Arabian Graffitti

Color My World...

I adore COLOR! I thrive on color! Color makes me happy and fuels my imagination! Living in Saudi Arabia, it is sometimes easy to think in terms of shades of beige and taupe. Houses, Sand, Stone, etc. So I have gone on an expedition to find the random bits of color in Riyadh.

The first thing I came across of interest was this bench outside someones home. What a nice idea! A resting spot in the shade of a wall for those days when some person, or very likely some cat, just needs to take a moment to catch their breath.....
And looking at the wall behind the bench, you can really appreciate what a bright spark of color that turquoise and mustard makes on that street!


A few minutes later, this row of rooms in the process of being torn down caught my eye. Pink, red, yellow, lavender, cream, and turquoise. You can't get much more colorful than that in an empty lot!

This is the window of an Indian restaurant in town. I absolutely love the window, and the building, but it looks like it would host an art studio or exhibit much more fittingly than it does the restaurant.

These intense blue tiles are another hit of color in this deeply hued brick building. They are very small (I'm guessing 2"X2" tiles) but very effective in livening up what otherwise might be a very forgetable spot.

Last are these blue on blue Arabesque tiles at the foot of some steps. Fantastic! I am now convinced that Riyadh is not as devoid of color as I once thought..... I just have to look in the right places.

More Afghani Jewelry

When my good friend Rehma saw my Afghani earrings (posted June 3, 2011) , she said that she had a pair that were very similar. She said she bought them on her honeymoon at Sawat Hill Station, Pakistan, which is just on the Afghani border, and has kept them for all these years.

This is a view of the pair. Gorgeous! I love the details and the handwork.
These bangle bracelets also belong to Rehma. I don't know if they have an interesting story as the earrings do, but they are so fun with the dangly bells that swing back and forth when you wear them.
They really don't make any noise to speak of, but just look at all those bells!

I Love, Love, Love these necklaces! The pendants are about the size of the palm of my hand! Look at the detail on them! This one has a metal stick attached to the lid, so that you could use it as a kohl container (although it would take a LOT of kohl to fill it up!) or you could use it for perfume oil and the stick could be the applicator. That is more likely what it is meant for.
And look at this one! It's like a little messenger bag, and the top opens up. You could use it to keep small mementos, found objects, or a handwritten poem.

What would you put inside?