Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Tonight should be a breeze after the party we had this weekend!

25 12-years olds, some spooky decor, heaps of junk food and really LOUD music

all morphed into some unforgettable memories....

Bones kept bar..

and watched out over the action...

empty wine bottles filled with coloured water and re-labelled upped the creepy factor...

even water became arsenic :)

the gallery wall beyond...

The food table -

a folding table, with a piece of wood placed behind, 

the whole shebang covered with dollar-store tablecloths and destroyed old cheesecloth.

Added some string lights and strobe lights for twinkle, black lights for effect.

Pickles became ogre fingers,

spider dogs became baby arachnids.

The tray was heaped with pizza later..

Chips served up in cauldrons.... such a healthy menu!!

We had a guest with life-threatening nut allergies

and so have been nut-free for a month..

but I was still relieved when they all went home safely.

First guests arriving, checking out their "fortunes"

(we did up a basket of spooky ones)...

On the floor you can see a few of the balloons -

this was the greatest idea, and so simple -

we placed glow bracelets inside 30 white balloons and they floated around the floor all night, luminous.

That was the last moment of calm,

from here on in it was all shrieks and giggles...

Miss N was Katy Perry, and in true form she danced the night away :)

Hope you all have a happy halloween,

we'll be walking the 'hood,

spiced apple cider in hand....

Spooky beginnings...

Did I mention that I was a bit of a masochist?

No? You'll see..

The darlings attend catholic school,

and for some unknown reason the school has decided against having any dances.

Those awkward dances are a right of passage, no?

I remember my first one, the floor was empty,

and I asked a boy to dance!

We were the first ones out there, and I think he was ready to kill me :)

It was such an exciting time,

and it eased the transition from child to young adult.

So... I decided to honour my promise of a halloween party to Tash this year,

and this weekend we are hosting our first boy girl party.

BOY/GIRL.

Nail biting has begun.

1 2

Anyhow, of course we've needed to get decorations started...

thought you may like to see a sneak peek - 

I'll get some better, in-the-dark ones because the lighting is what really makes it 

(isn't it always?!!)

The gallery wall...

this was a joint effort -

Tash and I found most of the pics online,

printed them off, and hung them inside wall decal frames.

Lots of giggles and evil laughing!

that crazy woman front and centre positively GLOWS when the black lights are on....

a bit of disco on the mantle...

the food table...

(we've planned a gourmet menu of pizza and chips)

these guys are flanking the table...

their eyes light up and change colour :)

we tucked a skull into some old silk flowers

a crow sits on a mossy bed of pumpkins....

the food will be served in cauldrons...

Bones, our bartender for the evening...

There's lots of other bits and bobs, 

pics to come....

Are you working on any projects for halloween?

Yay or Nay: art + bath

Art and steam don't mix.

I'm usually reluctant to put framed art or canvasses in the bathroom,

and definitely think twice before placing it above the tub or near the shower.

But it LOOKS so good :)

 

source 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

What do you think?

Are you daring, precariously hanging your art near the bath?!!

(ooooh, the dangerous lives we lead :)

Is it a yay or a nay?

This Artist is an Inspiration

You've never seen pictures of my son's room,

and there's a reason for that :)

We've ended up with an entire matching ikea set - remember the robin series?

We bought him the bookshelves at our last house,

then my brother offered us his son's desk (same series)

then D's sis offered us her son's bed and nightstand.

Crazy.

Although it's functional,

the sizing is becoming a little small for him,

and it's a bit matchy-matchy for me.

A plan is slowly forming,

and yesterday I was cruising around looking for pics of reclaimed wood accent walls,

and found the most inspiring, amazing blog.

It's called Brooklyn to West,

written by Ariele, a builder/sculpter/furniture maker living in Brooklyn.

Sounds interesting already, right?

Ariele drove acroos the country with her business partner and friend

collecting wood and antique chairs,

where she spent five months designing and building

a restaurant from reclaimed and salvaged materials.

She is truly passionate about her work, 

and her phenomenal photography perfectly captures the beauty of her designs.

If you ever wanted to read about an artist living their dream,

go over.

Some of the magic...

Thank you, Ariele,

for re-igniting the artist in me.

x

The Difference

Some people spread joy.

Real true joy.

I hear from you every time I post.

Yesterday I got a comment from Mr Goodwill Hunting.

One of my diy heros!

He complimented a diy I did - WHA?? Did that actually happen?

Thank you for making my day :)

Today, however, I had to deal with an issue that has been dragged on for far to long,

and it was finally resolved, but not without me losing my cool.

I'm trying very hard not to be bitter, because

and I've learned

My father worked at his grocery store seven days a week his entire life

(giving away as much food to people who needed it as he sold, 

money was really never high up on the priority list).

I respect him so much for the way he has lived his life, 

and he taught us to

and that

But most of all, really, who can put energy into holding a grudge when the world is so full of this

all images via pinterest

x








(thank you for listening, we will be back to gratuitous interior eye candy next post, promise :)

lightening love

Have you been to Anthro in the past few days?

They've lost the paper header, and sharpened up their graphics.

A little less shabby vintage and little more graphic.

I feel like the return to eighties edge is upon us.

Case in point, these one-of-a-kind quilts by Fred Shand,

(on sale now for just $750.00!!)

that have that perfect anthro balance of kitsch, artistry and 80's vintage.

Ever since I first saw them I've been dreaming of the bedroom I would put one in,

particularly this one...

it would work quite nicely with the anthro campaign bed that they style it up on,

but what else?

Perhaps a shagreen wallpaper, 

a lush overdyed carpet,

hits of black,

and a wee bit of sparkle and shine?

carpet walls

art art art art art

fabric fabric

Armchairs

Sputnik

Lightening Love.

Simplicity loves Energetic Color

Right now I am completely obsessed

 with neutral spaces that use saturated color in clever and uncommon ways,

and if this home by Kay Douglas doesn't qualify, I don't know what does.

Revelling in the contrast of fabrics, finishes and accessories chosen with such restraint-

and then bursts of joyful color, splashed about with abandon.

(Thank you, Verdigris Vie, for sharing this one - I don't usually pick up a copy of Veranda,

but perhaps it's time to start!) 

Amazing how the lack of pattern and accessories can balance out the intense energy of these hues, isn't it?

Makes me want to put away half the bits and bobs around my own place!

Hope you all had a happy thanksgiving here in the north -

we survived two days of hosting huge dinners, 

(23 lbs of raast beef, two turkeys, two spiral hams, potatoes, yams, brussel sprouts,...  you get the idea!!)

and had such a fantastic weekend visiting with our families.

Topped it all off with a fall boat ride yesterday, 

touring our muskoka coastlines and admiring the gorgeous fall colors.

It left me glowing, truly, and very grateful for all that we are blessed with.

Weekends like that are what it's all about....xo