My Apartment - the mundane, the stuff and the inspiration

Dear readers, unemployment gives you a little more time to do some of the things you never have time to do. But - don't make the mistake of thinking that you have plenty of time! Sure, you can move at a slower pace, and deeply appreciate life more, but the time will still speed by. So savior every precious moment and recuperate from the hectic pace. Soon enough you may have to return.

I'm making my apartment shine - the way I always wished I could, if only I had time. Though noisy, tiny and humble, I love my apartment! There are a ton of imperfections, but it's still my refuge. Where I come to recuperate and to experiment with color.

While on hiatus from corporate America, I've been moving slowly and with deep, deep reverence. I humbly offer a bit of the process. I have not been paying attention to the clock, so I cannot tell you how many days this process has taken thus far. I've been in the zone.

One day, I had the guilty pleasure of thrifting. What's so different about that? I often went thrifting on the weekend. What's different is - this time I went slowly. Can't remember the last time - or if I ever did that. Seems I'm always in a rush and my very long to-do list nags the shit out of me. Not this day. I left that bitch at home, next to my watch. I reveled in the immense joy of freedom.

I don't need possessions to make me happy, but I adore playing with baubles. Empty space is a vacuum. When I get rid of stuff, more stuff instantly takes its place. So I'm conducting a little experiment in reversing the order this time. Instead of getting rid of stuff, I'm allowing a few new things to come in - but I'm setting a limit.  I love the yellow glass vase so much, it reminds me of a piece on the set of Down with Love.

I've been adding a surprising amount of blue. The new blue vase was only $3.99! And matches my curtains perfectly! A happy accident! The chalice was made in India and cost $1.99. Looks divine with a tealight in it.

Inspiration for curtains:

From Elle Decor. See previous post here.

This collection came together by accident. Vintage Haeger footed bowl ($6.50) bought while having a blast thrifting with my nephews! Beaded hurricane ($4.99) from Salvation Army. I adore beads and want to incorporate more in my decor.

Inspiration for collection:

These lovely items seen in Domino. I made this collage in Picasa. I think it would look great enlarged.

Inspiration for beads and color:

I love the way Kim uses beads in her vignettes! She and I also share a love for Buddha statutes.

New pillows were cheap at Old Time Pottery, except for the one to the far right. A gift from my mom from Target. She said she just wouldn't be happy if I didn't have it to go with the new bedding she bought for my birthday.

The inspiration for the pillows:

My favorite cover of Domino. I love Prada's jewel tones. See previous post here.

Here's the bedding my mom bought. (Thanks, mom!) She insists I need lots of color to keep my spirits high. (See previous post about bedding here). I'm using more color than ever before! It's addicting! And I am not timid - I adore saturated and jewel tones. I don't really like the olive pillow, though.

The inspiration for the bedding:

Image PointClickHome. (I wish the stylist had edited the work boots.)  I feel like glamming the sleeping area, and I am totally crushing on edgy femininity. I'd like to have a chandelier. It was Pink who turned me onto chandeliers. I adore them.


This one from ShabulousCreations would do nicely.

Or, if we are getting all girly, maybe the pink one. Love it. Also from ShabulousCreations.  The bed needs a light color for balance. These shimmery pillows would work nicely.

Etsy user sassypillows.  I love textiles! For winter, the more the better.

I use pretty scarves to tie back my curtains.

And I love hanging purses on the wall. I'm surprised how girly my place is getting.

I actually ironed the curtains for the first time in my life! They've always bothered me, but I just never got around to it. Although, I am guilty of multi-tasking here. I am watching the President's speech on health care. Shame on you Congressman Wilson. And shame on you Nancy Pelosi. I thought you were presiding over the proceedings. You should have thrown his ass out. Barack Obama is the duly-elected President of the United States, it should go without say that his office is due respect. Now stop hating, you're not fooling anyone. We know it's racism, and racism is ignorant, wrong, boring, stupid and passe! And its time is just friggin' over, okay?

Please forgive my digression. I'm trying not to watch too much politics. I get a little passionate. Ahh - back to mundane.

For so long, I have been taking the simple tasks for granted. Now I am appreciating them. I love washing dishes slowly. It's a great meditation to contemplate the complexity of the movements it takes to wash dishes. I learned this meditation from The Buddhist monk, Thich Nat Hahn. Hahn's lessons in being in the moment, and enjoying simplicity, truly do bring peace of mind.  I scrubbed the bathroom. Microfiber is such a miracle.

And organized my closet.
And wondered, once again, why humans have so much stuff. My minimalist days are definitely over. But who knows what the future holds?

My work space needs attention. I'd like to have some industrial shelves, image via designspongeshop.  As for painting the apartment, and cleaning the refrigerator - I'm happily procrastinating about those things, with no immediate plans to complete either.  Stay tuned to see how it comes together. xxoo