Random Happy Home

A lazy home is a happy home! Colors are clashing together; toys, potted plants and tiny things keep piling up everywhere; the cats look wonderfully furry against the cold weather outside. Lots and lots of good books to read. Friends are showing upon my doorstep at least twice a week for game nights, in spite of the happy mess. I couldn't ask for more :)

Above you can see my messy reading corner in the home office. It consists of a neutral bean bag and a pile of books and boxes. I love the way the patterns come together: the Ikea pillow, the traditional rug and the bicycle pattern of my DIY faux wallpaper. And since I bought lots of bulbs last October, we've had hyacinths blooming indoors all winter long :)

My kitty Anais in her favorite spot: next to the kitchen window, where little doves are nesting. On the kitchen shelf, take a peek at my expanding collection of spices and herbs. This little horsey thinks he is a unicorn - I've got a plan to add a small horn and make him into a real one...

Apart from trying out new recipes (involving lots of veggies and lentils), I've been secretly drawing new patterns. My friend Miguel encouraged me to doodle till I die. Now I never leave home without my sketchbook and it feels so good!

More random pics from the happy home: the orchid buds, feathered blue DIY box on my desk, more colors and pattern mixed in the bedroom (including another gorgeous traditional wool rug) and the whimsical owl gift bag, the inspiration for a future DIY project called "Free art for your walls". To be continued :)

Random Happy Home

Hello, friends! I want to welcome you with a snap shot from my kitchen counter. We've got a pot of rose-hip (plus a zucchini for dinner). The rose-hip grows in the wild, is full of thorns and makes great tea, full of vitamin C. 

A colorful view of my desk, in complementary shades of red and green. This Prague poster never ceases to amaze me. If I close my eyes half-way, I can picture myself lazing on the balcony with a cup of coffee. The poster has been sitting above my desk for the last four years, but it works every time!

I've still got the brown bottle centerpiece and the wonderful dried herbs in subdued colors. Actually, on the balcony there is a box full of these wild herbs left over from this project, so I'm thinking of using them for another project. Maybe a Christmas wreath?

Retro decor in the home office. A pale blue wooden stool, topped with a matching gingham hat box and a vintage mushroom lamp. The cracked herringbone floors, my DIY faux wallpaper and Anais the cat complete the picture.

Yet another night view of the origami Igloo Village (my Advent Calendar for 2013). I wonder if I could place little tea lights inside the igloos in a fire-proof way. Or maybe try with a string of Christmas lights?

Last but not least, a selfie from work. Once more, I am dressed like the Christmas elf! This has to stop :))

Random Halloween Home

Hello, friends, this is a special version of my traditional "Random Happy Home" series, dedicated to the upcoming event. A holiday which has no history in my country, but is currently extremely popular in our shopping malls, cinemas and supermarkets. Nevertheless, I am happy to get inspired by such a generous theme and to freshen up some details in my Romanian home. The first pic is an update on my DIY witch lamp, sitting pretty above some seriously scary books from Agatha Christie.

Next, just a little reminder that nothing goes according to plan. Specifically, I wanted to revive my favorite Halloween project from 2012: the skull miniatures. Yes, yes, my friends, forget about the witch lamp and its successful journey through blogoland. THIS is my favorite DIY and I wanted to recreate the vignette this year, in order to practice on my photo shooting technique. But as soon as I got started, the sun hid in the clouds and the cats attacked the little black bunting, so all I have is this pic.

And let's not forget about the neon pumpkin (also from last year - I can't believe that I had all this time and energy to come up with so many silly projects!). I admit that this photo is not from right now, since the gourd has started to melt on the side... but for quite a while, we've had the most unusual book stopper :)

End of story.  I must leave you now, the blues and oranges of real life are fading into the fairy tale illustrations of Romanian artist Madalina Andronic, whose book I must study now. Intensely. Good bye!

Almost Ready For Halloween

If I am not mistaken, there's only one week left until the haunted night of 2013 :) My busy schedule didn't allow me to properly prepare like I did last year, but I still managed to prepare a little vignette. You know me, I don't make or buy something new unless I absolutely have to. Recycling and reusing are right up my alley, so I dug up the DIY pictures from last year's Halloween gallery wall. Of course, I chose the spooky black cat (completely understandable since I live with two crazy felines).

As always, color gives the main feeling of Halloween: the blacks, the yellows and the oranges. This is one of the rare occasions when I get to pair the camel leather Moroccan pouf with the shiny Tam Tam stool. The yellow mums were a present from my boyfriend. And if you're wondering about the rug... it's been in my family for generations. It actually belonged to my great-grandmother. I remember this beautiful rug in my grandma's kitchen, where nothing bad could have ever happened. My mom washed it for me and I'll surely post a lot more pictures of it in the months to come.

Random Happy Home

Right now, home is where my dinner is! There are no more berries in the farmers market place, so I bought these from the supermarket, instead. They taste good... In the photo below, you can see a strange party on my kitchen counter. The wooden rabbit and the black sheep have been drinking tea... ever since last Easter! Behind them there's an unconventional art: I just put 3 book signs in a single frame. I made the book signs myself with scrap paper, but I only showed you the turquoise spring trees.

I don't have time for proper cooking anymore, as I waltz my way between two jobs. Lucky for me, there's a little take-out right beneath my flat, called "The Feast Of Gods". They serve real cooked meals and I mean they have only traditional Romanian meals. So the shelves are piling up with stuff, just like in any other corner of my [once wonderfully organized] home. That's why the parsley jar sits forgotten behind rows and rows of glasses, bowls and coffee cups. I can barely reach the curry jar, for emergency cases only!

All is well and quiet in the living room. You can see scattered pillows everywhere - mostly for the comfort of my cats. They have an amazing capacity to sleep all day, so the big pillows are put to a great use. To tell you the whole truth, there is another reason why I don't put some of the pillows away. I am so busy and tired that if the evening hours catch me on the sofa, I just doze off into oblivion. Then I wake up the next morning and go directly to work, without having touched the bed :))

And last but not least, there's the lovely sight of the happy entry way. I've spent a long time hand painting the retro wallpaper and I was afraid I'll get tired of it too quickly. Oh well - four years have passed and this vitamin nook still brings me joy each morning, when I put my shoes on, choose a colored handbag and head out for a new day.

Chaos On The Bedroom Wall

Holy moly! I can barely remember how to edit a post! But here it is - just a peek from my bedroom, where unfinished projects keep piling up (pun intended). Having two jobs has left me with no more time for pretty much anything else, hence this mountain of unfinished business. Hopefully, I shall complete them before Christmas :)) 

So what have we got here? A tree branch, which was supposed to be a beautiful pink magnolia DIY project. I stuck it in an old vase, which is gonna undergo a groovy paint job. My cardboard cubicles, painted white almost completely. A box filled with fabric scraps for future gift wrapping projects (because I LOVE mixing paper and fabric). And the washi tape moodboard, slowly but surely sinking into oblivion...

Random Happy Home

First of all (and second! and third!) I have to thank you, friends, for the love and support! I was overwhelmed! I honestly didn't expect anyone to be aware of my post, after such a long absence! But it felt... heavenly! After reading all your comments, I made a promise to myself to post as much as I can from now on, in spite of the challenge of my second job. So let me start with my newest acquisition, pictured above: a granny lamp that all my friends hate and that I simply adore :)) 

Many of your comments mentioned the colors of my flat. As you know, I don't think at all about color, because to me, color has always been there, like... well, like the air! I just take it for granted. So this is a light and dark study of my small balcony, full of color, seen through the door from the living room. Complete with a checkered blanket under Madalina Andronic's lovely painting :)

I just took this photo this morning. Yesterday I had a terrible day at work and I was feeling miserable. My boyfriend knew that and he surprised me in the evening with the last pink peonies he could find in the market place. He was sad because the peonies looked kinda "plucked", so I shot them in the morning in order to show to the world their true beauty. The right bottom one was just a bud yesterday and it flourished over night! 

And since this is MY blog and I do whatever I want to, let me add my love Anais to the party. I'm afraid I am still terribly in love with her, after all these years! All you pet lovers have to understand me, right? Just as she was napping in the warm morning light, all curled up on the Moroccan leather pouf, completely ignoring the rest of the world... I felt my heart shrinking with tenderness.

Last but not least, a fuzzy pic from the bedroom. I took it on a rainy day, just before I removed the plants from their winter shelter. I am pleased to report that we've had hot weather for the last month, so all my "silent green pets" reside happily on the balcony. Except those who cannot stand too much sun, which are still on the window sill in the bedroom. So long, friends, I've missed you more than I was aware of and it's great to share this with you again!

Random Happy Home

The days are [finally] longer and brighter, it's time to make an action plan for the next... two months, let's say. There are so many things to be mended in my little apartment! The sockets are coming out from the walls, some shades need cleaning, some doors need repairing and my balcony could use a new coat of paint. Design-wise, my head in full of projects, so I will rely once more on the washi tape moodboard to keep all my decor inspiration organised, right in front of my eyes.

Spring brings new life on the small balcony. My plants - or "silent pets" as I usually think of them are preparing for the growing season. Soon, I will start fertilizing  which means that the warm season is open :) The Oxalys has risen from its ashes with new purple leaves, more beautiful than ever. The Sago palm is having new baby leaves and life is good again!

All is well in the bedroom, as well! More light comes through the windows, so the room seems more welcoming to me! Each time I clean the floors, I keep anticipating that sweet May day when I'll remove the rugs - because in the summertime I let the herringbone floors speak for themselves. And in the far distance you can see some of the plants which live by the window, because they are to fragile to return on the cold balcony...yet!

I hope you don't mind one more pic with the Easter tree and the matching blue lamp. I just couldn't resist! Sometimes I fall in love with my pics, usually not with the same ones as everybody else's favorites. But taste is a personal matter, this little wonder called "blog" is all mine and I do what I want to ;)

And on a personal note, I'm working on wedding invitations for friends.... Believe it or not, this graffiti album has been one of my main inspirations for the process. The photos are filled with bold color and unexpected composition, which keep my mind in a very creative mood. I hope your homes come back to life, too!

PS: This post has been featured at Simple Home Life and One Project Closer, thanks a million for the love and support!

Random Happy Home

Dear friends, I really hope that the weather is good for you (wherever you are) and that you'll get to celebrate Easter on a Sunshine day. As for us, we are under 10 cm of snow :))) Never mind, this is bound to be the last snow of the season - and the optimist in me still thinks the snowflakes and the white roofs are beautiful!

Inside, everything stands still. I was much too quick to proclaim the re-birth of nature. Thank God for the beautiful flowers, they help me put on a smiling face each morning. And since winter is back and it looks like we are light-years away from the next summer, I just made a snowflake shape out of origami paper boats!

Looking around my little home from certain angles, it surely looks like a winter retreat. The big pillows are still stacked next to the teapot, the reindeer coasters (a Swedish gift from my mom) are more beautiful than ever and we use tea lights on the coffee table. 

And I just can't finish this post without another look at the stunning orchids, so beautiful and majestic in their simplicity. They bloomed again a couple of weeks ago and  I can't seem to get enough of them. I hope you all have a great week and that your homes already receive plenty of sunshine!

Space Saving Tip: Double Duty Laptop Table

Good Monday, everybody! Today I wanna share a little tip for those of you who live in a small space, just like me. Use a simple laptop table as a coffee table, a side table or even a night stand, if it suits you. A small living area doesn't have to be ugly and it doesn't have to be cramped. That's why we need to edit a lot and to keep visible stuff to a minimum. Out with a zillion knick-knacks, in with a small display on a tray, a cabinet or a side table.

I guess you are all familiar with the Ikea laptop table. It comes in many colors (mine is black, but you can have it on red, white or blue) and it's very handy whether you surf the net from your couch or directly from your bed. I really like it, but every now and then, for a week or two, I don't use it that much. That means that the laptop table occupies some space in my little apartment without serving a purpose. So I just use it as a minimalist side table.

When you live in a small home, every square foot matters. Think outside the box and don't hesitate to assign new functions to your pieces of furniture. This item, for example, can serve as a laptop table in the weekend and as a side table during the week, if you just need a place to display pretty flowers for as long as they last. Which reminds me to add another pic of the pink azalea :)

Update: I want to send a big Thanks! to Abbie from Five Days, 5 Ways, to Lauren from If It's Not Baroque and to Sarah from Sarah Dawn Designs for featuring this post :)