I'm boho-busy making my list & checking it twice!

But NOT to see who's been naughty and nice.

My Writer Self feels acutely chagrined that it’s been three months since I’ve posted to this blog. What have I been doing all that time? I thought you might want to know, so I made up another kind of list I first tried out last spring to catch you up on where 2017's wild boho ride is headed. It's called--

'I am currently'

I am currently LOVING…

My new size! As some of you may already know, I had gastric sleeve bariatric surgery about 13 months ago. Six months prior to that I began my weight-loss journey. To date I’ve lost 192 pounds, give or take a pound or two, depending on where and when I weigh in. It’s been a phenomenal journey I hope to write more about, but suffice it to say, I love being smaller. Or should I say smaller?

Here's how I looked before surgery and the pre-surgery diet (left) and progress up through last summer (right):

Chris didn't have surgery, but, as you can see, needed to take off some extra pounds, too, which he did by joining me on the pre-surgery diet.

What’s most important about every person is what’s on the inside, for sure. But weighing less certainly has its perks. I’m completely off blood pressure meds, and sometimes my pressure is too low. I’ve eliminated several other medications, both prescription and over the counter. My legs and feet no longer swell, my knees hurt less, and I don’t need a cane around the house. (I still take it when I go out because I have trouble negotiating steps and never know what I might run into.)

Mostly I find it’s the simple things that make the biggest difference. Driving and riding are constant reminders of how my life has changed. The tilt wheel is in again, and the seatbelt extender is out. I also must move the car seat forward from the all-the-way-back setting where my 6-foot-one husband keeps it.

I no longer require a motorized cart when I go shopping (so I can shop more places for longer times!). I can also slip effortlessly and anonymously through crowds without needing to say, “Excuse me” over and over to gain a wider berth.

I’m also more comfortable in taxicabs, of all things, which I discovered on a recent trip to Chicago. I asked Chris if he noticed cabs had more leg room now. He shot me a puzzled look, then laughed, “The cabs aren’t any BIGGER, silly. YOU are smaller,” which brings us to our next item.

WAITING FOR…

The loss of 33 more pounds, if I'm to reach my goal, followed by six months of stable weight so I can go in for plastic surgery evaluation. The down side of bariatric surgery as you age? You lose fat but the stretched-out skin that covered it often hangs on. Quite literally.

So tummy-tuck, here I come!

WEARING…

A plain old ordinary, run-of-the-mill, everyday, size LARGE. Not a 1X, 2X, 3X or 4X (my previous pant size) or 6x (my pre-diet winter coat. Yes, I was a very big girl!). No more plus sizes for me AT ALL. When you’ve been scouring the Internet for good-looking plus clothes for years, doing a lot of returning, and paying way too much, just being able to walk into a store and purchase something off the rack is an incredible pleasure.

Though most everything in my closet is new, my favorite newby clothes are VESTS. I didn’t look right in a vest before. To balance my bottom half, my arms had to be clothed the same as the rest of my top half. Breaking that up with a vest just looked weird to me.

But no more. I have no less than five new vests, and I love how they look and feel on! Fun fun FUN!!

SHOPPING FOR…

Shoes. Shoes are still a big issue for me because you can take the fat out of Susan but you can’t take all the damage out of her feet and knees from carrying the weight around, falls, aging, and surgeries.

Seems like only one style (Glycerin) of VERY clunky Brooks athletic shoes works for me. I have it in four colors—all ugly. I’ve tried LOTS of other styles with no luck. Either the arches are too high or hit too far back (mine are fallen), or they slip in the heel, or the toe box is too narrow and scrunches my congenital bunions.

Then there's the problem that NOTHING looks all that great in a size 11. Too bad bariatric surgery doesn't impact your shoe size.

Zappos and I have become the best of friends, even though I return most everything. But the Fedex guy must think I’m Imelda Marcos' sister.

NEEDING…

Slippers and the perfect winter handbag. I’ve picked out both and let Santa know my druthers. AND I’ve been a VERY good girl, so I’m crossing my fingers.

EXCITED ABOUT…

Christmas, of course! I’ve been a bit of a grinch the last five years or so when it comes to decorating, and our trees got smaller and smaller and smaller. It’s true that when you don’t feel well you shut down in other areas, too. When I weighed so much I had no energy, eventually even for Christmas.

Although by last Christmas I’d lost about 85 pounds, I was also still recovering from surgery, so getting the Christmas shopping done was about all I managed. My daughter was so disgusted with the state of our decorations that she hosted Christmas Day “so at least there would be a decent tree to enjoy.”

Not so this year. We bought a new tree—finally one that doesn’t fit on a tabletop—and I had it up and twinkling by the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving! Just about every ornament and decoration I own is out on display this year, if only for my own enjoyment. And enjoying it, I am!

READING…

Absolutely nothing, I’m ashamed to say. I've asked for books for Christmas, even though I haven’t read all the ones Santa brought last year yet. (Don’t tell, okay?)

The last book I finished was during my writing retreat in mid-October—Fat Lava: West German Ceramics of the 1960s & 70s by Mark Hill. I also got about 20 pages into Hill’s more recent book, Alla Moda: Italian Ceramics of the 1950-70s.

I suppose you see a theme developing, which brings us to the next item.

WORKING ON…

Developing my personal collection of midcentury modern ceramics, as well as stocking more ceramics items from the “fat lava” era in my Etsy store. The term fat lava refers to the thick, sometimes volcanic, glazes used in manufactured and studio ceramics of this period, particularly from eastern Europe, and more particularly from West Germany.

DOING…

The 3E’s thang: I’ve become a rabid Ebay-Etsy Entrepreneur. I LOVE shopping for gently used and vintage items to resell and making extra cash at the same time. It’s fun cleaning up old stuff, researching the maker’s marks, and seeing what similar items sell for.

And it’s beyond cool to find something at a thrift store—something someone else has discarded—and place it in a new home. I’ve discovered I don’t need to keep to myself most of the beautiful things I come across. Having them for a while satisfies my insatiable appetite for beauty, and knowing they’re going someplace they’ll be treasured again is an extra dollop of boho joy.

PLANNING…

How I’ll restyle my living room shelves with my stash of West German pottery for sale in the new year. Right now the shelves are a bit of a hodge-podge (to say the least!) because of my unbounded Christmas zeal.

ENJOYING…

Stranger Things on Netflix. Whoaa! Can’t think which is more scary—the demidogs or the 80s hairdos.

LISTENING TO…

The dog across the street barking and barking and barking. New neighbors in the last month or so in a rented condo tie their pup up and leave it outside. I mean: ALL. THE. TIME.

It’s not the barking that bothers me—really! It’s that it’s cold outside, and every time I look out that poor dog is standing at its owner’s window, looking in, wanting in, and barking as if to say, “Let me in. STUPID.”

Okay, the “stupid” part I added. Still pondering whether to report the address to animal control or contact the neighborhood association (not the same as ours).

SINGING…

I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, a classic winter song, which always reminds me how lucky I am. I DO have my love to keep me warm--in the person of husband Chris and our much-loved Maisie-Cat (who hid under the bed as soon as the camera came out). It's a song only heard in the winter holiday season, but this year serves as a constant reminder of how blessed I am.

(As well as how that poor dog across the street isn’t so lucky. Honestly, why do people get pets and then not spend time with them?)

Which brings me to the final item…

WISHING FOR…

         
What Snoopy said, but also:

• World leaders who behave like adults.
• An end to mindless tweets.
• A moratorium on stupid.
• Fewer guns and no bombings.

Well, you get the picture.

And I just can't help WONDERING aloud…

If, perhaps, Donald Trump’s diet of Big Macs, chocolate shakes and large fries will make his arteries explode soon enough? And, if we could be so lucky, how to force-feed same to Mike Pence without a constitutional challenge? Call it food for thought for 2018.

Whatever your faith or persuasion, here's wishing you 

a peaceful wrap-up to 2017 & a 2018 packed with beauty & light!

If you want more...

• Shop (and follow!) both my Etsy and ebay stores for vintage finds, a few of my boho DIYs, and next-to-new surplus home decor. New merchandise gets added regularly, so check both places often.
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Bringing peonies home

one poem
per blossom is not enough
for a peony

                              

   —Ryumin

I’m lucky to have a neighbor who plants peonies but spends the month of May in Florida. Luckier still that she invited me to pick her peonies whenever I want, and when it comes to peonies I don’t wait for a second invitation. 

Seeing them out our bedroom window every year is, indeed, glorious. They’re a flower I grew at our previous house, and I miss them.

BoHo Home

I've been watching those buds, and after Monday's deluge, I just knew there'd be blooms Tuesday, ripe for the picking. And all that beauty unplucked seems a great sin, you know? As any gardener worth the dirt under her fingernails will tell you, picking flowers begets more flowers, not fewer.

BoHo Home

Maisie-Cat agrees. My morning harvest amounted to seven huge blooms, which I divided into the two arrangements shown here and in the previous photo. Thank you, Nelda (my neighbor)!

BoHo Home

Both her pink bush, across the lane from our bedroom window, and her white bush out front (which I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t started walking) are FULL to the brim with buds. Now if only the storms will let up and not destroy what’s left. I want to try to pick some to dry and perhaps reward my neighbor with a wreath after she returns home.

You didn’t know they dried well? 

Via Just Grand

They’re stupendous dried flowers and retain their color well. The white blooms dry a lovely antique white. Just pick when the bloom first opens so the petals will remain tight. 

My Mother's Pearls

Then hang upside down singly or in bunches of two or three. I tie them together with rubber bands and hang the bands on a nail, around a cupboard knob, or strung on a line. A clothes rack works well, too, if you use string.If I make a wreath this year I’ll take pictures and post instructions.

Waiting for these beauties to bloom got me thinking about peony motifs in home décor

I’m forever seeing bouquets of peonies in interior design magazines, but peony designs have populated the decorative arts since what seems like the beginning of time. At the least, since the beginning of decorative arts.

Linda Merrill

For instance, look at the suzani tapestry spread beneath the tray this bouquet sits on. What inspired the huge, round flower motif? It could easily have been a peony.

One Kings Lane

And what about the pattern in this quilt? Looks inspired by peonies to me. What other flower that shape do you know of that gets so large?

Marco Polo, after all, reported back from his visit to China, where peonies were first cultivated, that he found roses as big as cabbages. He was writing about peonies. Indeed, peonies open larger and wider until the heads fall over from their very weight.

Thomas Darnell photo / Martha Stewart Living

There’s something positively wanton in a peony bloom—something blousy and sexual and free, like a Rodin sculpture—and that certainly comes across in the wallpaper used in this bathroom. Even the mirror looks like a white peony opening further and further from its center.

Chinese Peranakan Style, Herry Ashari Collections

The Chinese have, in fact, been putting peonies on china for centuries.

Austin Monthly

You’ll also find peonies blooming on rugs….

Hometeka

…pillows…

Natalie Shelton photo / via Keltainen Talo Rannalla

…and upholstery, as on this pair of matching ottomans.

The peony motif is versatile, too

Miguel Flores-Vianna photo

Sometimes it lends an oriental look, as on the pagodas of peony blossoms in the fabric used for these wing chairs.

Photo courtesy of Kit Kemp / via Lonny

While other times the look achieved is more of a traditional/modern mix.

It can even look decidedly boho. That's my favorite, of course.

Alexandra Kaehler Designs / via Mix and Chic

But whatever style it graces, the effect is always romantic. 

It’s a sexy flower, I’m telling you!

Husman Hagbery photo / via Planete Deco

I’d be hard pressed to miss the peonies in this wallpaper. They have a William Morris feel to them and look so senusous in this otherwise minimal scandi dining room.

This wild tangle of peonies on a mural with a midnight-blue background makes a perfect backdrop for a bed. Peony seeds, according to legend, glow in the dark just like the images here seem to.

Design Loves Detail photo / via Domino

Even peel-and-stick, repositionable peonies are available these days to customize the effect you want without the work or permanence of wallpapering.

Peonies are also popular subjects in art and prints

Kimberly Gavin photo / Studio80 Interior Design

I love how this print brings together all the elements in the room.

Society Social

And I am absolutely, positively, swooning over this juju hat tipped in magenta to look like a peony. I’m not even a big juju-hat fan, but I’d hang this one in a jiffy, right above my bed, of course! No sense wasting any of that good juju, right?

Via DigsDigs

And what’s that pendant light shade meant to emulate, if not a peony? There's even a pillow to repeat the flower's shape, and the crosses on the throws do the same, though in a more abstract way.

Here, the sunburst mirrors, painted pink, remind me of peonies against all that spotted wallpaper and fabric (which represent the plethora of buds!) in this sweet little girl’s room.

Area Environments

But I think us adults need to save some of the peony’s lustiness for our own private spaces. One poem certainly may not be enough for a peony blossom, and one peony blossom is certainly not enough for a home.

1. Pink Peonies Chenille Pillow Cover
2. Black & White Wool Felt Peony Pillow
3. Bring Me Peonies Pillow Cover
4. Peony Fabric Shower Curtain
5. Floral Print Desk Mat
6. Asian Bowl
7. Peony Flower and Antler Print
8. Hand-Embroidered Peony in Embroidery Hoop
9. Pink Peony Cone Photo Print
10. Robert Allen Peony Vine Fabric
11. Waverly Reflection Pool/Darjeeling Fabric
12. Peony Adhesive Wallpaper
13. Peony Peel-and-Stick Repositionable Wallpaper
14. Felt Rose & Peony Garland
15. Handpainted Peony Mandala Stone
16. Vintage Chinese Peony Floor Lamp
17. Peony Bespoke Matchboxes
18. Peony Placemats
19. Lychee Peony Candle
20. Bunch of Dried Peonies
21. Pink Peony Chinese Fan
22. Vintage Cloisonee Peony Egg
23. Vintage Handmade Peony Parasol.

If you want more..

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My search for the perfect boho pouf

Anthropologie

Don’t you just love to say pouf? I’m just over-the-top when language sounds like what it means AND it’s also really fun to pronounce.

POUF!

All that aside, I’m in the market for the perfect boho pouf for my midcentury-modern/boho-chic living room. Chris and I recently traded in two ratty clubs chairs with matching ottomans for two new, nonmatching mid-mod chairs sans ottomans. Lessons learned include never buy bonded leather, and never buy any kind of leather or vinyl if your cat has intact claws.

We actually bought these chairs and ottomans for our bedroom in our previous house but have used them in the living room since we downsized to our condo five years ago. We probably had them a good five years there, where two cats with no claws did no damage to them. So I suppose they don’t owe us anything.

Hubs was the driver for these chairs (yes, I’m laying blame). I’ve never liked their stickiness in warm weather and their slipperiness the rest of the year. They also put my back at an uncomfortable angle, even with a pillow for support. 

Susan Lawson photo / BoHo Home

Since Maisie-Cat and her claws joined our household—about six months after moving into the condo—the chairs went south fast. Don't let the innocent look she has in this photo fool you. This was taken several years ago, and you can already see the havoc she'd wreaked, particularly on the corners, if you look closely.

Originally we planned to have these chairs reupholstered in kitty-proof Crypton fabric (read about our experience with Crypton), but we gave up that idea when we realized it would cost more than we paid for them. And since they aren't that well-built and even less comfortable, why throw more money at them?

Anyway, we now have two new midcentury modern chairs, which are intact so far (two weeks for one and five days for another) thanks to a scratch-inhibiting spray I found. I’ll post a reveal of the entire living room once everything’s in place and give you an update on how that spray's working for us. In the meantime, instead of the two clunky, always-in-the-way ottomans we gifted to Goodwill, I now need just ONE pouf to prop my knee on at night while I watch TV.

I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun shopping for something as this pouf!

There are so many beauties out there I just have to share a few…

Urban Outfitters / Anthropologie

Moroccan wedding blankets being all the rage in home decor, several retailers have reinterpreted the style in poufs. Urban Outfitters’ Moroccan Coin Pillow Pouf (left) takes on a round shape, while Anthropologie’s Moroccan Wedding Pouf (right) is rectangular.

Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware sells both shapes and does the competition one better by offering the traditional ivory version or a trendy black one. I love the woven trim on the rectangles, but that round one in black rocks its silver bangles, don’t you agree?

If you like that black-tie look, West Elm has two more handcrafted offerings.

West Elm

Its Triangle Shag Pouf is wide and squat, while the Loop Mix Pouf is tall and slender. I like that tall and slender silhouette for my space. It gives me a bit more height to elevate my left knee (which is shot and headed for replacement), doesn’t take up so much floor space, and will be easier for me to move around.

But I’m a color gal—my new chairs are magenta and aqua, after all—so not sure black and white will do it for me.

West Elm

Here’s two more from West Elm, this time with color. I like that the Striped Tassel Pouf (left) is an inch taller than the Moroccan Pom Pom Pouf (right). And you’d think its pink tassels would work well with my magenta chair, but I held the pictures up together and didn’t like the combination. It looks a bit too feminine for a living room—at least for MY living room. And those darker stripes in it—green or gray?—didn’t do anything for my bodacious mix of color and pattern.

As for Mr. Pom Pom pouf: At first the navy and light blue made me overlook it, but then I noticed one of the diamond designs on the side was woven in magenta. When I held it up to my magenta chair and some of my other furniture, the whole room burst into song!

Well, not literally, of course. But in my mind's eye, or ear, or—whatever. It's the one I'll likely come back to.

But here are some other beauties that might be singing your song…

West Elm

The Diamond Motif Pouf (left) and the Diamond Shag Pouf (right), both also from West Elm, seem to have reversed names—but no, I got it right. Both are lower than what I’m looking for, and they have too much and too little color, respectively, for my living room. But I love them all the same, and they certainly look soft and cushy!

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters also has a winner with its shaggy Helena Geo Pillow Pouf. I like the size—19.6 inches square and 19 inches high—but too bad the colors are not quite right for my room. The reddish orange and brown would never do next to my magenta throne.

Not exactly poufs, but possibilities

Cost Plus World Market / Target / Ebay

I also considered these stools, but height was an issue with World Market’s Bajot Stool (left). The Safavieh Oriana Ottoman, available at Target, was just too glam for my down-to-earth digs, but it’s darned cute, isn’t it? It reminds me of a drum major’s hat! And the Artisan Stoolja, which I found on Ebay, hit the mark on color (I prefer the black) and size, but I just couldn’t sell myself on the look of legs next to a chair that also has distinctive exposed legs.

Pottery Barn Kids

Given the popularity of the Lalanne sheep, the Monique Lhuillier Lamb Tuffet from Pottery Barn Kids could have been a distinct possibility. Ever since my nursery rhyme days I’ve wanted to sit on my tuffet, haven’t you? This little guy is so furry cute that I could overlook the exposed-leg issue. And at $59.99 the sale price is right (regular $149, but still a year's paycheck less than a Lalanne). But alas, this faux fur lambchop, at 14 inches high, is a bit too low for my propping needs.

It does have nice little handles for ears, which is very utilitarian, but Maisie-Cat and I would be fighting over its furry pelt I fear. So I’ll pass, but there’s no need for you to miss out. The website description says “Age 2 and up,” so why not?

What you don’t see here…

Modern Mini Homes / Etsy

No, I didn’t even consider any of those sweet knitted poufs that are everywhere right now because they’re too low to be of any use to me. Yes, I realize they come larger than Barbie size (in fact, I’m surprised to see them this small), but they wouldn’t work unless I stacked them. And while they look cute stacked, they wouldn’t stay stacked during use.

I think they’re much more suitable as floor pillows kids can sprawl on when watching television. That, or pure decoration. But I am considering getting out my Barbies again and ordering some for her. She sure has a lot more accessory options now, that's for sure.

In the end I keep going back to this pouf  (I got to say it again!)

West Elm

The WE Moroccan Pom Pom Pouf. It’s 16-inches square by 17-inches high, which makes it a half-inch taller than the ottoman it’s replacing. It’s 60/40 wool/cotton, so it should be durable, and it’s handwoven by artisans working in a Fair Trade Certified facility in India. What more could I ask for?

This pouf is so perfect, in fact, that I just ordered it! Can’t wait to see it in the room and give it a test drive, legs up!

Here are some other beauties that might be absolutely perfect for your boho home…

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| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |

Happy shopping! Get yours before it's—

POUF!!

—gone!