Follow up to a post earlier this summer wherein I mentioned I did not have a real bed. Mattress/box spring – yes. Bed, per say –no.
Update: I now have a real bed. It’s a hand-me down Ikea bed from a friend and I totally love it. Modern. Sturdy. Free. Even better – it’s low to the ground and doesn’t require a box spring (ie critter trap). Do you know that a mouse can build a nest inside a box spring and live there for months without you ever knowing? I speak from experience here. Don’t even ask. I can’t talk about it without taking a shower.
Anyway, as much as I like the bed, it’s simple and the headboard isn’t tall enough to see. So, instead of a Morrocan Wedding blanket headboard and went for a suzani wall hanging instead. Initially I was going to use the suzani to upholster a DIY headboard, but later decided to make it a wall hanging so I don’t have to worry about pillows rubbing away the stitch work, or fabric dye coming off on the sheets. It’s a work in progress but I’m pretty happy with it. It adds some Central Asian flair to the room. Can you even imagine if I get some ikat pillows going on? Yeah dawg.
Oddly enough, I happen to own a legit suzani I bought in a market in Kyrgyzstan in 2004, but it’s not large enough for above the bed. Luckily, through the powers of Ebay and Etsy, you can buy one now from $30 -$200 a pop. This is where I got mine. It took two weeks to arrive from Uzbekistan via DHL, which is half the time it took me to get a staple gun from New Jersey last week. Way to go, US postal service.
True, shipping isn’t cheap. But when you figure the hours of work that must have gone into making one of these…gosh. It’s staggering. All that embroidery. I feel a little guilty having paid so little for something that took so long to create. Who would spend so much time making this artwork only to give it up? To be sold second-hand across the internet? I worry that I am profiting off another person’s loss. I worry I am just another white person removing indigenous treasures from a developing nation. I worry that…
Damn. Can you tell I’ve been watching Blood Diamond? Oy, I tell you, leave it to that Leonardo DiCaprio to make you feel all hot-n-bothered about your questionable shopping habits. Thanks, Leo.
Just discovered your blog via my daughter’s love of your wallpapered refrigerator
and I’ve been working backwards from there.
I love this blog!!! It’s so random that it’s a new surprise every posting.
Thank you!
I think I meant forwards. Not sure.
Ha! I get your meaning, and I’m flattered either way. SO glad you arrived here and are enjoying. Thanks for the kind words 🙂
I am in agreement with knittergran… once I found your blog (looking for coffee filter flowers, your tutorial/creative mind was the BEST by far)….. so since then I have been receiving your blog in my email. You always have such neat ideas–and I am a kitty cat person as well, so it’s all well in my world. Anyway, I love the rug (never “heard” the word suzani, but have seen the product). I always want to just write you a letter with ideas I have to see if you would use them somehow, but figure you might read it here first. So here goes. I have this interest in batik, and when you said you wanted Ikat pillows I thought…..hey, why not do “crayon batik” fabric and make your own? You could totally do that!! All it takes is a box of crayons, some fabric, and dye. And you could make your own patterns! Also, because of the original find of coffee filter flowers, here is something you could try. I save *all* my old dryer sheets… yes…. all of them LOL…. Once I have a good hefty bunch, I dye them with food colouring (for more permanent you could use watery acrylics). and then dry them for a couple minutes in the dryer once dyed, then iron. Now you have a whole stack of rainbow coloured dryer sheets that you could use for flowers, to make as an ethereal window covering, the possibilties are endless! Love Rook
Oooo – crafting with dryer sheets? Never heard of this. I don’t usually use dryer sheets…might have to start!
Batik is fun, isn’t it? I did some in school with melted wax, came out a mess but it was fun indeed. I might have to try again someday — thanks for the reminder!
I just like any story that contains the phrase “in a market in Kyrgyzstan”. You know there lies an excellent tale……
This is true. The woman who sold it to me had bags on her feet and a mouth grill made of rose gold. Memories…
Ms. Peaches, how I found out about the dryer sheet thingy, is I was looking for upcycling ideas and came across someone who made her wedding dress………. with dryer sheets!!!!!!!! It was really freakin neat and I know there are tons of people out there that use them for backdrops to mixed media paintings and whatnot. I do a lot of laundry, so I have a ton of them–It seems living in Newfoundland is somehow conducive to static on our clothes (although I “could” use tin foil, but I dont. :D) And I hate to waste (they are expensive)…… but you know, they are really HARD to tear…. they are fibrous, but really strong.. I am sure there are myriads of other uses! (like yarn?) I am going to try some on some papier mache I am working on. See how they work out. Love Rook
Ooo — paper mache. That is a great idea. I always put some coffee filters in my paper mache to strengthen it up, but dryer sheets might be even better. Thanks for the tip!
I hate to mention it, but it sort of looks like two eyes looking out across the bedroom. It is, however, lovely….and I’m quite sure the eyes don’t follow you around the room
Ha! I didn’t think about it like that. Good point.
A few years back I scored an orange silk sari that I use as a curtain for my closet in lieu of a door (The closet came with bi-fold doors and I am not down with bi-fold doors). There are days when I look at it and wonder about it’s origins.
Can you talk about how you hung the suzani textile on the wall? I have a Turkish prayer rug I would love to hang up without damaging the fabric.