{Fairytale Fabrics} Illustrative & Fun Fabrics With a Historical Twist

I've been noticing a more recent trend toward fabric designs that are illustrative and have a hand-drawn quality. As a result, I thought I'd show you a few of my favourites {that also have a little historical twist}. So if you're a design and history lover, you'll love this. The first two fabrics are by Pierre Frey, and the first was inspired by promotional brochures advertising holidays in the 1950s. It has a nostalgic vibe to it and is sophisticated and playful at the same time. The second arboretum textile was inspired by botanical sketches often found in children's books. I thought the textile from Zoffany featuring 19th-Century London was really cool because of all of the detail. Check it out! A beautifully drawn map of nineteenth century London with detail right down to street level! Finally, Lewis & Wood's history of birds print was designed by the 17th-Century naturalist Thomas Bewick and is charming, uplifting and all around lovely. Which one is your favourite? Happy Thursday!

{Inspiring Spaces} Should Location Matter?

I was browsing through old magazine issues that I purchased at a thrift store when I came across these two spaces featured in the March 2009 issue of Architectural Digest magazine. But before I get into more detail about the spaces themselves, I must admit that I was torn. I liked these spaces but something wasn't fully resonating with me. Can someone have too much floral print? Is there such a thing as texture and pattern overload? You hear about it ... and these two spaces definitely demonstrate a high frequency of texture, pattern and colour. Take a minute to look at the spaces and decide whether you give a thumbs up or thumbs down. Then let me tell you their location. The first flowery house is actually in Florida and was designed by Mario Buatta. The second location is also in Florida, more specifically Key West. When reading that, I thought, "Okay, these spaces do reflect their geography. There's something tropical about both spaces." But would I feel the same way if, let's say, the spaces were in Iceland or Greenland? {Basically somewhere less exotic.} Should it even matter? And what's with all these preconceived notions that I, and others, have? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Image source ~ Architectural Digest. March 2009.

{Light Up Your Life} 3 Pendant Lights I'm Currently Loving

Happy Tuesday, gang! Today I was inspired by some things that immediately grabbed my attention in the latest issue of Style at Home magazine. My eye was drawn to so many beautiful pendant lights. Did you see the article and photos on mason jars? They remind me of my Grandma who used to have a set of mason jar mugs that we would use for cold drinks on hot summer days. I love the pendant lights made out of mason jars because they look like fireflies when lit up. Plus they make a great DIY projects! The Wooster & Jeeves top hat pendants were featured in another posting of mine a few weeks ago but I had to bring them back. They're absolutely adorable! Perfect for the male or female fashion gurus. Finally, the Zettl'z light is more of a chandelier than a pendant, but I love the bohemian chic energy to it and how it can be easily personalized. It looks messy, but in a good way {one that doesn't bother the Virgo in me anyway} and it's a cute way to keep old mementos and personalized items - and also to also show them off in trend-forward decor style. What do you think of these three different lights? Which one is your favourite?

Image sources ~ Mason Jar pendants: Houzz // Pottery Barn // Ramshackle Glam

Wooster & Jeeves top hat pendants: Trendir // Decoholic

Zettl'z:  Marvomatic // House Beautiful

{That's So May!} 10 Market Picks That Scream May

1. Dash and Albert micro hooked rug.

2. May flowers.

3. Celia Birtwell garden tools.

4. Mauvey Liberty print coaster.

5. Floral heart print from Rifle Paper Co.

6. Celia Birtwell gardening gloves.

7. Custom Chippendale Carver chair.

8. Pillow shams, various prints, standard size. As seen on Plum Pretty Sugar.

9. Jessie Steele floral print oven mitt. 

10. Meadow floral swoop seat.

Can you believe that the month of May will be ending this week? In honor of this beautiful month, I've compiled a list of things that screams May {at least to me}. What do you think of when you ponder about May? For me, it's all about flowers blooming and the beginning of warm weather. People start paying more attention to their gardens, planting flowers, herb and veggies that will last them through the summer months. Also, may is all about Mother's Day, Victoria Day {in Canada} or Memorial Day {in the U.S.} so there is an energy of warmth and love that surrounds this time. I've compiled 10 market picks that remind me of May. Anything from gardening tools to rugs - most of which have a floral theme. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Happy Monday!

{Blog Podium!} + My Week in Review

Picture this ... you walk into a decadent conference room and all around you are women {and some men} sitting at tables placed systematically around the room. All are impeccably dressed; hair done, wearing bright and colourful summer outfits, and as you enter, laughter and excited chatter fills the air. The setting is Toronto's Arcadian Court and Lofts. The view of the space is of Old City Hall. Contemporary-looking chandeliers sparkle and shimmer above you. To the right of the room is an exposed brick wall and at the front of the room is a long conference table and a podium. This is quite fitting seeing as the event you're attending is Blog Podium, a conference where bloggers, writers, vendors and businesses across Canada all come together for the purpose of collaboration, community, sharing knowledge, information - {hugs!} - and supporting each other in their unique-yet-similar paths. 

For me, one thing that made Blog Podium stand out is its encouragement to engage in social media "tweeting" during the event. While most people shy away from typing on their phones out of fear of being rude, Blog Podium organizers encouraged and supported this cyber speak. So community was not only being built in the room, but also in Cyberspace as people connected, chatted and posted via Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. And yes, I was one of them!

I must admit that I did one of the worst things imaginable on the day: I forgot my camera! And I'm not fortunate to have a cell phone camera that produces high-quality images, so right off the bat, please forgive me for that. But I want to give a shout-out to the sponsors of Blog Podium: EQ3, blurb, HomeSense & The Home Depot as well as the vendors who were friendly, engaging and informative: West Elm, PARA Paints, Benjamin Moore, DECOR-Rest, sheblogs, Gluckstein Home, Posterjack, AYA Kitchens & Baths, Mango Studios {and all of the other vendors that helped make this event possible. If any were forgotten, please let me know and I'll kindly add them in}.

A big thank you to the event organizers, the lovely Lindsay Stephenson of Little House Blog and Jennifer Flores of Rambling Renovators, as well as Nicole Balch from Making it Lovely, Cheryl Kozoriz, Laura Muirhead, Christine Dovey from Bijou and Boheme and Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault as well as all of the staff at Acadian venue for their individual involvement on the day.

What I was up to this week:

 Inspiring spaces ~ coastal cottage charm.

{1 Room, 2 Perspectives} - plates aren't for tables anymore.

Spring table setting ideas.

Hanging photos ~ 3 different ways to battle bare walls.

{The Art of Photo Hanging} 3 Different Ways to Battle Bare Walls

 

Images Clockwise from the left: Apartment Therapy, Poppytalk, Domino Magazine

Just another short-but-sweet post from me today as I prepare for tomorrow's Blog Podium event. It's my first time attending and I'm excited about the knowledge that I'll be receiving, the possibilities that are within reach, and the connections I will create with fellow creative gurus. {Stay tuned for more posts about the event!} With that being said, yesterday's post was all about hanging plates on the walls. Today, it's all about tackling that boring, blank canvas {a.k.a. the dreaded blank walls that everyone seems to fear}. For many of us, blank walls mean one thing: unfinished. I've been impressed how people have chosen to hang their frames, in unique and often inspiring ways which brings forth how skilled we can be at balance, perspective, shapes and synergy. These three photos show photos hanging in different methods. Which one is your favourite? I'm partial to the bedroom scene in which framed portraits of various silhouettes seem to dance along the wall. Maybe I just like the vintage look of the space. What's your pick? Happy Thursday, gang!

{1 Room, 2 Perspectives} ~ Plates On The Wall

 Images via Elle Decoration UK

Plates aren't just for tables anymore. One design trend - and I use that term loosely - that I've been seeing quite often lately are plates from the walls. Yesterday, via Facebook, I posted a Moroccan-themed room which featured gorgeous hand-crafted plates on the walls that were painted beautiful shades of purple, pink and yellow. Today, I was inspired by these images from Elle Decoration UK simply because you get the whole perspective of the space. Although the first image depicting the plates hanging on the navy blue wall wall would have sufficed, the second image gives us deeper perspective. Just call it: 1 room, 2 perspectives. Happy Thursday, gang!