editor at Glamour magazine, Editor-in-Chief at Self magazine, painter, photographer, professor at FIT, fish mongerer, one of the originators of the Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer awareness, author, sexpert. After this book, I am convinced she was Candace Bushnell's inspiration for Carrie Bradshaw. This book was actually about a woman who had invested all her money in Bernie Madoff, lost it ALL when the truth about his Ponzi scheme came to light and confronting her lifelong fear of becoming a bag lady.
One of freelance jobs she picked up after realizing her financial stability had been pulled out from under her amidst the great recession was writing a blog for the daily beast. Link.
You can read most of the book on Google books. Link.
