Saturday, October 30, 2010

Dreaming of a White Christmas


I know that Halloween is tomorrow but my mind is already on Christmas. Decorating for the holidays is one of my favorite things to do. I stole this picture from Let's Make it Ours. Every time I look at it, I feel a sense of nostalgia and excitement. It's less than 2 months away!
Speaking of Let's Make it Ours, she is painting her kitchen cabinets and while not finished, it looks amazing! For anyone unsure about painting oak cabinets, take a look at this. I think it looks so much brighter and modern.
before:

after:


I can't wait to see it all finished!

Beaufort wishes you a Happy Halloween!

The best picture I could get. He doesn't exactly love his costume!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Dwell @ Fabric.com

I love fabrics. They make me happy. I often buy them, even if I don't have a use for them. Years ago, when I had a passing interest in scrapbooking, I had a similar love affair with patterned paper. I liked shopping for and buying paper more than I actually liked to scrapbook!
I've struggled finding fabrics on PEI that I like. I guess that is why when something catches my eye, I snatch it up. I love graphic prints, flirty florals, and especially geometric prints. Thankfully, I discovered a few months ago that fabric.com ships to Canada! It is very frustrating for us Canadians that most stores in the US won't ship to us :( ahh.. poor me!
The shipping isn't cheap but the cost and selection of fabric mostly makes up for it. This week, I realized that they now carry fabric from Dwell Studio for Robert Allen. This makes me happy, happy, happy.. here are a few samples.
I like this one so much, I'm showing it in 3 different colorways!






And some more fabric goodness for you to enjoy.







Each fabric is only $15.98/yard at fabric.com. Head on over and check it. Just don't buy it all! Leave some for the rest of us.. ie.. me :)


Thursday, October 21, 2010

I've been featured!

Not once but twice! And, even better, it was by two of my favorite bloggers:)
First up, I was emailed this week by the lovely Jen at Let's Make it Ours. She is showcasing a few of her favorite before and after projects and this week she picked my kitchen renovation! Visit her blog to check it out. I love Jen's blog because she has some great DIY projets (check out the stenciled wall art - so easy and cute) and I love her sense of style.


Second, I was included in the Love List over at Rambling Renovators. If you have not checked out their blog - you must. Every project they undertake is absolutely gorgeous and perfect! I feel honored to have been included in the list with so many talented bloggers!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

EAT Sign - Cougar town

Anyone out there watch Cougar town? I caught a few episodes last season. I think the title is a bit misleading which is unfortunate. It's actually really funny and has a lot of heart. The best part about the show is the set design. Jules' (Courtney Cox) home is amazing! Especially, her kitchen! Wowza.
My friend Raelene is a fan of the show and loved the EAT sign that hangs in the kitchen.


best photo I could find!
She decided to be resourceful and make her own. I stopped by her place the other day and thought it was adorable and had to share!



She bought the letters, glued on some patterned scrapbook paper, then sealed them with Modge Podge.

Thanks for sharing Rae! You're so crafty:)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Porch Cabinet Makeover

This weekend the cabinet in the porch got a bit of a makeover.

cabinet on move in day.
It was originally cream when I moved into the house. The finish was so chipped and dirty, it just had to go. It was one of the first projects that I tackled when moving into the house. I decided to paint it a grey-blue. I knew even before the 2nd coat that it just didn't work.

Next, it got a couple of coats of glossy black. It actually looked kinda sharp and I received lots of compliments on it. It's been like that for 2 years now. But in the end, it just wasn't me. It seemed to dark and imposing in the tiny room. I had a picture but unfortunately it got deleted :(
Last week, I got home from work and decided it was time to ditch the black. The cabinet got a coat of primer. I felt instantly better about it.
I also decided to prime the inside of the cabinet, since it had never been done and was the original dark woodwork.

inside before primer
This weekend, I finished painting the whole cabinet, in and out, my favorite glossy white (ICI Natural White). It is like a breath of fresh air. I've said it before - there is nothing a little white paint can't fix- and in this case, I think I'm right. It should have been white from the start!
The hardware is the original. Underneath all that paint were some rustic brass pulls.


Then, I lined the back of each shelf with black and white scrapbook paper.


I thought about using wallpaper but scrapbook paper is inexpensive and easy to work with.
I just attached each sheet with double sided tape in the corners. The patterns don't line up perfectly, like wallpaper would, but with the cabinet full of stuff you will never know!
Here it is full of the kitchen items. I need the bottom right for extra food storage but left it out for the picture... it looked nicer without the rainbow of boxes and cans:)



I really like how it turned out and it will be easy to remove if I get tired of it.

This whole room is getting a makeover so stay tuned for the results!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Halloween is nearly here!

I'll admit that is forced enthusiasm. I'm not really a big Halloween fan. I just can't get into all the hype. I do love giving out candy and seeing the kids are dressed up at school (pre excessive sugar intake). But finding a costume and getting dressed up kind of stresses me out!
Needless to say, I don't do a whole lot of decorating. I save myself and go all out at Christmas:)

However, here is a collection of simple Halloween decorations I could really get on board with.


This is just plain cute. Love the idea of using the fireplace and the painted pumpkins are adorable.


I just can't resist a white pumpkin.


Tres scary.. :)


More white pumpkins. Plus, candy corn is an inexpensive and fun decoration!



images via yhl

Scary silhouettes..


Shiny and shimmery pumpkins.. what's not to like?




images and projects via martha stewart
 And last but not least, pom pom balls! They are super easy to make for any occasion. I've seen them in pinks, yellows and blues for baby showers and weddings, but I love the idea of black and grey for Halloween! You can find instructions for how to make them here.

Enjoy your decorating! It will be here before we know it!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Vintage Trolley Cart

A couple of years ago, I bought a vintage trolley cart. It is from an old general store here in PEI. I love the weathered wood and the rusted, steel wheels.
I want to use it as a blanket rack in my living room, but I can't figure out how to have it stand against the wall without rolling away from it. When I tried putting it against the wall to see how it would look, the wood made black marks on the wall. I tried sticking furniture pads on the handles but they won't stick.. I'm at a loss for ideas. Frustrated, it was relegated to the shed until a solution was found.
I had forgotten about it until I came upon this photo today. It is very similar to mine.

source unknown
Can anyone offer a suggestion? As the cool weather settles in, I would love to have it out!

*I'm unsure of where I found the picture.. it someone knows please let me know so that I can properly source it!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

New Lonny is Out!

As much as I've enjoyed the appearance of online magazines, I felt there was something missing. My friend Kendra said it best: "They are sort of cataloguey". I couldn't have agreed more. Nothing beats a real magazine, but they are a close second.
The newest Lonny is out and it's certainly inspiring! I find that this issue features more spaces that you can actually live in than their previous issues.
Their new website is great too and allows to you look back at your favorite images from previous issues.

Here are of few of my favorite images from this issue:








This last one (a la Eddie Ross) would be beautiful for a fall dinner party. Speaking off... I'm off to each some turkey dinner with my family. Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian blogger friends!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Houzz - Outrageous Orange


Here I am talking about orange again... it must be the season. I love that the leaves are changing color and that the air smells so crisp. Today, we went to an the Green Gables alpaca farm.. they are pretty adorable! See here:




okay.. this one may actually be a llama but still very cute.
Look at the teeth! They only have them on the bottom!
We also visited a friend of Steph's who lives on a farm. Complete with cattle, a donkey, chickens and baby kitty cats. The weather was sunny and a little cool. My favorite kind of autumn day!


Tomorrow, I am heading out on a field trip with my grade 2 class to an apple orchard. Every year, the trip makes me want to run out and buy pumpkins and gourds, bake apple pies and bring the season's warm palette into my home.
This week, Janell Beals, one of my favorite bloggers, has a great article over at Houzz about the color orange. The photos she collected confirm my belief that using orange when decorating a room can be both dramatic and modern or warm and traditional. Plus, it's fun!




all images via hoozz

You can read her article here or check out her amazing blog here. She is the DIY queen!

Hope you are all enjoying these fall days!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

I am so incredibly jealous. I just came across the redesign of 5 school staff rooms throughout the Northeastern states. It was a Staples-sponsored project aimed at bringing some life into the "oversized mop closets", as one designer called it, that we call home during our few brief moments of time off during the day.

One, in a Rhode Island school, by designer Brian Patrick Flynn of Decor Demon, totally rocked my world. Flynn is a TV producer turned decorator/designer. He transformed it from mop closet to head of the class!

The before:
Look familiar, my fellow teachers? Most staff rooms I've seen in the 8 years I've been teaching, look a lot like this.



And after Flynn works his magic!





A few more befores:



After:

The pop machine is cleverly hiding behind those doors.

LOVE the vintage 1950s classroom prints. I wonder if I can find something similar on ebay?
Plus, I'm a sucker for a white parson's desk.



Wouldn't it be nice to break in such a sunny, uplifting environment? I love the No. 2 pencil orangey-yellow accents.. how fitting:)

So Staples... is it our turn next? I can think of a few schools that would be willing to participate! Check out the whole process on Decor Demon. It just may be my new favorite read!