A Day in the Life...

Working on a very exciting restaurant project comes with glamorous duties like guarding toilets at home depot! :P

More Updates to My House...

I finally had some time to do some updating to my living and dining rooms yesterday so I thought i'd keep sharing the work in progress!

 The floors felt naked for a while so I finally caved and got this sisal rug from Home Depot. I was honestly looking for something a bit more special but budget and time do not allow...

 This print is an original vintage Christian Dior print that I purchased from my trip to Maui last year from this amazing store in Laihaina. I know this sounds ridiculous for a decorator, but this is the first piece of art I really invested in getting professionally framed. I had the frame done at Soho Framing and the result was stunning!

 I always believed in putting things around your house that make you smile, and this black and white sheep salt and pepper shaker do just that. I wanted texture on the wall, so I framed a piece of faux bois wood and glued the sheep on top kissing.

 The dining area finally received some colour from these postcard collages (explained below), but it's far from done. I definitely need to put in some kind of rug and my dream mouldings still need to be installed.

 I created two collages using these Penguin Book Covers I found on Amazon.com. The wood faux bamboo frames are actually these old frames that were found in an old attic. I know it seems they are pasted on crooked but I did it on purpose to create a bit of texture.

I found this incredible tray from Homesense for $20 and I filled it with some of my favourite things for now until I get a chance to properly decorate. I have two small plates ("L" and "B") which are my dogs initials :)

Caitlin Wilson Pillows

I love these pillows by Caitlin Wilson Textiles

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.

Customer Appreciation Night Gets Creative Therapy

I couldnt wait to share these pics of the snack baskes I prepared for the customer appreciation night for my friend's company, Auto Niche. A women friendly, and woman own and operated auto shop, I created a whimsical snack basket with her company colours in mind of red and black.

 Each lucky guest received a chocolate dipped strawberry, red and black berries, nori sprinkled popcorn and a package of cookies.

 Inside the custom cookie wrappers were homemade white and chocolate chip cookies...

 and ginger molasses cookies. I had a great time making it!

Sold! Our Last Staging Project's Before & After

I just wanted to post some of the before and after pictures of the last project I worked on, which was close to downtown Toronto. I'm so blessed to have had the chance to work on this house and very happy to announce that it was sold in just a little over a week!
Below: The door was repainted with the classic designer favourite, "Million Dollar Red". We re-opened a previous opening from the foyer to the living room and capped it with trim..

The Living Room Before

 After: The walls were refreshed and replastered with a few fresh coats of Benjamin Moore paint (Grey Cashmere 2138-60). The wood burning fireplace is accented and highlighted with architectural pictures of Paris.

Flanking the entrance of the living room:  I picked up these two rounded spindle back antique chairs from the Roncesvalles antique area, which happened to be the exact same chairs that the owner of the house grew up with!

 The Dining Room After: I reupholstered the window bench with French striped cloth from Designer Fabrics. The linen curtains are from Ikea. The gorgeous domed ceiling was painted Dove White (OC-18).

 Kitchen Before

After: I used one of my favourite paint colours of all time, Ocean Air (2123-50) by Benjamin Moore. The fresh new eat-in kitchen area now feels breezy and refreshed.

 Bedroom Before...

 After: All three bedrooms on the third floor received new trim, paint and new carpet. The gorgeous beamed ceiling's height was now a lot more evident thanks to the trim paint (Cloud White - OC-130). The room was decorated as an office with just the right amount of whimsy.

Guest Bedroom Before: My favourite feature of this bedroom before was the large "Swollen Members" sticker that was stuck on one of the beams. Kidding aside, this room had great light and great bones to be a wonderful guest bedroom.

 After: The room is now bright, cozy and a very comfortable spot to enjoy the views! I especially love these black and white bird curtains I scored from Ikea.

 Master Bedroom Before... This was certainly the most interesting bedroom floor that I had ever seen, but let's just say that the new cut berber carpet fits better.

 After: Somehow, the copper pipes used as drapery rods didn't make the cut (although it's an ingenious idea that could be used in another space!). Now the master bedroom is a large retreat away that's reminiscent of the nearby Beach neighbourhood. I love the client's painted dresser from the first bedroom that ended up being the perfect accent to this room.
*Tip: By switching the light fixtures around from room to room, I was able to save the clients hundreds of dollars!