Rainbow Themes: Juvenile or Mature?

Welcome welcome! I hope you're in a good mood today, but if not don't worry. I have plenty of rainbow in this post to put a smile on your face (o: After taking my youngest son to mommy and me yesterday, I couldn't get over some seriously cute rainbow balloon pants one of the kids was wearing and the adorable xylophone the class got to play with.

Does this come in adult sizes? No? Maybe it's better that way. (o:

I didn't want to let go of this toy! 

Let's just keep that thought between me and the billion of you out there, kay? Great!

Mini Paper Starburst Wreath

Hello people! I have an original, yet unoriginal project today. Weird, I know, but this isn't your typical paper wreath. This, my friends, is the paper wreath of....PATIENCE. :o} No kidding. I'll get to that in a second. If you've seen these paper wreaths around you'll know the standard protocol: buy an old book from the thrift store and start ripping away at it. First of all, I've yet to see a thrift store here in the UAE ( not they don't exist, but I just haven't seen one) and secondly, I cannot bring my self to buy a book just so I can rip it apart. Not judging anyone; that's just me though.  

Recently my mom brought me this cute little ( I mean 2 x 3 in. little) calendar from Egypt. It's the kind that you tear away the date as each day goes by. It was perfect for this project. I could save the little sheets and make a mini wreath. Thus, I bring you thy wreath of patience...

Since I could only tear away one sheet per day I literally waited about one month and a half before I had enough sheets to start this project :o) I've increased my patience level by 25%. I just made that number up, but really, talk about holding back. 

Colors that work: Coral and Teal

It's back to the grind out here where the weekday starts on Sunday, hump day is Tuesday and "thank God it's Thursday" sounds weird, but it is the start of the weekend. (o: Speaking of weekend, I took my kids to birthday party and had to share this cute outfit one of the moms (and my new friend) was wearing. I think winter is officially over in Dubai. It was so hot that day, I couldn't believe it was February in the northern hemisphere. Then again, we did have a "harsh" winter this year. It rained twice. So I guess we are ready for summer now :o/

One of the perks of living in Dubai is that people dress in bright colors and usually keep up with the trend. It's so nice to see so many cute outfits like this one...

I can totally imagine a south western type home in these colors. Even her ring and shoes matched. And her bag...

Framed Black and White Bird Feathers

A couple weeks ago we all went to the park and I found this really beautiful bird feather. I had never seen a bird feather so stark in contrast aside from peacock feathers. That's not to say they don't exist, but growing up in California, I just never came across random exotic bird feathers. I found this beautiful black and white striped feather, took a picture of it and set it back down on the ground. I couldn't stop thinking about it so I eventually picked it back up and saved it in a tissue. After a couple hours at the park I found two more! I had three in total and they were all so pretty. I knew I had to frame them and I did...

  If you follow my Facebook fan page, please excuse the repetitive pics. The initial feather I found...

Seriously, only God could have created something this perfect.

Laundry bag turned Painting

Greetings from Dubai! I have to say, I've been blogging since July and I am pleasantly surprised that I am still around. Why, you ask? Well, I've mentioned before that it is extremely expensive out here and finding cheap art supplies, let a lone cheaper used items is quite...uhhh... DIFFICULT! So, when I do cheap projects like this one, I'm over the moon!!

 Live from Dubai, I bring you my laundry bag turned painting!




Inspirational image. Original painting by Jennifer Moreman

I first found this image on Pinterest and saved it to my "likes". It's been pinned, and reposted thousands of times. Any way, to the materials! 

Finding a OKL Flower Mirror Look-Alike in MY OWN HOME

Don't you love when you find super expensive things that resemble something you already have in your home? And don't you love it even more when the price you paid is like a million times cheaper!?!? Yea, that just happened to me. I was browsing through OKL, as usual, when I came across this mirror...

OKL

...and I was thinking: My clock looks so similar to that! 

Mine was $309 dollars cheaper :o))))

I added a scarf too it for more color and texture. 

While I love the OKL mirror I am just as happy with my own version from Home Goods. And it's a clock which is even more useful. ANNNND the cool thing is I found that same exact clock (different color though lol) out here in the UAE at Home Center even though I bought that clock almost 2 years ago. 

Home decor trends travel like no other! Through time and countries! The lesson from this post: if you love something that is out of your budget, be openminded to accept similar items/ design styles for a fraction of the cost for your own home!! I guarantee you will be just as happy! You know what they say, "money isn't everything", but if you surround your self with things that you love then you've hit the jackpot (my own added two cents.) Thanks for stopping by!!

-Debora

Inspiration: Quirky Art

Paintings aside, I really love quirky art. Art that is silly, fun, sentimental and unique. This kind of art could be anything really, kids' drawings, antique buttons, simple sketches, finger prints, postcards (collected from travel or sent with a personal message). The list is endless. Here are some cute pieces of art I found around. 

Design*Sponge

How cute are those heart shaped tags? And the top left typography is really cute. The entire collage works well together.

Button art Source

Dream Office For the Hubster

Hello friends. Recently, I was messing around with Pixlr  and made this dream office for the hubster. He really needs a proper and nice looking office; I figured the least I could do was give him an imaginary one. (o: You're welcome! Here is my inspiration board.

It all started off with these chairs I saw a while ago at Marina Exotic Home...

Pretty good shots for having to sneak a photo, actually 2 photos.

Eye Candy: Islamic/Moroccan Design Inspiration

Browsing through the web I came across a lot of inspirational photos based on Islamic and Moroccan themes. Just wanted to share some of my favorites. I sourced "original" sources as best I could, but main thanks goes to Curated Style for gathering most of these pics. Enjoy!

Source

Ortakoy Mosque

A Little Goes A Long Way

Super quick post here as I'm off to to pick up the kiddos! If I could I would fill all my walls with art, but realistically it's not possible. :o( There are times I want a whole wall of art and other times I like to keep it simple. Like in my kitchen. I have two small walls on either side of my sliding glass door to the backyard and they were missing a little something. Just a small touch of art.

In about 10 minutes I had two frames up! These were pictures that have been in my family for at least 30 years. I love them. They have a metallic tint to them, they are true vintage, and they are classic shots from two of my favorite places: a bay in Italy and souk area in Egypt.

Before....

After...

The bay side (one of many) in Italy

El Ghoureya Souk in Egypt

They are very old and the matts need to be changed, but they still look good and make the kitchen a little cuter. The shimmer of photos aren't too clear, but in person they add just enough sparkle to the space. I love these types of metallic photos. How about you? Do you have any vintage or recent metallic photos? Thanks for stopping by.

-Debora

Down Memory Lane with Paul Costello

I was browsing the first posts of one of my favorite bloggers when I came upon a post about Paul Costello. Even though this post is old the pics are still great! These are my favorite and the rest are at Decorno.

Decorno

Decorno

Something about this bench, floor and fireplace mix with the hazy lighting. It's as if the lighting has captured the essence of the home being lived in. 

Decorno

Love this coffee table. 

An oldie, but a goodie! What may be old ton some is new to others. Hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane. 

-Debora

Adding Color to a Black and White Photo

Hello, hello! Today I'm going old school in photo editing. In this day and age of technology, photoshop, instagram and all sorts of other digitized editing, it's a little more fun to edit or alter a photo manually. Today I'll show you how simple and fun it is to add a little color to a black and white photo. Of course you could do this with a million programs out there, but consider this a throw back to coloring with markers.

Zig brand photo markers. I purchased from Michaels with my trusty 40% coupon (o: This was the beginner set soft hues. I think other colors are still available. 

 Each pen comes double sided with a thick and thin marker tip.

I don't have "before" pics, but use your imagination. I guarantee it's not difficult to imagine white/gray (o: 

               

Spiritual Friday: On Beauty and Raising Kids (calmly)

Hello Friends. Even though this post was way ready, I forgot to post it yesterday. Nonetheless I hope you had a great Friday. As I mentioned before, my Spiritual Friday series focuses more on the spiritual aspect of life. These posts are not always related to decorating, but neither is my life. While I love decorating and the main focus of this blogs is making a home away from home, my life as a whole is more balanced than that.

I wanted to share this post last Friday, but the kids won my time over the blog. ;o) Last Friday morning I woke up quickly to catch the Fajr prayer, when I finished I found this beauty of a sight....

The pictures don't do it justice, but I think you get get the point. When I saw the sky looking like that, (and catching my prayer on time) it really set a nice mood for the day. I felt lucky, like I won a prize for making my prayer on time. Had I missed my prayer, I would have missed the sky in all its beauty. 

It was also an eye opening moment for me to watch my middle son be so impressed by the sky. He woke up early and came to my bed to wake me up snuggle :o) In the cutest most surprised voice he asked "The sky is pink?" It was adorable and really reminded me how innocent he and all my kids are. 

Later in the day I went to Friday prayer, and I saw another very cute act of kindness. A mother and her son, about 6 years old, were standing next to each other in prayer. As usual of many kids, his mind wondered and he started wiggling his arms during prayer. His mom gently brought them back down and gave  him a gentle side hug so as to remind him he is still in the prayer. It was a very heartwarming sight to see. 

From the start of the day till the end, I noticed my kids being silly and childish in such a sweet way. I really needed that. I needed to be reminded that kids are just that and I needed to take a chill pill. I've been getting burnt out by my kids lately and as a result, missing some of their sweetness. While some of their actions totally warrant a mental breakdown, I think I could have avoided many mental breakdowns if I stopped putting so much pressure on my own self and just focused on them. 

My kids are 2, 5 and 7. Their intelligence causes them to say things beyond their age, and ask deep questions that need strong answers, but that doesn't mean they really are beyond their age. It's as if they are tricking me with their bursts of maturity. In the end they act their age and their age is young. I constantly remind myself of my own actions when I was their age. I remember doing a lot of annoying things for no apparent reason other than "I just wanted to." 

 I keep telling myself sometimes they don't even know why they do particular things, don't be so harsh on them. It could be their subconscious deeply investigating out of curiosity. Who knows?

I've also relaxed on the the food front. Each of my kids is taking turns not eating certain meals of the day. The oldest doesn't eat breakfast (going on a couple months now) the middle doesn't eat dinner, (going on a couple weeks) and the youngest likes to mix it up, but misses at least one meal a day. 

I remember taking FOREVER to eat. Sometimes, I had ZERO appetite. I felt my stomach was the size of a pin head and I couldn't for the life of me, get any food in it. I remember that feeling so I don't push too hard to force my kids to eat. I give three chances. I ask if they are hungry before dinner is ready, again when dinner is on the table, and finally I ask for the last time just before I put the food away. Sometimes I give my middle son one table spoon of each food group and he can barely finish that. Other times they only want yogurt, milk or something light. As long as they don't eat junk (chips, candy etc. I'm hopeful it's just a phase they will outgrow. This could be the calm before the (teenage food consumption) storm :oO  I've lead my horses to water, the rest is up to them. 

Raising kids is the hardest thing I have ever done and will ever do in my entire life. Harder than anything you think is the hardest. This day was a real boost, a mental and emotional recharge that helped me step back and let my kids be kids. It won't last forever and I don't want to let the hard times prevent me from enjoying the good times, and my ability to raise them as amazing adults. I share these thoughts and feelings as words of encouragement and support for all parents. 

-Debora

Bench Revamp: Paint + Reupholstery

Hello, hello! Get ready for a post full of pics. (o: Today I'm sharing a bench makeover that was super easy and couldn't have turned out better. If you want to try upholstery for the first time I suggest benches, foot stools, simple chairs, any thing that is square or rectangular. They are the easiest to start off with. Also, start with plain fabric, so you can get used to handling the material, folding corners and working with the staple gun. Then practice with patterned fabric where you have to pay more attention while stapling so as not to staple the fabric down crooked.

Here is the beauty I ended up with...

After shot

Before shot

Over all, it had a weird green tint too it that I just didn't like, plus....

..up close you could see some old school texture in the frame. 

Unique Find From Egypt

Hello readers. Every now and then I find a cool souvenir while traveling that I like a lot, but needs a little make over. Maybe the finish isn't great or the color doesn't match, whatever the case usually a little paint can fix it. 

On my last trip to Egypt I found this wood plaque that had "God" carved out in Arabic calligraphy. The gold paint job was bad to say the least, nothing a little color couldn't fix. 

Blotchy, spotted and uneven. 

I tested out three colors on it and wiped it right off while it was still wet. Top left, Delta/Tropical Bay Blue, Americana/Sea Glass (right) and Folk Art/Aqua (bottom) 

DIY Sharpie Pen Hand Drawn Planter

Hello friends, I am so excited to share this project for so many reasons: firstly, it was so cheap, and secondly, my kids helped a lot. They love helping me and they love even more when the finished product looks awesome. I present to you my plastic planter + sharpie pen flower pot.

The inspiration for it came from my runner that you might have noticed in my DIY bone white turkey platter post. I can't remember if it was from Pier 1 Imports or Cost Plus World Market. Either way the runner is about three or more years old so who knows if it's still being sold. 

Inspirational table runner. 

The main concept was taken from this runner, but we frequently mixed it up by using different colors, and adding our own patterns and twists. Some times, it takes inspiration to dig out original creativity from your own brain. 

It wouldn't be a Debdoozle project if the kids weren't involved.

Wingback Master Bed, Fit For A King and Queen

Hello my friends! Let's pillow talk, well, bed talk, shall we? My hubster and I, have been long over due for a proper bed. It's something the kids really needed. KIDS, you say? Yes, KIDS. Let's be real, yet again, that 10 times out of 10 our kids always want to jump into our bed. Even though they don't sleep through the night with us, there are always the morning wake-up calls and the mid-night sneak-in attempts. Some times failed attempts, many-a-times, success. With three kids we really had to upgrade to a KING size, or what I like to call the party of five size. (o:  

But, it was a bit of a hard decision to make. It was either go big or go home, and did we really want to commit to a bed that wasn't the standard size back in the U.S.? (240 x 240) Well, we thought and thought until I came across this beauty...

 Faux croc skin wingback king bed on display at Q Decor (Dubai)

HOLD the PHONE! Was that a wingback (love) faux croc skin (double love) KING (totally need) BED?!? Yessiree! It had every qualification I was looking for, except that it was 240 x 240 size. Ok, now I'm just being ridiculously picky. After "sleeping on it" no pun intended ;o) I thought it was out of our budget and decided to wait. The sweet hubster (without telling me) went back to inquire more about the bed and found it on sale and surprised me with it. YAY!! Behold the the wingback in all half it's glory. I still  need  would like a better comforter. 

Spiritual Friday: Keeping God in Design

Salam folks! I'm finally back with another Spiritual Friday post. WOoWOo! If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm Muslim, like, you know, a real Muslim. Not a Media Muslim, aka Terrorist dubbed Muslim. One aspect I love most about Islam is the focus on beauty as in art and architecture and also an important aspect of Islam is God consciousness. Constantly keeping God on your mind allows a person to stay on the right path and hopefully, motivates a person to frequently display kindness, good behavior and stay on the right path. Being Muslim means being kind, loving and everything the media doesn't mention. We are not allowed to condemn others to hell like some Muslims and people of other faiths do. We can, however, say what is or is not allowed as stated in the Quran, but to verbally tell a person they are going to hell for whatever reason is ONLY to be determined by God. 

So what does this have to do with design you ask? Well, everything. People of all faiths love to write scriptures on the wall, hang framed verses, display all sorts of reminders (to be grateful, live a positive life, and trust in God) around the home as part of their decor. Even atheists live by some basic moral code. It saddens me to not see more religious art in mainstream decor, but I realize that everyone and there mama gets "offended" and so mainstream shuns away from religious decor. 

I'm not mainstream, so today I wanted to share with you some of the religious art I have around my home. They hold deep meanings and are an everyday reminder for me to take life in stride. And an added plus, they are cute and add character to my home. Let's start with...

It reads: Bismillah arrahman arraheem.

Translation: In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. 

This typography came in a hideous plastic frame with an ugly matte. I whipped out some turquoise scrapbook paper and cut a new matte to size and spray painted the frame a nicer shade of gold. Frame used to be a mix of gold and black. The turquoise gave it so much more bang! I love it!