Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

I am going to take some photos of the "after" shots of this week's painting projects. I am just waiting for a bright day. The weather has turned cold this weekend and the forecast is rain. Not surprising here on the west coast of Canada. We enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner and have finally cleaned the kitchen!


 A hodge:podge of thoughts: One of my goals for this blog is to bring attention that good design can happen here north of the border. I love reading the many creative blogs that are out there on the Internet but there seems to be very few Canadian design blogs. There are the big names that are connected with my favourite Canadian design magazines (check out Canadian House and Home and Style at Home), but not the lowly domestic goddess that strives to create a home for her family with just her imagination, ingenuity and some good ol' elbow grease.


 I find that my style can be what I think is uniquely Canadian, or more specifically West Coast. I love a hodge:podge of styles (hence the name of my blog). I love simple lines, nothing overly stuffy. Lots of classic looks and colours. I love black with red thrown in along with hints of blue. 


Our family has had the most amazing opportunities to have lived in many different places. I have lived in the Prairies in Canada, in an urban center here on the west coast, lived in a suburb in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington DC for 2 1/2 years and only moved back to the west coast in Canada last year. I find that living in all the different geographical places has influenced the way I decorate our home. Living in Virginia was most inspirational. We lived in a beautiful 5 bedroom colonial. The architecture in that area is so different than what we find here in the west. I fell in love with the rich history of the area. We felt truly at home. I also felt like an ambassador of Canada there.  I looked forward to my piece of Canadiana that arrived in my mail box every month - my most fav decorating magazines! I shared them with my friends. What I miss the most is seeing the beautiful historical buildings that were everywhere. I miss visiting DC and driving through Georgetown and Dupont Circle as I salivated over the beautiful brownstones. I also miss Target!! Sniff....... 


This week I hope to bring to photos of some of my recent DIY projects that cost next to nothing. Stay tuned......

Our beautiful colonial in Virginia - sigh....

Our rental home we currently live in