Tray Chic

I love layering vintage pieces in with pieces that are brand new or DIYs for a really personal feel. Vintage silver accessories can add serious personality to a room - even when tarnished. My friend, Heather, gave me this gorgeous vintage silver tray for my birthday and I'm in love with it.

I've been using the tray to hold my new business cards, but really there are so many options.

Candle holder.

Plant stand.

Remote wrangler.

Jewelry corral.

Stella & Dot Julep Bangle; Gilded Arrow Bangle; Christina Link Bracelet; Valor Studs  

For now I'll continue to use it as a business card holder but I can definitely see switching it up as time passes and my needs (or interests) change. 

What would you use a vintage tray for?

Flashback

IN MY HEAD:

ON MY MIND:

I need this. I absolutely 100% need this.

Boyfriend jeans and a leather cardi. Yes, please.

Love the cut on this blouse. So flattering.

The universally flattering cobalt.

Casual cool.

This flat is perfect. We can all go home now.

IN MY LINE OF SIGHT:

Not the most flattering photo of me but a pretty exciting photo op with Melissa & Lainey of The Social!

 Caffeine break at Dineen Coffee in Toronto.

Rainbow, yo.

 New jacket and leopard flats on the way to brunch in the Beaches.

 And the prettiest cookbook spine on a cookbook that is now on my wishlist, haha.

That's it for me! I'm off to do Run or Dye tomorrow and otherwise, enjoy a cozy fall weekend. Hope yours is great!

Tea for Twenty

As I mentioned yesterday... and the day before... aaaand every 20 minutes, if you've seen me in real life over the past week - I was fortunate enough to join an awesome group of bloggers for Tea with Sarah Richardson, first lady of Canadian interior design, last Friday before Blog Podium. (See here, here, and here to find out more about how I got so lucky!). 

Sarah of Saige Wisdom, Jill & Emma of The Happy Space Project, Julie of Elliven Studio, Britt of Gallery No. 8, Tia of More of Everything 

It was amazing. Honestly, I've probably worn these words out, I've said them so much recently but it was an experience I'll never forget. I've adored Sarah and her work since my early teen years when Room Service was on. I've been an avid watcher of every single show she's done, even when I was a poor university student with no cable (Thank you HGTV.CA!). 

I think it's challenging for it not to be a letdown when you meet someone you've idolized for so long. After all, you've built that person up so much in your head to the point where he or she seems incapable of normal human faults. So I was a little worried going into the event that Sarah wouldn't be as she seemed and I would be disappointed. But, I definitely didn't need to worry.

Trying so hard to play it cool.

Sarah is every bit as sweet, genuine, funny, and quirky as she comes across on TV. She graciously welcomed us into her design studio, which as you can see from the photos is STUNNING. 

We sipped on tea cocktails from bespoke tea sommelier (yes, that's a real thing!), Jennifer Commins of Pluck Teas, and chatted design with Sarah, her senior designers Natalie Hodgins and Kate Stuart, her hysterical PR guru, Deb McCain, BlogPodium creator, Jennifer Flores, and each other. 

Brittany of My Daily Randomness with Sara of Saige Wisdom and Sarah of Sarah Russell Interiors

Tia of More of Everything, Britt of Gallery No. 8, Laura of Gracefully Searching, Melissa of The Sweet Escape

Much like a preview of BlogPodium the next day, it was so lovely to be in a space with a group of other people who are passionate about the same things as you. We drooled over the design of the studio, quizzed Sarah on her favourite antique hideaways, chatted about a few local artists, and one of my favourite parts - got a preview of Sarah's new fabric line for Kravet and the inside scoop on the long and detailed process of developing a line of fabrics.

Sarah explaining how they choose what colours go where.

Sarah and Kate worked on the fabric collection together and designed it in coordinating patterns and colourways so that people can easily recreate aspects of Sarah Richardson Design's signature fabric-on-fabric-on-fabric look at home. And the best part? They specifically focused on making the line affordable so that the average Sarah viewer could use them! How great is that?

At the end of the 2+ hour tea, Sarah and her team gifted us each with a custom tote bag made with one of her new fabrics and filled with Pluck Tea to take home. So sweet. 

Photo from the ladies of The Happy Space Project

All in all, it was just the most fantastic day. I was giddy for pretty much the entire rest of the weekend... and probably still am. Thank you so much to Sarah and her team for making us feel so welcome and to Jen and her team for making it all possible. Once-in-a-lifetime-experience, indeed.

Errington Bloom

Given that it's pretty much all I've been able to talk about for the last 4 days, you may have heard that I was lucky enough to get the chance to attend tea with Canadian design queen, Sarah Richardson, last Friday. Among other things, Sarah shared with us a sneak peek of her new fabric line for Kravet. GORGEOUS. Full details on the entire once-in-a-lifetime event are coming tomorrow, but in keeping with my middle-of-the-week-mood board tradition, I thought I'd use a few of my favourite fabrics from her collection in this week's post.

The Errington Bloom floral fabric was my absolute fave in her collection and I would definitely use it for statement curtains. I'd upholster an elegant bench (this one happens to ALSO be Sarah's - I'm a bit of a fangirl) in another one of her fabrics - Woodlawn Stone, to go with metal Marais chairs and a midcentury table. Fun light fixtures, a punchy industrial credenza, a natural jute rug, and subtle art complete the space.

A few of Sarah's fabrics on display in her design studio

I would have layered in SO many more of her fabrics but they're not easy to find online just yet. If you spot them anywhere, make sure you take a full look - they're stunning, priced to be accessible, and come in an array of coordinating patterns so you can get Sarah's signature fabric-on-fabric-on-fabric style in your own home.

Click on the mood board for individual sources.

Blog Podium

If you’ve tuned into this blog over the past few weeks, you've likely heard me ramble on about my excitement for BlogPodium, the Canadian design and lifestyle blogger conference held in Toronto this past weekend. Today, I thought I’d share a few details of my experience, along with the pitifully few photos I managed to actually take. (Bad blogger!)

I loved Blog Podium. I learned SO much; I met so many amazing bloggers; I had a ton of fun; and I left the conference feeling inspired and excited about the future. 

Pre-Keynote Speech

As to be expected from a conference designed and implemented by design and lifestyle bloggers, no detail was overlooked. The gorgeous decorations came from Minted, an adorable stationery collaborative with which I’m now obsessed. The branding was impeccable. The speakers were so inspiring. The brands present represented some of my favourite Canadian design spots (Indigo, anyone?). And the giveaways/swag were unbelievable (e.g., many people won power tools from Home Depot and we were all gifted among other things, a can of paint from sponsor, Para Paints, and a leather wristlet from sponsor, Roots).

Sarah Richardson gave the keynote speech. You guys, I was so inspired. It’s no secret that I love Sarah. Getting to meet her for tea the day before is one of my life highlights thus far (more on that coming later this week!). I wasn’t sure what her keynote would add to the talk she gave the day before - but it was phenomenal. Sarah shared so many words of wisdom and pieces of advice for would-be designers and bloggers in general. Her talk really helped to reinforce some of the decisions I’ve been making and goals I’ve set, and also provided me with ideas for how to move forward. 

Image via the super talented Anna with Love

I learned so much throughout the day about balancing your full-time job with your blog (thanks to Jordana & Giulia), treating your blog as a business (thanks to Stephanie), how to take better photographs (thanks to Jennifer), and exploring the world of advertising and sponsorship (thanks to the hysterical Karen). There were so many more sessions I wanted to explore but unfortunately, only so much time in the day. 

All that learning was capped off with some photobooth shenanigans, sparkly signature cocktails, and heart-to-hearts with new blogger friends. I had the most amazing time and I'm so so excited to go back next year. If you're a blogger (or just considering starting a blog), I can't recommend Blog Podium enough.

I met so many amazing new in-real-life blogger friends, of which there are way too many to mention by name. A few blogs that you definitely should be checking out: The Artful Desperado, All Things Nice, Listen Mr, The Pretty Purveyor, Talbany, North Story, and Gracefully Searching.

With blog friends and now in-real-life friends, Lauren & Gabriel, via Snapshot Photobooth

Thanks to everyone for such an amazing experience and especially to Jen of Rambling Renovators for her brilliant idea and awesome organization, planning, and execution. I'll be back ;)

P.S. Check back later in the week for a recap of that time I had tea with Sarah Richardson ;)

Just one more day...

You guys, I had just the best weekend. I want to tell you all about it, but unfortunately, due to some unfortunate travel issues, I'm exhausted and need another day to put it all together for you in a coherent manner.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this... Notice anyone familiar? And famous?

Photo from the lovely and talented ladies at The Happy Space Project.

Flashback

IN MY HEAD:

ON MY MIND:

Essential tools for straight-haired girls, wavy-haired girls, and curly-haired girls. Now, why can’t they make one for girls with half-straight/half-wavy hair?!

Minimalistic but still super glam. I’m in love.

DIY tips for making your own overdyed rug. SERIOUSLY want to try this.

Gorgeous simple kitchen, shared by Julie (who I’ll get to see this weekend at Blog Podium!)

Awesome eclectic ways to dress a bed from the Furbish team.

And a super chic look from Could I Have That? – one of my new favourite fashion blogs.

IN MY LINE OF SIGHT:

Morning view after spending the night at a cottage in Green Bay, NS 

Popped into Target, which FINALLY opened in Halifax on Tuesday. Some SERIOUSLY cute wares. Can’t wait until I have a little more space to decorate – I’ll definitely be back! 

A little Blog Podium prep with my new Kate Spade agenda! 

Unbelievably exciting things in store this weekend!

Thanks for checking in, friends! I’ve been in Toronto since yesterday and I’m having a blast catching up with friends, strolling around, eating, and shopping, of course. This afternoon I get to MEET SARAH RICHARDSON. I know. I can hardly believe it. And tomorrow is Blog Podium!!! Can’t wait to meet and chat with all the amazing bloggers I’ve been getting to know online. Enjoy your weekend! I’ll be back with a recap of the whole thing next week!

Business Lady

In preparation for Blog Podium, I thought it was time to get some business cards made for the design/blog aspect of my life. In spite of the array of beautiful business cards available on Etsy, I couldn't seem to make a decision. And then I stumbled on Paper Sushi. Jennifer makes business card STAMPS. Ohhhh, do I love a stamp. And gorgeous handwriting. If you're in the market for any kind of stamp, I highly recommend Paper Sushi - I had such a great experience.

I picked up an ink pad from Michael's - Color Box Pigment Archival ink in Black. Be warned, this ink takes FOREVER to dry. While at Michael's, I also grabbed a stack of 12x12 kraft card stock. This is thick card stock - almost like cardboard. The sheets of card stock are typically 99 cents, but I lucked out and caught a 4-for-99 cents sale. Each sheet made 18 business cards (with a little leftover). Then, I took the card stock to Fedex and they used their fancy cutting robot to cut the sheets to business card size for me, which cost approximately $9.

Stamping them all was a little tedious. After all, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to these things, and I wanted the stamp to be perfectly centred. Plus, the ink took ages to dry (overnight).

I LOVE the result though. Exactly what I was hoping for. Simple but unique.

What do you think?

P.S. I'm not the only business lady in town ;) My fave designer lady, Sarah Richardson (WHO I GET TO MEET TOMORROW!!!!!) has a new show premiering tonight on HGTV! You know I'll be checking it out.

See The World

This is a little mood board I've been playing around with lately. I love the idea of using vintage maps as art - especially if that map is of some place meaningful. I pulled together the rug and drapery fabric because of the way they tied into the map. Once I got started, the rest of the room just came together. I love the way all the different textures play together in this space. I think it could work for either gender!

Click on the mood board for individual sources.

What to wear...

As some of you know, I'm heading to Toronto this weekend for Blog Podium! Blog Podium is a conference for Canadian design and lifestyle bloggers and I am beyond excited. Not only do I get to meet Sarah Richardson (who is also the keynote speaker), but I also get to meet, mingle, and chat with 250 other design-obsessed bloggers and brands! So, needless to say - what to wear has been on my mind. Here's what I've come up with:

I picked up this super cute tweed and "leather" sweater at Smart Set last week when I was killing time. Honestly - I haven't been in Smart Set in years but they have some seriously fantastic stuff right now! I'm going to pair the top with black skinnies, cute black flats (I will never be a heels girl), a coral tote that I just picked up at Winners' (similar to the one pictured), and my fave Stella and Dot jewelry (Christina link necklace; Christina link bracelet; On The Mark necklace; Gilded Arrow bangle; Valor studs).

Now to start packing!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my bestie, Erica!!! Love you, lady.