3/28/2012

The reality of a dream / Realitatea unui vis

Have you ever fallen into the trap of buying only something that's perfectly finished, flawlessly decorated, even when the thing you bought was not of necessary use for you at the time?
Well, I have to admit, I did. And I think home decor magazines (and not only them) are the perfect bait for such a trap, with all of those pictures lurking you into having "a dream life", a life of luxury even you can now afford... But if you can get a glimpse beyond that "dream life", you realize what you see is often overrated, and in the end the price you have to pay for such a life is... life itself.

What happened with home-made items, no matter how clumsy they're made? What happened with reusing and reshaping old things we don't use anymore? When did we decide effortless is the way for progress, and when are we going to stop lying to ourselves that just because we got that thing into our home in less than 30 minutes, that makes is cheap and affordable?

Well... these are just a few thoughts I have in my mind in the last few days. And because of that, when I shortly visited my favourite fabric shop - it's quite small, but very cosy and the owners are two very nice young ladies - I decided to buy a piece of printed fabric, very cheap just because during printing process,  areas of spread paint appeared here and there. I didn't have something specific in my mind for it, but I particulary liked the floral pattern, of a dark, indigo blue shade.

Later on, I thought: why not pillow cases? The fabric is sturdy, not very soft, so they should get quite nice. I also wanted them with piping edges, so I used in addition for each pillow case: four pieces of white cotton rope, four strips from an old T-shirt and three buttons from an old cardigan..
And the result? Two cheap 40 x 40 cm pillow cases, with floral pattern and buttons enclosure.
Pretty nice, I'd say!



Vi s-a intamplat vreodata sa picati in capcana de a cumpara un lucru doar daca era perfect finisat si impecabil decorat, chiar daca acel lucru nu va era si neaparat necesar la momentul respectiv?
Eu, trebuie sa recunosc, am facut-o. Si cred ca toate revistele de tip “home decor” (dar nu numai) reprezinta momeala perfecta pentru o astfel de capcana, cu toate acele ilustratii ce ne ademenesc catre “o viata de vis”, o viata de lux pe care pana si tu ti-o poti permite acum… Dar daca putem zari macar o clipa in spatele acelei “vieti de vis”, ne putem da seama ca de multe ori produsele sunt supraevaluate si ca, in final, pretul pe care trebuie sa-l platim pentru o astfel de viata este… viata insasi.

Ce s-a intamplat, oare, cu lucrurile facute de noi, indiferent cat de stangace ar fi fost ele? Ce s-a intamplat, oare, cu refolosirea si remodelarea lucrurilor vechi din casa, care nu ne mai sunt de nici un folos? Cand am hotarat ca lipsa efortului reprezinta calea spre progres si cand vom inceta a ne mai minti ca doar pentru ca am obtinut un lucru in mai putin de 30 de minute, aducandu-l acasa, asta il face si ieftin si accesibil?

In fine… astea sunt cateva din gandurile pe care le am in ultimele zile… Si din acest motiv, intr-o scurta vizita prin magazinul meu preferat de tesaturi – un magazine mic, dar foarte primitor, in proprietatea a doua tinere doamne foarte dragute – am hotarat sa cumpar o bucata de material imprimat, foarte ieftin doar pentru ca in urma imprimarii, vopseaua se intinsese pe alocuri. Nu l-am luat pentru ceva anume, insa mi-a placut mult motivul floral, intr-o nuanta inchisa de albastru-indigo.

Ulterior, mi-am zis: de ce nu perne decorative? Materialul este destul de gros, rezistent si nu foarte moale, asa ca ar trebui sa fie tocmai bun. Si pentru ca am vrut sa am si snur pe margini, am mai folosit pentru fiecare fata de perna  4 bucati de sfoara de bumbac, 4 fasii dintr-un vechi tricou si 3 nasturi de la un vechi pullover…
Rezultatul?  Doua fete de perna ieftine, de dimensiuni 40 x 40 cm, cu motiv floral si inchidere cu nasturi. Destul de simpatice, zic eu!









10 comentarii:

  1. Dear Roxana, everything is so beautiful in your blog!
    It really IS a space of pure art!
    I smile for myself reading the text.
    Ágree a hundred percent of course with all your thoughts. Thinking and thinking again and again about life and the way we live in...
    That is what makes us alive day by day...
    Your work...what can I say?
    It proves everything you say in your text!
    I pray for God to spread your words and your work for many people more!
    Thanks for your gentle way of thinking and working and for the grace we can know about them...
    Love from Brazil!

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  2. Hello, Roxana. Maybe I misunderstand the meaning of “luxury”, but “true luxury” means “great comfort” to me, not the expensive, beautiful surroundings. A (just) luxury thing might give us pleasure for a while but is not always necessary. I admit there was a time when I was trapped by such a prey you pointed out, but as I get older, I ‘ve become more selective. (Oh, I'm getting better with age!) The richness of the handmade and homemade things is incomparable, and the life with it is “true luxury”. I treasure my favorite things regardless of the price, which has become my way of life, I think. I agree with “vera”, that’s why I introduced your blog to some of my Japanese close friends. Spreading life philosophy with your needle works, isn’t it so uplifting?

    Yoko

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  3. Hello Roxana,

    You've made nice and cool pillow cases. I like this simple but lovely pattern and its color. With a little idea, you can make one of a kind out of inexpensive materials.

    I used to know this pleasure. Since when my sawing machine has been "in no service" and my knitting machine was thrown away.

    Once when the cloth of our old sofa frayed, I made sofa cover out of a piece of printed fabric whose floral pattern and color I liked. I made it by draping and I have to say it was quite slipshod piece of work, still I remember a change of atmosphere it brought and I was quite satisfied. I made them a few times.

    Though now I'd like to make my lifestyle as simple as I can, maybe an excuse for my laziness, this blog is a reminder I shouldn't spare time and efforts to add this kind of personal touch.

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  4. Dear Vera Luiza,

    Thank you very much for your heart-felt words! As usually, you are very generous in appreciating and supporting me and my work, and this is very touching, as well as rewarding for me!
    In my daily life, I'm trying to go by a simple principle: to do things the best way I can, no matter if I'm doing it for myself or for somebody else. Yes, there's also a downside of this - the misleading drive towards perfection, which is impossible, I know - but I'm still learning...

    My warmest wishes and have happy days ahead!

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  5. Hello, Yoko!

    I don't think you misunderstood the meaning I meant for "luxury". I am referring to that luxury we see in glossy magazines, with perfect arrangements, and perfect details, and perfect matching of the colors, which rarely give the reader that feeling of a warm, steady, "lived" house. The feeling of "this could be our home". For me (and I'm not saying this should be valid for everybody!) they're just a beautiful cover, over a hollow core. And a very expensive cover!

    I liked your "translation" of luxury - great comfort - and I totally agree with it. I too treasure my favorite things and lately I tend to think a lot of the price things in my house came with, before I decide to replace them with others new. And I'm not referring solely to the financial aspect. For example, when I came back from England, I brought my dearest things with me, among which... a table with chairs of solid wood. Not only because I liked them, but also because I treasured the tree(s) they've been made of, even though the transport was like a second payment for them. (apparently I'm not getting better with age, only crazier!).

    Thank you very much for introducing me to your friends, it is an honor for me and I'm not using big words! Yes, it is uplifting to see that people resonate with what I write and work and I'm also grateful that all of you share with me your deep thoughts and feelings about it!

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  6. Hello, cosmos!

    Thank you very much, I'm happy you liked the pillow cases. To be honest, the pattern was the one that "conquered" me, also the fabric - very sturdy, the type of a "lifetime companion". Somehow it didn't seem fair to have such a cheap price, only because of a few paint spread areas.

    A sofa cover? Wow, sounds like a big challenge! I'm sure it came out really nice, even though it was not perfect, because it was lovingly made by you, for your family and home, using materials of your taste.

    I wonder if a simple lifestyle may be a sign of laziness. I don't know, but I like to believe it's a sign of maturity and deep understanding that we don't need too much and/or too fancy to be truly happy.
    From my experience, too many things tend to keep you tied up in one place and make a possible decision to move on, very hard to make.

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  7. Szusszanás, multumesc!
    Asa zic si eu, destul de. :)
    Basca ieftine si usor de facut!!

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  8. Hello, roxana.

      Your heartwarming work provokes my impression.
      The passion for the art.  It is universal.

      Thank you visit to the garden of the cherry blossoms.
      The prayer for all peace.

    Have a good weekend. From Japan, ruma ❀

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  9. Hello, ruma.

    With all you do, you truly are a prayer for all peace! Your calligraphy, your words, your pictures are nothing but gentle suggestions towards a life in contemplation, calm and equilibrium.

    Thank you for your visit and appreciation!
    Have a good weekend!

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