Decisions, Decisions

I have a handyman coming over to fix a hole in my kitchen ceiling (mind you, I paid a plumber $125 already to get that hole) and, while he’s there, I've given him the task of moving my kitchen light over to be centered above my table, rather than in a random spot in the middle of the kitchen. Yes, since the previous owners took out the island, the placement of the light makes no sense ...

So, I’ve narrowed my choices down to these two. And I have to decide TODAY. On the one hand, yay, I get to go to IKEA tonight (girls’ night out with Elisabet); on the other hand, I have to actually make up my mind and bring one of them home.



I like the simplicity of the top one—easy to clean, and it matches the stainless steel in my kitchen. However, I like the sassyness of the bottom one, but will it be too much to try to keep clean (you do know that my kitchen is covered in olive oil, right).

Decisions, decisions …

Lost Little Fishies

So, as a single mom, working full-time, I don’t have anything better to do than to … do something more, right … ? Right. Because, I don’t have to cook and clean and work and do laundry and cook again, etc., etc., ad nauseam. Hence, I’ve decided to do another closet project. This time, I’m taking on the smaller of the closets in my bedroom and making it into a … wait for it … OFFICE! Yes! Well, actually, not so much an office, but more like a studio. A closet studio. Or would that be a studio closet?

Either way, this is what I’m starting from.


the left side—not too bad, except that bookcase is coming out


straight ahead—a tax preparer’s dream


supposedly there’s a floor under there somewhere

In preparation for this great undertaking, I slowly started moving some things from this closet to any other available space. Did I mention I was doing it s-l-o-w-l-y? As in, “Ooh, what’s in this box?!” This, of course, is followed by the opening of said box.

Imagine my great surprise when I found my ceramic fish!


I haven’t seen these little fishies since I moved to the apartment five years ago. I’m so excited I get to hang them this weekend … and I bet that’ll take much less time than emptying the rest of that closet …

Christmas Shopping

So, this happens to me every year when I set out to begin my Christmas shopping ... I don’t have that many people to shop for, and I try to limit how many things I give my girls (still under the illusion of Santa Claus, right), so, it should be fairly easy, right? Right. With a lose plan I head to the mall ... or Etsy ... And I end up ...

“Oooh, I’ve wanted these for so long. I’m getting them. For me.”

“Oooh, I think I need these, so I’m getting them. For me.”

“Well, the girls need to think Santa remembered me, too, so I’m just going to get this. For me. Eh, I mean, for my new collection.”

Needless to say, I still have to go shop for my girls, and a few other people. And maybe I’ll just pick up that thing for myself. You know, that thing I really have to have.

Sigh.

P.S. You can find more lovely earrings by my dear, talented friend Ginger here. Check your local stores for memory blocks by Sid Dickens.

My favorite color: Pink

So, there is not a whole lot of creativity coming out of me lately. But there is a whole lot of pink appearing around the house ... but mostly just in the eyes of my children. We have been battling pink eye for a week now. Yeah, fun, not so much.


Here’s to a pink-free week to the rest of you.

Color Me Happy

This month, the lovely artisans of Etsy’s Best Kept Secrets is discussing color. Is it important to me? Does it influence my designs? The short answer is, yes. I’ll quote myself from my Etsy profile:

“I have always been fascinated with color and form. When I was little (just a few years ago, of course ... eh-hum!), I colored just about anything and everything. Since my mother was an artist, I was blessed to always have paper and coloring books, pens, markers and crayons handy.”

I love working with colors, and I’m blessed to have a full-time job that involves color and form. I have incorporated the same principles into my jewelry designs, pairing my favorite colors and stretching my imagination trying to color outside the lines. But not only that, I have gone from being a girl who wanted every room in her condo white to incorporating just about every color on a color wheel on the walls of my house.


Looking back at what I have created, I see that I tend to gravitate toward the same color combinations over and over again—the same colors I like to surround myself with on a daily basis: blue and green (both colors are in my bedroom), pink (my youngest daughter’s bedroom) and purple (the brand new color in my foyer), gray and black (this fall’s favorite colors to wear). But I also use more yellow in the pieces I make—and the layouts I design—than I would ever wear on my person (yellow is just not my color … and yet I just painted three walls in my dining room a golden yellow).


But, is color the only thing that inspires me? No. When I design pieces, I start with the focal stone and depending on the shape and the color, it may end up taking me in a completely different direction than I had first planned.


Take the gorgeous oblong kyanites below: Normally, I would have paired them with green garnet or Prehnite, but this time they were really calling out to be paired with yellow. Yellow? I must have been homesick at the time!


Is color important to me? Does color influence my designs? Yes, it certainly does. Even when it takes me in a surprising direction.

Something about cashmere

Yes, I could definitely go for one of these cashmere scarves from Restoration Hardware (I know, it’s a little funny). The two grays seem to be the colors of the season, and ones that I personally am drawn to more and more. But then, the black is classic, right? It would go with everything. And what about that garnet one? I have a winter white coat, need I say more. Decisions, decisions!

Bedroom Issues

So, I’m on a quest for a new bed. I was so set on one from IKEA, because it’s dark (almost black, which is my preference), it’s nice and, of course, very reasonably priced (read: downright cheap!). But then I started shopping around ... I guess I shouldn’t have, because now I don’t know which one I want. Yes, the one from IKEA is still the best option financially (meaning, I could actually go get it this weekend), but should I let money decide on something that I will more than likely have for a very, very long time?

OK, so my three choices are:


The Hemnes bed in black/brown from IKEA. Very simple, very inexpensive, solid wood.


The Brighton Coffee bed in dark brown from Crate & Barrel. Nice details, solid and engineered woods, reasonably priced.


The Plateau bed in dark brown from West Elm. Minimalistic (is that a word?) design, solid wood, very simple, no need for box springs. But do I really want to give up my box springs? And, it’s only available online ... but I really like it.

You see! So, what’s a girl to do? Maybe I'll just go buy myself that zebra-print chair instead. After I paint the foyer and hallway, of course.

Psst. What did you think I was referring to with that title?

On My Wish List

I need something in my kitchen. Something to sit on and something to possibly keep the clutter from collecting on the counter tops. Something like this from Pottery Barn.


I want my guest bedroom to serve as a ... guest bedroom! But I also want it to be my studio, once I finally get back into making jewelry. The full-size bed that now lives there makes it impossible to fit a desk or anything else in it. So, it’s a good thing I fell in love with this daybed from Crate & Barrel. My future guests may not appreciate the pull-out trundle, but it’s not like I have enough overnight guests to warrant a whole bedroom set aside just for them, right. *hint, hint*


I’m also trying to make a serene spot out of my living room, which is virtually child-free (there’s no TV in there). I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg (since I’ll need those moving all this furniture around), so I’m leaning toward a sofa from IKEA. How long do you think it’ll remain white?

Wish I could write this clearly

What color are your toes? Mine are …

To buy or not to buy, that is the question

I saw this chair quite a while ago and decided it would look great in my foyer. It just happens to be on sale right now, so the question is: Do I get it now, or do I wait and run the risk of it not being available later?

What is is with me and bags?

I get email updates from lots of companies … daily. Sometimes it’s annoying. Actually, most of the time it’s annoying, but I still don’t unsubscribe, because you never know … right. So, I have a few favorites even though I rarely, if ever, can afford to actually buy anything from them. One such company is Sundance. Yeah, this just popped in my inbox today:


So, what do I zero in on? The bag. The suede bag. *head desk*

Isn’t it just fabulous?

Can I have it? Please. I’d even take the yellow one.


I didn’t mention that I just recently bought a bag, did I? A suede bag. But, it’s black, so maybe I need a blue one?

I need help.

Belated Tales of Blessings

I know some of you already know, actually, most of you probably already know, my long tale of acquiring a house. I prayed and waited and waited and prayed and I was finally blessed with the house I had claimed as mine for over four months. I cleaned and spackled and sanded and spackled and cleaned and painted and cleaned some more. At long last, I was able to move in the day before Thanksgiving, but the work didn’t stop there. I bought a new water heater, a new toilet, had the garage door repaired, had a shower faucet repaired, had a gas line moved, a brand new stove installed, a brand new dishwasher installed, electrical wires uncrossed and a house fire averted. It’s been a busy three months—and pictures are long overdue—but I’m finally sharing two of my Christmas-decorated rooms with you here.

Here’s wishing you a truly blessed 2010! In my camp, the year is off to an equally busy start as the last one ended.

Dining Room

Living Room

On My Wish List

Restoration Hardware


Sundance Catalog


Bijoux d’Odalisque on Etsy


ArtonCrafts on Etsy

Too little time ... or not organized enough

I have apparently totally neglected my blog for months now ... oh well.

P!nk hair

No, not quite, but I think P!nk has fabulous hair—just look at this! Well, she looks fabulous all over, but I’m really tempted to go short on my own hair and thought this was a great look. Do you think if I get this haircut, I’ll get that flat stomach, too? No? Drat! Well, I’ll settle for the hair, then.

I am so looking forward to this!

My Budding Artist

Both of my daughters love to draw and color, and in typical fashion I get all kinds of artwork to put on my refrigerator. Some good, some ... well, let’s just say they get filed somewhere else. These two, however, will not go on my fridge, instead they will eventually—hopefully soon—get framed and displayed in my new house. Elisabet did these in her 3rd grade art class. Her monster is so dark, and yet so lovable and original. But I especially love her self-portrait, the way she sees herself.

Life Lessons by Regina Brett

Regina Brett’s 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
by Regina Brett
Sunday May 28, 2006, 10:13 AM

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here’s an update:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

A Modern Bathroom Tale

A dear, dear friend of mine sent this to me and I had to share. I do not know the author, but it was definitely a woman. And probably British. Enjoy!

When you have to visit a public toilet, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it’s your turn, you check for feet under the cubicle doors. Every cubicle is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the cubicle. You get in to find the door won’t latch. It doesn’t matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern ‘seat covers’ (invented by someone’s Mum, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your bag on the door hook, if there was one, so you carefully, but quickly, drape it around your neck, (Mum would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!) down with your pants and assume “The Stance.”

In this position, your aging, toneless, thigh muscles begin to shake. You’d love to sit down, but having not taken time to wipe the seat or to lay toilet paper on it, you hold The Stance. To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser.

In your mind, you can hear your mother’s voice saying, “Dear, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!” Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday—the one that’s still in your bag (the bag around your neck, that now you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do, so you crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It’s still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn’t work.

The door hits your bag, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest and you and your bag topple backward against the tank of the toilet.

“Occupied!,” you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, while losing your footing altogether and sliding down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it’s too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper—not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try.

You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because you’re certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, “You just don’t KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.”

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl and spraying a fine mist of water that covers your bum and runs down your legs and into your shoes.

The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force and you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You’re soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You’re exhausted. You try to wipe with a sweet wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can’t figure out how to operate the taps with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it?) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman’s hand and tell her warmly, “Here, you just might need this.”

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used and left the men’s toilet. Annoyed, he asks, “What took you so long and why is your bag hanging around your neck?”

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with any public restrooms/toilets (rest??? you’ve GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers that other commonly asked question about why women go to the toilet in pairs. It’s so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your bag and hand you Kleenex under the door.