Wednesday, November 30, 2011

A Bigger + Better Plate Wall.

I didn't buy a whole lot on our trip to Halifax, but I did score some cute new plates for my plate wall!

I shared the plate wall in my kitchen way back November of last year. I had a couple of plates that I had picked up at Home Sense and one I'd found on our trip to Quebec City. Then, I added a couple of Christmas plates, which I'll admit stayed up all year. Hey, no one noticed!


Since then, I've been hunting high and low for cute patterned plates to add but I've had no luck! On Saturday I scored a few more! I was so anxious to get them up on the wall that I just started hammering away. I will likely move things around a little bit but generally I'm liking the random pattern.


 Notice the Christmas plates are still there? Good timing:)

Sorry for the dark photos. I feel like I'm never home in the daylight! I tried to bump up the brightness a little bit. The light is also reflecting of the chandelier which is pretty in person but just plain annoying in photos!


Do you have any good sources for pretty plates? I want to add a few more. I hadn't necessarily intended to go only black and white, it just happened that way. I'm open to some color!

I am anxious to get going on my Christmas decorating but we are in the midst of a couple of projects here. I plan to get a good chunk done on the weekend, then it's tree time!! The best part :)

Monday, November 28, 2011

A Pinterest Nudge.

I'm back from a great weekend away in Halifax. We did a little shopping and had some really great meals. Nothing like a weekend away! I hope all my American readers had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

I don't have much for you today except a nudge to check out this post over at Marcus Design: the power of pinterest


Nancy does a comparison of searches on google vs. pinterest. 
If you haven't joined Pinterest yet, you will understand why you should after checking out the goodness!

You can follow me here if you like. I'd love to follow you back but I've been having problems with my account lately. I can't seem to follow other users. Anyone else have that problem? 
It's driving me a tad insane.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Vintage Finds.

I mentioned on Monday that we spent an afternoon on the weekend hunting down some sweet finds at the antique stores. It's one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon and I'm lucky that Steph enjoys it too. We picked up a perfect little piano bench for our entry makeover and spotted a few more fun things as well!

This little jumbo elephant stole my heart. He needs a home in a baby nursery stat! Call me crazy but I've been seeing them in baby nurseries everywhere! I like the rattan but he could be spraypainted any color you like.



See what I mean!


Source: flickr.com via Jane on Pinterest




I've seen this one before and I still love it. It would look so gorgeous in a large porch or entry. Note.. it's doesn't have the flower detail like the one on the left. Thank goodness.


This little chair would be cute with a new coat of paint and seat.


I love large glass bottles. If it were a softer green for a light blue, it would have come home with me. Most defnitely.


We loved this vintage tin hockey game. We looked it up and discovered it dates back to the 30s. I like that it's in rough shape. It could be hung on the wall in a little boy's bedroom. Or big boy's room too!


I love the look of a painted scroll mirror. I was on the hunt for a while and couldn't seem to find one. This day, I found two! Lately, I am loving gold but the finish on these was a little too Liberace for me. 



I would definitely paint them like one of these beauties.


It's been a bit of a busy week, with report cards due. I'm out to a workshop for the next couple of days. I hope to at least get the front entry primed sometime soon. My sweet friends Emily and Grant are getting married today in Las Vegas and I get to watch it live online! Tonight is dedicated to them and a glass of wine. I can't wait! So excited to see them!

Have a wonderful day everyone! Looks like the first snowstorm of the season is brewing here, in the maritimes. We'll see!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Entry Makeover ~ Part One.

A couple of winters ago, on a stormy day, I decided to try my hand at wallpapering. Yes, I had wallpaper
in my home already but I couldn't take the credit for hanging it. (Thanks Stephane and Aunt Marilyn!) This time, I wanted to do it on my own.

Unfortunately two things went wrong:

#1 I had no idea how to wallpaper and it showed.
#2 I never liked the pattern of the paper from day one. I got it from a $5 bin and couldn't pass up the deal. Lesson learned!

As a result, my tiny little front entryway, which could be oh so cute, became what I saw as the blemish of the main floor. Here are a couple of shots of the little room. I did the wainscoting all by myself, I might add. toot toot! :)



Well, long story short, I decided this was the weekend to start a little makeover in that room. Luckily, I had a couple of helpers. 

Off came the wallpaper. An annoying job yet somehow therapeutic once you get going!



Up went a coat rack, minus the hooks, with whatever pieces Steph could drum up in the basement. 


A little Saturday shopping excursion to the antique shops proved fruitful. We picked up a little piano bench which will fit perfectly. Plus, the lid lifts up for hat and mitten storage. Bonus!


It's a start! Next up is priming, painting and the fun part- styling! Oh... and speaking of shopping excursions, we found some fun finds. I'll be back later in the week to share the goodness.

Holiday Reading on a Sunday.

Later today, if the rain starts, I may snuggle in and take a peek at the holiday issues from some fun online mags. Maybe it will really get me in the spirit!

Click on the images if you'd like to join me!





But first, I have a field trip this afternoon for my photography class, which should be fun and I really have to finish up those report cards! There I go, finding ways to procrastinate again!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Perfect Grey Paint.

I had a friend ask me lately if I had any favorite go-to grey paint colors. I certainly do but there are so many to choose from that it can be overwhelming. Grey can be influenced by so many colors but I tend to be drawn to those that read more true than those influenced by blues and greens. Does that make sense?

It's a tough call, as much of it depends on the light in the space, but here are my favorite grey paint colors in some great spaces.


Benjamin Moore ~ Stonington Grey


Almost white but perfect. Benjamin Moore ~ Classic Grey

Source: bhg.com via Katie on Pinterest


                                                            Behr ~ Dolphin Fin


                                                    Benjamin Moore ~ Gray Owl



Para Paints ~ Cashmere. This may the winner in my next project. 
Para generously gave me 4 gallons of paint to use in a project and I'm anxious to use it!
Sorry, no inspiration photo:)


Hoping the sun comes out today. It's been a dull of week. Maybe that's why both post this week are about grey!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Swoon Worthy ~ Grey Kitchens.

I've always loved a white kitchen. Wood is, of course, very beautiful but I'm always drawn to the crisp, clean look of a white kitchen. In fact, when I did my own kitchen, I didn't consider any other options.



Lately, I'm drooling over a different version. Shades of grey! I am seeing it everywhere and I'm totally smitten. I still love my white cupboards but I'm not so much dreading the day they need to be repainted. Maybe I'll be going a different direction next time.



What do you think? Are you seeing it around as much as I am? Are you swooning over it too?

A big welcome to my new followers who came over from hodge:podge yesterday! It's great to have you!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

So Canadian, Eh?

Just wanted to pop in on this sunny day and send you over to hodge:podge. I am honored to be the latest
guest in Barbara's series, So Canadian, Eh?, where she interviews Canadian designers and bloggers.



Some of my favorite bloggers have been featured along with some amazing talent including Tommy Smythe:), Margot Austin, Cobi Ladner and  Christiane Lemieux!

Please stop by and check it out! While you are there, be sure to stay a while and take a peek at some of Barbara's projects. She is a DIY master and I'm forever jealous of her sewing skills.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!