Some Florida Architecture

With freezing temps outside here (just north of Toronto),  it was so nice to get these pics from my husband last week from sunny Florida.  He drove with our kids and three other teenagers (and extremely loud music) to the Gulf Coast (near Destin, FA) for March break to volunteer with World Renew.  They helped a woman who had her house destroyed by flooding and has been rebuilding it for the past nine years.   They had such an amazing time (and a great bonding time).  Our kids are 14 and 17 so it was a great opportunity to teach them to give back and help those in need.  At the end of the week, the woman broke down in tears and was so grateful that volunteers who she didn't even know would come all the way from Canada to help her. 

They were able to fit in a couple of afternoons at the beach. Knowing how much I love architecture, my husband sent me these photos.  You may recall last year he did the same thing when he went down East for business and sent me these pics. 

Here's some of the kids "working".  That's my daughter getting  a free ride.  All the kids said that even though they worked hard they had a blast, and all want to go back next year. 

Urban Barn Spring Finds

Popped by Urban Barn recently to see what they had for Spring, and I must say, I kinda liked everything.  They had a real retro vibe going on mixed in with the usual industrial-country style.  The couch below had a mid-century feel but was done in a soft leather. Most of the couches had narrow arms and lower backs so they would be great for condo living...you know, getting up the elevator. 

How cute is the enormous blue teacup above.  It's actually a planter and comes in many different colours.  Check out this chair (below)... this would look fantastic in an office or library.  (Does anyone have a library?)

Love this grey linen bench above with the tufted backing. (Just an aside here, if you have a small dining room,  these benches look amazing up against a wall.  You can even get a higher back to give the space more drama). 

And here's the same table as above but from the other side - great eclectic look - wooden bench on one side and upholstered bench on the other.

Is that not the sweetest end table for a girl's room or master bedroom?  They also had it in yellow along with all the accessories below, which is good if you're adding some pops of yellow in your decor for Spring.  

Sending Some Sunny Yellow Your Way

 via picklee.com

Ok so I've had enough of this extremely cold winter... I need spring. I'm guessing everyone out there who lives in North America is feeling the same way so I thought I'd cheer (and warm) everyone up with a little bit of yellow.  To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of yellow.  I like it in small amounts.   It can really make an interior come to life by just adding a little bit.  Like painting the inside of the front door yellow or adding a yellow Eames armchair to a desk.

via thouswell.co

via hallyslondon.com

Love the yellow industrial chairs above with the barnboard floors and white walls.

via style-files.com

And what a difference these pillows make to this bedroom.  They just add the right amount of colour and freshness to the space.

via Pinterest

via Fixer Upper

How sweet is this yellow couch table - no doubt it was a piece of junk before Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper did her magic and gave it a coat of yellow paint.

via moi with iPhone

And here are some yellow flowers for you.

If you want to see more, you can follow me on Pinterest and see what else I'm pinning on my yellow board.

Hang in there...Spring is almost here!!!

My Fashion Picks - 2015 Oscars

 Reese Witherspoon wearing Tom Ford

 I thought Reese Witherspoon looked absolutely stunning in Tom Ford.  Her dress, hair and makeup were bang on.  This was definitely my fave.  Here are the other ones I thought stood out.

 Felicity Jones wearing Alexander McQueen

Cate Blanchett wearing Maison Margiela 

Rene Russo wearing J. Mendel

 Oprah Winfrey wearing Vera Wang

 Sienna Miller wearing Oscar de La Renta

Lupita Nyong'o wearing Calvin Klein

 Lupita's dress wouldn't look good on too many people, but I thought it looked stunning on her.  It had an exotic element with all the pearls (6,000 to be exact), which is totally her.  I loved the emerald green dress worn by Scarlett Johansson, but would have loved it more without the earrings and the necklace.

Scarlett Johansson wearing Versace

And just so I don't forget the men... I loved this midnight blue tux with black lapels worn by Eddie Redmayne.   Also, check out his shoes... they look like velvet - great look!

Eddie Redmayne wearing Alexander McQueen

(All photos via Hollywood Reporter)

Happy Valentine's Day

Sending you lots of love and, of course, flowers today!

(all photos are taken by me with iPhone)