Thursday, January 23, 2014

Link Love.

After being buried in snow in December, we had a few weeks of reprieve to start the new year. It was so warm and there was so little snow that I almost forgot it was winter! However, Mother Nature put me in my place with some frigid temperatures and a bit of a blizzard yesterday.

Blizzard = snow day for me and an early departure from work for Steph. I knew it was coming so brought some marking home with me. I squeezed it, and folding never ending loads of laundry, in between a marathon of Scandal episodes. That show has me hooked, I tell you. Hooked.

That being said, I also had some time to catch up on my favorite blogs and websites. Here are some of my favorite links of the week:


An interesting thought about cooking/eating. Pretty much sums up what I've thought for a long time.


Speaking of eating healthy. I'm taking part in a Nutrition Challenge at Crossfit. 
Send along any healthy recipes your wish to share. Or just some moral support. I need it.

Danielle's rounded up some of her favorite and most recommended rugs
The best part? They are all affordable. Can't beat that.


How cute are these wild cat cake stands? I have a think for gilded animals. I'm really not at all sure why.


The holidays may be over but my friend Kim's holiday party is absolutely adorable.

Wedding plans are still up in the air around here. But one thing is for sure. I'm swooning over lots of BHLDN dresses. One of them will be mine.

Kendi has officially sold me on neon.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Bathroom Finishes.

Things are slowly starting to come together in the bathroom and I'm getting to make some fun decisions. I ordered our hand towel and toilet paper bars and I can't wait to hang them on the wall. I swear, the bathroom is so small that I may be hard pressed to find a spot but I will make them work!


I ended up choosing the Kraus Aura line. I loved the simplicity of the design and that the toilet paper roll is single post. We are lazy around our house so hopefully this will help the roll actually make it on the holder!

I bought the toilet paper bar at Home Depot Canada online and here is a little tip. They didn't have the towel bar in stock so I checked amazon.ca and low and behold they have the whole line and for a much better price. I ordered the towel bar and two hooks from Amazon and it arrived within 3 days, while my Home Depot order took 2 weeks. Lesson learned.. shop around first!



Since we don't have room for a large towel bar in the tiny bathroom, we are hoping to hang two of these hooks behind the door for drying towels.


I had told my sister that Meg at Loving Albany swore by the Fieldcrest Luxury bath towels from Target. (Just as good as the Restoration Hardware ones that she had once invested in!) She ended up buying me some nice fluffy white ones for Christmas.


I have them all washed up but have vowed to not use them until the bathroom is all finished. Weird, I know. Still trying to figure our the whole shower curtain thing but we did decide on some lighting! More to come on that.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Raising the Bar.

I've got bathroom finishes on the brain this week. More specifically, shower curtains and rods. We considered doing glass doors on the tub/shower but for a number of reasons have decided to go with a standard shower curtain and rod. I think having some fabric in the room will add some softness to the space so I'm glad we made that decision.

I'm quickly realizing that while I'm dying for the walls to be tiled so I can actually shower, I'll need a curtain rod and curtain to be able to do that! Time to get organized. I'm fairly certain that I want a white shower curtain. Shocking, I know. And what I'm absolutely certain of, is that it be extra long so I can hang the curtain rod quite high.


I love the look of a long shower curtain because it feels more dramatic. It instantly adds height and space to the room. But most of all, in our bathroom, I really don't want the rod to cut across your sight line of the window in the shower. The higher we hang it the less obstructed the view.

Our bathroom mid renovation.



Originally, I assumed I could just order the 84 inch length linen curtain from Restoration Hardware (standard is 72 X 72). But upon measuring, I realized it that still won't be quite long enough. I've found a few sources online but nothing jumps out at me as the real winner. Looks like we might be going custom.



I've ordered an extra long liner to at least get us started. Who knows when I will make up my mind about the curtain. What are your thoughts? Do you hang your rod higher? I'd appreciate any sources you can share!

Monday, January 13, 2014

#ugliestbathroomreno Update #3.

A quick update on the bathroom with a few Instagram photos. The walls have been painted and we are just waiting for our tiler to come and do the walls around the tub. I will be so happy to have a shower! I mean,  I love a good bubble bath but bathing because you have no other choice gets old after a while.

We hung our Ikea Godmorgon vanity on the wall. You can use legs but we chose to hang it as if it were floating. Yes, the blue plastic looks wonderful doesn't it? It's a bugger to get off and I don't mind leaving it there until everything is finished.


I had not seen our pretty floor since the tiling was finished. We had covered it in cardboard for the remainder of the renovation and I was pretty excited to pull that up! The in-floor heat is wonderful on the toes.


Our tiler put a recessed box in the shower for our bottles. We are also tiling all around the window and putting in marble sill so he came to do the prep work for that as well. 


Having a window in the shower is never ideal. We are taking the extra precautions here and there and one includes this bright red water sealant. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the room after that went up. Thank goodness it's going to be covered up!

I contemplated a bunch of different white paints for the bathroom. Most of them were a really light grey (BM's winter white, intense white) but when the day came to choose, I ended up choosing a bright white: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. It's my favorite trim paint and I figured why not use it on the walls too. I'll admit that it feel a bit institutional in there right now and there is more white to come (tile) but I really like how fresh it feels. I think there will be a good enough mix of textures to keep it from feeling cold.

Still to do:
  • tiling/grouting
  • hook up plumbing in the sink so we can actually use it
  • Install our proper shower fixtures
  • trim
  • lighting
  • shower curtain and rod
The #ugliestbathroomreno could also be called #neverendingbathroomreno. It certainly feels that way!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Hello Love ~ Featured on Wedding Chicks.


I mentioned it on the blog before, but I feel very lucky to belong to a group of women who work in the wedding industry. They are passionate about what they do and are constantly striving to challenge their skill and creativity. Together, they combine their talents to create styled wedding shoots that showcase this beautiful island that we are lucky to call our home.

While I'm not a wedding decorator, they've invited me to join them as the event designer. Some people ask me why I choose to participate if I'm not in the wedding industry. My answer is always this: because it's fun! Once the mood board is created for the shoot, I get the freedom to do what I like. Choosing table linens, dinnerware, glassware, designing tablescapes and styling cake tables. What is not to love? It's all right up my alley.

We created our latest shoot, at picturesque Clinton Hills, a restored barn surrounded by rolling hills and romantic woods. The leaves had turned their showy colors and the light was absolutely perfect for Rachel Peters Photography to capture all the magic.



The shoot was published on New Year's Eve on Wedding Chicks. It's lots of work to put these shoots together so it's a bit of a thrill to see the finished product showcased for all to see. It really never gets old!





I get to work closely with Kim of Kim Roach Design, who creates all the paper products, including invitations, place cards and menus. Her designs are beautiful and her work for this shoot was no exception. 








How gorgeous is the cake by City View Bakehouse?



Michael at Prestige Floral is a bouquet genius!




So many PEI vendors have been supportive of this shoot and our past shoots. It really wouldn't be the same without all their contributions and we are incredibly thankful.


Clinton Hills - Location
The Perfect Pear Bridal - Bride's Dress
Nortons Jewellers Ltd - Couple's Rings
Prestige Floral Studio Weddings - Flowers/Headpiece
Caseley's Bridal Boutique - Glassware/Cutlery
Moore's - Groom's attire


Models - Tyler and Allyson McDonell

These girls that I collaborate with have become my friends. I am in awe of their talents and they keep me inspired. So why do I do this? That just might be the best reason of all.


Kim Roach Design - Stationary & Paper Products
Kiss The Bride - Event Coordination
City View Bakehouse - Cake/Caramel Corn



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Silver and Gold Tablesetting.

Happy New Year! Last night was spent as a fairly quiet evening at home. I was sick in bed most of the day so it was good to stay in. We invited Stephane's mom for a nice supper, then watched a couple of movies together before hitting the sack at 11:00. We didn't quite make it to midnight but it was lovely nonetheless.

It's such a nice feeling to start a new year off fresh. A year full of promise and a chance to make change or new intentions. I know for me, that all starts with a clean slate in my home. Time to get rid of clutter, simplify and make a plan for new projects. That all started this morning with the removal of all my Christmas decor. I love it during the season but can't wait to tear it all down once the new year arrives. The tree is still standing but as I'm back to work tomorrow, that will have to wait for the weekend.

Most of the holidays were spent with our families and that meant we didn't do a lot of hosting at our own home. We did however have a raclette dinner one night and took to opportunity to pretty up the table a little. I would have liked to add more details, like candlesticks, etc but if you've had raclette before, you know there is very little space on the table for much more than all the food!

Here is a look at our simple and last minute table set up.


The flowers were leftovers from arrangements I made for our moms and my sister over the holidays as hostess gifts. Theirs had white hydrangeas as well but there were none left for me. We made do.




The geometric plates were a Christmas gift from my brother and are from Target. I think they will be very versatile for other gatherings. We should really host more often!




It would had made for a pretty silver and gold New Year's table as well. Maybe next year:) 

Best wishes for a wonderful year to you all!