thrifted trays and packing

I've mentioned we're moving, yes?

Downsizing.. that's another post :) Not sure where exactly all of our "stuff" is going to fit into this new home.. yet even surrounded by boxes I brought home four trays from the thrift shop today, bought while feeling very justified after dropping of about fifteen boxes of purged treasures...

the delicated gold-rimmed milk glass version - could work on a vanity, side table or dressing table...

the small but weighty hand made artisanal, has an iridescent glaze that the photo does not do justice...

the classic, for serving drinks during boys nights, brings me back to my cocktailing days....

the rustic refined, reminds me of Italian tolework, would add a bit of luxe to a coffee or console table...

I admit it. I have a problem :) but they are each so darling in their own way, right? How could I just leave them there? Their potential untapped, so sad...

Will post pics of them in their new home once we've settled in and the cardboard is eradicated.. we generally unpack over wine! Styling up the bookshelf can be a very creative process that way, lol.  I've got a few girlfriends coming over, it will be interesting to see what the house looks like afterwards..


**Must apologize to several people who have written to me to inquire about online consults in the last few weeks, just received all of the forms at once in my inbox. So sorry! Just another reason the website must be re-vamped, and a proper form put into place. Thank you for your patience. Will reply to each and every one of you next week after the move, and hope that I can offer you a discount, my most since apologies for the tardiness, and make it up to you.**

Hope you all are enjoying the last glimmers of summer, I know we are soaking up every possible sunbeam over here - x am

how we decorate our tree for maximum sparkle, step-by-step

yes, I'm posting this on Boxing Day :) Pretty much sums up the pace of the holidays around there! Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas, and that you have been fortunate enough to be with you family and friends.


I took photos of the tree as it progressed this year - and the kids announced that they were going to decorate it - so I just sat back with a cup of tea and watched!

We decided to use "sparkly nature" decorations - kind of embarrassed to admit that we have so many tree ornaments in storage that we can choose different themes on different years, and we don't have to buy anything!!!

The crocheted snowflakes are some of my favourite ornaments - my Mum made them one year when I was small, and they were on our childhood tree for most of me childhood. She gifted them to me a few years ago :)

We use wired ribbon woven throughout the middle of the tree (Miss N is allergic, so we have a fake tree) to fill it in a little, and we added in some glittery and mercury glass onion-shaped ornaments at the last moment.

Here are the pics:

being fluffed by Miss N

the darling boy taking a break for a puppy snuggle

light reflectors going on - these are the bane of my existence! 

They don't quite fit the lights, but the kids love adding them, 

so we end up steeping on them for the entire holidays!!

ribbon throughout the middle, and large pinecones place toward the centre of the tree for sparkle :)

small pinecones and snowflakes on...

onion ornaments and a small wreath for a topper...notice all those reflectors on the floor?!! 

and somehow I've lost the pic with the tree skirt :)

 finally, presents!

Happy Holidays, lovelies!

Am working on a post about the lovely colour of the year from pantone - it's gorgeous, isn't it?

xo

DIY: textile art

Remember when I showed you that pic of that mudcloth I found for a steal on ebay? Well, it arrived in the mail last week. Yesterday I built the frame and this morning it was stapled and placed in it's new home above the mantle. I'm in love!

It needs more layering, of course, and it has to be hung properly - currently it is sitting on a lucite box used to try out the height! But don't you just love it?!! I have been searching for three years for the right piece to hang in this spot, and there is a great sense of satisfaction at having finally found it. The walls are finally white, we found a sofa last week that D and I both like for this room, and so progress is being made, SLOWLY! Why is it my that projects round here move at a snails pace? Like the barefoot cobbler's children, I suppose :)

I'm off to source fabrics today for a client, it's a perfect day for driving with the wind in your hair.... hope the sun is shining where you are, as well - x am

a day in the life: thrifting, styling and photo editing

What you choose to do with your precious days off really reflect the person you are, don't they? Yesterday, I went out thrifting. There is nothing like poking around in a dusty shop full of vintage loveliness to make my heart sing! I haven't been out in ages, and I found a bunch of small things for the house as well as some pieces for a friend who is moving and needs a bit of staging done prior to listing her home.

Our bedroom is in flux mode right now - on the weekend we moved our bed frame to the guest room, because I am going to make a new upholstered version - pics will follow :) I'm planning a to incorperate "dressing cabinet", to store and display my favourite accessories, and so need a few bits for jewelry display. Enter this charming little tiered - tray brass and laquer number - perfect for the jewelry I'm wearing everyday. As you can see, it's already settled into it's new home...

I bought it, brought it home, and immediately cleaned it, styled up this little display and took photos!
Please tell me I'm not the only one :)  x am

I need your help...

Okay, you know how it's always harder to make design decisions for yourself than for everyone else?

I've just been standing over this beauty....

my future dining room chandy,

with two cans of spray paint.

One is black, and one is "Chinese Laquer" Red.

With a teak table, chairs upholstered in black,

white walls, with black & white art and bits of colour,

and a sisal painted out with red, white, black and magenta...

which one will work?

The black is classic, and will continue on the black lighting we have throughout the rest of our home...

but in red?

In red she'll be the party girl, dancing around over the table.

Hmm... maybe I've just answered that one for myself....

Thoughts, please!!

*******UPDATE********



it's red.

20 minutes after I posted I picked up the red laquer and went to town.
The difference was incredible -
like slicking on a coat of fabulous red lipstick....

I'll be showing pics shortly, once the chairs are completely finished
(a very cool diy I'm working on this weekend)
and I've painted the carpet.

Thank you to those who stuck up for black, though -
for a minute there I thought it was going to be a bit of a wash,
and black really deserves better than that!
I've been challenging myself to up the colour quotient of this place...
sometimes when you work with colour all day you just want to come home to quiet,
but it's become a bit bland around here.

Thanks for all the votes, lovelies!
Happy weekend... x

creativity fix

hullo, hullo!

You may have read that one of my resolutions this year is to get back to making,

to take the time to create.

So, since I've had some interest in featuring the 10 Rooms headquarters on a rather fabulous venue,

(akkk!)

and I've got to get busy zhushing up the place,

it seemed like the time to was nigh to break out the paint brushes.

It's been a LONG time,

so please be gentle in your comments :)

Whether or not they are masterpieces, it felt wonderful to be playing with paint on canvas,

ans I think they are going to the the first of many more...

We got a foot of snow here last night,

and I have a consult across town, so off to shovel before heading out -

have a lovely day!

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?

the easiest diy art....

I promised you a post about the DIY art we made for Natasha's room,

and here it is :)

This is so incredibly simple, and you can customize it to any color scheme.

Supplies:

two canvasses (dollar store)

 neon paint (dollar store)

leftover paint from around the house

low-tack tape

ruler, black sharpie

The fast one:

First I taped off the triangle piece....

paint and remove tape....

after an hour these shapes were dry enough to repeat the process with the next layer.

Done :)

Told you it was simple, lol!

There are two really important steps to ensure crisp paint lines:

be SURE your tape is adhered well before painting to prevent bleeding, 

and remove the tape right after painting, to avoid pulling off half-dried paint later.

Second painting took a bit longer, because there is more detail and more layering...

First tape off the stripes that you want across the front,

then tape off the back layer.

Paint the back stripes, skipping some.

Remove tape and let dry.

Re-tape additional back stripes, and remove tape.

Now, if you are painting a color on the front stripes,

 wait til all the stripes dry,

then tape the front ones off  (tape on the outside of the stripe) and paint.

(sorry about the color of the pics, it was late afternoon when I started and dark when I finished!)

This is where I cheated a little!

I wasn't particularly careful with my taping and the edges were pretty rough, 

but I knew that I was going to do this last step, and they wouldn't show.

I was painting the top layer black, so I just filled in the centre of the stripes and let it all dry together.

Once it dried, I got out a sharpie and a ruler, 

and edged all my black portions and in between the colors.

(not that I'm OCD, but imperfect edges bug me...

but I'm really not type a.... well, maybe just a little!)

I added a few extra stripes in here as well...

Then we hung them, and added a quick little "take a smile" bit in between...

this is a joke between Tash and I, we're always trying to get each other to smile.

 If you'd like one just print this off..

That's it!

Kinda makes you want to try one, right?

If you do, please send me pics and I'll post them ...

We have back-to-back thanksgiving dinners this saturday and sunday -

and they're both at our house!!

21 on saturday, 17 on sunday...

needless to say I won't be blogging :)

See you monday!

Hope you all get to spend the weekend with the people you love - x