The DSO Headquarters (aka The Pineapple Building )

Why is it a pineapple? This is the million dollar question people around here always ask. Why would the headquarters of the technology city, Dubai Silicon Oasis, look like a pineapple?

Dubai is known around the world for its unique architecture and the DSO-HQ building doesn't fall short of being unique. It was one of the first buildings to catch my eye when moving out here and from day one everyone called it the "Pineapple Building".

The DSO headquarters during the day. 

Photo source "DSO pineapple building" google search.

The hubster and I were talking about it one day and while we knew it wasn't intentionally supposed to replicate a pineapple, we couldn't figure out what the architect was truly trying to replicate. It wasn't until he looked at it one night that he immediately realized what it was. 

View at night.

Fiber optic cables! It was a fiber optic cable building! Of course, being the engineer that he is, it made total sense. What looks like the pineapple leaves during the day, are actually cables lit up in blue with red tips at night. It made total sense.

Fiber optic cables

Another view of DSO headquarters at night. 

I, like most people around here, would have never made the connection, not even in a million years. Luckily, the hubsters engineering intuition kicked in and he made the connection. Very clever on the part of the architect who designed this building. To bad most people don't get it and can only equate it to a pineapple. 

So, there you have it folks, the mystery has been solved and we can now all call it what it really is, the fiber optic cable building. ;-) Tung-twister much?

If you found this post interesting and useful, please leave a comment below. Thanks for stopping by!

-Debora

Reupholstering My Blended Leather Couch (Part 2)

Alright Debdoozlers! I finally gathered up some pics of that horrid blended leather couch AFTER reupholstery and I am excited to finally share them with you all.

I mentioned before that I was debating real leather or a more durable washable fabric and I decided to go with fabric. Because the couch had deteriorated so fast and I hadn't planed on such a large reupholstery project, I just didn't have the money at the time to invest in real leather. Although it was amazing and beautiful!!!

In the end I was very happy with this fabric. After about a year of having this couch I washed all the cushion covers once and with a little pre-stain treatment I was able to get the stains out.  It's also survived the boys well. No wholes, or permanent stains. So far, success.

Pillows from Pier One (ages ago) and Walmart ( I know, shameful lol)  

Throw from Ikea UAE.

Morrocan table and Mother or Pearl box both from Egypt. Diy Flower pens.

Amazing transformation if I do say so myself. What would you have done? Take out a loan and go for real leather or made do and stuck with fabric? Don't forget to comment below and thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora

Why You Should Never Buy Blended Leather Furniture (Part 1)

Hello, hello! How are you all? Goodness, it's been ages since I last posted. Oh how I miss blogging.  Let's talk about some of the drama that has occurred in my life while I've been silent over here on the blog.

For example, the drama of blended leather, the "cost efficient" substitute for real leather. You should stay far, far, far away. As far away as possible from it. It's the worst investment, or lack thereof, you could make for your home. A lot of people see it as a great replacement for the much more expensive leather, but after I share my experience, you'll understand why leather is much better.

 Better yet, how about I let my pictures talk instead...

We bought this couch when we bought our home in California. It held up for a good two years. Since it was in good shape, we decided to bring it with us on our move to Dubai. Another year went by and it immediately started to crackle. As soon as the pleather (blended leather) started to crackle, the disintegration process happened so fast. The seat cushions disintegrated so fast I had to flip them upside down to prevent debris from falling all over the floor. I think what also didn't help the situation was that when we traveled in the summer months back to the USA, the heat was so hot in our house that the couch became brittle faster.

So for a few months our couch looked like this...

I debated dumping it, reupholstering it, using real leather vs. fabric, dark colors vs. light colors etc, etc. I  looked around Dubai and found that a similar couch to this ran around AED 4000 (almost $1090.00) We bought our couch for $700. Reupholstering it would cost me AED 1,500 including fabric. A couch half this size from Ikea was still AED 2,500+. 

If you're lost I'll simplify it for you. The cheapest route was to reupholster it. That way we could still have a large brand new couch without having to pay three times the price we originally paid for this one. Then it was a matter of using real leather or fabric. I checked out a lot of beautiful real leather around the Bur Dubai areas and Nayef Souq, but the reality is leather is expensive and we just couldn't afford it at that time. Had I known this would happen to my couch I would have saved up to pay for the leather. 

You either save up money for it and buy the real thing or you buy a couch with washable, resilient, removable covers. I decided to reupholster it in a resilient washable fabric. 

While blended leather is affordable and nice looking at first, it is a nightmare once it starts falling apart and you have to pay more to either reupholster it or replace the entire couch. My in-laws have real leather couches that have lasted more than 11 years and still look great! My couch lasted 4 years before I had to reupholster it. 

So, my advice to you all is go leather or go home. Don't waste your money on the fake stuff unless you have little kids who puke, pee, and poo all over it all the time and wiping it up happens more than 20 times a day in which case you would have to replace what every you owned anyway, unless it was real leather :-) 

I'll have the after post up soon so hang in there. Thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora

Medusa Inspired Tea Kettle From Afghanistan

Hey Debdoozlers! Hope you are all in the best of health and happiness. This weekend I stopped by Afghanistan. What I really mean is the Afghan booth at the Global Village. My goodness, I think I've been to 15 countries this year thanks to that fair. I stopped by Afghanistan mainly to check out their beautiful rugs. Sorry I didn't take any pics, but just imagine unique, beautiful and quality and that pretty much sums up a rug from Afghanistan. Oh, don't forget pricey which would explain why I didn't bring one home. :-( One day, God willing ONE DAY!

Any way, on my way out I was stopped in my tracks when I came across these tea kettles that I like to call Medusa tea kettles. They were soooo cool. I wanted to snag one, but I'm really trying to get a grip on spending on household items. When budget's and desire's collide photos kick in and immortalize the coveted object. Here are a few shots I thought I'd share with you all.

So unique. Have you seen anything like them? Do you think I should have grabbed a set? Hmmmm…..

Thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora

New End-Table From India

Hey folks! We've had some crazy weather out here, but it's still nice enough for an evening visit to the Global Village. They are scheduled to shut down for the season by March 1st, but rumor has it they will stay open until April 18th roughly. There hasn't been an official statement made yet, so if you haven't been there yet, jump on it!

I have a few more things to share from my last visit. Today I want to share this beautiful end-table from India! I've actually been looking for a small Moroccan style end-table, but after searching for almost two years I had no luck. When I went to the India stall at Global Village I came across this cute table and fell in love. The white accents are actually inlay not a painted design. The best part about this table…well you'll have to scroll through to the end for the surprise! Enjoy the show!

Ready for the surprise? This table breaks down and folds for easy transporting. Isn't that awesome? Inside there are two latches that hold the table top to the legs. The legs are assembled with hinges all around so it could be folded flat. After disconnecting the top from the legs they folded flat and easy to package if you need to move, ship over seas or even give as a gift! 

Total awesomeness in my opinion. Such a simple yet super convenient design, if only all furniture could be folded down for a stress-free move lol. What do you think? Did I score? I just want to thank destiny for depriving me from finding that perfect Moroccan table because this Indian one sure is a perfect addition to our home! What unique pieces do you have in your home? Would love to know so leave a comment below! Thanks for stopping by!

-Debora

Gold Ombre Vase

Hello, friends! I have another 30 second DIY to share. I'm sure you all have plain clear vases chilling at your house. Give it a coat, or partial coat of paint and watch it glow in it's new makeover. That's exactly what I did with an old vase I was gifted for my wedding. It had beautiful lines and a great shape, but it was a little boring in it's clear glass form. I use my vase to store my flat & curling irons, and seeing the tangled black cords threw the vase was sooooo ugly. 

Before….

 After….

Huge difference right? I knew I wanted to spray it gold, but didn't want to conceal the glass entirely. The ombre effect immediately came to mind. To guarantee a nice fade towards the bottom of the vase I felt I would have better control by spraying the vase upside down. 

With the top of the vase now down I started spraying from the bottom up. I kept the spray can about 8 inches away from the vase because I wanted a very translucent look. I gave the vase 2 light coats around.

Spray paint tends to drip easily on glass particularly if you don't use a primer. Since I wanted a semi translucent coat I couldn't use primer. I had to make sure to keep a good distance with the can from the vase and not to spray too long to prevent dripping.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but when the sun shines in my room a lot of light shines through the gold and the vase radiates. It now conceals the ugly cords while simultaneously letting the light through. A little bit of a black accent from the handle peaks threw. I think it's perfect.  I can still use it for flowers since there is not paint inside, but I have to gently wipe it from the outside to prevent any scratches. I can also put a candle inside which really glows beautifully. I'll have to post pics of that latter. 

What do you think? A simple project that could really change a space, right? Give it a try and tell me how yours turns out! Thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora

Toy Chair Repair

Hello Debdoozlers! Today's fixer-upper is like no other. An innocent Fisher Price musical chair fell victim to my kids' wrath, but luckily I stepped in to save the day! I can't remember if the chair was gifted to Z1 or Z2, the point is one of them was very little when they got it which makes it old, but still in perfect working condition for Z3. Well, it was in perfect condition until the fateful day that met this chair. 

My kids, not sure which one of them did it because ironically no one broke it, stepped ( or maybe body slammed it? ) on the seat until it cracked. Before I could think of how to fix the crack they had completely broken a piece out of it leaving the electrical exposed.  

How about a close-up for dramatization? 

Geometric Pots

Hey all! I've been wanted to gather a virtual collection of geometric/multifaceted pots to share with you all starting off with my very own find. When I first saw geometric pots (which are also called multifaceted pots) I fell in love. Like seriously in love. I also thought they were only available for purchase online. Why would I think that? There isn't a thing I haven't seen out here in Dubai. Literally, after the moment I stopped searching for a reasonable purchase online I found my very own at Homes R Us, (what a unique name lol). Homes R Us is a popular furniture and house wear store located across the UAE. You can imagine the joy that overcame me when I found this little number below...

White geometric pot from Homes R Us. 

It's perfect in so many ways, but if I had the choice I would get the rest of these too lol. Enjoy the round-up...

Spiritual Friday: Updates On Goals for 2014

Hey all! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I am late on my "Spiritual Friday" posts, but I'm finally getting them out. In my last post, I shared my newest discovery with you all. A life coach and personal trainer who was filled with loads of good advice. Some of the advice he, (Jesse Brisendine) shared was on setting and managing your goals. He inspired me to finally tackle a goal that I had on the back burner for way too long: physical fitness and health. I know, I know everyone wants to get healthy at the top of the new year, but for me the timing was just coincidence.

Since then I've been running and working out almost everyday with only a 2 day break in the week. I am so proud of myself for sticking to it this far, specifically because I've hit my 21 day mark. What is so special about 21 days you ask? Well my doctor told me it takes 21 days to form and stick to a habit. After you pass your 21 day mark your new routine should now be second nature and harder to break.

Removing Ink Stains From White Chairs

Hey hey all! Hope you are all well. I'm back with a punch today! A punch that will knock a stain out of a...let's say... a WHITE chair. :-) A couple days after I posted my reupholstered old green chairs I was surprised to find this new black accented detail on one of them.

The stain was darker. but I took this photo after I had already applied the remover on it. 

Spiritual Friday: Setting and Organizing My Goals

Hello Debdoozlers! I know my spiritual Friday posts are few and far between, but I guess you can say I’m about quality not quantity. Of course it sounds cliché, but it’s the truth, plus I hate rushing to put things out there and find that what I’ve posted is a bunch of crap. Here I am now doing it right or at least trying (o:

2014! I am so stoked about this upcoming year. My health isn’t up to par, my time management is still under works and my kids, well, my kids are a handful, and the hubster is so consumed by work that when he does have time for us, it throws off our routine lol.

Via 1Year 1000 Things Challenge

Twine Wrapped Lanterns

Hello Debdoozlers! Hope 2014 has been treating you well so far, if not, don't give up, the light always shines through! Unfortunately for these lanterns though, there won't be any more light shining through them :-P Don't worry, it's ok, because now they are brighter than ever :o) Today's project is twine wrapped lanterns! Yay! I love lanterns and I love twine and these two were a match made in heaven.

My last twine project was really fun and pretty unique considering twine has been kind of played out in my opinion. As a matter of fact, because bloggers have wrapped almost everything just short of their kids, in twine, I was discouraged to try another project with the natural fiber. After some thinking and wanting to salvage some lanterns I had that were falling apart, I went for the gold. I hadn't seen lanterns wrapped in twine before, and it was a perfect way to salvage mine.

Off I went. The supplies were simple-- hot glue, two small lanterns, thin hemp/twine rope. I got the twine from Walmart on my last trip to the states, but I've seen it out here in Dubai at Daiso, Carrefour, and Creative Minds (located in Barsha).

The lanterns were originally a weird dark brownish color. They looked like they were made of scrap metal, but were still cute. Many moons ago I decided to spray them gold and they turned out so beautiful.

Bursting With Turquoise -- Old Mosque in Dubai's Old Souk

A week ago a friend from Los Angeles was in town, so I put on my tour guide cap and took her to my favorite place. The Dubai Old Souk. I never get sick of that place. It's one of the oldest places in Dubai (if not the oldest) and frankly it's a breath of fresh air next to all the new and modern architecture. Near the Souk is a very old Mosque. I think it's an Iranian Mosque just from the style of the tile. Iranian mosques are famous for intricate and colorful turquoise tile. It is definitely aging and needs major repair, but it is one gorgeous mosque that leaves me gazing at it forever! Here are some pics for you all to enjoy!

It's so dreamy. I love this mosque. I think it is my all time favorite and am so happy that I'm finally sharing it with you all. What do you think? Have you seen a more beautiful structure on your end of the world or a place you've visited. Leave a comment below and thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora