DIY Cookbook

A young lady who is very, very important to me recently moved into her first apartment.  I wanted to give her something that will be meaningful and help her to think of all of us.  I decided on a cookbook because a/ it might be helpful for a person living on their own for the first time and b/ it's personal.  I grabbed all the supplies and my daughter and I got to it.

We decided on our family's favourite recipes which is a Herculean task in itself given that we have 2 vegetarians and 2 carnivores in the house.  Agreeing on recipes was not going to happen so each person contributed a few.

 We also added our thoughts on the recipe and I thought this was the best part.  Everyone was honest and it was clear that the teenage boy needs to be put on a detox.  The boy who used to love everything is rebelling BIG time.

Not surprisingly,  my son claims not to have eaten most of the things in the book while my daughter adores everything.  Thank goodness for her or I'd just give up cooking altogether.

We spent a few hours doing this and added over 20 recipes.  There's tons of room in the book for Chelsea to add her own as well.  

My daughter is only 11 but is already planning to start a book of her own for when she gets her own place.

Fun & Work at the Interior Design Show

THE FUN.................................................

Next week is the Interior Design Show in Vancouver and that means 3 days of interior design goodness for me.  Not just that but I will be hanging with my best Vancouver girls when the West Coast Design and Lifestyle Bloggers descend upon the event en masse.  The icing on the cake is a private party on Saturday night where 50+ bloggers will eat, drink and laugh our way into the wee hours of the morning.  Maybe I'll be alone in the wee hours but whatever, it's gonna be a fun night.  Here's a photo from opening night last year.  Note that Sheila Zeller and I wore the same shoes but we didn't even call each other first.  Sheila, please send me an outline of your wardrobe choices for this year asap.  Approval pending.

THE WORK..........................

For the last month I've been consulting with a local company who will be attending the show with a booth.  I've been helping them to understand the design industry and focus on a model that works to include Interior Designers.  I have also been planning their booth with them.  They are concrete fabricators and they make dining tables, countertops, sinks, urns, pillars and loads of other cool stuff that I totally want in my house.  Their stuff is over the top fabulosity and they want to showcase it properly so I've been shopping to accessorize the booth without overpowering their products.  Believe me, this is a dream job and not all interior design gigs are quite this sweet.  

The first area is a bathroom space and I have a very limited little area to play around with.  It needs to scream luxury bath in 1 square foot.  I decided on a stool with some bath accessories but was struggling with how to make an impact with only a stool.  So far it was good on top but I needed something else.  There way way too much empty space below.  Head scratching and finger tapping commenced until a solution was found.

The second "shelf" was created by using an organic piece of wood that I originally purchased for the kitchen table I'm styling for them.  

I am totally stealing this idea (from myself) to use in my own bathroom.

Here's a shot without the shelf...

Hello boring. 

Just polished enough without being over the top.  

I'm kinda loving this you guys.  Simple solutions are always the best, aren't they?  Finally, Willis would like a shout out as he feels it's been way too long since I've mentioned him on the blog.  I leave you with this.  We like to call it "Pig eating Chicken".

Mid Century Madness

I recently spied a chair on Craigslist and I think I'm gonna have to get it.  The problem is that my husband is not in love like I am.  In an effort to persuade him I tried to get the kids on board.  That's the last time I do that.  They both said they hate it.  So that's 3 to 1.  

Tell me what you think.  It's a mid century Danish made piece that has a rosewood frame with a stainless steel base.  It's the exact camel colour that I love for leather and it's worn in all the right ways.  You know, worn in but not worn out!

So what say ye fellow hipsters...are you with me or the family on this one?

In an effort to take my mind of this lovely creature I did a bit more browsing and came across an original Baker coffee table.  I am smitten and even though I don't need a coffee table I might have to buy it.

Spectacularly awesome or what?  Where does one hide a coffee table from one's husband if one decided to purchase said coffee table???

Colour Crushing - Emerald Green & Hot Pink

This is what I wore on Saturday night to go out for dinner and it's the first time I think I have ever worn pink and emerald green together.  I am now Obsessed (please note the capital O so you can gauge my enthusiasm).  How can I rock this combo in a room is the only thing I've been thinking of since then.

thonet chair / flatware / obelisk / fabric / marilyn art

Rooms that Rock Green & Pink................

via

via

via

via

So who's with me?  Let's do this thing.

My Win & My New BFF

A while ago I entered a contest held by my blog buddy Kelly at Jax Design.  She was giving away a piece of art by Ottawa artist Susan Bailie.  As soon as I saw it I knew it must be mine.  I actually willed the win.  Believe me, it's true.

MY WIN......................................

Susan uses a metallic foil to create the most amazing finish on her pieces.  It's incredible how the painting appears to be different colours at different times of day, or I guess it's actually that different colours are more dominant at different times of day.  Either way, it's truly a beloved piece to me now and there will be additional pieces added to our home in the future.

MY NEW BFF...............................

I know I'm not exactly the first one to this party but chalkboard spray paint has become a bit of an obsession for me lately.  I may just love this as much as my label maker (gasp!).

Last week I needed labels for the pantry and decided to give the paint a try.  I used contact paper as well as standard mailing labels.  I gave them each a coat of chalkboard paint.  Once it dries I ran my chalk across the entire area to "set" the paint.  Apparently, this will help to avoid having the letters set into the paint the first time you use chalk.

You KNOW everything in my house is getting a chalkboard label this weekend, right?

Transform an Ugly Filing Cabinet

If you read yesterday's post you know how much I love, love, love Frog Tape.  You also know that I"m part of their Blog Squad and with that comes a supply of tape for our blog projects.  When a box of tape arrived at my home I contemplated what needed to be done around the homestead.  First up is to beautify an old filing cabinet and make it Mom Cave worthy.

I was gifted with an old filing cabinet a year or two ago (procrastinate much Carol?) and it's been sitting in the garage waiting to be given a facelift.

1.  Remove the handles and the name plate from the drawers.  I found an awesome way to reuse the Frog Tape container while I worked on this.  It was my storage bin during the process so that the handles and screws didn't get lost.  

2.  Tape off the inside of the drawers so they don't get painted.  I didn't want to deal with scraping paint from files being pulled and sorted.

3.  Spray your base colour and then tap your fingers impatiently as you wait for it to dry.

4.  If you need a second coat, go for it.  I let it dry overnight but I also used the Frog Tape for delicate surfaces just to be sure it didn't pull off any paint.  I really don't like measuring so I taped the entire drawer with tape and then pulled off every second piece.  I will refer to this as the Lazy Girl Striping Method.

.....................................................You may be wondering why this is white but ended up black.  I started with a white paint in satin but hated the finish so I switched to the only gloss I had on hand that would work.  Is that a design plan coming together or what???...................................................................

4.  Finish spraying and peel the tape off while the paint is still wet.  If you let the paint dry it's possible that the paint could peel.  Good tip, huh?  You're welcome.

You know I can never, ever resist a chevron and I'm loving this filing cabinet now.  The Mom Cave is getting closer and closer to completion.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

Getting My Frog On

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know how much I love, love, love Frog Tape.  I use it on all my home projects and I've sworn off every other brand of painting tape since Frog Tape made its appearance in Canada last year.  Naturally, when they asked me to join their Blog Squad I jumped at the chance.  

After accepting their offer I was introduced to the rest of the squad and let's just say there was a jaw that needed to be picked up off the floor that day.  These women are the superstars of the blogging world and to be associated with them is so amazing.  It's kind of like being on a movie set with Sandra Bullock and Gwyneth Paltrow.  You know what I'm saying?  They're the best of the best.  I would totally ask for an autograph if I met any of them in real life.  And here they are...

My very first project as a member of the Frog Tape Blog Squad is just drying as we speak.  It'll be on the blog tomorrow but here's a sneak peak.

Any guesses?

Decorate for $3.99

I love having flowers in the house but when times are lean they're the first thing that has to go.  I have a vase in my entry way that looks so awesome when it's filled with flowers but kind of dull when it's empty.  I was shopping last week and came across this lovely leaf for $3.99 per stem.  Perfecto!

I googled this and I am an even bigger fan now that I know it's called a Swiss Cheese plant.

So what about you?  Have you got any secret decorating weapons that only cost a few dollars?

Ready or Not for Back to School?

Today is the first day of school around here.  The youngest had 2 hours of class in the morning while the oldest was able to lounge in bed because his school is 2 hours in the afternoon.

Summer is a time of fun and freedom and absolutely no schedule to keep.  I love it and I hate it.  I am a fan of schedules and routine so while I love to sleep in, I hate how little I accomplish in the summer months.  Sad to see it end but I'm looking forward to some new projects and a clean slate to start all over again.

SAYING GOODBYE TO...

SAYING HELLO TO...

What do you think of this time of year?  Love it, hate it or just doesn't matter?