One thing I’ve often said is music is so much a part of my life and I love sharing it.. Which is why sometimes I’ll do a post with a song to reflect what or how I’m feeling. Not sure if you listen to any of them, if so, that’s great to hear, if not, it’s cool.. Not everyone digs music.. (Yea, I still use the old school lingo “Dig” chuckles.. Ooops, I just gave away my age.. (I’m a ’60’s baby). Not sure if you know the music of Cassandra Wilson. She’s a jazz singer and I truly adore her style and cultural bohemian vibe. When I listen to her my mind wonders to some exotic places where I can admire different textures and styles pulled together to create that Afro-centric flair.. Here are some images I captured to share with you…
VIA
VIA
VIA
Which brings me to feature the home of someone who is dear to me… My aunt – we lovingly refer to as “Pookie”. Her home is filled with such cultural vibes and exotic touches..and she is a die-hard DIYer and thrifter. On my trip home last week I visited her and when I walked in I immediately said.. I wanted to welcome you into her home so… Welcome to Pookie’s Paradise…
When you enter, your eyes are greeted by the African mask displayed inside a wooden textured oval frame. I remember when she got the frame.. We were all at a flea market and a man had a truck load of huge frames he was needing to get rid of.. what luck we had that day..the only unlucky part was our truck wasn’t big enough to take all of them..lol.. but we all managed to score at least two each 🙂 .
She’s not one to fuss with long drapery, and loves to expose her bay windows and let all the sunshine in, so she opted to Go-Green to cover her windows.. I’m totally envious of her green thumb.. (but thankfully it’s starting to rub off on me). These are all her babies she meticulously takes care of. Some of which she’s had for over 20 years..
To your right you’ll spot this cozy corner which has a few collectibles she’s had for decades, like the hand carved wooden statue.. A snazzy, cool find she picked up in St. Marteen
And if you eyes caught the painting – like mine- guess what — she’s the artist.. She painted that approximately 40 years ago..It’s called Crying Heart and totally LOVE IT!!
Resting on her coffee table is another hand carved wooden sculpture that she picked up in the Caribbean.
Every little corner is influenced with cultural accents..
Step to her outdoor living space and this is the showpiece in her garden. The outdoor faux “fireplace”. This is a curbside find and her creative juices flowed and this is what she did with it.
And at night.. look how it’s lit up.. and no it’s not a real fire, it’s red lights inside to create the fire effect. Isn’t it fab..
This space is called the Hobbit Hole.. chuckles.. (how cute)…
The stained glass has an image that looks sort of like a bug… and the fox and midget chair are perfect accents for a hobbit..
She’s got little pockets of garden candy all around her yard and you can see more here. But before you go, I’d like to introduce you to the lovely lady behind the home of Pookie’s Paradise..
That’s my aunt and I love her and the home she and her husband, Clay made. It’s one you just kick your shoes off, sit back, relax and enjoy all the good food, music and cultural vibes they share. I can’t wait to go back to visit again. If you enjoyed this post and missed my other “Inspired by Music” posts you can see more here. Until next time – Smooches!!