"When you realize that a beautiful interior has very little to do with objects and a whole lot to do with spirit, general well being and upliftment you find the soul of interior design. If you have respect for your surroundings and everything has it's perfect place you interact with your world differently you carry yourself differently. My father used to say that the state of your surroundings is the state of your mind. Look around your home, let your home be the foundation of your aspiration."

Written by a South African artist, interior designer & product designer.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Sneak peek

A little sneak peek of a house I've been working on.  This is a corner in their family room that has become a little reading nook.





Sunday, February 26, 2012

So Canadian, Eh? interview

Hi Everyone,  Barb over at hodge:podge asked me to be a part of her "So Canadian, Eh?" series and I was thrilled!  She doesn't mess around when it comes to who she interviews so it was a little nerve-racking to say he least.  She is one of the sweetest people I have met since I started blogging and is always there for any DIY advice I might need.  Pop over to her blog and check out my interview.  Thanks again Barb for including me!


Friday, February 24, 2012

What I'm Wearing

Wrap it up

I love a simple wrap dress.  It's easy to wear because you can dress it up or dress it down.  You can wear it with tights, leggings or skinnies.



Dress from Aritzia, jacket from Zara, bag from Zara, tights from Hue, shoes from Aldo, sunglasses from Prada, jewelry from Spike the Punch and Stella and Dot

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Light vs. Dark

Maybe it's the crappy weather we're having in Vancouver lately but I've been toying with the idea of painting my bedroom walls charcoal grey.  I'm usually all about light and bright but I've got a bedroom with very little natural light.  When you're dealing with a room that's dark you can try all sorts of pale wall colours and it won't make it feel brighter, it will actually come across dull and lifeless.  Embracing a dark room by going darker on the walls will make it feel cozier while giving much more impact to the overall feel of the space.  Now I just need rope the hubby into a painting weekend:)


I'm thinking Palais Royal by Ralph Lauren



Some inspiration






Sunday, February 19, 2012

Trying out instagram

An image of my coffee table using instagram.  I can't stop taking pictures!  Hope your having a great weekend.


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Blake Lively- Elle

I am a huge fan of Blake Lively.  She has amazing style on and off screen.  Did you know that she picks out all of her own looks for award shows and doesn't use a stylist?  That is rare in hollywood and only speaks to how in tune she is with fashion and what looks great on her.  Blake is on the cover of Elle this month and once again looks absolutely fabulous!




all photos courtesy of Elle

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Guest post at Prairie Perch

Hi Everyone, I am over at Prairie Perch doing a guest post for Sarah today!  Pop in for a visit and check out my latest fashion obsessions.


Monday, February 13, 2012

A little Rub 'n Buff magic

I scored these cute original egg drawings from ebay awhile ago and they've been sitting in my office ever since because I've been undecided on what colour frame to use.  A white frame didn't enhance the prints at all, wood frames looked to traditional and black frames were to harsh.  That left me with either silver or gold.  I am all over the gold trend right now and this is a great way to bring in a trend without spending a lot of money.

Now the question is what product should I use that would give the nicest finish to some inexpensive Ikea frames?  This kinda thing is out of my realm of know how so I asked my DIY peeps and the majority said that Rub 'n Buff was the way to go.  I bought six Ikea ribba frames and had mats custom cut at Opus Art Supplies to fit the size of the prints.  Now it's time get started, wish me luck!









Friday, February 10, 2012

What I'm Wearing

Loving pretty floral blouses right now.  It always makes me happy to see all the colourful spring clothes slowly making their way into the stores.  Florals or anything that looks like a water colour will be hot for spring this year.





jeans from Mavi, blouse from Aritzia (Joie), blazer from H&M, accessories from H&M, boots from Aldo, sunglasses from Prada







Monday, February 6, 2012

Bye bye cream and hello olive velvet

I have a little bench in my living room that I bought at Ballard Design, I'm sure you've seen it everywhere in blog land because it's an inexpensive option for the classic X bench if you order it in the basic cotton twill fabric.  I found some gorgeous olive velvet fabric through a discount fabric website that would be perfect for reupholstery.  It happened to be a remnant so I only paid $19.95 for three yards!

In the book The Perfectly Imperfect Home by Deborah Needleman (a must read if you haven't already), Deborah talks about how every room needs a little ugly, "if you have a room full of pretty pastels like creams, duck blues and greens the room can start to look too saccharine and dollhousey." I couldn't agree more with this statement because I definitely love my girly glamour but adding the olive brings just the right amount of "ugly" to the space.  I love how the other colours in the room pop against the muddy olive velvet.  There was nothing wrong with the bench in it's original cream fabric but now it looks much more sophisticated. 





I used some of the left over fabric to do a long bolster for my sofa