We often hear the cliche it is the little things that make a difference, and cliche or not, there is some truth it. For example, whenever I move into a new home, my first priority is to put up curtains. It doesn’t matter if the windows come equipped with fancy blinds or shutters, for me, curtains are that special anchor that dispel the emptiness of the room, and is an indicator of the character to follow. There were even times that I used shawls and blankets as curtains just to give me that sense of home and privacy, even if it was just in one room. If memory serves me right, my mother did the same thing for all the houses and apartments we moved into over the years. Here in Portugal I had the great fortune to move into a furnished house (after the hostel and AirBnB) and the curtains were already up in some rooms, so this was the first time I didn’t have to provide them, but there is something about “marking” the place as your own from the very beginning and if you skip a step it just doesn’t feel right. I’ve been looking for funny frog curtains for a while but refused to pay the ridiculous price of the ones I found online, and shoved the project aside. Then, thanks to a prolonged absence of internet, non-stop rain and fog, I upcycled duvet covers into curtains! They are perfect for this month’s Halloween theme in the house. Each time I look up and see the frogs I can’t help but smile. I might just keep them there for the long haul.
How many of you grew up with fridge magnets that were either souvenirs from travels or gifts from friends and family? My parents were never quite the fridge magnet fans but somehow we ended up with the ubiquitous city souvenirs and teapots over the years. Before we committed our entire lives to our mobile phones, shopping lists, reminders, doctor’s appointments and even photos were stuck to the fridge with the magnets. In fact, I don’t remember ever having a bare fridge until I moved to Portugal. That is, until I was recently given three fridge magnets (including a frog, of course) and the realisation that I missed this tiny little element to complete the cosiness of home hit me.
Fridge magnets to me are like three-dimensional scrap books. You can tell a lot about the cohesiveness of the household by looking at the magnets, how they are arranged, what they are used for, how how the family interacts around and with them, if they are rotated according to season or occasion, etc. There are those who consciously buy magnetic sets of words in order to form phrases or leave messages for a loved one, others prefer the simple no-nonsense white-board type that are meant to fade into the background, and then there is the plethora of uplifting messages that are perfect to draw a smile from you no matter the hour of the day. For the past two years I was oblivious to the fact how much I missed them until the first three were presented to me last month. My heart skipped a beat, first of all because of the thoughtfulness, and second, something clicked into place. Home. Like curtains and cats, fridge magnets transform a house into a home.
My heartfelt thanks to the Hobo Trip Girls for this moment.
FrogDiva Thoughts 