Canadian Tire Canvas Spring/Summer 2017 Preview

Now that it's starting to warm up here (and the six inches of snow that fell a couple of weeks ago has melted), we're all thinking about the backyard and patio.  I was recently invited to a Canadian Tire event, showcasing their 2017 CANVAS Spring/Summer collection #mycanvasstyle.  The venue was set up using all their CANVAS merchandise including interior and exterior items. I must say, I was very impressed with the outdoor lanterns & chandeliers...and here's a bonus, some are even solar!  
Here's a little peek at what I saw.

See what I mean by their outdoor lighting?  The  Cassara Lantern is one of my favourite.  As a gardener, I'm always looking for new planters and sometimes it's hard to find great style at an affordable price. I'm loving this & this...from CANVAS.

How cute are these inflatables for the pool?   

Some Great Finds at Walmart!

Just a quick note...I found some very cool things at Walmart recently.  This rug is cotton, 5' x 7', and also comes in a black & white stripe.  Now here's the really good part...it's only $39.00!  Can you believe that?   Now we finally have a rug in our living room .

I was really impressed with their lighting department...this little hanging light I picked up was only $36.00 and also comes in gold...how sweet is this?   

 But this was the whole reason I ran to Walmart in the first place...I wanted to check out this table.  Sadly I couldn't find it... I think it's only available online.  If you like mid-century you'll love it...isn't it cute?

I also wanted to check out this  end table  but couldn't find it (clearly I need to go to another Walmart) . Love this and it's only $79.00.

In the garden department...

I picked up this ginormous fern (because I absolutely love ferns inside and outside) for only $10.00...these normally retail for about $20.00.  

Have a great weekend!

Our Trip to Montreal Part 2

So this is the amazing all-white loft we stayed in while visiting old Montreal...it was beautiful!  I've mentioned before here how, done right, all white rooms can look stunning and this was stunning!  It might have something to do with the fact that the owner, Azamit, is a fashion editor for Elle Canada.  

This headboard above is simply a blank canvas which I thought was a brilliant idea.

This was what you saw when you entered....love, love, love the staircase... so striking with all the white.  And that light...it's made of paper...very cool.  Up those stairs was ...a bed on one side...(check out the headboard... a light against canvas...love the textures) and the other side was a very cool hammock with another paper light.

Azamit is also the creative director for Souk which features items made by contemporary artists from Montreal.  If you live in the Montreal area, she also does pop ups in her home where you can see the items styled. 

Staying in this awesomeness made our trip to old Montreal just that much more unforgettable. 

(all photos by Janet Belbeck with iPhone)

I've Been Painting Things Again

I've been doing a little painting & a big switcheroo lately around my house.  I'm beginning to think this is a pattern for me..seems to me I did this last winter.   (Like the sideboard above..it's moved).  We've lived in this very basic builder home now for 5 1/2 years, and it's taking a while - and some cash, to slowly transform it.  It's complete with light floors, stuccoed ceilings, and lots of "boob" lights...I'm not complaining, I'm just stating the facts.   I see it as a great challenge having only lived in century homes before, to transform this house.  I'm a firm believer that you don't have to have a lot of money to make a home look good, but it may take a little more time...and a lot of paint!  

 I seem to be painting everything dark gray or (as I call it) almost black. When I moved into this home I wanted everything very calm and serene so I painted a lot of the furniture a soft gray.  We had just come out of a very stressful time in our lives and I wanted a calm space... now for some reason, I'm going almost black.  I have a great love for French & English antiques (like Anton & K and that whole gray, black, taupe thing they have going on).  I first decided to change out my dining/kitchen light from a little drum light to a massive dark gray Hektar pendant light (below).   What a change that made... talk about lighting drama.  Also, things started to go a little industrial farmhouse so I painted this sideboard black (which actually is an island from Home Depot but I use it as a sideboard in this house). I've talked about this before...painting & changing the use of a piece of furniture.  (You can read about it here.)  I then got these massive baskets from Target, which is sadly leaving Canada, but that meant that I got them on sale so that was good.  

The "dining room" in my house is actually part of the kitchen, so I was going for a little more sophisticated look.   I usually like my spaces to have a more relaxed sophisticated look...hence the Hektar and gray velvet curtains.  (Just an aside here, when a house doesn't have a dining room, I think it's important to treat the eating area in the kitchen like a dining room).  This space has always been a work in progress, and I need to get an area rug and  slipcovers for the chairs... the list goes on.

  

Then I decided to paint the white shades on the lamps black. I just used some latex paint I had left over from another project and started painting.  I painted fabric before when I painted my pillows.

Then I went to the front hall and decided to paint my hutch black. I found this hutch at a garage sale about ten years ago. It houses all our stuff...you know, the stuff that everybody needs just inside the front door. Still need to get pulls for the drawers though.

Before

After

Are you still with me?  There have been a lot of changes, and I haven't even talked about my master bedroom yet ...it's changed too.   

So here's the lamp I painted in the master bedroom.  It's an antique light that I got at a thrift store years ago for $17.00  that I had stored in the basement.  Originally it was red and then with all the painting I thought..wait a minute...what if I paint that red light black and get a black shade? And what a change.  (Just an aside here,  "Unbroken" is an amazing book.  But definitely not a light read.) 

Oh ya, and I moved a couch into my master bedroom because I switched the family room all around.  But more on those two rooms later.

Here's a little sneak peek at the family room with the painted lamp shade. 

 I haven't painted these yet, but I still want to do it!  

Have a great weekend!!!

Cool Finds at Home Depot

 I ran out to Home Depot recently to get a paint sample and while I was waiting I found some pretty cool things. Not only are they all stylish, they're all very reasonably priced.   First up are these beautiful rugs.  I found these wool rugs hiding in the middle of their Special Order section.  They come in all different sizes and colours including dark grey, light grey and black.  (In the store the 5' x 7' was under $200.00.  The link above was the only one I could find).

Next up I found this stunning Moroccan grey and white marble tile.  Love this tile!  I also found the grey and white marble subway tile...these would look amazing together in a kitchen or bathroom.  
(Sorry but I wasn't able to find a link for the first tile).

I also really like this retro, black and white hexagon tile below.  This would be perfect on a bathroom floor.

And last up are these industrial lights.  (I'm loving industrial right now).  These were all under $100.00 each and would look great in a kitchen, laundry room or kids' room.

Laundry Room Progress

It's been awhile since I talked about my laundry room and it's really starting to come together.  This is my Ikea hack - I took two Lack end tables and stacked them.  I also removed the shelf from the bottom Lack table to allow storage for taller things like my HomeSense fabric baskets which I'm loving.  

I'm going for a  farmhouse-industrial style in here, so I used a wooden shelf and old  egg crates which I've had for years, to add some country. I found two very graphic black and white mats at HomeSense and used one on the floor and used one for a window covering.  (I just used velcro strips to attach it to the window). I needed something great on the window because it is the focal point in  this room, and it looks out onto my neighbour's brick wall.  It's also a very tall and narrow room so I needed to anchor it a bit with the black on the floor.   Now, when you walk in you don't see a brick wall or cheap tile anymore.  You see amazing graphics, which is very important when you're doing laundry! 

All of the tins, glass jars, lanterns, wicker baskets and the white garbage can came from Ikea. I'm using the tins for storage and eventually some will have plants in them - when it warms up.  Unfortunately, there is an electrical outlet right in the middle of the wall.   Visually, it's a bit of an eye sore and really bugs me, so I'll have to think of some way of covering it.  

I'm thinking about these pulls from Anthropologie on the cabinets.  (Anthropologie has lots of wonderful things - I'm just saying!!!) The cabinets are quite cheap so these pulls would make them look a lot better.  They would also add some black and white on the other side of the room and balance it out. Haven't quite decided yet on pulls.

Right now my first choice for a light is this Hektar black light from Ikea.   There are two sizes available and I think I would go for the bigger one. 

Love, love, love this look!!

I could also go for this light from Ikea but I think solid black would look better.  

I also love the industrial look of just an oversized light bulb hanging down like this one in my son's room.  (Yes that is stucco and one day it will come down).  

It's the Beacon light from Rona.

So that's the laundry room update.   Right now I'm working on my dining room drum shade trying to alter it.  I'll let you know if it works.

Lighting Can Add Drama to Any Space

One sure way of making a quick and easy update to any space is changing out the light fixtures.  If you live in a new build like I do you probably have a lot of lights to replace.  I love to add drama to every space and a new light fixture is a great way of doing this.  

Take a look at each of these photos and imagine it without the light fixture.  

See what I mean?

above pics courtesy obaz.com

If you're in the market for a new light, check these out from Joss & Main.