Afternoon siesta

It is soooo quiet... So quiet, that I can almost hear the ray of sun crawling on the pink coffee table and leaking through the house. The cats are sighing in their sleep, dreaming of un-catchable pigeons and yarn balls. The warm afternoon wraps up the living room in a mellow cocoon.

If only I could be a cat and dream of feathered chases in my sleep! Instead, I lay a critical eye on the art wall and try to find a way to fight my idiosyncrasies...

Well, the fact that images can be deceiving. The fact that telling half the truth equals a lie. The fact the I have to live with this:

The apartment came with a white aluminum door to the tiny balcony and with a pine wood door to the study. There once was a wall separating this awkward design, but after some taring down and overall reconstruction, these incongruous doors are stepping on my nerves! 

To paint or not to paint? That is the question.  Painting everything white may ease my visual drama. But then again, I'm afraid the house will miss the warmth of the blonde wood (which I definitely like). To change the balcony door with a pine one involves massive intervention - too much that I can even think about right now, on the border of spring asthenia.

So I shall wait for warmer days and the inspiration they will bring. For now....

I saw it first!

I am stalking my own plants and flowers. I love them, I call them "my green babies". For me, they are silent pets: lovable, quiet, understanding, full of life, moody, different in preferences and personality.

Each time one of my silent pets is about to bloom, I'm stalking it day and night. I can go check up on it every 10 minutes (maybe something has already changed!). When I see the first bud, it's a national holiday in my home. And when the first flower opens to the world, I give a baby shower :))))

The delicate muscari bells look like little gnomes who bring the secret signs of spring on my tiny balcony.

Click here to see all my "I saw it first" posts :)

In the MIX

This is what makes my heart beat faster: a mix of colors, patterns, textures, shapes, aromas. Every time that things come together instead of being isolated, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Different feelings intertwine,

that's what it's like for me.

Click here to see all the "IN THE MIX" posts :)

365

February 17th: Funny looking lamp posts topped with icicles and snow bonnets :D

February 18th: Full bloom for my orchid. She makes a wonderful companion for the fun retro bedside lamp.

February 19th: All that snow is starting to melt on the sidewalk. Bad for your soaking wet feet, but so poetic!

February 20th: Last minute shot from my balcony. It may be the last snow shot for this year :(

February 21st: The crow trees. With the snow starting to melt down, clouds of thousands of crows come back in the evening, after searching for food in the fields around the city.

February 22nd: The bright side of insomnia: I finally got to see what the sky looks like at 6.30 AM.

February 23rd: Domestic scene on my kitchen counter, starring the most beautiful cat in the world.

Click here to see all my 365 project posts :)

Purple, plum and lavender bedroom

What do you do when you get easily bored with your bedroom decor? Paint the walls? Change the furniture? OR... Simply change the bedding and accessories!

By keeping the walls white and spare, I've created a blank canvas on which the sheets are the stars of the picture. I've got over 10 bedding sets, all different colors (God only knows how I must refrain myself from buying "just" one more...). Each one sets a different mood in the room and each time I change them, I feel like I've switched the old bedroom with a new one.

On the opposite wall, I wake up every morning looking at my plum - purple wall, which I painted myself. So with the purple bedding, the room is complete :)

It makes me feel welcome... The perfect cocoon for these strange and cold never-ending February days.

                  

This time, purple was mandatory, in order to celebrate my lovely orchid who decided to fully bloom one month earlier than usual. She makes a good team with the Russian doll (made in Kiev) and the retro plastic red clock :) The nightstand is actually a re-purposed coffee table and you can read more about it here.

As for the bedding, most of you have probably already recognized the IKEA pillows (the sheep skin ones and the small printed ones). The other items were from various home decor stores.

BONUS PIC: a little glimpse of the herringbone floors, which I know you covet :)

Gift wrapping 4

Ta-daaaaaaaaaa!

I know. I know, Christmas is coming in 10 months. But it's very cold in my home town - 20 degrees Celsius below zero (-2 degrees Fahrenheit) and my car sits under 60 cm of snow. 'Cause shoveling is futile. And the reindeer are too proud and precious to be related to a single day in the calendar.

For this gift box, I decided to do something wild. I chose the brown paper for the neutral base and I topped it with a brown stripy one, for extra bling. The red yarn is just a leftover from my last crochet pillow session.

Click here to see my other gift wrapping posts :)

365

February 10th: Snow and glow! Dinner on the 13th floor. Aerial night view of my city's main square.

February 11th: A little angel who got left behind in my childhood room, at my parents' house. Sweet little buddy, don't you wanna come live with me under my new little roof?

February 12th: Theater night: "Three sisters" by Chekhov. I particularly liked the scenography on the set. I took a bunch of weird shots and this is probably the best one.

February 13th: Present wrapping for another dear friend. Never mind the reindeer, it's still freezing cold and snowing outside (exactly the kind of weather we should have had for Christmas).

February 14th: We don't celebrate Valentine's Day. But we do celebrate 50 cm of snow by going broom shopping (in order to get my car out of the snow).

February 15th: My dad's favorite flowers spread their perfume in the kitchen. Springtime, anyone...?

February 16th: Who said pink cats don't exist? Play date view through the pink lucite coffee table. Eat that, Pink Panther!

Click here to see all my 365 project posts :)

Love at first sight

Her name is Bombitza (= Little bomb). I saw her a couple of years ago in my friend's living room and fell in love, instantly! And now, I got her as a present, when my friend redecorated his living room. Thank you, Cristi!

She is perfect in every way! I wrapped up a mini photo-shooting, because she goes well with everything in the house. Please admire her blue curves on the side table, near the couch:

She is perfect for my plum accent wall in the bedroom:

And might I add she looks stunning on the kitchen counter, by the sink:

Naturally, her splendor speaks to me from my desk in the study:

And even on the piano, why not:

I saw it first!

I am stalking my own plants and flowers. I love them, I call them "my green babies". For me, they are silent pets: lovable, quiet, understanding, full of life, moody, different in preferences and personality.

Each time one of my silent pets is about to bloom, I'm stalking it day and night. I can go check up on it every 10 minutes (maybe something has already changed!). When I see the first bud, it's a national holiday in my home. And when the first flower opens to the world, I give a baby shower :))))

Not long after my first phalaenopsis bloom, the second orchid opens her sensual petals and lures me into her core.
OK, I'm re-posting the first one as well! They are just too beautiful...

Click here to see all my "I saw it first" posts :)

The ubiquitous IKEA floor lamp

My current living room setting looks like this:

Although I am perfectly satisfied with it, you may easily recognize no less than three well-known IKEA items: the floor lamp, the couch pillows and the blue giraffe. In my opinion, the room does NOT look like page 62 from the IKEA catalog. I think that the art collection, the bean bags (spotted on the left) and the inherited couch say enough about my personal style.

So I don't have to worry about incorporating this iconic Ikea lamp. Still, I've been thinking a lot about switching it with something else...

My first thought goes, of course, to those lovely retro organic shapes that are my dream style:

via Desire to inspire, Apartment Therapy, Romina Macgibbon

I am  sucker for Kubric's film sets, I would live in one of them all my life. But the above lamps do not match my current vibe in the living room. So I would go for an over-sized statement lamp like this:

via All Report, Desire to inspire

Hmm... the room is too small... Then maybe choose a quirky lamp (somewhat classical in design - with a twist):

via Decorica, Apartment Therapy, Apartment Therapy

But if I truly listen to my gut, I'm in the mood of pimping me a granny lamp - Sibella Court style:

via The Guardian, Desire to inspire, Home shopping spy

via Apartment Therapy, Apartment Therapy, It looks good to me

Definitely, granny style does it for me.

I'm just sad because I really like the Storm lamp, its proportions, its quiet beauty and its paper texture. And most of all, I love the way it diffuses the light in a warm glow around the room. So when I see the serene Swedish designers matching everyday Ikea items with high-end decorations...

via Desire to inspire

... I wanna keep my lamp because it really makes me happy!

In the MIX

This is what makes my heart beat faster: a mix of colors, patterns, textures, shapes, aromas. Every time that things come together instead of being isolated, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Different feelings intertwine, that's what it's like for me.

Click here to see all the "IN THE MIX" posts :)