decorate it darling...

closet visit

2012-01-31T20:56:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered the blog, closetvisit.com. Seriously inspiring fashion & interior eye-candy. LOVE it. Check it out for oodles of great photos and peeks into the homes and closets of friends of artist and blogger, Jeana Sohn.

DIY with wooden pallets

2011-08-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've always been attracted to recycled items in gardens and homes and wooden pallets have long held obvious 'potential' for useful and creative things. I'm also always daydreaming up future build-your-own cabin ideas and pallets seem like a good material to keep in mind for...well, anything really. So I've been keeping my eyes out for pallet ideas that I might personally use and thought I'd share some of them here.

Images hyperlinked when I have that information, but found a lot of these through Pinterest without references to where they came from.

A pallet staircase. (Okay, I think this takes up a ton of room so I'd only really use in indoors if I had the space, but I think it has definitely potential for outdoor garden/ cabin use as stairs).

A pallet garden. Love it - especially for small spaces like this balcony!

A rustic shelving unit.

A pallet dining table.

Pallet shelves. LOVE these.

Pallet dish holders. Not sure if I'd actually do this as it seems like a space-heavy way to store dishes, but I do think it looks pretty.

More garden-friendly ideas.

Now to keep an eye out on craigslist for free pallets! I could definitely get started on the garden ideas - the crew at the farm would love them.

retro on the outside, modern on the inside

2011-08-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

More visual trailer inspiration! Found here.

caravan inspiration

2011-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm planning on painting my caravan (aka trailer) soon. Been collecting some caravan colour inspiration. Enjoy!

More images on my Pinterest page.

moving into a motorhome

2010-08-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't mentioned it much on this blog yet, but I've undertaken a new project: I'm moving into a motorhome in order to live on some land with some friends and try my hand at farming. Ahhh! So exciting!

I bought a used (1978) motorhome back in the spring and am moving into it in two weeks. I've been spending the last couple weeks renovating it and making it 'livable'.

Today my mom brought over the cushions and curtains she's been making for me for the sitting area in the trailer. I'm so excited about how things are looking now that they're coming together. Loving the colour tones and airy-ness of it all.

A detailed blog posting about it can be read over at my farm for a year blog.

resurrection fern

2010-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. This blogger may just be the online artist version of Annie Dillard's unnamed narrator in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (one of the most beautifully written observations on nature I've ever read).

Margaret Oomen's blog, resurrection fern, hosts her ongoing and inspiring collection of nature-inspired crafts. LOVE IT. All images in the post pulled from her blog.

Vancouver Cycle Chic

2010-08-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Cycle Chic

Vancouver's got a Cycle Chic blog - finally! Ever since I started following Copenhagen Cycle Chic, I've been wishing that Vancouver had one too. There's certainly no shortage of bicycle riders in Vancouver - including many with great style. Really looking forward to following this :)

my cabin in the city

2010-08-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Before I jump into trailer renovations and a whole new line of trailer/farming inspired decor, I thought I'd share the 'after' photos of the cabin I lived in in Vancouver. I was there for ten months (pretty standard for me) before I moved to the farm I'm on now. The 'cabin' was a rustic little carriage house behind a larger rustic 'heritage' house in Mt. Pleasant, Vancouver. It was definitely yearning for some TLC and decor when I moved in and, like every other place I've ever lived, I jumped in with changes right away.

The biggest change for me was the patio. I was really excited to have that kind of space in the city, so my family and I got to cleaning it up and filling it up pretty quick (see photo above).

The interior didn't need much in the way of repairs and the landlord wouldn't let me paint, so it was really just a matter of cleaning the place well and finding corners for my furniture and art. You can see all my photos on my flickr site, but I've pulled out a few below to give you a glimpse. It was a pretty dark little place, given that most of the windows were made out of glass bricks, so that - paired with my crappy camera, didn't result in any amazing photos, but you get the idea... :)

back after a long hiatus

2010-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm back - after a very long hiatus. I was close to shutting the door on this blog forever because I had left it for so long, but after starting up a new blogging venture, I've decided to revive this one as well. Stay tuned for regular posts on things I swoon over in the decorating world as well as updates on a very personal renovation project I'm working on.

In brief, I've left my place in Vancouver and moved to the country to try my hand at farming for a year! I bought myself an old motor home and am in the middle of renovating it. Can't wait for the decorating part (of course!). If you're interested in the day-to-day farming experience, you can follow my documentation of it at www.farmforayear.com, but if you're only interested in the trailer decor, I'll be posting about that here as well :)

Here's to revived blogs and a fun new project - cheers!

oh my goodness

2009-12-03T13:13:00.001-08:00

what a face

100x100

2009-11-30T07:47:00.001-08:00

I came across this amazing photo project via apartmenttherapy.com - 100 residents photographed within their 100 square foot living spaces in China's oldest public housing estate. So fascinating!

complete shots of my new cabin-in-the-city coming soon - I swear!

2009-11-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

stay tuned...

i love you so much

2009-10-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Love this image from this d*s post.

love!

2009-10-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

I would love to sleep here! So dreamy...

home number ? begins: my cabin in the city

2009-10-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've lost count - no idea how many places I've lived now... So here's the deal. I spent the last three years in Ottawa - it was great, but I missed Vancouver the whole time, so as soon as a job opportunity came up in Van, I jumped on the chance to move back. So here I am, back in Vancouver. Which is GREAT. But this whole transition thing has hit a few snags. My job hasn't started yet and the start date keeps getting delayed...and I'm eating up my savings living life waiting for it to start. And I found a place. In a great neighborhood - the neighborhood I wanted actually. It has A LOT of potential, but it's in a serious ghetto phase right now and it's more than I wanted to spend, but finding something affordable that will let you have cats is downright impossible in this city, so as soon as I found something that had potential and said yes to cats, I jumped on it - even though it's a major diamond in the rough and will keep me from paying off my debts that much longer.

So it begins...the first 'before' sneak peaks above and below...my cabin in the city.

transition time

2009-09-30T10:50:00.001-07:00

ottawa to vancouver

dot dot dot

bike love

2009-08-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

SO ordering myself one of these in the 11x14 format. Love the bike love! Made by etsy seller wkdstudios.

a june evening at home

2009-06-09T18:18:00.001-07:00

Ottawa house tour: Kristen's classy two-bedroom Glebe apartment

2009-04-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've taken a long break from blogging, so figured I'd come back with a major punch! Introducing my dear friend Kristen's fabulous Ottawa apartment (located in the Glebe) - the first of what will hopefully be many Ottawa house tours. Kristen has very elegant and classy personal style and that definitely comes across in her apartment. I'm very excited to feature her home on decorate it darling.

I asked Kristen to tell us a bit about her space, so without further ado, here you have her words and her beautiful photos:

Since my roommate and I moved in on Canada Day last year, I have been in love with this apartment. It has so much space and character, and it’s fantastic for hosting and having people over! According to my landlord, the building was constructed in the 1920’s or 1930’s, and since then it has aged with grace. I love how it feels so completely homey and cozy, but has an extra kick of elegance or something that more modern spaces, as beautiful and spacious as they may be, can’t capture in the same way.

I think my favorite thing about it is the choice of paint throughout the apartment -- it so completely finishes off the space, and as I'm no painter, is something I would never have gotten around to myself!

What I’ve done with it: To be honest, we’ve done very little to the bones of the space – our decorating has been all about careful furniture placement and attention to colour and detail. My roommate and I were lucky – we have very similar taste in furniture and style, so all of our separate pieces merged beautifully when we moved in. Every room has a mix of her pieces and mine, but they blend pretty seamlessly, which made setting the apartment up infinitely easier!

Each room seems to have one detail that really stands out and defines it – tall glass-paned windows in the kitchen, the mantle in the living room, the tiling in the bathroom – and we tried to place our furniture and accessories in a way that highlighted those details.

One DIY I’m pretty proud of are the sconces on either side of the mantle. When we arrived, they were painted a garish bronze. One was missing the shade, which was probably just as well, because the remaining shade was a really awful tannish-orange frosted glass monstrosity. A couple of coats of white paint and some vellum from the paper store for the shades have made all the difference in the world!

What I’d like to do with it: I’m always looking for new storage options. Old spaces are wonderful, but don’t have a lot of built-in closet space, so storage seems to be an ongoing project. I would like to see my bedroom painted (I really don’t like the yellow), as well as the TV cabinet, which really doesn’t match the rest of the room. But I actually hate painting so I have a feeling both will stay as they are! The other thing I really would like to do is introduce some green plants. Having never tended plants myself, the thought of figuring out which plants would be the best is a little daunting. Maybe this spring will be different…

If I were Kristen, I would start filling up her personal fire escape landing (accessible from her bedroom!) with potted plants. There's something about fire escape gardens that I just adore.

Thanks for the tour Kristen! To see more photos of Kristen's space, check out her flickr album.

i love you because...

2009-03-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

(from Nylon's blog)

very little house on the prarie

2009-03-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

'Small' article about small living in The Economist - I can't say it enough: I love, love, love the idea of scaling back, living with less and living smaller...

Feb 19th 2009 LULING, TEXAS From The Economist print edition
A new vogue for little living
Tiny Texas Houses
Squeeze right in

SEVERAL years ago Brad Kittel was living in the small town of Gonzales, Texas, running an architectural-antiques shop and feeling restless. He had the largest collection of antique door hardware in the country, and a warehouse full of salvaged material. But it was not shifting. So in 2006 he started Tiny Texas Houses, a building operation based in the appropriately tiny town of Luling, as a way of showing off his wares.

One of Mr Kittel’s current projects is a custom-built Victorian-style farmhouse with a green exterior. Most of the house is to be made of salvaged materials. It will have a full kitchen and bathroom, a loft big enough to sleep in, and a roomy living area with a vaulted ceiling. At 350 square feet (33 square metres), this is a fairly capacious model. Some of his tiny houses are half that size.

The idea is to offer a greener and cheaper alternative to the dread McMansion. And Mr Kittel is not alone. The Small House Movement has been around for years, encouraging people to think about how much house they really need. But lately it has attracted more attention. “It seems like a perfect convergence of a bad housing market meeting a bad economy and more awareness about global warming,” claims Jay Shafer, an enthusiastic advocate. His Tumbleweed Tiny House company sells small ready-made houses as well as plans for slightly larger ones. Its teensiest model, the XS-House, measures 65 square feet; ready-made, it costs $37,000. For several years, the company survived on a sale here and there. Lately, says Mr Shafer, interest has risen.

In one sense tiny houses are not a novel idea. Plenty of people live in small spaces because they cannot afford larger ones. And affluent Manhattanites could get lost in a 500-square-foot apartment. But the average American home is pretty big. In 1980, according to the National Association of Home Builders, the median single-family home sold was 1,570 square feet. By 2005 that had expanded to 2,235 square feet.

The indications now, though, are that the trend is to scale back. According to the Census Bureau, the median size of home starts dropped to 2,114 square feet in the fourth quarter of 2008, down more than 100 square feet from the first quarter of the year. And 100 square feet is a significant slice of space. Mr Shafer’s whole house is about that size.

send me your photos!

2009-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone - sorry for the blogging hiatus. I'm back now and ready to start showcasing Ottawa interiors! (Okay, I won't say no to interiors from other parts of the world, but my emphasis is going to be Ottawa homes). So...that said, I have a few friends who are going to be receiving phone calls from me with requests to photo-document their living spaces and post them online for all to see, but the handful of apartments I already have in mind are only the tip of the Ottawa treasure-chest iceberg, SO, if you live in Ottawa and are pretty stoked about how you've developed and decorated your living space, send me some pics and a bit of your 'story' cause I'd love to blog about you and your space!

I'll be waiting at decorateitdarling@gmail.com!

dinner jacket looks inside

2009-02-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

Dinner Jacket is a new(ish) online fashion magazine in Ottawa that has had a pretty impressive start up. If the rumors are true (and I heard them from an inside source), the mag will soon be available in print copies as well which is just fantastic. The online version is beautiful, so I can only imagine how pretty it would be in a hands-on glossy. Besides fashion, the magazine touches on other creative endeavors which, in their november issue, included the interior dwelling details of an ottawa local (although rumor has it, this ottawa native just relocated to Montreal). Anyways, enough of me trying to sound like I have the inside scoop on everything. Just thought you all might enjoy reading this article and seeing the photos of Jesse's place inside this great new mag.

Which got me to thinking...I was perusing some Ottawa blogs today and thinking about how maybe I should emphasize Ottawa a little more on this blog...which made me think that maybe I should start showcasing the interior abodes of Ottawa residents. Lord knows there are some fantastic old apartments in this city and I'm sure more than a few of them are filled with proud citizens who have just as much character, if not moreso, than their century-old museum-quality flats.

What do you think? Is there any interest in Ottawa interiors? (and there I go - doing what I always swore I wouldn't - inviting comments, making the reader feel ackward or guilty if they don't comment and making me feel lame if nobody comments...so comment!).

PS - I'm thinking about starting up another Ottawa-focused blog. Can you guess what the topic's going to be? (there, I did it again).

blue!

2009-02-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

I totally love this blue bike - I want it! Seriously loving this cycle blog - it's become one of my favorite daily blog stops.

seriously modern tubs

2009-02-02T05:43:00.001-08:00

Check them all out here: http://ow.ly/7W0. I really like the one above (althought not so sure about the tv(?) screen), but most of them are even more modern and space-agey looking. Pretty cool.

happy friday!

2009-01-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

Have a fantastic and creative weekend everyone! I'm off to spend a tech-free couple of days in a cabin in the snowy woods. Leaving you with an image from ffffound, my new favorite inspiration haunt.

creative headboards

2009-01-30T04:20:00.001-08:00

My friend Melody sent me a message this week telling me how stoked she was about her new self-created headboard for her bed. She was shopping at a department store and found this 4-panelled image in the clearance section. She liked the look of it and the price of it and figured it looked about as wide as her queen sized bed, so she bought it, took it home and voila! I don't have a 'before' photo, but it's not hard to imagine how much oomph has been added to her room by this framed image of trees. Sleeping beneath a forest - love it! Nice work Melody! To see more photos of her wall art turned headboard, check out her flickr stream.

pretty much perfect

2009-01-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

I love this image. I don't remember where I found it - probably on flickr somewhere. I tucked it away on my computer and just found it now. It's pretty much perfect to me. The feelings it conveys - romance, drama, stillness, emotion, closeness - and that sexiness that a cigarette always adds - no matter how 'bad for you' it is. I just really love this right now.

i have a crush...

2009-01-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

...on this COUCH! Oooooooo...Aaaaaaaaa...so yummy.

thrifting

2009-01-24T04:44:00.000-08:00

"I have a path of vintage shops in the East Village that I walk around to. The dress is from one them — Atomic Passion, I think. It was really long, like most Edwardian and Victorian dresses, and I cut off one of the tiers. The cardigan is part of my fall collection for Opening Ceremony. It has wool elbow patches and nice, big pockets to shove your hands into when you’re feeling awkward or insecure. My Chanel purse was a Christmas present to myself. It’s like playing Tetris trying to fit all my stuff in it. The boots are an old pair of Prada’s, and the tights are from the Sock Man. I love that place, but the guy’s the grumpiest man on earth. He’s like the Soup Nazi, but he sells socks."

Saw this photo and Chloe's interview about she's wearing in today's New York Times and it reminded me that 1) sometimes this girl can create the most perfect ensembles, and 2) I need to start hitting up thrift stores again. I used to be a thrift store regular and while I was, I took a lot of fashion risks and really embraced my own style. Since moving to Ottawa and taking on a job that requires office/ professional attire, my style has gotten really conservative (I said my style, not my political leanings!). I love how Chloe chopped her vintage dress up to turn it into a short, pixie-ish look. That's the great thing about thrift store shopping (or having TONS of money - her idea of vintage is probably way different than my idea of vintage :) - you can chop and adjust and manipulate to your heart's content because your clothes didn't cost half a paycheque. Thrift store shopping inspires creativity and demands vision. So, another one of my 'living lightly and saving money' practices this year will be thrift stores over glitz stores. I just wish that Ottawa had more in the downtown area - a bit tough to get around to them when you're car-less and there's a bus strike. Oh yeah...what was that I said about winter biking? Right.

no, nothing

2009-01-23T22:45:00.001-08:00

shape

2009-01-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Wow - LOVE the silhouette of this coat! Seen on The Sartorialist.

time for another step?

2009-01-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

For all my 'green' talk about living lightly, setting up my own compost (indoors because I don't have another option) is something I haven't gotten around to doing yet. Shameful, I know! Part of it grosses me out - decomposing food in my tiny living space. But I think I need to give it a go - especially since I'll have a garden plot to dump it on in a few months. this easy start-up guide on planet green is going to walk me through it. I'll keep you posted!

living small

2009-01-23T03:01:00.000-08:00

I love this AT post about learning to live with less! It's so refreshing and inspiring. Last year I downsized from a two level luxury loft to my current small, but character-filled studio and it's been great. Sure, sometimes I miss the luxury of the last place, but my studio has charm and warmth and I'm happy in it (I'll be even happier when my landlord gets around to replacing my disgusting bathroom floor! but I digress...). The rent is HALF the price which makes a big difference while I'm paying off school debt and the move forced me to downsize my wardrobe and my belongings which I'm always open to. I always feel lighter with less. Life feels less cluttered and complicated when you get rid of the unneccessary stuff. Just learning how to discern between what is really special to you and what is just 'stuff' taking up space and money and energy in your life is a really great feeling.

This year is about learing to live even 'smaller' so that I can actually live a 'bigger and better' life (the kind of life that includes attaining my dreams, being able to travel more, etc). I've finally started budgeting and keeping track of money stuff (to the joyous delight of my mother I'm sure). It's amazing how much less you spend, how much more you save, and how much faster you pay off debt when you get organized. I can't believe how many personal financial accomplishments I've made in three weeks already! GREAT feeling. I have a lot of dreams and lot of desires of how I want my next 5 years to look and my 'learning to live with less' plan is going to get me there. (Hint: I'm reading this book - sounds cheesy, but it's SO good and has been SO helpful at getting me started).

I'll also be living with less once the snow melts and I can finally get at my new community garden plot - yipeee! The plan is to grow my own produce in such a way that I'll be able to live without purchasing much produce for a year at a grocery store - living locally! This will be the summer that I learn how to preserve food :)

Anyway, all that to say that you should read this AT post. It's encouraging to see so many people taking the step to live on less and hearing about how much happier the change makes them.

it's a new day!

2009-01-20T06:15:00.001-08:00

I am SO excited about today's inauguration and and SO hopeful about Obama's presidency! To all my American friends, congratulations and well done! Enjoy celebrating this day!

morning dreaming

2009-01-15T03:44:00.000-08:00

It's 6:44am and as soon as I finish posting this I have to get ready for work which involves leaving my cold apartment for the even colder world outside my apartment. Ottawa is cold right now. Really cold. And so this post is dedicated to all those early morning, cold country people who wish they were somewhere warmer. Somewhere like this year-round outdoor dining room in Buenos Aires. Really - what needs to be said other than, "Who wants to pack up and move south with me to make really pretty things in a really inspiring (and warm!) space?!" I'm totally serious.

cycle chic

2009-01-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

I LOVE that you can find any kind of blog you can imagine online. Like the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog - fashionistas on bicycles! According to the Guardian (apparently), the blog is "The Sartorialist on two wheels." Yip-ee! Seriously loving this. And maybe it will inspire me to keep riding through the snow and -36 degree Ottawa weather (haven't been brave enough to pull the bike out in '09 yet...). Must do this. And must do it while making fashion statements. Enough of this winter slush and salt beating me to an old jeans/ ugly boots/ could-care-less-about-fashion pulp!

the homies

2008-12-31T10:10:00.000-08:00

Apartment Therapy is holding The Homies 2008 - their competition for best blogs of the year right now. And one of my all-time favorite blogs desire to inspire, done in part by fellow Ottawa blogger Kim (and her six cats), is in the running! Go vote!

decorate it darling was kirtsy'd!

2008-12-30T08:04:00.001-08:00

Cool! My kitchen renos and paintings got kirtsy'd yesterday. That's kinda neat. Thanks kirsty!

french fashion blogs

2008-12-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I first began tripping over these fashion blogs....You know how it is, one click leads to another...But regardless of how, the fact that I did has led me to click my way through a whole handful of france-based fashion blogs and left me rather intrigued and inspired (inspired to improve my wardrobe!). These girls seem to spend a lot of time directing creative (some are more creative than others - cherry blossom girl is my favorite) fashion shoots that they themselves model fantastic outfits in. Some of the fashionistas are definitely friends because they show up in each others' blogs (not to mention the fact that the blog styles themselves are all very similar). Anyways, they're definitely worth a look - the clothes and accessories and SHOES are really, really fun. These girls look like they have wardrobes that go on forever!

the cherry blossom girl

le blog de betty

le monde de tokyobanbao

une fille tout simplement...

le blog de big beauty

merry christmas blog-land!

2008-12-25T05:06:00.001-08:00

toast

2008-12-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

Toast-y kitchen!

Great fashion images in cool spaces at Toast.

2008-12-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

the cherry blossom girl

2008-12-13T04:37:00.000-08:00

Straight from Paris.

a little bit of lykke li

2008-12-13T03:49:00.000-08:00

Listen.

Love at first sight...

2008-12-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

...indeed! This fantastic house tour is exactly what I needed to cheer up my day. Love, love, love this space and what they've done with it. I need to start thrift shopping again - one of the downsides of living car-less in a city that has few downtown thrift shops.

PS - no cat stairs to show off yet. Life is too busy. I might not have one free DIY day until after Christmas - yikes!

cat stairs

2008-11-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

I've been seriously concerned about my cats' lack of exercise ever since I moved into my new apartment - especially since I think they're looking a little chubbier these days. At the last place, they had way more room to run around and a staircase to run up and down. So, on that note, I've been inspired by this AT post to start a new DIY project this weekend so my cats keep busy. Fun! Will post photos when I'm done :)

wedding ideas

2008-11-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

I don't typically get excitable over being involved in wedding plans - or thinking about how I'm going to plan my own wedding one day (presuming one will happen ;). I'm just not one of those girls who are drawn to wedding magazines and who relish all the responsibilities that come with being a bridesmaid (although I always enjoy partying it up at weddings!).

But when I saw this wedding post on design*sponge, I knew I had to bookmark it. I LOVE so many of the decorating ideas used - including the use of tiny wooden stumps as table markers (see photo above). So great! Creative and earthy and classy all wound up in one big party - love it!

commuter bikes

2008-11-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

After being inspired by a biking-obsessed friend last year, I've taken to biking everywhere - work, errands, parties - in everything from flip flops and shorts to high heels and formal dresses - and I love it! LOVE it! It's fast, it's fun, it's free, it's exercise, it's independant, it's environmentally friendly - it just feels GREAT. I bought a second-hand mountain bike from a bike rental company after their summer season at half price last year. It's definitely gotten the job done, but I've been meaning to upgrade it a bit with accessories that will enhance the commuting experience - more lights, fenders to protect my clothes from puddle splashes, and a basket for carrying things in. So I was stoked to see this recommended commuter bike recomendation list (click through to see all seven bikes) from TreeHugger today. I don't think I'll be buying a new bike anytime soon - and theft possibility might keep me from ever buying a really pretty bike, but it sure is fun to look and get ideas...

I'm also hoping to gear myself up in order to continue riding my bike through the winter - in other words, through a lot of snow. I've come across a few articles here (see links at the bottom for additional winter biking tips if you're interested), but want to keep looking for more helpful ideas. Feel free to forward me anything you might know of. I've been hearing about bike wheel spikes to keep your bike from slipping in icy weather...I need to look into that.

I'm looking forward to the challenge though!

cyberoptix tie lab

2008-11-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, these are seriously rad ties.

I donned a hideous, Christmas-patterned, jingle-bell playing tie last night for a cheesy Christmas sweater party and it kinda made me want to start wearing ties to work - you know, in a more femine, classy, non-christmas-jingle-playing kind of way. Which led me a tie search on etsy which led me to these seriously rad ties. Seriously.

I like ALL of them. And I want to pick one out for myself and for every savvy, fashionable male friend of mine for Christmas gifts. SO cool...

chunky necklaces by vintage existence

2008-11-15T09:56:00.001-08:00

Chunky, shiny, necklaces seem to be the jewellry of choice this holiday season. I was shopping with a friend yesterday and we saw big, expensive, brooch-necklaces all over the place that caused us to muse about collecting our grandmother's brooches and creating our own. We'll see if that actually happens, but it would certainly be the economic way of wearing that's as pricey as the pieces seen in the mall and in department stores.

On that note, I thought I'd browse through etsy to see if I could see anything similar, less expensive and homemade. And look what I found! By Vintage Existence...

nests

2008-11-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

A visual collection of the nests I've made over the years...(and clearly I haven't replaced my bedding for years)...

memory lane

2008-11-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

I've been photo-documenting my living spaces for years now (although not all in a before/ after kind of way) so I thought I'd post photos from a few of my past dwelling places - at least the ones that I've lived in since I've had a digital camera (I'll need a scanner to showcase my pre-digital days). I wish I'd taken photos of ALL the places I've ever lived - the spot my roomates and I (and the rest of the university-aged folks in town) dubbed 'the crack shack' would make for a particularly amusing blog post, but I'm pretty sure the shack's mice population held my camera hostage for those 5 months of my life...that, or I accidently buried it in the vegetable garden I attempted to grow next to the back parking lot's septic tank...

By mentally collecting all my homes in my head (which is kind of like trying to count off all the guys I've been on dates with - you always feel like you've forgotten a few), I think my post-parental dwelling places count is at 13 so far. In each one, I've taken great pleasure in re-decorating the space to make it my own.

At what I think was home #7, welcome to my very first, very tiny studio apartment that was two things: my first apartment sans roomates and my first apartment in downtown Vancouver (suburban beach town girl moves to the big city):

israel...

2008-10-14T15:46:00.001-07:00

...is amazing and so inspiring. I love it here!

get ready...set, go!!!

2008-10-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Israel on thursday for a work trip. Yes, Israel. As in Ottawa to Toronto to Tel Aviv...HOW COOL IS THAT?! I came home tonight with my packing list in hand and plans to start packing two whole days in advance. Of course I haven't started yet because I'm internet surfing, making dinner and baking cookies. But it will happen and I just found a seller on etsy whose upcycled suitcases would make this packing job so much more fun. Check out some of Get ready...set, go!!!'s upcycled, vintage carry-ons:

beirut - elephant gun

2008-10-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Watched this music vid today posted by Ottawa blogger A Plain Jane Day (great blog!) and can't stop watching it or listening to the song. A feast for the senses - let the seasons begin indeed!

A few video stills for your perusal. And tomorrow I'm going out to buy the cd. Yesss...nothing like new music to reinvigorate oneself.

If my life were played out in a music video, I might be okay with it looking like this.

it's about time...

2008-09-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Been busy - trips, weddings, life... but now I'm home sick for the third day in a row and in need of something other than sleeping and reading and trying not to die to pass the time, so here's some long overdue photos of my not-so-new-anymore space...

Before and after kitchen:

Before and after hallway (aka closet):

Before and after main studio space:

And there you have it. I'll probably keep posting occassional detail photos of little corners as they continue to morph, but for now that's the state of the place. And now I'm going back to bed...

before and after bathroom

2008-08-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I'll continue making changes to the bathroom, as I will for every bit of my new home, but now that I'm actually living here, I figure it's high time I post some before and after pics. The bathroom received a couple coats of fresh glossy white paint, including on the radiator and a layer of almost-transparent, decorative paper to the window for privacy that still lets the natural light in.

I'm going to do something different with the hand towel on the right. The silver leaf hook is too big or too high or something... Below you can see close up photos of some of the new details, including a view of the kitchen/ bathroom divide...

5 days to official move-in

2008-08-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

It's been a productive long weekend! I finally finished all the painting (those high bits in the hallway were nagging at me), installed curtain rods, installed bookshelves, completed the kitchenand moved more stuff over. My official move-in date is next saturday and I'm hoping that the only things left to move by then will be the furniture that I can't carry over on my own.

As you can see in the photo above and below, I put up some bookshelves above my radiator. They are $5 white shelves from IKEA and $2 wooden brackets also from IKEA. I painted the brackets white so that they'd blend in. I probably could have done the same thing even cheaper with plywood strips from Home Depot, but when you don't have a car and have limited time borrowing friends' cars (thanks C&E!), it's easier to get everything in one place.

I got the curtain rods from IKEA as well, but instead of buying IKEA curtains, I thought I'd look around for some cool fabric from somewhere else instead. So far I haven't had any luck so for awhile my curtains may be glorified bed sheets, but I'm on the look-out and hope to find something 'just right' sooner than later. I was going to go for gauzy white curtains that let in a lot of light, but living so close to the side walk means I need a bit more coverage than that. Anyone have any colour or pattern suggestions? It may be easier to choose something once all my furniture is in place.

Shots of my kitchen are below. I'm pretty happy with how it's come together. In the first shot you can see the wall opposite the counter, sink and oven (the kitchen is long and skinny). Next to the fridge is an IKEA cutting board table I've had for a few years. I painted in black awhile ago. The shelving unit on top of it is a $7.99 Value Village find. I picked it up last week. I think it was originally a homemade shoe rack and I was thinking that I would use it for the same thing in my hallway. However, I didn't like the look of it in my hallway and realized that it would sit perfectly atop on IKEA sideboard unit, so I painted it black with the rest of my chalkboard paint (it was originally beige) (the chalkboard wall is opposite the fridge so the black shelves balance the room well) and plan on using it to store my glassware. Perfect! And the canvasses on the wall were a quick black and white paint job. A more complete (as complete as I can get a shot of the kitchen anyways) photo of the kitchen is below.

And now I'm off to bring some more stuff over (the new apartment is two blocks from my current apartment so I keep wheeling suitcases of stuff over - I'm a modern vagabond). Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!

oops

2008-08-01T08:30:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it took me a couples days to figure this out, but I've been wondering why IKEA changed the design of their spice rack...as you can see in my photo, the top rack doesn't provide enough space to put bottles on it and I couldn't figure out why the metal pieces at the bottom were so long (and thus aesthetically annoying) - especially because in other photos of said spice rack from other people's kitchens, I didn't see evidence of the same thing. It's kind of evidence of how incredibly observant I am and at the same time NOT observant at all that I noticed this difference, but didn't clue into the fact (until 5 days later) that it's because I installed the spice rack upside down. Right. Well, at least it's easily fixable and my spice rack space shortage will be remedied as soon as I make the switch.

Heading to IKEA tonight to get some more shelves and curtain rods for the main studio space and am hoping to use this weekend to move amost everything over and set things up (move in date is next saturday). More photos coming soon!

progress continues

2008-07-28T10:03:00.001-07:00

I finished painting the bathroom and kitchen this weekend which meant I got to begin hanging shelves and 'decorating'. I didn't do a lot, but here's a little peak at what I did manage to do... The photo above is a detail from my bathroom. There were no shelves or closet so I put up a corner shelving unit that has 4 shelves on it for bathroom paraphenelia storage.

The photos below give you a glimpse at the progress of my kitchen. The 'before' shot comes first, followed by where I'm at with things so far. Now that the shelves are up, I'm going to start bringing over pots and pans and dishes to fill them up.

I actually had a lot of fun putting up these shelves because for the first time ever, I used a power drill. I have since developed a very enthusastic love for power drills. I can't wait to find more things to drill!

bit by bit

2008-07-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

I've begun the transfer of goods from one apartment to another. I plan on finishing the painting this weekend and getting shelves up in the kitchen and bathroom so more photos to come soon of things other than the radiator wall ;)

PS - while painting the bathroom last night, I discovered a horrid, putrid smell rising from the floor? the walls? Not sure, but it's a little concerning. Hoping it's something fixable and not a sign of major wall rot...ugh.

getting back on track - before & after pics of the little corner that's causing all the fuss

2008-07-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

Well...I sprayed what was left of the spray paint last night (which wasn't much). As you can see, I armed myself with a nose hair protector mask this time... You can see the before and after shots of the floor below - the difference is much less noticable now, however, a couple more shots of paint probably would have been perfect. I'm not sure if I'm going to bother buying any more. I think I might leave it for awhile and see if regular wear and tear will help even things out.

I also ran out of regular white paint last night. I'm done painting the studio and have done half of the kitchen and hallway and none of the bathroom. I've used three gallons already - this place is a sponge!

Before...

And after...

i have an idea...

2008-07-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

So...some friends and I were swapping spray-paint-on-hardwood-floor cleaning ideas last night that included everything from cleaning solutions to resanding and polishing the floor to bit-by-bit scraping the paint off with a razor blade. The brainstorming session inspired me to stop by the apartment on my way home and take a closer look at my 'situation'.

There's absolutely no way that I can 'scrape' the paint off the floor. It's so finely dusted that there's really nothing to get a blade underneath of to scrape. That said, there are concerns about cleaning solutions taking the finish off the floor. And I was strongly encouraged not to attempt a sanding and refinishing project myself for fear of making things look worse.

So...upon closer inspection, I've decided to remove all objects from the room and blast a couple more sprays of paint into the air in an attempt to 'even out' the fine paint coating on the floor. The paint is so fine and so pale that if you weren't able to see the before and after difference next to the patch of flooring that was originally covered by drop cloth, you'd never know that there was paint on the floor at all. It just looks like a slightly paler shade of hardwood. So I think my 'paint it all' option is the best, easiest, safest and cheapest. Hey - if I could paint a huge wall (see photo above), I can surely handle a little itty bit of flooring...

Seriously. I swear I'm not crazy (I have yet to end up in a situation like the tykes in the photo below - and no, the fact that I'm 29 and they're under 5 doesn't make any difference ;).

Here's to hoping my landlord never reads my blog! To be continued (again)...

things were going so well...

2008-07-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

So...I've been prepping and painting my new place and it's been going really smoothly. I've gotten a lot done. I even completed my chalkboard wall in the kitchen today. Somehow, all of that was momentarily eclipsed this evening when I set about spray painting the radiator in the main room. The paint dude at Home Hardware told me I could paint radiator paint on with a brush or spray paint it on. Spray painting seemed like the fastest and easiest option - especially because I didn't want to end up with obvious brush strokes all over the radiator. Ohhh...if only I could set the clocks back 36 hours...I'd forego the spray paint and deal with the brush strokes...

First of all, idiot that I am, I didn't wear a mask or protective gear of any kind. Secondly, I figured that a few feet of drop cloth would do the protection trick for the floor. Oh gah...how wrong I was.

I began spray painting and all seemed well until I realized that the room was filling up with fumes pretty darn quick and the open windows weren't doing quite the ventilating job I'd presumed they'd do. I got up from where I was crouching, spray paint can in hand, to take a few steps back to view the partially-completed job and try to get a sense of how 'fumey' the room really was. And that's when I realized that fumes weren't my only problem. My feet didn't move as quickly as I wanted them to because my flip flops were sticking to the floor. Turns out the airborne spray paint moved up then down, settling all over the room. Lifting up the drop cloth sheet revealed - to my horror - that I had, in the space of about 7 minutes - managed to coat the entire hard wood floor (except for the few feet covered by the cloth), in a fine, sticky coating of paint powder.

I ran to the bathroom to get some water on a cloth to see if I could somehow remedy the floor situation and that's when I noticed what my little adventure had done to me. Let me just say that you really have no idea how many nose hairs you have until each one of them is coated in white spray paint. I don't even want to think about how many brain cells I burned tonight. Golly - it's almost as bad as the time I covered my entire naked body with industrial paint for a university art project.

Needless to say, when I realized that I couldn't just wipe the paint powder off the floor, I packed up my things and ran for home to have a hot shower in an attempt to dislodge paint from my breathing tubes. I'll go back in the morning when the fumes have disappeared and survey the damage. Does anyone know if renting a hard wood floor polisher would rescue the floor (and me)?

To be continued...

the clean up

2008-07-08T07:13:00.001-07:00

The Maids have arrived. Today is the first day I've ever paid for professional cleaning services (and I'm afraid it may become a guilty pleasure). My new apartment is being scrubbed and disinfected by four cleaners who have a very determined look in their eyes. I will feel so much better going in there knowing it's been thoroughly cleaned. And once they're done with it, I'll feel prepped to roll up my sleeves and let the real reno and decorating process begin - wohoo!

scary 'before' shots of my new studio

2008-07-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I should even bother posting these images yet because they're so scary (well, the kitchen and bathroom and hallway are - they look scarier in person than these do in these shots - believe me)...but I figure the worst that can happen is for you to feel really sorry for me (for leaving this - the apartment that has clearly ruined and spoiled me) and the best that can happen is for you to offer up refinishing and decorating suggestions for me (please!) as I roll up my sleeves and get to work on creating some 'after' images.

My new studio has decent bonework - albeit old bonework - that I'm pretty sure will make for an inviting home once I fix things up. My biggest concerns are related to the age of the building and some of the 'stuff' (read: bugs, toxins, etc) that may escape from cracks and holes in the walls as well as a lack of storage space (including a decent litter box spot for the cats). And the bathtub is disgusting. And the linoleum in the front entrance way is U-G-L-Y.

BUT...I have lots of ideas on how to improve upon the place, so we'll see what kind of polished diamond I can create out of this 'diamond in the rough' I've got at the moment.

The handy thing is that I have both this apartment and my current apartment for at least a month of overlap which means I can get into the new place and make it livable before moving my stuff and myself into it. In fact, I've already started. I've begun painting the main studio space and I've hired some hard core cleaners to come in and super-clean and super-disinfect the place next week. I don't trust myself to get into all the nooks and crannies - and frankly, the idea disgusts me (yes, it's that bad).

WHY am I moving again? Oh yeah - to save money. And, despite the renos, a lot will be saved. Right. Fun project. I keep reminding myself...

Anyways...without further ado, the scary 'before' photos of Ottawa apartment numero trois...

These shots are of the main studio space. It's decently sized and will pretty easily fit my bed, kitchen table and couch. It's got a nice big set of bay windows which let in a lot of light. I've already started painting the walls white (they're currently a pale lilac colour) and the window frames a soft, airy blue. Since my new place doesn't have a balcony or rooftop garden I'm hoping to get permission to hang window boxes outside these bay windows so that I can still have a little bit of a garden (although I think my big pot of tomato plants that D and I grew from seed will have to move to his balcony. Not sure that they'd do as well here or that I'd even have enough room for them).

This is my very scary looking (and small!) hallway and closet (the only closet in the place). Definitely need to downsize my wardrobe and look into alternative flooring options.

The bathroom...I've already removed the tall white shelving unit on the left which opened things up a lot. I'm hoping to hang shelves up on the wall that don't close the space in as much. **and take note of the nifty(what!) wooden poles that the sink is propped up on. Nice.

And lastly, the kitchen. Before taking these photos, I'd already started ripping the ugly (and crooked!) shelves off the wall. I also ended up removing the ledge along the left side because it was a space waster that I couldn't foresee as having any real and useful purpose.

So...there you have it. Take a good look because I'm hoping the final project will look VERY different and WAY better than this. Appealing even.

And thus it begins.

the vaccum cleaner that brought me happiness

2008-06-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

After reading this Apartment Therapy appliance recommendation, I decided to find one for myself and give it a try. Cat hair blows like tumbleweed across my hardwood floors on an annoyingly regular basis and sweeping only seems to shuffle the hair around instead of eliminate it. Great news! The Electrolux Ergorapido 2-in-1 Sweeper works awesome! And it's light and cord-free and has extra bits that get into hard-to-reach places. It's like living in a whole new apartment now. Yay! Who would have thought that a vaccum cleaner could delight me so much.

white walls, blue interior window frames

2008-06-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

I found this image on AT today. The blog spot highlights the whimsical botanical sculptures, but what really grabbed my attention and made me want to archive this for future use was the pale blue painted interior window frames - I LOVE how that looks with the white interior. AND I do believe I'm going to copy it in my new apartment.

Yes - new apartment. I found one! I can move in immediately if I want to because it's currently empty, but I still have some time in my current place, so I'm going to make the transition at a nice, balanced pace that will allow me to get in and clean and paint and prep before I begin the decorating and furniture move.

The apartment is a studio with a separate kitchen and it's a great space. As per my preferred types of living spaces, it is in a 130 year old heritage building and it boasts high ceilings, hardwood floors and...(this is where the blue trimmed window frames come in) a large bay window in the main room. The three large, high window panes are framed by old, unpainted wood right now, but the landlord gave me free reign over the apartment when it comes to painting and fixing up (it's a fixer-upper of the best sort), so they will soon be painted to look like the frames in the above photo. Fun!

I am very excited about my new, full-of-potential-and-possibilities space and can't wait to get started. Expect many before and after photos.

personal work spaces

2008-05-22T11:53:00.001-07:00

(a glimpse into Christina's new and improved home office)

My friend Christina featured her newly organized and designed home office space on her blog last week and it got me to thinking that I really need to find me a way to work from home. There are a lot of reasons why working for myself and working from home are appealing, not least of which is the excuse to create your own personalized working space inside your already personalized living space. There are lot of great examples of personal work spaces online, one of which Christina linked to in her comments section that is AWESOME. Granted, I don't think it's part of her home, but it's definitely a studio space worth gushing over:

Check out more photos of Lovely Design's lovely Vancouver studio here.

skyfarm

2008-05-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, love love love love LOVE this story.

nora jane pillows

2008-05-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across these super colourful nora jane pillows by accident on etsy yesterday - one of those random perusals that resulted in some fun finds. I like decorative pillows - not too many, but just enough to add some punch to a room without overwhelming a couch or a chair. These would definitely add some charisma to a needy space.

one man's trash is another man's...

2008-05-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about simplifying things in my life - starting with my consumer tendencies. I've been doing okay at spending less on unneccessary things and, more importantly, asking myself just how neccessary something is before I pull out the plastic to purchase it.

In an effort to challenge myself to live more simply and to wipe my debt slate clean faster, I've swallowed the 'bye bye in-suite washer and drier and everything else that is amazing and beautiful and comfortable about my posh loft' pill and given my notice to my landlord friend. I have the summer to take advantage of the rooftop patio and then I'm back on the hunt for a cheapo apartment full of character.

As sad as it will be to say goodbye to the loft, I'm actually really excited about hunting down somewhere new to live and taking on the new decorating projects and challenges that will come with it. My goal is to find the cheapest place I can in a neato neighbourhood and make it look fabulous on a tight budget - yay! (Seriously - I need to figure out how to apartment hop and decorate for a living. Anyone feel like spotting me a loan to apartment flip?)

Anyways, there will of course be more updates on this as my move out/ move in date approaches. In the meantime, let me get to the point of this post which is to highlight a super cool couple who have created a great space by recycling what others have thrown in the trash. 'Look what I found in the trash' is on design*sponge's guest blog and features Dave and Abi - junk collectors extraordinaire. Super inspiring! Talk about super creative, budget friendly living! Read about it and view more images here.

leah giberson

2008-05-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

Despite conveying the sense of lonliness, boredom and mind-numbing sameness that is often present on the outskirts of suburbian sprawl, I'm finding Leah Giberson's paintings earily appealing. I'm presuming their enticement is a result of just that - their ability to mirror the often peaceful yet static stillness of a sunday afternoon in an environment that seems to welcome only power lines, concrete and unfortunate architecture.

In the artist's own words, "She dreams of owning her own house someday, but for now she makes paintings of them and imagines what it's like to call these places, 'home. She suspects it's not always what it appears to be. By simlifying these everyday scenes, she allows the encroaching shadows and ackward scale or placement that already exist to tell a more poignant story".

lyell

2008-05-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm really liking the spring 2008 catalogue shots of Lyell clothing line right now. And I love the couch in that shot above - it's got a kind of thrift-store, reused glamour feel about it - one of those pieces that gets better with age and looks better after it's removed from the kind of environment I imagine it was meant for (I'm thinking snooty, dusty, rennaissance home decor). Love it here. Would love it even more in my living room.

bailey doesn't bark

2008-05-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Love these delicate birdie porcelain pieces from bailey doesn't bark. They remind me of my sister for some reason...and her birthday was last week...and i still owe her a prezzie...hmm...

small cool 2008

2008-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Suzi's 557 sf place in Columbus

Apartment Therapy is hosting their annual 'small cool' contest - coolest homes under 850 square feet and there are some wicked decorating ideas. Makes me want to move to a tiny space to try some of them out! Gah - I get so bored so easily - I need a job that lets me tackle decorating challenges on a daily basis. Here are some shots of same of my favorites from the contest so far...

Kristen's 525 sq in West Village, NYC

Stephanie's 645 sq spot in St. Louis

Cooper & Ali's 502 sq pad in Oakland

Thuy's 465 sq rooftop cottage in San Diego

Okay - there are WAY too many to look at, so this is my 'haven't-seen-even-close-to-everything-yet' list. Warning: could easily spend hours looking at all the small cool spaces. It's supposed to rain tomorrow - perfect.

lily + jae

2008-04-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.lilyandjae.com/

At last - spring has finally arrived!

At last - my closet is finally going through detox!

Goodbye winter and good riddance.

vote for zoe!

2008-03-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Shameless plug for artist extraordinaire and dear friend Zoe Pawlak. Her artwork has made into the second round of Art Interview's international online artist competition! Vote for her art and help a great up-and-coming Canadian artist stay in the competition!

In the online blogging world, you can see Zoe's art featured on desire to inspire and design*sponge.

more traceyj

2008-03-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

Guess who just ordered her second traceyj print?

What can I say? It's gorgeous and the thought of it on my wall just brightened up my thursday morning.

cows grazing in the rumpus room

2008-03-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this article. Seriously. Wouldn't it be AMAZING if our city streets were filled (and I mean full filled) with community gardens and herb planters and front-yard hobby farms? Our air would be cleaner, our meals would be healthier (and cheaper), our cities would be beautiful and I'm pretty sure people would be happier. Okay, so maybe that last bit is just because I know I'd be happier if I were playing in a garden all day instead of sitting inside in front of a computer, but I'm pretty sure that happiness would spread. Urban garden utopia! Who's with me?

Read this inspiring and realistic (yes, seriously) article in the New York Times here.

the greening of wal-mart

2008-03-18T13:23:00.001-07:00

Intriguing. I read this article today and now I want to know more. Adam Werbach's got the right idea if you ask me.

pre-summer grilling

2008-03-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

If you're like me and still stuck in waist-high snow drifts, you're probably craving summer and all things summerish - bbqs, flip flops, beaches, HEAT... My mind has been stuck in this day-dreamy state for at least a month already, so when I came across this little number, I immediately began day-dreaming up a winter indoor 'party like it's summertime' shindig that would be so complimentary to this cute little grill. And the best part: when the snow finally does disappear, the grill doesn't have to - it can be carried to the beach to use for a much-deserved 'party because it finally IS summer!' party :)

you are beautiful

2008-03-12T07:05:00.001-07:00

"You Are Beautiful is a simple, powerful statement which is incorporated into the over absorption of mass media and lifestyles that are wrapped in consumer culture.

The intention behind this project is to reach beyond ourselves as individuals to make a difference by creating moments of positive self realization. We're just attempting to make the world a little better.

Intention is the most important aspect of the You Are Beautiful project in its idea of purity. Nothing is sacred. Everything that has a perceived value becomes commodified. We work extremely hard that this message is received as a simple act of kindness, and nothing more."

www.you-are-beautiful.com

(photo by *Zara)

arte luise kunsthotel

2008-03-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

The New York Times was referring to the Arte Luise Kunsthotel when it wrote, "Berlin is worth a visit for this art hotel experience alone". While I can think of many reasons for visiting Berlin, this certainly looks like a good one to add to the list. Each room is designed and decorated by an accomplished artist, resulting in a smorgasbord of bedroom experiences - from gorgeous to downright scary. Check them all out here.

clock girl kelly

2008-03-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! These handcrafted clocks by kelly are too gorgeous to limit myself to one image. To quote her own bio, "For many designers, form follows function is a cardinal rule-never to be broken. While Kelly believes this a basic principle of dimensional design, she also sees functionality as the bridge to an expression of art, feeling, style and passion. It is from this perspective that Kelly's design interest moved from a whimsical illustration style to the exploration of dimensional design and creation of time pieces–an integral part of our daily lives". Nice. But seriously, whatever her creative motives, these clocks are probably some of the most enticing and darling time-pieces I've ever seen...

garnish home

2008-03-11T08:54:00.001-07:00

Garnish (home) makes great jewelry recycled from off cuts of the furniture industry. Pretty! Garnish (home) was started by a Vancouver-based graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design whose jewelry can be found on etsy and whose furniture line can be found at www.garnishhome.com.

jenny hurth

2008-03-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dawn Marie for suggesting another recycled bagger: Jenny Hurth is a San Francisco-based, garbage-turned-goodies creative force who, like the Commercial Drive Business Society, has seen the eco-sense of recycling vinyl banners from trade shows and municipal advertising into reusable bags and more (like the notebook pictured above). To quote their website, 'It is our goal to make beautiful and practical items out of what has been discarded'.

from flags to bags

2008-03-05T04:42:00.001-08:00

Coolio! And yet ANOTHER reason why I love Vancouver so much... the Commercial Drive district of Vancouver, BC beckons Vancouverites and out-of-towners to it's cool strip of fashion boutiques and yummy eateries by flying eye-catching flags and banners along the drive every year. Realizing the imcredible amount of waste this causes when it comes time to toss the old flags and bring in new ones, the Commercial Drive Business Society has decided to turn the used flags into reusable shopping bags - the sales of which go towards the creation of new green spaces in the area. Awesome! Love it! Love Vancouver! Go baby go! You rock! (Wow - that's a lot of enthusiasm for 7:45am - maybe it has something to do with the ice storm taking place outside my Ottawa windows right now). Yes Vancouver, I miss you. Find out more about the initiative and the ecological damage it's avoiding by the 'flags to bags' project here.

tamar mogendorff

2008-02-29T06:08:00.000-08:00

In keeping with this week's unofficial DIY nature creations, I couldn't resist Tamar Mogendorff's lovely interpretations of wildlife for the indoors. Her dolls include everything from mushrooms to penguins, but my personal favorites are the birds (even their cages are adorable!)...found via unruly things.

more pebbles

2008-02-27T12:23:00.001-08:00

Theme week? Man-made pebbles seem to be popping up everywhere lately. More than a little smaller than yesterday's pebbles, Reyaveltman's natural wool and silk pebbles are beautiful enough to stand alone as decorative pieces and heavy enough to act as naturally-inspired paperweights. And like yesterday, I still like real pebbles, but these are a pretty crafty and neato re-interpretation.

living stones

2008-02-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

By now I'm sure most people on the decorating blog circuit have seen images of or read about living stones. Environmentally-friendly wool and polar-fleece 'stones' so that you can comfortably lounge on nature-inspired 'pebble-smooth rocks' in your living room or why the heck not? outside next to real pebbles. Weird. Cool. I still really like real pebbles.

spring dreaming

2008-02-19T12:04:00.001-08:00

Oh...what I would do for a light spring day, a cozy sweater and a walk through a park with a good book...

I love the dreaminess and peacefulness of Ta's photographs. (Found via unruly thing's blog)

recycled numbered boxes

2008-02-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

I love these old boxes that have been stencilled with new numbers. I'd love to have some of these in my apartment to grow kitchen herbs in. Check out the wooden box series at three potato four.

I actually spotted some old boxes like this at a great little vintage/ antique shop near my apartment. They're a little pricey so I'm going to keep an eye out for wooden boxes at thrift shops and hope that I come across some...

bamboo bikes

2008-02-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

Calfee Design has taken bicycles to a whole new level of green with their custom bamboo bike frames. As if biking weren't already one of the healthiest, greenest and most fun modes of transportation, now you can do it on strong, sustainable bamboo frames that are built custom as per the weight of the rider. The bikes are good for everyday riding as well as racing. And, in addition to winning numerous design awards, the makers of the bamboo bike are proposing that countries like Ghana explore the opportunity of making the bikes locally out of their own renewable bamboo supplies to stimulate their economy while making bikes available to locals for personal transportation use. Neato! Check out the Bamboo Bike Project for more info.

sally scott

2008-02-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Wow - if you need an infusion of summery light into your mid-winter blas, check out sally scott's catalogue. Pretty, playful dresses and skirt/ blouse combos and photos that make me crave summer and long hair. *sigh* A few more months...

totally stoked

2008-02-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

How stoked am I this weekend? TOTALLY stoked! Not only did I get to meet one of my favorite bloggers in person, but she bought one of my paintings to hang in her stellar-decorated home AND profiled my home on her uber-fabulous blog. Fun and fabulous! Thanks Kim!

plantatree wine

2008-02-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Drink a bottle of wine, plant a tree. I like that idea! Carbon positive wine: grown smart and bottled smart - the more you consume, the more you offset.

This is brilliant! Check it out: http://www.plantatreewine.com/flash.html

Let the wine tasting begin!

overdue sneak peak

2008-02-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to taking some photos of my 'new' apartment. I've been here for two and a half months now and things are coming together and feeling 'homey'. Lucky me - I'm renting this great space from a friend of mine for a steal! The furnishings are all mine and after some rearranging, creating, and hanging, I finally feel content to curl up on the couch with some tea, a good book and the fire going - without feeling like getting up to rearrange things yet again. So, enough of the talking. Here are some visuals and descriptions of my own little space on this planet...

Welcome! This is my entrance way - great big closets for shoes and coats and cat food :) To the left of the door (but unseen in this photo) is another skinny closet with a stand up clothes washer and dryer - one of my favorite things about living here! No more coin laundry - yay!

When you enter the apartment you can walk straight ahead to the eating nook and kitchen or turn right to walk into the living room and access the stairs to the loft...

(view of eating nook from the kitchen)

(looking down at the eating nook from the loft)

(view towards the living room from the entrance/ kitchen area)

(detail: little corner nook with journals, music, magazines and access to the balcony)

The living room is the 'heart' of my home - it's where I curl up on the couch to read, it's where I use my laptop, it's where the cats stretch out in front of the fire, it's where I hang out with my guests. It's also 'home' to most of my books (on my makeshift 'bookshelves'), my solitary plant, my dumpster-diver-find-turned-coffee-table and my blank canvases (hung up on either side of the fireplace awaiting divine inspiration ;)...

(looking down at the living room from the loft)

(view from the living room up to the loft and beyond to the kitchen)

And up the stairs to my sleeping and 'grooming' nook...

(sleeping loft - the thing in the corner is a little cat bed which is never used. Why would they sleep in that when they can sleep on my bed? What was I thinking?)

(bedroom detail)

(dresser nook)

(and last but not least, the bathroom)

The bathroom: if I were concerned about looking really coordinated, I would have hung up my ivory-coloured towel that matches the shower curtain, but instead I'm just going to tell you that the blue towel is my back-up towel and it's what was hanging up when I took the photo (and yes, I acknowledge my geek-factor by caring ;).

And that's my sneak peak - thanks for coming!

traceyj on etsy

2008-02-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

My monday morning got a whole heck of a lot better when I found out that my favorite photographer made her images available for online purchasing over the weekend - yay! Still bleary-eyed and coffee-less, I whipped out my handy plastic money card and ordered myself a photograph - the first of many for sure!

Check out tracey's etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5459903