One day … two milestones

 

Yesterday was a big day in our family – the celebration of two milestones that made for one loooong day.

First was the celebration of our daughter’s 25th birthday – one that I must admit I secretly deny – there is NO WAY I am 25 years older!  I guess the secret really is that I don’t FEEL 25 years older.

 

The second celebration was my very own graduation from the local college’s Residential Decor certificate program.   I was blessed to have my husband and both daughters attend the convocation ceremony yesterday, letting everyone know as I walked across the stage to accept my certificate.

After four years of night classes, weekend sourcing, late nights printing pictures, cutting fabrics, sawing hardwood samples, mixing paint and creating paint chips, drafting floor plans and putting it all together in sample boards, idea files and client presentations, the final goal has been achieved!  Pheww…  you know, I think I’m actually going to miss it – the people mostly

And now it’s time to put all that education to work! 

Hooked on Flower Photos

Here is my very first Hooked on … post – a contribution to Julia’s Hooked on Houses fabulous Hooked on Fridays.

Was just over on Searching for Style for Friday Flowers (this week is Peonies) and the peony photo got me thinking about how hooked I am on taking photos of flowers. 

Here are a couple of my favourites taken over the last few years:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I can safely say I am hooked on flower photos!  Hope you enjoy!

Some inspiring words…

Take a moment or two to head over to An Inspired Life to read Melissa's inspiring post on Daring to Rediscover What you Love.

Sometimes we need to pause a moment in our busy lives to take stock, reflect and re-position ourselves. This may be necessary for a multitude of reasons, in fact, sometimes the reflection is forced on us by life events. Regardless of the reason, it’s an important task we must undertake. Because there is only one “me” and only one “life”.

Thank you Melissa for giving me the inspiration to do just that. Much appreciated!

Project advances….

This past weekend hubby and I made ALOT of progress on the biggest of our summer projects.  The hot tub project was moved miles forward with the installation of the wiring and gravel pad.

Sod Removal …

Installation of the electrical wiring (hard to see because hubby did such a great job on the sod!)… 

And finally, the gravel base is prepared and waiting for the delivery of our new toy…

After all this hard work, we sat back and enjoyed the late afternoons and evenings while making plans for the deck that will connect the hot tub to the house…

What an accomplishment!  Hubby certainly deserved that nice thick steak he got for supper!

Other projects accomplished …

• new birdfeeders installed (we love our feathered friends – in fact we watched a robin couple building a nest in our grape vine arbour over the patio – welcome to the neighbourhood!)

• Painting of the metal poles holding up the grapes – finally rid of the rust!!!

(this is what the grapes looked like in 2006 – a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!)

Projects remaining …

• Paint our dining room table … this is a biggie!  I have an old dining room table that my parents gave me.  It’s a pedestal table with one leaf and I love it’s versatility, but it’s finish is quite warn, almost completely off on the top.  I had an estimate to refinish it and well, let’s just say it’s not worth putting that much money into it.  So, I’m painting it – black.  One of my first posts – the Dream Dining Room – was the vision for my dining room, and the table is the first step.  I have another small table I will do a test run on, so I’ll post some pics as I work through the process – and I hope to have a successful “finish” – pun intended!
• Completion of our interlock driveway – last summer we had to dig up the foundation – story for another time – and we have waited for the ground to settle (and to make sure the water issue was taken care of) before completing the interlock
• New garden beds – my green thumb was itching, so 2 new locations have been scoped for garden beds – can’t wait to get started!
• etc. etc.. etc…

Hope everyone had as productive a weekend as I did …

Thanks … and check these out…

My friends Kelly and Victoria over on DesignTies were deservedly awarded the “One Lovely Blog” award for their hard work and amazing content. Way to go girls!

In turn, DesignTies awarded 15 Canadian blogs with the same award - AND MY BLOG WAS ONE OF THEM! Thank you ladies – I am honoured. Check out their post and all of the great blogs (both Canadian and International) that they follow! Well worth the trip.

I am becoming more exposed to the world of blogging, and one of the neat aspects is all of the GIVEAWAYS!!! Here are some I came across:

• A Jamie Drake Book giveaway at DesignTies
• Kitchen and Residential Design — Win a great Michael Graves 9093 Kettle.
• A Lil’ Welsh Rarebit — Win one of three great prizes.
• Gals in the Know — Win Stila makeup, fabulous books, and jewelry.

And for a neat list of giveaways check out this blog

• Blog Giveaways

Check them all out – and good luck!

A weekend in the Garden

Well, we have perhaps finally seen the beginning of the summer in Eastern Canada – perhaps. I’m not counting my chickens…

This past weekend I spent at the garden centre, and then elbows deep giving new homes to my fine flowering friends…

First was the hunt for effusys, after reading a great post by Kelly from DesignTies, which I finally tracked down. The last four to be had were found hidden behind some dracena – phew. If you haven’t read Kelly’s post and wonder what all the excitement is about – check this out …

This spiky curly plant is just begging to be asked about … I love it!

Next, was finding some plants to fill my many and varied containers collected over the years. The key for me was height, movement and cascades of colour. And so, I ended up with…

… a mixture of grass, potato vine, ivy and lobelia. This was day one – I think it will fill in quite nicely!

After all the planting, I thought I would take some shots of previous non-floral additions to my garden…

Red lanterns I found at Home Sense, with candles from Home Sense as well.

The original birdbath was a terracotta dish with a beautiful blue glaze finish, but someone dropped it while putting it away for the winter – and it wasn’t me… but, really, I’m over it now :o). I replaced the dish with a glass bowl I found at – yep – Home Sense. I’m not sure birds will be able use it (it’s a little slippery) – but darn it looks good!!

 

This trellis (from guess where) was supposed to house a new clematis, but instead I found the most beautiful bright pink honeysuckle, who now has a new home!

 

 

 

And for those of you wondering where my new hot tub is … stay tuned!!!

The Joy of Paisley

I did an inventory the other day of the number of paisley patterns that are scattered around my house. There were ALOT! Not only did I find in the living room upholstery, master bed duvet cover, and office drapery, I have several pieces of clothing with wonderful paisley patterns as well, the most recent are a couple of pashminas (shawls) I picked up on the street in New York City.

There just seems to be something about the whimsical teardrop design that draws me in every time. So much so, that I thought I would do a little research …

According to wikipedia, the pattern dates well into the distant past, but it’s western name and popularity came from the Scottish town of Paisley. The town’s mid-nineteenth century weaving industry is credited for naming rights to Paisley.

Whatever the history – I am drawn to all things paisley – here are a few I found while browsing:

From Koessel Studios – an oversized paisley wallpaper – gives a modern feel to a traditional room – LOVE it!

 

 

Lovely form and colour – and it’s all topped off with paisley! eBay Design Blog by Shawn Henderson

 

 

 

 

 

I’m getting my book and a warm cup of tea … a lazy Sunday is calling my name! Norwich Paisley from Thibault Wallpapers’ River Road collection.

 

 

 

 

Coventry Paisley wallpaper from Leland’s Wallpaper. This would cover the walls in the library that I got my book from for the chair above :)

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t this a gorgeous mosaic ball? It would be lovely as a decorative feature in the garden. From Margaret Almon Mosaics.

 

 

Paisley in Art – love the draping of the teardrop on the tree branches – Matthew Robers & Associates

I think ANYTHING would taste good off of this plate… Aedrial Designs

 

 

This little valance topper is from Lemon Annie’s blog. I really love the combination of colours and the chocolate ribbon sets it all off.

 

 

 

Modern twist with large pattern Paisley linens from Crate & Barrel.

 

 

 

And finally “la pièce de la résistance” – funky paisley boots from Zappos – NOT in my wardrobe!