Jesus Is Like A Mounty?

Kudos to my future aunt-in-law (do they have those?) for finding this movie. I'll let you know if I ever recover from laughing and can breathe again. "ZAP!"

Hommina Hommina

I miss my orange bedroom. Perhaps it was was the way light danced across the paint, reflecting warmth and a "welcome home" vibe, but It was actually stress relieving just to walk into the room.

"If I could, I surely would" copy this design of Jeffrey Bilhuber. His choice to use drapes the same color as the wall surprised me, but then decided that it felt as if the warmth of the orange was free to envelope you rather than remain confined to the walls.

People always grimace when I say that I love to decorate in deep color-- specifically orange. But it doesn't have to look tacky. And if you're thinking, "dear me, that's WAY too much orange," there's always this option:

Bed Cravings

Robin egg blue bed found by RoomLust

While on the subject of expense, I would like to scream a few words. Ahem. CHEAP BED FRAMES ARE TOO EXPENSIVE TO BE SO UGLY! There, now. I feel much better.

Thankfully, the alternative is to make my own. Plywood, 2" foam, batting, fabric, some nails, covered buttons, a'couple hours of work, a good staple gun, and voila: the classiest, coziest, squishiest, I-want-to-sleep-there bed you've ever seen. It's the DIY trend, apparently. Hopefully I can pull it off. Of course, it would be a lot easier if... a certain someone... would perhaps... help? (Please, Mom?)

The Expense of Purple

I know you've all heard that purple used to only be for the elite class and that it was really expensive, blah blah blah. I now know why.  From 1600 BC to the Caesars, purple dye could only be produced from--get this-- the mucus of mollusks, and took 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of dye. 

The Mollusks were only to be obtained from one place: fathoms underwater, clinging to the rocks of the northern shore of Israel, which in ancient times was the location of Phoenicia. It is fitting, therefore, that the word Phoenicia literally meant "land of purple." To learn about the difficult process of acquiring the mollusks, read here. 

In Rome, the dye was called "Tyrian purple," because the purple came from the city of Tyre, located on the northern coast of Palestine. It is this purple dye that was used in textile furnishings of the Tabernacle, for the sacred clothing for the High Priest, and for use in both Solomon and Herod's temples in Jerusalem. 

And, a note to my blog-- Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purple-dyed silk garment, because it cost its weight in gold. Sheesh!

As if From a Storybook

Yesterday Dylan and I had a conversation about what certain peoples in Europe were originally famous for. France, we decided had the monopoly on art, Italians for architecture, Germans for music and philosophy, and the Brits for literature. Everyone copied their neighbors of course, and we may be completely off about who originally came up with the "best" of things, but it was just a brief conjectured conversation. 

While discussing architecture, though, Dylan mentioned German castles. "I've seen a ton of great castles in France," he said, "but nothing like the ones in Germany." I quite agree with him. 

I really hope that someday I get to see Neuschwanstein Castle; it is oh so lovely. And how could any castle have a better setting? Look at those mountain ridges! "Mmm*, can't beat that."

* "Scotch tape? What is wrong with you, Kathleen?"

What I learned at school today

Take a look at Cleopatra's family tree. Hello, inbreeding! Whew, that is one messed-up family. 

I have this thing for cranberries

Ask Dylan what my favorite thing to drink is, and he'll probably say "raz-cran" or "cran-raz," which are two separate drinks. "Raz-cran" is raspberry-cranberry juice from concentrate that I buy at the grocery store and hoard in my freezer. "Cran-raz" is short for "Cran-apple-raz" MinuteMaid bottles of juice that I buy on campus when I'm having a bad day.

I love all things cranberrry: bread, muffins, tarts, juices, fillings, beverages, sherbet, heck-- I even love the color and the band.

But king of them all is the beloved cranberry sauce. I usually will eat two whole cups of it over Thanksgiving, just with a spoon. And lucky me, I've already purchased a bag of fresh cranberries to transform into the delectable stuff. Mwahahahahhahaha! It's gonna be good. Especially since it's MINE! MINE, ALL MINE!*

*"you can't have any, you're too young."

Q: How can I spice up a boring space?

A: Fake architecture. In this case, they used paint as well (which helps,) but even if you can't paint, you still have other options. My favorite example of fake architecture is the use of a freestanding mantle that doesn't cover a fireplace. You can either buy one, or make a shelf out of a giant picture frame and a board. Some fake-fireplaces have mirrors in the spaces, and others are just empty, or have other things layered inside such as pictures, branches, or flowers.


A: Fabrics. Not only can you find color solutions from pillows and throws, but you get instant coziness as well. Fabrics and soft textures make an environment seem both more relaxing, and inviting, and rugs add dimension to a room. Without fabrics your room will feel stiff, austere, and much less comfortable.

A: Texture. Right along with fabric, textures will add dimension to your space. Stay away from too many smooth surfaces, and try for wicker, cork, bent metal, or thick wool. Rough pages of old books also can provide texture. Of course, my favorite use of texture still has to be using newspaper for wallpaper. Mmmm, that's nice.

A: Living things. Add plants, flowers, or a parakeet to your space. They'll add color, and freshness, and won't look like they were factory made. Living things within a space extend their life to the space itself, transforming a static room into something unpolluted and vibrant. Besides, aren't we encouraged to "go green?" Buy a plant. Not to mention that if you have a plant-- you could also get a colorful bin to put it in-- which would give both dimension, pizazz, and aha, you guessed it, more color.


A: Don't neglect lighting. Overhead lamps flush everything (and everyone) out, give the appearance of an institution, lower the appearance of the ceiling, cause harsh glares, and do nothing to make a scene intimate and cozy. Use more lamps: direct light toward the ceiling instead of the floor, and buy "warm" lightbulbs, by which I mean to use incandescent light instead of halogen or fluorescent.

A: Create a sense of harmony. There are several ways of doing this, but the easiest are to A) use light, medium, and dark tones, and B) "gradation" which is the use of progressive sizes of the same object, like nesting circles that get larger and larger in a linear pattern across the wall. Also, I present to you concepts c and d. C) Use natural shapes like circles, ovals, or patterns. D) "Like kind" objects can lump a space together; the phrase tweaked slightly will illustrate-- "opposites distract." Harmony is a harder concept to envision, but rather simple to remember-- small, medium, large, and light, medium, dark. Ta da! Harmonius space.


A: If you wish to make eyes pop, there are three easy ways of doing this. 1. Paint a catchy color on the wall, 2. prominently display a round mirror or large-clock on the wall (the eyes of all will instantly dart to it, I assure you), and 3. use complementary colors. Some think it is faux-pas to use both red and green in a display, or blue and orange, but it can look quite attractive with the right hues.*

*Authors note: I did paint my room pumpkin-orange in high school, and I had slate-blue carpet. No, I did not plan this, and while I don't recommend it-- at least it didn't clash too terribly with the orange.

I Want One

It looks like snow. :) And you'd never guess-- it's baby's breath!

Crimson & Champagne

My wedding colors are: cream, champagne, and crimson. Here are samples of just exactly what champagne and crimson are, as I don't think anyone has a question of what "cream" is.

Nobody Tells Me What I Can and Cannot Do

Dance Audition Tonight!

Photo by Robert Doisneau

I'm auditioning for SPAC tonight (back-up folk tour team). Three hours of Israeli, Hungarian, Ukranian, and clogging dance styles. Wish me luck!

Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul

You Can Do It

It's Cheaper to Shop on Weekdays

Last night I visited two schmancy stores in the mall. I bought myself a pair of skinny-cut corduroy pants, color gray, and a crossover navy sweater. Pants: $14. Sweater: $11. Baby blue t-shirt for Dylan that will bring out his eyes: $5.25. 

Man, am I good. 

I'd Love A Pair, Thank You.