Playing catch-up

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving?  I am not late on this post due to death-by-turkey.  More like death-by-dessert!  There were about 8 dessert options at both (yes there were 2) Thanksgiving dinners Derek and I attended.  And since I didn’t want to hurt any of the hard working chefs’ feelings, I had to try them all! 

We had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend, aside from Derek and both having a slight cold.  We enjoyed the outdoors and beautiful fall colours by hiking the Luskville Falls Trail, I visited the Vanier Farmer’s Market, and we spent time with our wonderful family and friends.  Thanksgiving may be one of my favourite holidays.

Here are some pics we took during our hike.  I don't think I've seen the colours so vibrant!

Like I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I really wanted to get our home feeling seasonal, and I am happy to say I accomplished just that!  

Project #1: frame leaves
Project #2: yarn wreath

It is easy to be inspired by our beautiful view.

Friday, on my way home from work I collected leaves like a 7 year old in the park across from our condo.  This was a lot of fun, actually; choosing the most pretty colours and patterns.  Then, once Derek left for a late hockey game I got my crafting on.  To make myself feel better for staying home, doing crafts on a Friday night, I made sure to enjoy a couple Coors Lights.  This may or may not have increased production time...

I drew inspiration for my wreath colours from this really pretty piece of scrap booking paper I found at Michael's.  With all the yarn and felt choices available (there are seriously aisles and aisles at Michael's!) I think having a pattern helps decide on a colour scheme.  

Following the lead of Tanya, Danielle and Yvonne I wrapped (and wrapped and wrapped) yarn and spun my little pieces of felt to create my wreath.  I would love to add a welcome bunting using stencils and pretty fabric one day like Myra.

At the beginning my wreath was looking just like Ashley's wedding colours!

It took a while to get the hang of creating these little rosettes.  But once I made a few they started looking more like flower buds.    

I strung my wreath up using twine I had on hand.  One condo-living bonus: I don't need to worry about my door décor being damaged by the outdoor elements.  Downfall: jack o'lanterns don't really work. 

Our door is looking extra nice compared to our neighbour's accross the hall!  Maybe it's the beginning of their Halloween décor?  Just kidding...no one has moved in yet - it's still under construction.

I also framed my own pressed leaves and put together a little fall vignette in our entrance.  When Derek got home around 1:30am I was just finishing up.  The yarn wreath took a while!  But it was totally worth it.  I would love to create one for every season and maybe give them as gifts to my craft-loving friends and family members.

Also - I've decided that our little microwave cart near the entrance is going to be like the mantel we'll never have.  We can dress it up depending on the season.  One day I think I will paint it.  Maybe stain the top so it's nice and glossy and paint the base white?

I am also thinking of painting that wall in black chalk board paint.  I think I mentioned this before.  I would be able to add to the seasonal décor with messages and chalk drawings.  I'm still mulling it over...

Framing the leaves was a lot of fun too (and they are still looking fresh!)  I used scrap booking paper as background.

And here's a little gebera daisy in my honey tin on our dining table.

Are you into seasonal decorating?  I love bringing the outside in, especially in the fall.  And I loved making my wreath so much I'm already looking forward to doing one for Christmas, which really is not that far off!  Which means either is the wedding!  EEEK, I better get to the gym!  Kidding, it's Friday, that's not happening...

Happy weekend!!!

Autumn inspiration

Fall has arrived!  That glorious season that catches me by surprise every year, and then leaves (pun intended) much too quickly.

I love fall for many reasons.  Fall fashion for starters, is awesome.  Boots, scarves, sweaters, tweed, leather and rich colours.  I always have a craving to shop for new clothing this time of year.  

The weather is also the bomb.  That perfect feeling when the air is crisp, but not enough to see your breath, and the sun is still warm on your face.  It makes for the ideal afternoon patio weather to sit an enjoy a pint of beer or a pumpkin spiced lattée.

And speaking of PSLs, I have yet to enjoy one this year.  I usually indulge in only one, and it has to be the most perfect setting.  A perfect fall afternoon (hopefully it's the weekend), ideally with my bff out for a day of shopping in the market, and it helps if I'm wearing a cute fall outfit to complete the experience.

As a lover of décor blogs, I have been enjoying seeing how everyone has been infusing fall into their homes.  There is nothing more charming than a front door seasonally decorated to greet guests, or a lovely mantel re-done in fall colours.  

Here are some of my favourites....

Kate, from Centsational Girl, hits the mark every time, and didn't miss when sprucing up her mantel for the season.  See, it's as easy as clipping a few stems to bring the beauty inside.

My girl, Sherry, from Young House Love has also displayed some fall foliage to give her dining tablet that fall feeling.

I love the idea of decorating with dried, pressed leaves.  I remember hunting for the perfect maple leaf to press and save when I was a kid - so much fun.  Apartment Therapy shares some ideas and the easy steps to doing it yourself.  My favourite is the leaf garland.  

Better Homes and Gardens reminds us that fall decorating can be as easy as filling up a bowl full of apples!

If you prefer to streamline your fall décor with the rest of your home, take Suzie Harris' cue by spray painting faux (or real) gourds and pumpkins to match your colour scheme!  Très chic.

Stay trendy and take some inspiration from Pantone's Fashion Colour Report for fall 2012 when adding a new throw blanket or accent pillow to your home.

Loving this pillow from etsy.

And these pretty throws by West Elm.

Now lets head outdoors...

Last year Ryan and Laura from Smith & Ratliff featured some fun seasonal front steps from their West Village neighbourhood in Manhattan.  I'm so jealous.

I love the DIY yarn wreath trend that's been popping up.  Living in a condo doesn't allow for that charming front step decor, so I may have to give this a go.  Tonya from Love of Family shows us how nice it can look and includes a tutorial too.

So, have you begun your fall decorating yet?  So far, I’ve only been inspired, and have yet to actually DO anything.  However with the month of October (and Thanksgiving!) quickly approaching I’m determined to make the first fall in our new condo a beautiful one, and I’m happy too, that I’ve come across a few free ideas!

My goal is to share a post next weekend showing you all my hard work, and also how our amazing view is changing colours!

Happy autumn everyone!

Painting laminate furniture - project complete!

Ok, now that the summer of weddings has ended, I've found some time to complete my book shelves.

Remember how our old laminate book cases went from this: 

to this:

Huge improvement, right?

Too bad the painting fairy never showed up over the last 4 weeks to finish my project, though.  I still needed to give the back of the all-white case one more coat of paint as well as paint all of the shelves (4 per book case).  

Once I realized said fairy wasn't showing up found some spare time in my life, I finally tackled the rest of this project.  

I took the same steps painting the shelves, as I did with the actual book cases.  It took one afternoon to paint the shelves and then another 2 days for them to sit out on our balcony drying.  

Without further adieu, here are some photos of the final result!

I love how the blue back turned out.  I think the white pieces look really fresh and the colourful accents keep it feeling playful and not too serious.  I'm sure the shelves will be ever-changing because that's my idea of a good time :)

I'm happy I decided to keep the book chase in the living area solid white.  The plan is to move this book case to another room once we eventually purchase a proper hutch to use as a television stand.  So the fact that it is all-white will make it easier to match with other things.  

I like adding colour by layering framed art at the back of the shelves.  We have a few pieces that still need to be framed.  Can't wait to get on that!

In the end, this project probably took me a total of 10 hours and cost roughly $140.  Overpriced, probably.  But I'm totally happy with the result and the fact that I didn't have to spend money on brand new book cases.  So, I say to all of you wondering if you should paint your brown laminate pieces of furniture, go for it!  It's amazing what a coat (or four) of paint can do!  

And 10 points to those who noticed my blue ikat pillow!  I sort of made him centre stage in the last few pics :)  It's a new purchase from Home Sense this weekend for $24.99. I love their pillow selection, and I think it ties in with my colours wonderfully. 

Next on the condo décor to-do list  is hanging bedroom curtains.  I purchased some black-out curtains from Bouclair Home last week and am dying to mount them.  Our bedroom never seems to get too dark with the city lights at night time and bright sun in the mornings.  

So, I know there isn't a painting fairy, but do  you think there is one who hangs curtains???

My best friend's wedding

My best friend forever got married this past weekend!  It was such a whirl wind of excitement, planning, emotions, anxiety, fun and most of all love.

I am so happy for Ashley and Matt, who are now taking a well-deserved "mini-moon" together, to relax after this big event.  They are planning a larger-scale honeymoon to Italy next May.

Ashley had a beautiful garden party style wedding in her Aunt and Uncle's backyard.  Her colour scheme was gray and yellow with accents of white and green.  It was so fresh!  The wedding was complete with the big, crisp white tent, lanterns, lush greenery, a bathtub of beer (yes - bathtub!), white twinkle lights and an in-ground swimming pool that some guests (and the groom) may or may not have jumped into later in the night.

To keep it simple - it was perfect.  Ashley totally blew my mind by executing the most beautiful backyard wedding I could have imagined.  I say she blew my mind because she was never one to day dream about all the details of her future wedding or go crazy with a wedding pinterest board before (or even after) she got engaged.  Unlike me, her best friend, who awkwardly purchased wedding magazines without an engagement ring and who basically had a wedding planned for every season so that I would be prepared.

Ashley went into her wedding planning with a fresh pallet, free of any preconceived ideas or plans.  And I think that is great.

Her concept was that she wanted to DIY as much as possible, keep the cost low while filling everyone up with the love her and Matt share along with delicious food and lots of beer and wine.  She didn't want things to feel stuffy, overly formal or too "planned out".  Kind of like a fancier backyard BBQ with a wedding to kick things off.

And she succeeded in doing just that.  The wedding reflected her and Matt perfectly.  They are a very down to earth couple, who focused on the important aspects of the wedding without getting caught up in the silly details which is so easy to do.

Here are a few pictures of the wedding venue, so that you can have a small appreciation for all the hard work Ashley put into her special day.  All while looking amazingly beautiful, I might add!

And here are a few action shots during the ceremony which was held in the front yard.

In the limo, on our way to the wedding!  These are Ashley's beautiful sisters on the left.  

And the bride, herself, who could not have looked more stunningly beautiful.  Matt's a pretty lucky guy!!!

The photos above were taken by me and a few of the wedding guests.  Here is a sneak peek from Ashley's amazing wedding photographer Tiffany Richard from Photography by Tiff.

Congratulations Ashley and Matt!  I wish you the all the happiness in the world as you grow together in your marriage!

xoxoxo