It is October 9 today, so what do you suppose I am doing? Other than writing this post, of course...
I am snuggled up next to my fireplace (DVD) and listening to Christmas music, you idiot!!! I can't believe you wouldn't guess that. It is beginning to make me wonder if we are really friends, what with me doing all the talking and stuff.
For real though, the weather around here has been a little strange this year. Last week, over the course of three days we saw daytime temperatures in the 80s hover around freezing at night. I'm no meteorologist, but it was a little extreme for my liking. At this time of year, I tend to prefer crisp mornings and chilly evenings, separated by afternoons that are conducive to scarf-wearing, but do not require a coat. Anyone else agree?
Anyway, I cannot blame the weather for the title of this post. Frankly, if you are going to keep reading, I had better get to the point, hadn't I? Well, my impatient little chickadees, here is what started it all:
B-E-A-UTIFUL Moroccan style bedrooms! Before I knew it, my Pinterest "Dream Home" board was covered with images of Moroccan themed rooms, furniture and pieces. For years now (just over three as of October 3, in fact!), Habibi has called me his "Desert Flower" because -as you well know- I am beautiful and Arabic and exotic and rare. Anyway, I figured since I am a "desert flower," I needed a space to reflect that.
Understanding full well that neither of the above rooms can be reflected in an apartment, I looked for creative ways to re-create the ambiance they solicit. I also wanted to make any and all changes mobile, so that we could bring the look to our next residence. For instance, we don't have a fireplace in the bedroom, but we could refinish an old wooden chair and paint it that vibrant burnt orange color. We don't have a four poster bed, but we could manipulate our current bedding to make the room seem sumptuous. We can't paint the walls in that aqua blue-green, but we could paint the furniture and use interesting knick knacks to evoke an oasis-like setting.
So, this summer, I set about doing just that. From our storage space in my parents' basement, we swapped a few things. We got rid of the headboard and replaced it with a couple of interesting bedside tables: an old orange crate and a Mediterranean style drum with cool carvings on the sides. I even brought out the old oil lamp (music box) that my grandparents had, as well as the pair of Moroccan shoes my grandpa got during WWII when he was stationed in North Africa. (Ask me about that story another time....) We bought new sheets, repainted a few decorative items and updated the bedside lamp to complement the new color scheme. So far, things were coming together rather well!
About a two months or so ago, I "reserved" my parents' garage space for the weekend of October 5-7 so that we could haul our dresser down to their place and paint it. With this -our biggest project to date- on the calendar for weeks, we held off on everything else.
On October 2 over a gift-carded dinner at Olive Garden, Habibi and I convinced each other that we really didn't need to paint the dresser right away. I mean, we would be taking part in our annual tradition of moving in the end of January. Plus, there was a kickball tournament on Saturday and a trip to the pumpkin patch with our friends on Sunday. Also, I was beginning to reconsider the Moroccan theme in favor of a cobalt blue and white color scheme. Since our bedspread is more of a khaki color, I didn't know how to work the Moroccan colors around/into it; we aren't about to buy a new one since this one was only purchased about a year ago, just prior to our last move. So the blue and white might be easier to incorporate.
Logic. Sound logic.
So, our dresser stands naked, devoid of that perfectly distressed look. It lacks interesting scuffs and chips in the paint, but more than makes up for those "imperfections" with ringed cup stains and wood-colored wood. Our bed has bright colored sheets that are still OK for the room, as it currently has no theme whatsoever. Our bedspread sits on the floor most nights (and days) because it is too hot to sleep beneath it. The gorgeous handmade quilt that replaces it is one size too small for our bed, but covers both of us adequately, so the bed is left "unmade" eight days a week. Our "cubeicals" (canvas drawers on shelves) still match our old color scheme (wine, brown, sage) and accent the room with a garish clash of color. And yet, somehow, life has managed to go on.
Also, we don't care. Suck on that, Pinterest!
So, now that the room decoration project is complete, what room do you suppose I should not decorate next?
I am snuggled up next to my fireplace (DVD) and listening to Christmas music, you idiot!!! I can't believe you wouldn't guess that. It is beginning to make me wonder if we are really friends, what with me doing all the talking and stuff.
For real though, the weather around here has been a little strange this year. Last week, over the course of three days we saw daytime temperatures in the 80s hover around freezing at night. I'm no meteorologist, but it was a little extreme for my liking. At this time of year, I tend to prefer crisp mornings and chilly evenings, separated by afternoons that are conducive to scarf-wearing, but do not require a coat. Anyone else agree?
Anyway, I cannot blame the weather for the title of this post. Frankly, if you are going to keep reading, I had better get to the point, hadn't I? Well, my impatient little chickadees, here is what started it all:
B-E-A-UTIFUL Moroccan style bedrooms! Before I knew it, my Pinterest "Dream Home" board was covered with images of Moroccan themed rooms, furniture and pieces. For years now (just over three as of October 3, in fact!), Habibi has called me his "Desert Flower" because -as you well know- I am beautiful and Arabic and exotic and rare. Anyway, I figured since I am a "desert flower," I needed a space to reflect that.
Understanding full well that neither of the above rooms can be reflected in an apartment, I looked for creative ways to re-create the ambiance they solicit. I also wanted to make any and all changes mobile, so that we could bring the look to our next residence. For instance, we don't have a fireplace in the bedroom, but we could refinish an old wooden chair and paint it that vibrant burnt orange color. We don't have a four poster bed, but we could manipulate our current bedding to make the room seem sumptuous. We can't paint the walls in that aqua blue-green, but we could paint the furniture and use interesting knick knacks to evoke an oasis-like setting.
So, this summer, I set about doing just that. From our storage space in my parents' basement, we swapped a few things. We got rid of the headboard and replaced it with a couple of interesting bedside tables: an old orange crate and a Mediterranean style drum with cool carvings on the sides. I even brought out the old oil lamp (music box) that my grandparents had, as well as the pair of Moroccan shoes my grandpa got during WWII when he was stationed in North Africa. (Ask me about that story another time....) We bought new sheets, repainted a few decorative items and updated the bedside lamp to complement the new color scheme. So far, things were coming together rather well!
About a two months or so ago, I "reserved" my parents' garage space for the weekend of October 5-7 so that we could haul our dresser down to their place and paint it. With this -our biggest project to date- on the calendar for weeks, we held off on everything else.
On October 2 over a gift-carded dinner at Olive Garden, Habibi and I convinced each other that we really didn't need to paint the dresser right away. I mean, we would be taking part in our annual tradition of moving in the end of January. Plus, there was a kickball tournament on Saturday and a trip to the pumpkin patch with our friends on Sunday. Also, I was beginning to reconsider the Moroccan theme in favor of a cobalt blue and white color scheme. Since our bedspread is more of a khaki color, I didn't know how to work the Moroccan colors around/into it; we aren't about to buy a new one since this one was only purchased about a year ago, just prior to our last move. So the blue and white might be easier to incorporate.
Logic. Sound logic.
So, our dresser stands naked, devoid of that perfectly distressed look. It lacks interesting scuffs and chips in the paint, but more than makes up for those "imperfections" with ringed cup stains and wood-colored wood. Our bed has bright colored sheets that are still OK for the room, as it currently has no theme whatsoever. Our bedspread sits on the floor most nights (and days) because it is too hot to sleep beneath it. The gorgeous handmade quilt that replaces it is one size too small for our bed, but covers both of us adequately, so the bed is left "unmade" eight days a week. Our "cubeicals" (canvas drawers on shelves) still match our old color scheme (wine, brown, sage) and accent the room with a garish clash of color. And yet, somehow, life has managed to go on.
Also, we don't care. Suck on that, Pinterest!
So, now that the room decoration project is complete, what room do you suppose I should not decorate next?
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