My blog is worth $254,607.54.
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You had seen my office from the inside. But perhaps you might like to see it from the outside?
A modern interpretation of a Kasbah tower. My architect husband's doing. Three little floors, with her office on the top. 26 feet high. The view was something lovely:-)
See Skylar for a sense of scale.
PS Here today, gone tomorrow. Off to Cairo on assignment for a few days. See you over there.
Once upon a time in a real kingdom far, far, away, there lived a girl with her family in an olive grove. Now this girl had always dreamt of having a room of her own unlike any she had ever seen -- it would be high in the air and have a view of mountains and valleys around her. So she whispered in the ear of her handsome husband (who also happened to be an architect) her hopes and wishes. Convincing minx that she was, the husband scribbled and sketched well into the night. In the morning, he presented her with a scroll (okay, really a piece of loose leaf paper). On it was a drawing of …
Oh,
no need to tell you: you are already
there… [aka a glimpse of my home office......] I made my office bookshelves myself from lacy clay Moroccan block. I painted the blocks white and then "glued" 6 blocks together with white plaster to make each column. My magazine holders were red. I spray painted them white and then stenciled them with stencils from sweet Melanie's Moroccan stencil collection, for purchase here: I hand mixed the paint for my office walls: a little blue, a little grey, a little white.... The necklace hung around the ginger jar is from the amazing Deryn Mentock. I hang jewelry on everything because I can't wear it all everyday, now can I? Psst..........my whole home office is on darling friend Holly's Decor8 today. Take a peek here and let me know what you think.... * My sculpture was commissioned to spec from the uber-talented Caroline Douglas. I feel so serene just looking at her - she's a reminder to me to stay centered no matter how chaotic life feels at any given moment.
Oh my...........could they be any lovelier? Could they be any more talented? Could they be any more accommodating ?
Why blogger Melanie of Modello Designs and the new flock of Peacock Painters were downright embarrassingly good (and darling)..... each and every one of them.
And the sweet-baby-Jesus-pinch-me-but-it's-true things that they were doing..........
Perhaps 7 year old Skylar put it best when she said, "Mommy, I think I not only have the beautifulest room on Earth, but in the whole universe. Because I don't even think aliens in outerspace have rooms as pretty as mine. " (Cough, such rich inner lives in this family. Have you noticed?)
But you'll simply have to see yourself.................but not until the paint brushes have been put away.........
In the mean time, you had best start saving your pennies for Royal Design Studio stencils (nary an ivy vine or chickie/bunny in sight...........)
********************
PS I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for all of your kindnesses and support in response to my last little blog posting. Your comments and emails made me misty eyed and they made me brave. Please know that I have picked myself up, dusted myself off, and put the camel in the stable. I'm a lucky, lucky girl to have you. Shoukran.
When the special ordered lemon tile comes by truckload in orange
When the wood trim is accidentally chopped into small bits
When the boxes are opened to precious things broken
When the custom made windows won't shut
When the bathroom vanities are too big
When the plexiglass arrives scratched
When the marble counter is cut in two
When the beautiful dome drips
When there are no returns
and when there is no money
(Sadly, oh, sadly) When the husband puts his head in his hands and asks,
"Was this all a mistake?"
That's when, yes that's when, she wishes she could climb aboard a Marrakech camel and ride.......
far, far away...........
She was enthusiastic about paint. She liked matte, she liked semi-gloss, she liked glossy. But every paint has its purpose and she was looking for a water-based, eco-friendly, semi-gloss black paint for the doors in her own pavilion - so crisp. She set off feeling quite efficient to the paint store in Marrakech. (Now the paint store is a most generous description -- more like a hardware store with a counter where paint could be purchased. You asked for what you needed and someone would scurry around behind the counter and find it for you.)
Hmmmm.... she found that customers at the paint store were fighting for a single book with paint chips. The blogging girl did not like to fight - she was a pacifist by nature, you see. So she waited. And waited and waited. After some time she thought it best to start elbowing and snatching with the rest of them. Finally, with a sweat beaded brow, the paint chip book was in her trembling hands. Her finger tapped on the right black and she made her request.
But you see.......low VOC paint does not exist in Marrakech, it seems. And it is not possible to get black glossy or semi-gloss in a water-based paint. Seeing her shock and dismay, the head Moroccan honcho behind the counter leaned forward and said, "Oh silly foreign woman, simply mix oil-based matte and glossy together, and you will have the paint that you wish. Why are you bothering us with such trivial matters..........?" (Well, okay, he really only said the part about the mixing of the paints, but the blogging girl had an awfully good hunch about the rest.)
So she went home lugging gallons of matte and glossy paint. And she quickly assembled architect husband's small crew of men who were busy hammering and sawing and cementing and gave them instructions.
Two days later..........Voila, the world's blotchiest doors everywhere (sigh, she was so gullible) and no paint in shining armor in sight..........
