Apparently, I only shop at Target

I've been searching for the perfect lamp for our dining room for a few months now. I wanted to move the existing lamp somewhere else in the house (pop back next week to see where!), so I needed something awesome to fit into this almost completed little space. Enter: Target.

All hail the bullseye. My version of the spa.

They've had a smaller version of this lamp for awhile, but I needed something with a little more presence - so when I spotted this larger version the other week, I didn't hesitate.

I did, however, have trouble deciding on a lamp shade and tried pretty much every one they had in stock. With a brief consultation from my bestie, I decided on the grey.

I LOVE how it looks. The shape may be fairly traditional but the clear base is definitely not. It has just the right level of interest for this little corner of the dining room... which appears to be sponsored by Target. Everything but the little bowl (old, from Anthropologie) and the little white & gold dish (made by me) is from Target...even my sunglasses. #Addict.

Under Foot

After months (literally, MONTHS) of searching, we finally settled on an office rug. It’s a bit ridiculous how long this search has taken. I stumbled on this rug at HomeSense a few weeks ago while shopping for a client and snapped a quick photo of it before moving on. Later on that night, I was scrolling through the photos on my phone and took a closer look… and LOVED it. The boyfriend did too. I’m not sure how I managed to glaze over it so quickly the first time. I dashed back to HomeSense the following night, crossing my fingers that it was still there – and luckily for me, it was!

I love the little bit of interest the pattern adds to the space without being too overwhelming. Plus, it’s all natural fibres, which I tend to prefer in a rug. And at HomeSense prices (it was $149), it was impossible to resist.

It's a little dizzying in these photos but the pattern is much more subtle in person, thanks to the black & white colour scheme.

Now that we’ve finally settled on a rug, I can move on to finding fabric for curtains. I’m thinking one super-wide panel that I can pull all the way to the right when open. This beauty from Tonic Living is a strong contender... 

If you’re interested in other #OperationOffice projects, you can find them all right here. This room has come a LONG way in the past 6 months! Besides the aforementioned curtains, the only other immediate tasks are to hang our degrees (why I've procrastinated on that for so long is beyond me) and purchase two desk chairs. I'm partial to these ones, but we shall see...

Etsy Loves

It's been a few months since I last shared my Etsy faves. Here's what's been catching my eye lately...

Geometric Wall Sculpture

'All Together' Print by Kiki and Polly

Vintage Distressed Turkish Rug

Love Dish Towels

3D Triangle Earrings

Metallic Pouch

Hand-Painted Porcelain Tumbler

My Best Friend's Wedding

Photo Credit: Trevor Allen

I promised to share all of the DIYs my best friend and I created for her wedding back in August but the day of the wedding was a whirlwind and I didn’t get a single picture of everything in place! I had to wait for the professional photos to arrive from their amazing photographer, Trevor Allen. Seriously, if you need a wedding photographer – he’s AMAZING. In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding, Erica and I designed their wedding invitation suite, and created a windswept backdrop for the ceremony, a nature-inspired place card situation, and a classic wedding sign.

INVITATIONS

The invitation suite included the invitation itself, a card with hotel information, an RSVP card, and for some, an invitation to the rehearsal dinner. 

Erica scoured the interwebs for invitation ideas she liked and we combined her favourites into one typographic invite. It took us AGES to find the right font (It’s Josephine Sans for the regular type & Meddon for the script, if you’re interested), but once we did, things really came together. 

We created each one in Photoshop and sized them so they would stack nicely. Our colour palette was a simple and classic black, white, and kraft. 

CEREMONY BACKDROP 

I actually stumbled on this backdrop idea a few months earlier via Style Me Pretty. 

Photo Credit: Trevor Allen

Our version was a slight variation on the original and was super easy to make. If you can believe it, that's actually wax paper! We cut it into triangles, formed cones, and literally stapled each one to the string. It doesn't get much easier. Then, we tied them all to a branch Erica found in her mom's backyard and a backdrop was born.

Photo Credit: Trevor Allen

It was a bit breezy on their wedding day, so one thing we didn't account for was how much the strands would blow in the wind! At multiple points, the pastor actually tucked them under his arm because they kept blowing into the bride and groom - pretty funny.

PLACECARDS 

These were a Pinterest find and I couldn't believe how perfectly suited to Erica they were when I spotted them. Little green leaves inscribed with names and table numbers. 

Photo Credit: Trevor Allen

Erica grabbed a bunch of leaves from a tree in her mom's yard and I used a copper Sharpie to write everyone's name and table number. Then, with the help of our friend, Heather, we pinned them all to a piece of cork board wrapped in navy fabric, using pins that Erica had spray-painted copper. Simple but beautiful.

WEDDING SIGN

Lastly, the wedding sign. Sadly, I don't have any photos of this in place but you can see it below with my fellow bridesmaid and friend, the always lovely Heather (you toured her apartment here). 

Erica picked up the pieces of wood at Michael's, we stained them with some stain I had on hand (Minwax Provincial), we glued the pieces together with gorilla glue, and I painted the word 'Wedding' on it using white acrylic paint. Due to the oil-based nature of the stain, it took probably 7-8 coats of white before the stain stopped bleeding through. It was worth it though - a simple but pretty way to direct guests towards the ceremony location. 

And now, a gratutious bridesmaid shot, just because I love it so much:

Photo Credit: Trevor Allen

And those are our DIYs! It was such a beautiful and fun wedding - I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. And just to give you a taste of what the night was like, I'll leave you with the slow-motion photobooth Trevor did for Erica & Anthony. SO. MUCH. FUN.

Lately

A few sneak peeks of a client project that has me SO EXCITED.

Clockwise from top right:

Living Room Scheme

Back Porch/Mudroom

Bathroom Accessories

Office Details

Front Porch Components