Go Big or Stay Home

In case you are wondering what to do or where to go New Year's Eve 2016: my suggestion is to stay home with lovely friends and family and make a wonderful party night at home. Or, if you do go out, wear a giant piece of jewellery. Happy New Year!

Living Room After

 I am flat-out tired! And happy! Just in the nick of time. Today is Christmas party day. I spent the day gift-shopping and just as I was driving out of the Akropolis the framers sent me a text to tell me my other artworks were ready! Great stuff because the living room was like a girl without mascara and lipstick. Now, she is all dressed-up and ready for a party.

The red-frame, above, with the Modigliani look-alikes, are from Paris. When the husband was courting we took fabulous trips and one such trip was a weekend in Paris and I bought these two paintings from the artist himself on a bridge. I had them stored in a basket under my desk in my office and promised myself that one day I would frame them. Well, one day came. I went with this red and very modern frame. I think it works.

I may have mentioned this rug before. These are made from recycled t-shirts. They are made in Spain. I got them in Brussels. Basically, Fred (my dog) will die a slow and painful death if he pees on this here rug. I am not the one! (Well, those of you who know me know I am a push-over for Fred...)

I have started collecting ebony bowls from Zimbabwe. This one on the coffee table has some really nice carvings around the outside.

 These two other paintings are from a road trip we took to Lake Garda from Geneva. Again, the paintings were stored in a basket under my desk. These frames I had from my days in Washington DC. I bought some wooden frames at a thrift shop and spray-painted them gold. They were also hanging about in my Brussels office. The big matt idea is a favourite of mine. And actually, whenever I buy large Ikea frames I usually get new matts for the frames and I always go for small pictures in extra large frames set in large matts.

I also love the curtains which have been re-purposed. They used to hang in my Brussels guest room. I had them shortened by 50 cm. The ceilings in Brussels were 3 m high. Here in Vilnius the ceilings only go up to 2m 40. WOuld you believe the throw pillow covers are from Ikea? Yup! I love them. Incredibly cheap too. 4.99 EURO each!!!

The giant head...my favourite lady needs a more comfortable position. We'll have to see about fixing her. I think I told you before that she is made of resin...not plaster so she is not heavy, though she looks it.

The sofas are new. They are the replacement of my old big navy blue Ethan Allen sofa that used to be in my Brussels living room. Do I miss old big blue? Yay and nay. You know, I swore that sofa would always be with me because I loved it so and paid so much for it. But I want not to cling to things and so old big blue was sent off to the consignment store. These new sofas are from a store called Balthazar in Brussels. They are huge. They are almost 3 m long and we needed 6 men to lift it and we had to lift it through the dining room windows as they could not come through the foyer.

The living room is open plan and flows into the dining room. These two last pictures above are a sneak peek into the dining room. I'll post the afters of the dining room next week if I don't get swallowed up by work.Basically, most of my artwork are of women. I love women. I love the sisterhood. And I do not set out to buy paintimgs with women but I seem to just gravitate to them. These are some watercolours of women at work in the home, done by a Dutch artist.  I have six of these watercolours and I have hung the matching frame to this one in the geust bedroom. The chair blocks the view of the third painting in the frame. I asked for the paintings to be framed off-center and zig-zag. Am a bit nuts, I know. But I love the outcome.

The before. So, do we love it or do we love it? I friggin love it! Now, am off to put my sweet potato pie in the oven. It ain't a Christmas party at my house unless there is sweet potato pie invlved! Merry Christmas my darlings!!!!!!!!!

The "Don't Forget" Christmas List

If you're running around trying to figure out what to get co-workers or acquanitances who are close but not too close; or if you have a party to attend and you are  not sure what to bring, this little post had you in mind. If you have a crush on a nice chica, buy her some almost-expensive perfume like this "Portrait of a Lady" at number 4, and wrap it in newspaper and a pretty red velvet bow. The wrapping-gift combination will keep her guessing but put you in her good graces. If you have to go to a friend's house for a party and need a different kind of hostess gift, buy their little kid this knitted Santa hat at number 1. If you have to host a party, make an effort and get dressed up in a pretty little number like this Naeem Khan dress at number 2. And, if your're not sure what to bring your boss (male or female) alcohol is a good bet--even if he or she doesn't drink they can always serve the booze at their party and it's great if it comes with a cocktail shaker like this one at number 3.

Christmas Decor

I didn't buy a single Christmas decor item this year. I just dug into my stash from years gone by. Oh no, wait. It's not true. I did get those gold ornaments this year from Ikea. They're the only thing I got this year and I added them to my tree out back in the garden. Having decorated one of the pine trees in the garden, I now know that I am allergic to some pine trees. I will thoroughly enjoy this week. The lead up to Christmas is the best. Our Christmas party is this Friday. And I am busy making preparations and tending to little Hazel who caught a cold this weekend.

Red Lipstick at Christmas

And so it begins. I opened up the boxes with my Christmas decor haul. Right now it looks like Santa threw up in my living room. I know I mentioned it before, but I'll say it again: at Christmas time, I am on steroids. Wham's Last Christmas is stuck on repeat. And am doing this. There is no room in my home that will not get the Christmas treatment.

To start,  every year I buy a red lipstick at Christmas time. Mind you, I can't wear red lipstick just so you know. It's on account of my permanent moustache shadow. It clashes with the red, you see. But I buy a red lipstick so I can use it to scrawl "Merry Christmas" across the giant mirror in my house. And then I smear some of the red lipstick on my lips and give the mirror a few good kisses. The kisses are for my friends...not the mirror. I always need a new lipstick each year....

 When my midget comes home from school we'll have a go at the tree out back. It's all snow at the moment. So it'll be a bit tricky, messy, and just outright fun!

Re-Purposing Furniture

Do you remember this painting in the gilt frame? And me saying I was going to take the old painting out and re-purpose the gilt frame? Well, I did. When I went to the framer (Paveisklų rėminimas-- a little framing shop owned by an artist situated in the old town in Vilnius), the owner was very sceptical about the idea of using an old gilt frame for a modern piece.
 

By the time I returned to get the work, he was sold on the idea. It turned out very well. The art work is an original by a German artist.  I love it.

I also love the view from my bed. This is my vanity/dressing table in my bedroom. This used to be my desk which was in one of the reception rooms back at our house in Brussels. It actually makes for a nicer vanity than a desk, I think. I am certainly having fun re-purposing my furniture.

It's basically the week before Christmas and I am still in the midst of unpacking f urniture and unloading boxes. I am extremely lucky to not have to travel for work again until next month. Although I'll write law all this week, I hope to have some time to finish most of the rooms. It will all have to come together this week because next week I am having my usual Christmas party and I have friends, family and neighbours coming. It would not do to have people tripping over boxes and being stuck by stray nails, screws and pieces of broken glass. Seriously!

I fully intended to decorate one of the pine/Christmas trees in my garden last weekend ( I figure why buy a  Christmas tree when there are a bunch of them rooted in my back yard..) but instead I skipped out on that and spent a lovely weekend with in-laws. So I have a long "to do" list. I didn't even get to the part about the Christmas party menu as yet...can I even find all the ingredients in Vilnius to cook a Jamaican Christmas dinner...?

After: An Overdressed Bed

(All Photos From Ralph Lauren Home)

It's been 30 plus years since Ralph Lauren started his home furnishings and interior line, and I have to say that he is the only major designer that captures my attention with his home line. My favourite: his beds.

 I love any Ralph Lauren ad. campaign with a bed and bedding in it. Sumptuous spaces that make you want to dive right into the photo in your pjs and snuggle in. But I quite imagine that it must be a workout to ready the bed at night for sleep. There is so much linen and pillows and things.

So, what do I love about the bedding? The arrangement, the many layers of bedding, the use of different textures (but I bet they are all soft, even the ones that look like burlap...lol), the contrast in patterns and how it all coordinates, instead of being too matchy-matchy.

So, I set about copying Ralph Lauren home's bed-making skills.  Did I make it, or do I need more pillows? My new bed is made in Lithuania. In a city called Klaipeda. I've not been to that city as yet. It's on my list of things to do.  They told me it would be made in three weeks and it came in exactly three weeks. Am very happy with it.

I wasn't in love with the cream/butter colour on the bedroom wall and also the walls were quite dirty. So I decided to paint this room--which is now my bedroom. I knew I wanted a grey but with a hint of blue and I could not choose at the paint store. So I decided to buy a grey colour paint and buy some blue pigment powder at the art supply store. The room not only turned out to be a good colour but it also perfectly matches the shade of the new bed. Serendipity I suppose because I found the bed only after I painted the room...

 The bed comes with a comfy pillow top and the bed itself has a mattress contraption (system) which allows for storage in a little storage box that is housed neatly underneath the mattress. Totally retro. Something my great grandmother may have had. Love it!

Perhaps next week when it's all done I'll take photos of the rest of the bedroom. I am happy it's the weekend.

Now, onto to decorating the Christmas tree in my backyard...

Happy weekend.