Beautiful Spaces Part 2 - Bedroom

When we moved to Dubai many, many years ago we had to make a tough decision between hiring the furniture delivery service to pack the furniture to bring with us or sell everything and settle with the furniture that's given with the company accommodation. Well, we chose the later.  It was sad seeing our precious filled with memories pieces taken away by others but we kept a few and took them with us here like the first piece of furniture we bought as a couple which happened to be a wooden shoe closet and a mosaic framed wall mirror that is now hanging in the parlor.  We couldn't bring ourselves to sell those!

After a few months in Dubai we decided that even if we could not change much of the house we were given, we should choose our own furniture in the bedroom, which we did but still once in a while we talk about one day of having the freedom to choose, decide and design our own space of privacy. The beauty about this whole not living in your own house saga is that we have the time to plan, make some research and execute when  the time comes.  Not a bad deal to think of it, right?

So here this weekend, I would like to share some images I found on my research.  I've heard many arguments on having an entertainment system in the bedroom.  I would love to hear your point of view when it comes to this.  For me a great reading area with good source of lighting is enough and just what I need.  Maybe some music is not such a bad idea to have in the room but the whole entertainment system, that is arguable. 

Elements of a dream bedroom :

Large windows or doors that gives lots of natural light and some view of outside.

Great ceiling or fabulous draping/canopy design. 

Soft neutral color

Wooden flooring

Mixture of wooden and fabric furniture

Mood lighting

A small reading area

Do share with me your idea in making your dream bedroom, I would love to hear it.  Until next Monday I wish all of you a great weekend and send your way my warmest greetings from Dubai!

Linking up with :

Madame Keke Fashion and Beauty Blog

* Disclaimer :  All pictures above are not properties of this blog.  They are images from the internet found while browsing looking for inspiration for my own bedroom space.

Tips and Tricks in buying 'Vintage' items

Have you always been wanting to sport those beautiful vintage dresses from the 70s but never find the courage or have the 'know how' to go about buying vintage?  Well, if that's your case, let me share some tips and tricks that I gathered from past experiences (trust me, they are not pretty) and what I learnt from some vintage shop owners.

First of all if you find the idea of wearing something that has been dug out of someone's safe storage unappealing, than vintage items are NOT for you.  But if the idea of owning something with history, quality or if you marvel at the time lapse that particular piece has gone through before ending up in your hands or that you are a fan of any particular era, then continue reading!

The term vintage actually are being use quite loosely even here in this post of mine.  By right the term vintage should be used only for items that came from the 60s and before.  Anything after the 60s is more appropriate to be categorized under 'retro'.  But nowadays most sellers even categorized anything that is 20 years or older as vintage.  Well, lets just say that this post is for 20 years or older 'vintage', shall we?

Buying vintage can be fun and fullfilling if/when you know how.  I learned the hard way and over the years I made some friends in vintage shopping scene that share with me some tips and tricks that come in useful when buying these treasures from the past. Here are some areas to consider when buying vintage items:

For vintage clothing :

Size : Vintage sizes are normally smaller than the current sizes.  In other words, if you are a size S, chances are a vintage size S dresses would be small for you.  Always size up. Better still get it measured or invest in a bit of time to try it on.  At the end of the day, it is better for the dress to be on the bigger side than smaller. There's always alteration option.

A dress from the 70s.  I swear my mother had a maxi in the same material when I was small!

Pay attention to details - see if all the buttons are intact and if some are not see if they can be replaced.  Check all zippers, see if they glide smoothly. Pay extra attention to stains, rips and holes.  It can still be a good piece if it can be fixed or washed. Read the washing guide label.  Beware of thinning in materials especially in chiffon or crepe. Check material quality by pulling on the stitches looking for cracking signs. We don't want to buy a dress that rips at first wear, do we?

Even if the items are labeled vintage, it does not mean they actually are.  Do some research, ask questions.  Look at the material used and the year the items supposedly were from.  For an example if a dress comes with Velcro it could not be from the 40s as Velcro was only used starting from the late 50s.  Lycra came into scene in the early 60s, Nylon in the 70s and Polyesters started making appearance in early 50s!  Research is key.

For  vintage handbag

Shop wisely and choose good reputable sellers.  If you are new to the seller, get the bag authenticated by Purse Forum or Lady Bag International.  They have experts that can tell you about the bag and some are at no extra costs!

Again, pay attention to detail.  Vintage bags usually come with quality, so look for sturdy stitching, solid hardware and good quality leather.  Most vintage bags come with leather lining so if you came across for an example a Chanel bag from the 80s with synthetic lining, be cautious and get it authenticated.

Chanel bag from early 1991

Also check all four corners of the bags.  Look for as clean as possible corners with less wear signs. Make sure that the wear sign at the corners are not being masked with using shoe polish.  Yes, it happened in some cases, I learned.

Ask about the bag, some history behind it - how many owners before you, where was it purchased.  This would come in handy if one day you decided to let the bag go to another buyer.  Single owner bags are usually in better condition but there are some that are with multiple owners yet still in fabulous shape!

Check for stains.  Some stains like dirt smudge or color transfer on untreated leather can be removed with proper product but beware of color transfer, discoloration and yellow stains on patent leather.  Unfortunately they are permanent.

Furla clutch from the 90s

So, there you go, some tips and tricks on vintage buying for you to get started.  Along the way with time you will learn more and will have better eyes in spotting good vintage!  

If you have been buying vintage for a while, do share your tips and tricks here for all of us to learn!

Linking up with :
Allison on Get Your Pretty On
Bre on Peacoats and Plaid

Beautiful Spaces Part 1 - Living Room

For me living room is exactly what its name suggested.. a living space, a place to sit and enjoy some great company be it your guests or own family.  In my everyday life, living room plays a big role.  It is the place where I spend most of my time in - catching up with Captain and the boys, watch a bit of TV, browse the net on my laptop or even having some friends for casual chat over some lemonade.  I wish I could share my living room here with all of you but living abroad in a company accommodation, nothing much could be done.  All the furniture and fixing were given to us, we just added some personal touch like the huge mirror with solid wooden frame engraved with some Arabic text we bought when we first arrived here and our massive coffee table that we bought over a year ago among others.  But we do have preference when it comes to living room and hopefully when we finally settled in our own home one day we could incorporate these elements in this favorite space of ours!

Elements that appeals to us in creating a dream living room :

High ceiling

Lots of natural lights

Tall windows

Neutral clean pallet with a touch of color

Comfortable furniture, mixture of wooden and fabric

Fabulous flooring with minimum coverage

Element of nature - plant, water, stones, wood

Great mix of lighting source 

Do you have a specific preferences when it comes to your living room? Do share with me, I would love to hear about it!  I leave you all here with some of my favorite examples and hope you have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

Linking up with:

Bloglovin' Collective Blog Hop

over at Peacoats and Plaid

* Disclaimer : All images above are not properties of this blog.  They are from the internet found while browsing for inspiration of my own space. 

Dream Homes

As age starts creeping in, I think it is natural to start thinking about where and how would we want to spend our lives after the kids have gone off to college or have their own lives.  One thing for sure and this I can confirm that I am on the same page as Captain, is that we would like to be where the weather is great, lots of vegetation and preferably closer to the beach.

I imagine something small, a couple of bedrooms, 3 the most and with a small pool.  I love resort style open concept and Captain prefers something rustic with some Mediterranean feel. Browsing through the net I found some that I adore (on a smaller scale of course!) and share here with all of you!

Have a wonderful weekend and see you all Monday!

* Disclaimer : All images above are NOT properties of this blog.  They are images from the internet found while browsing for inspiration for my own home