green with envy

i cannot believe it will 2 years ago tomorrow that we left italy:(  it seems like yesterday that we were waiting to board the plane headed for home! we were fortunate enough to live in naples for 4 years....


we were there for my husbands job and it was an amazing experience for us! the first year is a bit hazy because the twins were only 11 months when we arrived.  the next three are more clear and we had a blast....we made the most incredible friends and got to travel a ton!  my husband might have the opportunity to go back soon for work...and that is where the envy comes in.

and the green part?  that is referring to one of my favorite things to do while living in italy...collecting green bottles!  the correct name for them is demijohn. they are used for homemade wine....which there is no shortage of in naples! a lot of them were just thrown along the side of the road when they were empty. you could also buy them ....but that was no fun!  it was the thrill of the hunt for me! i am pretty sure each one of my friends from italy has a good story to tell about finding them!

this sort of started an obsession with green bottles for me! my collection has grown...thanks to family giving me any green glass bottle they had and picking up others, new and old whenever i see them.  when i look around my house now they seem to be everywhere!

one of the first things i did when i got our new house was to figure out how to turn one into a lamp. my mom actually had an extra lamp adapter and it fit in the the top perfectly. i had thought about drilling through the bottom for the cord...but i was too scared to break the bottle (one broke while i was unpacking and i think i scared the kids b/c i started crying!)  so i just let the cord hang down the back. i found the perfect size shade...but it was too white. so i decided to cover it with linen. i love the look...but next time i cover a shade i will be following janells post at isabella & max rooms ! the edges of the fabric i turned under look a little rough...



here are more scattered through my house...one on the kitchen counter. i found this one at a local thrift store! i love the wide mouth of it.




here is a collection on top of a cabinet in our kitchen...do you recognize the painting? it was in the first photo of the lamp...which is where it normally lives. when my husband took this photo  (he is an amazing photographer) for me a long time ago...we were styling it with the same painting!!



this one is just sitting on the floor of my dining room (which looks little dirty! and i see a small lego piece!)



here are a few more stashed up in the master bathroom...the big one is the prettiest blue/green color. if you look close it is broken...my daughter accidentally bumped it last week (more tears from me) and i didnt have the heart to throw it away! honestly...this one was from italy and i am really attached!



one more by the bed...



do you think i might have a problem? my husband certainly does:) in college i used to collect all things fish?!?! i wonder what it will be next!

jodie

7 comments:

marlene said...

THanks for all the bottle ideas. I wish I had as many as you!

Unknown said...

funny marlene commented because i was going to say your bottles reminded me of the ones in her house! my sister was recently stationed in italy also and she has quite the collection now too! love your blog- i am now following on twitter also (i'm @maken my shop account) -courtney

Jodie Okun Interiors said...

@marlene...i thought you did have more than me:) @ courtney thanks so much! and thanks for the love on twitter:)

Mister Falcon said...

Nice post. I envy those bottles.

I await the post on collecting sea glass. I was obsessed with that. If I ever make it back to Italy, I am doing that again!

Jodie Okun Interiors said...

ahh...thanks timmy...i mean mr falcon...that is a great idea for a post!

Maia Dobson said...

You have a quirky taste when it comes to choosing your collection but I don't think your husband would be mad about it. In fact, the green lamp is so unique and modern. I think it'll look good when placed in the interior of the new homes for sale in the market.

andieclark said...

Maia is right, those green bottles are magnificent and it does adds some classy feel to your house. As an interior designer, I think those bottles could be displayed on builder website to make the units more appealing.