New Friends, Welcome!

The sweetest things in life are... friends! My new life as a blogger finally let me share my passion for decorating and playing with my little home. But more than that, blogging blessed me with amazing friends from all the corners of the world. Like my sweet, positive and unstoppable creative Ana from Carpe Diem, who passed on to me the Liebster Award. Thank you, Ana, I'm taking the opportunity to invite all my readers to see your cool giant squid pillow and the lovely yellow letters that you've just made this spring!

This award comes with a price. I have to answer Ana's questions below:

1. Do you prefer the region you live in or would you like to move somewhere else? I live in Romania, the country is amazingly beautiful but the climate has radically changed in the last 10 years. I dream of living somewhere warmer, but the truth is that I am really comfortable in my own town, anyway :)

2. Do you live in urban or rural area? What do you prefer? I live in the heart of a big city, I like it very much because I'm close to the theater, the opera, the shops and restaurants and coffee shops that I like. Of course, when summer comes, I start dreaming of retiring 15 km away, in the peaceful country side!

3. Do you live in a house or a flat? What do you prefer? I have a flat, which is fine for my needs. A house would be great, but there's always repairing to be done, to the attic or to the basement and I don't have the energy for that (and no kids, yet).

4. Are you an outdoor type? It depends! On one hand I am very lazy and not sporty at all. On the other hand, when summer starts, you never catch me at home, because I love nature, air, sun and I always want to enjoy the outdoor as much as I can.

5. Mountains or sea, why? The sea, because it is magical. It helps me calm down and listen to myself.

6. Book or TV? A book, definitely! I'm an avid reader, just like my mom. I haven't had a TV for the last 9 years, it's great for my mental health and ear pollution :)

7. Would you like to grow your own food? Yes, please! I am fortunate enough to have a retired father who has his own little vegetable garden and orchard.

8. Poetry or prose? Both, depending on my mood. To share a little secret, all my poetry books are tucked away in my bedroom - I am very selfish and don't wanna even show them to anyone else.

9. Having kids is .... on my To Do list!

10. Cleaning or crafting :)? Ooops. Cleaning (with a little obsession, followed by long periods of indolence) and then crafting until midnight!

11. I plan to ... write a book on how to decorate your first home :D

        The Liebster award goes to...

        Fancy Free Me

        Stardust - Decor & Style

        Musings

        Love Making Things

        Vicky's Home

        Dreams Come True

        Cherish Dream Live

        Little Victorian

        Little White House On The Seaside

        Decora Y Adora

        A Few Pretty Things

Congratulations, dear friends! I don't know if you've already received this award, but I'd like to know more about you, so here are my 11 question for you:

1. A good book or a lovely movie?

2. A walk under the sun or a lazy Sunday indoors?

3. Creative chaos or streamlined order?

4. Red or blue?

5. A big splurge or wise savings?

6. Spring or autumn?

7. Pastels or bold colors?

8. Handmade or branded?

9. Salty or sweet?

10. Talking out or just observing?

11. Make-up or all natural?

Light Blue Something

I remember a sweet band from the 90's, called Deep Blue Something. So I'm posting about... light blue something. I'm in the mood for summer and this pale blue is a great reminder of the joys ahead of us. In the first pic, there's one of my beachy photo frames from last year, and below some origami paper boats, also made last year.

Then, there's a little Russian doll and her best friend, the little pouch I got as a present from Lisa...

Also I could think of these beautiful cardboard eggs made from blue pattern paper

My simple blue vases from the dollar store, so pretty with their textured glass

And most of all, I'm glad that I don't have to see this icicle against the blue sky, for a while!

Decorate With A Song: Jungle Boogie!

So many friends ask me where I get the inspiration for my colorful decor. I'll tell you my secret: I DECORATE WITH A SONG!

Please press play and read the rest of the entry while listening to this song :)

I was listening to this retro classic one morning, when my legs started dancing to the music. It was so cool, that I immediately asked myself: would it be possible for me to actually go to the jungle and feel the energy? Well, yes... but it's not gonna happen very soon! And with this long wait for the trees to come to life once again, I suddenly had an inspiration: I'm gonna make the jungle come to me!

Easier said than done? Don't think so! All it took was a trip to the balcony. I got my tropical plants together and put them on the floor: the coconut, the Sago palm and the umbrella tree. That's enough of a jungle corner in my little apartment, I guess! All that was needed was a funky chair, a comfy pillow, a favorite book on decorating by their side and it was done!

I love the way the colorful pillow stands out among the neutrals (and yes, I count green as a lovely neutral). I wasn't sure what kind of stool to add into the composition, maybe a retro Tam-tam stool to go with the retro song? But I finally went with the classic approach, bringing in the wooden stool, for a more organic feeling. Also, the natural color blends in with the plants. So there you have it, a jungle corner inspired by a song - enjoy the weekend!

  PS: You may want to read about my first decor inspired by a song here: The Mad Hatter home office was inspired by yet another silly song... it works like a charm ;)

A Simple Gift Wrap Made With Stamps

The best things in life are free! And this is my proof - look at the beautifully gift wrapped present I got from my friend Ana, the mastermind behind Uituka handmade notebooks. She chose to wrap the present in a simple crepe paper, yellow as the hot sun. Oh how I love the wrinkled texture of crepe paper! She also hand carved a heart-shaped stamp, which she used to personalize the wrapping paper. Thank you, Ana!

The Textile Vase

I think that no matter how much we admire their endless beauty, flowers are still underestimated. There is simply no measure for the wonder of flowers. Each time I take pics of flowers, I get lost... I could shoot them all day long (and then some more). So I always search new and improved ways to make flower arrangements - this time it's an impromptu fabric vase!

It all started with this wonderful  little pouch - a gift from my Norwegian friend Lisa from Lisa Sol. She is one extraordinary lady, who's love for beauty and keen eye for detail never cease to amaze me. She sent me the little pouch as a gift, after we just bonded on the Internet. Thank you, Lisa, one more time, I wish every one could see all the perfection of every millimeter of this little textile jewel!

My adorable pouch has got 4 large pockets, so I can store inside jewelry, colorful beads, small trinkets or anything my heart desires - in a very organized way! But I wanted to show off the pouch a little more, so I transformed it into a textile vase, the star of my tea party. I was very careful not to damage the pouch - see how I've done it at the end of this post!

The spring weather was rainy and sad, so when the sun finally came through I had this urge to celebrate. With cake. Chocolate cake, to be precise - lots of chocolate, please! There was a small Russian doll invited to the party, a hyacinth planted in my pink creamer and a china set from .... China, that my parents got as a wedding gift in 1975.

The centerpiece for this small tea party is made of spring flowers: freesias and tulips in assorted colors. They smell so fresh! I also made a little trick on the table - I put the textile vase up high on an upside bowl, just like a pedestal, in order to add some height for the little pouch and to make it stand out among the tea cups.

So here is the tutorial for making a textile vase. For this little project you'll need a bunch of assorted flowers, a fabric pouch, florist foam, a clear plastic roll and scissors.

1. Cut a cube from the florist foam and let it soak in water. Cut a large piece of plastic roll and wrap the wet florist foam, three times, so that the water never touches the fabric.

2. Cut all the flowers short and insert them into the foam cube. Start with the biggest blooms (in my case, the tulips) and spread them evenly. Fill in the gaps using the smaller flowers (in my case, I filled it up with freesias, until I had a round arrangement).

3. Insert the bouquet into the pouch - very carefully! Then close the pouch and never open it again until the next day, when you'll need to add a little water into the foam. Enjoy your unusual spring centerpiece!

Yay, the textile vase has just been featured at Smart School House, Creating My Way To Success, Handmade Cuddles and JAQS Studio. Thanks a million for the feature!

Linking up to these lovely parties.

And some of them require a backlink in the actual post, so here they are:

http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.ro/   http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/   http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.ro/   http://www.cedarhill-ranch.com/   http://diycraftyprojects.com

http://www.sew-much-ado.com/   http://www.elizabethandco.blogspot.ro/   http://thelifeofjenniferdawn.blogspot.ro/

http://www.houseofhepworths.com/  http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com   http://www.the36thavenue.com/

http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/  http://www.theartsygirlconnection.com/   http://www.somewhatsimple.com   http://www.commonground-do.com/   http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.ro/   http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

http://www.redouxinteriors.com  http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/  http://www.alittleknickknack.com

http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.ro/   http://www.504main.com/   http://www.atthepicketfence.com

http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.ro/   http://romantichome.blogspot.ro/   http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.ro

 http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.ro/   http://thefrugalgirls.com/  http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.ro  http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com  http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/  http://www.bystephanielynn.com/    http://diyhshp.blogspot.ro/   http://makingtheworldcuter.com/   http://betweennapsontheporch.net/