It is likely that very few of you will relate to what I will say in this post. Most will not. And to my closest dear ones who know me best- thanks for putting up with what I will describe here.

Several years ago a friend was hosting a 4th of July gathering and wanted to decorate her home accordingly. She asked for my suggestions, and my first question was “what do you have for props?” 

She looked at me as if I had asked her if she had live ammo under her bed. PROPS? I said, “yeah, you know, stuff in your basement you could scatter around to decorate with?” Again, THE LOOK. She did not have props. What she had was a big empty hutch in her dining room, with nothing on it. I mean NOTHING. It took my breath away that anyone could be quite that sparse. I told her to hold on – I would be back. A quick trip home, and the once around yielded several boxes of Americana – enough for the hutch and more. Within an hour the house looked like a patriotic paradise. It was her turn to be amazed. “Where did all that stuff come from?”  “The basement, the shed, the garage – these are props.” She still didn’t get it, but her house looked great. 

This goes for any occasion, any time. If I get invited unexpectedly somewhere and need a quick gift – I just shop the props for something I can put together. Need a seasonal change? Props. No need to go to the store when resources abound at home. And if you ever find yourself in a decorating fix, give me a call.  I’ve got plenty of props.