Okay guys, today's Pretty Friday room is pretty amazing.  I had the pleasure of meeting Gaby at Blogpodium and she's pretty darn awesome.  Fabulous fashion sense, her dedication to living a healthy lifestyle is truly admirable and her bathroom, yes, her bathroom is stunning!

via

Get.Out.  Right?!

Gaby recently took part in the One Room Challenge challenge (is that right, challenge, challenge?!).  You can read all about it and see more amazing photos here on her blog (which you should follow if you aren't already).

Cheers,

Pretty Friday.

Oh boy, what a week.  Did it feel like a super long week to anyone else?

Remember that bench I spoke about here?  Well, here's a peek of it in it's new home:

The infamous gold mirror fits perfectly above it, woohoo! The living room is so close to being finished, which is very exciting.  Art work is next and I think I need to add a hibiscus in a woven basket too.

Wondering what I'm reading?  Oh, I'll tell you!  It's Rue Magazine's very first Wedding & Entertainment Issue. Did you get a chance to read it?

I absolutely loved Stephanie Bradshaw's studio tour, which is what you can see in the pic above.  You can view Rue's latest issue here.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Cheers,

Pretty Friday. Peacocks

my own photo

When one pulls over to the side of the road to enjoy the view of the ocean...one wouldn't really expect to see a peacock casually sitting on a roof of a house.  But my friends, that's exactly what happened in LA!

LA, I tell ya!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Cheers,

Pretty Friday. Sunburst Envy

I have to be honest, I'm sitting here studying and wondering how on earth I'm going to do this.  I have moments of pure & utter confusion and self doubt.  Every time I study something, I find more to study. Don't get me wrong, I realize that there is a whole lot to know and I'm prepared to work hard to learn it all, but it scares me when I find things to study that I didn't even think about!  Doing this on your own vs going to school is so intimidating!

Sigh.

I think experience is key.  Combine experience with knowledge and you'll be okay.  It's just going to take time and I have to remember that I have the time.  Little J isn't going to be in school full time until 2014.  I think by then, that I will should be somewhat ready to start doing some type decorating on a very small scale.  What exactly? I'm still unsure. But I have the time.

Two things before I sign off for the weekend.

First, I love this quote:

“Patience - the gift of being able to see past the emotion. ” - Rodney Williams

Yes.

And second.  Don't forget to enter the Gallery Wall giveaway.  It's a good one peeps!

Happy weekend.
Cheers,

Pretty Friday.

Hallelujah, we made it to March break!  That alone deserves a dance!  Holla! (speaking of holla I totally want this sign)

I'm currently obsessing over empire chandeliers.  I wish I had a place to hang one in our house, sadly, I do not.  So I'm left swooning over them in magazines and in gorgeous photos like the one above.  Seriously, a row of them hanging from a stunning, take-your-breath-away fabric lined tent at a wedding...completely swoon worthy.

I wish you all a happy weekend and if it's also March break in your neck of the woods, enjoy!

Cheers,

Pretty Friday.

Friends, how's it going? What's happening? Good week? Happy Friday!

We have no big plans for this weekend. I imagine we'll be going on some family hikes and explorations, so fun.

Now that the family room scheme is all done (by the way, I loooove it), it's time to start sourcing some of the items.  While I'm doing that, I'm going to start plugging away at the living room & dining room design.

The photo above is one of the inspiration photos that I've pinned.  A touch of glam, a touch of fabulosity!  (those stools have GOT to happen).

We already have two chairs, an off white leather couch and that amazing gold mirror. Along with a few other pieces.  The colour scheme will be pulled from the carpet that was given to us by hubs parents (father in law bought while on a trip to Turkey).

I started to tackle the room yesterday and was able to get a bit done, but alas, I had to shut the computer and walk away.  It just wasn't coming together the way I had hoped.

One thing I'm hoping for is to call this Bernhardt table mine.  Please don't let it be ridiculously expensive.

With that, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Cheers,

Pretty Friday.

Hey, hey, hey!

If you live in Ontario (like us), chances are you are in the midst of a mega snowstorm.  I can't wait to shovel, yeah, not really.  Although truth be told, shovelling is a pretty darn good workout.  Perhaps that will burn away some of the calories I downed earlier in the week when I made the butter tarts that were featured in Style At Home's January issue.  I ate too many, way too may and am ashamed. Sigh.

In other news, yesterday I finally tackled the chairs that came with the vintage dining room set that we purchased in December.  We weren't too fond of how they looked with the table, so we decided to try them in the kitchen.  I wasn't overly in love with the brown leather parsons chairs that were in the kitchen, so it was worth a try.

Little J and I headed off to Fabricland and found a great outdoor fabric (perfect for those of you with little kids because 1- it's easy to clean and 2- it has a protectant to help prevent stains).  Another plus, it was on clearance, $8 from $24. Bam!

I bought a meter to test out and I managed to cover four chairs.  Now, this is the first time I've ever done this.  All of those who said it was super simple were super telling the truth.  It took no time and was painless.  If you're looking to recover your kitchen chairs, this is a great video on how to do it. I went the very simple route. Didn't take the old fabric off and didn't add any extra cushioning.

Here is a before and after shot:

And here is how they look with the kitchen table:

(four down, two to go)

I was a tad bit worried about how the black would look with the wood and I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone with this print, but I think it works.  If I get sick of it, it will be easy enough to change.  The kitchen feels airier now, something I wasn't expecting but that was a pleasant surprise.  The chairs will eventually need to be re-stained, so I'll do my best to match them to the table when the time comes.

Next up is making the drapes (going to be the same as those in the family room and will look similar to these). Then we'll need a carpet for under the table and the last thing on the kitchen to-do list is a backsplash, which will most likely be white subway tiles.  Can't wait!

With that, I hope you have one fantastic weekend!

Cheers,

Pretty Friday.

Well, friends.  Another weekend is ahead of us.  What do you have planned?  What will you do?  Will you be taking part or hosting a Superbowl party? I'm pretty excited to see Beyonce perform during halftime.

A few links for your viewing pleasure:

a little drapery secret that everyone should know about

like branches? then this may just tickle your fancy

I've got a thing for pastels, so needless to say, I love this outfit

a pouf!

and lastly, stay cool

Cheers,