Snow day!  And honestly, I'm so happy! Yes, I just said that.  Though the downside is that it's freezing cold out, so we won't be able to get out to play in all of the fresh snow. Tomorrow, tomorrow.

Okay, did you watch the Grammys last night? I love the Grammys, though last night's show was a bit wonky.  I dunno, I'd be totally into it and then they'd lose me for about 30 mins.

Don't get me wrong, she's one talented lady, but this tweet was awesome.

Honestly, Old Man Winter is angry, very angry.  We got so much snow the past couple of days, it's been unreal.  On Saturday we shovelled and shovelled and shovelled, though I have to admit, the entire family was out there and we all had a blast.  Reminded me of being a kid and absolutely loving the tall mounds of snowing.

hubs says shovelling is a great workout, which I know is true but I can guarantee you that we will be purchasing a snowblower in the near future.

Remember the branches I spoke of last week and the hyacinths?  Both are blooming like crazy and our house is slowly taking on the look and scent of spring, which is right.around.the.corner. right? Darn Old Man Winter.

So last week I headed to Toronto for #IDS14.  First timer here and I had so much fun.  I had the pleasure of meeting up with some amazing bloggers and interior designers that I absolutely adore, that alone was fabulous.   I was given media access which allowed me to tour the show on Trade Day and I have a bunch of photos and a glorious recap to share, but that will come later in the week.

For now, I have a quick sneak peek of what you'll see in the recap.

since we used hubs hotel points to book the hotel, I had access to the executive lounge. note to self, always book hotel rooms with hubs points and leave him home with the kids. ha!

Cocoon furnishings launched Aerin Lauder's home collection at the show. The photos, no matter how many I took, did not do the chandelier justice. Honestly one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen in my life. The entire booth was just gorgeous.

Sarah Richardson and team got creative and designed a booth in which every piece was covered in her new fabric line by Kravet.  Brilliant and beautiful!

How awesome would it be to water your plants in a gorgeous sink like this? I mean really. (it appears that I took the wrong card for this booth, need to find the correct company name, my apologies)

I just about died when I saw this booth by Simply White.

Para Paints brightened up the grounds with their booth

If you're looking for a pretty faucet or tub filler, Delta Faucet is the place to go. Seriously.

Ikea

Ikea

Ikea amazed everyone, everyone. Gold tile, marble counters, chandeliers, I could go on and I will. More later in the week.

Before I leave you, one last photo.  This made me laugh.  Exhausted after two busy days away, I was so excited to crawl into bed....I entered our room and saw this:

At least he put the pillows back on the bed, right?! haha! Hubs, I tell ya. Hilarious.

Happy Monday, friends. Have a good one.

Cheers,

Decorating With Branches & Taking Photos

Countdown to IDS14: T minus 1 day. Yes, tomorrow I will be in Toronto, can't wait!  And I think I've decided on an outfit, such an important decision you know! lol  Be sure to follow along on instagram and twitter if you aren't already (but you totally are, right?! right?!) for updates and peeks at what I love and want at IDS!  I'm looking forward to recapping the show for you next week!

I have a thing for branches indoors, I find them to be absolutely stunning. Every single time I see a picture of cherry blossom branches, or branches with greenery that is just about to bloom, I immediately  tell myself that I need to get some for our home.  Time passes, the idea fades and then I see another glorious picture of delicate cherry blossom flowers blooming on branches in an entry way or living room and the cycle starts all over again.

I need.

I must get.

I forget.

Well, last week while out on a walk, we found a few branches and brought them home.  To my delight they have begun to sprout lovely green foliage and I can not stop taking pictures.  And to think that once I had them all set up, I thought that my grand idea was absolutely awful!  They originally made the room feel dark and cold, but the minute that the buds started to sprout, they brought a whole new feel to the room.

I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for cherry blossom branches and have already asked my mother in law to keep any branches that she prunes from her gorgeous weeping tree in the backyard (that just so happens to bloom around the same time as hubs and my anniversary, brilliant).

Cheers,

Planting Bulbs, Fresh Flowers and a Circuit That You Must Try

It's Monday, the 20th of January, which means that IDS14 is only 3.days.away. You guys, I'm excited!  I'm trying to figure out what to wear to the opening night party.  I don't want to be too fancy, but I do however want to get dressed up because this momma doesn't get out all that often! ha! Truth.

So last week I mentioned how I was going to treat myself to some real flowers every now and then.  I kept my promise and you know what, I'm glad I did.  I picked up a couple of bouquets from our local grocery store (carnations, holla!) while shopping and they totally did the trick.

I placed one bouquet in the living room and the other in the family room.  Lovely, lovely!  Don't dismiss those grocery store bouquet, they can most definitely work magic and freshen up any space!

You know by now that I love using vintage pieces as vases, I absolutely adore this water pitcher!

I picked up this white vase from Ikea, I love the delicate doily like trim along the top.  The woven tray is from Homesense.  I have a purchased a few trays over the years.  I find them to be a wise investment and I swap them out/move them around every now and then to freshen things up.

Okay, so I bought more than two bouquets of flowers, but really.....these hyacinths scream spring and though I'm not trying to rush time away, I love a touch of spring in the home!  They were being sold in a plastic pot, so I simply repotted them into a ceramic bowl once I arrived home.

Do you treat yourself to fresh blooms every now and then?

Also, I started working out again, oh goodness, I can hardly move today.  But it's a good pain, right?!  Anyhow, I've always loved running but I needed to add something more, so I'm giving circuit training a go and honestly, it was awesome!  I tried one of the circuits on my lovely friend, Candice's blog and it was killer (in a good way).  You can find the circuit I did here.  Can I say that those bulgarian split lunges are no joke. No.they.are.not.

Giddy up, get going, happy Monday.

Cheers,

It Doesn't Look Right For A Reason. Art Is Going Up.

So I stayed up to watch Downton Abbey  last night (I had to switch from the Golden Globes even though I was recording Downton, I just couldn't miss it).  Anyhow, can I tell you that I am not a night owl, not at all.  I am so tired today and I only stayed up just past 10pm! Honestly.

In other news,  as you know, I'm pretty determined to get more art up in the house.  This week was epic in the art department, seriously, totally excited.  I'm not one to over fill walls, but bare walls just don't sit well with me.

So this happened and I'm loving it!  It took me 24 hrs to get the nerve up to give it a try and in the end, I ended up using a Command Strip just incase I didn't like the results.  I have to be honest, I'm a touch worried about it being lower on the wall, I just don't want it to get damaged so I will be keeping a close eye on it, but I'm so happy that I gave it a go, I think it makes the room feel less uptight.  (sorry, but these are all iphone/instagram pics).

What didn't go as planned was this:

I framed these fabrics that were gifted to me quite a few years ago by a lovely friend.  She picked them up on her trip to Indonesia.  I thought of making pillows, but I never could bring myself to cut the fabric.  So this past weekend, I decided to frame them, which I thought was a brilliant idea!  But when it came time to hang them up in the living room, something was just not right.  I couldn't put my finger on what it was, the frame colour, the way that the fabrics were placed in the frame, the frame size, the matting, yadda yadda....I just couldn't figure it out.  In the end, I think that they just aren't right for the room.  The good news is that they will work perfectly in the upstairs hallway, so that's where they will go.

But we did end the weekend on a high note with this gorgeous Influential print by Jen Ramos, the talent behind Made By Girl.  I'm truly so happy with it and love how it faces the front door:

Also awesome, these stunning floral prints by Gaby from The Vault Files.  I have always had a love for floral prints and these ones are absolutely stunning, without a doubt.  They will go in the living room, but not where I originally intended on hanging them, so now I'm back to searching for art to fill the wall beside the Lovely Lady (seen above).

So, lesson learned...don't force something to work, if it isn't meant for the space, it just isn't.

Have an awesome Monday!

Cheers,

My Adult Version of A Childhood Dream.

There's a lot of talk about neutral spaces so far this year.  I'm quite on board, but I will always have to have that pop of unexpected/bold colour.  Neutrals with a twist I suppose.  Even if it's only in the slightest way, I do love the element of surprise.

I've got a slew of house work to do and I literally only just finished typing this blog post (I usually have them written at least a week ahead).  I'm so behind on nearly everything, but I'm not worried about it one bit.  Whatevs, it will all get done.  But today I'm busting my butt to get the house back in order so that I can head out to HomeSense and a few local vintage shops.  I need my fix, I haven't been to either in at least a month.  So off I go.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Cheers,

Gold Tray Must Have and Walls That Will No Longer Be Bare

January is typically such a wonky month for me.  Resolutions, reflection, determination all turn into an overwhelming urge to just throw my hands up and revert back to wherever it was that I was before.

Anyhow, that being said....I seem to be keeping on track this year (even though we're only 8 days in).  There's been a few things that have happened that have resulted in me taking a good look at myself and figuring out how I work best.  I've learned that I do need to write things down and I do need to plan but that doesn't mean that if things come up, or if I'm not able to finish everything as planned that I've failed or that because they are written down, that it's written in stone.  Oh no, I am able to be flexible, I just have to rejig and work around it.  Writing things down just helps me stay focused and keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.  If I neglect to write my goals/to do list down, then they are all jumbled into one, totally and utterly chaotic mess in my head, which results in mini break downs and spontaneous outburst.  A little dramatic I suppose, huh?  None the less, it is what it is, but I'm happy to have found a way to work around/with it.

With that, the living room and dining rooms need to be finished, I'm just ready to have these rooms that are soooo very close to being done, done.  I'm so excited to have already ordered some prints and to  have picked some others out.  It will take a bit of time to get everything as the money tree I planted in the backyard still isn't producing dollar bills, yo.

I've gone back and forth on whether or not if I should share pics of what I have planned.  I decided to hold off, for now at least.  Yes, me, who loves to share sneak peeks every mili second, just said that.  However, I can not promise that I won't be sharing any sneak peeks on instagram, I'm kinda known to do that a lot.

What I can show you is where the art will go, well, one of the spots.

that empty wall won't be empty much longer....

In other news, I took advantage of the amazing deals at Chapters over the holidays.  This gold tray is everything and more.  Seriously, I'm loving it!  I'm all about things that are square lately, from anything to frames & photos to trays.  Not quite sure what that's all about.  What I do know is that if you're able to get your hands on one of these gorgeous trays, you should do just that.  And buy it of course.  I also picked up the silver glass votive, again, on sale.

 I'm excited to finish off these two rooms and the family room, which is next on my list.  The list is super long, but I'm not feeling stressed or anxious about it.  I've come to realize that it's just going to take time.  I think there will be a lot of progress this year, but it will span over the entire year, which is totally fine!  I compromised a bit last year on things that I kinda, sorta liked and that were kinda, sorta what I was looking for to only decide that I really do want the real thing.  So this year, I'm going to do my best on not compromising as much and to indulge in real flowers.  I do love my faux flowers, but some real florals here and there would be even better.

Cheers,

A Room That Has My Attention & Where I Need To Visit.

I'm still so completely captivated and slightly obsessed with Aerin Lauder's book.  I can't stop thinking about it.  The rooms are so well put together.  I especially loved the library, as seen in the photo above.

We will be spending our day in emerg, or at least a better part of it, to have kiddo 2's stitches removed.  Unfortunately, we can't go to see our family doctor because their office is closed for the holidays until next Monday. Those stitches need to come out and so emerg it is.

I have such an itch to get going on decorating, I suppose that's to be expected with the new year and all.  I also want to get to our local antique shoppe to see what's new.  I always love finding little (or big), unexpected treasures.  I'm ever so slightly wondering if a pair of brass sconces that I spotted a few weeks ago is still there.  They were so lovely and I should have taken them home with me, but was too cheap even though they were well priced.

And I have orchids on the brain, need to get some more orchids. There's just something so beautiful about orchids.  Even if they aren't blooming, they are lovely.  I need more.

Have a lovely weekend, friends.

Cheers,

New Years 2014. It's Time.

My husband has this uncanny ability to not care what people think.  I mean, he cares and is caring, but he knows when he doesn't have to care. You know?  I admire him for this, a great deal, I wish I could do the same.  The photo above, I purposely posted this on instagram and again here. I can't stand my profile, but I need to learn to love it.  Because it makes me who I am.

I care too much and it can be so absolutely paralyzing that it's beyond frustrating.  It holds me back, it keeps me from reaching for what I want.

To be honest, I've kinda had it.

A funny thing happens when you hit your 30s, it's almost like you get a reset in some ways.  For me, my 30s have been the years in which I can plainly see (for the most part) what parts of my life need changing.  Caring too much about what others think is at the forefront and thinking too much.  I often put too much thought into things.

I recently read Aerin Lauder's book: Beauty At Home.  It was exactly the book that I needed to read at this exact time.  It really struck a chord with me.  As I read her words, I not only read what was written, but heard what she was saying (does this sound absolutely crazy?!).  Basically there are rules, which I knew need to be broken from time to time, but I finally got the meaning of this while reading her book. Something just "clicked".

With the New Year upon us and time taken to reflect, I'm beyond excited for 2014.  I am so excited, truly.

I'm ready to take more risks with my decor.  I know it's my house and I can do what I want, but I keep holding back, compromising what I really want to do because I'm too scared to get it wrong.  And then it never looks quite right.

My focus will be on the living room and dining room (pictured above). There are a few bare walls and they are and have always driven me absolutely insane. I have chosen some art, just need to buy it & hang it (why is it so stressful to hang art on walls?!).

So, here's to 2014.  Who knows what's in store, but I'm gonna at least give it my all.

Happy New Year, friends.

Cheers,