A Beautiful Book

And because I'm in the process of designing wedding invitations for friends, as I mentioned in my previous post, I want to show you one of the most extraordinary illustration books in my home. This is the classical story of the Day-dawn Fairy written by Ioan Slavici after a Romanian folk tale. The uber-talented illustrator is Madalina Andronic, also Romanian - but you can see this for yourselves in the depiction of our traditional embroidery of the national costume. Madalina takes the Romanian design and transforms it into a smashing show of vivid color and fantastic imagery. And now I'll just let the images do the talk :)

Bedroom Light

"Here comes the sun, little darling... Here comes the sun... It's alright (Tananananana...)" is the first thing that comes to my mind. A song to celebrate the sun. After 4 weeks of really dark skies, after yesterday's snow, came a little sunshine to brighten up my day. And my mood (now that I have the fever, I might use the cold remedy tea sooner than I expected). I had no time to prepare anything with a Christmas touch, as I was already running late for work, so I just snapped some pics with the light slipping on the bed cover and onto the wall.

On my nightstand (a re-purposed, moved around the house powder blue Ikea Lack coffee table) there is all the goodness in the world. The stuff that dreams are made of: a children's book with wonderful illustrations by a Romanian artist (entitled "The Day That Mr. Sleep Ran Away") - check!, a pocket-size handmade journal with red polka-dot fabric and coptic bound in turquoise wax thread (from the days when my friend Ana and me were only fantasizing about opening our Etsy shop) - check!, tap dancing metal plates - check! and an old handmade bookmark - check!

Just looking at these pics makes me smile - who knows when are we going to enjoy another sunshine day like this? The weather prognosis is dreadful, so all I've got left is the pattern the light makes when it comes crawling onto the crochet pillow and the orange bed sheet. Note to self: need to change them soon and figure something else for the upcoming Christmas celebration...

Opposite the bed is that one DIY project that never bores or disappoints me - my beloved purple plum accent wall and the vintage cabinet I inherited from my grandfather. I've got my childhood turntable and my favorite vinyls in there, plus a plethora of matryoskas and other ethnic dolls collected over time. Far in the back, the Burberry style cardboard boxes. I already grew tired of that look, so I need to paint them soon!

Random Happy Home

Pheew! Now that my Advent Calendar is up, there is only one thing to do: prepare for Christmas! I look around my little apartment and I see how the colors of the Fall make way to the Christmas fluffiness (it's all about the fluffy side of life with me!). Some things change, and some stay the same, like my princess lamp  shade next to the purple plum wall in the bedroom.

The chrysanthemum in a tea cup: soft lavender, turquoise and peach for a little November vignette. 

The neon pumpkin looks even shinier than before and is currently serving as an organic bookend. 

Full fluffiness ahead: the cats' favorite nap spot: a giant jute beanbag and a sheepskin pillow in the shadow.

More mums on the coffee table, the last days of glory for my Halloween gallery wall and a lovely mess drowning in a sea of colored dots. 

Cuddle In November

With this first photo I wanted to participate in the November Challenge from NIB. But I was too late :))) For me, cuddling means tons of big, soft pillows. In here, you can spot the second beanbag, identical to the one in the bedroom and a sheep skin pillow, keeping warm on chilly nights. I was just about to settle in and study a beautiful album on cinematic composition, when my orange cat Junior occupied the beanbag like it was his rightful place! Well, who can complain - a beating heart, a fluffy coat to pet and a roaring mustache is perfect for cuddling :)

I just can't resist this impromptu photo session and more pics are in order. The orange autumn are sitting pretty next to a soft pink rose. All these flowers were a gift, hand-picked from a real indoor garden and I arranged them in the chalk-paint vases that I made earlier this year. This combination of pinks and orange and lavender makes my heart sing with joy.

On the wall, there is a striped tapestry keeping warm for the cool months of the year. I am still debating weather I should apply it with starch and make some sort of wall-covering. I love the mix of natural textures, with the delicate petals, the wooden herringbone floors, the sheep skin and the wool. Speaking of which, here is a pic with a view of the floor :) As for me, I am going to put the kettle on and make some jasmine tea.

Behind The Door

Behind the door to my bedroom, there is a cozy reading spot, ready for the cooler days of Fall. I've got a stack of photography books and some new novels which will keep my heart pumping high with excitement. The whimsical teapot is spreading a jasmine aroma all around the room. The traditional rug I just bought in my last trip keeps me warm, as well as the white fluffy pillow. 

I've taken up the challenge from Hege (Hege In France) and her friend Efrat (Cafe Veyafe) to post one picture taken behind a door. This made me think of the long list of scenes I've shot in my home in the same style. I've never posted any of them until now, but I intend to publish them from now on, because I think they are quite charming :)

Jungle Kids Art

I am a hopeless thrifter - I admit, so shoot me now! I rarely buy something new, but every once in a while the thrifting fever hits me and I go running around town, hitting every second hand shop that I know of. My storage is full of old lamps in need of some serious TLC, queer tableware, crooked stools and little boxes (which I am gonna restore - someday soon). This time, I went out there and got back with a set of four jungle scenes. There's the giraffe, the puma, the elephant and the black and white zebra.

Until they will get a new use, they are sitting pretty in my craft room. I don't actually like the designs - well, except the elephant family at the water pond, they are darlings and I also love the turbulent reddish color and the composition. Anyway, my grand plan is to use those square canvases for a higher purpose. Maybe a stencil project? Maybe a neon craze? Some mixed media 3D art? We'll see about that.

Meanwhile, I've paired the jungle art with a pink Lucite coffee table and some nesting art albums in complementary colors. Please notice Chagall, my favorite visual artist since childhood <3.... The kids theme works great next to the faux wallpaper. There's something charming about bicycles and giraffes together, I must draw them someday :) And for a complete mix and match, I added a 3D puzzle of the London Bridge (thank you, Roxy!) and a crochet wooden stool made by yours truly. Long live the eclectic decor style!

Mad Hatter Home Office

So many friends ask me where I get the inspiration for my colorful decor.

I'll tell you my secret: DECORATE WITH A SONG!

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

I was listening to this "Who The Fuck Is Alice" parody and the child in me instantly thought of the one Alice I love. It's Alice In Wonderland, my second favorite story book when I was just a little girl.

I felt inspired to make a little cheery home office in an unused corner of my home, using the Mad Hatter poster that I already owned.

The Mad Hatter's ginger hair was the same color as in the song's video - so I naturally went with a black and orange color theme in order to spice things up. Needless to say, I just used items around the house and didn't buy anything new for the home office corner.

The Moroccan leather pouf was in the bedroom, the orange Tam-Tam stool and the crazy golden hat were in the happy entryway. I've had the sad little ceramic mask since I was 18 and it follows me everywhere I live. The cute little white lampshade is thrifted and it just sat around the house.

One little thing: I like to place a mirror next to my notebook - so that I can have a magical window while I'm endlessly surfing the web.

That's it, folks! I think the song is over by now, and so am I.

Bookmark No 2

I love paper crafts. I love paper! And color! Look at the materials I've used - it feels like kinder garden again :)

I didn't have a lot of inspiration, so I thought I just might reproduce the pattern from the Spring Trees free printable. Draw the pattern on a piece of paper, trace it on the back of the origami paper, cut the paper following the outline and glue it carefully.

I've made 20 bookmarks for a family reunion. I just wanted to give them a little something to celebrate the day. Everybody grabbed one, even my old aunts in their 80's!

Click here to read about my first bookmark - a Christmas present.

Happy Happy Joy Joy! I've been featured at Candance Creations - thank you sooooo much!!

How to make a spring vignette in 5 minutes

Vignettes are my ultimate decor challenge. I am NEVER satisfied with the final outcome. But hey - you know what they say: "Practice makes perfect". So I practice, practice, practice again and again. I've become slightly better at it. And a lot quicker.

So here is my tutorial for a vignette anyone can create in just 5 minutes.

Step one: Find your inspiration.

Choose one item that you truly love and work your way around it. It can be anything: a nice painting / photo, a color, a vase, a book. Anything - but you really really have to love it, because everything falls naturally into place when we work with something dear to us. And if we try to star something that we THINK is great, but it's not really our personal taste, then it's gonna feel pointless and it's not gonna work for us at all.

I just had these wonderful spring bulbs - all bloomed up and no where to display them! So they were the stars of my spring vignette.

Intermission: let me stop the tutorial for a moment and really enjoy these beauties:

Step two: Look for color coordinated stuff right in your home. 

Choose everyday items, don't try to overdo it. I went with books, because I love to decorate with them on all occasions. Then I also grabbed some boxes from my study, because they were right under my nose and I have to finish in about 5 minutes. And the blooming almond branches by Van Gogh has been one of my favorite paintings since I was 8.

A little tip: 

Not all the stuff has to be the same color, it will look too matchy-matchy. Instead, go for some neutrals that will loosen up the vibe. My books are mainly green, but there are also a purple one, a grey one and a brown one. I only had one green box, but the other two are also light brown. Neutrals are the key to a care-free vignette.

Step three: Make an "A" shaped arrangement. PLAY.

I guess you all know the rule about the triangle disposition of your vignette items. I tried different ways to arrange my flowers and books. I tried to top with the daffodils, then with the art book. Then I added the boxes at the bottom, for extra height on my "A" shape. I love an elongated outline :)

At the bottom of your vignette, feel free to add any little knick-knacks you like. They don't impose on the overall image, so there are no special rules.

My tips:

Don't try to be extremely symmetrical, it will look too stiff. Move the tip of the "A" shape a little to the left or to the right.

Make sure that the height of the "A" shape is a lot bigger than the lateral sides. This will provide an ascending  feeling to the viewer and your vignette will look more ... artistic.

So there you are. Not bad for 5 minutes work!

Bonus pic:  This is what my spring fling looks from a distance. 

HOORAAAY! I've been featured at Romance on a Dime, Mushki Loves, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The Artsy Girl Connection and Hating Martha :) Thank you very very very much!