Not Your Average Pumpkins

When I was up at the cottage I noticed this window display and I thought I had to share this.

 I know this picture isn't great.  I was taking it through a glass window, but I couldn't help but take a picture.   If you can't really tell they have spray painted the pumpkins a bright pink colour and decorated them with pearls.  Adorable!  They are also sitting on top of clear vases with white mini pumpkins and pearls in them.  Such a cute idea.

While I didn't get time for this project this year (I guess there is still a little time) it is definitely something to keep in mind for the future.  All of the fall decorations will soon be going on clearance so here are some ideas to watch for in the sales.  If you make them out of plastic you can use them year after year!

The writer of Little Inspirations sprayed these plastic pumpkins silver to look like Faux Mercury pumpkins.  These look identical to those purchased at Pottery Barn.

These ones are also super cute found on Domestically Speaking.  She shows how to do a faux mercury finish as well.  I personally like the combination of flat and shinny.

 

Finally, I thought this idea was also adorable.  Probably a lot of work, however if you were having Halloween party they are super cute.  They can be found here by Victoria Lavender. 

Halloween's Just Around the Corner

With Halloween just around the corner it's time for me to decide what the Boss is going to be this year.  Since she is just 5 months old and will only be dressing up to visit her Grandparents, and Aunts and Uncle I don't want to spend a ton of money on her costume.  Having said that, it's still her first Halloween and what kind of a mother would I be if I didn't have a great costume and photo for the old baby book.  There are a ton of great ideas without spending a lot of money, you just have to be creative.  Here are a few of my options with things she already has:

A Gator Cheerleader, outfit from her Aunt Katie.

A Moose, no costume required!

An Eskimo.  My parents bought her this adorable jacket while on Vacation.

A frog, courtesy of my two girlfriends .

OR

Tom Cruise, risky business style.  Sunglasses from Aunt Lindsay and shirt size 6-12 months purchased at a Gymboree clearance event months ago.

So many choices....what will I ever choose?  Maybe I already have something else fabulous up my sleeve?  You will have to stay tuned! In the meantime before you go out and spend a fortune on a costume your baby will only wear once.   Use your creativity and take a look around your house, I bet there is more there than you thought!

Sourcing Drapes

My brother-in-law is a trained chef and has recently accepted a position at our local University revamping and re-opening the graduate student lounge.  Previous to his take over, this space was a dirty, dingy and the only food served was re-heated curry.  Enter Jared.  He has gone in and taken on what I think is a terrifying task of renoing the entire space, fixing up the menu and re-opening the restaurant in a two week time frame.  No need to fear, if there is anyone that can handle this job it's Jared.  Not only is he the best chef I know, he is creative and has an eye for decor.  Due to the tight turn-around though he asked for my assistance in sourcing drapes.  The Boss and I headed out on our adventure to help Uncle Jared's latest project.

The Boss and her baby sourcing drapes.
 By the time she can walk, she'll be a professional

The space he is working with is large with a huge bank of windows.  His colours are apple polish (a gorgeous red) and driftwood gray (you know my obsession with gray).  The ceiling tiles are already a charcoal colour so the main purpose of the drapes was to help absorb sound.  He has already sourced nickel chandeliers from a local lighting store LITES and is using black stone for the bar.  Doesn't it sound fabulous?  There was much debate over what colour the drapes should be.  White, red, grey or black, so I sourced a few different options for him to look at.  Here is what I found.

After much discussion on the phone he decided on these charcoal drapes from IKEA.  

I think they are the perfect balance for everything else in the room, and they are only $39.99 a pair.  Why didn't I think of them?  They are perfect!  It just goes to show you it takes many minds for the perfect design solution.  I can't wait to see his finished restaurant. 

Twine All Over The House

Continuing with my love for Fall, this twine vase seen on The Birds Papaya caught my attention.  I read through her tutorial and decided to give it a try myself.  One tip I will give is that she used white glue and I used a glue gun.  White glue is way easier than a glue gun.  I used the gun because that's what I had at home and I thought it would be easier, however it took me forever to complete this project while Birds Papaya was able to complete this project in about 20 min.  Once I was done I loved it, however there are a number of hours of my life that I will never get back invested in this one piece.

When doing research for my twine vase project I came across a number of adorable projects others have done.  Here is some inspiration.

Hare Styling used twine to wrap the ends of twigs and placed them in a clear vase adding texture to the bottom of the twigs and adding interest through the clear vase.   This makes a beautiful fall piece.

The below vase was seen on Bravo Bride as a suggestion for table numbers at a wedding.  With the right decor this could be adorable, and inexpensive for an outdoor wedding or dinner party.

I've seen trees like this at Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel at Christmas time.  These stores sell these for upwards of $20 a piece.  These can be made for less than $5 a piece or cheaper depending on what materials you already have at home.  These simple pieces will add texture and class to your holiday decorations.

Finally, I love the below designs created by David Stark for West Elm last Christmas.  I love how unique these look yet how easy they are to create.  I was at West Elm last week and love what he has come up with for this Holiday Season.  Stay tune, as I try a DIY of some of his creations this year.

Baby Tights

  There's only one thing I hate about fall...falling tights!  Don't get me wrong, I love the look of opaque tights with a skirt and boats however, when they fall down I want to scream.  As the fall fashions started appearing in the stores I fell in love with all the cute patterned tights for baby girls, but couldn't imagine trying to wrestle The Boss into them.   With the cold weather coming it's inevitable, she's going to need tights, so I went on a hunt for the best tights in town.  Baby Girl Mommas read on!

 

  The key to great tights is not the store you purchase them from it's what the tights are made of.  I have purchased two very different pairs of tights from the same store and love one and hate the other. Here is what I've learned.   The tights I like the most are mainly cotton (70%) , with spandex (25%) and a small amount of nylon (5%).  The tights I hate have lots of nylon and lycra.  My favourites also have the shape of feet cut out this helps them to cling to the Boss' legs and fit comfortably.  The mainly lycra ones bag on the top of her feet instead of clinging making them baggy all over.  When you find a pair your thinking about buying flip them over and read through the materials.  I have found some great pairs at OshKosh, Children's place and local baby boutiques.

  There are tons of adorable options on the market right now.  If you can't find what you want you could always try your hand at making your own.  Check out this tutorial here.  Pretty sure this is a project I will not be trying but those of you who love to sew might find this fun.  Let me know how they turn out.

So cute!  Seen on Made By Rae

Adorable little tights by Baby Legs

The Boss has a pair of these cupcake tights which I love

Seeing Grey

Tomorrow the Boss and I are heading to Toronto to look for bedding and side tables from my Nana's  bedroom make-over.  She has selected a grey and white pallet which I LOVE.  I also love the idea of adding a hit of colour to the room like a bold orange...she's not so sure.  I created this fun design board for her to help show her ideas within her budget.  Wish us luck!

Home Office Decor

One thing that I have learned from working from home is that a boring office leads to a boring day.  In order to be inspired you must be surrounded by inspiration...or at least a few pretty things.  I am currently involved in a number of home reno projects and my office is not the top of the list so I did this quick project until I have time to do the whole office.  In the mean time...I saw this fun cork board in a home decor store and thought, I can do that!  So I got started making my chic bulletin board for my soon to be chic home office.  I started with this beautiful piece of art from a second hand store.  It cost me $9 not sure if it was the frame or amazing image inside that made it so pricey (JK).

  

I took it apart and sprayed out the frame in with Krylon spray paint in a glossy white finish.  This made the dated gold frame fresh and modern.

When it was dry I glued cork board to the back and hung it on my wall.  Tada!  A beautiful, fun, piece of art for my office.  I love how it came out.

The other great thing about this is it can be used for photo collages or decor storey boards when needed. This could also be done in a smaller version with old frames that aren't being used to house business cards or other small reminders on your desk top.  

This was so easy to do and I love the way the spray paint updated this frame.  This project has inspired me to pick up other frames I see in my travels and do the same thing.  This is an inexpensive way to get great looking frames while re-using and removing our carbon foot print!

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Fall Fruit

I LOVE everything fall!!! Maybe it's that my birthday is in the fall or maybe it's the change from lazy summer days to the start of a new year.  No I am no longer a student, but it seems that everything re-starts in the fall. One of my most favourite things about the fall though is apple picking.  I love walking in the cool air and picking the fresh fruit from the tree.   I then love coming home and displaying my hand selected decor.  When we registered for our wedding I registered for this awesome wine chiller.  While I don't think it has ever been used for it's intended purpose, I love the way it looks filled with fresh apples.  I seem to find something different to fill it with each season.  Stay Tuned!

From the Sticks

We recently spent the weekend at the cottage.  Maybe it was the cool weather or maybe it was the lack of things to do because of the cool wet weather either way,  I decided to collect drift wood to make a fall centre piece.  What I love most about this is that each stick was hand selected from the beach.  Since a storm had recently rolled through there was tons of drift wood to choose from.  This centre piece cannot be bought and is definitely a conversational piece.  

 How can you get this look?  Grab your hubby,friend, or child who doesn't mind walking the beach and hand selecting sticks lying on the beach.  I thought about taking my two year old nephew but then realized I was far too OCD, my hubby was an excellent substitute.  Once you have your sticks set them up in a vase and add a few seasonal items.  I used rocks collected at the cottage last year and some brown ribbon to stand them up.  I used mini pumpkins for fall however, I already have a plan to turn this into a Christmas piece.