Time to regroup and get more supplies! See you Monday!
(my helpers, Katie, my niece and Brooke (r) my daughter)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Weekend Chore Time
Time to regroup and get more supplies! See you Monday!
(my helpers, Katie, my niece and Brooke (r) my daughter)
Oh Canada!
In honour of Canada's 140th birthday this weekend, here is a collection of red and white decorating yummies found in one of my favorite Ottawa stores...
A cube tea-light holder for fireworks watching from pretty patios
Kitchen 'punk-u-pine' scrubber (cute!!!) 
Happy red & white day everyone!
the hunt for votivo
A few years ago, my sister and I were visiting our brother at his home in a small surfing community on the coast of California. He's a photographer and great lover of design and lived in a charming beach bungalow that he and his girlfriend had decorated in simple, stark beach-appropriate decor - all in hues of white. It was beautiful. My sister and I fell in love with it.A staple in their home and, according to my brother, in his suitcase for all his travel hotel stays, were Votivo candles. He swore they were the best scented candles ever and we quickly believed him and spent our limited shopping budget on a few at a local boutique. Hooked on Votivo and back in Canada, we quickly realized these pretty goodies were hard to find and we were always on the lookout for them.
I have yet to find them here in Ottawa and would love some for my apartment. They have dozens of scents and I want to try them all! I have, however, found their website (don't know why I never thought of looking there before ;), and if I can't find any soon, I'll order myself some.
I wish I could copy flash images onto this blog, but I can't, so you'll have to view all their petty pieces here. I had no idea they had so many collections!
And speaking of family, my decor-savvy sister is flying in from Vancouver tonight to visit me for the Canada Day long weekend - yay! She is the hottest interior decorating student in Vancouver and I can't wait to have her help me with my new apartment and scour Ottawa and Montreal's design shops with me :) Have a great weekend everyone!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ready Made Kitchen Storage
Now more then ever, its easy to add storage to your small kitchen. You can find easy to add wall storage from Pottery Barn and Ikea. Add cubbies or look for a smaller island roller cart, perfect for tucking away when not in use. Even a tiny bit of backsplash can be used for something, even if its just one shelf!
the mymble's daughter
I came across Peggy's (aka 'adorapop') creations on etsy this morning and I absolutely love them! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I watched the dark fairytale Pan's Labyrinth last night (still trying to decide if I liked it or not) that explains why I am drawn to the alice in wonderlands and pirates and mystical botanics and other fairy tale-type creations on her website or maybe it's just because they're absolutely charming. With lines like, 'Creative ramblings from Wales the land of dragons...' who wouldn't?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
alicia bock photography
I love Alicia Bock's textured photos. She produces them in a way that highlights the dust, scratches, and interesting bits that get caught up in a camera lens. It sure makes the final product charming!
shoot factory
Thanks to Wind Lost for blogging about Shoot Factory, a 'full-service location agency, representing UK and international properties, studios and venues for TV, film, photo shoots, product launches and events.' I'm so glad I was pointed in the direction of their website. The shoot locations are beautiful and there are some really fantastic interiors displayed on their website. My favorites are the lofty, studio spaces (and white palettes!). I love space. One day I would love to turn a huge factory space into a cool living space. Now THAT would be an amazing reno project...
orla kiely
As I hopscotched my way through decorating blogs this morning, I found a link to Orla Kiely's design website and I just loved the shots of her flagship store in Covent Garden, London. I love the colours and the patterns - it's loud but it works. Her ceramic mugs also caught my eye. They remind me of retro '70's mugs I used to collect from thrift stores when I was in university. I'd post pics of them, but they're coming out all pixelated so you'll have to follow the link to see them. Very fun!
Mix Masters
I love a good mix in decorating. This can be a highly personal thing, because one person's checks with floral may be another person's breaking point. I'm still trying, but one thing I have learned is, you'll never know if you don't try something! I've bought things only to come home and totally loved them somewhere other then where I planned it to go. I've loved mixed chairs at a table as long as I can remember. So, experiment! You never know what you'll come up with. Stripes with cheetah? Why the heck not!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Cozy Bedrooms
The one room in the home that I think is not so bad small is the bedroom. Of course we all need space for our clothes and things, but sleep does not require tons of space! Ok, I will confess, I only have enough space for one bedside table. I wish I had enough room NOT to have my bed pushed up against the wall. After 10 years, I finally made my husband switch sides with me so I have the easy out. Bedrooms do make you want to cocoon, so small is not so bad. Plus, how much time do you spend in your room during the day anyways?
on the hunt for ceramics
I've been snooping around the internet looking for ceramic ideas. I have a long dresser in my bedroom which needs some adornment. I'm thinking some layered white vases. Although these mason vases (above) designed by Perch! and available at Rare Device aren't really what I'm looking for, I really like them. What a great spin on a kitchen classic. They would look so good with a fat bouquet of bright peonies in them.On the other hand, this chubby bird vase by Joanna Mendicino is adorable and, other than looking great on my dresser, might be chubby enough to withstand tipping over from curious nose taps by my kitten Fergus.
christopher griffin
Christopher Griffin is an Ottawa-based artist. He has his studio and display windows in a community neighborhood rather than along a store-lined street. I often walk past his windows and always enjoy seeing what new paintings he has on display. I finally visited his website to learn a little bit more about them. Inspired by ancient cave drawings, his artist statement says that his scribbles, gestural markings and accidentals mirror our hectic, image laden society. His primary motifs often consist of birds, fish and animals and represent a pure, innocent and spiritual presence in our polluted world. Nice. I like 'em.
traceyj - photo wonder
My friend Tracey Falk is my favorite photographer hands down. Her images are sublimely beautiful (and I'm not the only one who thinks so...). The colours, the depth of field, the softness... She can photograph anything and make it look absolutely dreamy. One of these days she'll put together a book of them (at least that's what I keep begging her to do) and it will be the star of my library... In the meantime, I'm going to see what I can do about getting some large prints on my walls.
Taking wall panels to a new level, these wall kits at 
