Let's Dance

cover by M. Ward

















Oops, I did it again...No, I haven't been listening to Britney Spears (god forbid). I bought another Navajo rug. (Here's the first one I got.) I really wasn't supposed to spend any money...but it was pretty cheap and I couldn't resist. I really want a house chock full o' these suckers someday, and seeing as our apt is super tiny, I have pretty much have achieved that goal till we move somewhere bigger eventually!

And, to be honest, I broke my spending rule because the more I continue to decorate the space around me and my family with things that I love and that speak to me (and the bf and his son), the more I (and hopefully they) enjoy each day and time spent in our apt! It brightens my days and cozy-s up my nights! It seems so silly but it's absolutely true. Thinking back, I didn't really experience that in my childhood home, so this is a relatively new revelation for me.

Growing up, neither of my parents was into decorating for the simple sake of beauty or even personality (they still aren't). We just had what had been inherited or was plainly useful (and they kept everything forever). I have a complicated or maybe just odd relationship with "things" perhaps as a result, something that has been changing in positive ways over the past several years. Anyway, beauty and connection make such a real difference, not just when it comes to ethereal things in life like relationships (as I was taught when I was young), but also when it comes to "things." They really do. I realize that most people probably knew that all along! Ever since my bf and I moved in together 5 yrs ago, I feel like I am creating a real HOME for the first time, and home is extremely important to me. (My sign is Cancer.)

Now I will be on a for-reals shopping moratorium for a while, but that won't stop me from looking around...hard not to since I spend so much time online for/during my 2 jobs...and it's almost just as fun to look anyway!

Always See Your Face

by Love

I got a gorgeous vintage woven rug from Venezuela for Christmas from my amazing and thoughtful friend Kelly, and of course, my cat took to it immediately, as cats do with delicate and precious things that lie on the floor...





































Despite hooking several threads in his over-eager claws and the laborious process of fixing the poor rug, I couldn't adore this little bugger more. And the rug is super fab too, now decorating the floor next to our bed! Love waking up to its super cheery colors!

Save Me a Place

performed by Vetiver






















I die for this rug. Seriously? Seriously.

My Love Will Never Die

by Otis Rush (best vocal ever, right?)

















Would absolutely love to have an incredible Kuba textile like this one decorating a wall in my home someday!

Evangeline

So thrilled -- after passing on this Navajo rug due to the high price, I scored this rug tonight on ebay for a lot cheaper, and it's exactly the sawtooth pattern I wanted in the first place! Glad I held out. So I guess my collection really starts here.












I also received and hung this pinecone garland over our bed tonight. Our apt is getting lodge-ier by the second and I'm loving it! (A busy Friday night, no? ;)

In the Lost and Found

by Elliott Smith
This song has been stuck in my head for 2 days straight!






















Been eyeing this Navajo rug on ebay the past few days. It's small enough to fit in our apt, which is saying something! And the serrated pattern is pretty great. Still, the price isn't great and I need to try to resist for now. Someday when I have a larger, hardwood floored home I dream of covering it with Navajo rugs, though. Tempting to really start my collection now!

I have a beautiful Native American rug in my bedroom on the wall already, and, as I research Native American textiles more and more, I think it could be a Chimayo rug. And, oh, I got the most gorgeous Venezuelan rug for Christmas from a dear one! Pics (with the cat, who took to it instantly, and unfortunately) to come! It's raining textiles in our home! :)

I Put A Spell On You

by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Oy vey, this freakin' blanket is making me crazy! It's wayyyy the wrong season to buy something so outlandishly expensive and not needed for ones' self...but I am so fully tempted!






















Crap.

Let's Move To The Country

by Smog






















My apartment's decor is something that happened organically, just me gathering things I loved (and that the bf approves of!), until I realized one day finally where all these textiles, rich colors and woodsy influences actually came from! It was a head smacking moment -- of course! I was inadvertently recreating in my own small way the interior of the Ahwahnee Hotel, an important sentimental place for myself and my family.

Anyway, I'm thinking of changing a few things for the better. The bf and I have a Native American rug hung above our bed, sorta like the one above, and two cheap wrought iron sconces with candles on either side. I am thinking of switching up the sconces, replacing them with these rustic beauties from etsy:






















I've also had some garlands draped above the rug (from Daiso, my favorite Japanese variety store, originally!) that are tiny pinecones, star anise and cloves twined together with gold thread, but after a few years I've realized they don't stand out enough, and that if you are not close to them, they actually appear to be bits of dirt! So I am considering replacing them with real pinecone garlands, now that they are more readily available since it's almost the holidays. I like this one:















If I lived out in the country I'd probably make my own, but seeing as I'm city bound, without any outings to pinecone country planned any time soon (sob!), I may just purchase one instead.

Above all, I want my bedroom to be as warm and cozy as possible, considering it is a dark, popcorn ceiling-ed cavern. I guess gussying it up to be reminiscent of the Ahwahnee is my small way of making it feel like home.

p.s. Isn't this song so romantic? I love it! Hadn't heard it in a while.

Fight Test

Love these shoes from Osborn Handcrafted! Such beautiful fabric! This company's products have been making the rounds on the 'net, but now these beauties are on sale.

Angel

Not in the mood to appropriately match the post to music today! More in the mood to just stick what's on my mind there instead...Can you tell I'm tired?












Such a sweet little charm bracelet!






















And such a lovely tea towel!

















These napkins are pretty fab too!

p.s. where can I watch the Tusk documentary in full?? It's a seemingly lifelong quest.

Tapestry

Spectacular bags made from textiles, mostly from Thailand! Check the pom poms! Obsessed!