Jane Austen Meets Laduree

As always, i'm changing up the design in my home and this time i've decided to take inspiration from one of my most popular Pinterest Boards, "Jane Austen Meets Laduree". What is that exactly? I would describe it as the subdued elegance of Jane Austen's gentry painted in the beautiful colours of Laduree's macaroons. Tea and pastries go together hand in hand if you think about it!

 My living and dining room have been swapped and i've created a seating area accented just the right amount of posies.

I put my Allegra Hicks for West Elm drapes up to frame the dining area, which is accented in "laduree green".

Spring Change Up!

Wow, it has been a crazy few weeks... I have a lot to catch up on in terms of posting, but I wanted to post my spring re-fresh at my house. Since I got my furniture back from renting, I decided to change things up a bit!


My living and dining room have been given a refresh, moving my round kitchen table to the dining room to allow space to put the buffet table behind it.



The only new things in this room were complete scores! I got this rug from Homesense for $59.99 and two extra accent pillows on clearance for $13 and $23. Friends joke that I should be named the Homesense ambassador :).
I've got an obvious passion for bold patterns, but I'm always loving it in navy and white.

I found this chair from Elegant Garage Sale for an unbelievable steal of $25. I reupholstered it with fabric from Designer Fabrics. I moved the bamboo bar cart (that I got from my grandparent's attic) here, and dressed it up, under my $5 gold mirror from Canadian Tire.

The blue and yellow theme is carried out on throw pillows and this bathroom cup I got from West Elm.

I'm totally loving my beach house inspired family room right now. It's such an "Ahhh" spot.

Like I always say, put things in your home that make you happy! I found these cute little cast iron bunnies and they keep each other company on one of my lanterns.  Not everything needs to be symmetrical!

My mantle was cleared and I re-styled it with tone on tone cream, white and celadon objects for a relaxing, seaside feel.

Nothing says comfort like a big basket full of fluffy pillows. You can never have enough!

Latest Updates on My House

I just wanted to ring in the new year with some updated photos of the project that i'm eternally working on - my house. It's a work in progress, but just thought i'd share. Happy new year!

 Here's a solution for tighter, open spaces (this room is adjacent to the breakfast area)- try putting a pair of open backed chairs like these bamboo Chippendale arm chairs. Eventually I will get around to sewing seat cushions...

One of my many floral creations using a Wedgewood Tea tin as a vase.

 

I used this Ikea Liatorp table with the Jokkmokk chairs for this look in the breakfast area. There's a casual rug underneath to add extra warmth to the space. Personally I dont think there's anything wrong with using textiles in kitchen spaces as long as they're maintenance friendly!
More to come... stay tuned!

Cheap n' Chic: Tips for Setting up a Quick Craft Room

I just spent a few hours to start putting together my craft room, since i've picked up the new hobby of "stamping" and I need to put all that stuff somewhere! I did manage to step away from the Stampin' Up catalogue from Genevieve (I can hear my friends and family laughing here), and put up some shelving and did some re-organizing. I know a few of you have asked me advice on how to create your own craft space on a very limited budget, so here are some tips that I hope will help!

Organizing a craft room is all about keeping things you need in efficient reach, without having to see everything on your table.

TIP 1: Invest in inexpensive boxes (you can find them at Ikea or Homesense) to file away your papers and tools. You dont necessarily need a big working space if it's kept clean. Next to the desk I created a makeshift shelf to hold my ink pads and punches which I regularly use.
TIP 2: Bulletin boards covered with fabric are also inexpensive and add colour to the room (since I haven't gotten around to painting). I also stuck two cork sheets on the wall from the Dollar Store for extra space.

 Here's a standard shelf from Ikea that the previous owners left. I hold all my floral, craft, drawing/painting and rental supplies here.

 TIP 3: Here i've used old chocolate box dividers and tackle box trays as an inexpensive way to organize your little buttons, ribbons, and tags.

 TIP 4: Use picture rails to display things like paper, stamps, etc. I like to see what i've got on hand, so I can figure out what to create. I scored on two of these for $2, but you can find them at Ikea as well.

 TIP 5: Floating shelves add an extra dimension to your room as well as display space for your collections. Here are some (ahem... yes, I have more, i'm an addict) of my ribbons... I'm on the lookout for a better option here because it's clearly not big enough but it'll do for now! For my trimming collection, I use old cardboard and wrap it around.

 TIP 6: Use gift or chocolate boxes to store extra ribbon ends or papers

 TIP 7: Use every inch of space! I use this closet to house part of my floral stems (if you're into that, use large heavy bottomed vases). I also used the closet rails as a gift wrap/ tissue paper rack for now :)

TIP 8: My favourite tip of the day is to use your crafts as a part of your artwork! Have old scissors that are dull, or pencils that are too stubby? Try framing them in a shadow box and hang it in your craft room. Above, I stamped a simple image of a bunny and scribbled my initials. Instant art!

Need help putting together your craft room? Call Creative Design Therapy and we'll put together a plan for you or implement a design that will make your crafts and tools shine.

My House- More Progress

The accessorized living room awaits window dressings. I'll share more details soon, but I achieved this look with a lot of cheap art!

 Foyer and stairwell - i've installed this new chrome lantern light fixture (that I got from Homesense for $99!) to give it some polish.

I scored this awesome dresser from Homesense for only $299. I always look for pieces that have carvings, mouldings or details in the front and the back, which is a sign of quality.

My New Home Preview

Some people have been asking to see progress on my new home so I decided to post the progress photos. It's still under renovations (as you can see from the mess!!) but it's definitely coming together. More to come!

I saved this little guy from the junk yard  from my client's house. Unfortunately his ear chipped when I was driving :P He keeps a close eye on the front of the house for me :)
 The previous owner's furniture is in this "before" picture for the living room.

 I had the walls repainted and added 4 potlights. I have yet to sew the pillows (i'm going to add special trim) and put up photos.

 Family room "before"...

 There isn't much progress here yet, except I had a new light fixture installed. As much as I admire the previous home owner's devotion to saving energy, having flourescent lightbulbs everywhere makes the house very cold! The kitchen Island I bought is currently being used as my tv stand.

 The kitchen "before"...

So far, it's still a mess, but the kitchen has had the extra pantry removed, received new appliances, and a fresh coat of paint... well, more like 4... or 6... Hard work but it is saving me tons of money in the interim until I can save up to do what I really want to do!