Polka Dotty, Realized

Our room for two is finally finished and it's lovely.

Eloise's room, which she will soon share with her new sibling, has been cleared of clutter, cleaned top to bottom, reorganized and redecorated. With the exception of Eloise's bed everything moved around and we now have the room set so that both kids will have their own 'space' (aka sides).

My original vision was for a gender neutral black, white and pale blue room sprinkled with lots of polka dots and I'm quite pleased with how it all came together. I also decided to add in black and cream toile since, why not, and I used toile fabric to make Eloise a new duvet cover and recover a stool. I made a gallery wall above the Expedit (excuse me, Kallax) which holds books and toys in pretty canvas bins, put up a few polka dot pom-poms and am in love with my "piece de resistance", the polka dot wall. At first I thought the polka dots should all be measured out and perfect but then I just decided to wing it and am happy I did. The installation took me all of 20 minutes and the result is GORG. You have to check out Polka Dot Wall Stickers on Etsy, they were inexpensive and work just beautifully (we also used these decals on lampshades for our Kate Spade inspired installation).

The turquoise IKEA Raskog cart is perfect as a diaper caddy and I can't wait to put my new wipes warmer into service (a wipes warmer is seriously my favourite baby gadget). We've stocked up on the cutest newborn diapers from The Honest Company to get us through the first few weeks of poop explosions and all of our Kissaluvs and Bummis covers are washed and ready for use. New soothers have been sterilized, bottles & pump are prepped and baby clothing is washed. We. Are. Ready.

A Shared Room

The further I get into this pregnancy the closer we creep to the necessary redesign of Eloise's room to accommodate our second child. I am perhaps not as gung-ho about this as I have been in creating space for Eloise - it just seems like so much work - but I am excited for the challenge of making a beautiful place for two kids in one room.

I've long felt that North Americans are square footage obsessed. In keeping with this, my favourite and one of the most frequently asked questions I get these days is, "Where will the new baby sleep? You only have two bedrooms!" It's true, we only have two small bedrooms, but this is one more than we had when Eloise was born and we managed quite well back then. I shared a room with my brother until I was six and by the time we were offered our own rooms it took some convincing to get us to move into our own spaces.

Before I can get to the finishings and fun of shared room decor, we have some serious closet issues to move past (this would be the 'too much work' part). The organization, or lack thereof, in our bedroom closet and Eloise's closet is my current obsession and conquering this is the first step in making room for two. Both closets have just one long hanging rod with a shelf above, which means tons of wasted valuable storage space. I've done my best to cull the clutter and organize, but our closets are to a point that is beyond me. The first order of business is to have our bedroom closet fitted with a storage system so that we can move my clothing (or at least most of it) out of Eloise's closet and make room for her clothing and toys. Once her closet is ready we can part with the armoire and dresser in her room, bring in the crib and get going on designing a functional space for two.

More on the closet progress later, I'd rather share images of dreamy bedrooms for two.

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Zig Zag Bins

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I spotted these chevron cloth bins from Pehr Designs at Indigo in the kids' department and fell in love. They come in pale coral, warm grey and the lovely pale Robin's egg blue above, so it was hard to choose a favourite (I picked the blue!).

The 'bin' size container (there is also a 'pint' and a 'hamper' size) is a perfect fit for the shelves of the Expedit I just put together for Eloise's room and we've already filled them up with Barbies and peeps. Practical AND pretty, I like it. 

Printspirational

Typographical posters and prints have been hot in home decor for some time now. The 'For Like Ever' poster by Super Rural and Made By Girl's 'LOVE' have been regular staples in many of the stylish homes I've admired and other designers have followed suit.

Since I'm a hip hop girl hiding behind this preppy facade, I love the idea of hip hop lyrics done up in gold or super simple black for a cheeky but polished piece of art. 

{designs by maria}

{paper jam press}

And for Eloise's room, these hip hop lyric-inspired prints are way too cute. And true.

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Friday Finds

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We were at IKEA today to pick out Eloise's bed linens and I spotted the darling Emmie Ruta duvet set in their textile section. We ended up choosing a different one for Eloise's room though I really loved the salmon pink and oversize gingham pattern of this duvet. It reminds me of a seaside summer cottage.

Made of super soft, yarn-died fabric this duvet comes with matching shams for just $44.99.

I Love

Since I am 100% hip hop (in my music choices) this sign by Oh Dier Living needs to be in my home. Preferably on the mantle.

{oh dier}

Naturally, it's gold and shiny. Holla.

All That Glitters

I have a new affinity for the colour gold. It's pretty trendy in home decor right now and thanks to blogs like The Glitter Guide, Kate Spade and J.Crew and magazines like Matchbook, gold is certainly having a very pretty resurgence.

I wrote the other night about an amazing glitter deer head that my friend Marjorie made, well I had to make one for my own. This was such an easy project! I couldn't get my printer to print a deer head silhouette the size I wanted to I just free handed it, added the glue and lots of gold glitter. Looks like I AM putting my degree in advanced arts & crafts to good use after all!

not bad, right?

Here are a few other gold items I'm coveting ...

{dwell studio}

{j.crew}

{mitchell gold + bob williams}

{kate spade}

{anthropologie}

{design within reach}

All that glitters is gold!

Superior Sideboard

You might remember my post about searching for the perfect sideboard and my quest for the right shade of turquoise to paint it. Well, I found the sideboard at my local Salvation Army and after going back and forth between a dozen turquoise swatches I ended up going with my very first choice, Benjamin Moore's Tropicana Cabana. I'm so happy I did; this turquoise turned out to be a near-perfect match to 'Tiffany Blue', a happy coincidence I'd say. I purchased pretty ceramic knobs to replace the brass hardware at Anthropologie and I'm happy to say that the newly improved sideboard is in place and looking fine.

Here's the before:

I was sold when I saw that this solid wood piece had doors that bi-folded and then totally back on themselves. It had creepy carpeting on the inside but at $15 I just couldn't pass it up. I would love to say that I painted the sideboard myself but I have already confessed that painting is not one of my strong points. Nope, it was my mom. The sideboard turned out perfectly because of all the time she spent sanding, priming and painting. And the carpet is gone too. Thank you Mom, you really spoil me.

Here is a progress pic:

And this is the finished product (I like how the paint changes in the light):

There is ample storage for media, books and E's toys.

This is how we did it:

Sideboard: Salvation Army Thrift Shop, $16.79
Paint: Benjamin Moore Advance in Tropicana Cabana, FREE (this can was comped for a mis-tint my mom had purchased for another project, but it's usually around $50 per gallon).
Hardware: Anthropologie, $26.88
Time: About one week with prep work, priming, two coats of paint and 4 days of drying time. And FYI, my Mom's time is priceless :)

TOTAL: $43.67

Insta-shams

Here's the thing - I'm crafty but I'm a lazy crafter. I am impatient and not very good at following instructions. Most of all, I like instant gratification. This is why I'm not a very good painter.

What I do like making are pillow shams, or Insta-shams as I call them, the easiest decor project. Give me a few metres of fabric and I can whip up a several shams, have them stuffed and on the bed/couch in around an hour. I can sew of course, but I don't sew very well. My mom will tell you this because I skip steps (ahem, pinning) and didn't have the same strict instruction she did, and you know what, she's absolutely right. But I also attribute my questionable sewing partly to laziness. I may not be able to draft a pattern or drape a dress but I can roll out some mighty pretty pillow shams and a fleece bathrobe no problem. I'll leave the tough stuff to my Mom (love ya!)

I got home around eight last night with a plan to head straight to bed but was lured to the dining room table by the sewing machine which I had set up earlier today. And so I made four new pillow shams out of some gorgeous striped fabric I  have been hanging onto for years and they turned out beautifully.

Think you can't make a pillow sham? I challenge you to give my Insta-shams a try with these four simple steps:

And... TA-DA!

Zara Home

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Can we talk about how lovely Zara Home is for a minute? My favourite Spanish retailer launched their home line in the US somewhat quietly in October and I am really enjoying their chic, well priced home collection of furniture, bedding, tableware, accessories and decorative items.

{wooster table}

On the top of my list is the Wooster Table, which is of course sold out. I'd use this pretty tray table as a bar cart, but only in my dreams... an acrylic tray set with booze and glassware would be on the floor with one curious hand or swipe of a tail.

{monocle tabes}

A more practical choice would be the Monocle Nest Tables, a set of two Eileen Gray-style accent tables that would be lovely in a tv room. Zara home also has a great selection of very well priced knobs (all less than $17 for two!) and many tassels. I can never get enough tassels.

Have you checked out Zara Home yet?

Excited!

Many months ago I submitted photos of Eloise's room to Apartment Therapy Family, one of my long-time favourite blogs (previously Ohdeedoh). I hadn't heard anything so figured that was that, but today I was honoured to find out that her room was featured! I haven't been on Apartment Therapy all week so a big thanks to my friend Renee for letting me know that Eloise's room was up on the blog.

I am very proud of this feature but it has also shown me a few things: always proof read one more time (I embarrassingly found two errors) and for goodness sakes, learn how to take a better photo! Oh well. Practice makes perfect.

PS. I am excited to say this is actually the second time Eloise's room has been on Apartment Therapy. Her Nook was a finalist in their 2011 Smaller Cooler Contest.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Last night my girlfriend Aliy came over for dinner and installed a dimmer switch for our dining room fixture. Amazing right? She is one of those people who seems to be good at everything (and know everything, her internal encyclopedia is incredible) and it got me thinking about strengths and weaknesses.

I am an excellent multitasker (why just brush your teeth when you can make the bed and get dressed at the same time?), I'm good at sewing and crafts and I am downright excellent at organizing. It's definitely not my favourite thing, but I have always been very good at cleaning too.

But I am a terrible painter. I get paint on the floor and one time I accidentally painted over an electrical outlet (Aliy saved the day by installing a new one, of course). I cannot cut hair, which is why my bangs are slightly crooked, and I can't throw a ball to save my life so I never played sports. I always mix up my rights and lefts and don't know how to properly make a pot of coffee. Math makes my head spin and I can't keep plants alive - once I killed a hearty ficus in a matter of weeks.

The beauty of knowing your strengths and weaknesses is being able to build a network of people who can do the things you cannot. I am so thankful to have friends who can build things and teach me about sports, a Mom who imparts her wisdom and a husband who makes the best cup of coffee ever.

Tempting Turquoise

As I mentioned, I am eager to add more colour to our home and am currently tempted by turquoise. I have a piece of framed Cavallini wrapping paper from The Cross in my kitchen and I would like to find a turquoise just like the 'Air France' brochure seen in the upper right on the paper. It's not too blue, not too green, but just right.

{Paper Source}

I did a quick sweep through Benjamin Moore last week to pick up swatches and here are a few turquoises I am considering for the tv sideboard:

skydive

tropicana cabana

poolside blue

capri seas

scuba green

Seeing all the colours on screen I think I've made my decision!

Blog Crush: Cupcakes and Cashmere

{cupcakes and cashmere}

Cupcakes and Cashmere is a simply delightful blog about two of my very favourite things: fashion (the cashmere) and food (the cupcakes). Blogger Emily Schuman started her blog "as a way to document the things that inspire", and beyond fashion and food she shares decor ideas, how-to's, and beauty tips (she's even a guest blogger for Estee Lauder).

Emily's style is lovely and well edited. She mixes high with low beautifully and her covetable closet is filled with designer items, but never in a flashy "look at me" way. You get a feeling that Emily's style is genuine, and not just for the lens. Her recipes are delectable and her photos of dishes like Deep-Dish Pumpkin-Meringue Pie are downright tasty.

Emily released a Cupcakes and Cashmere book this August and you can buy it here. It's definitely one I'd like to add to my collection.

Craving Colour

I love the look of our home but things have gotten, well, a brown. Brown isn't even a colour I really like, but somehow our living room is nothing but: a brown chenille couch, a teak coffee table, a burled walnut armoire, a taupe chair. I finally found a sideboard that is the perfect shape, size and function (doors that fold totally in on themselves!) for the tv, alas, it too is brown.

I am craving colour. It doesn't help that the weather has gone from gorgeous to grey, but I have an intense urge to redecorate our very neutral home with colour. My plan for the sideboard is to paint it turquoise but I haven't had the time to pull everything apart in order to sand, prime and paint it. We also need more light in the living room and I am really missing the arc lamp that stayed behind at the condo when we rented it last year.

I need an instant solution. I am thinking a bright rug, some fun accessories and finally, a turquoise sideboard. Here are a few rooms I'm loving right now, see if you can spot the theme.

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Dumpster Diving

I'm a dumpster diver and I am not afraid to admit it. While I don't actually score dumpsters I have been known to pull over to check out the free stuff people leave in their lanes. Most of it is crap, but if Sarah Richardson has taught me anything, it's that you may just find something with 'great lines' in the garbage.

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Unlike Sarah I do not have a team of re-upholsterers or furniture sprayers at the ready but I do have my dad and he is willing to help me with just about anything (see banquette). And thanks to my dad I didn't have to miss out on a garbage score just because I was on my way to bootcamp ... he retrieved it for me!

And what a find this is. I've had my eye on IKEA's discontinued Meldal day bed for Eloise's big-girl bed for some time so I'm sure you can imagine my glee when I saw this exact bed in my neighbour's garbage with a 'Free' sign. I figured I would just find one on Craigslist, but you really can't beat the price of free.

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My garbage score.

Eloise is not ready for her big girl bed yet, but I would like to set it up in her room (and redecorate again?!) in the next few months so that she can get used to it before she making the move. I'm going to paint the bed too, so the most important question is: Skyscraper or Peony?