Weekend Happenings

Here's what I was up to this weekend:

Sourcing tile at Daltile

Visiting the Crossroads Market 

Scoring a sweet stack of burlap coffee bags

Loving my new hutch from Lauren Lane Decor

Adding a Little Art

I still need to add a shelf above my desk but it was looking so bare that I finally put up a couple of pieces of art to add some colour.

Before - pretty but plain

Definitely feeling bare

I put up these great "Tree Ghosts" created by Leanna Isayew that I picked up at the Calgary Art Market last November.

When I picked these up, Leanna provided me with the following description for these pieces:

Each tree ghost is created from dead fall found in the Calgary area.  The process takes approximately a week to produce.  The rounds are cleaned, cut and sanded both by machine and by hand.  A varnish is used to seal the wood which readies them for painting.  Each one is then hand painted using a unique process to warp the paint into colourful patterns.  When the paint is fully dry the face is then coated with a resin to exquisitely encapsulate the ghost and create a shiny almost jewelled effect.  Each ghost is completely unique in shape, size and colour.

I love how the resin makes these pieces sparkle and the colours are so bright and cheerful.  A hole is drilled into the back to make them easy to hang or you could lay them flat.

I love how the paint still appears to be wet

It's slowly coming together

Pinspiration

This space feels very warm and liveable.  The design is comfortable and unfussy.  I like how the layout of the artwork mimics the line of the staircase.  The room is layered in varying shades of gray and cream and one bright pop of fuchsia.

It inspires me.

Etsy Finds - Spring Wreaths

Etsy really is the best site for handmade wreaths.  I'm still looking for something for my front door and found a few great options that I can use as inspiration to create my own.

via Wild Ridge Design

via Tapestry of Life

via Door Decor & More

via JW Decor

via Weird Little World

As you can see, I'm definitely drawn to yellow as I'm hoping to paint my front door navy and I think bright yellow will look fantastic against it.  The last wreath is made of painted paper and is intended for interiors but I posted it anyways as I have a covered porch which would protect it from the elements.

Weekend Happenings

Here's what I was up to this weekend:

Picking up a new armchair from Ikea

Wondering where Spring went

Beginning to make plans for my garden

Family Room - Sneak Peek

My family room is really coming together nicely.  The addition of my new drapes and some furniture rearrangement has completely changed the feel of the room.  It's such a bright and comfortable space.  I'm still hunting for a coffee table, a new media console (maybe?), lighting, incorporating more artwork and making a cushion for my window seat.  Feels like a very doable list.

I sold my old chairs (they went really quickly) and decided to replace them with just one chair as once the cushion is added to the window bench, that will work as extra seating.  I really love the Strandmon wing chair I picked up from Ikea.  It was exactly the updated piece I was looking for and the slope in the seat makes it really comfortable.  More posts to come as I continue to work on this room.

Working with Emerald for Spring

It is officially Spring and true to Calgary weather we experienced some lovely warm days when all the snow melted and then today, as I'm writing this, it's snowing.

Regardless of that though, I'm feeling Spring and was thinking about how Pantone's colour of the year "Emerald" could be used to freshen things up.

Incorporate new artwork

Emerald Forest by Ara133photography via society6

Green by Guido Montanes via society6

London - BT Tower available on Etsy at NigelDK

Add new soft furnishings and textiles

Maxime chair in green velvet by Jonathan Adler

Paulina Reyes silk bird pillow available at West Elm

Daisy Garden Rug by Joe Jin (one of my super talented friends)

Accessorize

A collection of emerald green vases on Etsy at A New Day Vintage

Clift Glass Table Lamp available at Pottery Barn - love that Style at Home picked the same lamps

Moss terrarium available at Indigo

Pinspiration

via Urban Kaleidoscope

This room has a comfortable, lived-in look.  The gorgeous light fixture (Arctic Pear Round Chandelier from Ochre), purple-tufted sofa, and antique mirror above the fireplace work really well together.  The pale, unfinished floorboards also help to keep the room from being too 'fussy'

It inspires me.

A Memorable Birthday Gift

I made my Mom's birthday gift last week and couldn't post the project until after I gave it to her.  As I've written before, I have these great vintage picture encyclopedias and have a lot of projects planned for them.  

My mom and I traveled around Europe together in April of 2006.  Going through the encyclopedias, I was able to find all the cities/towns we visited and decided to create a collage of these images as a reminder of our trip.  

After finding all the various locations throughout the five volumes, I trimmed each image and then laid them out on the frame I was planning to use making sure that all the city names were visible.  I also took photos to remember the final layout.

Weekend Happenings

Here's what I was up to this weekend:

Installing my new drapes

Stalking chairs at Ikea

Rearranging furniture in my family room

Store Love - Lost Ark Antiques

During my visit to Nanton over the Easter long weekend, I stopped in at Lost Ark Antiques (1915 20th Ave).  There are a lot of great antiques and collectibles in this shop.  I should say that there are a lot of great antiques and collectibles in this town as I've only profiled two shops and my parents and I wandered through half a dozen more.  A visit to Nanton is definitely a great way to spend an afternoon.

Lots of lovely kitchenware in great condition

I love the vegetable ceramics - so kitsch

Covet Garden - Issue 33

The latest issue of Covet Garden is out and I love the cover designed by Alanna Cavanagh.  She is such a talented artist and I've picked up both tea towel designs she did for Hudson's Bay and more items from her are expected out later this month.

I highly recommend anyone that loves looking at interiors that really represent the personalities of the homeowners to subscribe to this on-line magazine.  It is always a great read.  Click to subscribe.

Pinspiration

via Spicer + Bank

I am a huge fan of the Voliere pendant lamp from The Conran Shop (designed by Matthieu Challieres) and seeing it caused me to pause on this image.  What I really like is the mix of old and new in this space - the orange Eames rocker in front of the ornately carved stone fireplace which is then topped with mercury glass bottles.  I also love the chevron wood flooring and the panelling on the walls.

It inspires me.

Store Love - Sentimental Journey Antiques

I visited the town of Nanton over the Easter long weekend.  It's a small, quaint town just south of Calgary with fantastic antique shops and art galleries.  I quickly fell in love with Sentimental Journey Antiques (1901 - 20th Avenue) during my visit.  This shop is huge with three floors full of fabulous finds.

A great feature of this store is that it's housed in the Keeley Building.  Built in 1909, the main level was once a hardware store and the top floor was eventually converted into apartments. These former officer apartments now display antiques, collectibles, lighting, books and kitchenware.

I'm on the hunt for a hutch

Really great rustic kitchen utensils

I love the blue-green glass on these cabinet doors

A collection of wooden rolling pins

This green glassware looks amazing displayed as a collection

Buy my Chairs...

.... so I can buy new ones.

I decided to sell my living room chairs through the Consignment Gallery.  They looked great in my old home but my new house doesn't have a formal living room.

I'm also working with some different patterns in my new place and these chairs could be reupholstered but they are in perfect condition, so I felt it would be easier to sell them and start fresh.

If you're interested, check out the Consignment Gallery.