Check This Out : Another Fun Print

To add to our small collection of bicycle themed art, I bought this yesterday.

My hubby, the cycling fanatic and twitter extraordinaire , sent me a tweet link to this print. With the power of Paypal, it is ordered.

Can't wait to add it to this:

I have plans for a gallery wall that is dedicated to bicycles in our family room. I am slowly collecting art and photographs. 

Here is a photo I took while thrifting with Carol from The Design Pages and with the power of Picnik I now have this:

On a side note, not bicycle related...

School is finally out and last night my husband and I put the three kids on a plane to visit their grandparents on their 350 acre farm.

Kid free for a WEEK!
{party in the house} 
So today I am painting...

And getting ready for the long weekend!

XO Barbara 

My Fabulous Win!

I have had a string of luck these past few weeks, winning a few giveaways. 

I won the Domino Book of Decorating from Marcus Design, gorgeous hand knitted tea towels from Hare Styling and now beautiful original photographic art from local photographer and blogger, Tracey Ayton Photography.

Notice these are all fabulous Canadian blogs?

 Can't wait to hang this gorgeous piece in my games room

 {which is still a work in progress, ok, it's at a standstill but measured my SUV and the Ektrop loveseat will fit!}

You need to visit Tracey's blog and website. She is one talented photographer. Her interior photography is amazing.

Here are some of her photos.

But you will have to wait to read more about her as she has agreed to be a guest in my "So Canadian, eh?" series!

XO Barbara

~An Art Wall~

As many of you know I have been

s-l-o-w-l-y 

re-doing my eldest daughter's room
 {I am beginning to sound like a broken record} 
But I have run out of steam, my budget is limited (or non-existent?) and time is not on my side.

So.....

All the materials for the headboard are ready to go, but since I have a saw phobia I am waiting for the husband to help cut the plywood that is collecting dust in the garage. 


Hopefully this weekend after my daughter's 16th birthday party has passed and I can breathe a sigh of relief, I can sweet talk the husband to plug in the saw and help :)

BUT......

One project I ACTUALLY accomplished was putting together an art wall for her room. Being a typical teenager she loves to surround herself with photos. 

What a perfect way to display her photos and other artwork than to create a gallery wall that is so in vogue.

Using a collection of spray painted thrift store frames, a mirror, painted canvases by moi, Ikea frames and monograms, I created a gallery of sorts along her bed that she can add to along the way.

"How did I do it?," you ask with bated breath.

Well....

To create a galley wall that reduces the amount of nail holes, you start by laying out the frames and arranging them on the floor until you have come up with an arrangement you like. 

{This is where I forgot to take a photo}

Next trace each frame, canvas or mirror onto kraft paper. You can use newspaper or a roll of   gift wrap as an alternative.

Start taping each piece on the wall, fiddling with the paper until you are satisfied with the look. I use a level and yard stick as well to make sure I have things lined up.


 Step back to  see if the arrangement is to your liking

Start hanging up the art work, one piece at a time.

{This was a photo taken of my daughter by her friend in a photography class}

Once finished....

Stand back and enjoy! 

I also added small little plastic dots on the bottom corners inside of each frame so they would "stick" to the wall and not shift.

I am thrilled with how the wall turned out. Now onto the headboard.....

Wish me luck.

Linking to:
POP @Domestically Speaking
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Metamorphosis Monday@BNOTP

Love this!~

I am back, tanned and tired. I am feeling overwhelmed by all that needs to be done around the house, so many errands to be done. My husband held down the fort as best as he could, but what I want to know is didn't anyone water the houseplants? Apparently my son did but the dirt was bone dry - hmmmm...


Here is a post I wrote before I left but only had sporadic wi-fi access (love Starbucks just for that!) so I wasn't able to post anything.


One of my favourite reads is a blog authored by one talented gal, Jennifer Ramos, Made By Girl. I love her decorating style and would love to emulate her look in my home. I am attracted to the effortlessness she has going on. I love homes that don't reflect one style in particular but where people surround themselves with things that they just love, their homes then reflect their personality and don't become staged and showy.  Her home is inspiring and as well as her blog.  Not only does she have a successful blog she has a successful Esty shop where she sells her one-of-a-kind prints. I fell in  love with this one:

I couldn't of said it better than this. I think it would look fab hanging in my home office. 

My children are always telling me "Mom, I think you are addicted to coffee." I think they might be right. 

Hmmm.. mother's day is coming. 

Peony Painting~

A while back the kids and I had a fun night of painting. I had bought several canvases and we whipped out my acrylic paints and paintbrushes and just experimented with the medium. The results were fantastic! I am in the process of framing one daughter's art from that night. 

This is what I painted. I love peonies and took photos of some last spring. My  goal is to to paint a few more for the oldest daughters bedroom. She really wants bright pink accents to go with her apple green walls. It was cheap, just the cost of the canvas. So whip out those paints and have fun - you never know what you can come up with!

I am redoing the oldest daughter's room at a real snail's pace. We have differences of opinion (she is almost 16 - she keeps reminding me of that fact - therefore she knows everything). She wants bright pink everywhere and I would like to tone it down. I also need to address her bed issue (she is a gorgeous 6 foot tall girl) and I keep putting it aside. 

What I need to do is focus on one project at a time and finish - the laundry room is almost done, I am just finishing up sewing. Hopefully the sun will stick around so I can take some great photos of the space, it can be quite dark. If I can get my act together today then hopefully I can reveal the laundry room later this week!


This painting is going to visit:
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking
Transformation Thursday at the Shabby Chic Cottage
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous
The Inspired Room

Creating a Beautiful Rental Home: Tip 7~

Tip #7 

Accessorize!

 It is a great way to personalize a space. I use throw pillows, artwork and mirrors. Accessories are a great way to add a pop of colour if you aren't allowed to paint the walls in your place. 

You don't have to spend a lot on accessories. Ikea (I am sounding like a broken record), Homesense (Homegoods in the US), Target (if you live in the US or are like me and live close to the border),  Loblaws/Superstore and even Walmart carry throw pillows, lamps, artwork, frames, etc.

One way I instantly personalize our space is by hanging up artwork. 

I know you are thinking "what about the holes?" I have never had an issue, most landlords paint after you leave OR I fill in the holes, patch them and paint over ( a good domestic diva always saves her paint!)

 Use what you have. 
I love using my children's art around the house, items in shadow boxes, photos that my husband has taken on his travels,  art purchased on various trips, family photos or even posters and maps that I have framed. My latest purchase is a poster my husband wanted, it is the graph of the Napoleonic advance into Russia in 1812, can't wait to frame it and hang it up.

Photos taken by my husband in Paris hanging in a daughter's room in old frames I spray painted black.

Artwork painted by my oldest daughter in art class in a Ribba frame from Ikea.

Nail from Jamestown, VA in a shadow box from Homesense.

I also love hanging up mirrors. They visually expand a space.

Pillows are another way to add warmth and coziness to your space.

(I love making pillows).

PIllows made by me.

Patterned pillow from Pottery Barn outlet

More pillows made by me (down inserts are from Ikea-only$6)

Come back tomorrow as I share my last tip. This week I am also going to show you what I did with this second thrift store lamp I found!

~Check This Out~

*if you are my sister and are reading this post then go no further - Christmas secret!

    One of my favourite blogs to read is by the dynamic duo Aubrey+Lindsay. They blog about their adventures of decorating their first home in Toronto. I love their style and DIY spirit, not to mention that they are also Canadian! Check them out, maybe they will become a favourite too.

     Lindsay also runs a wonderful letterpress business called Penny People Designs. I love her assortment of cards, invites, stationary and  art. My all time favourite is the wonderful alphabet art you can have personalized. This art has a great vintage feel to it and would look fantastic in a child's room. My kids are too old for that so I ordered one today from Lindsay's etsy shop for my nieces for Christmas. I can't wait until it comes! All I need to get is a frame from Ikea - that is where I am heading tomorrow to pick up a frame for a large map that is going onto my son's wall. I am hoping to have his room mostly put together and to share photos later this week!

Photo: Penny People Design's Etsy Shop

Simple art idea~

I love shadow boxes. They are a great way to display mementos and keepsakes. Even the most unusual objects, things you would never think to display can make great art. I think anything that is special to you makes beautiful art.

We LOVED living in Virginia (if you read older posts and stay with this blog you will find I go on and on about it....bear with me - it was such a wonderful experience for us) .......Back to this post.

I kept our license plates from Virginia and wanted to somehow incorporate them into our decor. I found this shadow box at Homesense (Homegoods in the US) that was perfect. I bought two because I have more than one plate to display. All I did was add sticky velcro to the back and to the fabric backing and voila - a great piece of art!

Now it is in my laundry room! I am going to hang another in my son's room!

Another one I did - sticking to the Virginia theme (you can insert your yawn here) is with a nail we got from the blacksmith at the museum from Jamestown, Virginia. It is the birthplace of North America (a little history lesson, just in case you didn't know). I just hot glued the nail to a piece of card stock. In the lower corner wrote where it was from and then just assembled the whole thing together. It hangs right by my front door. It is a great conversation starter when people come over for a visit!

Simple yet beautiful!

I am linking up with the Inspired Room - Beautiful Friday

**edited as of Oct 26 I am linking up with DIY Day at a  Soft Place to Land
and The Shabby Chic Cottage

Little Picassos....

A great way to evoke the feeling of warmth and originality into your home is to use your children's artwork on display. I treat their work like I would any other painting that I have by using a mat and frame to "house" their masterpiece. The only cost is the frame and mat! I have a box full, I love buying frames when they are on sale. Target is a great place in the US, sadly I don't live there anymore. Here in Canada: Ikea, Michaels (when they are 50% off), Homesense (aka Homegoods in the US), Superstore/Lobelaws and Opus Art and Framing (a west coast art supply heaven) are great places to buy inexpensive frames. At

Opus I can get custom mats cut for a few dollars. It really gives the art a custom look. 

I love hanging the framed masterpieces around the house.  They evoke responses from almost everyone who visits. 

I apologize that the photos aren't the greatest. Still waiting for some bright light here on the "wet" coast!

Collage in the hallway....

 in the family room....

in the powder room....

on the fireplace mantel....

on another fireplace mantel.

*I am linking this to Frugal Fridays at the The Shabby Nest. I lack the creativity to create a new post (we are all fighting the icky flu) so I am re-cycling this one!