Sending love to NZ....(via just bella)

If you don't watch the news like me, you can be very behind the times.  That's why when I saw Christine from just bella's post about the recent earthquake in New Zealand, I wanted to share it with you.  Visit her blog here to read and send your love to the people of New Zealand!!

{image via just bella}

Black and White Dining

With my love for all things black and white, I came across this simple yet gorgeous dining room that I just had to share.  Have a good weekend!!

{image via Decorpad}

Mirror, mirror, on the wall....

At first glance, I thought "what an interesting take on a powder room mirror".  Then, after a closer look, you can (sort of) see that the mirrored wreath is actually more of a frame for the actual mirror.  The mirrored frame around another mirror is a little much for me (although beautiful!!) but I definitely want the mirrored wreath at my house!! Wouldn't it make an AMAZING year-round wreath to hang?

{image via Coastal Living}

New Logo

I have a new logo (courtesy of my brother, whose wife is the wonderful Illustrator, Crystal Driedger -- check out her work here!!).  I'm just waiting on the background image (blue damask!!!) to be resized (as I couldn't compress it for some reason, and blogger said the file was too large....and I don't know much about computers in general...) by my brother before I can upload it. What do you think of the new logo? It's simple, but with the blue damask it looks AMAZING!! (trust me, he did up some sample boards for me as a Christmas gift). 

OLD:

The old one was one I made with a free image from The Background Fairy (and I added my own font).

NEW:

Boxing out...literally!

When designing a house (from the floor plans that I do, to the decorating), one of the most painful things to work around is bulkheads (or box outs).  Boxing out around mechanical runs and junction boxes can be unavoidable in some instances, and can simply ruin the look and feel of a space.  Well, someone may have come up with a solution for that!! Why not make the box outs an architectural feature and actually highlight them (instead of try to hide them!).  That's exactly what Pascal Grasso Architects of France did in this Apartment in Paris. The landscape of blocks on the ceilings of this apartment conceal mechanical items (like air conditioning and ventilation), lighting and a sound system.  More blocks were added along the walls of the space to form storage and shelving.

{images via Dezeen}

Playing with Your Food

I don't have kids. But I do know that it's not always easy to try to get your kids to eat their food.  Well, why not make breakfast, lunch, or supper, a place where they can also PLAY?!  Called Join, this cutlery is made to clip together.  Maybe this would distract them, and stop them from actually eating the food on their plates, or maybe it would make supper time more fun....I don't know.  What I do know is that this is a BRILLIANT idea. Not to mention, a nifty way to spice up a daily place setting at the table. Isn't it kinda cool? Would you ever use these? (what about just for camping?? I think this would be GREAT for camping!)

Designed by Ding3000

{images via Dezeen}

Buy now, think later??

After returning my Old Hollywood Pics (along with a few other items that didn't work out) to Homesense, I was left with a gift card and a want to shop (bad combo??). I set out for a few things (which I found - $5 each!), but then came across this piece of art (excuse the bad/small iPhone photo):



And as a way to infuse color into our master bedroom, this art jumped out at me. Not sure how it'll look in the room yet (or if my hubby will even like it), but I think it will go quite well with our curtains and wall color (which i will show once the room is finished-- and the curtains DO look like the Homesav pic and the walls look more grey and monochromatic with the curtains). But, as Christine from just bella suggests (and i now FULLY agree!) with Homesense is "buy now, think later". As the items I returned were actually purchased with Xmas gift cards (and then refunded on gift cards), this painting I consider technically FREE. So, if we don't like it in the end, it can be returned. Win-win, right? What do you think?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

See Where Leaving Comments Can Take You

It's amazing where a reader's comment will take you! I received a comment on yesterday's post and as I followed the link to JoAnn's blog, I'd Rather Be Shopping, and I read a few of her recent posts, I came across an amazing Model Morphosis that photographer/blogger Greg Kessler did for T Magazine last year. Click on the links above for the full effect. Below are only the images from the model morphosis, but the link has interactive photos, where you pull the bar to one side to see the "before" and then move it to the other side to get the "after". It's inspiring what can happen!

 {images below via T Magazine}

Escape the City Life....

Ever dream of escaping the hustle and bustle of City life and secluding yourself (and your hubby!) in some far off place, with no phone, no internet, and no plans to do anything?  I could really use that kind of a vacation right now (preferably in a warm area so we can lounge in the sun), and I KNOW my hubby could use that too.  Wouldn't this be the perfect place to disconnect from the technology of today? (just as long as it comes with running water [and preferably electricity, although I could be persuaded to forego that requirement], I could get away from everything else.....)

{images via Style at Home}

It just seems like such a serene place. Imagine writing at the desk, overlooking a sunny (warm) day and the reflection of the sun on the lake out front.....ah....serenity.

House of Bryan

For those of you like me who are addicted to renovation and decorating shows on HGTV or DIY Network etc, may have already watched House of Bryan.  I have too, and I still like to rewatch a few episodes if I catch them again.  I just can't get over the house. It's BEAUTIFUL!! From the floor plan to the inside of it, it really is a DREAM HOUSE!

For those of you that don't know, Bryan Baumler runs his own construction company and is the host of such shows as Disaster DIY and House of Bryan.  In House of Bryan, he literally destroys his own house and rebuilds their dream house.  The show takes you through the entire process from the ground up and the results are amazing.  From this little bungalow to this massive dream home, filled and decorated wonderfully.  Have you seen the show? Do you love the house?

 The house before

 The house after....

{images above via HGTV} 

{images below via Bryan Baeumler's facebook page}



Zebra....

I was reading my daily blogs, and today's post at A Thoughtful Place was on zebra prints in the house.  It reminded me of my trip to Homesense awhile ago (when I purchased the Old Hollywood prints), and I saw a zebra canvas print I LOVED (but wasn't willing to pay the $200+ price tag, even with my $100 gift card...).  For one, it was LARGE. Large enough to fill a wall I want to do this on, but purchasing a print would be far EASIER...and it's it gorgeous?? And two, it's BLACK and WHITE! Hello!! I LOVE black and white!!! But, the zebra print probably isn't there anymore (I did see another zebra print at a different Homesense location, but it wasn't the same.  It didn't have the same impact this one did.  Isn't it gorgeous? (Oh, did I say that already??) I kinda regret not buying it....(even though we don't have art in our budget right now.... [insert sad face here]).

{image via Decorpad} 

Sweetheart Tray

I'm not one for giving in to the commercialized aspect of Valentine's Day, however, as I was doing my dailiy blog reading, I came across a FANTASTIC way to show some love.  Kate from Centsational Girl transformed an unused tray, painted it white, and mod-podged the sheet music from her wedding song onto it!  Now it's a beautiful tray (used daily, as it sits on a bedroom dresser) AND can be used on romantic occasions (such as Valentine's Day) for some champagne and strawberries.  I instantly thought it'd be a perfect thing for my brother to do for his wife (since they're HUGE music people)...but then thought again, that it's probably not something my brother would do (so SHE might have to do it!!). What do you think? Great idea, isn't it?  You can see how she made it here.

{images via Centsational Girl}

Pillows

I've been searching for throw pillows for our linen couch for awhile now.  I probably won't actually buy anything until we've repainted the house, but I'm always searching (hey, if I find THE ONE, why wouldn't I buy it??).  Homesense hasn't been my friend lately with pillows though (but I'll continue to search my favorite homestore anyways), so I've turned to online hunting.  I've ordered a number of things online lately (wall stencil, flooring, curtains, birthday & Christmas presents, books, etc etc), so to turn to online pillow shopping wouldn't be out of the norm by any means.  However, I'm a little surprised (and disappointed!) at how EXPENSIVE pillows can be!! Maybe I'm just used to the $15-25 pillows from Homesense, but still.... These pillows are gorgeous, but since I won't even pay that much for jeans (these pillows range from $85-175 -- and some are only pillow COVERS, and don't include the actual pillow!), I can't see me spending that much on a pillow (especially since I need MINIMUM 2).  What do you think? Any other suggestions for places to find decently priced pillows?  Since we're going to go with a little bit more of a neutral wall color (Portobello by Sico Paints), and the couch is linen color, the pillows is where I'd like to bring in some COLOR for my husband.

{images above via Modern Chic Home}

{images below via Elegant Touch on Etsy}

{image below via Plum Cushion on Etsy}