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Getting crafty… or at least trying

I was determined to do something away from the laptop this weekend. It turned out I spent more time working than I expected, but I have this new rule, all outstanding to-do’s (within reason) have to be completed by the end of the week so I can start Monday with a fresh slate. So yah, I did work Saturday and Sunday but I also got my craft on too. Kinda.

Remember when I shared the Fabric Flower Garland, well I finally started one. For a moment I was a little dense understanding what to do to get from Step 4 to Step 5 (don’t judge) as I wasn’t getting the fluffy flower the photos show. But, Leslie of Smidgebox Designs came to my aid and it was soon a wee bit clearer. By the time I got the hang of it, I was too tired to keep at it. But, I got 3 done. Whoop-di-doo I know, but hey, it’s a start.

DIY Flower Fabric Garland

DIY Flower Fabric Garland

This particular garland is for my bathroom. I know I haven’t shared what I’ve done in there but it’s 99% complete. I just need to find a print for one wall (I suspect it will be this by Rifle Paper Co.) and then I’m done. Where the garland goes in my bathroom depends on how many of these suckers I can churn out but I’ll definitely share photos soon.

Now I don’t want you to think my weekend was all work and no play. Friday night we rented movies and ordered pizza. Saturday was all about beer and hockey. Fun times!

What did you do this weekend?

P.S. It really helps if you do bigger circles for the flowers. When you use a spool of cotton as your template, the flowers are super tiny. Really tiny. And if you’re a wee bit frustrated it doesn’t bode well.

 //  Filed under: Crafty, D.I.Y.  //  Tagged: fabric, home, home decor  //  4 Comments

Q + A: What is your current obsession?

I am currently obsessed with filling my walls with my own photography and the artwork of others. I can’t stop searching Etsy and Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. Here are a few prints I am considering. And please, if you have some favorite prints yourself, feel free to feed my current obsession.

Print Love

1. Home Sweet Home by Keep Calm Gallery :: 2. Flock by Wayne Pate (currently unavailable) :: 3. Floral Heart Print by Rifle Paper Co. :: 4. & 5. Letterpressed A + Letterpressed J by Jessica Hische :: 6. Fish and Chips Screenprint by MrPS :: 7. Shelly by Jen Skelley :: 8. Apple Blossom Meadow by Anna Emilia

q2

Images © of their respective owners.

 //  Filed under: Q + A  //  Tagged: etsy, home, illustration, love  //  7 Comments

Random Rant 01

chairs

Just before we started the condo re-do, like many would, I browsed though interior design blogs looking for ideas, inspiration and what at the time appeared most important to me… what not to do.

As I strolled through stores contemplating items, I found my thoughts plagued with all I had read… ooh ghost chairs are so overdone*, enough with the large wood letters leaning up against a wall, quit sorting your books by color or insert one person’s opinion here. Even though I was drawn to certain pieces (and ideas), I felt so influenced by the opinions of others, I didn’t allow myself to purchase them.

Do I regret not buying those items? Not necessarily. Do I regret letting the thoughts of others influence my personal purchasing choices? Yes. Do I feel silly that I had a tinge of doubt about sharing my Keep Calm and Carry On poster as I knew some would go “oh no, not another one”. Yes I do.

Think about it… I wavered on purchasing an item based on the opinion of some random dude/dudette that thinks it’s overdone and whom will never visit my home. I almost didn’t blog about a poster that I happen to love because I was worried about what people behind a computer screen would think. Pretty ridiculous huh?

As you can see, I eventually found my “fuck it” response. My answer to most things when I’m straddled like a MOFO between what I and others think. Quite frankly, what I put in my home (whether over-done, a trend or otherwise) is no-one’s business but my own. I have to live with it.

Now I’m not saying that taking the advice of others isn’t a good thing. Of course it is. There’s some great advice out there and I’ll continue to seek it out. Likewise, I am not saying people can’t blog their opinions. Heck, I am doing it right now. But when it makes you go against something you truly want or makes you question yourself to avoid feeling judged, you have to remind yourself that it’s your home. Fuck what others think.

*Btw, the ghost chair from IKEA is so freaking comfortable.

 //  Filed under: My Home, Random Rant  //  Tagged: home, home decor, interior design, random  //  11 Comments

It has begun…

Well friends, remember that condo re-do I’ve been saying I’ll do forever? It has begun. It all started on Thursday when J was rained out at work and headed home early. Rather than let me work in peace, he dragged me out to IKEA for a shopping spree. Many hours and meatballs (15 for $2.99 = SCORE!) later we exited with some furniture, rugs, frames and other knick knacks.

Before I go any further, it has to be said… I ROCKED the how the heck do you put this together IKEA conundrum. Not J but me! Me! Okay, now I can move on.

Some of you may of seen the basic mood-board I did for the main living area. While some of this changed (not too much but more on this later) the plan I had for the hallway completely changed. While walking through IKEA I spotted this and fell in love.

ikea

TORSBY Sideboard – IKEA

What this photo doesn’t show is the yummy lacquered finish it has. The description says it’s a foil finish but I’ve no clue what that means and lacquered sounds better anyway. So, yes, I changed everything on the fly while at IKEA. The next morning, I whipped together a quick mood-board for the hallway based around my new love.

Hallway Moodboard

First up, things to note…

  1. I realize the pink and yellow look a little bright but they will be used sparingly.
  2. Only the first two items (from left and please ignore scale) in the wall frames will be used. No clue what will go in the third frame.
  3. Also staying… the Live What You Love print (a gift from the lovely designer herself). The Keep Calm and Carry On print (which is available everywhere and owned by most people on the planet in some form) and the ORGEL Table Lamp.
  4. If you’ve been coveting the Zig Zag Rug from West Elm, get it. It’s my second favorite piece (hello my lovely TORSBY Sideboard) in the room and I’m so glad it’s finally out of storage.
  5. More items will be added to the table obviously. Setting up table vignettes is a whole other headache. Oh yah, and obviously I won’t be using the photo of J and I again.
  6. The A and vases are just there is illustrate other materials I’d like to introduce but it’s early days yet so who knows what will happen (see the bitch point on Note 5).

What you don’t see in this board is the picture ledge we picked up from IKEA. The 3 frames will sit would have sat upon them if we didn’t realize AFTER (i.e. we freaking hung it) that there is too much risk of them toppling if the door slams or a certain 3 Huskies come bustling down the hallway as they usually do.

So we now we have to figure out a way to secure the frames to the wall and our whole idea to avoid multiple holes in the wall is up shit creek. You’d think securing them would be intuitive but it isn’t. There’s zip on the back of the frame. See…

frame

Perhaps J and I are just plain old dumb. It’s entirely possible. We’ve been going non-stop for 4 days and we are frazzled (and I woke up sick today – yah!). That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Oh and the headaches don’t end there. All the painting it done (we also re-did one of the bathrooms) and most stuff is in place (the big stuff) but there is still lots more to do (i.e. small details). So, expect more posts over the coming weeks sharing J and I’s fun times fumbling through this shit. All I can say is I’m thankful I have a army of Keith’s soldiers in the fridge.

My army of Keith Soldiers

I plan on sitting by my door with a Keith’s in hand figuring out the world of interior design while staring at this which is yet to be hung. Another blog post about this particular WTF coming soon.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Cheers.

 //  Filed under: My Home  //  Tagged: dogs, home, home decor, IKEA, interior design, life  //  7 Comments

Quoted

I have a fairly large wall in my my main living area. Right now it’s the home for a painting I bought years ago. Sadly, that painting no longer fits in with my tastes and so I’ve been formulating plans for this wall of mine over the last few weeks.

Some of you may of seen my moodboard for my main living area. First of all, yes, it still hasn’t been started BUT I promise you, it’s been slated for September. No ifs or buts. Anyways, let’s forget about my lack of following through for now… I mentioned back then I was going to purchase the Toronto Ork Poster in black and white. I still am and I’ve decided to build a whole photo gallery wall around it.

Rather than talk my way through it I figured I’d give you some context. So, below is where I am thinking of going. The photos shown aren’t necessarily the ones I’ll use but at least it gives you an idea (please ignore the scale of the images within the frame too!). I wanted to add a small burst of color to it but not something that would compete with the photography. Of course, finding frames/images that will work with the symmetry I’m hoping for may not be possible, but I’ll adapt if need be.

Photo Gallery Wall

As I hope for the wall to be full of great memories and things near and dear to me, I wanted any artwork on there to be my own too. I want the wall to be a story all of it’s own. So, as I love quotes and lean on them often when I need a bit of motivation, I took two I discovered recently and turned them into prints which are now available in my shop. I adore how they look in white frames and I hope that you do too. I’m already sending this one out in gray to a customer so I’m excited to see how others place these within their homes as well. I currently have them at an introductory price of $8 but they will go up to $12 as of July 30th!

Eye Chart Albert Einstein Print

Eye Chart Albert Einstein Print

Eye Chart Albert Einstein Print

Eye Chart Elbert Hubbard Print

Eye Chart Elbert Hubbard Print

Eye Chart Elbert Hubbard Print

What do you think?  Do you have any home renovation projects going on?

 //  Filed under: My Home, Paper Goods  //  Tagged: home, life, modernemotive, photography, print  //  7 Comments

Moodboard: Main Living Area

So it’s only taken me 2 years but I’m FINALLY getting my condo together. Some of you may recall I went on a similar mission last year but said mission derailed once we’d finished painting. But not this time. Not this time!!!

Pieces are already picked out and just need to be purchased. We finally got the flat-screen TV we’ll be mounting onto a wall and below will be an IKEA hack idea I had for a media unit. After much indecision, I’ve finally decided on accent colors – isn’t that the hardest part? There’s nothing stopping us now.

Here’s a mood-board of what I’m envisioning for my main living area. I wanted to keep the walls gray (they are currently a very light gray) as I’m working with exposed concrete ceilings and a pillar. Then to add a punch of color, I plan on accenting with yellows and teals.  I love, love, love it!

Moodboard for Living Room

I’m so glad I was able to work the Toronto Ork Poster into the theme. I think it’s the perfect room to give it a home. Obviously I’ll be adding more wall items but that in itself is a hard task so I need to think about it some more. I have the Pottery Barn chairs. Two of them in fact. They aren’t ideal for condo dwelling (they are oversized) but I can’t bare to part with them. There’s also a dining table (I have an open concept condo) that compliments the theme perfectly with cute leather chairs.

Like last time, I plan on sharing the whole process with you. We’re slated to start two weeks from now and it could not come soon enough. Though I wouldn’t mind skipping the whole re-painting part. Something tells me it’ll be worth it though. It already feels like home!

Stay tuned.

 //  Filed under: My Home  //  Tagged: home, home decor, interior design, life, moodboard  //  9 Comments