In no particular order:
I picked up this wood carving of Ganesha and two elephants on my last trip to India (my husband's parents are in Bombay, so we try to go every year.)I remember standing in the expo where we bought it, staring at the 20-odd different designs of carvings to choose from. The proprietor- normally very attentive- had long since given up on the idea of helping us decide (we went back three times and spend at least 20 minutes each time!) And once we did decide my husband had to carry it the mile or so back to the house- the piece is solid and weighs 5-10 lbs.! And then cramming it into my suitcase...
But I got very good at packing when my in-laws presented me with a gorgeous Noritake china set -about 50 pieces, without packaging- on my first trip. I'm proud to say that I packed all that china- tea set and all!- in dirty socks and underwear, checked it in and got it home without losing a single piece! HA!
Also in the list of things I've lugged back from India and love all the more for it:
This solid brass hanging elephant head. It's sort of like a door knocker, but with a bell instead. Again, weighs a ton...This carved and inlayed side table:
Actually, my husband brought this back as a present the first year we were together. (He thought since we weren't engaged it would be best to go without me!) But boy did he make up for leaving me behind!
And then there are the moroccan bowls:
Which my aunt gave me as a bridal shower gift. I love these bowls.... LOVE THEM! And with that love comes the conflict of what to do with them: Do I store them safely away so they will be safe forever? Do I display them on the wall and risk them getting knocked down? Do I actually USE them?? I've opted for the last so that I can see them every single day, and I use them as fruit bowls.
This is the small one overloaded with clementines!And in that same picture is another of my new favorite things.
My kitchen chandelier! Between the faceted bulbs I put in there and the abundance of crystals, it casts SUCH a pretty light! You can see the pattern the bulbs throw on the ceiling in this picture, and at night there are prisms all over my kitchen! In the summer I'll take off the red shades and swap out the red cutrains (in the previous picture) for some crisp cream colored ones and lighten the whole thing up.Another light I adore that transitions nicely into my golden obsession:
This was one of the first purchases I made for the new house. I bought it at Home Goods with a gift certificate my grandparents gave me as a housewarming present. I must admit that I would never have spent over $50 of my own money on a table lamp, no matter how pretty it was! And yet I happily spend $100 plus for chandeliers without blinking... go figure!Another gilt-obsession satisfying, gift card provided purchase:
This adorable side table from Pier One. A friend gave me a gift card as a thank-you for watching her puppy for a week, and I found this table on sale for under $30! The best part?
It folds up!You pull up on that ring and the whole thing folds flat to be stored behind a couch, or hung on the wall until you need it again! That's perfect for me since I'm continually rearranging the furniture to accomodate varying social gatherings (in a couple weeks the couch will be moving into the kitchen to make way for a banquet table for a 12-guest dinner my husband is hosting!) This table fits perfectly in any available spot where a cocktail may need to rest.
And I do so love sparkley things... !Well, this list could go on and on, but that's enough for one sitting!
ON ANOTHER NOTE:
There's a poplular saying around here in New England that you may have heard before: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." I've just had a perfect example of that. Literally five minutes ago it was a beautiful, bright sunny day, and now?
More snow!! And coincidentally, that view is also one of my favorite things! (preferably minus the snow...)
No comments:
Post a Comment