luckybydesign

Happy Birthday to Me

2012-01-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Today is my 30th birthday. I know lots of people freak out about 30, but I'm kind of zen about it. 29 was much worse!

If I think of everything I've accomplished in the past decade, it's been a pretty great 10 years! And I'm at a really wonderful place in my life right now, large in part due to my lovely sister and roommate, Selby.

Selby has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She cares so much about others, and is so generous with her time and love.

Today, she just proved that over again. Look how she spoiled me today:

She wrote down 30 reasons she loves me.

All taped to a door with washi tape (which she bought me for Christmas - the girl knows me well!!!).

She made us mimosas to have with breakfast today.

Normally, on our birthdays, we'd take the other person out for dinner, or make them a dinner of their choice. But Selby works at the food bank and works the 12 - 8 shift. I have choir practice tonight and won't be home until 10, so Selby decided to make me a special breakfast instead.

And bought me a birthday outfit!

And got some mini cupcakes from a local cupcake shop.

As further proof of Selby's awesomeness, you should check out her new blog, Extracting Happiness.

Be Less Lazy: Repurpose a Tension Rod

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-07:00

I think I saw this idea in a Martha Stewart magazine ages ago.

I bought a tension curtain rod and put it in place under the kitchen sink. It's a perfect place to hang cleaning products, rubber gloves, and cloths and things. And then there's plenty of space underneath to keep other products.

Be Less Lazy: Faux Pantry

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of our biggest storage issues is the pantry. We don't really have one. Well, we do have one, but it's the width of one can of tomatoes. Honestly.

So in a small-ish townhouse, what are two girls to do? Fashion a faux pantry! We bought a couple of shelving units from IKEA and set them up in the garage. Already it's been amazing to have the space to store things like pop, beer, and wine, potatoes and onions, and rarely-used dishes and kitchen appliances.

I also put a little carpet in front of it, so we can walk in there without freezing our poor little feet!

Be Less Lazy: Why not a Branch?!

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

The best storage solutions are FREE! This is another project done awhile ago, but while we're on the topic of the vanity, I figured I'd show you.

I drove into the country and pulled this dead branch out of a ditch, then stuck it into a pot of river rocks. Instant necklace rack!

Be Less Lazy: Printing Press Storage

2012-01-10T06:00:00.001-07:00

This project was actually completed a while ago, but I forgot to post about it. Short and simple!

I bought a printing press drawer at an antique shop for $30. I then mounted it on the wall, and it made a brilliant place to store earrings and other small jewellery.

P.S. Funny story: I wore that bow tie on the day of our school photos this year. The photographer looked at me, and said, rather condescendingly, "We're not doing silly photos this year." I blinked at her, and finally said, "This is my outfit." She mumbled her apologies and quickly took the photo.

Be Less Lazy: Repurpose Organizing Tools

2012-01-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

You don't have to feel constricted by products that are designed for a certain purpose. We have a desk in my room that we use as a vanity: we have makeup, hair stuff, and jewellery there at our fingertips. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disaster.

So for Operation: Be Less Lazy, we tidied it up.

I turned to a bit of an unlikely spot for some storage and organization assistance: the kitchen storage area in IKEA. I installed this rod and hook combo to use to store hair things like bobby pins and elastics, and hair tools like curling irons and straighting irons.

For the curling irons, I just wrapped a clear elastic around the base to hang it.

So nice and tidy!

New Year's Resolution: Be Less Lazy

2012-01-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

We finished school on December 23rd. Though at the time, it felt like a huge struggle to teach that close to Christmas, I am thankful now as we go back to school tomorrow. Having the bulk of the vacation after Christmas allowed me lots of time to rest and relax, as well as to do a few things around the house.

Christmas was great. My best gift was an iPad from my Mom and Dad! I am so spoiled! But the best was giving. I always love giving more than I love getting. I will post about the gifts we gave our Mom and Dad later.

And the best was just spending time with our Mom and Dad and other family (including our second family). We literally did not do a thing other than eat and drink wine and relax, and it was just perfect. Exactly what we needed. I am feeling totally rejuvenated now.

For our New Year's resolution, though, Selby and I made a co-resolution: Be Less Lazy. This resolution means lots of stuff, but for now it's mostly taken the form of us getting our house in order.

Over the last few days, Selby and I have tackled a bunch of jobs that have needed tackling, and it's felt really good. Over the next few days, I'll post about some of them. Oh, and Being Less Lazy also applies to this blog: I hope to post more because my lack of posting is really just about being lazy. I have things to say, so I just need to put in the effort and do it!

Here's the first thing: Make a List!

I just took an extra Ikea frame we had and put a piece of glittery black paper in it. Then I wrote on it with wet erase markers.

Having a list is good because it's right there for you to see what needs to be done. And it sure feels good to cross something off, doesn't it?!

Gifted Magazine

2011-11-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

I just eased into my morning by drinking coffee and reading Gifted Magazine.

Edited by Ez of Creature Comforts, one of my all-time favourite blogs, this is a well-curated digital magazine, designed to give you ideas for gifts to give this holiday season. As I flipped through it, I saw tonnes of stuff I know the people on my list would love. I just might be placing a few orders soon!

DIY Glitter Nails

2011-11-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

These nail strips have quickly gained a reputation for themselves of being a quick and easy way to get a flawless manicure.

From here.

But they are expensive!

So I invented this great nail technique:
1. Paint your nail with clear nail polish.
2. Sprinkle craft glitter all over the nail.This blue is Recollections brand but have used Martha Stewart too and both work great.
3. Let dry. Brush excess glitter off skin around nails.
4. Paint a top coat over the glitter with the clear polish.

You get amazing glittery nails for a fraction of the price of those nail decals. They are very durable! Add a new top coat every couple of days and this manicure will last for days!

Pretty good, hey?!

The Ugly Couch

2011-10-19T18:50:00.000-06:00

Exhibit A: Extremely ugly beige corduroy IKEA couch that has lost the stiffness in its cushions.

Now, I couldn't really do anything about the limp cushions, but....

Add eight packages of pearl grey RIT dye, and you get....

Exhibit B!

Cuter grey couch!

Oddly approves.

I'd never dyed anything quite so large, and I learned a few things:

Do it in smaller batches in the washing machine. I split the cushion slipcovers into two parts and did them in a couple of batches.
Before the washing machine drains, set the dial back to the beginning and run it through again for a deeper colour. That way the fabric spends more time in the dye solution.
Run your washing machine through with bleach TWICE afterwards. I did it once and then washed something and the water was grey.

Sorry about the crappy photo quality - I only had my cell phone.

Continued Adventures in Sewing: The Shirred Fern Dress

2011-08-25T18:28:00.000-06:00

Once I started sewing, I couldn't stop!

Today, I tackled this Most Flattering Shirt Dress from Prudent Baby (can I just say how much I love that blog?? I'm not a mama, but I still love it!).

I followed the directions exactly as written, except I made mine longer than the one on the blog.

I loved the way the bias tape was used to finish the neck and arm holes. Made for a very finished looking product.

This dress is in the running for my first day of school outfit!!!

The shirred waist makes this dress ultra flattering.

I found some really rad fabric with star constellations on it at the fabric store the other day, so my sewing marathon might not be over!

A Break from August Break: the Mullet Skirt

2011-08-24T19:38:00.000-06:00

I know the point of August Break is to relieve you from the pressure of blogging, but it's okay for me to cheat if I want to, right?!

I start back at school on Monday and since I've had such a busy summer, I've been really trying to relax this week and only do stuff I want to do. I was feeling creative today, so I decided to do some sewing. I call it the Mullet Skirt. You will see why soon.

I saw a skirt somewhere, I don't remember where, that was short in the front, and long in the back. A mullet skirt, if you will.

Fabric choice was hard. I wanted something brighter as the lining, but my local fabric store didn't have anything that caught my eye. So I decided to go with a coordinating fabric rather than a contrasting fabric. Next time, I'll try something more eye-catching.

So here's a brief tutorial. The skirt is an elastic waisted skirt, and is based on this tutorial. I've made lots and lots of skirts based on this tutorial over the past year and they've been really quicky and easy, as well as really flattering.

This one was a bit more complicated, as I had to sew the interior lining to the exterior fabric.

First of all, rule #1 of sewing: Cats want to help:

Okay, so here we go. First, I found a skirt I liked the length of, and cut the top fabric to a similar size.

I wanted the front of the skirt to be flatter than the back, so I didn't use the full width of the fabric.

For the back panel, I measured how long I wanted it from my natural waist.

Trotsky is STILL "helping."

This time I used the full width.

You can see the difference of the length of the two panels. The front is going to get shorter in a minute.

I used the two panels in the purple fabric to replicate two identical panels in the lining fabric.

Next, I freehanded the swoop on the front panels. For economy's sake, I put the two front panels together and cut once.

Then I layed the cut front panels beside the back panels so I could line up the edges.

I pinned each of the two panels together along the bottom seam (the swoopy seam) with the right sides facing together.

Then I sewed, ironed the seams flat, and then turned the fabric right side out.

I repeated this procedure with the back panels. Then I pinned the two panels together along the side seams, with the right sides in. Right sides, in this case, being the purple fabric. It's important to make sure the bottom seams line up.

Please note that my bear-duck-elk fabric is UPSIDE DOWN. Because I am dumb.

Note that the back panel will pucker a bit because it's bigger. That's okay.

Now you sew your elastic waistband, and then pin your fabric to it. Be sure that you turn your elastic inside out, and pin the right side (purple) of your fabric to it, on the inside.

If you look closely, you'll see the elastic is inside out, and the purple is facing the right side of the elastic. Make sense? Kind of?

Then sew, and make sure you stretch your elastic as you do so it first over your hips!

My last touch was this: I found this "mending yarn" at the fabric store and liked the colour combo.

I sewed the fringe shut so it wouldn't unravel, then hand sewed it to a button. I safety pinned the button to the waistband, so it could be removed for washing.

I like the end result, though next time I'd do a few things differently:
1. Make sure the fabric is right side up!
2. Make the back panel longer and the front panel shorter so the inside lining would be more visible.
3. Make the inside fabric brighter/contrasting so it would also stand out more.

P.S. It is HARD to take pictures of yourself. Here are some outtakes. lol.

Bwaaaahahahahah! That one's my favourite! I was trying to show the lining of the skirt but it ended up just looking trashy.

August Break: Trotsky

2011-08-22T09:50:00.000-06:00

I missed Trotsky (and my other cat, Oddly) while I was away.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Shades of Gray

2011-08-21T12:33:00.000-06:00

Wandered around in the neighbourhood of Kensington on Saturday and found they were having a poetry festival.
I liked this poem.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Goodbye Jamaica

2011-08-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

I missed a couple of days due to travel.

We made time the morning of our flight to do a bit more relaxing by the pool.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Ocho Rios

2011-08-18T19:26:00.000-06:00

Today we drove up to the north coast to Ocho Rios. It was a long and winding drive through the mountains, but it was worth it! It has been really great that through our school visits and our day trips, we've gotten to see a lot of different parts to Jamaica.

Once we got to Ocho Rios, we climbed Dunn Falls. When they told us we'd be "hiking the falls," I imagined that we'd be hiking up alongside a river to some waterfalls. Nope. You actually rent water shoes and CLIMB the falls. It was really, really fun.

Rio Cobre, in the mountains.

A roadside food stand.

The Falls.

The beach at Ocho Rios.

A sweet little girl swimming.

Climbing the Falls.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Little Ochie

2011-08-17T21:56:00.001-06:00

After our final school visit today, we stopped at a little town called Little Ochie on the south shore. We had fresh-caught fish for lunch again, but this time we tried it jerk-style instead of fried. It was really good, but I still think the first one was better. Anyway, you place your order but it takes awhile to prepare the fish, probably 45 minutes - an hour. So in the meantime, we finally got to swim in the ocean! We went to get into the ocean, but before we did, this gaggle of little faces ran up to us saying, "Miss! Miss!! Don't go in! There's a shark!!!" We thought they were joking, but they seemed insistent. Then one of their fathers came up and said, "it's a dolphin." As soon as he said that, the kids jumped in. So did we. (P.S. There was no shark)

The kids were totally sweet, and stuck near us in the water, telling us their names, and who ranked where in terms of age, and where they lived (one family just in front of us at the beach, their cousins down past the bend in the beach a way down.) Then they started doing backflips and tricks and stuff, and kept calling us for our attention: "Miss!!! Miss!!! Watch me!!" So cute. And when we got a little too far out, they called us back in because they could tell where the current was because it would kick up the sand underneath and turn a stripe of the water a bit brownish. They were very concerned about us.

I think this was my favourite moment on our trip. The kids were so sweet, and it was great to just experience that moment of fun with them.

Little Ochie.

It's a fishing village.

Frying up some fish.

These are a fruit called guineps. You can buy them from roadside sellers. You peel them and then pop the flesh in your mouth and try to dissolve the flesh from the large pit inside. They taste good and are addictive. I couldn't really describe the taste... kind of like a grape, but different.

Jerk fish.

Little Ochie.

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I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Dollah Bills

2011-08-16T19:38:00.000-06:00

Only a few things today:

1. It's true: Jamaicans actually say "Yeh Man" and "No Man."

2. There are worse things in life than working on lesson planning poolside.

3. Our dinner bill came to....

Sixteen THOUSAND dollars.

hahahaha! Just kidding.

That works out to about $180 Canadian for seven people. Jamaican money is so fun. You get to carry around thousand dollar bills like it's nobody's business. And they have 10 dollar coins. Ha!

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I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: School Visits

2011-08-15T21:27:00.000-06:00

Today was a full day. First we visited the Ministry of Education at the Jamaican Prime Minister's Office. Next up was the Canadian Embassy to visit the staff there.

The most interesting part of our day was a visit to two schools - Eltham High School in Spanish Town, and Excelsior in Kingston. This was extremely enlightening, to see the differences (and similarities) between schools in Canada and schools in Jamaica.

The Canadian Embassy in Kingston. We were officially on Canadian soil today!

It was very strange seeing a Canadian flag next to a palm tree.

This is Eltham. The hallways are outside.

There are 40 - 50 kids per class.

This is Excelsior now.

Part of the school yard at Excelsior.

Some boys after football camp at the school.

There is no glass in the doors or windows. Classrooms are totally open to the elements.

I cannot get over these goats. They just wander wherever they please!
But someone told me today that they go home to their owners at night!

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I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Hellshire

2011-08-14T19:12:00.000-06:00

They say it like "Elle-shur." It's a little fishing village about 30 minutes outside of Kingston, and this morning we all hopped in the Ministry of Education SUVs and went there for breakfast.

The photos will tell the story: it is beautiful, rustic, and unbelievably hot.

This is the "restaurant" we ate at.

The kitchen.

The cooks preparing the food.

The fish frying. Pretty much all Jamaican restaurants use wood fire.

A fish shack.

A little shop. "Jelly" is what they call coconut water.

A pretty awesome looking man selling conch.

Men scaling the fish.

A fish shack.

Me and my breakfast: fried parrot fish, festival (a fried dough), and bammy (a fried cake made of cassava root)

A man selling jelly. We bought some. It tasted very refreshing.

That fish, caught fresh that morning, was probably the MOST delicious fish I've ever had in my entire life. Truth!

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I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Ghett'a Life

2011-08-13T22:48:00.001-06:00

Guess what?!

This is my 100th post!

Anyway, that aside, here are today's pictures coming up soon. First, though, we went to a premiere of a Jamaican-made film today called Ghett'a Life. I would highly highly highly recommend you see this film if it comes to North America/the rest of the world. It was totally fantastic. It was pretty neat to be at the film premiere, too, because at the end they had a bit of a Q&A, and the film's stars stood up from the audience (we didn't know they were there) and just walked up and answered some questions! I was a little starstruck, to be honest!

So I'm going to throw the trailer here so you can get a quick glimpse. We are hoping to get a DVD of the movie next year during our school-twinning project so we can show our students a glimpse of what life is like in some of Kingston's inner city neighbourhoods.

After the movie, we went to Devon House, a national historic site for lunch, and then had their famous Devon ice cream!

Views from my hotel room

Those trees with orange flowers are in Emancipation Park.

Again from my hotel room.

I found a lizard in the bathroom. I think I scared him as much as he scared me!

The movie theatre.

Curry goat with rice and peas for lunch. It was really good!

Me and Lisa at the ice cream shop.

Devon House.

FYI, the story goes something like this: Devon House belonged to a wealthy black man named Mr. Devon just after slavery was abolished. He was a big philanthropist and the country made his house into a historic site.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Made it!

2011-08-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

Made it to Jamaica in one piece... It's 10 to 11pm right now and I've been travelling since 1am yesterday, and I'm in pretty good shape, considering.

We walked over from our hotel to Emancipation Park today, a park that honours the emancipation of the slaves. There's a little pop up music fesitval going on there. The Jamaicans assumed it was because this is around the time of Jamaica's indepdence. Before that, we went for jerk chicken! It was quite an authentic experience. AND extremely, EXTREMELY delicious. I am glad I got a typhoid shot before I left (food-borne illness), that's for sure.

While I'm here, I'll try to post more than one picture per day if I have time.

Norman Manley Airport.

We arrived to torrential downpours.

People waiting at the airport to be picked up. You had to go outside.
There was no option to stay inside.

My hotel room.

The jerk stand.

Inside the jerk cookhouse. It was SO smokey in there!!!

Waiting in line for my jerk.

Jerk chicken and roasted breadfruit.

The music festival.

I think they are wrapping up the festival right now. It was neat to go and hear reggae music, but I can hear it clear as day through my hotel window, so I am hoping they might let me have a bit of rest. Tomorrow's not a working day, and we are going to go see a movie called Ghett'a Life, which is a film about kids in some pretty rough neighbourhoods here in Kingston.

Okay, reggae's done! Time for bed!

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Away I Go!

2011-08-11T19:00:00.001-06:00


My bag's packed for Jamaica! One of our projects is about food sustainability, hence the Michael Pollan book.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Grow

2011-08-10T16:42:00.000-06:00

My garden.

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break: Pretty Toes

2011-08-09T19:06:00.001-06:00

Went to get a pedicure today with some girlfriends. Pretty toes for Jamaica!

I'm participating in the August Break.

August Break

2011-08-08T12:07:00.000-06:00

Big plans, guys. I had big plans. This summer, I wanted to paint my walls, clean out my basement in hopes of starting to develop it, and fit in some other creative projects along the way.

Then life got in the way. I got some really exciting news at the beginning of July. A colleague and I had applied for a grant through the federal government's international development brach, and we found out that we got it! The grant would twin our school with a school in Jamaica, with the aim of engaging more Canadians in international development. One of the perks of the grant was that my colleague and I would be going to Ottawa for a week at the end of July for training and planning. Then in August, we'd be going to Jamaica!

So my summer suddenly took a different turn.

I had also committed to going to visit my grandma in southern Ontario with my mom and sister the second last week in July. So the last two weeks in July were spent in Ontario.

Now I'm home for a week before we go to Jamaica. I am so so so excited for this!

To add another wrench, before I knew that we got the grant (by the end of the school year we just kind of assumed we didn't get it), I accepted a contract with Alberta Education to develop some lesson plans for them.

So suddenly, I have absolutely no free time to do the creative stuff I had wanted to do this summer. That's okay, though, as I am super thrilled to have gotten this grant and the opportunities it will bring my way. Still, I want to do something creative this summer...

Enter: the August Break!

I am going to try to post a photo per day as a part of the August Break, just to show a glimpse of what's going on in my life, and to allow myself a bit of creativity through the composition of the photograph. To start us off, I'll post a few photos I took in Ottawa, to make up for the first nine days in August.

The Parliament buildings.

Canadian geese, the Ottawa River, and Parliament Hill.

Parliament Hill has a Cat Sanctuary for stray cats! How cool is that?!

Inside the big tower, the Peace Tower, on the front of the main Parliament building.

We actually stayed right across the Ottawa River, in Gatineau, Quebec. This manhole cover translates to "One life, one city."

I went to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This is part of the First Nations Hall.

Parliament Hill at sunset.

We went to this light and sound show called Mosaika, which was projected onto the Parliament Building. It was really neat.

As part of our training, we did a video conference with Mali.

My colleague Lisa, my "twin" from Jamaica, Rono, Anna from the feds, and me!

There we go! Hopefully (fingers crossed!) I can keep up with this! One photo a day... I think I can do this.

Mom and Dad's Kitchen Renovation

2011-07-03T20:36:00.001-06:00

My mom and dad are renovating their kitchen. I told my mom I'd find some pictures of the vision I have for the space.

I think Persian rugs and stainless steel would look pretty awesome.

Via Desire to Inspire.

Their house is quite traditional but my parents appreciate modernism and I think the above photo does a good job of combining the two.

More rugs in kitchens.

Desire to Inspire.

Design*Sponge.

From Desire to Inspire originally from Domino Magazine.

What about a farm table instead of an island? But we'd need to add more storage somewhere else if we take away the island that's currently there.

Here's an idea: They have a breakfast nook just off the kitchen. Build a super long table to serve as island AND a table.

Desire to Inspire.

This is a pretty neat idea, actually.

Desire to Inspire.

Replace some of the upper cupboards with shelves, maybe? It would help add continuity into the breakfast nook?

Desire to Inspire.

I like it when kitchens have different coloured main cabinets and islands. The island's pretty nice, too.

Martha Stewart at Home Depot.

They have kind of dated oak cabinets that I think they should paint. I think grey would be quite handsome.

Design*Sponge.

I think they should get a stainless steel island like this:

Desire to Inspire.

Design*Sponge.

There may be a part 2 coming soon!

Seed Bombs

2011-06-25T22:33:00.001-06:00

It's almost the end of the school year. I have two more days with my students, and then two more after that for organization, planning, and cleanup. I have had the same group of students for the past two years and so I am really going to miss them. At the end of every year, I like to give a little gift to my kids to thank them for a wonderful year.

This year, I took my inspiration from our year-long inquiry project we did: What is Beauty? We pondered this question throughout the year and sought out differnt sources for their opinions on the answer to this question.

I wanted my students to know that I think beauty is what's inside them, and thought a great metaphor is a seed. So compact and small in its infancy, but give it a bit of time and love, and it turns into a beautiful flower. Much like teenagers.

I made seed bombs.

The recipe is quite simple. You just need dry red clay, wildflower seeds, compost, and water. I used this recipe, and Redart Clay. A huge bag cost about $40. (Now I have a tonne of red clay leftover and no idea what to do with it. Any thoughts?)

The recipe is 5 parts clay, 3 parts compost, 1 part seeds, and 1-2 parts water. Just mix, and roll! Then you just need to let them sit and dry for a few days.

Then I ordered a bunch of cotton muslin mailer bags from uline.ca. I ordered 5x7, and they were the perfect size. The bags have this great red stitching at the top, which I love. Highly recommend this company, by the way. They're fantastic. My order came two days after I ordered.

I stamped the bags with a Queen Anne's Lace stamp and another one that says, "Find beauty in all things."

Then I printed up a little insert made with this great free printable from Creature Comforts:

On it, I printed the poem "The Swan" by Mary Oliver:
Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?
Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air -
An armful of white blossoms,
A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned
into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,
Biting the air with its black beak?
Did you hear it, fluting and whistling
A shrill dark music - like the rain pelting the trees - like a waterfall
Knifing down the black ledges?
And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds -
A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet
Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?
And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

And then wrote on the back about what to do with the seed bomb and how the seed's potential represents the student's own potential:

And to each student, I wrote a personal note about what I think is beautiful about them.

And tied a little tag to the top. They're ready to go!

I hope the students do find a place in need of beauty to plant a couple of seed bombs. I am looking forward to driving through the neighbourhood at the end of the summer and seeing small patches of wildflowers everywhere!

Jules Reid Sale

2011-06-19T09:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, I lied about posting more regularly. June is Crazy Month for teachers. It was very dumb of me to think that it would be otherwise. Let's wait for July for regular posts.

But I have a few minutes today before I get going on some final lesson planning. So I thought I'd fill those few spare minutes with some gorgeous, colourful eye candy.

AND! AND! ANDDDDDD they're on sale! It's Jules Reid resort wear, and the winter line is 65% off and the spring line is 25% off!

McPherson

Beatrice

Ralph

Polly

My favourites are the first and the last. What are yours?

Enamel Lamp Shade

2011-06-07T19:54:00.001-06:00

I had this boob fixture:

And obviously hated it.

Because it's ugly.

Actually, hideous.

And then I found this enamel lampshade at the antique mall in Airdrie.

So while my dad was here for the weekend to see me perform in my choir show (I'm the one in the top left):

He put it up for me.

And then we got an Edison Bulb from Anthropologie. Love it!

My Lovely Sister /WLWL

2011-06-01T19:01:00.000-06:00

The newest issue of We Like We Love is out and it's as gorgeous as ever!

(love the pon poms!)

But the best part of it is the my lovely sister Selby is in it! Can you believe it?!?!

Selby's the model, and her friend was the makeup artist.

Isn't she gorgeous?!?!?!?!?

Congratulations to Alyssa and Liz for another knock-out issue!

Briana Rose

2011-05-31T07:00:00.003-06:00

Are these not the most beautiful things you've seen in your life?!?!?

All from Briana Rose on Etsy.

Succulent Orbs

2011-05-30T07:00:00.003-06:00

The life of a teacher means that sometimes things come up and I get so busy and something has to fall by the wayside. The last couple of weeks, that thing was, unfortunately, blogging. But things are looking up this week!

Though I haven't had time/energy to post lately, I've been bookmarking some stuff to blog about. The first is this stunning succulent orb:

You can get a kit from DIG nursery, and they'll send you the succulent cuttings and the form. They're pretty reasonable, too, with the smallest one being $20, and the largest one being $80. Still, I'm wondering how you'd DIY that...

I spent some time today planting some stuff in my container garden. Maybe I'll take some pics soon!

Geometric LOVE

2011-05-17T07:00:00.002-06:00

Did you see this handpainted wall decor on Design Sponge's sneak peak of Heather McEwan's home??

She painted it by tracing a bunch of triangles on the wall!! That is INCREDIBLE, isn't it? Love it!

I do not have enough walls in my house!!

May Tabletop

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's my lovely sister's birthday on Tuesday, but we went home to our parents' on the weekend to celebrate there. I made dinner: steak with goat cheese and scallops, asparagus, and crispy potato roast.

I also took some grocery store flowers and stuck them in a bunch of my dad's antique bottle collection.

Please excuse the crappy cell phone pics. I forgot my camera at home.

I also got her a pretty rad b-day present: a dress from http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/. I let her pick. She chose:

My sister has red hair too and she's going to look awesome in that green dress!

Cambridge Satchel Company

2011-05-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

I spotted these neon satchels from the Cambridge Satchel Company on Honestly WTF! the other day and can't stop thinking about them. I am dying for neon lately. I had to go to the mall yesterday to shop for costume stuff for my choir concert that's coming up at the beginning of June and went into Ardene's to look for some accessories. And wouldn't you know that I only had eyes for a bottle of neon yellow nail polish, and couldn't even think about the iridescent crystal necklace I was supposed to be looking for.

Image Credit.

I die.

Make It Calgary; She's So

2011-05-05T07:00:00.001-06:00

Have you seen this, feathers in hair trend? I've been sporting feathered hair clips for years now, but I recently just saw these feathered hair extensions a week ago at my hairstylist's. The ones she showed me were clamped in by heat, but at Make It Calgary, I found some sold by a vendor called She's So that offered a couple of options: 1) You clamp the feathers to your hair and they stay in for a month, or 2) you clip in a clip like the kind on temporary hair extensions that you can take out whenever you want. I opted for the second option.

Here I am with them clipped in.

The one I got has red, turquoise, and yellow.

I recently gave myself a lil makeover: red hair courtesy of the aforementioned hairdresser, and Ray Ban glasses.

I love them! The way I clipped them in, they were really subtle, and you couldn't really see them unless I swished my hair back.

Make It Calgary; Rabbit Boutique

2011-05-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

Next up from Make It Calgary is Rabbit Boutique. They're from Calgary, and are graduates of the Alberta College of Art and Design.

I bought something from this booth and it is a pretty rad acorn necklace. I will show you:

It was $40, and I think it's simply an extremely laquered real acorn.
Rabbit Boutique is a collective of a bunch of Alberta designers and the stuff they carry really depends on who the designer is. But one thing's for certain: it's bound to be awesome.

Make It Calgary; heyday design

2011-05-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Next on my tour of Make It! Calgary is heyday design from Vancouver. They make these amazing vintage porcelain jars, which I didn't get a photo of at the fair, so I'll have to yank some pics off the website.

My favourite is the beaver jar ($85):

I did, however, get a picture of some of the jewelery.

Isn't the record display pretty rad? I love the geometric shapes of the jewelery, especial in black with gold accent. Here's one you can see better:

Heyday Design has lots of places in Canada where her stuff is sold. Just check the website to find out if there's a store near you. Or you can shop on the online shop!

Make It Calgary; Cloud+Lolly

2011-05-02T07:00:00.002-06:00

Selby and I went to Make It! Calgary this weekend. It's a fair of handmade goods, with artists and vendors from all over the place, but mostly from British Columbia and Alberta. They have three fairs: Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

There were lots of great exhbitors and this week I'd like to show you a few of my favourites and also showcase the couple of things I bought!

I'll start with a vendor I didn't buy anything from but was really sweet nonetheless: Cloud+Lolly. They had these great accessories adorned with resin flowers, like this:

I can't seem to find any of these flower accesories for sale online, but they had earrings, headbands, hairpins, and much more.

Cloud+Lolly is a team of sisters who make lovely accessories. They're based in Edmonton.

Love their animal brooches, like this adorbs fox ($25):

Or these wooden rings ($25):

Up tomorrow: ceramics!

Scotch Naturals

2011-04-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

Though certainly the fact that Scotch Natural nail polishes are non-toxic is a draw, I think the real knock-out factor is the gorgeous colours.

Heather Blush

Highland Fling

Hot Toddy

Velvet Kilt

Caleigh

All from Scotch Naturals.

I think Heather Blush is my favourite.

Aren't the colour names genius, too?

Crank it to 11

2011-04-27T07:00:00.002-06:00

Loving this volume knob brooch from the Curiosity Shoppe. Note that it goes to 11.

Abigail Ahern Designs

2011-04-26T07:00:00.002-06:00

Atelier Abigail Ahern is a British designer, and I asolutely love her ecclecticism and how she's not afraid of dark paint. She designed her sister Gemma's apartment and I absolutely love the moody dark paint

All photos from here.

vs.

2011-04-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

I'm going to make a bold statement now.

vs.

I'd take a Tolix chair over an Eames chair any day.

Schoolhouse Electric

2011-04-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

I love love love Schoolhouse Electric!

How fantastic are these vintage-inspired lights???

I am still searching for the perfect light fixtures to my house, and one of these just might be it!

Opti

2011-04-21T07:00:00.002-06:00

My vacuum's name was Bumblebee because he was a yellow cannister vacuum. But Bumblebee died. His carpet attachment stopped working, and it would have been $200 to fix it. I thought it would be better just to buy a new one.

I wanted a dyson, but surely couldn't buy one for $200. Thankfully, my mom stepped in! She said she'd pay for half as a belated birthday gift (My birthday was in January, but we hadn't celebrated).

So I bought a Dyson! We named him Opti, which is short for Optimus Prime, because of the whole Transformer's theme with Bumblebee, and I am so so so glad I spent the extra money and bought it.

The Dyson really IS worth the extra. It's amazing. It is so much more powerful than a normal vacuum. I would highly highly recommend it!

Tell me: do you name your appliances and electronics?

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-04-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

It's my turn to bring snacks to choir Thursday night. I also have to help supervise at my school's fringe festival on tonight so I wouldn't have much time to make anything time consuming tonight. It sounds like the perfect opportunity to make aged chocolate chip cookies!

I've made these delicious cookies before. I read about the recipe ages ago in a New York Times article which featured pastry chef Jacques Torres's ultimate chocolate chip cookies.

The secret to his cookies, aside from the fact that he serves them warm, is that the batter is aged 24 to 36 hours in the fridge before baked. This really develops the flavour of the dough and the cookies end up being way more delicious than regular chocolate chip cookies.

So I made the dough using Jacques Torres' recipe on Tuesday night and will bake them up Wednesday night. With a sprinkle of sea salt, they will be heavenly.

We Like, We Love

2011-04-19T07:00:00.002-06:00

Online magazines are pretty awesome. It's so much easier (and cheaper!) to find inspiration. I just recently discovered a Calgary-based online magazine called We Like We Love. Through a serendipitous connection between a mutual friend, my adorable sister Selby was asked to model for them for an upcoming issue.

Don't you love those gree stockings?

Anyway, I hope that you will check out this magazine. It's fantastic!

Snow snow go away.

2011-04-18T07:00:00.003-06:00

It snowed here in Calgary all weekend AGAIN. I am sick and tired of snow. To cheer myself up, I'll post some pictures of my favourite flower, ranunculus. They start appearing in flower shops in the spring, and I am just itching to get some!

From here.

Maybe I'll try to grow some this year! I don't think Calgary has the ideal climate for ranunculus, but you never know! Come on spring!!! I neeeeeeed you!!!!!

HBC

2011-04-17T19:50:00.000-06:00

The Hudson's Bay Company is an icon in Canadian history. It's actually older than Canada itself!

The blanket itself is pretty cool:

via here.

But I love it when companies do something creative from the blanket.

Isn't this chair fantastic? I found it via Bright Bazaar, which is a fantastic blog, by the way.

The Hudson Bay point blanket is an icon of Canada, for sure. And I adore Canadiana.

Otomi Madness

2011-04-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

I wish on everything that I ever loved that I could afford this Mexican Otomi bed cover:

I would have SUCH a hard time deciding between the yellow one and the rainbow one!

WHY oh WHY do they have to be $450?!?!?!?

Alternative to Hollandaise Sauce

2011-04-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

This sauce is absolutely delicious. It reminds me a bit of the vegetable spread you see on Italian panini sometimes. It's easy!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 4-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped
3/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1 ounce capers, drained
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Instructions: In a blender or food processor, combine the sauce ingredients and pulse until creamy.

The recipe is from the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook.

I spread it on toast and ate it with a poached egg. Yum.

Music Art

2011-04-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

I love that Grace has been posting her favourite music on DesignSponge lately. It's fun to see what other people enjoy and even discover new music.

I know it's no secret that band posters can be beautiful art. My sister and I went to see one of our favourite bands, the Deep Dark Woods, in concert a couple of months ago. We decided to buy one of their screen printed posters. They're numbered and orginal, which makes it pretty awesome.

I just have it leaning up against my art wall, which I kind of like. I just set it there temporarily, but I think I might leave it there.

Though their art is beautiful, so is their music. You should probably have a listen:

I spotted this other type of music art, which is shockingly beautiful. Bespoken Art makes art by printing a visual of the soundwaves of a song or other audio clip. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a visual of your favourite song on your wall. Now the question: What song would you get???

This one is to commemorate a wedding. It's audio of the two people saying "I do." Isn't that adorbs?

I love that music can be audio AND visual art.

Chickadee dee dee!

2011-04-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

How sweet is this chickadee tea towel from ModCloth?

Oddly

2011-04-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

I hope you're having a relaxing start to your Monday morning. Oddly sure is.

Giant Wooden Xylophone

2011-04-08T18:02:00.000-06:00

Am I allowed to admit that a little tear came to my eye when I saw this video?

It's just so beautiful!

via swissmiss.

Tulips of Holland

2011-04-08T06:58:00.000-06:00

Aren't these photos absolutely breathtaking??

Via Poppytalk from lemmemakeit.

I wish it were that spring-like here! We still have snow!!!!!!

I win!

2011-04-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

I want one in every colour.

Woolly Pockets

2011-04-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

I would quite like to get three Woolly Pockets to put up on my wall that goes up the stairs to the second floor.

The wall faces East, which would be perfect for the morning sun.

I'd grow something lush and prehistoric in them.

Sweet, sweet lulu

2011-04-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

Sweet Lulu is a shop that has the prettiest party supplies.

Hula Hoop Rug

2011-04-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

I would like to make this rug, but in a less technicolour colour scheme.

DIY Anthropologie-inspired Skirt

2011-04-04T07:00:00.031-06:00

I'm on a creating roll! The reason is because I was just on spring break and had lots of time to make stuff. My first day back at school is today, though, so it'll be back to my regular schedule. I wish I had endless time and energy to create.

So we're back on the Anthro and patchwork train for this one!

I was in Anthropologie a couple of weeks ago and tried on this skirt:

It was lovely, but at $100 I thought I could totally recreate it myself for much, much less.

After a trip to the fabric store for a few half-metres of some fabric and scrounging my stash that I already had, I came up with this:

The fabric cost about $10, and the belt is from Forever 21 and I think it was about $8.

Even though we got about a foot of snow on Saturday, I am wearing this skirt today to help bring on spring!

Basically I just patchworked all the pices together and then followed the same procedure as this elastic-waist skirt.

Upcycled IKEA chair

2011-04-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

I've had this Tullsta Ikea chair for ages and the cover was getting pretty sad. I decided to reuphoster it, and wanted to use this great phesant sweater I found at the thrift shop that was unfortunately way too big to wear. It looked like this, but with a pink and green plaid patterned slipcover:

I was also inspired by the Winnifred furniture line at Anthroplogie:

So I gathered up some more sweaters and got to work on my Frankenstein of a chair.

In progress. Oddly thought this was a very interesting procedure.

And after!

I like the little goat and the pocket on the arm.

The phesant in all its glory.

Yay! I love it!

Craft Room Reorganization

2011-04-02T15:58:00.000-06:00

My craft room was a disaster. I did not even take "Before" pictures because I was too ashamed.

I knew the problem: Everything didn't have a place. Everything needs a place so you know where to put it back. Like things need to be organized together.

I also knew I needed more table space because for the most part, we would just grab what supplies we needed and take it down to the dining room table. It's pointless to have a craft room if you don't/can't use it.

So I took a trip to Ikea and bought a second table. But first I took everything out of the room, and made little piles in the hallway to group stuff together. I bought one of those Better Homes & Gardens special publication magazines on organizing, and it said that one of the most common mistakes people make when organizing a room is to go out and buy stuff first before taking stock of what you have and what needs to be organized.

So I bought a table, and also a couple of pegboards.

So now I have a sewing table and a crafting table.

The new table is very long and narrow, and will have room for lots of fun. Also big enough to leave the Cricut set up all the time.

Loving the pegboard, too. Lots of room for all the tools.

Pretty little Ikea glasses hold tools grouped by type: coloured pencils, calligraphy pens, markers, pens, pencils, and paintbrushes & painting tools.

These little plastic containers came from the bathroom section of Ikea, but they're perfect. A label-maker helps ensure things get returned to where they belong.

Not exactly a sexy shot, but I am so happy that everything is packed away in storage boxes and, again, organized by type. For example, acrylic paints, fabric paints, feathers, adhesives, etc.

I am so happy that I finally checked this off my To Do List! And thanks to my sister Selby for helping me do it all. It was a big job and she was awesome!

Be mine?

2011-02-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by Aesthetic Outburst's 20 Day Handmade Valentine Giveaway, and especially by this one, made for Day 13:

I decided to make some little gifts for my co-workers tomorrow. Here's what I made:

I also loved this little badge:

So I made Selby and I each one to wear tomorrow:

Aesthetic Outburst is one of my all-time favourite blogs, and I think everyone should check her out! She's incredibly creative, and a terrific mom to boot!

Isn't everything she made beautiful?!?!?

Lame.

2011-02-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so as I tried to buy a vacuum from overstock.com, it wouldn't let me input the coupon code. So I contacted support, and they said it doesn't apply to international orders. LAME! Perhaps marketing people should check into where the owner of the blog resides before they offer this code. Ah well, my US readers can still use the code.

However, I am highly disappointed!!!!!!! Nuts!!!!!!

Overstock.com discount

2011-02-12T13:45:00.002-07:00

How serendipitous is it that Overstock.com contacted me to see if I wanted to offer readers of my blog a discount just when my vacuum cleaner broke? It's going to cost a couple of hundred bucks to fix it, and it's not a particularly awesome vacuum in the first place, so I think I might splurge for a refurbished Dyson.

If you get a refurbished one, it's considerably cheaper than a brand new one. And really, most refurbished products are just because someone decided to return it, and they can't just turn around and sell it as new.

This one looks good to me!

Dyson All-Floors Vacuum

So, you probably know Overstock, right? They sell pretty much everything, from vacuum cleaners to lighting to area rugs to bedding and everything in between.

If I had infinity dollars, here's what I'd get:

Hand-tufted rug

I'd put that rug in my kitchen.

This duvet cover

I'd put that duvet cover on my bed.

This light

I'd put that light in my hallway to replace the ugly boob lights in my hallway.

Anyway, Overstock.com is offering you 10% off your purchase. Use the code 121745, which is good for 10% off Overstock products (excluding movies, books, and electronics). This discount code never expires, however, it can only be used once per email address.

All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

Joanna's Hair Tutorial

2011-02-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Joanna always has the best hair tutorials!

She doesn't do them very often, but when she does, they're awesome! When I saw her tutorial for the messy side ponytail this morning, I had to try it!

Here's her version:

Here's my version:

Bathroom Redesign

2011-02-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

I was tired of the poopy colour in my downstairs bathroom.

Ick. Not sure what the previous owners were thinking with that one.

See? Poop.

Anyway. I decided to redo it this weekend.

The colour is Sea Glass by Martha Stewart.

The front towel is from Anthropologie, and the red one is from Ikea. The two sweet little birds were crosstitched by my cousin when she was about 14.

And now....

ddddaaadaaadaaaaDAAAAAAAAAAA!

Book thatched wall!

I got the idea from the fabulous Aunt Peaches, whose wall is totally rockin'. Case in point:

I used one of my favourite books, I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.

I coloured the edge of the book with red sharpie.

Hook from Anthro.

The lamp's from Ikea.

Love it!

Blog Redesign

2011-02-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for awhile that I wanted to redesign my blog because the original one was really just a stop-gap measure when I first got the blog.

So it was rather serendipitous that pugly pixel posted about her free blogger layout at Powered by Pastries called Strawberry Shortcake. It fixed a couple of things that annoyed me about the other one, specifically that the photos overlapped with the right sidebar.

And THEN I found another cool tool on pugly pixel's website, the stripe generator! Who else loves stripes!?! Everyone loves stripes!!! And then I found a link on the stripe website to a tartan maker! So I decided to make a little simple banner.

Also, don't you love that font?! It's called Strangelove, and I've seen it around, and decided to bite the bullet, and buy it. I think I'm going to use it on everything now.

Anyway, I am digging my new layout!

(Though I need to fix that little white gap between the header and the stripe on the right side. It's bugging me.)

Abigail's Baby Shower

2011-02-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy lady planning and creating a baby shower for my best friend Sarah's baby Abigail. Abigail was born in November, but with Christmas, we decided to hold off for the shower until January 30th. It's hard to believe my little baby girl, whom I call my neice, is already two months old!

Since many people had already given them gifts, we decided to have a library themed baby shower. Then we asked each person to bring a cherished children's book for Abby's library. Abigail's parents are both teachers too, so we definitely all have a love of literature!

I got the idea for the shower from a book club bridal shower, actually, that I found on Creature Comforts, one of my favourite blogs. Ez was right about this site: tonnes of downloads and printables for ANY kind of party, not just weddings!

From here.

For Abigail's shower, I made a lot of the stuff for the party. Let's see if I can do a run down.

I made the kraft paper table runner. I sewed pink grosgrain ribbon under a crocheted trim and yellow grosgrain on top. This runner was inspired by one I saw on 100 Layer Cake:

From here.

I made this circular bunting. I cut the circles out on my Cricut, out of yellow and pink papers. I also cut some out from a children's book, The Shy Little Kitten.

I used another table runner as a counter protector for our craft project. Everyone got to decorate a quilt square! (Thanks Mom for helping me cut out all those squares!)

I made chili maple caramel popcorn and put it in pink bags and closed them with yellow masking tape.

The biggest project of all was the favour. I made about 40 bookmarks, where I drew and did watercolours of a bunch of different children's books.

I used mini wooden alphabet blocks instead of tassles. I just drilled a hole in them and threaded the ribbon through.

The Richard Scarry one is the one I chose to take home as my favour.

Next up: photos of my mom & dad's anniversay party from way back in December!

Loving my new

2011-01-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

sparkly gold Toms.

Tan and Neon

2011-01-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

I love the combination of tan or white with neon, and I love ceramics, so why wouldn't I love these beautiful ceramics by maison sauvage with a hint of neon? Found via the Living etc. blog.

Well!

2011-01-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

I accidentally took a big blog break! I've been really busy doing creative stuff, but it was all for Christmas presents and my parents' 30th anniversary party that my sister and I planned for the 23rd, and so I couldn't really post about any of it. To top it off, I was really busy at school the couple of weeks leading up to winter break, and so the blog just kind of fell to the wayside. So, though it's kind of lame to say so now:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Don't worry, though. One of my resolutions is to post more on my blog. And we hired a photographer for the party (which was AWESOME and filled with DIY touches, by the way) and when the photos come, I'll definitely be posting some of them here.

As for Christmas gifts, I made a bunch of different homemade gifts.

For everyone, I made rice-filled neck warmers. I sewed an inner layer and filled it with rice and one of three additions: cloves, cinnamon stick, and dehydrated orange peel, or lavendar, or kaffir lime leaf and corriander. Then I sewed an outer layer that can be removed for laundering with pretty fabrics, chosen specifically for the recipeint.

I also made home-made ziplock bags very similar to these (though I didn't bother with the corners). I used vinyl for the inside and different fabrics for the outside, and I simplified this even more with stick-on velcro. These were SUPER easy to make and I think I'll probably make some more for ourselves, so I'll do a tutorial then.

Selby, my sister, and I made feathered headbands for all the girls on our list. We ordered a bunch of feathers from BearyBox and pocketsaurus on Etsy. We chose a pallette of blues, greens, and turquoises.

And then to put all the gifts in, we made simple bags out of muslin and used gel medium to transfer a print off of their initial to it. I used this great tutorial from How About Orange.

So more about the party planning later when I get the pictures. And more posts soon! Promise!

Love love love these pendants!

2010-12-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

From poodlebreath on Etsy.

Wishlist!

2010-11-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Wishlisted!

I’ve been seeing a lot of really awesome stuff around the web lately, and so I thought I would make a little wish list of some of the things I would love! Maybe you would too!

Love this birch lamp by Catherine Kullberg. I’d love to put this in my dining room! Lighting is at the top of my list of things I want to change about my home. I have those standard suburban boob lights everywhere and I hate them.

And maybe this one in the living room or hall? Blazon Cleam Pendant from Anthropologie.

This cork basket is really cute. It would suit the kinda woodland theme I’ve got going on in my house.

I would love an Eames rocking chair. But I’ll take a knock-off.

Tightrope Coffee Table! I saw it in the Anthropologie in Edmonton and it was awesome! I think I’d use it as a bench!

Or this slated floor cushion platform:

With this cushion:

The hippity-hop lamp is so so cute! It kind of reminds me of Jonathan Adler.

I want to wallpaper my kitchen and maybe my downstairs bathroom. I’d love this one, Woods, from Ferm Living.

Or Eiffinger. Oh lord! I love them Dutchies!

The one above is called Pip, Early Bird.

Hygge and West’s Wilderness Wallpaper in White.

This one’s neat! You can peel it off when you don’t want it! Edie Wallpaper:

I would really like a new duvet set for my newly redesigned bedroom.

I like this Peacock one from Dwell Studio:

Or this Chinoiserie one:

Or this Draper Stripe one:

Speaking of beds, I need a new one. So if someone wants to get me a new mattress + bed for Christmas, that would be great. kthxbye.

Oooh, and ask long as I’m asking for things I need, a new vacuum would be great. Mine is busted. I’d like a Dyson, please. The animal one.

Art! I need more art!

Anything with an animal on it! Yesss. Like a fox. Fox Confessor by Lindsey Carr:

Or a whale, maybe. Devil by Jen Lobo.

I really want a Sharon Montrose print. Seems like I’m on a fox kick because this baby fox is adorable!

And anyone who knows me knows that I adore donkeys.

And the ears!!!!

Loooove Jen Renninger’s prints!

I might do a part 2 for clothing and such, but for sure I wanted to end with these pairs of Toms! Love these!!!

Herringbone gold!

Silver Moroccos.

Blue green linen.

That’s all for now! It’s quite interesting when one starts compiling a list like this, to see what my current style is. It really does seem to have a point of view to it, I think. Interesting.

Side Chignon

2010-11-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Surely you've seen this lovely side chignon by now? It's been making the blog rounds this week.

From Martha Stewart Weddings.

P.S. Isn't her hair colour glorious? I've been toying with the idea of dying my hair red lately. Which is weird, since I haven't dyed my hair in probably five or more years.

Anyway, I decided to give the side chignon a go today. Here's the results:

See Hector over there? He likes my bedside table.

Bedroom Redesign

2010-10-28T18:14:00.002-06:00

Remember those great finds I got at the thrift store awhile ago? I've already showed you what I did with the coffee table, but I haven't posted about the side tables yet. Here's a reminder about what they looked like before:

The tables had a nice mid-century modern vibe to them, but they were scratched and in bad shape. So out came the (eco)paint stripper! I stripped and stripped and stripped some more. And then I painted and painted and painted and stained. I am so so so pleased with the results.

I wallpapered the inside of the drawers, too.

But after I finished the side tables and got them in my room I just wasn't happy with the room! You know how when you start to improve one thing, and then everything else looks bad? Yeah.

I hadn't touched my bedroom since I moved in last summer. Here's what it looked like just after I moved in:

There's that same Swiss Coffee colour on the walls that was everywhere else in the house.

So I was considering what colour to paint the walls. And now that I had those nice bright side tables, I wanted something more neutral as a backdrop. I've always admired the look of white walls with pops of colour in the accessories. Case in point:

From here.

So I decided to give white a go. But plain white was just a bit too blah for me, so I decided to paint the trim black. I'd seen that look on lots of blogs I frequent, and really liked it.

See?

From Elle Decor via Design Crisis.

From DecorPad via Shelterpop.

From Roman+Williams via Shelterpop.

So I went for it.

White walls. Since the "Before" photos of the room, I got a new duvet cover at Ikea, but since the redesign, I'd love to get something different.

And I was also inspired by the black and white and gold trend. So I got some gold leaf and gold leafed one panel on the door. P.S. If you want to make hollow core doors look halfway nice, paint them! They're easy to paint and I love the black 28047329847982734 times more than I did the white. The white looked cheap to me.

See? 28047329847982734 times better.

Also, as you can see above, I added a little pop of colour by painting the edge of the door pink. Whyever not???

I spray painted my vanity table gold, too. That took a beelion coats.

And Hector the Neon Owl looks right at home there on the sidetable. And the pretty mirror I found at the thrift store found a home above my bed!

Aren't those pretty dot borders and the collages pretty rad? I found this free program, PhotoScape through Chez Larsson. It lets you edit photos easily and add effects and frames, and create collages, but is way easier than Photoshop.

Anyway. New bedding and area rugs would be a nice addition to my room, but as it stands, I'm pretty happy with it.

P.S. Paint colours are "Decorator's White" from Benjamin Moore on the walls, "Citron" by Benjamin Moore for the side tables (in high gloss wood paint), "Francesca" by Martha Stewart for the trim, and "Raspberry Blush" by Benjamin Moore for the little strip of pink on the door.

Hector the Owl

2010-10-25T20:51:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile! I've been working on my bedroom redesign, which will hold the side tables from this post. I know I've been dragging my heels on that one, but life has gotten in the way. My sister and I went home to visit our parents last weekend, and then this weekend we had our 11- and 13-year old cousins come over for a super mega sleepover. So I've been busy!

I've been working on my room evenings, though, and the reveal is coming soon!!!

In the meantime, let me show you this owl I found at the thrift store!!

Here he is before:

So then I decided to spray paint him, because his eyes were a bit creepy. Selby and I named him Hector.

But in orange he looked a bit scary. So I got some pink.

I like him. Selby doesn't. But I do. And it's my bedroom he's going to end up in! So there!

Coffee Table Facelift

2010-10-05T19:11:00.001-06:00

I went to the local thrift store on Saturday with the aim of finding a new coffee table because I absolutely hated mine. It was a total score day! You know how sometimes you go to the thrift store and there's absolutely nothing, but then you go another day and there's everything your heart desired? Yeah. It was a heart day at the thrift store.

So I bought three pieces of furniture. The coffee table was $20, and the side tables were $7.99 each. Here's a couple before shots:

Trotsky sniffs the coffee table.

One of the two side tables.

The side tables are destined as bedside tables for me. I'm in the middle of rearranging my bedroom to make them at home, so I'll so you those "after" pictures later.

It took me all weekend to refinish them. I used (eco)paint stripper to remove the current stain, and then added a combination of new, darker stain and paint.

Oddly likes it.

The colour is called Orange Nectar from Benjamin Moore and it's a high-gloss finish in their wood and metal paint.

And I can't resist this one:

Awww, cute!

The stain job isn't perfect, but I'm quite happy with how it came out. I love paint-and-stain on furniture, especially when it's really bright paint. That's a hint to how the night tables came out!

There were a couple of other stellar finds at the thrift store:

This majestic paint-by-numbers elk.

And this neato mirror, which is also destined for my bedroom.

And yeah. My Roomba does have googly eyes.

What of it?! Doesn't yours?!?!?!?!

Indoor Tents... for CATS!

2010-10-01T13:57:00.001-06:00

Okay, I am a bit embarrassed to post this project as it's a bit "Crazy Cat Lady" of me to have even made it. BUT look at these cute tents for kids!!!

From here.

And how about this chic one?!? It makes me want to make one for ME!

From here.

So, since my cats are my fur-babies, it makes perfect sense that I would make them a tent, right? RIGHT?!?!?!

...
...
...

Moving on. Here's the finished product, and Trotsky enjoying it. Both cats really like the tent, especially when the flaps are closed.

Here's what I did:

I bought the base at the pet store. It's just a cardboard cat bed. The cats like the corrugated cardboard. What cat DOESN'T like cardboard?

Then I drilled four holes in the cardboard. Then I cut four dowels down to the size I wanted it them. The rest was just done by eye. I had two Fat Quarters of Anna Maria Horner fabric that fit perfectly, and then I used two other fabrics for the flaps. I sewed holes for the dowels to go through and added some velvet ribbon as tie backs for the flaps.

Oddly peeks out.

And that's it, really!

Trotsky waves goodbye!

Adorbs Video

2010-09-21T21:37:00.002-06:00

Via Making Chicken Salad.

The Sweetest Paul

2010-09-20T07:25:00.002-06:00

Sweet Paul magazine is gorgeous this season. Paul is a New York-based Norwegian stylist, and he seems to have captured the essence of autumn in the magazine this time around. Makes me want to snuggle in wearing slippers and a big scarf with a bowl of something steamy and yummy.

Sweet Paul lets you take clippings! I thought one of the drawbacks of an online magazine was that you couldn't earmark pages for future use. But you can! Let's give this a go.

Blue

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 102

How great is that lamp?

White

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 68

Haha! Pumpkin lamp

Orange

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 43

I just want to sit in that chair there and have a lovely meal with some lovely people

Chocolate

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 54

Chocolate layer cake with salted caramel filling. Ooh

Cak

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 55

The cake recipe

Yellow

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 12

Butternut squash and bean stew. I want that in my bowl

Recipe

Sweet Paul Magazine
Fall 2010 p. 13

The recipe for the stew

Fun with Paper at a Dinner Party

2010-09-19T23:29:00.002-06:00

I was in bed, but had to get out because I kept coughing. I've had a cold for ages now, and it doesn't seem to want to totally go away. So I'm sucking on a cough drop, and thought I'd just do up a quick post while I'm waiting.

This weekend, my sister Selby and I, and our two cats, Trotsky and Oddly, went home to visit our parents. Oddly curls up in her carrier and falls asleep as soon as she gets into the car, but Trotsky is a bit more a nervous traveler. He will have none of a cat carrier. I can't even force him into one! So he just gets to roam around the car. Finally he found a spot he was comfortable in.

Look at all of his fur on the car seats! Little gaffer was shedding up a storm!

Our parents have some great friends who live across the street from them: a mom, a dad, and a little boy. (P.S. Go on over and give the mom some blog love! She's new to the blogging world!) It was Sandi's birthday on Friday, and her wish was to have a big family dinner at our house. What I mean by that is that we consider them family, so it was the joining of our two families for a fun birthday fest. We also invited some other dear family friends, one of whom has a one-year-old little girl.

Selby and I took the reins and got to work. My dad has some clients who are Hutterites, and they give him gifts from their farm every so often. He got a big turkey from them that was taking up room in the freezer, so we decided to have a pre-Thanksgiving turkey fest.

The food was amazing, but my table concept was really fun, too! Not a novel idea by a long shot, but I covered the table in kraft paper, and put plenty of crayons on the table for everyone to decorate it with.

And bunting for the birthday girl's chair!

I traced a big circle for each place setting and then wrote each person's name above it. Here's my place setting before dinner:

And here it is after:

Everyone had fun, especially the kids. The 6 year old Daniel created a Harry Potter masterpiece:

That is Professor Quirrell with the big purple turban, a marauders mask (MM), Professor McGonagal (M), Lupine (L), and Black(B)

And Rachel, the one year old had fun too:

The next time you're having a dinner party, consider using paper as your tablecloth. So much fun! But you might want to state this rule in writing as well:

(This rule was meant for my father, by the way, not the kids)

P.S. And at your next dinner party, you should definitely make Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, too. Yum!

Weekend Craftiness: Pom Pom Wreath

2010-09-12T09:47:00.001-06:00

So, I saw this post on honestly...wtf. And I fell in love with pom poms!

And though the girls on the blog made this...

...which is beautiful in itself, I inspired by this photo they linked to:

Both images via http://honestlywtf.com/. ~~I don't think this wreath was made by Erica, so if you know where it's from, let me know.~~ Correction: It WAS made by Lauren and Erica!!! So cute!!!

So, I went about trying to find a pom pom maker here in Calgary. I couldn't find the one they recommended, the Clover brand. But I found this Lion Brand one at Michael's, so I bought it. It was like $3.

But it sucked. Like seriously sucked. You have to thread the yarn through the middle hole and wind it around the circle that way. Which takes forever and is no fun at all.

So, plan B. I searched the web for alternatives and came across this Youtube video:

And that technique looked really easy and fast, and BONUS - I could make myself one of those pom pom trees quite easily! So off to Home Depot I went to get some doweling.

Problem: I did not have a 1/2" drill bit. I had one that was a wee bit smaller. I decided to make do because the new drill bit would have been about $30 and I didn't really want to spend that on something I wasn't sure was going to work. So I used my smaller bit and tried to widen the hole by moving my drill around a bit in the circle. It kinda worked. I wasn't really able to get the smaller dowels to go through the whole way like the ones in the video. So decided just to glue gun them in place.

And I just glued the big dowel to a leftover piece of hardwood flooring.

Now that I've tried it and it works, I think I will invest in the drill bit so I can make an adjustable one, like this one:

Then you can make big pom poms and small pom poms and everything in between!

Okay, so I started making pom poms. I sat on the couch and watched the Food Network all night and drank wine and made pom poms. It was quite a nice evening, actually.

See? Food Network.

This is a cute little pouf!

And then I started to tie them to my wreath frame. And a sneak peak at my cat tent! A post on that is coming soon!

And I kept making pom poms and making pom poms until I got to this!

I sprayed some polyurethane over the pom poms before I put the wreath up to help protect it from the weather.

And that's that! A cheerful pom pom wreath!

Beauty Inspiration: Brigitte Bardot

2010-09-08T08:04:00.001-06:00

I'm taking Brigitte Bardot as my beauty inspiration today.