framed shower love (something i never thought i'd type)

Last week I posted about my new found love of iron window showers, and I gotta admit, I felt super weird about rescinding my hatred of all framed showers. It's just one of those rare rules I thought was borderline universal: framed showers = dated and ugly. But I told myself it was ok because my new crush was so specific. It had to be iron, and it had to be window-like. I was only veering off the seamless shower door path a little. 

But then I kept looking around pinterest, and, well, I veered off a lot. Like, taking out a mailbox and crashing into a tree styles:

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Yup. That just happened.

I honestly never thought you could convince me to like ANY bordered showers, and now I'm having a full on love affair with a crap-tonne of them.

Is this a new thing? Are bordered showers back in a big ass way?! It seems to me that we've moved away from them for so long that if you want to make a statement this might be the new (old) way to go. I mean, these babies get noticed.

It looks like Naomi of Design Manifest caught onto this shift way before me, and did a great post about when you should consider this look.

What do you think? Just another case of re-imagining old trends or something you didn't see coming either?

testing my patience

Now that the spring photo shoot is done, I'm getting back to projects around the house. The major one on my plate? Tackling a d.i.y. capiz chandelier made out of wax paper.

I know it sounds crazy (and potentially tack-a-riffic), but look at the results!

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Amazing, no?! The images above are from the best instructions that I've found around the interwebs (and there are many), so if you think you want to try your hand at it too, I'd start there.

This is one of those ones where you might want to think looooong and hard though, cuz I'm in the middle of making the capiz "shells" and this project is already testing my patience. I think it's going to be the most time consuming d.i.y. I've ever taken on, and only the extreme gorgeousness of those pics is keeping me from throwing in the towel (or something heavy at the wall. Whichever). I was looking up capiz chandeliers on ebay this morning out of sheer "Is this even worth it"-ness, but after checking out the prices I decided to barrel through. Ah life with champagne taste and a beer budget.

Once I'm done I'll let you know if this passes the time vs money test. For now, I better go get cozy with my hole punch and sewing machine . . .

spring shoot sneak peek!

I'm pretty super duper stoked to say that Dal and I pulled off another styled wedding shoot on Sunday! Which means that other than my birthday, my weekend was filled with last minute timeline building, novice flower arranging, tablecloth dip-dyeing, chandelier d.i.y.'ing . . . the list goes on! We'd been planning for months, but no matter what, so much always ends up coming down to those last few weeks and days!

I can't share the shoot with you just yet, but here's a little sneak peek of the gorgeousness (if I do say so myself). Please no pinning for now, cuz we're going to try to get it picked up by one of the major wedding blogs . . .

I must admit I'm pretty proud of it. While I've absolutely loved every shoot we've done, the setup of this one is the most me. Granted, the fact that it was the only one we could hold outdoors makes for a pretty unfair fight. Could anything really match those willows and the pond as a backdrop? I don't think so. 

What I do think is that me, my blanket and my G are going to become permanent residents in the park for the summer.

Pretty much the perfect way to spend a birthday and unwind after the culmination of so much planning and hard work. I fully intend to fill so many days with this that I soak up enough sun to last me the rest of the year. Who's with me?

turning 29

I turned 29 today, and I must admit that I'm struggling with how to feel about that. I hate that I'm such a cliche, but it's hard not to feel sad about the things I really and truly believed I would have in my life by the time I turned 30, and pretty clearly won't. I guess I'm just much more conscious of the number of candles on my cake this year. 

Two years ago I was in a very different spot than I am now, and sometimes I look at my present situation and have a hard time recognizing myself in it. I used to have a very clear vision of exactly where I would be at this point and in the future, and somehow I still find it difficult to let go of those dreams.

At the same time, I've accomplished so much this year. My life has changed in so many ways that when I look back it's hard to believe it all happened in less than 12 months. I've taken on more creatively this year than in any year before it, and I have an amazing group of people in my world now that I didn't when I turned 28. I'm so grateful for that. 

I have to keep telling myself that there is no set timeline for these major life events, and that the pressure is all internal. But it's hard not to let fear take over, you know?

What is it about 30?! Why does it somehow feel like the ultimate deadline, and if you're not coupled off or on your dream career path it's time to start panicking? 

Anyone else grappled with this? Anyone look back now and think how silly those thoughts were? Or feel grateful that their life didn't follow the traditional path or go according to 'plan'? 

ironclad

As you may already know, the home of Bailey McCarthy (the super cute face behind the blog Peppermint Bliss) was recently featured on Design Sponge, and it's been absolutely BLOWING UP on Pinterest and in blog land. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely check it out. Her design choices are really striking and interesting, and she is clearly not someone who shies away from bold moves. Girl has balls. 

But to totally honest (and I feel almost nervous saying this out loud), I don't...really...love it. I APPRECIATE it, but I don't love it. It's just not my style. I love bold wallpaper, but not those bold wallpapers. I love bold colour combinations, but not those bold colour combinations. You know what I mean?

It's honestly just a matter of taste, and if it were everyone's style it wouldn't be such a statement, right? 

Anyway, there is one room in Bailey's home that I do love -- and I mean really really love. Ironically, it's the bathroom she designed for her husband! In Bailey's own words: "Pete saw a picture of a similar shower I had posted on my blog one day and thought it was the coolest thing ever. He lets me paint lots of junk pink, so this is the least I could do for him."

How cute is that? And how amazing is the result:

Incredible. I can actually remember the first time I saw this iron-window shower style (maybe the same pic her husband saw) because it struck me just as much then. Mostly because I couldn't believe how much I adored it. I mean, I'm a seamless, border-less, everything-less shower door girl. Hands down, every time. 

Except this time. 

This breaks the rules. THIS is insanity: 

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Oh sure, add honeycomb tile, exposed brass piping and raw wood to it. Give me a heart attack. Whatever.

Honestly though. Honestly. I can't get over how head-over-heels I am with this. It's so old-worldy, and there's something strangely Parisian countryside about it. I especially love when the door doesn't go all the way up to the top of the wall of windows. It makes it feel so grand. 

So what do you think? Should I be thrown out of design-blog-land for not wanting to move into Bailey's place? Would you make an exception on bordered shower doors in this one case, or are you still not sold? I'm pretty clearly in the ironclad boat over here. Hell, I may as well be manning the ship. 

i heart your art: lulie wallace

So in my last post I mentioned Lulie Wallace, and even though her work has been all over the blogosphere and back again recently, I thought I would be remiss if I didn't follow that mention up with an "i heart your art". Because lord knows I do. Heart her art that is.

Lulie's schtick is deconstructed/abstract florals, à-la-this:

 

That second one is calling my name. 

Now I can totally understand why some people wouldn't 'get' these. They are unapologetically feminine, and yes, I see it, just a little bit granny. I'm not going to argue with you. But they also have an inexplicable edge to them, and they're so, so much bolder and quirkier than your standard floral still life. I can't even put my finger on what makes them so special, I just know they are. I'm seriously smitten. 

Coincidentally, the new Society Social Magalog came out on Monday, and lo-and-behold, Lulie's work was featured in one of the rooms (designed by Tiffany Richey):

By the way, um, could someone, um, maybe please mail me that pink and gold chest? I might need it very badly. Maybe.

Oh god someone send that to me now.

random weekend prettiness

Sometimes something happens that reminds me why I love my city despite incessant riots and protests, ridiculous laws that violate citizens' right, and terrible infrastructure. On Sunday, my neighbourhood had a "community picnic" that did just that.

They closed down the main street and everyone brought tables and bbq's and food and just shared. People face painted and played music and put a sprinkler in the middle of the street that kids were having an f-ing blast in. These weren't city workers or volunteers, it was just the people who live here, saying "hey, want a hot dog"? Even the restaurants got in on the act and handed out a bunch of free samples. 

You have no idea what this is you say? THAT is something some random lady made for events just like this. It's attached to the back of her bike and has a sink in the middle so you can wash your plate when you're done partaking in all the awesome food people brought and put on its shelves. It's all made of reclaimed wood too. How AWESOME is that??!

The whole thing was just a potluck full of strangers, and I really don't know where else in the world shit like that happens in a big city. I kept asking "are you sure I can just take some?"

When I wandered away I popped into a local thrift store and found this pretty little thing for 10$:

Isn't it lovely? Reminds me a bit of Lulie Wallace's work:

Except not as awesome. Because really, how could it be. Oh Lulie...

This morning I woke up super early to go pick out the main flowers for our next photo shoot and snapped a quick pic on my way out of the wholesalers:

Not sold on the yellow garden roses, but ranunculus are out of season so I'm making do...Can't wait to go back on Saturday and pick out the fresh add-ons!

P.S. Can you be bad at instagram? I'm super late to the instagram party since I just got my iPhone recently, and I'm not really convinced that I'm very good at choosing filters :P

resisting temptation

Yesterday I went to Home Sense (Canada's version of Marshall's, and actually owned by the same company), and it was a disaster. In that it wasn't a disaster. They had so much good stuff, and the friend who was supposed to come with me had to back out, so I had no one there to tell me to put things back!!

This is not good. I need a friend to stand in for the non-existent angel counterpart to my very dominant shopping devil. He sits on my shoulder and throws his weight around like a mother-fucker. That asshole's mom needed to have taught him that no means no...

Anyway, I scored some beauty stone bookends that I'm totally going to do this to:

Mine are pink and purple. Natch.

I also got a couple of awesome mother of pearl and wood boxes for about 10$ each! They look a bit like a cross between these:

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I also saw a lamp made out of the same mother of pearl inlay for only 60$!! But I'm becoming a bit of a lamp collector without meaning to, so I resisted. I also resisted a faux Beni Ourain rug. Which is, I think, a sign of extreme self-control. Don't know what a Beni O is? Here's a little taste:

It was 5 by 8 and only 299$. I literally hugged it before dragging myself away. I am still thinking about it 24 hours later — which is usually the universal sign for get your butt back there and buy that thing!!—but G makes it a total no-go. I realized a long time ago that any shaggy white rugs or hides need to be totally dispensable, because he will scratch himself a spot in it and drag his muddy paw print all over it. And if there is one thing that trumps the pretty, it's the thought of adding a bunch of cleaning to my life :P

There were also distressed wood benches, gold leaf side tables, big African baskets... the list goes on... 

Sigh. Have you ever had to drag yourself away from things you really really wanted because you just had no where to put it or it didn't fit with your lifestyle? Does it pain you like it does me? Or should I join shiny-things-hoarder anonymous?

amber interior design

I started following Amber at least a year and a half ago (maybe two?), when her site was still pretty young. I'm not sure what brought me to it at first, but it's always been one of my faves. I've been so impressed (and bolstered) by watching her number of followers absolutely sky-rocket. Clearly I need some tips from this lady!

Anyway, her best posts are (obviously) the ones in which she gives sneak peeks of her own work, and yesterday's was a doozy! While it was all luscious, the best room IMHO was this gorgeous mountain of pink and purple perfection:

Aaaaaaah, the curtains make me want to curl myself into a ball and die! I love love love the bohemian vibe and liberal use of global/vintage textiles in all her projects.

My favourite sneak peek of hers is still this one though:

There's just something about the softness and colour of this space that speaks to me. Hard. I seriously hope she publishes more of this space soon (hint)!

lonny love: dransfield and ross

Sometimes I read Lonny and Rue and feel like they must be running out of really good homes to feature. Everything is decent, but nothing is really hitting it out of the park. It all kind of blends together, like one big block of 'meh'.

Sometimes, though, there's that one gem that jumps off the pages and punches me straight in the gut. That I see and think, "Man, they really hit paydirt with this one". In April it was Anna Burke's home (um, insanity), and this month it's the beautiful old farmhouse of John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross.

Here's a little taste of the gorgeousity:

Can we all agree that this place kicks ass? I think so.

For more, check out page 49 of June's Lonny. Happy Monday pretties!