From Chaos to Calm

I['m pretty sure most of you don't have a hundred fabric books lying around creating piles of clutter like we do in our house but being a designer means they are tools of the trade.  I like to call it an occupational hazard but the truth is that I love to pore through the books drooling over all the gorgeous fabrics.  The downside is they are big and unruly and take up a LOT of room.

I was keeping all the books in a bookcase but it too difficult to see what I had and decided that I needed a new solution.  A portable wardrobe with some S rings created an amazing solution to my problem.  I'm organized and blissfully happy now.

Each fabric manufacturer has it's own rack.

This is the wardrobe I used but it was too wobbly and unstable at this height.  There are 2 metal bars that click together to create the vertical height.  I eliminated one of them and now it sits only 3' from the ground and won't tip over from the weight.  Organized AND smart!!

There's a shelf on the bottom for storing some of the small, lesser used books.

There's a good chance that all my talk of being an organizing superstar will be lost when I show you this photo but truly, this is what would previously happen when I would start to pull out books to look for a particular colour or pattern.

Piles of ugly mess and a random label maker.

And now...ahhhh!

Now I just need to find a place to store all these rolling bins.  There may be an addition going on our house soon!

The Vancouver Chronicles - Whistler

It's been a LONG time since I wrote a Vancouver Chronicles post.  Mostly because I don't live there any more (although you wouldn't know it by the amount of time I've spent there this summer).  

Most of you probably became aware of Whistler when they hosted the last winter Olympics.  What you may not know is that Whistler is a summer playground as well.  

The number 1 summertime activity is mountain biking.  Whistler has 4,900 vertical feet of lift operated runs.  My son has been in Whistler since August 1 and has been riding every single day.  It's mountain biking Nirvana.

Freestyle riding is also a favourite past-time in Whistler.  As a mom of a rider I can tell you that the proper description is "ride as fast as you can, ride over a wooden thingymabob that sends you flying in the air and then do as many back or front flips as humanly possible while also trying to add side turns known as corkscrews and kicking your legs to the side of the bike".  Yes, that's the official definition, trust me!  

This is my boy.  I've said it before...why can't he just golf???

If biking isn't your thing you can try something a little tamer like golfing.  

Lots of great hiking with spectacular views all around.

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You can take bear viewing tours although you don't need to spend money.  The bears are everywhere and while they won't approach you, they're not afraid of all the humans around.  Last summer we heard screams of "bear" as we walked through one of the parking lots.  We looked around and there was a huge bear galloping through the lot with a Whistler employee chasing it back into the forest.  This was probably the 5th bear we had seen that day.

Ziplining is another fun family activity and there's lots of it in Whistler.

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If you're tired after all that activity, there is a ton of shops, bars and restaurants to spend the rest of your time in.  

Believe it or not, I was NOT compensated by the Whistler Tourism Board.  I just love it, that's all.

The Easiest DIY Project Ever!

Remember that cute bird cage I bought while out thrifting last week?  I won't even bother to add the link because if you scroll down just a teensy bit to the previous post you'll find it.  Well all it needed was a good cleaning and some fresh paint.  I almost feel guilty even calling this a project.  The truth is I am away and spending a week at Whistler so we're all going to agree that this is a stunning diy project, mkay?

Just in case you have forgotten, here's a before photo.  Not bad to be honest and if I were truly lazy I could have left it as it was.

I love that it's door actually opens.

What do you think?  Bird or no bird?  Does that geek it up too much?

I will still be posting while I'm away but I won't be visiting any blogs this week.  I promise to be back reading and catching up when I"m back.

Fast Driving to the Thrift Store

I just got a new car and you know what happens when you get a new car, right?  Well you most certainly have to drive around town and try not to get a speeding ticket in your new, fast car.  The farthest store from my house is the thrift store so it was an absolute necessity that I drive there.  I actually wasn't looking for anything but I hit the jackpot.  Isn't that always the way!

1. I can't tell you long I've been hoping to find a cute birdcage at the thrift store.

2. This is metal and quite small so it's going to be perfect for holding office supplies in my Mom Cave.

3. More storage for the Mom Cave.

4. I noticed this when a woman was holding it up admiring it.  I actually used my mind power and willed her to put it back.  It worked!  It's going to be hung in the master bedroom sometime in the next 10 years.

The lid on the birdcage comes right off and it's already received it's first coat of white paint.

Mom Cave Update

It's been a while since I've made any progress on the Mom Cave.  I decided that I needed a lighter, less cluttered look so I moved the wallpapered bookcase to a different part of the room.  I claimed a desk and a storage unit from other areas of the house and decided to give them both a coat of paint to lighten up the dark look.

This storage unit is perfect for holding all my Ikea boxes filled with sewing accessories, craft supplies, drafting tools and my colour decks.

Originally a dark brown wood but I think it's so much fresher now.  I used up some leftover paint and mixed together Benjamin Moore's Sea Salt (CSP 95) and Cosmopolitan (CSP 100) to create this beautiful off-white.  I'm calling this new paint colour Salted Cosmopolitan.  I gave it a coat of Minwax Polycrylic to finish and protect it.

Before...

 Next is a new desk for me to work at.  This one is painted in Sea Salt and then I added a black stain to the top.  I waxed the top to give it a nice lustre and protect the top from pen marks and chocolate stains.

Before...

I'm really enjoying confiscating whatever I desire from various rooms in the house.  Next up I'll be stealing a small bookcase from my daughter so that I have somewhere to keep all my office supplies.  Mom Cave is coming together, people!

My New Favourite Gray Paint

All my clients wants gray walls right now so I am becoming well versed on the gray section of my colour decks.  I know you're nodding your head because if you haven't already pulled the trigger you want gray walls also, right?

This is one of my new favourites and I had to share so we can spread the gray goodness all around.

Thunder by Benjamin Moore (AF-685) - I discovered this one a few months ago while helping friends chose a colour.  Once I saw it up on the walls I was madly in love.  It looks like a greige on the chip (a cross between a beige and a gray) but actually reads like a pure, soft gray on the walls.  It has no visible undertone which is almost unheard of in the gray world.  I was so happy for my friends but wishing I had known about this before I painted Stonington Gray on my own walls.

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Soooo, are you in love?

Painted Ceilings & My Favourite Greige

Today I am a busy blogger.  You can find me guest posting at 2 different spots.  First up I'm talking about painted ceilings over at Interior Groupie.

Here's my favourite painted ceiling of all time.  Respect for whoever had to take on that back breaking job.

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Next, I'm over at Hyphen Interiors.

Kristie is hosting a fun series where she asks a number of bloggers to reveal their go-to greige.  There are six of us over there today so pop by and see what you think.  Also let me know if you have a favourite greige.