LoKoLo: February 2011

Saturday, February 26, 2011

My room - part II

It's been a while since I posted something about my "project" called "refurnishing my room". But it doesn't mean that I've not been doing anything on that. So here are a few sneak-peeks.

I have this radiator in my living room positioned in a rather visible place and I figured this could be a way to use it.

I bought those 3D cardboard letter patterns in a shop (approx. 5 EUR a piece, smaller one was almost 4 EUR) and I'm still thinking either decoupage them or no. Somehow lately I feel like going for clean colours and lines so probably I will stick with the white original colour. You can play around with shapes, sizes, styles and the content of the writing. The only thing I wanted to point out is that I am not using this radiator for the heating so I can not say if those cardboard letters are heat proof. Nevertheless you can attach a little shelf on the top of it to prevent the heat influencing them directly.

Then another trendy thing in the fashion design for the spring/summer collections of 2011 are tassels. So I decided to bring the fashion design into my interior design adjusting these tassels to the keys of my old new cupboard, filing cabinet and wardrobe though initially I got them to fix them to the cushions. I think these tassels add a nice touch.

I was lucky to find these beautiful Laura Ashley's fabrics in Riga in Abakhan Fabrics shop just for approx. 6 EUR a meter. Of course these are older collections but who cares :) I am thinking of using them when reupholstering the dining table chairs. Wall paper got in Laura Ashley and Heytens. I used it to refurbish the cupboard in my living room and the chest of drawers in the bedroom.

And last but not the least I bought a huge carpet:

So now it is about painting the furniture, reupholstering the chairs, attaching the lamps and... that's it I guess :)) And the funniest thing of all is that after the dining table was delivered and I had a chance to see it in my living room I decided not to paint it white - ha-ha - the reason why I chose to go through all these changes. Kind of portraying life in a perfect way :))

Life manual

Every time I forget what life's really about I listen to this Baz Luhrmann's "song" and many things fall back to their places :) Truly genuine.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…

Sunday, February 13, 2011

L'Arbre (The Tree)

"The Tree" - one of my top last year's movies. Beautiful images, touching story, great acting:

Hat off to little Morgana Davies playing Simone and of course to the director Julie Bertuccelli, as well as to the rest of the cast.

And the soundtrack. Grégoire Hetzel has definitely been inspired by Arvo Pärt's "Tabula Rasa" while composing "Speak to me" which made me come back to this fantastic piece.

And of course "To Build A Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson which actually brought me to tears when I heard it live last year's November in London, Albert Hall :)