adding to the litter | oscar

Several months ago I wrote a post about the latest Hans Bolling wooden toy, Oscar [here].  Well lo' and behold, my clients John & Leanne read that post and surprised me with an Oscar all my own.  I was extremely touched by the thoughtful gift and every morning I rearrange Oscar in a new pose, give him a tap on the head, a tap to Lucy, and my day begins just a little brighter.  Thank you John & Leanne, you have been wonderful clients and an extreme pleasure to work with!

going monochromatic

The bedroom painted rug has undergone yet another transformation... it's been painted a solid smokey gray to match the charcoal upholstery on the bedframe, new charcoal bedlinens and slate gray accent wall.  With just a pop of colour in the limegreen pillows, the bedroom is a cozy retreat on cold winter days.

golden labs

Picked up this $2 sleeping labrador decor piece at my favourite store Dollarama yesterday.  After priming it and giving it a couple of coats of satin finish gold paint - he's now a proper golden lab.  And he has my golden lab awfully curious...

thrifty finds

My thrift store shopping boasted a few goodies for my apartment.

Retro pottery with a great bird & leaf design was a steal at $0.50 and holds a myriad of balms on my nightstand.

This $5 lamp base was paired with a simple $10 white drum shade from Walmart for a great looking piece in the living room.

A $4 silver tray (although slightly damaged) holds my sunglasses on the credenza.

a bit of bling & how i store it

Any extended period of time that I spend at my parents house usually results in sifting through their old stuff and calling it my own.  This trip home, along with some furniture pieces, I also received some old brooches and costume pieces from both my mother and my meme. My mother gave me the gold leaf brooch and the retro gondola which was a souvenir she received from a family member from Venice.  My meme handed down to me the enamel victorian brooch and the jewel encrusted oval which will both get a lot of wear this year. 

During the winter I wear these a lot to embellish my coats and jackets, but I like to keep these pieces on display with my everyday jewels. My jewelry I keep on hand on my grandmother's vintage teak mail sorter.  My watches I keep on a vintage saucer from a tea set.  They are everyday items that add interest to my simple bedroom credenza.

a new old desk

When my dad was in highschool he made a drafting desk in woodshop - a flip top desk on an x base that resided in our utility room when we were kids and which has spent the last 10 years in storage in our shed.  So I brought it back with me for use in my apartment. 

The desk now occupies and unused corner of the living room which once held an ottoman that I've repurposed in the bedroom.  The space is just right for it - small and tucked away from the main sightline when you enter the apartment.

It's perfect to hold my current reading and upcoming projects and all my craft supplies are housed within.  I was also able to hang my grandparent's trader blanket off the rear rail.  Although I was originally thinking of painting out the top of the desk - I've decided that the patina'd masonite top is just right for my space.

s is for...

Score!  Or sensational street find.  This is a letter from a discarded store front sign that I found around the corner from the office.  Once again, score!

more christmas

Have I mentioned how much I love the decor this time of year?

mirrors & bows

Here's a little DIY to liven your holiday decor... craft store round mirrors adhered to the wall with StickTac in the shape of a festive bow.  Cheap and fun and high impact.

blue all over

After living with the accent wall for a week, I decided I loved the colour so much that I ended up painting the entire corner of the living room with this pale blue gray.  Although a cool colour, it surprisingly warmed up the space (it just works so well with the red) and I'm now ready for both winter and Christmas.

During the day....

at night....

tying into my gallery wall with all it's accents of blue...

with my navy lamp and my lovely view...

and with the last remnants of greenery in the space.

And Lucy says Hi!

it's beginning to look a lot like...

Yes, the Santa Clause parade has come around so it's time to whip out the decorations for my favourite time of year.  Here's just a quick glance, I've gone much more retro this year than last with some coloured lights on my DIY tree.