Weekend Recap - A Day Late

This past weekend I actually did something worth talking about!

On Saturday morning I drove five and a half hours to get to Ottawa for my oldest friend's bridal shower and bachelorette. I stayed at a hotel downtown so that it'd be easy to get home after a night of indulging in wobbly pops. Thanks to Hotwire, I got the room for half price!

We went for dinner at the Cornerstone Grill in the Byward Market and the food was great! If you ever find yourself downtown Ottawa and you're hungry I'd definitely recommend it. My friend and I were drinking Long Island iced teas by the pitcher. Where I come from, beer comes in pitchers. That's it. The novelty of this will not wear off for quite some time.

We then went to a comedy show at Yuk Yuk's and the MC was actually the funniest guy of the night. No one gave my friend too hard of a time despite being dressed up in your typical bachelorette accessories.

We ended the night at some bar that I can't remember the name of. It was 21+ which was kind of a relief...I pretty much hate the bar and being around drunken teenagers is not my idea of a good time.

The next morning I checked out of my hotel, ate breakfast, and drove the five and a half hours back home. The drive home was much less fun since I was so tired. Not hungover, I swear.

I made the decision to drive back roads all the way, and the extra bit of time it took was seriously worth it. If I didn't have this thing called a job or people in my life called friends and family, I would move to Bonnechere Valley Township. I drove past the most beautiful farm and I'm kicking myself now for not stopping to take a picture. There was an old abandoned farm in a wee little town called Sebright which was amazing, too. When I Google Sebright this comes up, though.


And now I really want one of those chickens.

I'm also pretty sure I saw a moose, but it could have been a moose shaped log and/or shrub. Either way it made me really want moose pepperoni.

So that was my weekend. What'd you get up to?


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5 DIY Ideas for Your Bedroom Décor

This post is brought to you by Simons. Written by Mireille.

5 DIY Ideas for Your Bedroom Décor

With a bit of imagination and creativity, you can fully redecorate your home with self-made items. The possibilities are endless! For a unique bedroom décor, check out these 5 easy and original DIY projects.

Wood Pallets Bed Frame

Among the many things you can do with wood pallets – coffee table, bookshelf, wine bottle rack, etc. –, a bed frame is one of the coolest. Besides from being almost free, a wood pallet bed frame is durable and looks amazing. It is pretty easy to make and you can organize the wood pallets in many different and inspiring ways.

Capitone Headboard

Not only is a capitone headboard stylish and trendy, it is also really comfy and will be ideal for reading in bed. By buying a few items and spending a little time on the project, you’ll end up with a beautiful, custom-made and trendy headboard. Follow the simple steps of this very well made tutorial.

Wooden Picture

Tired of your good old framed pictures? Want to display your family, your lover or yourself in a different, original and unique way? Try and print out your picture on wood. It is so simple, a child could do it! And the result is just amazing. Check this video out to learn all about the making process of wooden pictures.

Drawer Ottoman

Got an old dresser you don’t use anymore? Before giving it away, take out one of its drawers. Steal Becky’s idea from her blog Beyond the Picket Fence and turn your old drawer into a comfy ottoman. Ridiculously easy to make and great looking!

Ruffled Curtains

With a little patience, a little skill with a sewing machine and lots of creativity, you can easily make ruffled curtains that are unique and beautiful. There are various styles of curtains you can make. You can go with Painted Therapy’s little top-of-window ruffles, of Bit of Blue Sky’s full panel curtains or Besserina’s fancy drapes.

Mireille is a travel, music and theater enthusiast. She wrote for the stage and television, and is now working as a freelance blogger for Simons, a major Canadian retail store providing trendy clothes and home decoration items.

Currently...

Right now things feel a little overwhelming and crazy.

We're still sleeping in the living room. The cat is sick again. I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday and immediately following that Tass has a vet appointment. On Thursday my car goes into the shop because it's clunking around like you wouldn't believe. This weekend I'm heading to Ottawa for my oldest friend's bridal shower and bachelorette. Next week I head up to Ottawa on Wednesday night to help out for previously mentioned friend's wedding that's on the following Saturday (I'm a bridesmaid!).

And all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep and pretend like nothing is going on at all. Stupid adult responsibilities.

We don't have a date yet for when we get to move, but things are moving along and I hope I can share more soon!

And that's what's happening in my life right now.

Is it summer where you are yet? It's finally turned gorgeous here! Distract me from the chaos in my head, please. Aaaaaaand go!

PS. Sorry for the back to back sponsored posts last week. I have another one coming up at the end of the week...I hope you understand! Life is expensive, haha.


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Collecting Inspiration from Others

This post is brought to you by Savills.

Inspiration from Others


Whether you’re a professional or a hobby-designer, in one way or another everyone takes inspiration from other people’s houses.

We can’t always rely on friends or family’s homes; they may not have a similar style, or they may just not have any style in the first place (and fair enough – not everyone is house proud!). One solution is to take some inspiration from beautiful dream houses. Once the green mist of jealousy subsides, the home-elite can provide a valuable source of creativity. Pinterest (of course), certain television shows, magazines and prestigious estate agents are all excellent sources of luxury home imagery.

The key is to look at these properties subjectively; thinking what it is about the place that you like down to the most basic elements of its design, and then consider how that would work in your own house. To demonstrate this, one example is the contemporary Branksea Avenue House found at Savills, in Poole, England. This stunning house has 22 photos, all displaying some sort of beautiful touch that could be adapted to some extent, in order to match nearly any style of home.

Before even looking at the location, it is clear from the architecture of the property that this is a waterfront home – the waves of the house demonstrate a flawless example of how a property’s design should take inspiration from its surroundings. These contours have been carried on into the landscape of the garden, creating a chic relaxing space. The chess set is a fun and quirky touch too!

Both the home gym and the walk-in closet above show how a relatively simple makeover of spare space could make a practical use of an area, as well as an indulgent and dramatic impact. With the right use of materials this could suit any home. Similarly, the elegant design of the simple sauna could encourage many to tackle an ambitious DIY project for unused pool houses (everyone has one of those, right?).

The breakfast bar is a fantastic example of how a simple touch of interior remodelling could work wonders in complimenting a somewhat awkwardly shaped kitchen.

The lighting used in this room, particularly the colourful strips to the sides of the television, would be an inexpensive and elegant method of transforming an ordinary living room into a home cinema.

These examples are based around significant projects such as remodelling and renovating. But similarly, dream homes can provide diverse and stimulating sources of inspiration for smaller interior design projects.

6 Key Modern Interior Design Trends for 2013

This post is brought to you by Wren Kitchens.

6 Key Modern Interior Design Trends for 2013



1. DIY furnishing projects
With the ever increasing amount of DIY resources available, it’s no wonder that there has been an upward trend of people "doing it themselves". Industry professionals tip DIY furnishings to be prevalent in 2013, with even more people looking to personalise their homes through innovative furnishings produced by up-cycling the artefacts they have collected.

2. Exotic influences
Styles from around the world have been adopted in Western culture ever since ships first landed on foreign shores. Today is no different, as the design industry witnesses the wide embracing of African inspirations. From warm colours and animal skin imitations to intricately designed dark-wood furniture, it is easy to create an oasis right in the home. Browse through this Pinterest board for some inspiration!

3. Sketching and stencilling
The popularity of street artists such as Banksy shows that the use of text in otherwise plain spaces works really well, as a result more and more people are taking to stencil kits to add some personalisation in their homes. Get creative like these designers did and soon the writing really will be on the wall.

4. Green living
As there is a rising trend in environmental awareness there is also a concurrent trend for more greenery throughout the home. Designers have even resorted to building ‘green walls’ made entirely from living plants - however this is not easily implemented. Herb gardens are another popular source of greenery in the kitchen; however it is important to design your kitchen carefully, giving your herbs the optimum growing conditions. Kitchen designers from Wren Kitchens can help plan your kitchen to the last detail.

5. Bright colours
Decorating feature walls with bright colours is a great way to add some flair into a home. As long as it is used in moderation and in rooms with plenty of open space, you can use it to break up the sometimes-dull creams and whites.

6. Natural Materials
Natural wood grains are being used to create the most impressive pieces of furniture and home art available. The beauty about using natural wood is that it will work with pretty much anything within the home. The only drawback with using natural wood is the price tag that often comes with it.