I am Canadian...Happy Canada Day!!

Although I began my life far across the ocean in Northern Ireland - and I am Irish, first and foremost - I definitely identify as a proud Canadian. I love that my country is a wide expanse of terrain that changes dramatically as you travel from east to west. Rich culture, diverse cities, prairies, staggering mountains, two oceans, the Niagara Falls, and the northern territories...a trip across the country is one I plan to take someday, and I look forward to acquainting myself with the beauty and wonder of this country I call home.

It may seem smug, but I think we can lay claim to some of the most talented singers (Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Bryan Adams, Nickelback, etc.), comedians (John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers) and designers (Debbie Travis, Candace Olsen, Sarah Richardson, Karim Rashid, Patricia Gray and more!) in the world. Like I said, I am proud to be Canadian, and when I sing our national anthem, I feel such a rush of that pride.

Canada Day, for us, always means fireworks, a parade, a few tattoos, outdoor games and a barbecue with all of the trimmings (thanks to well-organized and generous friends!). While the boys have outgrown their tolerance for donning a matching red, Canada Day t-shirt, Sophie is still game and wears the maple leaf with pride!

To my fellow Canadians - and as those of you south of the border head into your own Fourth of July celebrations - celebrate and enjoy what your country means to you. Fire up your barbecue and submit to a (temporary) patriotic tattoo or two. Fly those flags high and take a moment to reflect on what your country means to you.

Happy Canada Day, one and all!!

Take a Bow Tuesday

I don't mind saying I am struggling with this commitment thing. I am not a blogger who does well with an organized posting schedule. True to my nature, I am a bit of a fly-by-the-seat -of-my-pants kind of blogger. When a thought or post idea pops into my head, I start writing. Still, I am bound and determined to stick with my Tuesday feature of honouring my talented blogging friends.

And here is this week's edition:

• The most lovely laundry room ever...and she's Canadian, too!
• For those of you who love chalkboards, check out this fun alternative to labels. She also has the most amazing oil cloth products in cheery, Cath Kidston-style patterns!
• Check out the Design Dazzle website, where you get limitless inspiration for kid's spaces and parities, including this mermaid party - which is perfect for this time of year!
• You know how much I love camping and campers, especially vintage ones. Check out this lady's camper makeover...and she really likes pink!
• This blogger has one of the prettiest collection of empty picture frames, and knows just what to do with them. Be prepared to drool!

Now, please go and visit these bloggers and enjoy the view!!

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Stay tuned till later in the week, when I announce some very exciting news. I'd love to hear any guesses...and no, there is absolutely no baby involved!!

'Haven Home' Styling Experiences...

If reinventing your bedroom, livingroom, favourite room or every room appeals to you, then you will love the 'Haven Home' styling experiences...

Soon to be launched...

Just Passing Through...

While many of us focus our energy (and budget) on decorating the major living spaces of our homes, how many of us actually focus any attention on the hallways, corridors and foyers of our homes?Indeed, few of us are lucky enough to have large hallways that can be adorned with artwork on the walls and where children run carefree for more than a few feet. Still, the hallowed halls of our homes are the perfect spot for the following accessories and/or details:

Family photos

Collections, on shelves, in shadow boxes, or simply hung on the walls

A beautiful clock, to be glanced at as we hurry about our day

A gallery of our children's artwork, either framed or clipped causally onto dollar store clip boards

A great mirror to sneak a peak at our frazzled reflections as we rush out the door

A smart, stylish rug

Wallpaper, for those hesitant to "try it again for the first time" anywhere else:

A chalkboard wall, for those gutsier homeowners:

(photo: Wish magazine)

functional built-ins:

A mural, or other fun wall treatment (like this decal):

Architectural detailing, like this panel moulding:

Walls painted in bold, snappy stripes:

Or kept simple but highlighted by a fabulous lighting fixture:

So, as you walk down your hallway, don't just pass on by a great opportunity to decorate the passageways of your home. Look at them differently.

Because, as we all know, sometimes the journey can be so much better than the destination...

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(all photos, unless otherwise noted, from House to Home UK)

Building with Mi Casa

"A Good House must not be bought, but made."

Mi Casa' is Spanish for My Home. Jean-Luc Lidou & Marc Noreillie are "Mi Casa" the Belgiun construction business renowned for solid timber design, reflecting the American New England style. 'Solid timber houses are stylish, cosy & timeless cosy homes that exclude a warm homely feel'. Absolutely divine and my absolute favourite, blending timeless aesthetic appeal, natural materials, linen, oak, pools of natural light throughout the interiors, & understated refinement. Simply beautiful.

www.micasa.be

...and I am a Mother.

I have been thinking about my role as a mother lately. As I embrace the return of my children to my twenty-four hour care, I find myself not overwhelmed by them, but overwhelmed by the depth of my belonging to this role called mother. I have yet to feel the full effects of this thing called summer, but I am certainly feeling the finality of a series of endings.

Maybe it was the noticeable change in my youngest son's voice. Once husky and sweet, it is now hesitant and monotone, deeper, and not yet familiar. Perhaps it is the independent streak in my daughter, the baby, who still climbs up on my lap. yet skips away happily when another offer comes forth. More certainly, it is the transition of my eldest who is leaving behind junior high for the lofty heights of high school. The realization that I really love him as a person, has sent new fears to my heart that in three years time I will lose him, in the way that is expected, yet dreaded by mothers not ready to deliver their children to adulthood. As I watched him receive his diploma (a now common rite of passage from kindergarten to high school. apparently) and enjoyed the slide show of changes as the students travelled the path from grade seven to nine, I felt like bolting. I cannot explain it. As tall as his father, I don't feel ready to hand him over to this rapid transition. I remember feeling the same way on elementary registration day for my daughter: half annoyed that "these people" were dictating the submission of my youngest child. Preposterous really, when you think if it. Someone else is to be trusted with the children you had previously not let out of your sight?

The emotion ends full circle. I feel such a deep sense of gratitude that I have been entrusted in this role. I am so proud to wear the label, and honoured that these children love me back. I have always known it and felt this way, but somehow knowing that a season is closing in on me faster than I'd like sobers me, and makes me appreciate this gift I have been given.

This role, and these children, has and always will be my greatest gift.

One word of advice: the tough parts of parenting will ease, but the depth of your feelings will multiply until the day you die. Of this I am certain.

Appreciate your role.

Nautical By Nature...

(all images, Coastal Living.com)

As I chill out to the drone of my newly re-installed air conditioner, I am led to thoughts about the importance of keeping cool in the summer. While this summer has been highly anticipated after the long snowy winter we had, one only has to suffer through a day or two of high humidity and temperatures to crave cool breezes and/or a refreshing dip. While my pool is a bit too cool for me to take a dip just yet, I have done plenty of life-guarding for my more hardy offspring.

As I sat on the lounge chair today - sweat trickling down my lip and hair growing frizzier by the second - I tried to distract myself from my raging inner thermostat by planning how I can pretty up my pool deck. Things are almost complete on the little change house/area the handyman built, the flowers have been planted in their pots, and I have picked up some nautical accessories from my local vintage store. Still, I am pining for a more beachy feel, cooler colours and snappy style.

Basically, I am craving a little bit of this:

nautical done well,

and pretty on the inside and out!

If the threat of rain and the incessant humidity ever subsides, I will finish up my projects and share them with you. Stay cool!!

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Head on over to Julia's Hooked on Fridays event for more creative ideas from your favourite bloggers (and some sure to become favourites!).

RADFORD FURNISHINGS WEEKEND SALE

For those of you who love beautiful fabrics on tap, I recommend you all visit Radford Furnishings today & tomorrow at their Hawthorn showroom for fabulous bargains! They are clearing out discontinued lines including Designers Guild & other key furnishing brands. The selections available of both upholstery & drapery fabrics, along with Cath Kidson discontinued lines, books, & bolts of perfect but discontinued collections is just fabulous! So for those of you who have some decorating in mind, whether cushions, window treatments, reupholstering or simply can't refuse divine fabrics for your home interior, pop into their showroom today & tomorrow, 9.00am - 4.00pm. www.radfordfurnishings.comLevel 1/146 Burwood Road, HAWTHORN, Victoria 3122Ph: 03 9818 7799

Take a Bow Tuesday

It's that time again. My weekly round-up of great finds I've come across on some really great blogs. Honestly, I could list one hundred things, but instead I pop them all into my feature file to share with you all in due time.

Be sure to check out the following bloggers:

• Holly and her yummy "ice cream cone treat", perfect for celebrating that last day of school a summer birthday party, or just a really great summer's day that deserves a special nod!
  

• City Farmer is one of my favourites. This lady can repurpose furniture like nobody's business, but check out this patio umbrella makeover. Honestly, where do you ladies come up with this stuff??

• The Design Ties ladies have done what is arguably the best post featuring my very favourite colour of all times: turquoise (in all its intensities). If you share this colour passion, you must head on over there!! Oh, and did I mention they are Canadian, like me?
  

• Now, you all know Eddie...Eddie Ross, that is. Well, this design superstar be stilled my heart with his fabulous makeover of some Salvation Army finds, using some great retro-inspired fabric. Not fair: my local Salvation Army doesn't carry finds like the chairs Eddie transformed!!

• Sweet Aimee, who just had a new baby, somehow finds the time to keep her home beautiful and come up with some great decorating projects. Despite this, you really will like her, and her inventive way to re-use an old window to solve a curb appeal problem.

Now, take a bow, ladies (oops, and Eddie!)!!

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If you like give-aways, head on over to my friend P.J's for a great one.

She is giving away a $50 "e" gift certificate to Amazon.com. Starting Wednesday, June 24th, she will be posting her usual "What's Up For Wednesday". This time it will be called "You Write The Caption." She will post a photo and, to be entered in the drawing, all you need to do is post a caption.

Anyone interested in entering has until midnight Sunday 6/28. The winner's will be drawn on Monday, 6/29.

Now, all you have to do is enter!!

Day 3 Brunswick Stereo

I am happy with the way the paint is taking to this piece. I had to do a few minor fill jobs in the wood. Everything is holding very nicely.

I still have to cut the new piece of wood for the the middle shelf.

Then I have to cut the back piece and get it painted and installed.

But I am very pleased with the way it is turning out.

How in the world am I going to be able to sell this? It is quite charming don't you think?

This is not the color it will be in the end. I will put my creamy white paint over top of this taupe color. When I sand the white down, you will see a little of this taupe color through. It will give my new paint a natural worn look. The carved details will remain a little darker as if they are stained from years of handling. It will be quite stunning.

I would love to hear your comments on this.

Chandeliers, for Contemporary Living with Classical Twists

Caroline Quartermaine's London Studio

Hopewood Country House

In preparing & researching for the designersecrets workshops in recent months, what we have uncovered on the revival of chandeliers has been amazing. I have never had chandeliers in my home interiors, but can certainly appreciate their artistic, sculptural elegance.

Whether we have been researching lighting, floorplans & layout, furnishings, colour, art & or styling, it's amazing how many interior spaces have introduced the classic chandelier with the contemporary edge. From the very bold to the slightly more subtle, clear prisms of glass to the very colourful feature fittings, chandeliers are indeed enjoying a fabulous revival, inviting romance & sophistication to contemporary architectural design.A friend of mine that I am consulting to on his new home, is keen to include one in his foyer. The architectural design is very contemporary, streamlined & low maintenance. The space of his entrance loft would be rather vacuous without something so bold in scale & design, & a chandelier I think will give it the substance & aesthetic twist it needs to create the 'wow' factor. We are yet to source the specific piece for him, but I'm really enjoying looking, which of course is all part of the process when we are renovating and or decorating our homes. It can be tedious at times, time intensive and frustrating, but make time to enjoy the research, it's amazing what you find!

Vacation or Staycation?

photo source: Country Living.com

There seems to be a whole lot of catch phrases rolling around the tongues of magazines and blogs these days. Upcycling, Repurposing, and more! A favourite of mine is the totally "new" concept of Staycations. When I was young, it simply meant you weren't lucky enough to go on a real vacation (and we didn't). Nowadays, it is a socially acceptable practice that centers around exploring ones own town/city/ province/state in day trip form and/or tricking out your "outdoor space" to coax you into wanting to stay put. Harried mothers, desperate to entertain their children and keep to their budgets (it is a total fallacy that summer is less expensive than winter), comb though their local tourist guides and newspapers, searching for fun and entertaining destinations close to home.

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Jumping waves with family...free!

Things like collecting seashells and munching on picnic lunches at the beach to painting the sidewalk with a bucket filled with water are making their way onto many to-do lists. Trips to the zoo and drive-in movies are glamourized by mums like me and indoor rock climbing excursions seem almost affordable when compared to the luxury of renting a cottage by the sea for a week.

Tubing outside of Fredericton, N.B.

$10/person...I think!

Many are also looking to their back yards to corral their families and friends with promises of excitement. Many parents have upped the ante and added a trampoline and/or pool to the backyard landscape.

photo source: Coastal Living.com

Hot tubs, outdoor fire pits, badminton nets, outdoor kitchens offer up a resort-like atmosphere for those lucky enough to afford it. Gone are the days of plastic lawn chairs, picnic tables and metal swing sets. Families used to plush comforts at home are even turning up their noses at the ever affordable camping, especially in a tent . Of course, camping in our day didn't require deep pockets for theme parks, either.

I, myself, have fallen victim (happily) to the staycation concept. Although we have a camping trip to the states planned, we have added the above-ground pool and fire bowl as a way of keeping the kids happy throughout the summer months.

photo source: Toast.uk

Luckily, we also have the most spectacular beaches nearby so day trips really can be almost free (save for a few popsicles and a picnic lunch!). While our tent-trailer offers the opportunity for quick and affordable lodging when travelling, the cost of gasoline, snacks, and entertainment when on the road does not really make it as affordable as some would have you believe. Indeed, I honestly don't know how some afford to pack up the camper and family and go away every weekend!

What about you? What approach do you take to summer? Do you travel, rent cottages, or simply be tourists in your own town? Have you decked out your backyard spaces with all the trappings of rest and relaxation, so you can vacation at home?

Will you vacation or staycation?

Day 2 for the Brunswick Stereo

Ok, Kilz oil based primer/sealer Odorless is my best friend. Although to me it kind of smells like "stinky feet cheese" as my grand daughters call it. But seriously ladies, it is the best. I use throw away brushes and please do cover the floor. Because it tends to splatter :) You can pick up Kilz Oil Based primer almost anywhere! It is a little more than the others but by far more worth it.The only reason the middle shelf is not primered yet is because it has to be replaced.

Without primer, this poor piece would take 18 coats of paint. The details are going to be beautiful with all the paint I put on it.

Just look at the details of this beauty. Several shoppers commented on it today. I have heard anything from, "add a glass door". Or Hang fabric in the opening. I even heard one man say, "Can you put the radio back in once you have it painted?" What!!!! OMG. This thing is definitely going to be either my creamy white or even taupe. What is your take on it? Want to give me an idea of what color you would do it if you were Shabby Chic?? I do have plans to put a back in it, and I am just leaving the front open. It will be a beautiful cabinet for the bathroom to put towels in. It is a darling shape and the size is perfect for a bathroom and towels will fit so nicely inside.

I have 2 coats of this sealer on it. It will paint so nicely. I am going to let it dry for a complete 24 hours.

I look forward to hearing your ideas on color for this piece. And what would you use it for?

Tootle loo for now. It is almost quitting time.

Run Daddy, Run!!

Remember last year, when I ran what felt like a marathon, but was actually just 5K (~3 miles)? Well, that time rolled around again today, and my boys all laced up their sneakers and ran their part. Our two sons ran the 5k student challenge (in 22 and 23 minutes, respectively), and the handyman ran the half marathon...his idea of a great Father's Day (go figure...).

Did I run?

Well, no.

The reasons? You decide:

a) an injury sustained during training?

b) heel trauma induced by a cheapskate pedicure?

c) someone had to cheer on the runners (in the rain, no less).

d) somebody has barely run since last year, and can now barely run the length of herself...

The answer is d), but if I had planned to run, all of the above would have provided the perfect excuse to change my mind!!

Now, you all can make the shape of and L, and put it to your foreheads in my honour.

Really, I don't mind...

$5 Brunswick radio 5 day project

This old radio was found at a Stockade sale in Schenectady NY. Weighing 75 pounds worth of tubes, wires and tons of other stuff that did not work I just knew what I had in mind for it.

So carefully removing all the screws inside that will allow me to take out the front center piece.

I had to remove a little bit of the front piece so that I could slide it out. I was a little nervous about this but it all went back together just like new.

Now you can kind of see where I am going with this. I do need to replace the inside middle shelf. It got a little too beat up. Boy they sure did make things well back in the day! :) Oh I can't wait to get through another portion of this project to show you progress on it. But my other work is calling my name. Be sure to come back often to see if I have posted the blogs that are hosting my giveaways!!! That is sure to be lots of fun. Happy Father's Day!! Tootle loo for now.

Be sure to follow my blog! I will be posting the blog sites that will be hosting giveaways on items of mine. Be sure to follow me!!!

Vintage Home lifestyle: It's time for another Fabulous BARN SALE...

I sure wish I had a barn so I could have barn sales. They look like a ton of fun. I just have to settle for my shop at vintagehomeinteriors.com
Vintage Home lifestyle: It's time for another Fabulous BARN SALE...

For now I will add this - if you are within reasonable driving distance and have a project for me, I would love to work it out for you. I have built things from a glance at a magazine article. This table I built from scratch just by looking at the page in Romantic Homes Magazine.


People bring me their furniture often and allow me to paint for them.
And I am starting a new page on my website to allow people to do things themselves with a little help from me. If they have a door and a screw driver but not the other parts for their own hall tree. They can buy all the "fixings" for it from me and do it themselves.
Check out my site or give me a call and find out if I can help you with your project.
www.vintagehomeinteriors.com
shop@vintagehomeinteriors.com
865-237-8062

Virtual Yard Sale

I have posted some new items on my virtual yard sale page. Please visit http://www.vintagehomeinteriors.com/virtual%20yard%20sale.htm.

You can see I have made it a "Name Your Price" sale. Please visit the page and if you see something there you want, please don't hesitate to name your price. What can it hurt!!?? Maybe we can agree on a price.

Here is a little earring hanger I made from an old window. Isn't it sweet? It took about 4 yards of satin ribbon. After painting the window a light pale yellow I epoxy glued on the satin ribbon and then some satin bows over a few of the rows. I think it finished it off nicely.

Then I added a couple clear crystal knobs to the bottom to hang a robe or purse or whatever. It just gave it some added beauty.

Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by! Oh, btw, be watching Miss Sweet Tea Diaries. She will be hosting a giveaway for one of my earring frames!!!! Check her out and watch often!!! http://sweetteadiaries.blogspot.com/