When I Lived in Budapest . . .

January 8, 2013

When I Lived in Budapest . . .

I'm now one of those cool kids who can say things like, "Oh, this scarf? Thanks, I bought it when I lived in Budapest for four months". Everything sounds sexier followed by that line. "Oh, my aversion to answering the phone? I developed it when I lived in Budapest for four months".

For folks new to the townhouse, or for those trying to remember everything I rambled on about when I was there, here are all of my Hungary-themed posts in one spot (plus a few never before seen pics)!

Wondering why the heck I was there? Research! I'm studying representations of women without children in this popular Hungarian women's magazine.

I announced my exciting news in this post (and then revealed my Mom was coming for three of the four months in this one). Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement. It really meant a lot to me. It was so fun to still connect with you all while I was abroad, partly because it made me feel less disconnected from the world back home (but mostly just because you're great).

When we arrived in Budapest, it was late and we were exhausted (8 hour layover!) but the landlord was phenomenally sweet and put us at ease right away. We were relieved to find that the apartment was super cute, with a few retro touches and herringbone floors I would have liked to have pried up and taken with me. It had a courtyard in the middle, which mean light flooded the place from both ends.

View from the courtyard

I never showed photos of the street. It was surprisingly busy at night. We were right beside a hospital so there were ambulances, of course. But we also witnessed many couples arguing on the street. Once we awoke to a young woman sobbing on the street before being taken into the hospital. At first, it was a bit unnerving, but we grew accustomed to the activity (and thankfully none of the arguments turned more serious). We started to meet and recognize people, and it was comforting to stop for a sidewalk chat with people we knew in this strange city. Did I mention there was a patisserie the next street over? Can't be a bad neighbourhood when there's a steady supply of cake!

Although the apartment was cute, it felt so weird to be there at first. My Mom and I tried a few things to make the space feel comfier, plus we got into a routine, and soon it felt like "home".

Frankly, though, we didn't log a lot of hours in the apartment. After long days of research, we typically went sight-seeing, shopping or just wandered around. Public transit would get so packed around 4-6pm that I saw a streetcar door smoosh a guy's nose as it closed because there just wasn't enough room for all of him. Another day, we were on a bus that was so packed, someone's leg got stuck in the door! We started walking 10km some days just to avoid public transit (of course, we'd take the longest, most meandery way home)! Just straight home from the first library (left arrow), no lollygagging, was 4km. But walking is always fun in a new(ish) city because there's so much to see.

I worked primarily in two libraries, one right behind Parliament (which was gorgeous and decadent). I never did share photos of the view as promised, but here's what we saw from the windows!

We logged a lot of hours there.

The other library I worked in was the famous Szechenyi Library, housed in a former castle on a hill overlooking the Danube.

One floor of the library has huge (copper?) doors that are incredibly beautiful.

Leaving the library at night sure was a treat. I'd work harder at home if the reward was this ethereal, magical experience after a long day of research.

But it wasn't all work! Of course we went to a flea market (a couple of times!) and also frequented quirky vintage shops.

The flea market wasn't the greatest (okay, I went back three times so it must have been somewhat good), but it was an adventure. I practiced my people-shoving for the apocalypse AND I found a stellar Kalevala brooch, plus some cute retro Hungarian stamps.

A stamp DIY project (or two) are in the works . . .

We were also lucky enough to be there for Budapest Design Week! The theme was "Slow Design," and events took place all over the city. There was so much inspiration. What made this event really fun for me, was that Budapest Design Week partnered with Fiskars Village, an artist community in Finland. Although my Mom's family is Hungarian, my Dad's is Finn, so it felt personally inspiring to see the Hungarians and Finns exhibiting slow design together.

We took in quite a few exhibits and toured many galleries and art fairs (dozens, actually, although some were very small), highlighting just our favorites, like this gorgeous little gem of a gallery.

We also really liked WAMP, a design fair that happens monthly in Budapest but expanded for Design Week. Mom ended up buying one of those gorgeous bags, in a deep grey (and I got a second cell case, like the red and turquoise one below), which was excellent timing because the purses are currently handmade but might be factory produced soon.

Did I mention Hungarian chairs are hard? I don't know if this is intentional, but it's a thing with them. Three visits, totaling about 6 months spent in Hungary, and I have never sat in a Hungarian chair that wasn't rock hard. Even contemporary Hungarian designers are making flat bum chairs (spotted at WAMP):

Kreatim was another beautiful artisan fair, made better by the breathtaking Museum that housed it and the temporary Art Deco exhibit we took in afterward.

Antsy for some kind of craft, we found a craft store in our neighbourhood with beautiful embroidery thread, made in Hungary, and I started an ambitious embroidery project. Last you saw, I was half ice. Do you think I finished it before coming home? Details this week.

Of course we also visited other museums and historical sites like proper tourists, but I'm saving those for another post when I'll round up my favorite things to see and do in Budapest, including a few off the beaten path ideas and a few "just skip 'em" tips, like the fake labyrinth we went to (turns out the real one was raided by police, shut down and then these faux ones started popping up).

On October 23rd, the Anniversary of the 1956 revolution, I shared my grandparents' sad but inspiring story, as well as way too many photos of Budapest (I was enthused).

I had good days and bad days in Budapest, like at home I guess. I had too much time to think, so I think I over thought things. But other times, I found everything hilarious. It was an interesting experience, without so many of my daily distractions from home.

Some days, only Roman ruins and a stray, drooly cat could make me smile.

Here's a photo of my drooly guy making a beeline right for me, shortly before the drool cuddle commenced.

When my Mom left, I was a little blue. It was so sad to have to send her my Bday wishes virtually (she just missed spending her birthday in Budapest!), but I am so happy for the time we had together.

After more than three months apart, Hubby and I each shared our perspective on the time spent away from the other. Click here for Hubby's adorable post, and see mine here!

Hubby joined me mid-December! In addition to stocking up on embroidery floss, I showed him the sights.

Although I did make him return to the craft shop three times, we also did Hubby-approved things. I promise! It was a completely different roster of activities than when my Mom was around.

The weather was beautiful for September, October and November. December was colder than expected! And rainier, too. Although we did have two very dreary snow covered days:

I would happily travel to Hungary again in the fall - it was gorgeous with the leaves turning, plus the weather was still warm but not too hot and, the best part, far fewer tourists.

I was ill-prepared for winter. A wool coat was a bad idea for rainy days (it soaked right through), and I had to buy a few things to keep warm.

BUT, winter had the added bonus of an inspiring and comforting Christmas Fair, with delicious treats and sweet finds. I actually treated myself to quite a few handmade things!

I never showed you what broke my heart to not buy. I fell hard for a hand woven rug that was only $17 bucks even though it took the artisan (pictured) fours hours to make, can you believe it?? It had a mate, too. But how could I bring these home without paying through the nose for shipping? Once they sold, I felt better. They went to a good home, I reasoned. Then the seller put out a turquoise pair and I felt that itchy "iwantit" feeling. By then Hubby was around and just rolled his eyes, which was enough to dissuade me from getting shipping quotes. But not before I ordered a glass of mulled wine from a nearby booth and just stared at the rugs from afar for about 20 minutes, sipping my wine, looking pathetic. Vroomvroomvroom. (It's not working . . .)

Adjusting to home life again has been weird. It was really different there. I didn't drive, I didn't have many responsibilities and everything (even getting groceries) was new and exciting. I also had more time and stamina to do my research. Progress has really stalled since I came home. Home always feels good, though, so I know I will adjust soon. I'm really thankful for the experience. I'm happy it happened because it really was, in a word, fabulous.

There is so much more I could have shared, but I didn't want Dans le Townhouse to evolve into a travel blog. To keep things somewhat "normal" for me (and readers), I sandbagged a few DIY projects and tidbits from around the townhouse during the summer and posted a few each month, in addition to continuing to round up inspiration (imported from Hungary) and blogging about random things now and then, like why I don't celebrate Christmas anymore. In case you missed the townhouse tidbits and projects, here they all are (including my embroidery posts):

Money Talks: A Peek into Our Finances

I'm finally starting my new series, "Money Talks." Every now and then, I'll be sharing some of our financial wins and woes, tips and tricks. I'm no expert (far from it), so I'm not spouting any advice. I'm just telling you what we're up to and what we've learned. It's my . . . two cents (you knew that was coming).

A little about us:

Hubby is 30, employed full-time, and I'm 28, employed part-time and doing my PhD (on a scholarship). Our income is on par with the Canadian average household income for a child-less, non-retired couple (I googled it), and we pool our incomes. We rapid fire paid off student loans years ago, paid off our car loan and now our only debt is a mortgage. We're doing something right (and have also been really lucky). We have emergency and short term savings, but we save in spurts, not regularly, or enough, as we should. We pay for everything with a cash back credit card, which we pay off each month in full, but I'm starting to doubt the system. We created a spreadsheet to record our spending, but it went the way of the dinosaurs.

We could do better. I could do better (I feel like a dead weight at times, spending more and earning less).

Hubs and I have a date next week to think about our goals and come up with a plan. How much should we save each month? What's the smart way to save for retirement? Is a credit card best for us? What should our monthly budget be? How can we save money on the things we have to buy? What charitable donations do we want to make this year? We'll be figuring things out this year. I'll be sharing all this, plus what we've already tackled (like how we said good-bye to student debt faster). Until then, I have a plan of my own.

The topic on my mind right now:

Having lived out of a 50lb suitcase for four months, I am totally overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we have in the townhouse. I've realized I fritter away money on little purchases here, there and everywhere. In Hungarian there is a saying, "sok kicsi sokra megy," which means: "lots of little makes a lot". Ish. Don't trust my translation (google says it means "many a little makes a mickle"). I interpret it to mean that all the little bits here and there that I buy without thinking about could all add up to one of these instead:

Yum.

We've wanted a vintage muscle car for ages, but it always seemed like a distant dream. Pricing them out and looking at all the surplus stuff I've bought over the years was a little horrifying. I realized we could have one already. I have to change my ways so I don't rob us of big ticket things we'd like (including retirement!).

With a concrete picture and goal in mind, I am hoping I can put a moratorium on mindless shopping. When I'm ogling something, I'm going to whisper "vroom" (and possibly look at the picture I printed and now keep in my wallet). "Self," I will say, "Do you want the thing you're currently hugging more than some vehicular goodness that will see Hubby and you grinning like millionaires every day?" Nope.

We have always had goals, some silly and indulgent, some more respectable, but they always seemed vague and irrelevant to our life right now. I'm going to stop thinking about them as a "someday" things and start thinking about them as "soon as we get the cash together" things. This applies to our next house, future renovations, more travel, retirement, charitable donations - everything. I'm definitely not advocating we throw retirement planning to the wind and just buy something extravagant (although that is the advice my investment planner gave me after his stroke, shortly before he retired). I just think that with clearer goals in mind, including a super fun one that makes me want to save, I might be able to take charge of my spending more. My goal is to think big picture and make sure that money I spend is going to things we really want or need.

I'm going to work on changing how I think ("sok kicsi sokra megy"), have my Money Talks date with Hubs, and pull out my Mustang photo next time I'm petting towels I don't need at Winner's. How about you?

P.S. I'm linking up here: Serenity Now

Best of 2012 (DIY Edition)

Yesterday I shared my top twelve favorite (and completely random) posts. Today I'm rounding up my 12 favorite DIY projects from 2012.

1. Agate necklaces

These turned out so pretty, even though they cost so little. I love that Hubby helped make them, plus the slices of agate were bought from a souvenir shop on our (second) trip to Boston. I always think of Hubs and our vacation when I wear them. But wearing them has proven dangerous, as friends are always trying to steal them off my person (no luck yet, I move fast)!

2. Black & white painting

You know I love painting, but I've admitted I'm a bit of a hit or miss painter. Painting something that "turns out" is always such a relief. I really like the simplicity of this painting - it looks really striking in the stairwell, especially with the custom frame we made for it. It ended up weirdly famous too, snagging nods of approval from Babble, Brooklyn Limestone and more. Blog friends even made their own versions! Apologies to the real artist I shamelessly copied.

3. Feminist mirror makeover. I have a hard time making the two disparate parts of my life (my PhD research and blogging about my home and DIY projects) fit together, but this project joined them for the first time. It felt good. Let's do it again sometime.

4. Hungarian poem mirror

Yes, I went on a bit of a mirror kick (another mirror makeover to come in 2013). I really liked incorporating my love of text with a little of my Hungarian heritage into the townhouse. Plus, I made use of a mirror I literally could not give away which also felt like an accomplishment - I love making use of what I have and finding new purposes for things. Antiquing the mirror, stenciling the poem and building the frame were all surprisingly easy to boot! P.S. Here are the details on how we hung it up!

5. Antique chair makeover

A common theme around the townhouse is the project many years in the making. After living with this inherited chair for many, many years, I was finally able to convince Hubby to give it a respectable makeover. Now it's much more modern and "us," but didn't lose too much of its heritage. The turquoise chair makeover would have been a contender, if not for the multiple attempts to get it right.

6. Dipped leg stool

I don't always follow or try trends. Sometimes I dive right in. Sometimes I'm before my time and am over something before it's trendy (or have to constantly excuse myself for having said trendy item). Sometimes I just ogle from the sidelines like a total nerd. With the dipped leg project, it was exciting to give something so trendy a try (when it's trendy), and the fact that this project was super inexpensive and worked with something we already made me happy.

7. Retro play kitchen

This tiny, vintage themed play kitchen for my little cousin, Camilla (baby brother Jack loves it too!) was just so much fun to make and accessorize. I hope it helps her to grow up to love DIY, decorating and vintage finds so she and I can thrift together one day!

8. Play kitchen accessories

I turn to mush when I see miniatures (baby clothes, doll houses, tea spoons) so turning everyday objects into play kitchen accessories, and making mini tea towels and pot holders, made me "awwww" in a high pitched voice until it hurt.

9. Cowboy table cloth

DIY is always more fun with someone, so it was really sweet when my Mom came for a crafting visit last winter. In addition to the play kitchen accessories above, we also made this cheery table cloth (with a really detailed tutorial!) from hilarious fabric. My Mom's genius ideas (in this case, to alternate the pattern to make a table cloth from really narrow fabric) never cease to amaze me.

10. Sheer sandwich curtains

Still unconvinced of my Mom's genius? It was her idea to add extra layers to our existing sheer curtains, with a fabric steal that cost only $2.00 a meter. Neither fabric looked substantial enough on its own, but sandwiched together the two fabrics made the sheers look more substantial and luxurious, plus there's more visual interest and privacy, but still lots of light flooding the tiny townhouse. The fact that my readers immediately noticed this tiny-big change made me want to blog forever.

11. Art Do-overs

From the bedroom triptych to the triangle abstract, no painting was safe from a round II in 2011, which is a good thing because I liked every second try the best. Waking up to these helps me start each day with a huge grin:

12. Basement Reveal

After saying we'd makeover the basement in 2012 and then . . . not, for no better reason than this, just tackling what we did felt like a big deal (and not a total failure). We painted the landing, spruced up the railing, hung my newly framed black and white painting, finally found a home for the framed bakelite brooches, painted the basement (including tricky ceiling tiles & adding textured paint to a wall), hung a gallery wall and started furniture placement. THIS year, we will definitely finish it up - including more furniture makeovers, painting, and creative laundry room solutions.

These are my favorite 12 projects from 2012 (here's my 11 fave from 2011)! Did I snub a project you had liked? Here's the full list of DIYs (including the honorable mentions, like the houndstooth upholstered chair tutorial, Rothko inspired cardboard art, step-by-step abstract, and super simple but super striking black tray), which will be blossoming soon as we tackle more projects in 2013!

Linking up here: Between Naps on the Porch, Cowgirl Up Link Party, Tip Junkie, Elizabeth & Co, Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty, Not Just a Housewife, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, French Country Cottage, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, DIY Project Parade, Under the Table and Dreaming

Best of 2012 (Miscellaneous Edition)

Last year I started my first annual "best of" round-up, but I only focused on DIY and home decor related posts. This past year I opened up a bit, deviating from my townhouse themed content every now and then, and because I added more variety to the mix, first I'm sharing my favorite miscellaneous posts from 2012. I have random reasons for liking each of these posts. Sometimes it's the photos, the connection with you, the writing, the topic . . .

1. The Three-legged Dog Headbutt

You know I love a good laugh. If I ever want a good giggle, this post (and the ensuing comments) do it for me. Dharma, you still crack me up and our exchange in the comments has to win some kind of blog award for hilarity and randomness.

2. The Negative Comments

I have been pretty lucky in blogland. I've made some great friends. I've been inspired. I've made someone's day. I've been featured on so many blogs - even magazines! - that I can hardly believe my luck. Most importantly, I've had fun. It wasn't until my Huffington Post feature that I encountered super strangely harsh comments. Some of them were so mean, my face flushed with anger when I read them. I was even embarrassed for a few minutes. Fortunately, I quickly saw the funny in them and was going to brush them off, but then I thought I had to say something because people who tweet, blog, facebook, etc., can all experience that kind of crap. I didn't want my silence to be mistaken for approval, or continued embarrassment, or anything other than being disappointed in some people (tsk, tsk negative Nellies). Thanks again for chiming in, commiserating and sharing your stories, although I'm sorry so many of you had similar stories to share!

3. The Etsy Shop Launch!

After so much encouragement from readers (eager to get their hands on goodies from this treasure hunting report and this one and this one and this one) I opened an Etsy shop!! My Mom and I teamed up for a Thunder Bay-Ottawa based shop filled with vintage goodies. After so much success pairing sweet vintage finds with new owners (and refraining from keeping all the finds for ourselves), we'll re-open shortly, with fresh new vintage finds. Next up in the shop: more handmade goodies and perhaps even some original art.

4. The Second Try of My Monthly Round-up

I've never thought to ask if this irritates you or not, but I don't like regularly scheduled programming on Dans le Townhouse. I've tried some series, like the Art Attack posts and my Treasure Hunting Reports, but they pop up (or fizzle out) when I least expect them to. I like to keep things random, because that reflects my life a little better. But I like the idea of a monthly round-up because I know life is short, the internet is deep, and we don't have time to check out every post of every blog we love! I think by the second month I got into the swing of things (highlighting my favorite posts, but not every single one) and I've kept it up - almost always around the same time-ish of the month. Look at me being all blog-tastic.

Etsy: Stella Girl

5. The Reader Q About My Research

I was more than happy to oblige readers interested in my PhD research with this post. So many of you are still interested, I'm going to share more soon. I only shared a bit about where I was doing research in Budapest (here and here), plus I whined a bit about being stressed (just keepin' it real). I promise a proper follow up soon, possibly devoid of typos and everything!

6. The Bad Wife

I love this annual anniversary homage to my wonderful Hubby. I enjoy the chance to poke fun of me and remind myself how fabulous he is. He crafts with me. He laughs at my jokes. And he learned some of the words to Little Talks. How could I have not married the guy? On the subject, I loved our posts about 3+ months without the other too. Maybe because snoopy me loves a peek into other people's relationships, I feel it's only fair to share a glimpse into ours as well.

7. The Drinks Dans le Townhouse

Speaking of series . . . I meant to start three new series of recipes: Drinks, Dinner and Dessert Dans le Townhouse last year. But after a few, my enthusiasm fizzled. Kitchen time this year always seemed harried (food now!), or it happened at night when photo taking is dismal. But I loved this Drinks Dans le Townhouse post so much (plus the cookies one was fun to photograph), I'm going to try harder in the new year to keep up with the series, in a random sort of way.

8. The Excessive Number of Photos of Budapest

Sometimes I felt really super duper lucky to have spent four months in Budapest, but hated the idea of being really braggy about it (Oh, you're stuck at work in a cublice? I work in a former castle). Plus, truthfully, sometimes it was also really stressful and tiring to be there (the bureaucracy! the congestion! the copious amount of dog poo on the sidewalks!). So I focused on finding a balance when talking about the experience, being sure to share good with bad. But in this post I just shared a bevy of gorgeous photos of Budapest in honor of an important day for Hungary, and my family. I loved giving myself the freedom to just revel in the beauty of the city.

9. The Happy to Have a Home Moment

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in new stuff and projects (like displaying my rock collection or pondering furniture options), I forget how awesome it is just to have a space. It's such a privilege and a luxury that I needed a chance to talk about that; to take a moment to think about people who don't have a home to call their own. Thanks for listening and chiming in. This year, instead of just thinking about it I want to do something about it.

10. The Turquoise Lust

Every now and then I like to do a round-up of inspiration, like neon accessories, minty inspiration, Mother's Day handmade gifts ideas, bedrooms I'd like to curl up in or, my favorite, everything turquoise!

11. The Green Skin

I just had such a hilarious time editing a photo of me for Halloween, this post had to be included. Would anyone notice if I added a hat and dead bird to all photos of me??? I also made good on a promise in this post and showed you all the Marimekko dress on me! What a good little blogger.

12. The Framing Question

It is such a neat experience when readers write in with questions. Sometimes it's something really specific ("Why do you like white walls?"), sometimes it's random ("What nail polish colour are you wearing?"), and sometimes it's a request for advice. That tickles me. I really enjoy knowing people love their spaces and feel good in their homes, so if there's anything can do to facilitate that (like spend six hours hunting down photos to demonstrate things to think about when picking a frame), I do. Plus, I'm not going to lie, I get flattered a bit too. That's partly why reader projects (like this expedit hack and DIY painting) also make me beam. It's a total "Awww, shucks" moment.

There are twelve of my favorite post from the past year. Check back tomorrow for the DIY round-up.

P.S. I started late in the year, but here's a list of all my monthly round ups to date, for the Cole's Notes version of Dans le Townhouse: June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

Dans le Lakehouse

January 8, 2013