July 31, 2009

I WON!!!

Wow -- Kelly and Victoria over on DesignTies were giving away an awesome piece of art by Matt Leblanc from New Brunswick, Canada -- and I won! Let me just say - I N-E-V-E-R win anything, and to win something so cool is amazing.

Check out Kelly's interview with Matt here, then check out the piece that will be gracing my home shortly here, and then check out Matt's work on his website here.

I'll let you in on a little secret - just between us - I'm celebrating a pretty big birthday next week (the big 5-0) and this a great surprise birthday gift!

Thanks Kelly, Victoria and Matt.

July 28, 2009

The colour BLUE

Hello to everyone from this weeks Hooked on Fridays! Thanks to Julia at Hooked on Houses for hosting.

Well, with all of the lovely weather (not) we've been having in Eastern Ontario, it was very easy to come up with the title of this post. With day after cool, rainy day, I have to say I have been "feeling blue", however that's not the BLUE I wanted to blog about. Let's try and lift our spirits with some talk and pics about the colour BLUE.

When I was a little girl, BLUE was my favourite colour. I wanted blue paint, BLUE wallpaper, BLUE decor, BLUE clothing (TG for BLUE jeans), shoes, jewellery, books... Every questionnaire that asked (and as a teenager, admit it, you did every one you could get your hands on) I filled in that asked my favourite colour - BLUE! We even had a dog named BLUE - who I still miss 34 years later!

You name it, it had to be BLUE - well OK not BLUE hair - back in the day we didn't have the means or the tolerance that we do today. Unlike my youngest daughter, who at the age of 15, decided that her hair should be neon pink. Figuring that heck, it's only hair and will grow back, I headed out to the local drugstore with her and picked up the bleach and Manic Panic and for one summer she sported a shockingly pink head of hair. But, I digress - back to BLUE.

From my studies, the colour BLUE, a primary colour on the Colour Wheel, is associated with the following emotions and physiological reactions – tranquility, calmness, faith, loyalty (true BLUE) among others. When used in advertising, BLUE is often used to promote cleanliness, travel (sea and sky colour) and precision. Gender wise, apart from the old adage pink for girls and BLUE for boys, BLUE is hiighly accepted by males, with dark BLUE symbolizing the corporate world and associated with strength and stability.

BLUE should be avoided in relation to food, as studies prove is is known to suppress the appetite. Now, I would like to interject here, that regardless of this last fact, I still plan to paint my dining room BLUE!

In languages, the word BLUE is derived from the Old French “bleu” from Germanic origin “blao” meaning shining. Although in the English language the term “BLUE” can mean feelings of sadness, in German it means drunk which equates back to an ancient use of urine, which the body produces copious amounts of, in dying cloth BLUE (ewwww!).

Of course, with my study of design and decor, I have grown to appreciate other colours and incorporate them into my homes - greens and yellows, mauves and pinks, garden and earth tones - but deep down inside I still have a hankering for BLUE. When I chose the colour for this blog - it wasn't a conscious decision - I naturally gravitated to the BLUEs.

So in honour of BLUE – let’s explore a bit – I hope you enjoy some of my favourites...

First and foremost – the sky…

blue%20sky%20sailboat I couldn’t resist the pic with the sailboat!

Followed closely by the sea …

waves_1

One day I WILL go here….

santorini1

the “BLUE City” – Jodhpur, India

jodhpur india

Here’s a combination of my favourite colour and my favourite flower (which symbolizes devotion):

hydrangea_primary And in rooms…

5-blue-kitchen-0408-xlg

'Style:

6-living-room-xlg-1148785

seaside-living-room-xlg-50688721

living-room-and-dining-room-in-one-xlg-666689702-blue-dining-room-xlg 1-makeover-bathroom-0708-xlg-1128941-64033811

14-blue-bath-0408-xlg-76077229 aab00824_main contemp1-aaa20086-lg 115-blue-bedroom-0306_460x360-6710071495-klotz-bedroom-0708-xlg-91594807-55987306

On furniture …img_bluevelvet_1 img_bluevelvet_6

And on our tables (even though we shouldn’t :) )

2250297 2208781 001010102_m

Photo credits:

1 – Steve Pinkers photos of Cape Cod - http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/photos/cape_cod/pages/blue%20sky%20sailboat.htm; 2 – unknown; 3 – Fira, Santorini - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/santorini-workshop-2009/; 4 – Jodhpur India - http://www.virtourist.com/asia/india/jodhpur/index.html; 5 – Hydrangea - http://www.brides.com/planning/flowers/flowerfinder/detail/176228/; 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 ,19– www.HouseBeautiful.com; 14 – Kohler Canada -http://www.ca.kohler.com/ideas/showcase/showcase.jsp?section=3&nsection=3&nsubsection=1&subsection=1&aid=1824; 15 – Kohler Canada - http://www.ca.kohler.com/ideas/showcase/showcase.jsp?section=3&nsection=3&nsubsection=2&subsection=2&aid=716&style=Contemporary; 20, 21 – Cobalt Dinnerware & Glassware – www.pier1.com; 22 – Denby Imperial Blue - http://www.denby.co.uk/Imperial-Blue/Covered-Vegetable-Dish/invt/001010102;

July 26, 2009

Sweeter Living Giveaway!

Just found a sweet giveaway!

Dreamgirl over on Sweeter Living is giving away a one year subscription to House Beautiful. Sweeeeeet! I just found the Sweeter Living blog and love the variety of post subjects and Dreamgirl's candor, honesty and humour. Way to go Dreamgirl!

July 20, 2009

Time flies....

It's been a busy month so far...a week with the in-laws in New Brunswick and another away with 5 of my closest gal pals at a cottage near Perth, Ontario, which was our 24th annual group vacation!!!

In between we had a busy week and finally have a working hot-tub in the backyard oasis. I will post pics soon!

During both weeks away I took the opportunity to do some research on our kitchen/dining room reno - here's what I'm thinking...
  • remove wall between kitchen/dining room and use space for a possible island
  • two tone kitchen cabinets - slate gray lowers and white uppers
  • uppers to the ceiling - need lots of storage!!!
  • some type of stone or stone derivative for the counter
  • built-ins in the dining room in the same white as the kitchen uppers
  • patio door in dining room to new deck (another project)
Without internet access, I had to resort to some good old fashioned research techniques - magazines!!! I will scan some of my inspiration photos and share in an upcoming post.

Of course, as you scan through the magazines new project possibilities always pop up --- ohhh honey, what if we .....
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