Currently Armchair Traveling Through Life

*image found here and words by Mother Teresa

I need to remember these words of Mother Teresa's in particular right now...and I NEED to be the sole decorator in my home, the beige is killing me :)

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

*found on pinterest

Feminine Touches

Garlands are everywhere these days, in the form of wreathes, with or without Christmas lights even as jewellery.  This is mine, made from shear ivory fabric and touches of black eyelet ribbon tied onto twine to maintain a contrasting rustic yet elegant look...and I made it...

Commanding

*image found at Apartment Therapy
Now that is a big, and a little scary looking command, E A T!

Yet Another Gifted Blogger

I love finding great new blogs.  The image above is an example of the talented generosity of The Graphics Fairy.  Not only does she have great posts that include images like the one above, but she also gives them away for free...sharing art.  She also has some pretty tutorials that I know I'll be following...I really do love have the blog-sphere is like another land, with all these voices, cultures, knowledge and talent being shared.

Paper and Fabric Garlands...again

* orange moss like garland found here, confetti like garland found here and the fabulous Paper and Craft book I found mentioned here .
It's funny how sometimes things repeat themselves.  I have many moments of serendipity, deja vu...for the most part about the little things in life.  I've posted about my love of paper/fabric garlands before, talked about  making them, created small crafts for my students including Fiesta Flags incorporating them and yet I have never down it myself.  Is it because I abhor wasted paper/tree's? I could use any of the free magazines and such at my disposal.  Is it because I don't think the manly parts of my home would love it? I'm sure they would simply explain it away as creating by moi if asked, is it my past few months of holing up and healing have prevented me from creating and change...perhaps.  But as the universe is again pressing these images upon me and it's recently been commented on that our home holds very few touches of me, I think I will look for some templates and created a little something, perhaps just a simple Swedish like garland or too...  

No Plastic Wasteland Here

It is always a pleasure to see companies creating decor for children that are not a bright primary plastic colour. I grew up in horror when I visited homes with rickety, peeling metal swing sets and such...yes the choices at Dimples and Dandelions are pricer, but there are many DIY opportunities available. 

Ikea I Miss You...

My life as a minimalist...as I continue to rehab from living in the 'burbs I am increasingly drawn to anything and everything minimalist; decor, food...life really...some people say it's because I've burnt out but this feels, this is authentic.  Over at the everyday minimalist she has been addressing some differences...being a minimalist is not cheap and often it's not even the 'frugal' option...read the each of her posts/links on the subject but some of my favourite highlights are;
"Minimalism is not owning more than you need and can use...It isn’t about living like a monk...We want the little things that we purchase, to be an all-in-one: beautiful, functional, and simple to use...As a minimalist, I want everything that I buy to be exactly what I want, but also pleasing to look at...A frugal person understands cost-per-use and the longevity of purchases."  She goes into some very detailed examples and make me want to stand up and cheer!

Sweet Paul

Clear glass ornaments filled with things is something I've seen around a lot lately...

and quite frankly I’ve found them to be a little too home jobish…but this, I don’t know if it’s the cohesive colour theme, the joyful beribboned collection or what but this I like…the feathers as a vegetarian not so much but there are many sparkly things that would work, perhaps even keep it up with seasonal changes. Thanks to Sweet Paul found here for inspiring.

Incredible image found here

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's a wall or a curtain garland, it's magical and I'm so going to craft this DIY...(smaller to please the other members of this house...


I remember seeing on Martha Stewart (can’t find it now of course) a DIY garland that used round sticky labels, colour them (there’s gold and silver pens in our dollar store right now) and then stick them together about 2 inches apart along a string of some sort...sounds like a good start to me...

Distilling our lives

Well this is it, today we do the final walk through of what will be our new home...while I'm excited to be back to apartment living (the 'burbs were not me despite the fact that I loved our neighbours), my partner in crime...is not so hyped. Despite having a lovely bay window and balcony for our furry children, an extra bedroom (heaven while downsizing from a 'burb house) and a decent sized kitchen our new home is decidedly...dated. BUT, it is if nothing else, grandma chic and I for one look forward to bringing out the kitsch, the unique and perhaps finally creating a haven that is truly ours...One of the best sites I've found for this process (this image is from there as well) is http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ . Because it truly is an art form to create a practical, interesting, livable work of art.

Refreshing

http://www.houseofturquoise.com/ A whole, stunning blog dedicated to the beauty of turquoise...I didn't realize how much I love it and incorporate it into my own life.

Vintage and Glitter!

WHAT A MASTERPIECE! http://www.frenchtowner.com/ga/savannah/photos/tour/target17.html Found in Savannah, a town on my To Do list!

Anna James

This piece was inspired by the designers visits to Juliet's (as in Romeo and Juliet) house in Italy. The graffiti covering the walls and archway are all unique declarations of love...

I love script in and on the house, it's like a beautiful rendition of what we scold children for when they crayon on walls. Carolyn Quartermain creates such joyous pieces and displays them with such perfection http://www.carolynquartermaine.com/index.html .