Rules for Traveling with a Designer Suitcase

This past weekend my daughter and I boarded a plane and went back "home" to Toronto for a few days to celebrate a milestone birthday with my mom.

Yes, I actually travel with a Louis Vuitton suitcase people but the disclaimer is that it's not mine.  I am housing this suitcase along with a bunch of other things in my storage room for a friend who generously allows me to use it when I travel.  I do have a suitcase of my own but let's be real, I take advantage of the opportunity to experience luxury anytime, anywhere.

Here are a few rules I have created for myself when traveling with Louis...

1.  Do NOT lose Louis

The last time I travelled to Toronto I took Louis.  It was midnight when I arrived at the airport due to the 3-hour time difference.  I waited at the luggage carousel until the bitter end and was finally forced to admit that Louis was missing.  After hyperventilating and panic attacks subsided I reported the loss.  The lovely agent promised me I would be reunited with Louis the following day.  Let's just say I held my breath for 24 long hours until it safely arrived at my destination.  I was calculating exactly how many hours I would have to work to replace Louis and it was not a fun calculation!!

via

2.  Hit the Gym Hard Prior to Travel

Louis is a heavy brute.  There is no doubt that this guy is well constructed and uses some kick ass canvas and leather.  It's definitely heavier than a regular suitcase but you can still pack loads of crap in there.  The workouts are for zipping and unzipping Louis.  You need to be on your A-game to open and close this guy.  The giant metal teeth fit together so snugly and securely that I have no doubt that anyone thinking they might take a look inside will give up in frustration.

3.  Hire a Wardrobe Consultant
Louis is a looker and he has a particular way about himself.  Don't try to upstage him and don't wear clothes that clash and make him look cheap and all back-alley fake.  Have some respect for crying out loud!

That's about all there is to traveling with a high roller like Louis.  I like to enjoy my small moments of luxury and my glimpses into the way the fancy folk live.

I'll be in Toronto all week so I won't be doing too much blog reading but I'll be back to catch up soon.

Craigslist - What NOT To Do

You know I'm a Craigslist junkie.  I literally cannot get enough but sometimes while I'm browsing I come across an ad that makes me laugh or roll my eyes or shake my head or all of the aforementioned.  These are some of my "don'ts" for selling your goodies.  

A Little Math Goes a Long Way............................

Before you put your item on craigslist, take a teensy second to count how many items you for sale.  "Honey, how many d'em chairs are we sellin'?"  "Not sure, 5 or 6".

Sometimes It's Just Not Meant to be Sold...............

Oh my goodness, where to start?!  I found this listed in the "vintage" section.  It's not vintage people, it's OLD!  Why is it yellow?  I don't want to know.

Location, Location, Location....................

Please live in the same city/province/state as the audience to whom you are advertising.  I was ready to hop in my car and go get this end table only to discover the guy isn't even in the same province as me:((  Boo to you for getting my hopes up.

Is It an Oldie, A Goodie, or Neither?.....................

Sure, why not.  Let's call it an antique.  

The Dollars and Cents of It All...............

Actually, I DO want to know what you paid.  People want to get a deal when they're shopping craigslist so you might as well just be honest about what you paid.  

So promise not to do any of these goofy things when you're selling things, mkay?

Guest Post - Savvy Living

Good day y'all.  Today I'm over at Tiffany's blog Living Savvy while she finishes getting unpacked in her "new" home.  She's been hosting a series called 5 Fall Favourites and today I'm sharing mine.  Fall is actually my favourite time of year so it wasn't hard to find 5 things I love.

Stop by here and see what's getting me excited about fall.

Problem Solved

I have been wanting to finish off my daughter's bedroom for months but I"ve been stuck on the fact that there's a horrible window behind her bed.  I kept thinking about roman blinds but I couldn't pull the trigger.  Then I saw this and all my questions were answered.

Bijou and Boheme

The brilliant and talented Christine of Bijou and Boheme blog just posted photos of her daughter's newly completed bedroom and it is gorg-eous!  It also gives me exactly the inspiration I needed to get this freaking bedroom finished already.  

Here is a perfect example of how sometimes an education in design combined with many years of practice can still render you motionless when it comes to your own home.  Thank you for inspiring me with this beautiful room Christine.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Good Wednesday all!  I had the worst sleep since my kids were infants last night.  No, I'm not sick and neither are my kids.  No insomnia and no storms keeping me awake.  It was a 20-pound pug who thought it was playtime from midnight until 3am.  I eventually resorted to locking him in his crate and putting in earplugs (there may also have been idle threats of sending him to the Island of Lost Dogs.  He is now snoring peacefully as I am up for the day and living in a fog.  Grrrrrrrr, dog!

Look away.  I'm so ashamed:(

Sooooo as my title indicates, there are going to be some changes taking place in my life in the near future.  After 15 years of interior design I'm switching gears and building a new business.  More to come on that later but it's going to have an overlap effect on the blog.  I will still do my diy projects but maybe not at the rate I've been doing in the past.  I do still want to blog and I'm actually kind of excited about sharing other parts of my life with you.  You're still there, right???  I hope you're excited to read about other parts of my life as well.  

In an effort to not bore you I am giving you an opportunity to let me know what you might like to talk about.  You can chose as many options as you like or leave me a comment with topics I may not have thought about.

DIY Chalkboard Tray

Every busy kitchen needs a chalkboard, right?  I needed one but couldn't find the right size so I decided to turn an old thrift store tray into a chalkboard instead.  Maybe one of the easiest diy projects I've done but I love the way it turned out.

It's perfect for making notes for guests like I did this weekend for our Thanksgiving dinner guests...

Here's what I started with.

A little newspaper, chalkboard sparay paint and Frog Tape were all the required goods.

Protect the areas you don't want to chalk up with paper and tape it down.

Apply 2 coats of paint.  Pull off the Frog Tape as soon as you finish applying the second coat and this will ensure the paint has a crisp, clean line.

Rub your chalk across the entire surface and then wipe it off.  This will ensure that your works of art won't set into the paint when you first use the chalk on it.

Perfect for leaving messages for the family.

Or organizing your spices and keeping a running list of what you need at the grocery store.

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

Vintage Overload

When you love vintage like I do it can be a challenge to find the right thing at the right time. Some days you've got it and some days you don't.  Luckily for me, there were a couple of "got it" days recently and I hit the jackpot.

First up was a visit to my friend Lily's new vintage shop just outside of Vancouver.  Spruce Collective is the collaborative effort of 4 friends who share a love of vintage and it's packed  with amazing finds.  Here are a few of the goodies I left with.

1.  2 vintage Ball jars in that much coveted blue glass heading for the dining room.

2.  This is a tray but has hooks for hanging.

3.  My daughter loves to write stories so I couldn't pass this up.

I did some thrifting this weekend with my friend Sheila and she has an amazing eye for vintage finds.  As a result, I walked away at the end of the day with some loot that I probably would have walked right by.  Thanks Sheila!  You're a good friend and a brilliant shopping companion.

1.  This little cutie is getting a new coat of paint and will go in my daughter's room.
2.  Yes, it does actually work.  Score!
3.  Sheila found this and now it sits on my counter filled with slices of banana bread.  I am officially a suburban mom now!
4.  Stonewear teapot that totally reminds me of my childhood but I don't know why.  Did we have one of these mom?

And that's what I did this weekend!