Lifestyle: Does Your Favorite Room Have a Name?

Is there are favorite room in your home where you go to relax, retreat, block out the rest of the world, or share a special space with someone?

OK. Before I get started I just want to say that I know what a casbah is.

• It’s a fortress in North Africa (and in some other parts of the world). It is a unique medina or Islamic city and the Kasbah of Algiers is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• “Casbah” is a word that I have heard in movies and in music. I watched an old movie, released in 1948 titled “Casbah” (1948) and it was set in Algiers. There was also a song I liked during my teen years called “Rock the Casbah” . Will Smith sampled it on one of his songs. (Will Smith feat. K-Ci’s ‘Will 2K’ — Discover the Sample Source)
• Casbah is also spelled kasbah, qasba, or qasaba.

When I hear the word “casbah”, I usually associate it with something really cool!

When I’m talking about casbah in this article, I’m going in a completely different but still cool direction from the usual meaning of the word and how it is commonly used.

JUST FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME.

Everybody likes to read articles or watch TV shows about the personal lives of celebrities. I kind of like shows where they show the homes where they live. The late Gregory Peck and his wife said they liked to spend time in a room in their house that they called “The Casbah”. It’s a place where they retreat.

Just then I had “Ah hah!” moment. I thought to myself:

‘It would be so cool to have a room in my house that I could call ‘The Casbah’.’

The best part would be decorating the room.

There would be thick rugs and huge comfy pillows. The décor would look Persian.

Yes. I know a casbah is a fortress and there are famous casbahs that are located in Morocco. Morocco is in northwest Africa and Persia (now Iran) is in southwestern Asia.

But it’s MY CASBAH! So if I want to decorate Persian or Iranian style, I will. LOL.

8 Inspiring Decor Ideas from Iran: This article says to use copper pots, some handwoven baskets, various types of hand-stitched cloth, sweet-smelling flowers, decorative rugs, and a Poshti (a decorative pillow for your back). (FYI. There is an excellent selection of poshtis on Etsy.)

At present, I live in an apartment with my sons. But if I ever get into a home again, I plan to have a home office/casbah. Yeah well! I figure I won’t be able to afford a house where I can have one room for my home office and another for a casbah.

Have you never named a room in your house?

• What is your favorite room in your home and why?
• What Your Favorite Room Says About Your Personality

Thanks for reading.

Original Source

Holiday Shopping: Pomanders and Potpourri Gift Ideas

Pomanders started out as small cloth bags that people either wore to hide body odor, or hung in a room to mask unpleasant smells. The cloth bags are still around, though people generally don’t wear them anymore. ( – Too obvious?) Instead, a non-cloth (ceramic or glass) pomander is filled with fragrant blossoms, herbs, and spices, etc., and can be found in the rooms of private homes and public buildings.

These containers can be very beautiful. Much like paperweights, one could consider pomanders as precious objets d’art (objects of art). It can also very enjoyable to create your own potpourri scent fillers and place these containers in different places throughout your home. People often fill them with dried rose petals, jasmine, lavender, eucalyptus, and various other aromatics. 

What is your favorite potpourri mix of scents?

Do you have a favorite pomander you fill with your favorite combination of scents? 

Pom1 ~ Royal AlbertRoses Dove Bird Pomander by Old Country

Pom2 ~ Christmas TreePomander Ball Ornament by Spode

Pom3 ~ New PrimitiveFarmhouse 6 CHRISTMAS POMANDER ORANGES Fake Orange Bowl Filler VanNimwegen

Pom4 ~ Gilded Scented Pomander – Thymes Frasier Fir (Alternate shopping link)

Home and Garden: Sharing My Fascination With Bonsai Trees

 Are you fascinated by bonsai trees? I am.

Did You Know:
The word bonsai means “tree in a flowerpot” or “tree in a pot”?

The Japanese adopted the art of growing miniature trees from the Chinese.

Its origin is traced back to Zen Buddhism when Chinese monks developed the dwarfed trees in monasteries as a spiritual practice to inculcate peace and tranquility.

The first Bonsai trees, according to legend, were from an ancient Emperor of the Han dynasty.

The smallest bonsai tree in the world will fit in the palm of your hand.

The most famous bonsai in the world is called “Goshin – Protector of the Spirits” created by the legendary John Naka, and is actually a combination of 11 separate Juniper trees, each representing one of his 11 grandchildren.

Learn more fascinating fun facts about the bonsai.

** Interesting Facts That You Should Know about Bonsai Trees - Bonsai Tree Gardener ~ 

** Oldest Bonsai Tree: Fascinating Facts On Bonsai Trees For Kids! | Kidadl

** Facts about Bonsai – Verdissimo 

** The symbolism of Bonsai | Deccan Herald

** The The Complete History of Bonsai Trees - Bonsai Sanctum 

 

Joie de Vivre's Home and Garden Blog Posts Roundup!

Part of everyone's joie de vivre (joy of living) has to do with simply decorating one's home or apartment or living spaces.  It doesn't take much money to make yourself happy.  You know you better than anybody else, so it should be easy to tap into your own psyche.  I tapped into mine and ended up writing these blog posts.  Somebody else might appreciate my home and garden blog posts.

Image credit:  Tools to Design a Virtual Room on Amazon

H&G Tips From Joie de Vivre Magazine:

Buying a Home: Ever Fantasize About Having a Celebrity Neighbor?

Dreaming of Your Dream Home?

Is the Sunroom Your Favorite Room in the House?

Does Your Favorite Room Have a Name?

Transplant Flowers to Cure Homesickness

(More blog posts about flowers)

Ideas for Improving the Harmony and Balance of Your Home or Office

Home and Garden: Ideas for Improving the Harmony and Balance of Your Home or Office

The environment for your home or office need not and absolutely should not be stressful.  If you're going to spend most of your working hours in a certain place or expect to be able to have that relaxing "there's no place like home" atmosphere when you come home after a hard day at work, there are a few things you can do to feel like you're in a peaceful paradise!  

Need Ideas For Improving Your Quality of Life?

The combination use of bath salts with aromatherapy can change a mood from anxiety and distress to an experience of comfort and serenity. ...

Dead Sea Bath Salts (and Other Relaxation Products)

The principles of Feng Shui worked 6000 years ago and still work today! Feng shui products are designed to create a truly calm, stress-free, relaxing environment and bring serenity, i.e. harmony and balance into any environment - be it your home or where you work. ...

Feng Shui Products Make Great Gifts For the Home or Office

Feng Shui Desain Interior Warna Cat Rumah yang Cocok dengan Fengshui

The invincible pomegranate has earned its distinction as a super fruit.  But there's more! ...

Thanksgiving For Pomegranate Blessings


English: Pomegranate Blossom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vintage Books for Your Personal Library or Book Collections

No matter what anybody says I say that libraries will never go out of style.  Yes, there is and always will be digitized literature.  But nothing will ever replace resting comfortably in your bed or on your sofa and curling with a good book!  NOT a tablet!

That being said, I have always loved most things vintage. Have to define “vintage” in case you happen to be about the age of one of my kids. Vintage for them might be circa 1980 or 1990, and they may think vintage for me would be circa 1880 or 1890. Not so.

Vintage, by my definition, is back in my day, the 1950s and 60s, or anything before that but still in the 1900s.

Are we clear? Good!

One of my favorite things is “library trash”. Books that some public libraries toss like trash because they do not have enough room on their shelves and have to make space for the “new”.

In my dictionary: old books = vintage books; and they are still worth reading!

Of course, if it is left up to chance and you are searching for a specific book, the odds are not in your favor and you may be waiting a while – wishing and hoping for that particular reading material to end up on the pile. Not all awesome vintage books are tossed by the head librarian.

Fortunately, there is a bookstore called Vintage Books, that has been around since 1954. It is physically located in New York, New York, but thanks to the wonders of information technology, you can peruse their bookshelf online. There are books listed by the usual genres from Art to History to Mystery to Travel. But you might find the selected works categorized in the Vintage Series worth examining. There are 5 different series: Civil War; Classics; Contemporaries, Departures; and International.

Vintage books are priceless additions to your own personal library and are great gift ideas. What is also great is that these published works are not very expensive, come in paperback or hardcover, as well as audio-book format or in the Kindle edition.

(NOTE: Vintage Books is part of the Random House/Knopf Doubleday network of bookselling sites.  Below are book Selections From the Vintage Series


♦♦♦♦♦♦

The Civil War Dictionary by Mark Boatner
(Vintage Civil War Library)

For almost thirty years The Civil War Dictionary has been the most complete, authoritative, and handy reference book on what has been called the Second American Revolution, 1861-1865.

Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
(Vintage Classics)

A young English widow takes off on the grand tour and along the way marries a penniless Italian. Her in-laws are not amused.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
(Vintage Contemporaries)

A love story is woven into a novel about hopes and dreams, and redefinition of what it means to be American.

Cuba in Mind: An Anthology
(Vintage Departures)

Explorer Christopher Columbus described Cuba as “the most beautiful country that human eyes have ever seen”. 31 writers – poetry, fiction, and nonfiction – agree.

Bombay Stories
(Vintage International)

1930s Bombay provided the author with the inspiration for this collection of short stories.

If you’re gifting vintage books might as well throw in some vintage bookends and a desk! :)

Decorative Heavy Duty Bookends – Metal Large Book Ends – Vintage Tall Books Stand

Sauder Graham Hill Desk, Autumn Maple Finish

Source:  Webnuggetz.com

Home and Garden: Is the Sunroom Your Favorite Room in the House?

I started learning about architectural styles, home design, home restorations, and renovations, etc.  Did you know that many people, no matter what part of the world they live in, often decide that a sunroom would make a delightful addition to their home?  

First, they pick the sunroom style.  Then they pick the décor.  The entire home addition project is exciting and family members quiver with anticipation.  They can’t wait for the day when they will be able to spend countless hours in “the happy room”.  

If you’re thinking about adding a sunroom to your home or decorating the sunroom you already have, here are some ideas.

🏠  Does your house have a sunroom?
🏠  Don’t you think a sunroom is a great place in the house for entertaining family and friends?
🏠  If you had to decide on a home improvement or home addition project, which would you choose?

• Build a deck or patio
• Install an in-ground swimming pool
• Remodel the kitchen
• Add on a sunroom

♦ ♦

https://joiedevivre-magazine.tumblr.com/post/618958112704086016/21-best-sunroom-ideas-gorgeous-sunroom-designs

Source: Virily.com

Kawaii Interior Inspiration | Glitter Puffs (Reblog)

A writer at Squidoo (a website acquired by HUBPages) introduced me to “kawaii”, which by my translation into plain English means “adorable cuteness”!  A more detailed explanation of the term, according to Artsy.net is as follows:

“The Japanese concept of kawaii—best translated as “cuteness”—has grown from a national trend to a global phenomenon. Sanrio’s Hello Kitty has been valued at $7 billion; the Oxford English Dictionary named an emoji its 2015 Word of the Year; and Nintendo’s Pokémon Go recently became the most downloaded game in smartphone history. The kawaii movement is wide in scope, spanning Manga comics, Harajuku fashion, and Takashi Murakami’s “Superflat” artworks, but what’s behind the aesthetic, and why is it so popular?” 

* * *
Quote Reference: 
Gottesman, Sarah. "The Art Genome Project : What Is Kawaii?" Artsy. N.p., 28 July 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2017.

An amazing phenomenon!  Yes?  That's why I had to reblog the source link and share these adorably cute images published by a fellow blogger via her Blogspot blog who was looking for home decorating tips for a child's room.  (Also posted on my Tumblr blog.  Lots of kawaii lovers in the Tumblr community.)

Kawaii Interior Inspiration | Glitter Puffs

https://foxnooze.tumblr.com/post/174897714171/via-kawaii-interior-inspiration-glitter-puffs

https://goshoppingbees.tumblr.com/post/174897043553/strawberry-baking-bedroom-set-use-coupon

Artists I Fancy: “The beauty of nature” by Amar Singha

Became a Virilyan last year (2017). That simply means I joined a social blogging community called Virily.com and that's what the members are called. Virilyans.  Sounds like a people from Middle Earth huh?  NOT!  ☺

Anyway!  The membership for this site does not just include writers or bloggers. There are many talented artists such as Amar Singha. I found his posts on Virily and it sent me on a quest to find more of his artwork and determine where his works could be purchased. My treasure hunt was successful. You can follow my treasure map too!

amarsingha at Virily

The official blog of Artist Amar Singha

Amar Singha's Art Available at Curioos

Follow Amar Singha on Instagram

“The beauty of nature” by Amar Singha 
~ #LimitedEdition Giclée #ArtPrint From the Art Shop of @amarsingha10 

http://ift.tt/2DRgmYE
January 30, 2018 at 09:49AM

(NOTE:  I'm also on Instagram.)

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View more Artists I Fancy on Pinterest