Just Another Mood Board Monday...

Spring is unfashionably late this year, so why not bring a little spring indoors?

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Remnants

lattes & homemade blueberry lemon loaf  /  trim painting /  kraft dinner manicure  /  blizzard reads  

LINKS TO LOVE:

This subwoofer fix from Dana is amazing. Currently brainstorming ways to disguise ours'.

Roo wrote a really great post about how sometimes bloggers are all "ra ra go girl" without any real sense of reality. We're not all amazing, all the time. Everyone makes mistakes. And it's totally okay to admit that.

These geometric floral pendants are likely WAY beyond my DIY skill level but I desperately want to attempt one.

Veronica Valencia is my spirit animal/human/designer.

Maxi dresses and cropped leather bombers. Get here already, warm weather.

Five I Fancy

AMMIKI, based in Melbourne, Australia, creates these gorgeous modern pastel showstoppers. I'm totally in love with the soft colours and edges.

Here are five pieces I fancy by AMMIKI:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

Snake

For ages, the corner of our living room to the left of the fireplace has felt off. I wasn't sure how to fix it without totally new furniture (aiiiin't gonna happen), so I was at a bit of a loss. Eventually, I realized that what the space really needed was some greenery. Tall greenery. But that corner receives so little light that I was worried anything we put there would die. Somewhere in the recesses of my I-used-to-work-at-flower-shop brain, I remembered the good ol' snake plant.

Named for obvious reasons, this thing is hardy (as confirmed by this Apartment Therapy article) and apparently can handle low light and neglect (my specialty!). Plus, it was only $12.99 at Superstore! And when I was choosing which plant I wanted, an adorable elderly woman informed me of its other moniker: Mother-In-Law's Tongue. Which is both ridiculous and hilarious, so of course, I had to have it.

I'm still searching for the right pot and contemplating a DIY. If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have already clued into that fact, haha. This corner still needs a bunch of work but it's finally heading in the right direction!

P.S. I'm making a conscious effort to get used to using manual mode on the camera, so bear with me (and the occasional blurriness #ineedatripod) while I figure things out!

Snow White

After several days of hemming and hawing, we finally chose a paint colour for the trim in our house: Benjamin Moore’s Snow White. It’s a crisper and brighter white than Ice Mist (which was the other contender). I think my biggest fear was that the trim would veer too far into cream territory and would end up looking yellow. As such, my goal was to find something crisp, bright, and cool.

This house has tons of moulding, which is both awesome and intimidating, given that our goal is to repaint all of the trim the same colour. We’re breaking it down into smaller chunks and started with the office, which was probably one of the more manageable rooms, given its lack of crown moulding. Here’s what it looks like now: 

It’s minor, for sure. But I definitely think the room feels different, even if you can’t tell exactly what has changed.

I think it’s most noticeable by the window, where the previous trim was a yellowy cream. Here's a little before and after, so you can see the difference. I know the wall looks like it's two totally different colours - but it really does look different depending on the light/time of day!

Honestly, it feels brighter and more polished in here now. I can’t WAIT until the trim in the living and dining areas is painted to match. There’s so much moulding in those spaces, I think it’s going to be crazy dramatic!

Just Another Mood Board Monday...

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Remnants

Pre Juicer (Kale, Ginger, Lemon, Cucumber, Apple)  / Post Juicer

Spring fleurs / 'Jack' the Kangaroo, on loan to the Museum of Natural History

LINKS TO LOVE:

Dying over Bailey's Project Holly kitchen. You must see.

Contemplating DIYing my own version of these curtains for our bedroom.

Jules looks so cool and classic. Makes me crave summer weather/attire.

This home in London is absolute perfection. I wouldn't change a single thing.

Five I Fancy

Totally in love with these amazing paintings by UK artist, Joel Penkman. Everyday items never looked so gorgeous.

Here are five pieces I fancy by Joel Penkman.

Lyle's Golden Syrup
Holly Golightly's breakfast
Fabs 2
MilkPlus
Rocket lolly ices

Just some Wednesday things...

Legitimately Cute Mousepads

I've honestly had the hardest time finding a mousepad. I've been looking for one since I first got my iMac, over a year ago  The main problem has been that it's tough to find something I actually like! When I do a google search for "best mousepads", I get super ugly ergonomic (or whatever you'd call a mousepad) mousepads. When I do a google search for "cutest mousepads", I get super cutesy monogramed/chevroned hideousness. When I do a google search for "coolest mousepads", I get really bizarre and not particularly functional mousepads. (How many times can I say mousepad in one paragraph?) Back when I started this search, I turned to my faithful Etsy but, at the time, the pickings were just as slim. I tried a Pinterest DIY but it was an epic fail (and would have resulted in Sharpie all over my beautiful white mouse).

So, I've used a notepad as a mousepad for the past year and a half but it's never really done the job properly. And now that we have this awesome new desk, I'm noticing that the mouse has been causing a few scratches when it's not on the notepad and I definitely don't want that to continue. So my search was reinvigorated.

I stuck to Etsy this go, and as luck would have it, found some amazing mousepads! So to save you the tedious search that I went through, I rounded up a few of my faves to share with you...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Do you have a fantastic mousepad? I'm still searching for mine, so let me know!

Just Another Mood Board Monday...

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Remnants

lion & bright for post lady dinner brews / new floral blouse, new jeggings, and my old faithful leopard flats

pretty ski on the way to ottawa for work / met up with some friends & we may have underestimated the size of the flights

not a horrible view from my hotel window (canadian parliament) / lucky to get home in near white out airport conditions

LINKS TO LOVE:

Everything Julia has shared this week is making me crave summer. Like this striped dress, this Tory Burch tunic, and this phenomenal orange dress.

I'd never heard of Cortney Bishop before the ladies at Desire to Inspire shared some of her work, but I. AM. OBSESSED. That first image with the giant vegetable print?! I die.

Beyond excited for Erin's book. You know I've already preordered it. Erin's blog was one of the first I ever read and it's so fantastic to see her succeed.

Officially obsessed with camo after picking up a pair of skinnies from Old Navy (not the ones on their website). Gaby shows how to style a camo tee 3 ways and I'm loving it.

Boozy Lucky Charms cereal milkshakes?! I guess I know what I'm consuming on Monday...

Five I Fancy

I first discovered Chelsea Petaja, artist behind the shop Oh My Deer, on Instagram, where she posts the most beautifully composed photographs. In her shop, she makes her living off of her handwriting - a skill I envy!

Here are five I fancy by Oh My Deer:

Clockwise from top left: Van Gogh ($13.68 CAD); Ralph Waldo Emerson ($51.32 CAD); 

EE Cummings ($13.68 CAD); Be A Nice Human ($34.21 CAD); Van Gogh ($13.68 CAD)

Trim Time

I'm having the craziest, busiest week, you guys. In fact, as you read this, I'm halfway across the country for work. So please accept this photo of two DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT white trim paints as today's post. Seriously, though. We're trying to decide between the two of them: Ice Mist (above) and Snow White (below). Both by Benjamin Moore. What are your thoughts?

Stripes & Arrows

When we were at Home Sense picking up the pillows I shared last week, I also stumbled onto this little striped table runner. I thought the stripes were so classic and the colours perfectly suited our Nate Berkus arrowhead rug.

I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. A simple and inexpensive addition that's acting as a catalyst for where I want this room to go.

I think it will look especially chic against a dark table when we get a chance to stain this one!

Just Another Mood Board Monday...

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Remnants

friday night stillwell / shopping spree spoils

the most ferocious teddy bear i know / cheesy pic to capture the vintage waves i finally mastered

LINKS TO LOVE:

I am OBSESSED with Ash's blog Sugar & Cloth, which I only just discovered. Check it out. Seriously.

I hate lamp cords. Well, cords in general. Very tempted to follow Dana's lead.

And I may have bought this stunning white coat after spotting it on Krystin earlier this week...

Five I Fancy

South Carolina-based Teil Duncan is crazy talented. The colours she chooses are so vibrant and each piece has so much life to it. Just looking at them makes me happy.

Here are five I fancy by Teil Duncan:

Maggie's In Town

 To The Right IX

 Yellow Glow

 Lean Back XIX

 Splash

Gold Medal

I've been on the hunt for a few more pillows to add to our living room and last weekend, I caught myself a few metallic beauties:

I thought I wanted navy pillows but when I spotted these gold ones at HomeSense, I couldn't resist. I think they pull out the light accent in the rug quite nicely and keep the space from getting too dark.

I also  love the way they contrast with the dark couch and striped pillows. I think they liven up the room a bit.

What do you think?

Murphy the Miracle Cleaner

When we picked up our new desk, it looked a little something like this:

To be honest, I'm not sure what that was. At first, I thought it was dust. Then, I thought someone had splattered it with paint. Whatever it was, it was unsightly. But I loved the rest of the desk and figured we could refinish the top down the line, if we needed to. When we got it home and all set up, the boyfriend suggested we try to scrub it with some Murphy Oil Soap...

...which is my new favourite cleaner EVER because all of those marks DISAPPEARED! 

All it took was some Murphy's, a nonabrasive scrubby sponge, and a little elbow grease. I'm not saying that it will work for everyone but I couldn't keep this trick to myself! Murphy, my new best friend.

P.S. Sorry for the wonky nighttime lighting. I needed a shot of the top of the desk and couldn't possibly wait until morning to set it up. You understand.

Just Another Mood Board Monday...

Click on image for individual sources.