The Trip of a Lifetime - Morocco - Introduction

I returned from Morocco about 5 days ago; this is my favorite photo of me from our trip. I don't even know how to begin talking about this trip. It was the adventure of a lifetime, an absolute dream come true. I have been dreaming of going to Morocco since I was 14 years old. I decided about two years ago that when I turned 40 in 2015, I wanted to go. I'm not usually one for putting exclamation marks on birthdays or anniversaries with a trip...but this was different. I have felt like I should be 40 for at least 10 years now. I have packed a lot into 40 years and I was really looking forward to feeling like my soul was properly joined with my physical age. I have wanderlust for adventure and travel. I knew that turning 40 would need a proper punctuation and what better way to make this special birthday than with a trip to a long awaited destination? Morocco or bust :).

My sweet husband left all of the details of our trip up to me. He knew how much this trip meant to me and wanted it to be perfect. I spent many, many evenings searching for the perfect riad, the most amazing hole in the wall restaurants, the most choice treasures to buy. And then one day, I put together a 6 page Word document itinerary and it was done. Done! The only left to do was to travel!

We spent 12 days journeying throughout Morocco. We flew from NYC to Casablanca, then hopped a train from Casablanca to Tangier which was roughly 4 1/2 hours away. After a few days in Tangier, we hopped another train to Fes, approximately 5 hours away. After several days in Fes, we met up with our private guide and journeyed through the Middle Atlas and High Atlas Mountains until we came to the edge of the Sahara Desert. From there, we got on camels and trekked about an hour into the Erg Chebbi dunes of the Sahara. We spent the night under the stars; it was one of the most magical nights of my life. The next day we trekked back out and journeyed through the countryside until we hit Dades Gorge and Todres Gorge. Finally we made our way to Marrakech for an unforgettable 3 1/2 days, followed by a cab to Casablanca and back home to San Francisco via NYC.

Whew.

That is the short, short version. In order to really do this trip justice, I will be breaking down the different legs of our journey into proper posts. So settle in and get ready to learn about Morocco! First up, the journey from NYC to Tangier via Casablanca :)

DIY: Yarn Bombing

Did you know that yarn bombing is a real thing? Like, a legitimate art form?!

My good friend Kristy has been yarn bombing around her neighborhood in NYC and everywhere else that she visits (from California to Iceland) for years now. When she visited our family two years ago she yarn bombed my street sign and a rock in our front yard. BAM! I was hooked.

I am game for anything that I can make with my own two hands and is colorful. Let it be known that I do not know how to knit or crochet. However, that didn't stop me from my yarn bombing exploits! I simply went to our local Goodwill and neighborhood thrift shops and picked up various multi colored afghans and scarves. I chopped them up, attached them to a tree in my back yard (sewing them up with simple needle and thread) and voila! New life given to the faded glory of a thrift shop blanket!



Here is a tree in our backyard. There are afghans, knitted scarves and colorful skeins of wool covering this tree. I also found an adorable already yarn bombed bird feeder from Target (from their Christmas ornament collection last year). I mean...totally fun, right?!

Here is another view of this beauty...



ANYONE can do this. If you are looking to add a little color to your landscape, yarn bombing could be for you. Have at it; you can't go wrong with this art form!



Full disclosure: Over time, yarn will fade outside. The elements will do a number on your brightly colored patchworks of yarn. BUT. You should be able to get 2-3 years of life out of a yarn bomb project. If you live in an area with a lot of rain (sadly, here in the Bay Area we are in a drought so yarn bombs stay regrettably pristine) you may get your colors washed out faster.

Now THAT'S a Staircase!

OK, it's a little wild, right? But I do love it oh so much...

To see more of this staircase and the house it resides in visit this article in W Magazine.

Do What You Love

This I know is true.

Image via Pinterest.

Explosions of Color

I discovered this series of chalk explosions by the photographer Marcel Christ recently and fell in love. Aren't they elegant? To see more of Marcels work visit his site here.

Beautiful Blooms

You know what I love about geraniums? You can't kill them. Like...seriously. I don't even remember planting these which means they have been in that pot for several years which ALSO means they have survived several hard freezes (believe it or not, we get those sometimes in the Bay Area). I forget to water them. Summers can get nasty hot. And yet they live. And they are so pretty and vibrant!

So thumbs up to these gorgeous blooms! They really deserve all of the credit. I just take the pictures :).

Lantern in the upper left from Ikea that I painted with a wash of water and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

DIY: Make Your Own Pom-Pom Plant

Super colorful right? Great table centerpiece, yes? Trust me, this is beyond simple to do. It will take minimal supplies and maybe 30 minutes of your time. Shall we talk about it then? Yes, lets!

Supplies Needed:

Container for arrangement (I used a small mason jar for this)
Floral block or styrofoam that will fit inside the base of your container
Multiple branches in varying heights appropriate to the size of your container
Colorful pompoms (I bought mine at Michaels)
Glue gun and glue sticks

First, select a container for your arrangement. I simply took a small mason jar that I had already painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I knew that I wanted a simple, small arrangement to sit on our dining room table so I wasn't going for a huge container.

Next, go into your yard/park/forest/what have you and gather some branches. Select branches based on the size of your container.

Third, get your branches and lay them out of the table. Snap off offending shoots if they don't contribute to your vision of how your arrangement is going to look. Place the styrofoam block at the base of your container and start arranging your branches.

Once you have everything arranged just the way you want it, it's time to fire up the glue gun!

Select the color story you are looking for with your pompoms. I knew that I wanted a multi colored arrangement so no color was off limit. You know how pussy willow bushes look? Here is a photo in the wild of what you are going for with your creation...








Start gluing your pompoms on at spacing that is pleasing to your eye.

Finally, stand back and admire your creation. Adorable, right?!

I used this arrangement not only for my dining room table but also for a baby shower for my niece. This would also be great as a little Christmas tree with small ornaments hanging from it.

Here is another view of my completed arrangement, complimented by my husband and son playing chess :)

BLOOM!

The mustard fields of Suisun Valley get me every single year. It is like the ground is on neon fire! I know that I say this a lot, but living in such a beautiful corner of the Bay Area provides me massive amounts of creative juices and I am grateful for it each day.

What is your favorite thing about where you live? Do you have neon mustard fields too?!

DIY: How to Refinish Your Dining Room Chairs

First off, you should know that this was my first attempt at refinishing wood chairs. This is basically me, telling you, that I am FAR from being an expert. With that out of the way, let's dive in!

Here are the chairs:



The one on the far right is the original chair with its original stain. When I took this picture, I had done only a light sanding with the palm sander but as you can see, there was still a ways to go.

The middle picture is after a full sanding with the palm sander. See that sander dust all over the chairs? Do this project outside - not worth the clean up inside, trust me.

After I got all of the chairs looking like this middle chair, I then applied a Miss Mustards Seed Milk Paint wash purchased at my local Annie Sloan stockist here in town called Patina Home and Garden. Patina has a wide range of Milk Paint products and the store owner talked me through what I needed to do to get these chairs looking the way I wanted.

After I applied that light wash, I let it dry completely. It didn't take long.

See the chair on the far left? This is how the finished product looks! I lightly sanded (just with sand paper) the milk paint wash and then sealed it with hemp oil. The wood absolutely glowed once I was finished. Without necessarily meaning to, this is the EXACT finish I was going for!

Finally, I sealed the wood seat with a clear poly and let it air dry for several days.

I highly recommend working with milk paint. This was my first go at it and I loved how easily it moved on the wood surface and how easily I was able to affect change with simple sand paper and hemp oil.

Give it a try!

Biggie and Smalls

You GUYS. 

I cannot believe I have never talked to you about my ridiculous fish. I didn't even want these fish but I adopted them from my son who grew tired of them. I don't know how long we have had them. Three years? Or has it been four years? They are goldfish for crying out loud and they are so temperamental I can't believe it. 

These things used to be the size of my thumb and now they are like small koi. They eat all the time. They get angry if I do not feed them three times a day. If I walk by the tank they follow me against the glass and if I ignore them (heaven forbid I do THAT) they jump up and flick their tails so that the water sloshes. If I sing high notes they go crazy in the tank. I don't think they ever sleep. Recently my husband was like, " I think they are outgrowing the tank" which is ridiculous because we are on our third tank. So today I bought them a new home and fixed it up and yada yada and now they are happy. Their names used to be Fish and Fish. But then when I stared at them today their new names came to me: Biggie and Smalls. Biggie Smalls.

I like them. Don't tell them.

Lovely Living Room

The light in our living room is so lovely. I recently moved these World Market curtains from our master bedroom down to the living room and I love it. Why didn't I do this years before? The couch is still holding strong (which says a lot when there are at least 6 people using it every day) on year 3. The vintage quilt is a staple. It is totally falling apart and I need to mend it...but...whatever. The pillows are from World Market and TJ Maxx and maybe a few other places that now slip my mind? All in all, this is a cozy spot.

Pompom Garland

One of my favorite stores in the Bay Area is located on 4th Street in Berkeley and is called Nest (sadly there is no website for this location). There is an additional location in San Francisco, but the Berkeley location is my favorite. Recently I stopped in and found this delightful tin full of a rainbow colored pompom garland goodness.

 


 Everyone needs a multi colored pompom garland in their lives. I promptly purchased said garland and hung it between the opening of my kitchen and living room.



 
So pretty.