Open For Business: EOE Fashion + Art

Edwina Owens Elliot

has done something everyone aspires to do -

she combined her passions, art and fashion,

and found her ideal career - 

a Fashion Illustrator.
As anyone in a creative field knows,
when you are passionate about your work, it shows.

I met Edwina through her blog,

was instantly taken by her work,

and delighted to hear that she was preparing to open an online shop.

Last week EOE Fashion + Art officially opened for business.

Each print is shipped out fully matted and framed,
ready-to-hang - what could be easier?
The only difficult part is choosing which one to order!

Wouldn't one of those be perfect tucked into a little dressing area,
 as inspiration to skip the jeans and tee and wear something with a bit more personality?

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Pop over and explore the shop -
you won't be disappointed.

Congratulations, Edwina - x

The Simple, Subtle Way to Work a Home Bar Into Your Space

In my mind, a gracious home always includes a cocktail area.

This doesn't mean an enormous vinyl-covered wet bar,

but a chic little display that functions as a serving spot

 and provides an interesting vignette.

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D and I are former bartenders,

(and certainly got over-indulgence out of our systems way back when!)

so we rarely drink unless we have company,

and then in moderation.

The last thing we want is to have the focal point in a room be the bar.

So how to incorperate this space subtly and easily?

Pop over to my guest post at Project Gadabout today

for some GOR-geous examples.

x am

The Blinds Are Finished!

If you've been reading for a while, 

you know that I've been working on my home office/craft room.

After organizing the craft supplies a while back, it was on to the next project.

          

This room faces west, and although it's partially shaded by the roof of our front porch,

the afternoon sun can be overwhelming some days.

It needs a window treatment.

The fabric I planned to use was the end of a roll -

three precious metres!

I searched for a way to make it work back in this post, 

and you all encouraged me to make roman blinds,

thank you!

I looked into Martha's instructions for sewing Roman Blinds,

and although they would have been perfect, 

it began to seem a bit daunting 

(her projects are always done properly and always have a million steps, don't they?)

I admit it, I was looking for they easy way out!

Jennifer from Rambling Renovators had suggested roller blinds..hmmm..

using roller blinds and laminating my fabric on top,

a la Design Sponge, seemed simple enough and I liked the clean look.

A little research, however, revealed that the narrow width of the windows

would have required custom roller blinds to the tune of $60 each.

Onward.

Amanda of {Re}Cycled Cosign and Design had mentioned mini-blinds diys,

so the googling began.

Found the Little Green Notebook tutorial, which seemed to be the original,

and has spawned heaps of copycats.

That must mean it works, right?

Off to the store to buy mini blinds for $1.80 each (how do they manufacture them for this price?)

and fabric glue, which I have never used before, being a sewer.

All set to begin cutting, I realized each blind needed to be 21" wide,

and my pattern repeat was only 17", and the print would not be centred.

So what, you say?

This is the window that I look at every day as I work at my desk,

and I knew that would drive me bananas... 

(trying to overcome mytype-a tendencies!)

so off to the fabric store to buy navy linen,

which was going to serve as a liner and border,

which, as a bonus, also meant these would hold up to the sun a bit longer.

Now, the original tutorial is super-easy -

but of course I made it more complicated with this lining/border business..

I measured the window, adding 8" to the width

(3" for each border, 2" for seam allowance)

and 5" to the length

(3" for the bottom border, 2" for seam allowance).

Cut the navy linen fabric, 

using a framing square and chalk to make sure everything was cut straight

(there's that type-a again :)

Then cut the suzani fabric,

17" wide (pattern repeat) and the length of the window.

Ironed all the seams into place, 

using a guide cut to the border width,

and mitring the corners.

This took the longest of any step, but DON'T skip ironing,

this is how you get that crisp finish that makes your finished product looks professionally made.

Placed the patterned fabric inside and sewed them up.

The Little Green Notebook tutorial has all the additional steps,

which involve removing the majority of the slats from a set of miniblinds,

and literally gluing the remaining few to the back of the fabric.

Because I used two layers of fabric, there was A LOT of glue used, 

so that it not only adhered the mini blind slats to the fabric but also to each other,

ensuring they would hang properly.

They dried for a day and, voila - 

Perfect little spot for sewing now, isn't it?

This is a great method to create some more attractive window treatments

 if you already have those dreaded miniblinds in place.

I know that the sun will take it's toll on these and I will be replacing them every few years, 

so I didn't mind doing it the easy way -

 but if you are making roman blinds to last a long time,

 I would say bite the bullet and use Martha's method.

1 project down, 3789 more to go :)
next I'll be tackling a desk update, and a really cool wall display...


Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,
and please pop over to Project Gadabout for my
Glamorous Gadabouts bits.

I can never get over how gorgeous Poppy's blog is!
Yesterday she created a fantastic post with my
Secret Cheese Fondue recipe
(D. and I are fondue junkies! Even the kids get into it now, lol)
So many people have tried to get that recipe from me over the years,
and it's yours for the taking!

New and Old Meet in Black and White

One of the most wonderful thing about old homes is the character they contain.

Sometimes this becomes obliterated by renovations and decoration,
but it's fantastic to see the successful collaboration of old and new elements
in the home of Industrial Designer Kristina Stark.

The kitchen cabinetry may be new,
but open shelving and baskets keep it from
overpowering the gorgeous original wood stove.
Walls, trim and ceiling are white, and with no visual breaks, this space looks cavernous.

A coat of dove grey paint brings new life to tired floors,
terra cotta tiles will endure a lifetime of use.

What a restful space to slumber in.
The home owners must be morning people - no curtains!
I wish they put lovely deep windowsills like this in all the newer homes -
plants perch happily here in almost every room.

I think this is the star of the home.
One of my favourite rooms, ever!

I love every single thing here - that SPECTACULAR ceiling,
the bold, crisp stripes of the bed and carpet,
and the presentation, placement and scale of that yummy vintage art.
Does anyone know where you can buy those posters?

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It's a beauty, isn't it?
Rare that you find an old home with such a perfectly modern vibe.

Two Exciting Tidbits..

Exciting things happening around here these days!

First of all, because I am off to Florida at the end of next week for two weeks

(can you see my smile?!!!)

I have something really special lined up for the blog.

I asked six of my favourite design bloggers if they would consider doing a

guest over here, and they ALL said yes!

What fantastic ladies, I am so blown away.

Their posts are going to kick off a new series around here,

called.. drumroll please..

The posts will centre around their favourite color, or color combo.

I always feel like someone is revealing a bit of their secret self 

when they tell me their favourite color, don't you?

I'm not going to tell you who all will be posting but let's just say you won't want to miss a single one!

The second big news is that my week as a Glamorous Gadabout 

over at the dee-lightful Poppy's Project Gadbout has begun!

When Poppy asked me if I wanted to be a part of this series, 

I thought it was going to be a single post - 

turns out it was five (!!) plus a guest post.

So I'll be there in bits and pieces all week, til next wednesday, lol!

Project Gadabout is one of my favourite reads.

Poppy's goal is to entertain and inspire,

and she certainly does both.

This is one you'll want in your blog roll, ladies, I promise!

The Roman blinds for the office went up today -

so glad you all encouraged me to go for blinds, I love 'em!

pics to follow shortly :)

SCOOP! Sarah Richardson's New Project

Not sure if you've seen this yet..

found it last week, and tweeted, but was too busy dreaming of Palm Beach to post it then ;)

A sneak peek of Sarah Richardson's new project,

out in Georgetown, On... my hometown!

So funny, this is a new development, 

and we actually looked at buying a home on this street before relocating to Barrie.

(they were much more affordable then - 

although I suppose that Sarah touch is adding quite a lot of finishing value!)

I wonder if all the furniture is included..

Classic white kitchen. Note the detail on the glass doors and that gorgeous pendant over the island.

The living room is a bit drab for Sarah.

I would have loved to have seen some dramatic art or colorful flowers,

at the least.

The dining room does have an interesting wall treatment - grasscloth?

and I see a touch of blue (cool grey?) upholstery over there..

This room has much more interest - and color!

What a different feel.

I really like the pattern mix here, between carpet and textiles.

It's super-family friendly,

with a round-edged coffee table that can take some hard knocks and 

sturdy, stain-hiding upholstery.

This is beautiful.

What is better than sparkling white and carrera in the bathroom?

Those mirrors over the vanity have such a great shape,

don't they?

No pictures of the other rooms, but there is descriptions..

follow that link above to read them..

before I go, just wanted to say thank you for your really kind-hearted comments this morning.

I didn't plan to blog about it,

and it was just so lovely of you all to support me like that - thank you so much - x

In Memory of A Dear Friend

Sometimes people come in and out of your life,

and you move on, hardly noticing.

Occasionally you meet a kindred spirit,

a person who affects you, who helps you grow and evolve.

Back in my teenage days one of my favourite partners in crime had a fascinating Mother.

A hugely talented photographer, she had never lost her idealism from the sixties.

Her photos always revealed the potential of a person.

One of the most endearing things about Barb was that she never passed judgement.

She was a kind and experienced ear for a whole group of us,

and guided us through more than one sticky situation.

She became a dear friend and mentor.

Her daughter and I are still close,

and spend precious weekends watching our daughters giggle and tell secrets.

Barb had been sick for a long time, and this morning she passed on..

I'm quite sure where ever she is, she has a Nikon in hand and a smile on her face.