Making a Spring Bouquet

My love for flowers continues... I thought I'd try another vessel arrangement using the same vase I used in this one.  This time I just bought some grocery store greens mixed with pink tulips and carnations.  

It's pretty easy if you want to try it.  Layer in your greens first...it should look pretty good with just the greens... and then it's best if you fill in all the spaces with clusters of the same flower.  The key is not to be afraid.. just try it!  

This is the other side...a totally different look. 

Mine looked very dramatic and abstract at first and then by the next day, as the flowers grew (tulips grow once they are cut) and fell, it became more whimsical.

Moving the Outside In

With temps getting quite a bit cooler at night, I've had to start bringing all my ferns & tropical plants inside.   My garden didn't do that well this year as we had extreme heat for a long period of time. I totally forgot what green grass looked like! But at least the potted plants were very happy.   It's always quite a challenge trying to keep the ferns alive over winter, but I love the look of them inside a home. 

This little purple Aster was meant for outside but I loved it inside, so it stayed.  Also, in case you're wondering about the kitchen, (confession) I still haven't painted the lower cabinets or bought handles (gasp).  Finding the time (& energy) with 2 teens & a puppy... the thought of taking down the doors & painting is a little overwhelming...but it's on the list for this fall.

I'm sure this tropical plant won't last in the family room but it looks good.  This room has had some changes over the summer...you may notice the hanging light & rug from here.  Also, I did the quickest & cheapest slipcover ever...I used a dropcloth.  I'll do a little post on it later.   

Family Room Changes

  

I've been moving things around again...which really is a daily thing for me...sometimes it's hard for me to keep up with all the changes and to remember what I've blogged about.  Way back at Christmas I made some changes to our family room . I originally had two couches in this room both from the Steven & Chris line (see below), and decided to move one couch and try the two chairs in front of the fireplace instead.  I've always loved this look, and when it was time to accommodate the Christmas tree, I decided it was time to make the change.  I've had these Ikea chairs for about 10 years now but had one in my son's room and one in storage. 

My original colour scheme for this house was tone on tone greys with some taupe/oatmeal.  We had just come out of a very stressful time in our lives when we moved into this house, and I wanted the colour scheme to be very calm. I've always had a more colourful palette in my previous houses but went for a more modern relaxed style here.  We had always lived in century homes too, so this was a really big change for me moving into a new home.  I like all styles and tend to be eclectic, so really, whatever I like I put in a room.  I like rooms to have a relaxed but sophisticated look...at least that's what my friends tell me.  To add to the calm feeling, I also wanted a space with symmetry and one that was clutter free.  Just now (after 5 1/2 years)  I'm gradually changing things up and adding more black & white and some colour into my home. 

 I also love gardening so it's very important to me to have garden elements in my spaces... you can see the urns, orbs,  lanterns and ferns.  I also turned my books so the pages are out, which compliments the colour scheme and although it can be frustrating to find a book (just ask my husband), it contributes to a very calm room.  I love them turned this way and I'm not turning them back!

The sideboard below was originally in our dining room in this house, and I had it in our kitchen in our previous house.  It is actually an island from Home Depot that I purchased about 10 years ago so not available now but similar to this one.  I love the industrial farmhouse look so I just added the baskets which I got from Target, sadly no longer here in Canada.  I did see some very similar ones at the SuperStore recently.  The rug also came from SuperStore a few years ago.  (I actually put two small, very inexpensive rugs together to make a larger rug...hey, it works). 

I also lightened up the room.  It was Metropolis by Ben Moore and it's now Edgecomb Grey, also Ben Moore.  I really like both colours but needed it a bit lighter.  I kept the darker colour on the fireplace wall to add some drama, and to hide the fact that the walls flanking the fireplace are different sizes...one is hiding plumbing.

One of the first changes I made when we moved into this house was changing out the "boob" light that was in this room.  Why do builders put those in?  (I know they're cheap but why not have a point of difference, and be the builder that doesn't put in boob lights?  Now there's an idea!)  And yes, all the ceilings have stucco on them... one day I'll have to take it off.   I love painted ceilings and have always had ceilings that were painted a different colour than my walls, so this is hard for me to have the stucco.  One thing I've learned is, when you have floors and ceilings you don't really like in a space, you need to really focus more on the walls.

  

(all photos taken by me with my iPhone)

 Since the window in this space is huge, I decided to stagger the drapes to add some interest and drama.  These are now my new favourite drapes from Ikea - linen & $59.99 for two!

Sources Not Mentioned

lamps, orbs, lanterns & cushions - Homesense
ceiling light - Home Depot
floor lamp - Ikea
end table - Target
bookcases & coffee table - thrift stores
bookcases & wooden chair - acquired
picture frames - SuperStore


In other news: my stairs have been painted!  And since I had my paint and paint brush out, I painted some fabric again. I've gone completely mad with painting fabric...I'll post this soon (like not six months from now).

Have a good weekend! 
And Happy 4th of July to all my American readers!

Style to Move on Style Mutt

Today I'm very excited to be over at Style Mutt Blog sharing a little bit about my family room.  If you haven't checked out their blog yet please do.  Chelsea and Cate have a real knack for mixing different styles (which is just one of the reasons I like them), and they're pros at refurbishing old furniture. 

Just to show you what I mean, here's a peek at their spaces.

Chelsea's Bedroom

Cate's Living Room

 I'll be sharing some more details of my family room with you next week so stay tuned.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Collage/Art

Before the holidays I decided to paint my family room one of my favourite colours which is a gray called Metropolis by Ben. Moore.  After painting the walls my brain decided to move the furniture, which then led to a collage, which then led to extending the dining room table and repositioning it....you  get it.  Decorators do this!

(Upper pic is family room before paint and

lower pic is family room now.)

I love collages and have had many. 

I had these gold frames (below) in a box so I decided to put them on this narrow wall.   Gold is huge right now in design and looks fantastic with my taupe and gray colour scheme. A collage like this is easy, inexpensive decorating, and it adds some drama to a space.  This wall can also be seen from the front door so this provides a bit of intrigue.

On the wall above I needed some colour so I found this wallpaper which I love at Home Depot and then pasted it onto canvass.  This is another great trick to use with fabric.  If you love a fabric but don't know what to do with it,  staple it to canvass and hang it up.  

I have!  

Remember, your space should be full of things you love, so if you don't want to commit to a wallpaper or a fabric, put them on the wall!

The family gallery shown below is another easy and inexpensive art display.  I just photocopied family pictures and then placed them in inexpensive frames.  For interest, I mixed it up a bit with some black and white photos (6) and some coloured photos (3).

(You may notice Mayor Rob Ford -you know the Toronto mayor who confessed to smoking crack - hanging in our family picture gallery.  My husband thought this would be funny for Christmas and it was!!  He wanted to see how long it would take family members to notice - apparently it takes about an hour).

Warning:  this could all change.  

Actually, what I should say is 

Warning: this WILL all change.

I'm going to post before and after shots of my rooms soon.  They really have come a long way since we purchased this house.

Have a great day and get collaging would ya!!