Whatever Happened to the Custom Hungarian Pillows?

Have you wondered what happened with the hand cut Hungarian felt pillows I was agonizing over?  It's not a gripping tale, but I hate to leave you hanging.

Thanks to your awesome help, I made a decision!  I decided on four yellow on yellow wool pillows, for a colourful, textural statement in the guest room.  Then I decided to get two cream ones for the office.  Splurge indeed!  Pretty much at the last minute (I needed to allow 6 weeks to order), I went to the shop at 4:00 p.m. one day.  The market the shop is in closed at 6:00 p.m. that day, but this vendor was already gone.  The sign said the shop was open until 6:00 p.m. but everything was closed.  When I had the time again, I went back to the market, to see what other stock colours they had or to see if there was a chance to order, but they were packed up at 3:00 p.m.!  At that point, I was too irritated to try again.  I really shouldn't have to work hard to part with my money for frivolous things, right??  Happily, my Mom had decided maybe she went a little pillow crazy and gave me two of her cream ones.  So I'm not completely pillow-less, like last time.

If I'm being honest, I'm disappointed I didn't get a custom set of these amazing pillows, but I'm also relieved my plans were thwarted because six pillows would have been a lot of vroom vroom.  I bought some other expensive treats I haven't even told you about, so I think it worked out for the best.

In any case, the cream pair looks amazing in the office and they don't compete with the silhouettes, patterned office chair, patterned guest room chair (looming in the distance), and busy expedit hack.  The texture of the pillow shows up much more in real life and the colour is actually a much creamier shade than the walls - more like the backgrounds of some of the silhouettes.  I'm happy.  And so is Hubby.  He hates pillows. 

P.S.  How many photos of these pillows will I make you look at?  Just one more.

Custom Splurge: I Need Your Thoughts

I try really hard to shop smart on vacations, but sometimes I buy the most useless stuff - a mistake I won't repeat this time!

Last year, I had very little space to bring home Hungarian souvenirs so I bought (what I thought were) a few small treasures - gems! - including a few handmade cotton blouses (they shrunk), a pretty felt coin purse (too pretty to use), a handmade bracelet (doesn't go with anything) and a gorgeous horn hair comb, bought from a Hungarian artisan who handcrafted each piece.  I do a lot of messy updos, so I thought I'd be a perfect candidate for this comb, but I never have the time to fuss with it.  If I do, I end up feeling silly and pry it back out of my hair.

It is a fun reminder of this super packed folk art market, though:

Sometimes I hit the nail on the head.  The water colour from Paris is still much loved.  The tray in our bathroom is also from Paris and, although nothing special, is a daily reminder of our trip and an item we sorely needed (it protects the marble from cans of hairspray and the like).  I think the trick is to buy something I would have wanted to buy at home - something on the "need-ish want" list (like my new cellphone case).

But Mom also has a good idea: investing in something really "Hungarian" that will make a nice design statement at home.  She bought four of these gorgeous, handcut felt wool pillow covers (done in a traditional Hungarian style).  Remember I regretted not buying a few last year?  This is a dying craft and looks so amazing in real life because of the intricate detail and texture.  The set (all the same cream on cream) will look fabulous on a sofa, across a bed, or split up across two armchairs.  Drool.

I think I might also splurge and buy a few (they are less than $50.00 a piece).  They might live in the guest bedroom (where they will be safe!).  Or maybe in the office, on the antique chest?  One day, I could move them to the living room.  They are so beautiful, I just don't want to miss out this time (although I'm still undecided if they really suit the townhouse).  But here's the cool part: I can order a custom set!  Which is good, because none of the pre-made ones really suit the townhouse:

So let's chat about the custom option.  I always love your wisdom.  When I asked for help with the fireplace decor, I went with the most common reply: "put a mirror above the mantle," and, although I put my own spin on it, I'm so happy I called on you for advice.
 
The Options:

The possibilities are endless:

Photos from Parna

See what I mean?  I am agonizing about this, but I hate to spend the money and end up not liking them.  I went back to the shop multiple times and snapped photos of items made from my shortlist of felt choices, with some design options listed beside.

The white is really a creamy white, like Mom's pillows.

As a reminder, this is the pattern:



Thoughts??  Do they even suit my style at all?  This pillow decision is giving me a headache. 

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