Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

I've been totally off my game this year for Halloween. No decorations and a 9pm scramble last night to think of a costume to wear to school today. Does that make the me lamest teacher ever? I promise I'll make it up to them at Christmas (that's more my thing)!

Here is a look back at my Halloween mantel from last year.


We did have a party this year, early on, and I have no pictures from the evening (I was Foxxy Cleopatra). So here is Beaufort and I last year when I dressed as Lady Gaga complete with the Coke cans in my hair. Good times.


We got booed though, which is so much fun! We loved getting the treats but heading out in the evening and spooking our neighbors was a blast. If you haven't heard of Boo-ing, check out this website and file it away for next year. Definitely a fun tradition to get going!

Tonight, we cross our fingers that it doesn't rain and head to over to Steph's mom's house. She recently moved into an area that will be packed with trick or treaters so we decided it would be more fun to do Halloween with her. Plus, she is making French onion soup, yum!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Framed Letterpress Prints.

Happy Monday everyone! It was a great weekend.  We celebrated a special friend's birthday with a fun girls night sleepover in her beautiful new home. Saturday, we were spoiled with a sunny warm day and we were able to get some yard work done. It felt good to spend some time outside. It has seemed to be cool and rainy the last few weekends.

Over the weekend, I got around to framing my new letterpress prints from Shop JSGD and put them up in my bedroom. I knew they weren't perfectly level but in the photos they look really off, so turn a blind eye:)


I used some matching gold frames that we had around the house. They hang over my dresser, just under the window. The black one is quite dark and shows every reflection but I love the intensity of it in person. Plus, the gold lettering satisfies my current fascination with all things golden.




Beside the lamp I keep a black and white photo of all the women in my family. My mom, two sisters, sister-in-law and 2 sweet nieces and myself. It was taken for our family photos a couple of summers ago and it was my favorite of the day.


I also keep a tray of my favorite perfumes and Stephane's colognes on a porcelain white tray. Not much more simple and pretty than a grouping of fragrances. Speaking of.. I got Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf for my birthday. Have you smelled it? It's heavenly.



So far, I'm really liking the new little nook in my room. Now to keep it tidy!





Thursday, October 25, 2012

Considering Paint Colors for the Kitchen.

I mentioned it recently that we are doing a kitchen refresh. Not a makeover, but rather just a few changes. One of those changes involves painting the walls. When I painted those walls, over 4 years ago, I wanted a soft blue grey. I used ICI Souvenir and while I still look at that chip and think it's pretty, it is very blue on my walls.


It actually it one of the things that is most frequently commented on in my home. Everyone seems to love it. However, I am ready for a change and more importantly the walls need a coat of paint - it is time!

So.. onto colors. The kitchen is the one room in the house that does not get a lot of natural light. Therefore, I'm thinking light and bright. I like some of the barely there grey colors out there and have a few of them posted on the wall in the kitchen.

BM Horizon:

BM Titanium:
This one might be leading the race right now.


Source: indulgy.com via Deb on Pinterest

BM Intense White:
Source: houzz.com via Tammy on Pinterest

BM Moonshine:
Via Young House Love. Their home always feels so fresh. But at the same time I would have said blue if you asked me their paint color. Hmmm.



BM Gray Owl:
This is the darkest of the shades I've shared today. I've used this several times. Once with a client, my mom and dad have it and my sister. It's beautiful but it's definitely blue, in my opinion.

Here is a shot of my kitchen now. (Sorry for the dark photo. It was taken back before I had my new camera. Taking photos this time of year is challenging because there is no more natural light when I get home from work.)


Greys are tricky because deep down they really want to be blue. Put them on the wall and suddenly your grey paint is little boy blue! It's tough! The amount the light in the room, the time of day, the furniture in the room. All can influence the color.

If you have any suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them. I'm really open to anything! Also, you must read the lovely Emily Henderson's post about the best grey paint colors according to Ryan Gosling. It's worth the read... whether you want paint advice or not:)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Upcoming Trip and a Project Mishap.


In a couple of weeks, Stephane and I are headed to Montreal for a little getaway. I'm excited to spend some time with him and see some of our family, eat at some good restaurants, and stroll around the streets of my favorite Canadian city (actually I love Quebec City too!). But hey, who are we kidding, I am crazy excited to shop! As much as I love PEI, we are seriously lacking in the shopping choice department. Getting to a big city to shop is very good news for me. Even Steph mentioned that he needs so new clothes, which means he is on board!

I heard the best news every yesterday. Anthropologie has opened in Montreal! Just in time for our arrival!  It's pretty much the biggest dose of inspiration you can get in the form of a store. I am there with bells on!


We will, of course, be making the trip to Ikea. It's a very big event for us maritimers. Considering the closest store is 1100 km away from Summerside. Hoping to find some good stuff there as well!

In other news, I spend a lovely evening with a client last night in her cozy home. It's really coming together, with the new soft grey-blue wall (BM Stonnington Grey) and the new fireplace. We spend some time accessorizing the fireplace and some more shelves. Check out that fire. It really made me want to get mine going this year. Can't wait to see her new roman shades in place on those windows!


We can laugh now, but there has been a little bump in our project plans...


Her couch finally arrived after being ordered way back in May and it's PLAID! Seriously! Apparently, it took so long because the "fabric" was on back order. Now we have to wait for it to arrive again, this time with the proper fabric. I mean seriously.. it's blue and green plaid. We can kind of laugh at it now.. I think we have arrived there but it took a while:)

I stopped on the way to check out a beautiful sunset. It's so peaceful there. Hope your week is going well!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Pretty Little Vignettes.

I love a good vignette. Bookshelf vignettes, tabletop vignettes, you name it. I think it's my most collected board on Pinterest. A new ones catches my eye each time I visit the site. There is a perfect balance to creating a well styled vignette; variations in height, mix of textures and colors, and layering. It's really an art.

It took me a long while, playing around with a variety of arrangements for the built-in bookcase in the living room. In fact, I'm still working on it. Recently, I put two Vittsjo shelves in the dining room and I've been busy getting them just right. Let me tell you, it's tough!

Since I'm not quite ready to share my shelves yet, I thought I'd share 10 (ok 12.. I couldn't choose) of my favorite vignettes. Some simple, some relaxed, some more elaborate. I love them all. These are of the best in my eyes so don't expect my own feeble attempt to measure up! :)



Source: google.com via Jane on Pinterest




Source: ruemag.com via Jane on Pinterest






Friday, October 19, 2012

Small Changes and a Sale!

There will soon be some small changes coming in the kitchen. I still love the space but it needs a little refresher.
These changes will come in the form of a little bit of this:

and a bit of this:



Curious?


Also, if you are on the island this weekend, my sweet aunt Carmella is having a huge 50% off entire stock sale at both of her shops in Souris. Naturally Yours Antiques and Collectibles (31 Beach Ave.) and Souris by the Sea Treasures (Souris Lighthouse). There will be items for everyone, including antique furniture refinished by my dad. He does beautiful work (even if I'm partial:)

The sale runs today through Sunday from 12-7.

Happy Shopping!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

New Bedside Lamps.


It has been a long while since I shared my bedroom. It's not overly large but I like the layout of the room and how fresh and bright it feels. My House Tour page is embarrassingly out of date. I may start the update with this room, now that I have some new lamps! I really need to get on that. Like soon. The house doesn't even look the same!

I picked up the lamps last week at Winners on a quick shopping trip. The ones I had there previously were simply doing the job. They were too small and I'd been searching for replacements for many months. Because the ceiling is slanted above the bed, the lamps couldn't be too tall but I wanted something with some weight.


I think the new ones fit the bill. They fill up the space and are so much prettier! I don't keep much on the table other than lamps and maybe a book or magazine. I'm a huge vignette fan but a clear space beside my best feels right to me.  

 Still love my Audrey Hepburn print!

I'm thinking of recovering my bird pillow with some new fabric. I'm over birds. I was sort of thinking black and white spotted fabric with pink piping. I'm sure I'll change my mind a dozen times. I'm open to suggestions!


My nightstands are part of the Hemnes series at Ikea (which don't seem to be available anymore). My headboard is vintage (with a chevron pattern!) which I freshened up with a coat of glossy black paint. Did I mention that I still love love love my wallpaper? It almost feels like it was hand sketched and seems to disguise the fact that the ceiling is slanted over the bed.


I'll try to get more photos of the room soon so that I can update my house tour. Then move on to update the rest of the house tour as well!

Weekend Bloggy Reading

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

New Art Prints.


I have a few new Etsy prints in my home these days. The feather one, above, is from Amber Alexander's shop and satisfies my current love of feathers. I wonder if it's the season but I'm loving all things feathered lately. This print in particular, is from her line of turkey feathers. I've been changing things up on the gallery wall behind the couch so I'll share more of that soon!

I also received a couple of gold letterpress prints in the mail yesterday too from Shop JSGD. I can't wait to get them hung up!


I'm thinking in my bedroom... Speaking of which. I got me some new bedside lamps. Can't wait to show you!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Goose Creek Candle Winners!


It's giveaway winner time! 

I used random.org to pick two winners of a 16 oz. American Heirloom candle from Goose Creek Candles.

The lucky winners who will have their homes smelling of all kinds of loveliness are.....

Leanne from The Fancy Life

and


Congratulations ladies! Please send me your email addresses so I can send them along to Goose Creek!

For everyone else, don't forget that Goose Creek Candle Company is also offering Modern Jane readers 25% off entire purchase coupon code. Just enter 1050 at the checkout (expires October 31, 2012).

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Beach Surf Shoot on Style Me Pretty.


Did I ever tell you about this talented group of women that I'm involved with, that come together to create styled shoots showcasing this gorgeous province we live in? I'm sure I have here and here. They are all uniquely awesome in their own right. It's really a fun opportunity for me to work with them, as they are constantly inspiring me with their creativity and talent, pushing me to keep up! It forces me to think outside the box and create something different.



We've been published again on Style Me Pretty and seeing our work on their site certainly never gets old. This shoot was done on one of our National Park beaches here on PEI using a color palette of yellow, orange and turquoise inspired by the island beach landscape: sun, sand and surf. It was a relaxed affair, shot on a beautiful evening just as the sun was setting.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the shoot.


I used the picnic tables on site and covered them in burlap. Then, they were topped with simple striped runners and a diy fringe runner, using our color palette.



We received our flowers in bulk and I threw together 7 or 8 flower arrangements in a hurry! I like the relaxed feel of the arrangements using seasonal flowers. These were placed in vintage bread molds wrapped in ribbon.












What a fun evening!

You can see the full shoot on Style Me Pretty.
You can check out the full gallery of images here.

A special thank you to the following vendors who made this shoot happen and of course to all our models!

Modern Jane Design - Jane Gallant - Event Design/Concept
Kim Roach Design - Kim Roach - Wedding Stationary & Paper Products
Rachel Peters Photography - Rachel Peters - Photography
Michelle Cudmore Makeup Artist - Michelle Cudmore - Makeup Artist
Cheryl Weeks Hairstylist - Cheryl Weeks - Hairstylist
Kiss The Bride - Jennifer Clark - Event Coordination
City View Bakehouse - Jennifer Prinz - Cake, Treats, Sweets
Love Charlie - Alisha Stephen - Custom Arm Bracelets

The Perfect Pear Bridal - Kelly Moorehead - Bride's Dress + Shoes
Dow's Menswear - Groom pants + shirt
Norton's Jewellers - Peter Norton - rings
Hearts & Flowers - Flowers
JJ Stewart's Root Beer - PEI Root Beer
The Orange Lunch Box - Food items