Paint-Crazed

As a kid, I sold art at craft fairs. Those times have past, but my love of paint is timeless.

There comes a time in the year, as all my former roommates will attest, when I go nuts. For paint. I paint everything--whether it is a lampshade or wall. This year, the time has come. I have painted most of my furniture by now. Some furniture was already here(I got permission to paint it from the Rotary club who I am renting the room from...), other elements of furniture were fished from the side of the road and strapped to the back of my bike. Some items are from the second-hand store.

Last year, I had the good fortune of procuring several tins of paint for free. This year, I had to invest in lots of paint. However, there is no investment worth more than brightening your room. Mantra: Brighten your room, brighten your life. I wish I had before pictures to show you what my room looked like. I don't. So, imagine the furniture either stainless steel gray (the desk), beige (table and chairs) or white (everything else.)

Some people might not like my flamboyant, riotous taste in color. It is loud. Clownish, and, fantastic. If you don't like it, close your eyes. :)

This desk was stainless steel grey. First, I painted the top yellow. The next day, I purchased a can of quick-drying paste (something like cement or plaster that the clerk at the hardware store helped me select.) I took a broken mirror in my room and broke it into smaller pieces, than I took a chipped blue plate and also whacked it with the hammer. Next I set the pieces of glass and mirror into the plaster which I set down with a spatula. Vwalla.



Making mosaics is a great project. It is fun and a good way to use cracked china in a pretty way. The best china to use is thin pottery or glass--so that it sinks deeply into the plaster. This was a large mirror that I decorated in red, white and blue--both American colors and Dutch colors!(Later I added yellow paint to match my desk...)


What else can Paula paint? Her table (curtains compliments of the second-hand store)


and all her chairs...


Boots!


Closet!


A door!


Another door!


And loads of paper butterflies flitting hither and thither





Some of my favorite items were salvaged from the garbage. Like the splatter-painted boots (which were formerly black.) And the dried flowers (roses and pussy willows) that I hung from this bookcase, as well as this great butterfly net. Another good decorating idea is to re-use cool calendar images, like the picture by Klimt 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.' This is a cheap copy of the original, which commanded a stunning 135 million, more than any other at auction...Side note: I have seen the painting in New York; her dress is entirely festooned in gold leaf and it is simply gorgeous.



Another favorite item could have been destined for the scrap heap, also: scrap paper. This colored construction paper was used to cover my floor while I was painting since I did not have newspaper. It ended up looking cool so I saved it, and cut it into squares and taped them on the wall. (You can do this at home as an easy way to decorate a Spartan wall.)


This table was also an accident. I was painting my chairs on it and by default it ended up looking similar to this. I liked the look so added some more paint to it.


This is a picture of a corner in my room with lots of color in it.


Painting a table or hanging a sprig of dried roses from your ceiling is a great way to transform a room. And it is easy! To dry flowers, save a bouquet right before it reaches the wilting stage (roses work best.) Next, tie the flowers with string or a rubberband and hang them from a coat hanger in your closet, keeping the door slightly open so the flowers do not get too moist. This is what I do, but you can hang the flowers anywhere. Butterfly directions: For the butterflies traversing my wall, I used red and yellow construction paper and a black marker. I adhered them to the wall with tape. I was inspired by a National Geographic photograph I once saw where thousands of monarch butterflies were clinging to a tree in Mexico at the end of a migratory route miles and miles long. I hope this inspires your own artistic adventures. Happy crafting!

In a Day

On a typical day, after a brilliant morning of classes studying Christianity during the late Middle Ages or European Identity, I hop on my bicycle and absorb the rare rays of sunshine striking my body. I ride to the Utrecht market, a happening place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I love European markets--something about the small stalls and smell of fresh produce and fish. It excites all my senses.

I eat a marzipan frog (The end part of marzipan can be pronounced both pawn and pan. It is a paste made from crushed almonds and often molded into animal shapes. It is one of my favorite sweets.)


Then, I wander around the stalls. I enjoy a fresh-squeezed orange juice. I absorb more sunshine.

Admire shrimp


Look at the array of fish


I eat some kibbeling, deep-fried, piping-hot white cod fish that flakes apart in your mouth.


Buy a plant (in this case, a iris from the Saturday flower market)


Chill with a friend (Kim, in this picture.) Usually she is not in the stocks, we are typically drinking tea.


Perhaps eat dinner with friends, swapping heretofore secret culinary recipes (last night it was Sicilian lasagna trading recipes with strawberry pie and pesto pasta) and peddle home, wind attacking my face, before falling into a deep slumber.

Valentine's Day

In honor of the holiday, the sky produced a spectacular sunset over Utrecht and bike stop lights were shaped like hearts! Happy Valentine's Day. From Paula

What Are You Doing Next Year?

I guess I should be thinking about what to do next year. As an American, I believe this question carries with it more weight than for Dutch students. For Dutch students things are stretched out. For instance, they start university a year or so later than most Americans. They are given the flexibility to take time off from university or take longer to graduate without being penalized financially (though this is changing.) They work throughout their studies for movie theatres, dry cleaners, grocery stores. Then the government helps subsidize a masters. And they all have internships. Internships are a big part of the academic curriculum here. They are seen as great ways for students to learn what they like; and great work experience. They intern for museums, at law offices, for non-profit organizations. It does not seem as cutthroat as in America. During this time, they might take off a year or two and volunteer in South America, teaching empowerment through sports to children in a slum. They have a wealth of experiences. And then they are 26 or 30. Then they pick a career.

This is what I told my mom, trying to make her believe that it’s okay if I do not pick my career for life this autumn.

Recently, I spoke to a Harvard professor who I ran into who happened to be on sabbatical in Holland (we shared a cab and started a conversation…) She noted the difference in pace between Holland and Harvard. Granted, Harvard has a reputation for being high-stress. Nonetheless, she must be so relaxed in Holland. She is probably thirty or thirty-two. While being here, she has met a Dutch man. This woman has worked her whole life to get to the point where she is: a tenured professor track at Harvard. When I asked her what she looked forward to in the future, she mentioned the possibility of staying in the Netherlands for good and teaching here, she mentioned the guy. It seemed funny to me that she would switch paths so quickly. And yet, life is more relaxed here in a way. In Holland, the year is peppered with breaks, like fall break, for all employees. And people are required to retire at a certain age. In Sweden everyone gets at least a month off for summer vacation.

The point of that anecdote is not to suggest that I’m going to live in Holland (my rent expires in August.) It is merely to illuminate the harried pace of life we get into. Often, we have no choice. I am blessed to not be burdened with paying back lots and lots of money (due in large part to this Rotary fellowship.) Because of that, I can have a more Dutch-paced life. If I want. And so, I’m thinking about the amazing value of internships, of travel, of exploration. And, I'm keeping my options open.

Sweden in Pixels