Pinking Up...

I bought myself something this weekend. It was a cardigan in the palest shade of pink I have ever been able to find. I fairly bolted into the shop where I spied it, and it quickly has become my favourite clothing purchase in a long time. Pink is a shade I have loved since girlhood. I love the way it makes our cheeks look rosier and how feminine we feel in it.

photographer: Paul Costello

That said, my daughter always questions why I don't have more of it in our home - which is a very good question, considering I always vow it is my favourite colour. Indeed, I read a very good book over the holidays, The Well-Dressed Home, by Annette Tatum, and it reaffirmed my belief that we should take inspiration from our closets (current or dream) when decorating our homes. Having seen this room - found in her book - featured in Country living a while back, I solemly (but silently) declared it to contain sofas slipcovered in the perfect shade of delicate pink.

While I have found my own pursuit of that perfect shade in accessories and furnishings elusive, here is what I found to share of some pink I just might consider for my own home if the world was the fantasy place we would all like it to be:

Morgan Harrison.com

Country Living.com

design by Sarah Richardson

I'm just not sure if the boys would go for any of it!!

A Change in Plans...

Well, a generous blast of snow led to hand wringing by the school board, the decision to keep schools open, and then the noon hour cancellation. Don't you just hate it when that happens? Not the cancellation (I believe in erring on the side of caution...and not having to make bag lunches!), but the mid-day cancellation. Parents scrambling and kids worried and/or confused.

All well that ends well, and my afternoon schedule has gone from getting some work done to using this:

to make a whole lot of this:

Which you need to wash down these (thanks to Mr. Pillsbury):

If I do that for them, maybe I'll even get one of these:

Need something to do with all that snow?

I have just the idea!!

When Are Vertical Blinds Okay? (please read...)

Dear Mr. Black Socks,

While walking with my friend yesterday, you gave us such a good laugh. You appeared to be doing housework -  which is always a good thing - while wearing only black bikini briefs, socks and shoes. Problem is, as you do so in front of your sliding glass doors, you are visible to all of us who walk by and house gaze. It is because of this that I offer up some free decorating advice: invest in some window treatments. In this case, it really doesn't matter what kind or colour. I will even go out on a limb and break all decorating rules and suggest these, if you're really desperate:

Now, some might say we could just avert out eyes as we pass by your home, as we know you aren't trying to be pervy.

But others say it's really healthy to begin your day with a good laugh, and walking + laughing = really healthy! 

What's Old Is Not New Again...

I think it's fair to say I love vintage, vintage-inspired, and all that goes with it.

Take kitchen appliances:

I have stainless steel appliances and I am sooo over them. I bought mine before they came out with the no smudging properties, and I haven't been as good as I should be to keep them shined up. I still like how sleek and chic stainless looks, but this is where my heart lies:

(source: Country Living.com)

Now, I wouldn't go this vintage with the whole look of my kitchen. I like more of a modern country look. But, that pink fridge and vintage stove...so pretty. I am a bit doubtful of the function of the stove, though, but it makes for a pretty and nostalgic accessory, doesn't it? I think this next stove is entirely more useful, and just as pretty:

(source: Country Living.com)

I had a stove very much like this one in a former home:

(source: Coastal Living.com)

We never used it, but you can bet I was proud of it!

This is the baby I think of when I need to go to a "happy place":

(source: Big Chill)

Perhaps it will be in my next house.
Problem is they are over the $5000 mark, which just presses against my common sense button. I don't understand why manufacturers aren't coming out with a more affordable alternative. If they could do the harvest gold thing in the seventies, why won't they make a few retro models at a good price point and in my favourite shade of robin's egg blue? Is that too much to ask? Or is it that we are a fully-converted stainless steel society?

Are vintage appliances dead on arrival?\
Gasp!!

Would you go vintage, or is this more your cup of tea?

(source: Windsor Smith)

Whistle while you work...

Whew! I have my work cut out for me! I cannot believe that so many of you took the time to write such thoughtful answers to my informal survey about what you want from a magazine. I have read each and every one of them and am sifting through the responses to share a general concensus of opinions on each topic. But, did you see how many comments there were and how long each one is?

So, give me a few days, eh?

Thank you, thank you for speaking your minds and giving me some very interesting thoughts to chew on. Do not worry, I have a little plan to address your ideas and concerns...Watch for it!

Now. Back to the Monday grind and schlepping kids to and from their activities. Someone has to have a social life, right? Meanwhile, I am cooking up some projects for the upcoming year with a very talented "chef". And I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

You can bet you will be the first I offer a sampling!

Tell me, tell me true...

Okay....

I have a big favour to ask of you.

And some questions, questions, questions.

You like magazines, right?

Miss your favourites?

A little disappointed with what remains?

Grocery shopping just isn't as much fun, is it?

I think we need to take matters into our own hands.

So here goes: I have made my own little survey, which I would greatly appreciate your taking the time to answer, honestly...with heart. Because I am tired of re-reading my stash of old favourites and I think you are, too. I am, perhaps, more tired of buying magazines that don't deliver what I am hungry for.

What am I hungry for?

Decorating!!

Let's face it. Most of us don't have the budget for fancy pants designers, renovations and shopping adventures. We instead scour local stores and shops, thrift stores, flea markets, and (even) our own homes for new ideas and items to refresh everything...give us a lift. We move furniture around, poke around in our linen closets, fan through paint decks and even look for mis-tints at our local hardware store. We are looking for easy, affordable, "done in a weekend" projects that have maximum oomph. We choose decorating over designing, because that is what is manageable, doable and affordable.

So, we want decorating ideas, don't we? Sure, we get loads of ideas from blogs and websites. But last I checked, you can't tack your computer screen to the wall for inspiration. Managing favourites and remembering where you saw an idea can be a struggle in itself and most of us love poring over a magazine while we curl up on the sofa with a cup of coffee.

Which leads me to the following "market research":

If you would be so kind, please answer the following questions in the comment section of this post:

1. What is your favourite design/decorating magazine (past and present), and why:

a) Better Homes and Gardens

b) House Beautiful/Coastal Living

c) Romantic Homes/Country/Victoria

d) Home Companion (Mary Engelbreit)

e) Country Home/Country Living?Canadian Home and Country

f) Canadian House and Home/Domino/Style at Home

2. Do you prefer a magazine to deliver more crafting or decorating ideas?

3. What do you want from a Christmas magazine/issue: an emphasis on Christmas decorating or projects/crafts? If decorating, what rooms/areas would you like to see addressed? Interior or exterior decorating ideas?

4. Do you feel magazines are providing enough whole home tours and what are you tired of seeing in magazines?

5. Do you want to see ideas for kid's spaces, or should they be kept to more focused books and magazines?

6. When you see crafting projects in a magazine, do you smile appreciatively but roll your eyes (knowing you don't have the time or patience to tackle them), or do you roll up your sleeves and dive in?

7. What magazines do you feel are delivering what they promise, and which ones do you feel fall short? Why?

8. What do you want more of from a magazine??

I can't wait to read your answers. Please answer as many as you feel inspired to address and have time for!

Thank you!!

There's nothing you can do that can't be done...

A toddler, rescued from the rubble in Haiti, breaks into a smile as he is reunited with his mother after being trapped for three days...a rare moment of joy amid the carnage (source: The Mirror)

Looking for a way to help, in some small way, the people of Haiti?

Where to donate, in the U.S.:

World Vision.com

Red Cross: can accept $10 donations, charged to your cellphone bill, by texting HAITI to 90999. Also, you can donate online: Red Cross.com

UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund.

Doctors Without Borders: Accepts secure, online donations from individuals from the following countries: United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, UK. To do so, go here.

Canadian residents:

Red Cross (to donate online), or donate, in person, at the following Canadian banks:

BMO Financial Group

Canadian Western Bank
CIBC
HSBC Bank Canada
Laurentian Bank of Canada
National Bank Financial Group
RBC
Scotiabank
TD Canada Trust

Indeed, the federal government announced it will match, dollar for dollar, Canadians' individual donations to registered charities to support the relief and recovery efforts in Haiti -- up to a total of $50 million. Any donation made to Canadian charitable organizations between Jan. 12 and Feb. 12, 2010 will be matched by Ottawa through the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
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**Please note, this is just a small sampling of organizations to donate to. There are many other reputable sources, but I wish to only share the ones that I know to have a secure reputation. I do, however, encourage others to do their own research and find alternate groups if these organizations are not your preferred choice.

The blogging community is also joining together and directing monies to Haitian relief. A few that I know of include:

Craft Hope: All proceeds of the Craft Hope Etsy shop will benefit Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. All items have been generously donated by the crafting community and has raised almost $10,000 thus far, with many itmes left to be sold  from the shop. Head on over!!

Also raising money for Doctors Without Borders is this Etsy shop: Hearts for Haiti, with 100% of profits going to the organization.

Hope for Haiti: a site with online raffles for a variety of goods and services and where all proceeds go to The Red Cross and to www.compassion.com/
Head on over! 

The Design Girl: Danielle, my blog designer, is holding a raffle for Haiti disaster relief. Check out her blog where donations of items are rolling in, and where you can find out more about her efforts.

Haiti is a call to action, and no amount is too little or too much, if it comes from the heart.

Simple Pleasures...

Sometimes life is just simple. As in, so pure and beautiful in its simplicity.

Chippy paint and the perfect shade of blue:

(source: Rural Theory)

Winter white and roses on a lapel:

(Source: Anthropologie)

A cheery yellow door:

It's a good thing gazing at loveliness costs nothing!

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Check out another feature from the new Flea Market Style Magazine here!

A Little Diddy...

No Pressure:

Full Irish...

(this breakfast is a variation on the original. No soda bread (too lazy to make it) and horrible North American hash brown potatoes. Definitely breaking some rules here!)

Fried potato bread, soda bread, bacon, fried egg, sausage and HP sauce. What does that add up to (beside a heart attack on a plate)? Well, depending on your heritage, it constitutes a proper Irish breakfast, an Ulster Fry, or with a few changes (beans, fried tomato, black pudding, etc.) a full English breakfast.

Washed down by a good cup of tea, of course!

What does it symbolize to me?

A visit to my mum's where I am spoiled by such a breakfast (especially at Christmas time, when everyone in my family makes a good batch of soda and potato bread/farls to have on hand).

Indeed, this Christmas I dusted off my potato bread recipe (a closely guarded recipe from my mum) and made a good batch myself. I haven't made it in years, but when I heard my French-Canadian sister-in-law  was even rolling up her sleeves and making it for my brother, I decided I needed to get back to my Irish roots. I mean, what proper Irish girl grows up without knowing how to make potato and soda bread? It is something that not only my daughter will need to learn, but also my sons.

I have already passed on my love of HP sauce to them. A little bit on a baby spoon was passed by their lips moments after their births to ensure their love of it (kidding!) and it was always offered whenever sausages, bacon or ham was on the menu. HP sauce is gold!

Heritage is important, right?

Behold the making of my personal favourite, Potato bread:

(basically mashed potatoes and flour)

Cut the dough into triangles:

Fry (without oil) on a griddle:

Let cool,

Fry in a frying pan (this time with oil) and serve with above mentioned accompaniments (don't forget the Hp Sauce!!)

Word to the wise: this kind of breakfast is best eaten only on special occasions, unless you throw caution to the wind!

Can you ever imagine why?

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If you're a fan, you can join this Facebook site for fans of the Ulster Fry. Yes, there is a Facebook site for everything, apparently!

Do You See What I See?

The countdown is on. Just over a month until the much anticipated release of Flea Market Style Magazine and I can't wait to share it with you all. Here is a little sneak peek of Sophie's playhouse feature - that I also got to write - and it is a little pinch me I'm dreaming moment to see it in this form. I can't wait to hold the magazine in my hands! When will that be, you ask? The magazine will hit shelves on February 23,2010.

To find out where you will be able to find the magazine and see answers to other frequently asked questions, follow this link.

To see even more of the magazine (courtesy of Matthew Mead), go here!

A Day in the Country...with Heather Cameron

Good things and good people come out of Canada, and not just comedians and singers! We have Canadian House and Home Magazine, Style at Home and (~sob~) the now shelved Canadian Home and Country. Behind many of the great stories and features in those magazines is the oh-so-talented Heather Cameron. I think I am getting very good at guessing which stories have been styled and/or produced by Heather, as they are also the ones that make me swoon even while seated, mug of tea in hand to keep me grounded.

Want a little sample?

Is it any wonder I am in love with Heather's bathroom? She had me at the blue tub!

I think we share an affinity for the same col-uh...

(photo source: House and Home.com)

Also, check out her blog where you can see The Shabby Shack, the pretty little shop where she sells jams, chutneys and seasonal concoctions made from the produce harvested from her organic blueberry farm.

Her professional portfolio will have you drooling, and best of all, she maintains a blog, where you can follow along with her style, her work and her life on the farm with her husband and adorable little girl. 

Oh Canada!!

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A big thanks to Canadian House and Home for including me in their Ultimate list of online decorating destinations, sites and blogs. I'm in great company; with over twenty other Canadian bloggers including Just Beachy, Windlost, Design Ties, Patricia Gray, HGTV Canada, Poppytalk and more! Other faves include Young House Love, Nate Berkus and Apartment Therapy. Check out thier list for links to great blogs you may have not yet discovered!

Girl, Put Your Sweater On...

Winter woes.
It seems so many people have them...already! This seems counter-productive, as far as I can tell. Because one week into January and we are all ready to throw in the sweater and pine for spring?!

Not me, not yet! While last winter was admittedly altogether too long, I am not into head-butting Mother Nature just yet. We haven't come a long way yet, baby, when it comes to winter, so I advise wrapping a scarf around it and making the best of it.

Just think of the positives: consider all of the wonderful things you can do with a sweater:

1). cut off the arms of one and make knit pillow slips for your sofa pillows.

2). Use said arms and put them to use as cosies for your coffee or hot cocoa mug.

3). Take a child's turtle neck sweater and (again cutting off the arms) stitch one up as a cosy for your hot water bottle:

4). slip your favourite sweaters (of a simlar palette) over the backs of your chairs, knot the arms within each other (all preppy-like) and use as instant slipcovers! I have done this a few times and went to a thrift shop to get similar fisherman knit sweaters, which looked great.

5). Want a tidier look? Try using old sweaters of your choice to recover upholstered chair seats. This one is easy for anyone. Get out that staple gun!

(photo source: Martha Stewart.com)

6). Did you ever stop and think for one second that your produce might be feeling the cold, too?? Check out this great Etsy shop where you can find adorable cosies for your apples. Brilliant!

7). What about using old sweaters to revive outdated light fixtures. Over at Curlby.com, they are showcasing just such brilliance!

8). And if you really love sweaters, check out what I found over at Apartment Therapy.com. Now, this takes more talent than what I possess, but it gives new meaning to loving sweaters, no?

9). And last but not least, just think: what covers up that winter/holiday weight better than a good, bulky sweater? Nothing, I say! Nothing!

(Certainly not a bathing suit!)

Now, can a good sweater enjoy such popularity in the heat of summer?

Winter has a lot of goodness...

Wrap yourself up in it!

Want to make a floorcloth?

Lisa Mair is conducting her first online class for floorcloth painting today, January 10th. Anyone interested in trying their hand at it and interested in learning how please check out this link.

If you missed this one she will be having others. Check it out!

Keep the cold at bay!

Driving around my neighbourhood after the holidays feels as if I'm watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and things have just turned sour, just like in the movie. The homes are darker and after the bright lights of the holiday, they even seem gloomy...as though they are scowling at the return to the blandness of deep winter. Often, the welcoming wreaths are discarded, flood lights burnt out, and the lack of colour and lights jars the soul. It need not be this way, however! Simply replacing your evergreen wreath with one made of pinecones, boxwood, faux snowballs or snowflakes adds a wintry greeting, right where it counts. Now is the time to replace burnt out lightbulbs in your exterior fixtures, and don't forget to turn them on! Simply adding wireless lanterns to your entry also kicks up the curb appeal, especially when placed on a bench, in window boxes, or hooked onto planter hangers. We need not wait until summer to tend to our home's exterior. Oh, and don't forget to take down those Christmas lights in due time! Nothing looks as unseasonal as coloured lights on the eaves at Easter, or a dead Christmas wreath greeting your guests!!

Spruce up your front porch, place wooden logs in an old milk crate or basket, and bring out your wintry paraphernalia: old skis, sleds, skates...set the stage for a wintertime retreat. It can be a long, old winter - no need to deny it - instead, celebrate it! It's like anything...if you have to endure it, you (and your home) might as well look good doing it!!

By the Light of the Moon...

Behold my Christmas present: a luminous gift that wasn't under the tree, but bought after the big day using some Christmas money from my dear mum.

I could gaze at it all evening long...

Thanks, Mum!

Reflections of Christmas...

It occurred to me that I hadn't chronicled our Christmas in a post, so I decided to slip one in so I will always remember it. Our Christmas was quiet, simple and centered on good food, visiting family and friends, and quiet time at home.

Every year we take two photos on Christmas eve: one of the kids in front of the tree and one of our family.

I thought I'd share a few photos of some our favourite decorations:

(Sophie's handmade Santa)

Exchanging gifts with each other is something the kids look forward to doing every Christmas Eve, and Sophie was exceptionally happy with her gift from her brother:

Pulling Christmas crackers is a favourite tradition, and they are always filled with paper crowns, a toy, and a joke. It wouldn't be Christmas dinner without those crackers and an After Eight mint chocolate at every place setting.

Here, the kids show off their favourite gifts:

Now that the tree is down and the decorations are slowly getting packed away, all there is to do is embrace the New Year and hope that health and happiness will bless us all.

Happy New Year!!