dh designs

Happy 2012!!!

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

This first month of the new year will be a busy one for us, so I’m not sure how much time I will have to spend with you, which makes me sad. I would, however, like to leave you with a few thoughts and pictures that will help me to get through this next month. I hope they help you as well…

First, I subscribe to several daily emails for various reasons. Some are to expand my vocabulary, some to expand my knowledge and others to inspire me. PowerLines for Women is one that inspires me. Last week, waiting in my inbox was this gem c/o PowerLines:

Second, to transition from 2011 to 2012, we spent an amazing week relaxing in Negril, Jamaica. The sunsets in Negril are amazing…

And lastly, on the design front, here is a little collage of spaces that inspired me in 2011…

Have a wonderful January! I’ll try to continue posting, but if I’m MIA, don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I can!

Friday Find – December 16 {O Christmas Tree}

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So I’ve put up the Christmas tree at our house. We’ve had this artificial tree for several years now – like probably 10 – and it is beginning to show it’s age. I’d love to get a real tree but I’ve been vetoed. Hubby objects for two reasons –

they are a fire hazard (sighhh) and;
they are messy (you’d think he was the one who vaccuums …).

Try as I might I cannot get him to relent … so an artificial tree it is (after almost 30 years of marriage I’ve learned which battles to pick). When I bought this tree back in the day, the concept of pre-lit artificial trees was new (and expensive) so I improvised. I wrapped each branch with lights and waaa-laaa a “pre-lit” Christmas Tree :).

Any-whooooo …. I’ve put this 10 year old self pre-list artificial tree up and … well … I’m not feeling it. I don’t know what it is, but I just don’t get all warm inside looking at it. Not in the least. Maybe it’s time for a change … so I got to thinking about doing a non-traditional Christmas Tree next year and I went hunting for inspiration. Here’s what I found on Pinterest:

Some crafty trees:

Source: boredandcrafty.com via Deasha on Pinterest

Source: pinterest.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Donna on Pinterest

Some natural trees:

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: ehow.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: google.co.uk via Donna on Pinterest

Source: lamaisondannag.blogspot.com via Donna on Pinterest

And some very creative trees:

Source: bing.com via Donna on Pinterest

Source: blog.friis-co.dk via Donna on Pinterest

Source: vi.sualize.us via Donna on Pinterest

Source: notmartha.org via Donna on Pinterest

These are such great inspiration for next year! Which one do you prefer? And if you have a non-traditional tree in your home, I’d love to hear about it!

Happy “Last Weekend Before Christmas” everyone!!!

Friday Find–December 2 {Finally!}

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This week’s Friday Find is inspiration from Houzz for the new focal point in my dining room/living room – a red wall!

contemporary kitchen design by san francisco design-build Harrell Remodeling

This has it ALL – the entire colour palette I’m trying to achieve, right down to that gorgeous blue as an accent colour and those roman blinds, although I think I’ll do mine in fabric. And even though I don’t have a bay window, I even plan a bench seat in the dining room. FINALLY!!!

Mercury Glass

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Pottery Barn c/o www.kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com

I’ve been noticing a lot of mercury glass items over the last couple of weeks. I’m loving the sparkly antique look of these lovelies, so thought I’d do a little research on this beautiful glass.

c/o www.johnnyinadress.com

Mercury glass, or “silvered glass” originated in Bohemia around 1840, and was also produced in England starting in 1849 and is considered one of the first true “art glass’ products. It is basically free-blown double-walled glass that is silvered in between the two walls and sealed. Although it is called “mercury” glass, the silvering is produced by coating the interior with with a solution containing silver-nitrate and grape sugar. Once coated the glass was heated and then sealed in various ways, ranging from cork to metal discs.

Crate and Barrel Jolie lamp

The first pieces I noticed were at Chapters, in their home gifts section….

And ever since then I’ve been seeing the glass everywhere. I love the variation in colour on this pendant – a very aged silver.

c/o www.sherrisreadingjubilee.blogspot.com

The following beauties were found on Pinterest.

And this last one is actually a DIY mercury glass. Check out the tutorial here: www.takethesidestreet.com/2010/11/faux-mercury-glass-tutorial.html. Hmmm, I may just give this a try if I can find Krylon Looking Glass spray paint in Canada.

The other night, I even picked a couple of pretty little mercury glass birds for our Christmas decorating. No pics yet, but once I get to decorating, I’ll share.

Have you included any mercury glass pieces in your decorating – Christmas or otherwise? If so, let us know….

Friday Find–November 25 {Thanks!}

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To all my American friends and family… Happy Thanksgiving!

Source: thebottomoftheironingbasket.blogspot.com via PhotoPuddle on Pinterest

Friday Find–November 18 {new discoveries}

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Have you found The Foundary? I was snooping around on the web the other day and came across this really neat site.

It’s a collection of really cool products that are offered up for a limited time online sale. I’ve come across several of these over the last few years, but there’s something about the products offered on The Foundary that appeals to me. To quote the website:

Every once in a while, a product emerges from the stagnant mainstream to capture the imagination of our buyers. These folks see a lot of ordinary in their day-to-day, so when they spot something transformative, they have a cultivated ability to recognize it. And then something funny happens. Like a flipped switch from daydream to wakefulness, there's a moment of inspiration. They're compelled not just to buy, but to share.

That's why we built the Foundary. To create a space where we can share our passion for products of substance. We share this passion with Foundary members through daily emails, which announce new, limited-time sales events, each filled with surprises, delights, and a satisfying dose of indulgence.

Here’s some of some the cool stuff you’ll find:

(This one is for my hubby’s garage, which we lovingly call “The Lounge”)

If you haven’t already – check out The Foundary!

Sew …. what’s new???

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey readers, I’ve got something brewing in my garage. No…. it’s not hubby’s still (I can’t say that too loud, he’s McGyver inclined and may just try it out --- LOL).

Nope, it something better than alcohol, well better than Grain alcohol anyway, never better than red wine you understand – NOTHING is better than red wine.

But I digress, back out to the garage.

A couple of weeks ago my friend and fellow blogger Kelly of Jax does design gave me one of several old sewing tables (including the machine) of her grandmothers. I was beyond thrilled. You see I have a small obsession with previously loved furniture. (See my last makeover here). I think it’s partly because of the secrets they hold. Where have they been, who have they known? And in this particular case, how many garments have been lovingly created or repaired by this machine? That’s part of it, but the main reason is the draw of giving these pieces a new lease on life.

So, after I brought my new friend home, I was “alotted” a small space in the garage for my latest find. Then the fun began. What did this new treasure hold ….

In the original picture Kelly showed me I wasn’t sure if the top was one or two pieces. I used to have a sewing table that had a split hinged top. With this in mind, I was thinking I would replace the top with a nice piece of granite or marble. But … looks like I won’t have to, since this sewing table has a solid one piece top that lifts off – sahweet!

Now, what secrets is this solid one piece top hiding …

The machine is a Franklin, made by Sears Roebuck Co. in the early 1900’s. Here are some close-ups:

So, what started off as a cool new furniture makeover, morphed somewhat into a Google research project to find out as much as we could about Franklin sewing machines. Here’s what we found:

The whole story can be found at http://www.ismacs.net/sears/sears.html, where you’ll hear all about the exciting world of sewing machines :)! The machine isn’t worth very much at this point, but it certainly has some decorative value if you were going to display it somewhere.

Next week, I’ll share my ideas and inspiration for re-finishing this gorgeous piece … stay tuned

Friday Find–November 11 {Remember}

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Source: sheseesthestars.tumblr.com via Sue on Pinterest

Friday Find – November 4 {Pinteresting}

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While scrolling through Pinterest this week, here’s what a loved….

This looks like such a nice cozy place to relax and sip a cuppa … ahhhhhh

Isn’t this a great idea? I hate crawling into my corner cupboard to get things – sometimes I have to pack a lunch I’m in there so long :)

And last but not least – House Rules!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

All images c/o www.pinterest.com

Friday Find – October 28th {Lost in Fabric…}

2011-10-28T18:21:00.001-04:00

This week, several decorator friends and I have been perusing the online fabric stores. If you haven’t been able to reach us, you’ll know why when I show you what we’re looking at:

Fabrics c/o www.designerfabrics.ca or www.onlinefabricstore.net ~ Layouts c/o www.smilebox.com

Both of these collections are inspiration for two rooms in my home. I’m going to have a hard time choosing, don’t you think?

Where do you shop for fabrics? Do you shop online or do you prefer to see and feel fabrics in person?

Friday Find – October 21 {Turned Crazy}

2011-10-21T15:23:00.001-04:00

First, I must apologize for missing last Friday. I was away with my girlfriends for our 26th annual Girls Weekend. I’d tell you more about it, but you know what they say … what happens on Girls Weekend ….. nobody remembers!

Anyhow, I am back in one piece and ready with this week’s Friday find. In more research on the colour RED I came across this photo:

contemporary bedroom design by los angeles interior designer betsy burnham

via www.houzz.com

The picture showed up in my search for RED because of the chair, which is nice but I am crushing on that bed. Isn’t it fabulous? Those turned bedposts are crazy!

(source: House Beautiful – http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/Warm-Is-Luxurious-House-1206)

This is the Moragas Bed from Gregorius|Pineo and I WANT one!

Friday Find – October 7 {Pop of Red}

2011-10-07T14:42:00.001-04:00

I’ve been doing some research on the colour RED. It’s for a project I’m planning for my main floor, and that’s all you are going to get. I came across this picture on Houzz during my research and I had to share it with you.

contemporary entry design by san francisco architect awarchitect.com

There is so much to love about this door. First and foremost the colour, the contemporary Arts & Crafts like design, and the wonderful focus it gives to this entry way.

Friday Find – September 30 {Fall Colours}

2011-09-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

Well, here we are at the end of September … sighhhhh. One saving grace for me about this time of year is the fabulous colour inspiration I get from looking outside.

Here are a couple of photos I’ve taken over the years of fall colours. They continue to inspire my colour choices and combinations today!

Central Park, NYC

near Perth, Ontario

near Gracefield, Quebec

What season’s colours inspire you?

Friday Find – September 23 {Urban cows}

2011-09-23T15:51:00.001-04:00

Browsing through October’s issue of Style at Home magazine I came across THE coolest wallpaper. Check this out…

Now here it is in an application…

I love the “graphic-ness” of it, how you have to look closely to make out the cows. This beats your grand-mothers Guernsey cow theme any day!

Friday Find – September 16 {MNO Pottery}

2011-09-16T12:56:00.001-04:00

Friday again?! Whoosh – did you feel that week go by? Although, if asked I’ll deny it, I think it’s true what they say - as we ~~get older~~ gain life experience, life experience gains speed!!!

This week I’m going to share a discovery I made while visiting the scenic area of Browns Flat, New Brunswick this summer. As I mentioned in a previous post on cedar shake shingles, we spent a week in a cottage in NB this summer surrounded by family, water (in the form of rain mostly), campfires, good food and wine and the occasional visit from friends.

During our time in the area we happened to stop in at a local potter’s shop. Darren Emenau of MNO Pottery (did you catch that slight of name???) creates some amazingly unique pieces from his self-built wood fired kiln on his property near Browns Flat. We found Darren by stopping by his country store on highway 102.

Darren produces a variety of pottery lines, some of which use local materials indigent to New Brunswick. Here are a few examples:

(I purchased a piece very similar to this)

Please visit Darren’s website www.mnopottery.com, and if you are in the area, stop by his charming country store to see his work in person! I’m certainly glad I did.

Shake it up!

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During August our family spent a week at a vacation home in Browns Flat, New Brunswick on the St. John’s River. With the exception of the uncooperative weather, and a little bit of SUV engine trouble, it was a fun week. We played board games, card games, did a puzzle or two. We ate some delicious meals and drank a couple, or more, bottles of wine. There was canoeing, kayaking, fishing and swimming. Hubby bought me a new lens for my Canon DLSR camera, so there was quite a bit of picture taking too – over the 7 days I took in the vicinity of 800 pictures (which I will share in another post)! And the icing on the cake, was a lot of time spent with our grandson who was the star of the week.

With the rainy weather we spent quite a bit of time travelling the roads. As we drove along highway 102 following the scenic shoreline of the St. John River one thing struck me – how much I LOVED the use of cedar shake shingles on so many of the local homes. The look seemed fitting for the area, so nautical, so weathered and so wonderfully “coastal”. So, since its a little dangerous to drive and use a camera, when I got home I hit the world wide web to find homes with cedar shake shingles. And I found A LOT of examples, in A LOT of styles … traditional, contemporary, natural, stained, painted … have a look at these:

Little House on Cape Cod

Traditional exterior design by Seattle architect David Vandervort Architects

Traditional spaces design by Chicago architect COOK ARCHITECTURAL Design Studio

Modern exterior design by Seattle architect Lauren and Kyle Zerbey

Traditional exterior design by Burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Modern exterior design by New York architect Dufner Heighes Inc

Eclectic exterior design by Boston architect Helios Design Group

Traditional exterior design by Los Angeles architect HartmanBaldwin Design/Build

Traditional exterior design by DC Metro general contractor Winn Design & Remodeling

Traditional entry design by Boston architect ZeroEnergy Design

Contemporary entry design by Boston architect LDa Architecture & Interiors

Exterior design by New York architect SchappacherWhite Ltd.

All images courtesy of www.houzz.com.

I’m having a hard time picking a favourite. How about you???

Friday Find – September 9

2011-09-09T13:11:00.001-04:00

We’ve recently repainted our stairwell and upper hallway. I want this area to house a gallery of photos of family and friends. I’ve been playing around with how to arrange this gallery and found the following example, that I think may be the winner:

Source: Martha Stewart via http://yourdecoratinghotline.com/wall-gallery-displays/

Although this one also caught my eye, since I’m dealing with two walls. I love how the display goes around the corner and up the stairs:Source: apartment therapy via http://yourdecoratinghotline.com/wall-gallery-displays/

Funny enough, my colour palette is along these shades as well. Check out the great post on Wall Gallery Displays from the “Your Decorating Hotline” blog here.

What do you think? Do you have a preference? Or other ideas? Let me know!

I also wanted to share some news with you. You may have noticed a new addition on my sidebar from Blurb.com. I’ve put together a book of photos I’ve taken with some inspirational quotes I’ve collected over the years. Check it out here. And if you are interested, it is available for purchase. Enjoy!

Checking in on the Matawatchan Project

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, hubby and I spent the weekend with our friends at their log home property in Matawatchan. You remember the Matawatchan project. I wrote about it here and again here. Well our friends A&N have been very busy over the last 18 months (yes it’s been that long since I last posted about this), and have made tremendous progress on the house, now with windows, doors, sunroom and screened porch.

Here’s a couple of shots of the progress we’ve seen:

The front of the home with a retaining wall that took A quite some effort to complete.

The front entrance and garden has a wonderful rustic appeal.

Here is the screened in porch where we spent a good portion of our weekend, with some great food and no shortage of red wine :).

Now, down to work…

One of the major areas they’ve been working on is the kitchen. Last we left off, we had settled on a kitchen layout that felt right.

Well, while we were reviewing the layout, we came across the fact that the stove would need a fan of some sort. The first option was an overhead unit like this one:

Source: Sarah Richardson Design (via Pinterest)

Not wanting to obstruct the views within the open layout first floor space, the overhead unit was vetoed. That left an integrated unit, like this.

Source: www.dacor.com

Two problems there, first, with a raised glass breakfast bar, the room for pop up vent was limited. And secondly, where do you vent to? After some discussion we decided to modify the floor plan somewhat to accommodate an outdoor venting of the stove. Here is the new layout:

You’ll notice we’ve moved the stove over to the other side of the kitchen. It’s now on an outside wall which facilitates the venting for the stove. Not only that, there is now a really nice big space for food preparation. A vent hood hasn’t been selected yet, but there’s plenty of room to house one now.

The next step for the kitchen is finalizing the cabinet configuration, that is drawers versus doors.

Currently A&N are trialling the new layout using a combination of cabinets they removed from their condo in the city with pieces they’ve used up to this point for their makeshift kitchen. The reviews so far are good!

It’s a long term project, but I’m very excited to see the progress as we move towards the finished project.

In my next Matawatchan post I’ll tell you all about some of the issues we have with the master bedroom layout upstairs.

Friday Find–September 2

2011-09-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

O.M.G. How did it get to be September? Wasn’t it May last week? I’m not ready for September, I haven’t done everything I wanted to do, haven’t gone everywhere I wanted to go, haven’t seen everyone I wanted to see. I’M NOT READY!!!!

In a vain attempt to hold onto summer, here’s a glimpse of the summer that I dream of:

After a week of antiquing in Paris, perhaps at Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt, which is the largest flea market in the world:

Source: http://tinyurl.com/4385toa

I would spend a week sailing the Mediterranean:

Source: www.flickr.com

Do some scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef:

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/holidaytypeshub/article-607736/In-shark-end.html

Spend some time “volunteering” as a wine taster at a vineyard in Italy:

Source: http://gpn.travel/blog/2009/09/01/gpn-kicks-off-from-people-to-people-tours-in-october/

Hike my way through the Scottish Highlands:

Source: http://www.europeupclose.com/article/hiking-scotlands-west-highland-way/

Head out on a road trip through the Canadian Rockies:

Source: http://rdougwicker.com/2011/04/25/a-road-trip-through-the-canadian-rockies/

And once I’m back home, spend a week with all of my family and friends at a huge summer home to celebrate the summer:

Source: http://www.cottagecountry.com/listings/169701/

Hey … I think I just wrote my Bucket List! Can you imagine doing all that in one summer?

I hope you had a fantastic summer and that you finish it off in style this weekend!!

Friday Find - August 26

2011-08-26T12:35:00.001-04:00

My Friday Find post is about things that inspire me. As I pondered today’s post - Will it be fabric? A tile? A flower? A piece of furniture? - I suddenly realized what inspired me this week. It has nothing to do with design, it has to do with humanity.

This week Canadians are mourning the passing of Jack Layton. Jack, as everyone felt comfortable calling him, had recently headed up one of Canada's most surprising political victories - the elevation of the New Democratic Party to the "Official Opposition" status. He was a charismatic, eloquent, down-to-earth, "real" politician - if that is possible.

Did Jack inspire me before this week? I would have to say not. He was interesting to listen to, but I wasn't following his every move. What has inspired me is what Jack had to say to Canadians with his passing. His Letter to Canadians transcends politics. It speaks to all of us. It gives us hope as Canadians and as citizens of the world.

If you haven't already, take a few moments to read the letter here. I will leave you with his parting words, which will be quoted for decades to come.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

Jack Layton 1950 - 2011

Have a loving, hopeful and optimistic weekend.

Friday Find - August 19th

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We were out for dinner last night at a local patio. I love eating outdoors and we often do so at home. Here are some lovely photos of outdoor dining spot, all of which I'd love to enjoy a meal at.

These would be great to entertain a few friends at:

Or large groups of friends at these:

Or how about these for an intimate meal for two <3<3

(All images courtesy of Pinterest)

Whichever outdoor spot you are dining at this weekend – hope it’s wonderful!

Friday Find - July 29th

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We're off to a friends cottage this weekend for a much anticipated couples getaway (aka par-tay).

Got me thinking about how serene and calming cottages can be (unless of course you're at the cottage I'm going to this weekend LOL).

Like this one:

Or this one:

Have a great weekend all (be it serene and calming or loud and fun!!

(just have to add that I posted this from my iPhone on thee way to the cottage - I love technology)

Friday Find–July 22

2011-07-22T12:09:00.001-04:00

Today, in the heat wave we’re experiencing in Ottawa, this is where I want to be…. floating a chair with my favourite beverage at the ready!

What about you? Hope you are staying cool this weekend.

Friday Find – July 15

2011-07-15T16:44:00.001-04:00

In my Dabble browsing this week, I came across this fainting sofa from Urban Outfitters. I love it in the aubergine velvet. Just saying “aubergine” and “fainting sofa” in the same sentence is giving me a serious case of the vapours.

“Why, I do declare, I believe I will have to retire to the veranda.

Oh dahling, would you fetch me a pitcher of mint julep.”

OK, I’m done channelling my inner Scarlett :). Have a wonderful summer weekend all! And while you are enjoying your drink of choice on your veranda, make sure to check out the latest issue of Dabble Magazine!

Friday Find – July 8

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Flipping through the June 2011 issue of Elle Decor, I came across this table in an article about Paul Loebach, a furniture designer.

All images c/o The Contemporist.

Read their post on the Watson Table here.

Paul was named one New York Times “Nifty 50” in January of 2010. I like the unique design, a modern piece with a nod to the spiral turned legs of earlier furniture styles. A conversation piece in anyone’s home, I’m sure!

Friday Find–July 1

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Happy Canada Day…

…to my fellow Canadians!

Hope you enjoy a great weekend celebrating!

Friday Find – June 24

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This garden inspires me…

…to go relax in mine!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Find – June 17

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Image c/o CeramicaBardelli; artist Ronald Van Der Hilst

Las Vegas–Part Deux

2011-06-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

In Las Vegas – Part One I showed you pictures of the scenery that we were treated to on our trip to Las Vegas in March. That was actually one of the reasons I wanted to go – believe it or not – not the lights, the shows or the gambling. That being said, there certainly were plenty of other amazing things to see in Vegas. And here are some of them …

A few more pics of the view from our balcony…

The fountains at The Bellagio!

The ceiling in the Bellagio Reception.

A close up – these are glass poppies! Aren’t they beautiful?

And here’s the real thing in the Bellagio Gardens.

More poppies! I’ve been trying for a few years to grow these in my garden with no luck.

Hyacinths in the Bellagio Gardens

This is a tile floor in the Bellagio Garden. I love the detail!

A shot from our night flight over Vegas.

And now for some examples of the lighting (which seems to be the majority of pictures I took of the interiors) in our hotel – The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.

Bright pink chandeliers against an elegant wallpaper on the recessed ceiling.

There were several tear drop type window treatments. The first was in our bedroom and the second was a chandelier in the lobby bar.

This was one of many chandeliers through the casino, all glass.

And the piece de resistance …

A three story bar – INSIDE a chandelier!

It was impossible to get he entire chandelier in one photo.

Amazing!

Friday Find – June 3

2011-06-03T12:15:00.001-04:00

Hello, my name is Donna and I am a procrastinator. Admitting it is the first step right? Except in all honesty there won’t be steps 2 through 12. I know it. You know it. My family knows it. So lets just move on okay people, nothing to see here.

Now, the reason for my little rant. For reasons I won’t get into here, I’ve been on a clean up kick the last few weeks and let me tell you it feels good – damn good! With apologies to the sanitation engineers that appear at the end of my driveway each week, I have been brutal to my hoards of collected “necessities” (I even threw out all of my design boards from school). I have to be, because along with my admitted procrastination, I also suffer from a minor case of “collectorism”, or as DH says “you-need-that-for-what-exactly?”.

Wow – two minutes in and I’ve already told you way too much about myself – sorry…

So, in my clean up, I came across all of the great material I “collected” at IDS 11 in January – and yes I know this is June. I found lots of good stuff, including, sadly, gift certificates and coupons that have long expired for things I probably wouldn’t have bought anyway. But there were a couple of gallons of paint that may have found itself thrown on a wall in my house somewhere. Oh well.

One of the great things I came across is this week’s Friday Find (finally… you’re saying). At our really cool IDS11 Tweet-up, we got a goodie bag with a little package from The New Traditionalists. I flipped through their furniture booklet and came across these pieces:

I love the lines and colour of both. What do you think?

Happy Friday everyone!

Las Vegas–Part One

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Although I’m a little behind on posting about our trip to Las Vegas in March, I wanted to share some of the scenery we enjoyed while there. Some of you may remember that I got a new DSLR camera for Christmas. Between my new camera and my old point and shoot camera, I took over 800 pictures in 7 days. You have no idea how hard it is to pick a “few” of those to give you a sense of our trip, but I’ll give it a try.

Here is Part One.

We had never been to Las Vegas before and neither of us are gamblers, so we spent several days checking out the amazing desert scenery. Check these out:

This is the hotel we stayed in – The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. Brand spanking new and very cool.

This is the scene from our hotel room balcony at 6:00 am. And yes, I went right back to sleep after taking this one :)!

And this is the view down the strip later that night from the same balcony.

Our first big adventure was the flight and tour of the Grand Canyon. There are no words to describe the Grand Canyon, so I’ll let some of my pictures do it for me.

Taken from the airplane on our flight from Vegas to the Grand Canyon.

First glimpse of the vastness of the Grand Canyon.

More.

And here is a panorama using a cool feature on my Canon camera Photo-Stitch.

Our next big adventure was a trip to the Nevada State Park – “Valley of Fire” which gets its name from the red sandstone formations throughout the stark landscape of the Mojave Desert. We paid our $11 entrance fee and drove through some of the most amazing landscape either of us had seen.

Here are some rare plants and flowers seen in the desert.

The next stop was Hoover Dam, which was too big to get a single picture of. I won’t bore you with the amazing details of this man made structure, suffice it to say “WOW”!

Lake Mead before the dam

The new bridge over the Colorado River next to the Hoover Damn (from which you can see nothing I might add)

In Part Two, I will share some of the Vegas lights and interiors.

Stay tuned…

Friday Find–May 27

2011-05-27T21:16:00.001-04:00

We have a new Stickley Furniture store in Ottawa. It has reminded me how much I love arts and crafts furniture. Here’s a couple of my favourites from their Edinburgh collection.

I fell in love with Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s furniture designs while taking History of Furniture. Stickley has done an amazing job in carrying his designs forward in the Hillhouse Sideboard and Willow Queen Bed pieces above.

I think I know what I’ll be doing this rainy wet weekend – heading to Stickley Furniture!

Friday Find - May 20

2011-05-20T12:48:00.001-04:00

I've been seeing these for several years and love the look! A nice mix of industrial and rustic. I'm trying to figure out where I could incorporate one of these in my home.

Source: Smitten Design

Friday Find–May 6

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

I’ve been researching pergolas to install over our hot tub.

I love the look of this one! Don’t you?

Friday Find – April 15

2011-04-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Inspiration of another kind…

Friday Find – April 8th

2011-04-08T13:43:00.001-04:00

Sorry for missing last week’s Friday Find, but I’m now back from a busy vacation in Las Vegas!

Friday Find–March 25

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

This Friday Find needed more than one picture.

The former Las Vegas residence of Nicholas Cage c/o www.luxist.com.

We are heading to Las Vegas next week and I was doing some advance browsing.

Gorgeous!!!

Donor Spotlight – Floor Coverings International

2011-03-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

In this last donor spotlight post for Extreme Makeover – Kindness Edition, I’m going to tell you all about Floor Coverings International.

Floor Coverings International carry a large variety of flooring, from your traditional wood, stone or tile, carpeting to specialty flooring such as rubber, natural sisal, bamboo, glass inlay and more. Many of their options are also eco-friendly.

From the Floor Coverings International website:

“Floor Coverings International is North America's leading in-home design floor coverings brand. Our company is carefully crafted on creating for you, our customers, a discernable difference from any other floor coverings company.

Your design associate is someone who will come to your home with the specific skill to design for you the flooring solution to inspire you, and that is perfect for your home. Every one of our design associates is trained to be an expert in both flooring knowledge and flooring design. We are experts in knowing the features and benefits of all types of flooring material, and how to create for you the right design, either from one material, or using several in one design. Our job is to inspire you, and to open up for you a world of opportunity to create the most beautiful and appropriate flooring solution.

The Floor Coverings Customer Experience has been crafted to ensure that from the first moment you contact us, through the installation of your floor and beyond, you will feel valued and held by our company. Whoever you talk to and meet at Floor Coverings International, we would like you to know that the measure of our success lies solely in the measurement of your satisfaction of us.”

For our project, Richard Cranston, of Ottawa’s Floor Coverings International, answered our pleas…

We were very close to the end of implementing our design plan but were missing one key element. The area rug was a key element pulling our central seating area together. We put the word out by email, we tweeted and posted our pleas to Facebook and we got an almost immediate response from Floor Coverings International from Ottawa.

Their donation was a custom made area carpet that was absolutely perfect for the space. Since we were dealing with a reception area in a seniors center that sees alot of traffic through the messy, slushy winter months, we needed something that was durable as well as stylish. From the vast selection of area carpets available, we were offered a product that would not move, curl, shrink and would not create any chance of a tripping hazard, which was available in a variety of shades. Based on our colour scheme, we selected the Java shade:

And here’s how it transformed the space. We went from this:

To this:

A great big thank you to Floor Coverings International!

The Extreme Makeover Kindness Edition and the Good Companion Center and it’s members appreciate your generosity!

Friday Find - March 18

2011-03-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Looks large yet feels comfortable!

via Country Living

Donor Spotlight–Premiere Executive Suites Ottawa

2011-03-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

As a continuing series of blog posts to thank the generous donors who made our Extreme Makeover – Kindness Edition possible, I’d like to shine the spotlight on Premiere Executive Suites Ltd.

Let me tell you a little bit about Premiere Executive Suites.

They are Canada’s number one provider of four-star, extended stay, furnished apartments and executive suites. With a large selection of inventory across the country, including many right here in Ottawa, Premiere Executive Suites properties range from studio units to three bedroom townhomes. Suites are comfortable and elegant, allowing you to maintain a more normal and comfortable life away from home. And believe me, if I had to be away from home for an extended period of time, this is where I would like to stay, wouldn’t you?

The homes Premiere Executive Suites have available for extended stay all include:

Living rooms that give you more room to live
Full kitchens … just like at home
Extra conveniences like in-suite washer and dryer
And instead of rooms with a bed, they offer full bedrooms

All of these attributes are what make their properties feel just like home. As their motto goes: “At the end of the day, or the beginning, we want you to feel like you’re living, not living out of a suitcase.”

Check out Premiere Executive Suites at www.premieresuites.com, or contact them in Ottawa 613-695-6510 (local) / 1-877-645-6510 (toll free) / ottawa@premieresuites.com (email).

And so, how did Premiere Executive Suites come through for The Good Companions?

One of the first calls we put out when we started on this project was for furniture. There was absolutely no way we could get the full impact of our design if we didn’t have the furniture pieces we needed. When we put the call out, Premiere Executive Suites Ottawa came through. They scoured their inventory and came up with the following donated pieces:

And here’s how we used them:

Thank you so much to Premiere Executive Suites for donating to such a great cause!

Friday Find - March 11

2011-03-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Lots to love in this room!

By interior designer Annie Selke via House Beautiful.

Donor Spotlight - The Upper Room Home Furnishings

2011-03-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I told you about my involvement in Extreme Makeover – Kindness Edition, turning The Good Companions Center lobby, reception and tuck shop from drab to fab entirely on DONATIONS!!! That's right - construction, furniture, paint, carpet, artwork, floral arrangements, woodworking, photography & design savvy - ALL donated!

It’s been an exciting project, with a very talented group of peers. On February 18th we spent the day putting the project together for the big reveal on February 19th. I’ll give you all the details and pics on that in another post, but, what really made this project come together was the generous donations from various individuals, organizations and companies. And since several of the decorators involved in the project have blogs, we have decided to write Donor Spotlight posts to that all of those involved!

One of those was Ottawa’s The Upper Room Home Furnishings!

When we first put our design plan together we envisioned a central seating area with a sofa and chairs around a coffee table and a few other seating areas scattered throughout the space. When the call went out for donations, theses were the areas we were trying to fill. And when we approached our friends at The Upper Room, they came through – in spades - with a red leather sofa, a coffee and end table AND two occasional chairs!

Here are the pieces donated:

Furniture donated by The Upper Room

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

And before I show you how we incorporated these pieces, let me tell you a bit about their generous donor.

The Upper Room Home Furnishings (www.upperroomhome.ca) has been in business since 2004 and has a tradition of quality, customer service excellence and commitment to the community - which is quite evident in their generous donation to The Good Companions.

A top priority of The Upper Room makes is to engage their clients, helping them fully realize their home design goals. With a selection of more than 700 sumptuous fabrics and over 60 custom leather colours and textures, their showroom features a large selection of home furnishings to suit various decors, be they elegant, contemporary or eclectic. The Upper Room offers design services and will work with you to achieve the look you desire.

Their website offers up a "Knowledge Centre" which provides guidance on cleaning your furniture and area rugs, tips on decorating and design, and monthly design articles. Check out their cool space planner tool that lets you play with a room's layout to help you decide which furniture works best in your room. Really cool! Make sure to browse their online collection of furniture available for purchase, but to get the full impact of their extensive inventory, head out to their show room at 2670 Queensview Drive in Ottawa or call them at 613-721-5873.

So, from the design team to Upper Room Home Furnishings …

Please make sure to visit the other “Donor Spotlights” populated over the next 2 weeks and listed at the top of my sidebar. And now, since you’ve been so patient, have a look at the completed, redecorated spaces. Enjoy!

Friday Find - Feb 25

2011-02-25T08:00:00.004-05:00

Do you goop?

http://www.goop.com/

It's Gwyneth Paltrow and it's very inspiring.

Extreme Makeover–Kindness Edition

2011-02-17T17:27:00.001-05:00

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be asked to take part in a project called “Extreme Makeover – Kindness Edition”. Just what is “Extreme Makeover – Kindness Edition” you ask? Well, I’ll tell you…

Extreme Makeover – Kindness Edition is part of Winterlude Getaway put together by the Yummy Mummy Club (Toronto) that occurs during Ottawa’s Kindness Week. The YMC partnered with The United Way, to have an Ottawa design dream-team makeover the reception and lobby area of The Good Companions Center, a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of both seniors and adults with physical disabilities.

The design team is led by Sonya Kinkade of Sonya Kinkade Design and we are joined on the project by 5 other local decorators;

Lisa Goulet from Lisa Goulet Design
Maureen Coates from MODECOR
Mary Anne van Gaal from Otta Decorate!
Nicole Duguay from Solace Interiors
Kelly James from JAX Decor & Design

Now, this is no ordinary makeover. This is a makeover completed entirely with DONATIONS! That’s right – construction, furniture, paint, carpet, artwork, floral arrangements, woodworking, photography and design savvy – ALL DONATED!

There’s been a flurry of activity recently at the center itself, but work started weeks ago when started planning our approach.

We got together to pick paint colours, we collaborated over fabric swatches and room layout, but the biggest task of all was contacting individuals, companies and organizations to donate their time, services and products to this worthy cause. And they came through in spades!

Stay tuned to our blogs, as over the next week or two, we will be posting DONOR SPOTLIGHT posts to thank all of those who generosity enabled this act of kindness!

We are on the cusp of the big reveal, which is happening this Saturday – February 19th, from 10:30 to 12:00. If you are in Ottawa, please drop by for a visit! The Good Companions Centre – 670 Albert Street, Ottawa. We would love to see you there!

Friday Find–February 11

2011-02-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

I love these chairs from Barbara Barry.

They remind me somewhat of the chairs the Friendly Giant used to place for us before the fire.

(Only fellow Canadians “of a certain age” will relate to this).

Source: www.veranda.com

Friday Find–February 4

2011-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

From the Elle Decor Show Home in San Fransisco, the lower level family room designed by Erin Martin.

Is it just me or is that a giant spider hanging from the ceiling?

Friday Find–January 28

2011-01-28T08:49:00.001-05:00

This week’s Friday Find is a little late – for a good reason. I’m at IDS ‘11!!! Meeting some really cool people!! But more on that later….

The pendants are part of the Sibling Revelry booth at IDS 11. They are in the Sarah Richardson and Theo Richardson rooms and were designed by Theo’s NYC based company Rich, Brilliant, Willing.

Aren’t they cool?

Stay tuned for more from IDS ‘11!

Friday Find - January 21

2011-01-21T08:00:00.010-05:00

Source: House Beautiful - Designer: Thomas Hamel

I want to live here.

Please???

Sunny day …

2011-01-21T07:00:00.009-05:00

I must have been a very good girl last year. Really good :)! This is what Santa brought me for Christmas:

I have been playing and learning (and learning and learning), and here’s my favourites so far …

Milo is a great subject for photos, unlike his room-mate Sam, who sees the camera and leaves the room :)!

Stay tuned for more …

Garden Stools …

2011-01-16T20:25:00.001-05:00

The snow is blowing, the temperatures are low and I’m f-f-f-freezing.

So what better subject to think, dream and write about … yep … garden stools.

I love my garden. And I love accessorizing my garden.

You know, that little pop of colour peeking out from between plants.

But garden stools are popping up everywhere these days.

The reason is their versatility. And I love them for that!

Check out these great rooms that incorporate garden stools:

Sources: My apologies, these have been in my inspiration file for quite a while, so I’m unsure of the sources.

Ahhhh, now I’m feeling a little bit warmer (and really looking forward to summer to boot)! Hope you are too!

Have a great week everyone!

Friday Find – January 14

2011-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

I found this little gem in the “Best for the Bath” feature of February’s House Beautiful. It’s a peanut shaped teak bathtub from the Purify Collection at Gardenside. Read about it and it's creator here.

Isn’t it gorgeous???

Organized Storage …

2011-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

The February issue of Country Living arrived today and right there on the front cover was my dream. I was so distracted that I may have missed something important that hubby was saying to me. When I finally did look up from the magazine, dinner decisions had already been made :o) !!

What, you ask, could have consumed me so. Well, I’ll tell you. In fact I’ll do better than that, I’ll show you!

Built in shelving and cabinetry!

I’ve had a love affair with built ins for years. Not only do they give you the ability to display your collections, photos and books, they also provide much needed storage. And, probably most important, they provide architectural detail to the space.

I would have built ins in every single room of my house if I had my way. And here’s why …

First, I love books, all kinds of books and up to now I’ve had to part with most of my books due to lack of storage.

Secondly, I collect ~~junk~~ stuff, for instance white pottery and dishes (so you can see why the cover photo had such an impact on me – lots of white pottery there!), clear glass vases and containers among other goodies. Heck, I’ve had to stop going to HomeSense *gasp* because I have nowhere to display all the great stuff I find there.

And finally, as I’ve mentioned before, I have some gorgeous inherited china that is still packed away in the basement awaiting an appropriate home in my dining room. I’ve been scouring kijiji for just the right piece of furniture, but the more I see and consider pieces, the more I realize that the right storage for the dining room is built ins.

So, I’ve been researching … and here’s what I’ve found so far …

A perfect little spot to relax and peruse your collection …

I absolutely love the blue pitchers – and isn’t the fabric on that chair perfect!

Not sure if I’d ever need two washing machines, but I love the clean, crisp, organized feel of this laundry room!

Built in seating is also something I’d love to incorporate into my dining room!

This unit incorporates media storage and display space, a great combination! And I love the contrasting dark walls.

And I’ve always had a thing for window seats!

If you’ve got built ins, or great sources for built ins, please share!

Source: 1 - Country Living ; 2 – unknown; 3,6711- House Beautiful ; 4 – www.wineonthekeyboard.com; 5 – unknown; 6 - Traditional Home ; 8 – www.decorpad.com ; 9 – McGill Design Group ; 10 - Candice Olson

Friday Find–Jan 7

2011-01-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

First, let me wish you all a Happy New Year! May 2011 be a year full of health, happiness and prosperity!

Secondly, I apologize for missing Friday Find last week (Dec 31). Hubby and I were celebrating with dear friends on our annual winter trip to Mexico. This is the first time we’ve been for New Years and I would recommend it to anyone. There is nothing like champagne and fireworks on the beach!

Now, let’s get back on track with the first Friday Find of 2011…

I love a lot of things about this space. The pops of green, the form of the chairs, the wall of windows in the back, but I have to say the painted floor really caught my eye!

Source: House Beautiful – Room designed by Christina Murphy

Friday Find - December 24th

2010-12-24T10:32:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!!!

I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe holiday!

Source: http://www.housebeautiful.com/

Friday Find - December 17

2010-12-17T10:44:00.000-05:00

This is the cutest tradition - wish I had known about it when my girls were small!

Read about it here...

New feature on dh designs–“Friday Find”

2010-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling just a tad bit of guilt over the summer about my infrequent postings here. Nothing you've done blog-land, just life was uber-busy, and maybe I would rather be outside enjoying the sunshine, or upstairs painting a bedroom, or out shopping. Whatever the reason, I have been neglecting my blogger friends by not posting and even worse - not visiting and commenting on your blogs *GASP*.

Well I am about to remedy that. And here's how:

One of the reasons why I've been skipping posting is a case of bloggers block. I have set somewhat of a standard for my posts - they were not quick and easy to post, they took some thinking and time to formulate. That seemed to be turning me off posting. Soooo... I've decided that every Friday I will be doing a quickie post about something I've found that week that has caught my eye. It won't be a novel, heck it won't even be a short story, it will just be a picture and perhaps a sentence or two. I'm going to call this my "Friday Find".

And here's the first one:

I love this chair! Simple…

In need of a little warmth ….

2010-11-20T23:33:00.001-05:00

Brrrr….

This cooler weather up here in the great cold north has me wishing I had a fireplace.

There’s nothing quite like curling up in front of a roaring wood fire to give you that comfy, warm all over feeling. Now I know wood fires aren’t for everyone, and there are several benefits derived from natural gas fireplaces, or even electric fireplaces, but for me the smell of a wood fire is half the pleasure and if Blogger had that option, you can be guaranteed I’d be attaching it to this post :)! But since it doesn’t here are some fireplace images to put you in the mood …

The clean warm feel of this room is achieved by mixing the warm wood tones, cream furnishings, walls and windows and of course the stainless fireplace.

I love the glow the fireplace gives this room.

And now, I’m wishing I could live in this beach house, although I’m not sure when I’d curl up in front of a roaring fire ?? But I do know that I’d be out on the beach a whole lot :).

This is more like it – good book, class of red, a nice warm blanket, and a dog or two cuddled up on the sofa with me.

I’d maybe do some mending while sitting by this fire, with a big pot of hearty stew bubbling on the stove.

Although this room doesn’t scream curl up by a roaring fire, I had to include it for the great furnishings, lovely wall colour and yes … the zebra rug!

I love the stone wall this fireplace is inserted into, although it is a gas fireplace. One day I will use this stone in my home – one day I tell ya…

I love the mid-century modern look of this suspended fireplace. I feel like I’m looking at James Bond’s ski chalet. James dahling, that will be shaken not stirred please.

This is in an apartment in the Upper East Side NYC. Hard to believe.

And now for the total opposite – a rustic home in the Adirondacks – notice the birch tree beside the fireplace? Interesting!

And for some of these wonderful fireplaces, how about a nifty fireplace screen. I found these in my latest email from Architectural Digest and fell in love. They are made by Philip Nimmo Ironworks, out of Los Angeles, California. They have many unique designs for fire screens, along with other products such as furniture, lighting and fireplace tools. Philip Nimmo is also an architectural and interior design firm, so check out some of their work here as well.

Here are my favourites:

So are you sitting in front of your fireplace feeling a bit warmer now. Wish I was!

Mastering the Big Picture

2010-10-31T23:54:00.001-04:00

I’ve been telling you all over the last several months about projects we’ve undertaken here at home. One of those has been our new master bedroom. Renovating is a very s….l….o….w…. process when you are doing it yourself. If a client was involved the choices would be made, acquired and installed within a projected timeframe. When it’s your own room, the money isn’t always available to get what you need or want right away. And when you work this way, it’s sometimes difficult to end up with a room that looks pulled together. Here’s how I’ve done so far…

Just to remind you, here are some inspiration photos for my renovated master bedroom:

Sensing a trend here???? I love the soft, calm together look of the bedrooms Sarah designs. I love the greys, blues, creams and whites. I love the contrast of those colours with the dark pieces. And I love the small touches of shimmer with the metal and glass elements.

So, with these inspirations in mind, I’ve been at work in the master. It’s not ready for a full reveal, but I’ll give you a sneak peak of the elements I have so far…

I have picked my colours - a beautiful shade of grey/taupe for the walls and a slightly creamy white for the trim.

My oh so handy hubby gave us the closet of our dreams – really I’ve reduced the number of closets I use in the house by 66% – down from 3 to 1!

And he’s also done a phenomenal job on replacing the old trim with some of his own designs which adds some nice architectural detail in the room

I’ve totally re-invented an old dresser into a lovely new piece (you can read about that here)

I found a steal of a quasi-antique dresser for hubby on kijiji.

I have two beautiful Kelly Wearstler patterned pillows that I won from a giveaway over on the Kerrisdale Design blog. These fit quite nicely in the room.

I purchased two (yes two) sets of lamps for our room. The first set was bought for the form. The form doesn’t give off a lot of light, so is used for “mood” lighting.

And the second for the function which also happens to have some wicked form and throws the perfect amount of light for reading in bed.

I have a gorgeous area rug for the room that I found at HomeSense.

I’m loving all of the elements I have so far, but I’ve struggled with picking an accent colour that I could use to put pop into the room. With the walls being so neutral, I could literally pick from a multitude of accent colours. In fact, that is why I love the colour of the room so much. Without a whole lot of work or money I can change up the feel of the room just by changing the accent colour.

Then I was at Home Outfitters the other day and bumped into Brian Gluckstein. Well, not literally. (Although, I did see him at IDS 2010 in Toronto this past January. Oh and did I mention that I was talking to Jane Lockhart at the time.)

Ok, enough with the name dropping, back to my encounter at Home Outfitters. I’ve been searching for the “perfect” winter bedding for the room. Something that would tie all of the colours in the room together and add that accent colour. And I found it in one of Brian Gluckstein’s Home bedding products. The pattern is called “Suede” and is a great combination of all of the colours in the room in addition to a nice light blue that actually provides a really nice accent colour. The bedding is reversible too so I can have two different looks. Here’s both sides of the sham:

And here’s a peak at what the room looks like now:

I still have quite a few items on my list to complete the master bedroom.

I need a mirror for above my dresser – in fact there is NOTHING on my walls at all. I tell myself I’m still admiring my excellent taste in paint colours (snort) but we all know I’m afraid to put a nail in the perfectly finished walls
I need to refinish the chair that will be placed in the room
Window treatments are on the list
I also haven’t decided on what to do with my bedside tables

Hopefully I’ll be finalizing the last few pieces over the next month or so and have a finished room by Christmas :)!

Have a great week folks!

Our family has grown

2010-10-17T12:46:00.001-04:00

A huge welcome to our first grandchild, a boy, Adonai Joel (Adi) born October 13, 2010.

My heart is filled with love.

My latest TV addiction

2010-09-28T21:19:00.001-04:00

Now that the cooler weather has arrived here in the Great White North, I’m beginning to take notice of the new fall TV season.

I used to be a huge television fan, but for about 10 years or so now I’ve found that television programming is pretty lame. Investigative cop shows don’t do it for me. Medical dramas don’t do it for me. Reality TV doesn’t do it for me either – with one exception. Home and design TV shows. And lately I’ve discovered a new show that I’m loving. 9 by design. It seems like I may be a little behind the times for this show, but what I’ve seen so far has me addicted. You have got to check this show out.

Bob and Cortney Novogratz are parents of 7 (yes that’s right - SEVEN) children who run SIXX Design, designing and building homes, most often for themselves, most often in New York City. It’s not just the work they do, it’s how they manage to get that work done with such unbelievably busy, hectic lives. Often their projects will begin with locating a property that has been torn down, or should be torn down. Their design and build will result in a property that rejuvenates neighbourhoods and sells for amazing sums of money.

Their style is a mixture of modern and vintage and somewhat chic. In fact I believe I’ve heard them say they don’t have a style. They put things that they like together and it works. Here are some examples:

Check out their website for more! And if you have a chance check out their show too – it’s quite entertaining!

A very special anniversary!

2010-09-09T22:28:00.001-04:00

This is a very special year. Twenty five years ago 5 girlfriends and I left our hubbies and babies behind to spend a couple of days of girl time together. Just 48 hours, that’s all it took. Forty eight hours to cement a bond between six women that has grown much stronger over the last 25 years, none of us could imagine our lives without it.

We started out in 1986 in a tent trailer for one night, graduated to a weekend, added a day every couple of years at our favourite campsite in Central Ontario – Sandbanks – rollicking in the waves and sand dunes.

By 2001 we decided that we deserved to graduate to a cottage, and of course you can’t reserve a cottage for less than a week in the summer right??!! See where we are going with this????

So this year being our 25th, we decided we should treat ourselves. After some research, we decided to venture across the Canada/US border and spend a couple of days at a spa resort in Stowe, Vermont.

We spent three nights at the Stoweflake Resort and Spa, enjoying their townhome accomodations and spa and pool facilities. I was the only one who took advantage of the spa facilities with a fantastic 80 minute Jasmine & Honey Vichy Treatment – can you say “Ahhhhhhhh”?

We explored the wonderful shops and restaurants in Stowe, and quickly came to the conclusion that this would definitely be a repeat destination! And for the next 25 years we have included another two very special friends.

Just to give you a sense of how close we have become, here is a tribute to my very special girls:

We have shared many a laugh, shed many a tear and learned so very much about each other – and ourselves. We are the shoulder to cry on, the compassionate ear to confide in, the helping hand to rely on and the infectious grin to giggle with. We have been through the birth of children, the passing of dearly loved ones, the celebration of weddings and the pride of graduations. We have supported each other through illnesses, our own and those of our families, short and long term. We have shared the triumphs of our children, the drama of our extended families, the heartbreak of ended relationships and the excitement of new ones.

I consider myself so very many times blessed to have so many very special women in my life. I would not be the person I am without any single one of them.

Happy 25th Anniversary Gals!!!

Some teeny tiny news ...

2010-08-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Well, my friends, I've got some big teeny tiny news!

No, I didn't go out and buy a teeny tiny Smart Car like my friend Kelly at Design Ties.

And No, we are not adding a teeny tiny barker to our brood of (two) little pups (although isn't this litte one adorable????) I'm sure Sam and Milo would adore a little sister - No??!!

And NO, hubs and I are not starting another family - GOD forbid!!! Sheesh - wouldn't that be a shocker.

Our teeny tiny news is ......

Our youngest and her hubs are expecting our very first teeny tiny grandson! The little fellow is expected to arrive at the end of September. The hubster, I and Daughter #1 (aka Auntie) are over the moon.

Now, I know you are all scratching your heads, thinking, "Wait a minute .... she is far too young to be having grandchildren!", and I really do thank you all for thinking that, but age really has nothing to do with it. I'm beginning to believe "grandparenting" is a state of mind! Now, of course I have no real experience "grandparenting", but from what my very young "grandparent" friends tell me, it ROCKS!

My hubster is a huge (read HUGE) fan of babies, and I have to admit it will be great to see him with one of his own gender for a change :)! And I am just itching to hold this little guy, coo with him, sing lullabies and watch him sleep. And, yes, I know I'm leaving alot of "other" stuff out but I'm anxious to be doing all that too!

Over the last month or so I've started to gear up into baby mode. I now make a b-line straight to the baby section in any store I'm in, I've been picking up the odd item here and there and Auntie and I are busy planning the mom-to-be's baby shower this weekend!

PS: Anyone need to know ANYTHING about baby shower games?

Check out this link: http://www.babyshower101.com/baby_shower_games.html! We are going to have FUN!

What I've also been doing though (in my spare time - cause I have soooo much of it) is decorating the nursery. We painted it a couple of weeks ago when my fab-u-lous sister-in-law from New Brunswick was visiting. Blue - of course! The parent's-to-be had decided on Fisher-Price's Ocean Wonders as the theme:

So last night Mom-to-be, Auntie and I painted coordinating coloured bubbles in the room. Here are some pics!

We traced bowls to get our larger bubble shapes and the inside of a roll of painters tape to get the smaller ones.

The turquoise and lime green paint is Natura from Beauti-tone, and the yellow, orange and dark blue (reads black in the pictures) are sample pots from Pittsburgh Paint.

We decided on a wave of bubbles across two walls, starting low under the window, reaching a peak in the corner and then a sideways S wave across the long wall to the door. For fun, I also added a couple on the opposite wall above the light switch.

Next for the room: a repainted IKEA pine shelf, rocking chair and lighting. This is fun!!!

I'll keep you all posted on the room and of course on the arrival of our teeny tiny addition!

A revealing post

2010-08-15T17:52:00.007-04:00

This has been quite an adventure, this furniture renovation project! As with most “first times” the learning curve was high and the hurdles were many.

It all started with an innocent browse through kijiji, if there is such a thing as an “innocent” browse :). To tell the truth, I have to stay away from kijiji most days because I will ALWAYS find something that I need to have. I am usually able to control my “urge to splurge”, but this time, I lost and kijiji won! But if you had come across this beauty, you would have snapped it up too – gee I’m glad I beat you to it! Because the result is GORGEOUS!!!

Just to prolong the reveal, I’ll take you through my adventures. Of course, you could always just scroll to the end of the post, but you wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, would you?

Lets start at the beginning:

Unfortunately the kijiji picture was out of focus, and I didn’t think to take a photo before I started the project with the hardware, but here is the pre-sanding picture:

I fell in love with the form and detail of this dresser. As you know, I am a huge fan of anything celtic in nature, so the detail on the front sides won me over!

This dresser was accompanied by a bedside table in the same design and a mirror, which was made to match, but doesn’t really (that’s another project I’m still contemplating). I paid $150 for all three pieces. The dresser and bedside table were made by a company called “Drexel” in 1956 and are SOLID wood and VERY heavy! The drawers are all dovetailed and have solid wood bottoms. There is even solid wood between each row of drawers. It is one well built piece of furniture.

The dresser had a couple of areas that required attention. First was missing veneer on the feet. Then there were several deep scratches on the top and on the bottom drawer on the right side. The bedside table had some minor scratches and no damage on the veneer.

Last December (“Yes, December”, she said sheepishly) I set up the pieces on my patio and sanded them all in preparation for painting.

Next I had to wait for the warmer weather – and a *sigh* cleaned up garage. Well, hubby is as much a procrastinator as I am (and just a little bit of a hoarder - just a bit *rolling eyes*), along with being a very busy fellow, so this didn’t happen until Easter.

And then, we started renovating our upper floor including the bedroom where the dresser would reside. Summer hit and we seemed to have NO free time at all. Seriously people, how does that happen??? (Note to selves – learn to say “NO”!)

Finally, in mid July all the stars were aligned and I could finally start my project. I set everything up in the garage, tarped off a section and covered anything that could get damaged by paint overspray.

First off, I had to deal with the damage to the dresser. Sanding had helped some of the scratches, but it also resulted in some uneven surfaces. Also, thanks to Design Ties’ Kelly, I had decided to switch the middle set of drawers to a single pull rather than the bail handles on the original piece, so the original holes needed to be closed up.

Armed with a tube of Lepage’s Interior Tinted Wood Filler and a putty knife, I went to work and here’s how they looked when I was done:

More sanding and I was ready to paint. As I reported here I chose a creamy base colour and an antique wash of a gold colour. And in this post I told you about my infatuation with my new paint spray gun, which hasn’t abated by one iota!

The initial coat of paint using a “paint and primer in one” product was a great experience, but the result was very disappointing. Here’s a peek:

The problem was I had sanded through the stain layer to the raw wood, resulting with the stain bleeding through the paint. Back to the Home Improvement store I went (with the car on autopilot by now) and based on a recommendation from one of my hubby’s employees I picked up B.I.N. primer and sealer from Zinsser, and sprayed all of the pieces one more time.

Success! No more bleeding stain. One more coat of the base colour, CIL’s Antique White, and we were back in business! I sanded and sprayed the tops of both pieces one final time to get a smooth finish and I was ready to do my antique glaze.

I combined my glaze colour, CIL’s Brown Bag, with Behr’s Faux Glaze product, gathered my cheesecloth rags, pulled up hubbys rolling mechanic’s seat and set to work. Here are the steps I used to achieve my antique finish:

Using a clean paint brush and clean water, brush the area with water
Using a separate paint brush and your glaze mixture, cover the same area with glaze
Using a clean cheesecloth rag, rub the area in a circular fashion (where possible) until you achieve the coverage and colour you are looking for
Move to the next area and repeat steps 1-3

In my case, I was looking for a light glaze over the solid areas, with more colour and definition in the detailed areas. In these areas, I used more than one coat of the glaze. It’s best to be lighter in your first coat. You can always reapply a second coat if you need more definition.

Next on the agenda was the hardware. This is the hardware that was on the piece:

Most of the hardware in the bedroom is pewter, so first I searched for new pewter hardware that was a little less ornate. There are three different sized hardware pieces on the dresser and bedside table, 3”, 3 1/2” and 4”. Finding 3” hardware wasn’t an issue, but the variety of hardware in other sizes was extremely low. I did find some online, but at price tags of $12-15 each, I thought I’d try to refinish the ones I had. I may revisit the hardware later, but for now, I went with what I had.

I searched the Home Improvement stores for spray paint in pewter. Nothing. Not one can of “Pewter” spray paint. Can you believe that? The closest I could find was a Stainless Steel finish from Tremclad. I tested the colour and finish on the hardware from the middle set of drawers that I wouldn’t be using. Here’s the result…

Pleasantly surprised, I sprayed all of the pieces:

For the centre drawers, I found a drawer pull that was a close match to the existing and had a celtic flair and sprayed them in the same colour.

And now….FINALLY…. the dresser project is complete! Here, in photos, is the transformation (drum roll please):

After the first coat of “paint and primer”.

The bedside table after the B.I.N. Primer-Sealer coat.

After the antique glaze finish and in place in my bedroom.

And finally, the completed piece with hardware installed.

The pillows on the top of the dresser are from a giveaway I won over on the Kerrisdale Design blog. They are a perfect fit for my new bedroom!

Next step is a piece of glass for the top of the dresser and I need to address the “mirror” issue. But, that’s a subject for another post. Right now, I’m heading upstairs to have another quick glimpse of my new dresser *sigh* ….

I am linking up this transformation to

Metamorphosis Monday’s at Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Showoff's DIY Project Parade
Under The Table and Dreaming's Sunday Showcase Party
Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Please take some time to head over to these great blogs to check out what other awesome bloggers have been up to!

A rival for my affection

2010-07-28T10:39:00.001-04:00

Ok – I’m going to admit it right up front. I’m in love. Yup. I’ve fallen hard.

At first I was apprehensive, wanted to know more, wanted to test the waters, wanted to trust but couldn’t commit, but now …. I’m done, no more fighting what was meant to be.

Who, you are asking, is the object of my affection? Well, it’s not “who” folks – it’s “what”! And that would be my new spray gun! I love how it feels in my hands, how it responds, how it covers, how it transforms!

Here’s just a glimpse of what my new love can do:

It can turn this….

Into this….

I’m still working on the finished product, as the “paint and primer in one” did not do the trick

But that’s no fault of my new paint gun – it’s partly the “dummy at the home improvement store” and yours truly. I know better!

So today – it’s off to find a primer that will seal properly and then I have another date with my new “love”, so don’t wait up! (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

And you can bet that I’m looking at every piece of wood furniture in my house wondering ……

A Garden Interlude

2010-07-27T10:37:00.001-04:00

Today’s the day I paint my dresser. It will be busy, between visits to my Dad (currently in Respite Care here in Ottawa from his home in Long Sault, Ontario), doing umpteen loads of laundry from a very busy weekend with visiting family from New Brunswick and escorting my fab-u-lous sister in law to the airport for our final goodbyes. Yes, at some point today, the first and maybe second coat of “Antique White” will be adorning my dresser.

I will be posting all about the transformation over the next few days, but in the meantime, here is an interlude from my garden to enjoy …

Have a wonderful day!!

Dressed to the nines ....

2010-07-19T13:47:00.001-04:00

Well friends, it's done. The decision has been made. There is no turning back now. Months of agonizing indecisiveness is finally over. Boy - this sounds like a major life decision I've made here, doesn’t it?

What I've decided on is the paint colour and finish for my dresser project, and in the process I've learned a few things.

Lesson 1: Narrow the options. I had far too many colours to choose from. I have fan decks from many paint companies in my office, and I was flipping through all of them to help me decide. There is such a vast selection of colours with just one paint company, so adding another 3 or 4 was NOT helping the decision it was hindering it. From now on, I pick one company's fan deck for colour selections.

Lesson 2: Go with your gut. I am trained to help people pick colours for their home, and although the training helps with the colour selection, there's always a gut instinct I get when I walk into a home or room, even before the client says anything. Of course, sometimes that instinct is tweaked based on the clients likes and dislikes, but usually we end up in the same place. In this case I am the client, so I should just stop fighting my gut instinct, and;

Lesson 3: Nike was right - “JUST DO IT”! I can always repaint!

So now you are probably wondering what colour I've decided for my dresser aren't you?

Did she go light? Did she go dark? Did she go in-between?

Well, you'll just have to have a little more patience :) - isn't this fun???

My last post asked for help in deciding the paint colour for this project and you responded with such great enthusiasm. I loved all of your suggestions, which covered the gamut of all of my options. Colour is so definitely a personal choice.

A couple of your suggestions resonated:

Lisa from Lisa Goulet Designs reminded me that dark furniture is a dust magnet. Oh boy do I know that. My computer desk and bookcases in the office are dark laminate. Let's just say that one of my office supplies is a Swiffer Duster and I'm using that sucker every day!

Kelly of Design Ties suggested that I close up the existing holes in the middle section of my dresser and replace the pulls with fancy knobs (like the picture below). I love that idea - perhaps I'll add some shiny crystal knobs to give it glam (which Kelly absolutely rocks at btw)!

And Kathy from Creative Home Expressions suggested that I use the light cream colour and use the caramel/gold as an antiquing glaze. This idea really appealed to me. My biggest concern with picking a paint colour was that I would lose the celtic details that drew me to the dresser in the first place.

So, thank you Kathy, this is what I’ve chosen to do with my dresser. And these are the colours I’ve chosen to use are Antique White from CIL for the main colour of the dresser and an antique wash of Brown Bag from CIL.

These colours will go quite well with the wall colour and the existing pine bedside tables which will stay for a while (although, --- I’m thinking….. ). I’ve also added the following gem that I picked up off kijiji for….. $35 ….. yep $35. I’ve replaced the hardware and it now serves as hubbies dresser.

And this past weekend, I tested out the new paint sprayer on a couple of unfinished pine shelves that I’ve had hanging around the house for years, so there are NO excuses now friends.

Stay tuned…

Decisions, decisions...

2010-06-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

I'd like to know why it is so @#$%&* hard to pick a paint colour for myself. This is so totally frustrating!

In a previous post I told you about my dresser find on kijiji that I absolutely adore. I love the lines and the workmanship!

What I didn't love were the many scratches, missing veneer on the feet and the mahogany colour of the piece. So it became a project - one that has taken me F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to accomplish!

Of course, as with every project, there are like a gazillion steps before you can get to the fun stuff - and I'm NOT exaggerating! I got through most of those steps, sanding, patching, asking Santa for and receiving a paint sprayer for Xmas, but this next one seems to be the absolute hardest.

What colour do I paint it???

The dresser will reside in our newly painted master complete with the new closet, closet doors and trim. As I posted here the paint colour on the walls is Ostrich Feather from Pittsburgh Paints:

I love this colour. I love how it is both gray and beige at the same time. Throughout the day the room appears to change colours, not that I lounge in bed all day ;), but I do pop in now and again to admire the changes.

All of the trim and doors are done in BM's Snowfall White. The colour combination makes the room feel very clean and airy and I love the results!

But now I have to decide the colour for my dresser. Initially I thought of a nice creamy white like this. It would contribute to the room's clean airy feel.

But I didn't want to wash out the beautiful lines and workmanship, so would it maybe look better in a darker colour, like a charcoal gray or a deep eggplant or even black.

But the grays aren't appealling to me for some reason - it's like they have no depth. It's hard to explain. So I took some time over the weekend to browse (and thin out to the delight of hubby) my massive collection of Shelter mags for inspiration. I didn't find a whole lot, but came across a colour group that I thought I liked. Something along these lines that would build on the brown in the wall colour.

And then I hit the local RONA and came home with a colour called Fortress which is more along the charcoal gray, with a bit of the brown mixed in. Along these lines...

As you can clearly see I've made my decision - NOT!!! I am all over the place with this - which is so disheartening, because I've been trained to help people select colour for their homes. And I never go through this when I'm in a client's home - it's always clearly obvious to me what colours should be in their homes. I think the problem is that I see and like so many inspiring rooms and colours that I can't choose one.

So, I need your help - tell me what you think!

Mayonnaise
Kendall Charcoal
Gray
Galaxy
Gloss Black
Livingston Gold
Caramel Apple
Taos Taupe

Or do you have a different suggestion? Although that would just be contributing to my indecision wouldn't it - LOL!

HELP!!!

Earthquakes … and winners!!!!

2010-06-23T21:36:00.001-04:00

Well folks, this has been quite the exciting day!

First, I had a very real life experience of being 18 floors above the ground during a 5.0 earthquake. YIKES!! If you hadn’t heard, we in Ottawa were quite close to the epicentre of an earthquake centered in western Quebec (A on the map below).

As I was working away at my day job in IT, about halfway up a 27 storey office building in downtown Ottawa, the floor began to shake, then shake a little more, then the walls and pictures began to visibly shake. It lasted only a few seconds but was certainly scary! Having only experienced earthquakes from the first floor of my little bungalow years ago, this was certainly a new aspect to earthquakes – not one I’d like to relive thank you very much!!!

I quickly tried to check in with hubby and daughters one and two, but land and wireless lines were either down or overloaded. It is interesting to note though, that Twitter carried the news at record speed – I even tweeted my experience (@donnahargrove) and checked in with my many twitter pals to make sure they were OK. Eventually, contact was made with family and all was OK – phew!!! And when we arrived home everything was as it should be and the pups were safe and sound.

And then after all of my daytime excitement, tonight I get to draw the winner of my very first blog giveaway! I was so lucky to have connected with Jane from The Earring Lady on Etsy to put this giveaway together. If you missed the giveaway, please give Jane’s Etsy shop a gander – she does beautiful work! Thank you so much Jane!!!

And now I know you are wondering about who the lucky winner is, aren’t you? Patience my friends, patience…

In order to randomly select the winner, I printed out the comments and numbered them as seen here:

Then I went to www.random.org to use their true random number generator. I entered from 1 to 44 and clicked on “Generate” to select the lucky winner.

Drum roll please…………………………………

And our winner is…..

Nancy of Marcus Designs!!! Congratulations Nancy! From Nancy’s previous comment she selected the Turquoise Briolettes as her favourites. Aren’t they gorgeous? Great choice Nancy!

Congratulations again Nancy – I know you will love these beauties!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter the giveaway! Hosting my first giveaway was fun and I will definitely do it again, so stay tuned!!!