I wanna be a Cowgirl...

The wild west is a popular theme for clothing, and many folks enjoy dressing up in their ten-gallon hat and cowboy boots for a night on the town. There's also a fascination with American history involved, so it's no wonder that the theme often extends into interior decorating. Whether the theme appears in a man-cave or a themed restaurant, a down-home ranch decor is ideal for the cowboy or cowgirl at heart

There are loads of decorative items available today, allowing such ranch-hand-wannabes to carry their theme through anything from a single room to an entire building. Whether the cowboy-inspired item features spurs, saddles, ropes, cattle or horses, you can find an appropriately-decorated fabric or lamp to suit your taste.

Pretty much everything in a home or business place can be outfitted to fit in with cowboy decor. Wood panelling and flooring can set the stage, and then adding just a few touches, such as cowboy-themed clocks, bookends or rugs will set off the theme. Furniture can also be cowboy-themed, or just be a rustic leather or wood variety reminiscent of the old west.

A bedroom could similarly be outfitted to have a cowboy ambiance. Whether looking for a tiny twin coverlet for a child's room or a western-themed king duvet set for the master suite, options abound. And if you are considering such a theme for a child's room, don't be afraid to go wild west with the rest of the decor - colorful murals and wallpaper make the sky the limit.

Such themes are especially popular in rental cabins, particularly out west, but even easterners have been known to get in on the act. Hotels and large resorts have been known to carry such a theme throughout an entire compound! For example, I vividly remember the first time I strolled through the hotel and casino at Sam's Town in Las Vegas - a perfect example of the wild west brought to life.

Of course, why leave your cowboy theme at home? Nowadays there's a wide range of western-themed accessories from wallets and purses to briefcases and cellphone holders. None of this will improve your line-dancing performance, but they'll be a fun way to add your cowboy or cowgirl flair to everything else you do!

Wrought iron window boxes are just my style...

Most homeowners these days enjoy decorating and making a house into a home. While everyone has their own ideas about decorating, there is generally a theme involved somewhere.

The interesting thing is, you never know whether the theme is driven by the man or the woman of the house. Admittedly, when there's only one adult in the house, it is evident. But when couples come together to create their shared space, amazing things can happen.

One of the amazing things that happened when my spouse and I came together was my discovery of wrought iron window boxes. My husband has a love of all things wrought iron - I think he was a blacksmith in a previous life! But until I met him I never even knew there was such a thing.

Now I've found that there is a vast array of these beautiful and functional planters available. Check out sites like SimplyPlanters.com and Window Box Planters if you don't believe me. These durable, rustic and classic window boxes have given the front of our condo a distinctive style. Not easy to do when just about everything else about the outside of our unit is regulated by the HOA! I'm so glad we bought on the side of the complex we did, though; any other position would have prevented our front windows from getting the sun needed by my little window box herb garden.

I hope to get some photos of it for you to post soon. Right now my good camera is having some sort of problem. My husband thinks its to do with the battery contacts, but I think it's just time to invest in a new camera!